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A nice Stupa in Kathmandu
(with Buddhist prayer flags) Hello everyone.
First off, thanks to everyone who has sent in comments. The site doesn't have a way for us to respond, but it's nice to hear from everyone. Keep them coming.
We planned to make our way to Bandipur after Pokhara, but we found that the bus ride was going to be a serious inconvenience, we just ended up going straight to Kathmandu.
The bus ride over wasn't so bad, but it was kind of funny (sad?) to think that it took about six hours to go 200 km. The views more than made up for it. The rice paddies were dotted with women in bright coloured saris going about their business on an almost 90 degree slope on the side of a mountain.
We are staying in Thamel, which is the main tourist/backpacker area of Kathmandu. It is a wild place, thats for sure. Walking from one end to the other you are almost guaranteed to be offered about 5 rickshaws or taxis (nothing new), tiger balm (?), Trekking, Rafting, a trip to Tibet, Marijuana, some sort of instrument closely resembling a miniature cello, countless sweaters (all of which are "100% cashmere") and other souvieneers.
Thamel
the quietest it has ever been We explored Durbar square, which is the main historic district in Kathmandu, with its temples and Stupas dating back hundreds of years. We didn't get to fully appreciate it, however, because there was a speach by the Prime Minister going on when we arrived. He was sitting on a stage with about 30 of his cronies around him, and which was in turn surounded by riot police in full gear. It attracted quite the crowd. We will probably go through Durbar square a few more times before we leave. A few blocks away there was a small Maoist demonstration, but they weren't causing any problems.
The food options in Kathmandu are amazing, and we have eaten in Chinese restaurants that would put the ones in Toronto to shame, and in the same day gotten french fries and samosas a few blocks away.
We spent most of last night hanging around an Irish pub in Thamel watching the FA Cup Final between Man U and Chelsea. Not surprisingly, every Englishman in Kathmandu was also there. Unfortunaley, Man U lost in extra time, but it was still fun.
The place we are staying in.....well.....its not the Ritz, but
its cheap, so the fact that the blinds fell off the wall when David tried to pull them open easily gets excused. Due to the afore-mentioned cheapness, we will probably stay in Kathmandu for about a week and a half or two weeks. There are plenty of day trips to take so we aren't worried about getting bored. From here, its on to Royal Chitwan National Park for some Elephant rides, and Rhino spotting.
We should be able to find a place adequate for adding pictures soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
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coby
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Lovely to hear from you two!
Hey Heids and David - Katmandu sounds interesting altho isn't it sad when such lovely places in the world become so touristic...tiger balm is supposed to be good for achy joints and bones I believe...long weekend here...the boys and I are going to Banff to eat nachos at the Magpie and Stump...our version of the Himalayas...given that last summer you would have been with us and we miss you...we will have a margarita/beer toast to you both...say hello to those elephants for me...love hearing from you...miss you...sending you both tons of hugs and much much love, Mom xoxoxoxo