Head Count: 53,000

The Skinny: One quick night is all we spent in Dharan Bazar, as a stopover on our way from Darjeeling to Hile. The town is busy and dirty, with lots of activity and not too much to see. We were advised by the hotel owners not to leave the motorbikes on the street overnight, even with locks. They suggested that we leave them inside the police station, and we didn't argue! The police were more than happy to let the bikes sleep in their front yard, and we picked them up again in the morning.

What Thar Be: The inside of our hotel room didn't offer too much in the way of sightseeing, and we cruised out of town pretty early the next morning. The only thing of note was the crowd of people dancing and singing in the street outside our hotel room in the pouring rain. Why?

Digs: The Hotel Family Inn: one of the least pleasant hotels we've stayed in, with very large cockroaches, a filthy bathroom, and windows that face a loud, busy street. Cheap, though--we slept four to a room for 200R.

Vittles: The Cinderella Restaurant: on themain street on the way into town. A very western feel and slightly overpriced food, but worth it if you're looking for very good veggie burgers, pizza, and french fries. The bakery in front has fresh, gooey treats for 20R and under.

Hooch Factor: Unknown--we didn't stay long enough to find out.

Navigability: The streets in Dharan Bazar were busy, but the town is relatively modern so they were in good condition and easily navigated.

Sliding In and Out: The Mahendra Highway that runs east to west through all of Nepal is a great road, paved and well-kept. The turn north to Dharan Bazar off the highway is a smaller road, but still paved and in good shape. There were big trees and lots of lush vegetation lining the 44 kilometres from the Mahendra Highway turn-off to Dharan Bazar.