Comfy bed and well lit room from morning sun, nice oriental floor rug and only two hours of load setting per day, what more could one ask for? Unfortunately bucket hot water when asked for does not appear. Cold water is frisky but we are getting increasingly practiced. We see women main but some men on street sides washing their lustrous long black hair hair out in the midday sun. Initially I thought it might be some sort of a social interactivity but I settle rather on using cold water from buckets and using the sun shine to maintain core body warmth.
For breakfast we choose a small local unsigned restaurant (what in India would pass as a dhaba) and settle in for samosa and doughnuts over chai. Our semi practiced Nepalese bringing the occasional giggle but generally warm smiles.
The house similar to many along the winding streets of Tansen is a wood, brick and mud construct with beautifully carved wooden window frames on the second floor and doorways on the first. The front of the store has a low front doorway which requires a slight bend on entering. Later we are told this was local custom as a sign of respect to the house gods. In England I am sure that the concept was used but to assist retain winter heat. The front of the first floor opens up via a combination of upward folding wooden shutters on the top half and the bottom large long age darkened slats that wedge into grooved uprights. The combination of which retaining an atmospheric age to the streets of Tansen.
From the octagonal town dias (Shital Pati) we climb through town towards Kailashnagar to the West of town up onto the ridge line from where it is a short forested walk to the high point of the Shreenagar Hill upon whose side Tansen resides. We follow the stone path to the Helipad, but mapless miss the Buddha statue on the Eastern side mistakenly believing the work covered Silver Jubilee Pillar to be the same. We do catch views of the still distant Annapurnas, but only their crests with the remainder lost in haze. It is understandable why you could look at such and believe this floating vista in the clouds to be the home of the gods.
We also pass a collapsed twisted tower, which I take to be a viewing tower destroyed during forest fire but instead is the remains of a communications tower blown up by the Maoists back in January 2006. Though the focus of attack centered on the Tansen palace, other locations such as government communications, police and military also came under attack during the surprise move that occurred in the very early morning.
The general street review that we have received is that the maoists started with good intentions and aims, which unfortunately skewed when numbers came on board. The government was and unfortunately still is broadly believed to be a hotbed of corruption, and depending upon whom you speak with incompetent. Many are less then impressed with local leadership and express frustration when discussing the apparent hydroelectric wealth but energy shortfalls. Ongoing work is in progress to establish a constitution but politicking appears to be blocking progress with many abstaining from votes. A move this week we have been told is aimed at removing this option to assist break the deadlock and achieve forward momentum.
From the knoll at 1494m we head back west towards Batase Hill and Hotel Shreenagar. Identified in LP as a luxury option it instead looks deserted and less then impressive. We thought it might be an alternate source of local ground coffee but decline the opportunity to instead enjoy the sunshine and the glimpse of snow caps on the northern horizon. Warmed up, instead of heading straight back down to the centre of town and Nanglo (coffee) we crisscross the back streets reaching across towards the local ovals (Tundikhel) where school cricket teams appear to be facing off to the rousing applaud of sidelined cheer squads on every bowl delivered.
The Asan Tole looks just as impressive in the light, three storied brick and wood, again with carved window and door frames but white lower floor and brown upper versus the warm orange of Bhimsen Tole from this morning. One building has a brown grassed roof, increasing the Shakespearean feel, but apparently not on purpose as below it appears to tiled.
Succumb to burger envy at Nanglo but sadly disappointed in all but the bun. Coffee is good, though proven to be stove top versus espresso. Soph has a Lassi which does not appear to settle well as we leave in a hurry with her tummy apparently unwell and looking a lite pale.
Post a settling sleep we meet Man Mohan at GETUP a local NGO tourist information centre. Great discussion which would have been brilliant yesterday but as Mr Mohan also teaches, the centre opens only from 3pm to 5pm. Regaled with various stories and also recommended should we come again to Tansen, to take up a home stay option.
Slow but reasonable WiFi at World link in Silkhan before Dhal Bhat tea at Hotel Amrit. Back to the hotel as Soph still feeling unsettled.