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Published: October 23rd 2013
Kathmandu
The city from SwayambhunathArriving in Kathmandu after spending time in Europe is a bit of a shock to the senses. There is so much chaos & disorder, from the persistent beeping of traffic whilst weaving through the streets constantly on the lookout for obstacles to the steady haggling from taxis, rickshaws and shop vendors vying for your business. But there is also such a rich culture to indulge in with endless shops selling different spices, teas, luxurious silks, and brightly coloured dyes bringing so much colour and life to the streets. The heavy pollution from the traffic & dusty roads is unavoidable but the occasional wisps of smoke from incense burning offers a welcome contrast. Battling the roads around Thamel can be exhausting and you soon need to retreat to the comfort of a cafe or restaurant to recharge. All this amounts to a huge amount of excitement for us, we love it, it’s India all over again – only at altitude.
Like in all these sorts of countries it doesn’t take long for something to go wrong, for us, it was our luggage being put on the wrong plane from Dubai in the direction of Doha. In fact, it was half the
Kathmandu
Yangling - momo restaurant! plane’s luggage, without any official communication about what had happened which caused total mayhem in the baggage hall. We discovered what was going on and soon came to accept that we just weren’t going to get our bags back anytime soon, but rather the next morning. We were a little concerned for the safety of our belongings as the whole baggage hall was full of unclaimed luggage... however our trekking agency told us “no problem” and we accepted that. The next day we were pretty happy to find the luggage mostly unscathed but what was more impressive was that our luggage receipts were thoroughly checked to make sure they corresponded with our bags before we could take them. Organised chaos!
We were staying at the Moonlight Hotel just on the very edge of Thamel, the main tourist area. Thamel is full of hotels, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, shops selling different trinkets, with every second or third shop selling faux trekking clothes and equipment. On arrival we dumped our bags and immediately hit the crazy streets, kicking right back into second world travel mode... we had a premeditated plan to hit a small Tibetan restaurant that served our favourite momos that
Kathmandu
Sooo many trekking shops.. we had come across in northern India. They are steamed or fried dumplings with lots of different fillings and some chilli sauce... mmmmmm sat-is-fied. Same plan for lunch the next day! In fact, for Sarah and I Thamel was foody heaven. There are a variety of different restaurants serving Italian, Israeli, Thai, Indian, Tibetan and local dishes. Our favourite was an Italian restaurant called the Roadhouse Cafe that served up amazing wood fired pizzas and a sizzling chocolate brownie with ice cream!
We had prearranged our 16 day Everest Base Camp trek before arriving. However due to us both carrying a little chest infection we decided to delay the trip for a few days, buy some antibiotics (over the counter here) and rest up... the immune system doesn’t function too well at altitude. Most of our first day in Kathmandu was spent checking into a sports cafe with our compatriots to watch the AFL Grand Final. It was an entertaining morning, watching the game on a projector screen with a poorly streamed picture that had a slight delay and which cut out every 3-5 minutes... it made it a fun session with one particular Fremantle supported getting so angry
Kathmandu
Hmm...health and safety anyone? with the situation he became entertainment for everyone else. Anyway, we just kept re-setting the internet and carried on. Somehow it would only cut out moments before a set shot on goal!!!!
During our restful preparation for the trek we decided to take a momo cooking class, run by Social Tours. It was a lot of fun! We made spinach and yak cheese & vegetable momos... actually we made more than 100 of them, each momo requiring delicate hand manipulation to perfect, which we then shared with the agency staff. They tasted amazing, the best momos we have had in fact. I think mainly due to a cracking recipe, which we now have, and some skilful chef-ery on our part. We also did a bit of a city walking tour suggested by our Lonely Planet which visited stupas, temples, bazaars and more. We even came across a celebration in the streets for the Dishain festival. There was traditional music and people flooding everywhere receiving their tika (coloured mark on the forehead) for good fortune and a long happy life. There was table full of offerings for their gods such as fruits, vegetables, a fish and even a buffalo’s head.
Nice. Sarah was a bit put off! We were offered a tika from a sadu (holy man) for a donation... 100 rupees for a long and happy life for us or 500 rupees for a long and happy life for our families as well!! Our families probably won’t appreciate the decision we made in the end, but I did feel a little scammed... however made a donation in the spirit of the festival!
After indulging for a week in Kathmandu, it was time for us to take the flight to Lukla and start trekking!
See ya
Ben and Sarah
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