My Journey To Kathmandu Amid Torrential Rain
Oct 16, 2021–2 days before the mayhem started. I was at Patan municipality -1, Baitadi district, Danshili. It takes around 50 kilometers from Patan to reach Dadeldhura, but it takes 30 kilometers from my home(Danshili) to reach Dadeldhura, and it takes 2 hours to walk from Danshili to Patan and catch a vehicle . So the ideal way here is to take a 30-kilometer route to Dadeldhura. I had to get a ticket to Kathmandu from Dadeldhura because this was my best alternative (Dadeldhura has many buses available for Kathmandu).
You know how the Dashain travel rush is, people from outside the Kathmandu Valley will queue to get to Kathmandu after the festival. Getting a ticket on the next day of tika is considered fortunate.
Anyway, I called Dadeldhura’s ticket desk and made a reservation for October 18. I had an extra day to gather my belongings and prepare to travel to Kathmandu.
Oct 18, 2021: Mayhem started
Then came torrential rain, unlike any other I’d ever seen. It felt distinct from the start, intense and constant, with unusually strong wind. I had a strong feeling that because it was unseasonably wet, it would end within hours, but there was no indication of it. The sky had darkened completely and there was lightning; the sound of rain was so loud that I could feel it in my ears.
Amid rain, I almost forgot I had scheduled a bus for Kathmandu to catch up. There was nothing to prepare because I had already packed my belongings. I had a quick breakfast & my mother packed food for me. I was arguing that I didn’t need to pack food because I’d be able to obtain it once I arrived in Dadeldhura, but she urged me to do so. As is customary in the far west, we have to bid goodbyes to family ( bowing head before them). Put on Dahi chawal tika which is considered as good fortune.
And now my journey started with rain. Hey did I mention ever since the rain started you don’t have an option to travel via vehicle? When it rains, you must keep in mind that driving on ‘pahad road’ is never an option, as landslides known as ‘pahad’ are common. So I snatched a plastic raincoat and hit the road.
Never traveled in such conditions before, by which I mean wind or rain along a path full of little waterfalls and jungle with large trees, and as I mentioned, landslides are prevalent during rain. I was certain I was going to see a landslide. It was difficult to go down the forested path in the rain since it was slick. You lose your pace when walking in the rain.
I struggled for an hour down the path and saw a little landslide close. It was terrifying because you never know when the soil may start dragging the rest of the land along with it. I waited while it came to a halt and then resumed. I wished to end the journey at that point, but I needed to catch a bus and hustle.
I was thinking of an office along the way, as the office already resumed. You see, work shit never finishes. It’s always there, no matter how small or big it is. Yet When it comes to private offices, , you won’t be able to easily create excuses if you can’t make it. I was feeling low at the time because of it. I was like if anyone from the office calls me, I will show them landslides and all. This was the day I realized I stay way beyond Kathmandu city.
I imagined people in Kathmandu drinking coffee in their offices on a regular basis, not thinking about anything, and not even checking the news to see how things are going across the world. While I was struggling in the rain, my brother received an SMS that read, “Hey, where the heck are you? Are you unable to book a flight? ‘Don’t make pathetic excuses’. At that moment, I was thinking “ these jerks don’t even know if the district has a flight option or not.” “Do we even enjoy this?” Even transportation via the road is getting tough for us & they are thinking of flights. Assholes! (guess these guys haven’t travelled past Thankot)
Anyway, it took me 3 hours to get to Anarkholi, which has a pitch road with local jeeps and buses passing by. You will have to wait a long time to receive a vehicle because they are not available on a regular basis. Few jeeps passed by, each with a full load and no room for a person (usual Dashain rush).
After an hour of waiting, I was able to board the jeep that would take me to Dadeldhura. Dadeldhura is a 20-hour trip away. I’m grateful I arrived on time and received a ticket to kathmandu. By now I was completely unaware of the road condition. But, because it’s a highway, I was confident it’ll be fixed fast. So I thought I would reach Kathmandu by Tuesday (it’s gonna take 20hr+ to reach Kathmandu from Dadeldhura) 771 km.
Then I inquired about the bus to Kathmandu, which was sitting in the bus station but had no passengers, so I asked if it would travel. “Aaja jaadinaa,” “bato bandh xa khulyo bhane janxa,” “jahile khulyo teile janxa,” “bholi janxaa,” “bholi janxaa,” “bholi janxaa,” “bholi janxaa,” “bholi janxaa,” “bholi janxaa,” “bholi janxaa” with all these mixed responses, i was baffled & reached out to local cops, they said you can’t travel today that’s for sure so better stay.
While I was considering staying in Dadeldhura, I was wandering around pondering my alternatives when I noticed Dadeldhura lacked power. My battery was on the verge of dying. There hasn’t been any follow-up news that I’ve heard or seen. It had been raining all day. So I had to book a hotel room for the night. Before I checked into a hotel, the reception outlined the hotel’s amenities to me.
- No water( local water source was flooded, no water in the city)
- No electricity ( Electricity and telephone services have been completely disrupted)
- No telephone services
- No backup generator
- No Solar-powered batteries
- No Network signal on phones (NTC), Ncell Network was working though on mobile phones(but no battery what’s the use of signal)
You can anticipate how things are right now. Even the police’s walkie-talkie was not working. According to the police, communication has been cut off in the entire far west apart from Dhangadi. Entire Pahad regions suffered no phone signal, no electricity. Imagine a three-day blackout in the far west, with no access to even a telephone network. It was unreal. We had a COVID crisis with a nationwide lockdown, which was unprecedented, and now I got to witness this — living for three days with no communication. It’s like living a nomadic life. Imagine if someone had an emergency and needed to cash a bank check. More than half of the population’s phones are without a battery.
Back to my travel journey- stayed in a hotel that night & inquired about the bus next day, received the same response “ aaja jaadinaa” “ bato bandh xa khulyo bhane janxa” “jahile khulyo teile janxa” “ bholi janxaa” . I was constantly thinking of the office, burning inside out, I felt sucked. Even at home, I was unable to communicate to clarify things. I was seeking alternatives, when I noticed people streaming inside Hiace. They’re asking Haice to leave them at the landslide site, and then they’ll trek to the other end, hoping to be picked up by vehicles from the other end.
It turns out that they will have to walk for two hours to obtain vehicles from the other end. Vehicles are only permitted until the safe zone, which was 2 hours from the landslide. I opted not to remain out of wrath, because I needed to get to Kathmandu anyway, and I was worried about how annoyed the office team would be. The road may not be repaired, so I’ll have to stay till further notice. It’s as if I have no idea how long I’ll be staying or even whether I’ll be able to afford a day. The ATM was also dead (no electricity).
So I looked for Hiace to drive me to the landslide site, and heck..at every 10 meters there was a blockade — trees, stones, and water streams never seen before, even in an earthquake. Someone who has witnessed it can attest to the fact that it was surreal. Nobody would believe that three days of rain could create such havoc.
Arrived at the landslide site, walked for 2 hours with backpack in hand, and was fortunate enough to be able to get a vehicle after the walk. Finally arrived in Dhangadi, which had received some rain but not much. Mahendra Nagar, on the other hand, suffered a significant setback. The Mahakali river bank was badly devastated, and the Prime Minister recently paid a visit to the area.
Around 6 p.m., I arrived in Dhangadi. There is a flight option in Dhangadi, but I was already late for it. I didn’t want to spend another day in Dhangadi because I needed to take a flight or bus the next day, so I looked for the final bus to Kathmandu.
Then I hopped on a bus that was about to depart for Kathmandu and boarded it right away. Thank goodness the road from Dhangadi was open; encountered a few roadblocks around Daunne but made it to Kathmandu by Friday evening. It took me 26 hours to get from Dhangadi to Kathmandu. The journey to Kathmandu was supposed to take 17 hours, but it took 26 hours due to problems, including a jammed brake midway that took several hours to replace. It was a long journey, 26 hours on the bus.
With this unseasonal rainfall far west cried. The far west weathered the monsoon; the hills were wet but strong enough to hold it together, but this rain was different. It took just 3 days to create mayhem in the far west. Darchula, Baitadi, Dadeldhura, Doti, Bajhang, Achham, and Bajura have been flooded since Monday evening.
Disclaimer: This post contains images that may be disturbing to viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. Photos are taken during by me while travelling to kathmandu amid Erratic and extreme weather conditions.
Floods, landslides and inundations in the farwest in pictures
