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SAARC Rally takes to the water!
Cyrus Dadachanji & Mohit Midha
24th March, 2007, Kathmandu-Pokhara
Today is the 10th day of the SAARC Rally 2007. We have covered almost 3000 kilometers since we set out from Cox Bazzar in Bangladesh. Now we have around 5200 kilometres to go in 20 days. The pace of the rally, or rather the lack of sleep associated with it is beginning to take its toll. People look like zombies at the breakfast and it takes a couple of cups of caffeine enriched stimulants to get them going. On the flip side however, everyone is gung ho about the rally, and that enthusiasm is effusive.
Today promises to be a very wet one for the SAARC Rally participants. After an early breakfast, we set off for Pokhara lake. As the convoy of 30 gleaming Tata Safaris weaved through the narrow byelanes of Pokhara, we were met with loud cheers. We were going to witness a boat race that had been specially organised for us. Little did we know that we would be racing against ourselves! A bunch of road hardened individuals who are used to taking the pedal to metal now had to contend with their own 'Row' power. It was great fun watching the tams from seven countries compete against each other in a friendly race that ended in a lot of backslapping and splashes. It was a welcome diversion though for us as wells as for all the curious onlookers.
Once we set off from Pokhara we were escorted by a group of ten bikers on bullets led by the amiable 'Goofy'. As their bullets roared to life in quick succession, a loud cheer arose from the audience. The bikers led the convoy out of the lakeside ground, and we were off on our way to Kathmandu, the capital city. In the distance, we could see the snow capped Himalayan ranges, including a menacing mountain called Macha Picha or Fishtail Mountain. This mountain is held scared by the Nepalis and it is forbidden to climb it.
En route to Kurintar, our next halt, we enjoyed a pleasant drive in the hills, crossing our two- wheeled escorts in the bargain. Obviosuly they could not kep up with the scorching pace that we had set ourselves and resigned themselves to catching up with us at Kurintar, the cable - car base station for the Manokamna or 'one's wish' mountain. People flock to a temple on the mountain that is supposed to make one's wishes come true! Our star attraction was a cable car ride up the mountain (4000 feet). As the glass gondola rose higher, the view of the cars and river below seemed even more priceless.
After departing from Kurintar we started climbing rapidly towards the peak and the zonal boder. Nepal has 14 zones and till date we have completed 7 or 8 of them by now. One thing was apparent; the public love us. Every house in this urban region had placed a pot with water and flowers in front of their houses. This is to wish a friend or relative good luck when they are going to a far off place. The water in the urn symbolises the waters of seven holy rivers and it is this kind of caring that makes the Nepalis famous for their warmth.
Over the next to of three hours we sped through the hills, skirting the Trishuli river. It was a delightful drive over hill and through dale, until we reached the border at Nanghdhunga. Our convoy came to a halt as 20 - 25 Volkwagen Beetles got set to escort us to Kathnmandu. I was amazed to know that there are around 50 of these quirky little cars in Kathmandu alone. So we rode into Kathmandu like kings (and queens) with a 20 car escort right up to our doorstep. The icing on the cake was an address by the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal at our hotel in Kathmandu, followed by a grand feast. He emphasized SAARC unity in words, we did the same on the road...and in the water too!
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