Blogs from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, Asia - page 3

Drive to Kathmandu Being the last one standing isn't without its consequences.... I felt ok at breakfast but the minute I got on the bus I wanted to sleep. It was about a 5 hour drive to Kathmandu so luckily I had plenty of opportunity! Most people fell asleep on the bus occasionally waking to see the roads get longer, more winding and higher. The scenery was stunning though, and I was still surprised to see children dressed in immaculate school uniform walking along the roads (I don't know where they came from or where they were going as it seemed a long walk between places) but so many kids happily walking along. We had a lunch stop where I ordered sweet and sour chicken and enjoyed the leg stretch before continuing the journey. As we ... read more

I've been spending a lot of my time cycling here in Kathmandu now that I know the area better. Buses are very cheap but don't always get you close to your destination and taxis are too expensive for trips within the city. I haven't been doing much more than about 20km a day but some of the hills here are really hard work. I've recently been to some really relaxing places and the contrast between the tough cycle there and the peaceful nature of the destinations has made the experience even more rewarding. Shivapuri is a national park on the northern side of Kathmandu and is a mostly untouched forest although there are some areas accessible by motor vehicle. The park is named after the Shivapuri peak of 8,963 ft, barely a molehill compared to the ... read more

In my quest to get out and explore the valley more, today's aim was to get to Kulekhani, a town 21km outside Kathmandu beside a hydroelectric dam that is apparently quite beautiful. A friend and I started with a ride through Bhaisepati, over the Bagmati river and up to the town of Pharping. This is where the road forked and a very helpful local came over to advise us on the best way to get to Kulekhani. The first way was longer and had more traffic but was flatter. The second was quieter and shorter but (unfortunately) went over the hills instead of around them. As it was getting hot and the traffic was picking up we decided to go over the hills. This seemed like the madder of the two choices but after getting several ... read more

Hi Everyone been staying in The Kathmandu valley now for the last two weeks with a lovely family and I have also been introduced to their extended family who live in a smaller village higher up in the hills. Such friendly welcoming people who cannot do enough for you. The walk into the hills was amazing, lots of terraced rice fields and corn with the forests in the background. I got caught in the monsoon rains on the way back, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so refreshing! although covered in mud. The area I'm staying in too is beautiful, surrounded by tree covered hills, a lot different from the chaos and pollution of Kathmandu city . Many people especially the children have recurrent chest problems due to the dust and the pollution. I have been volunteering at ... read more

h2 style="border: 0px; -webkit-transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px); margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 16px 0px 0px; outline: 0px;"last day in nepal heute ist also wirklich der letzte (lange) tag in nepal. nach dem gestern abend stattgefundenen sehr heftigen hagelsturm sind die wiesen grün und die bereits bekannte dunstglocke über kathmandu scheint sich gelichtet zu haben. freundlicher weise dürfen wir unser zimmer bis mittag behalten und ein weiteres wunderbar europäisches frühstück mit viel echtem kaffee genießen! die morgenstimmung über kathmandu ist wieder umwerfen erholsam (weil wir nicht da unten sind…). sowohl die gerüche als auch die geräuschkulisse, vor allem aber das freizeit angebot erinnert mich sehr an mattsee zu kindheitstagen. in wirklichkeit gibt es nämlich nichts zu tun, keine spannenden angebote. also keine ablenkung vom nichts tun. kein gefühl, etwas zu “verpass... read more