Blogs from Thamal, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia - page 4

Nepal- the land of Himalayas. A small, peaceful territory where the majestic snowy Himalayan peaks stand in pride. I love mountains- I love the rolling greenery, I love the winding roads across the mountains, I love the snow covered mountain peaks and I absolutely love the slightly chilly mountain weather. So visiting Nepal-which is so close to my homeland, was a must for me! Kathmandu- where you can find more tourists than natives. Well, it might be a false statement statistically but it definitely seemed so when we arrived in our hotel in Thamel. Thamel- is the tourist hub in Kathmandu. Its jam packed with souvenir shops, food shops, hotels, bars and of course backpacker westerners! Nowhere else in the world had I seen so many white people in such raggedy outfits? And for some reason ... read more

Our top 5 'best of' Nepal....here goes.... 1. R.P.- Our hero!! 2. Pokhara- Lake views, leisurely bike rides and breathtaking mountain views. 3. Getting up close and personal with crocs bigger than Mike, baby Rhinos and other jungle beasts on safari in Chitawan. 4. Momo- The meal of champions. 5. Mountain flight, right by Everest! ;) "If a man tells you he is not afraid of dying he is either a liar or a Gurkah" - Sign in Knife shop window... read more

After checking out of our hotel in Darjeeling, we headed to Chowke Bazaar. Jumping into a shared sumo, we began the 3-4 hour descent back down to Siliguri. Here we wandered the streets in search of the local bus to take us to the border of India and Nepal. Clueless as to where the bus stand was we soon heard 'Nepal, Nepal' being shouted from a moving bus, so with the bus slowing we hopped aboard and took the 1 hour journey to the border. Upon arrival we signed in at the immigration office of India before heading to the other side of the bridge to acquire our visa at the Nepali immigration office. After purchasing bus tickets we grabbed some street food and jumped aboard the bus. The 17 hour bus journey as expected was ... read more

So after our little jungle adventure in Chitwan, it was time to get back to city life in the lovely Kathmandu. An ideal place to chill on a rooftop and recharge our batteries! There has been a huge choice and variety of delicious food in the Nepali capital, from yummy dhal bhat to wonderful Italian antipasti and gnocchis via great hummus and pita - just what we needed! Add on top of that some pretty amazing cocktails and we were sorted! To try to balance out our sudden binge eating, we decided it might be a good idea to get a little exercise... in the form of rafting down the exciting Bhote Koshi! An early meeting at Equator's office and we were on our way to the river, close to the Tibetan border, a mere 3 ... read more

Friday Geesje came to pick me up from home and dropped me at Schiphol, where we met Edwin. After some drinks and chit chat I got a gift from from them. Thanks for those who contributed. Everything went fairy smooth, including customs and the flights from AMS - Istanbul - UAE to Kathmandu. After arriving at Kathmandu Airport the confusion started. Where do I get my Visa, do I need a picture...? And where do I get a picture taken, What you need Nepaleese Rupee only??? Where do I change money. What, I need a different visa for a longer stay, HELP!!! Well in the end everything worked out fine. I got my bag, with everything on it and headded to my pick up. It's good to be back. I missed the smell, colour and noises ... read more