The (very narrow) road to Hetauda

Roads in the Nepali countryside are very scenic and can ve very crowded at times

Last week we took a ride to Hetauda, a small province in the south of Kathmandu to celebrate Holi. We were told to be ready by 8.30 in the morning, yet everyone came at least 30 min later. It is strange for me to be the one on time. Getting out of Kathamndu in rush hour is a big deal, think Mexico City´s traffic on steroids but with smaller cars and many more scooters. Once out of the city, the road became a bit more scenic. Sadly from a bit of height is very easy to see the incredible amount of air pollution that covers the city. As you continue, the way gets even more narrow, yet the Nepalese drivers seem to be experts in fitting 2 cars where there is only space for one.

Sometimes cars come so close they make contact with each other. In the pic you have the mountain on one side and the cliff on the other...

At one point we encountered an ambulance, actually 2. They were struggling to pass between what it seemed to be a bottleneck of about 20 jeeps and small cars in a road not wider than 4-5 m. Even here, in the middle of nowhere it was rush hour. No cars could go forward or backwards, it was a deadlock. Some people started to get out of their cars to try to figure out how to get the ambulance trough.

As all this was unfolding I though about the person in the Ambulance. It was not clear to me where they were taking him or her. The nearest hospital was at least a 3-4 hrs drive away of the same bumpy road. Triage in this remote conditions is hard. It comes down to prolonging death to at least 5 hrs to have a shot at getting to the hospital. Which would be really difficult if you are having for example a stroke. As the ambulance finally managed to pass by, I saw a lady maybe in her 70s laying down in the patients bed, she had her eyes closed. I felt sorry for her.

After a 6hr drive we were exhausted (we only drove 86km!) so the first order of business was a nap. Later that night, we headed for dinner with some nepali friends. They seemed serious in the begging but as soon as the whisky started pouring, the laughter came. It was very nice to meet everybody, they are very welcoming just as the country has been so far.

- T4fngrs

Here are some interesting scenes we encountered on the way

#Hetauda #Nepal #Kathmandu