After 8 years here we finally decided to take the plunge and
recently got our driving licenses. Up till now we have relied on peddle power
and buses and taxis to get us everywhere we need to, and this has been fine,
and indeed would continue to be in reality.
But the opportunity to borrow a friend’s car and get out on
the roads was quite tempting, mostly due to the freedom that comes with this.
The roads in Nepal though are a bit of an experience, one that we’ve got used
to over the past 8 years, but driving in them for the first time brought back
the reality.
I remember picking up my sister from the airport when she
first came to visit us. We were driving back home in a taxi, me in the front
and my sister and her suitcase on the back seat. Each time I turned to face her
I could see the shock spreading across her face. “The roads are crazy” she
said, but I had felt it had been a fairly uneventful journey, already partially
immune. And that was before she worked in road safety.
The huge benefit of having a car is to get out of the Kathmandu
valley and at the weekend we did this. We jumped in our friend’s car and headed
south, out beyond the city and the towns that are connected to the outskirts,
and actually over into another valley. Lelle valley is a beautiful green valley,
with fresh, clear air. We didn’t stay long, just long enough to wonder along by
a stream and enjoy some greenery. Then it was back to the roads.
On the way back in we took some video, we’ve put a snippet
of it below, to give you a taster of the roads. But to be honest, it was a
quiet Saturday afternoon, so it doesn’t compare to week day traffic!
