crossing the Koshi

Nepal's main east-west Highway was broken at the Koshi River. The bridge over the Koshi, and a major chunk of the highway were wiped out during the recent monsoon season. The only way to get across the river was to go south into India to find a crossing, or to take a boat across the river. I chose the boat alternative. I caught a series of local buses to where to highway ended and then took a tailer pulled by a farm tractor across the silt and gravel about a mile up river to where boats were crossing. A friendly local young man (pictured above with me) helped me along the way. Few people spoke any English. We loaded onto a boat and paid our fair, then we crossed to where we could catch some rickshaws and local buses to get back on our way. Once I got back to a small town on the western side of the washout, I caught a bus to Janakpur, my next destination.

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