Day 1 / 15: Kathmandu to Machakhola

We start the first leg of out hike, by taking a 12 hours bus ride filled with unexpected adventure.

Date: 10 May 2025
Previous: Permits and Thamel

Leaving Kathmandu

The morning was a doozy. Woke up at 4:30 and started packing things.
I saw that Shyam was awake too. We were done with packing and things by 5 am and we promptly exited the hotel. We had a bus to catch. Untill this point we were told that the bus is a first come first serve kinda thing so we would have to go there early to secure our seats. We accounted for some buffer-time so that we could walk in-case we didn't get cabs. Fortunately we got a cab which dropped us at the right location. Now we were at the bus-station and we needed to find our guide.

What followed was a wild goose chase as both the parties kept looking for each other kept missing each other. One of us managed to locate the bus and we assemble there where the guide also showed up. He is a very very sweet person. The guide informed us that bus did have our seats reserved, which was a relief. The new bus stand looks very fancy and the facilities are adequate.

This is the famous bus on which we were going to spend about 10 hours.

I also managed so snag a photo with Shyam quickly before we started the bus-journey.

The Bus Ride

Soon the bus started and what followed was 2 hours of driving in the city and adjacent quarters. Then the bus stopped for breakfast. Me and Niranjan shared a mix of wai-wai and noodles, followed by an ice cream. All of this cost us 140 rupees.
A photo of the landscape from the breakfast spot.

The bus continued to drive on. The roads became progressively worse. I was surprised with the skill of the driver who was able to drive the bus is such bad conditions. The roads were rough and dusty. There was a lot of dust. At around 12 noon, after 5 hours of riding in the bus, we stopped for lunch. This was the beginning of our dal-bhat lunches. This meal cost us 250 rupees. The lunch place was a large restaurant kinda thingy run by a family. The kids were playing in the backyard where the restrooms and the wash-basins were.

Here is a photo of the backyard

Here is a photo of the lunch. note: I should really spend more time taking photos because I like documenting my trips.

This was a typical dal-bhat set. The dal was a bit watery; however the food was delicious and filling.

So far, Everything was looking normal and we were supposed to reach our destination by 1700 hrs, however the universe had other plans.

Delays and Road Conditions

About an hour after lunch, we heard a sound that can only be associated with a tyre puncture. This was just before the Arughat Bazar which used to be old trailhead for the Manaslu Circuit. Since there were no shops around, the bus kept moving and stopped at a tyre store nearby. It is here that we took about 30 mins to change the tyre. Once this was done, we assumed that the adventure was over, however, much to our surprise things were just getting started.

What followed was 2 hours of driving in some of the most horrid road conditions that I have ever come across. The bus would often lean from side to side which would cause us a lot of distress.
We reached the destination at 1900. 2 hours after the scheduled arrival.

Arriving in Machakhola

As soon as we got off the bus, we could see the village from the road.

it is into that valley that we start walking into.

Our guide took us to a hotel and showed us our rooms. The rooms are cozy and sufficient. I came across a bunch of foreign tourists who were filtering the tap water. I decided that I will bring out the filter tomorrow. I was sorted for the night.

Behold our room

We had dinner which was quite expensive for dalhbhat at rupees 700 per plate. I also tasted the local liquor (rakshi) for 100. It was warm and potent. Somewhere in the middle of having dinner, the power went out and now we're fully reliant on solar lamps. It also rained heavily for 30 mins or so.

Diary Note

I wrote in my diary. Note that at this point I have no idea that my further plans of walking the Annapurna Circuit wont happen because of early monsoon.

The weather doesn't look nice this time around. Im worried for my further plans. I hope that the monsoon doesn't arrive early this year. My best case plans ended by June 14^th, but as it stands now, I might have wrap up early.

Our phones are not getting charged today.
Im at 24% and this is 21:47. Good night.