Blogs from Nepal, Asia - page 15

Today we started out easy with a good breakfast (included in the price). We had fruits, eggs, coffee, potato and something else I can't remember and headed out around 11, with the guide from the previous day, Jay. Also present were Jarod (USA), who travels the world and teaches (mostly) English in S/SE Asia and Maynard from Minnesota, who chose to see the world after retiring, also hoping to escape the American bubble. So on we went to Bakhtapur, Durbar square, and the temples. In continuation of yesterdays education, I learned about some hindu gods and their transports. Each of the 33 million gods has their own unique transportation, which can be anything. I have some trouble reconciling the fact that there's only a couple of thousand words that can be used for that. I guess ... read more

Arrived safe and sound. After some initial trouble passing customs, finding the right truck and getting trough the busy Kathmandu traffic, we arrived at our destination: shangri-la boutique hotel and had a hearthy welcome from the manager, Bino. Had food (an Indian curry for me) at a place I think was called 'French kitchen', with Holly from England, who we met in the bus. The next day we arranged a driver and guide and went to see Patan and the royal palace. We would never have found all the small places that were interesting. Nothing is marked. No street names entryways, signs, etc. So on the way there, we dove into a small alley / square, took off our shoes and went up the stairs into a house. At the top, there was a small 2 ... read more

Upardang Gadi Hike “A few hours of walk, and you see everything below your feet: the lights, the city, the rivers, the clouds, the forests, and even the setting sun.” Situated at an altitude of 1275m above sea level, Upardang Gadi served as the district headquarters of Chitwan until the mid-20th century. It is mainly a fort built by the Shah Kings to protect Nepal from the southern invasion. Now, the fort is one of the main attractions of the place. In addition to the fort, Upardang Gadi is now known for the rich culture of Chepang, Gurung and Magar communities. Moreover, it is a perfect place to enjoy the beauty of flat plains of the south and the majestic peaks of the Himalayas in the north at the same time. The landscape gets amazingly mesmerizing ... read more

The flight time from Dubai to Kathmandu is about 5 hours so I decided to splurge an extra $60 for a front row seat with lots of leg room (both ways). It is amazing how few people are willing to pay a few dollars for a little comfort on generally uncomfortable aircraft. Total cost at this time of the year is $400 return, this is the only good thing about living in Dubai. I cruised through the airport so quickly that my hotel transfer had not yet arrived, so we had to wait for about ten minutes in the muggy evening heat, I pack extremely light these days with one 35 litre backpack which makes quick airport access and exit assured. We arrived at the hotel, confirmed some arrangements for the next day and got to ... read more

We caught the bus headed for Pokhara and the journey wasn’t the most comfortable! It took all day (and it was raining) but when we got to the hostel we were very happy. Jaap had organised a room for us at the place he was staying at previously and had the most horizontal person running it - Susheel. He went paragliding in the day and had a few rooms at his guesthouse with a rooftop to die for. We were higher than most other places, it had a beautiful view of Lake Phewa and behind was just smaller guesthouses and then jungle. Safe to say we set up camp here on a few occasions! Our time in Pokhara was spent mostly doing nothing as we thought we deserved a break from all of the exercise! Pokhara ... read more