Blogs from Nepal, Asia - page 431

Patan has a unique atmosphere which is due to its compact scale and the remarkable vivacity of its temple architecture, with a Durbar Square more densely packed with Hindu temples than Kathmandu, and a total of 55 major temples and 136 monasteries. Also known as Lalitpur ('beautiful town'), Patan is officially the Kathmandu Valley's second largest city, although it has now been effectively absorbed into Kathmandu. It is said that the city was designed and built after the Buddhist wheel of righteousness. Patan is surrounded by four big stupas - one at each corner of the cardinal points; all but the Northern stupa are now mostly grassed over. These monuments are said to have been built by the Indian Emperor Ashoka when he came to Kathmandu Valley on his pilgrimage tour during the 3rd century B.C. ... read more

Due to the bad experience with our first night in Nepal and to reports from fellow travellers that parts of the road to Pokhara were under construction causing massive traffic jams, we opted for some luxury and bought two flights. We had reserved the tickets with a local travel agent, but had neither paid them ($ 43 per person) nor had them physically in hands. We were told that we would get them at the airport, so we hired a taxi and the whole staff from Hotel Parkside accompanied us. First we had to find a bank, for up to now we had not had any Nepalese rupees in our hands, the extra drinks we always paid in Indian currency. In the first bank there was neither money exchange nor cash against credit card, so we ... read more

(part 2) Each day we would hike from about 7am till 2pm. And every night I'd basically just read, and read and read. Then go to bed around 8:30. I truly cannot remember the last time that I went to bed at 8:30 on a regular basis...mom, any ideas? The first night out was probably the most eventful. We stayed at a tea house where a really drunk Nepali guy hung out...which actually ended up being a good thing because he got the "dance party" started. That night my guide (Jaya), the drunk guy, grandma (from the kitchen), a few other tourists, and a couple of the cooks all danced (to the same song over and over again) for hours and hours. It was pretty fun learning how to do the Nepal dance (i'll give a ... read more

Well I am here....Nepal. Home of the largest mountain in the world...and it just happens to also be the home of the best street food i have ever come across....not that any of you fools know about this; but MOMO'S are the best. I dont really know how to describe them. They are cooked in a bamboo steamer kind of like dumplings (dim sum), they look like Chinese dumplings...kind of. Basically they are some sort of dough wrapped around some kind of meat (i think)...i have learned that it is better not to ask to many questions, especially if it tastes good and comes from the street. So you get these things by the dozen...and there are pretty big, come with all sorts of sauces...and are served in bowls made from dried leaves (very enviormentaly conscious). ... read more

Today was a day where we would get to chase rhinos while riding an elephant. Exciting huh... well, that's what the travel brochure said anyway. Royal Chitwan National Park is a national park in the south of Nepal where the British Royals used to hunt the poor animals for fun. Today it's a major tourist attraction and conservation park which promises the traveller the chance to get close to exotic wildlife such as rhinos, sloth bears and even the occasional bengal tiger. Due to major delays on the road to Chitwan (due to the Maoist terrorists) we couldn't take the super cheap bus but instead had to fly on a tiny vomit-inducing plane (major rip off). The 25 minute flight gave us a bird's eye view of the Nepalese country-side including the gorgeous stepped mountainsides and ... read more