Distance Traveled: About 160 Kms

Time Taken: Almost 10 hrs.

More than it being the last day of our journey, we wanted to get out of the dirty hotel where we were put up the night before. We left Nyalam at 8 am and reached Kathmandu around 7 pm that evening, due to some issues we had with one of the buses that we were traveling in.

The following three photos, of the mustard fields were taken on July 10, but posting them here because there were too many photos for that days blog.

We get to see these beautiful mosaic of yellow and green as we near Nyalam.

Probably Sting sang about Fields of Gold after looking at something like this.

Fields being irrigated by the waters of the Bhota Koshi river that flows right next to these fields.

Photos from here were taken on July 11th.

The moment we left Nyalam we were back in the evergreen forest eco system, leaving behind the vast Tibetan planes. It was extremely cloudy and raining intermittently till we reached the friendship bridge near Kodari. Here is a view of the valley, with Bhota Koshi gushing through it.

Due to heavy rainfall during the preceding couple of days, the number of waterfalls in this stretch had increased manifold.

View just before we being our descent into that valley that will get us to the friendship bridge.

Having left Nyalam at 8 am we reached the Chinese Immigration center at around 9:30 am with ease. We got through the immigration check point without too much trouble and we were very glad to be on the Nepal side of the border. All of our luggage and supplies had to be transported from our buses / lorry on the China side onto the vehicles on the Nepal side. This is done by Nepalese folks who carry huge loads of goods on their heads. Extremely hard working people. This unloading and loading took about an hour or so and then we got onto our buses and were on our way to a hotel to have our lunch, right at the entrance of Kodari. It was a very short journey but rains were back and it was pouring quite heavily by the time we reached the hotel.

View of the friendship bridge over Bhota Koshi river.

Bhota Koshi river flowing away from the bridge, towards Tato Pani

We were so happy to have a hearty Indian meal after 10 days, our joy knew no bounds. We had not heard of curds or butter milk during the yatra and now having curds, as much as one wants ,was such a treat. So we had a nice, wholesome Indian meal and were ready for the last leg of our journey.

Unfortunately the rains had caused issues with one of the buses that we were traveling back. The roof was leaking and the bus did not have glass panes that could be shut well. So a replacement bus was called for. By the time the replacement bus arrived and all the luggage from the old one to the replacement one was done, it took another couple of hours. By the time we left for Kathmandu it was almost 2 PM in the afternoon.

Here is the view of the river, on whose banks was the hotel that gave us our first hearty meal after our yatra.

A kilometer down the road, before we reached Tato Pani, was this beautiful water fall. Do not know its name. We had seen this when we were on our way to Mt. Kailash and I had complained to the travel agent that he neither told us about this not stopped for to photograph it. On the way back, we made sure that our bus at least stopped, right in front of the falls for a minute of so. Here is that snap.

All is well that ends well. We reached Kathmandu by 7 pm that evening. Got to our hotels and had a long, hot water shower, after one has traveled for 10 days and having had a chance to bathe only a couple of time during that entire journey. It was such a luxury, that all of us take it for granted.

46 people, out of the 49 who had gone on this yatra were back safe and sound. We all had a hearty meal that night, exchanged pleasantries and started making preparation for our travel back home, either the next day or the day after.

For me personally, but I am guessing for most of others too, I was sad and happy at the same time. Happy for I got to go on this amazing yatra and a little sad, for I was going to miss the amazing places that one travel through during this yatra.

We humans are a funny lot. When we are in the middle of a journey, we are thinking about getting back home. The moment you reach home, we wish we were back in the wide open spaces.

So yes, I do miss those vast vistas with snow covered peaks, meandering rivers and some amazing landscape. On one hand it feels like I have left behind a part of my soul in these parts. But on the other, I have carried back with me the essence of what the beautiful Tibetan plateau and the mystic Mt.Kailash and Manasa Sarovar themselves had to offer.

I consider myself blessed to have been given the opportunity to go on and enjoy such a fabulous yatra. May your life be fulled with such travels as well.