Date: 1973-12 Location: Tadi Bazaar, Chitwan Description: Working elephants, rear center; bus (from Hetauda) in Tadi Bazaar, left; old style oxcart (wood wheels; roped side “boards”), with yoke (front) on the right. Fiancée Martha Free of former Peace Corps Volunteer, Ron Ranson, is in the center (in blue jacket) a few days before their wedding in Kathmandu. It was a “love marriage” which was almost unheard of in Nepal at that time. Their good friend, Jim Dillon, is the tall gentleman wearing a topi - center. Before proper bus service was introduced to Narayanghat in about late 1965, freight trucks would haul passengers in the back bed of the trucks. It was very uncomfortable. Unfortunately the drivers would begin blowing their horns about 4:30 in the morning - announcing their departure to Hetauda, Birganj and Kathmandu. This TATA bus has come from Hetauda with discounted passenger space on top in the luggage rack. Martha and former Peace Corps Volunteer Ron Ranson bought space in the front seat of this bus. Along the way, several of Ron Ranson’s former students saw him in the front seat when the bus stopped to pick up the students, but they boarded via the ladder at the rear of the bus. All along the bumpy journey they wiggled their way from on top, through the windows and along the “aisle” to reach the front seats and greet Ron, Jim and Martha.
