Overland to India

So it was eventually time for us to depart our little home in fishling. This place had been our base for the last three months nearly and the family that lived there looked after us pretty well. The girls were great they made us chai, cooked meals for us, let us watch their TV and gave us advice on where to get stuff. Although I will be sad to leave I am also excited to see the friends I made in India again. 

After cleaning our small room and packing our belongings and the kayaks it was time to wait for the bus which was running on Nepali time - suprisingly! It arrived in the dark around 6:30 about two and a half hours later then expected. After getting the boats on the roof and tied on it was definatly goodbye to this small village that had been our home. Although, when we first got on the bus there was a guy sat in one of our seats who was sleeping. The 'bus drivers mate' spoke to him and he seemed reluctant to move to the back of the bus - however he didn't have any choice as we had these seats booked since a few days before. 

And then it was time to sit and listen to the great Nepali bus driving music mix. Which consisted of a range of Nepali love songs, Hindi dance music to gangnam style... Amoungst others. This was going to be a long journey overnight to reach the boarder town of mahindranager. 

The journey was fairly uneventful to be honest apart from a punctured tyre in the small hours of the morning and a few uneventful stops for police checks. No bribes or fuss was given about the kayaks which was good for us. We eventually arrived in mahindranager about 10am, where as soon as I stepped off the bus as usual everyone was asking if I needed a bus, taxi, rikshaw and I ignored them and helped with the boats. We were to stay and take some rest before crossing the boarder so we took the kayaks and the rest of our stuff to a guest house a short walk away from the bus park. I'm glad it wasn't any further and I was carrying the light play boat! After a breakfast of dal Bhat it was time for some needed sleep! 

Around 2pm we got woken up by the child from the guesthouse and got told we needed to leave which we were doing. He ran off for us to go and fetch some mode of transportation for the three boats and the two of us and after a short while turned up with a horse and cart. 

It could have been a joke, but it wasn't and we loaded up the boats on to the cart after paddy negotiated an agreed about the price. So we were off. Our last journey out of Nepal and into India would be on a horse pulling his cart, our three boats, bags and the three of us. The journey was about 15km or so and we passed police check points and customs and apart from smiling at what I guess was me and not the horse, none batted an eye lid at our boats. The first stop was at the Nepal immigration "office" - I mean desk where I filled in a departure form and got my departure stamp in my passport - which is the important part this stop took all of about 5 minutes. The second stop was the immigration police where they filled in a log book by hand to record some details such as my name, country, passport number and the time I went through. Again this stop took abut 5 minutes to complete but the converstation consisted of askin if I would like some chai and askin if I was single or married?!. The last stop was the Indian immigration, where I had to fill in an arrival form, then the guy at the desk asked me what my job was - I replied outdoor instructor which was too hard for him to understand, so I said instructor instead and he still didn't understand so I became a teacher... Close enough I guess. Like asking from where I started my journey to get here - he didn't understand where fishling or mugling where - so I left from kathmandu - doesn't matter that there is about a 100km difference I suppose? Then he filled in the paper log book to say I had entered India and stamped my passport with my entry stamp. Job done through immigration and security and crossed the boarder in probably one of the more interesting ways! 

Our horse had been doing a great job, his name was Salam khan after one of the Bollywood action heroes. And after the driver stopped a few times to do some shopping we were at the bus park. Time to unload the cart and have some bus drivers shout at us for our business on their bus - we found one leaving around the right time and going all the way to rishikesh which was good. So it was time to load the boats up again. I much prefer having my own car with roof racks or a trailer to transport boats but it can be done on the buses as long as you pay a little extra cash for carrying the boats. 

The bus however was a state bus and the condition much to be desired, I had a magic window which liked to open itself, the seats were hard and uncomfortable and the music much too loud. We left at 7pm and after some stops for chai and food, again greeted by chai, garam chai and all sorts being shouted that we could buy at the stops. The first stop one of the guys asked for a picture of me- which he seemed Suprised when I said no - reminded me of the things I dislike about India. This didn't happen in Nepal. Oh well. This is India! 

We eventually arrived in rishikesh at around 6:30 and our friend and his truck was there to greet us. 

Indian visa...

So it's time to start thinking about the second half of my trip. Getting to India. My Nepalese visa runs out shortly and I need to get my visa sorted out for India. This process is fairly straight forward or so it seems - you just need to fill in a form online, photocopy passport, Nepalese visa and previous Indian visa. Then a visit to the Indian visa centre in kathmandu pay your visa fee and then wait. 

I arrived early at the embassy and things were going smoothly and quickly until I got up to the counter. The forms were fine - my photo however was not - the background wasn't white enough...! So a trip to the shop next door 250 rupees later and a not so good photo - and that was sorted. The next stage was to pay the fee - British passport holders seem to have to pay the most for whatever reason. Maybe India holds a grudge from back in the day?! Who knows! Once this non refundable fee is paid you have to wait five working days to go back to the embassy in the morning to be told I you have been granted a visa or not and how long for. This is what I am waiting for at the moment. We shall see what happens but it's just waiting for now. 

Returning to kathmandu would be less than a simple process - turns out there is was a political strike going on so only tourist and private vehicles were allowed to travel. Staying in a village the buses were not stopping for us when we eventually went to get the bus that was. After a chai break it was time to try again and we managed to get a truck to stop for us which was transporting milk. It was pretty strange travelling - there was little to no vehicles on the roads which made the journey a lot easier and less dangerous than normal. There were however more children on the roads for us to dodge around. We did however eventually arrive in kathmandu and after paying the driver more than normal we were soon in Thamel. 

I was to go to the embassy for the second time to hand in my reciept to find out if I had been granted my visa. Again I arrived early and still the waiting took some time. Although they did get through people fairly quickly. However when it was eventually my turn to go up the lady informed me I needed to wait for nearly an hour and be interviewed. 

The interview consisted of three men asking me a few questions - the issue was from my previous visit to India. I unfortunantly did not register with the Forgein Registery Office within the specified time limit set out on my visa - which meant technically I had overstayed my visa... However I did register and pay a fine at the airport before I left. Which I thought would be the end of the issue but obviously not. Anyway I left and they said they would call me later that day. 

Later that day came and went and I decided to go to the office again in the morning to find out what was happening. I got there and the lady at the counter 'said you had an interview yesterday' - 'never'.... Anyway I informed her that they had not phoned me like they said - and then she said 'take a seat'. This lady had been getting on my nerves a little throughout this process but I smiled and sat down. Nearly an hour later I was called up and she nicely informed me I had been granted my visa - yippee!! But not for as long as I had hoped for. Nevermind - plans can change. Well they will have to anyway! After handing my passport in again it was time to wait until the next evening to pick up my visa. Meaning more time and money wasted in kathmandu... 

Picking up my passport was the easiest process as I just walked in and walked up to the  counter and was given my passport. Not long at all - unlike the wait that I had to get it! 

But visa stuff didn't finish there - seeing as this process had taken so long we had decided to extend my Nepalese visa not for too long but long enough to has time to do some practise before the competition. So it was another days wait as the government offices are not open on a Saturday.... 

Extending my Nepali visa however was fairly straight foreword unlike the walk there!! The walk was fairly long though lots of people but it was nice to see other areas of kathmandu rather than just the tourist area of Thamel. Once I got there it was time to hand over my piece of paper which I had to print after filling a form in online with photocopies - but they didn't want the photocopies - I then got asked to stand in another line so I could pay the fee - $30 for 15 days. Then once I had paid and been given a receipt I had to wait to get my passport back. That was it  a whole 10 minute process no stress no hassle. The way that it should be! 

So with all that done- it was time to head back to fishling with a couple of kayaks. So we could get back on the river and out of the city.