15-11-2012
29/30-10 A report of the trip by bus from Kathmandu to Taplejung, the starting point of our Kangchenjunga (8586m) trekking.
Finally we arrived at Taplejung after a 30 hour bus ride. Yesterday we did 25 hours in a row after we took the night bus from Kathmandu and changed in Birtamod, near to the Indian border, to a local bus into the mountains. The ride was fantastic and beautiful and took us through the tea plantations of Ilam. The bus was from the 50's, with to many people in it and uphill it went like 5 km an hour. The old bus stopped at 7 in the evening because the driver didn't want to drive on in the dark on the small mountain road. We and the rest of the passengers slept in a local thea house that was very basic. The food, Dal Bhat, was good as always.