Going to Manaslu

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This will be a very short entry because I am about to leave for the mountains... Only one more day to pack, explore the city with the group and off we go! Manaslu is the destination, not on top, but around it, and also in another valley that is very rarely visited by westerners. I am extremely excited!

My time in Kathmandu was interesting, a realize how this city changed in 12 years, it is quite modern in THamel, the tourist area, and you can really find all kinds of things, and all kinds of food, and the book stores are still my weakness and my favorite place to waste my time. But I have very little time to waste now, as there is a lot of things to do to get ready for the trek and also preparing the visit we will do with the clients.

It was very exciting to visit Durbar Square in Kathmandu, it was smaller than in my memories, but I suppose it is like the snow banks of our childhood... They were always bigger then... Well, except for this year in QUebec! Ah Ah! And the streets of old Kathmandu are delightful and then you see the real Kathmandu, not just the tourist ghetto... I liked it a lot. But the air quality is very bad in some areas and I really look forward to being in the mountains to breathe some fresh air.

We also visited Bakhtapur, this was a first for me and I was amazed how beautiful and quiet this place is. Very few tourists, and I really don't know why, as it is such a pleasant place to visit. Amazing architecture, history, and friendly people too. We will go back in a few weeks to stay overnight and I look forward to it.

I unfortunately have very little time to write, the clients are about to land and I have to meet them shortly. I will not have the chance to write again before I go, but hopefully after the trek, I will have lots of good stories and pictures to share...

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