Week 12: Nepal

Namaste

We have left Ethiopia and the rest of Africa behind. We flew into Kathmandu, Nepal on Thursday, and were greeted with this sight as we came in for a landing:

We then spent a couple days exploring the tourist area of Thamel. We loved getting lost down various side roads, twisting and turning down alleys and stairs. Motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, and the odd car share these narrow streets, so we have spent a lot of time walking one behind the other. There are so many shops and restaurants everywhere! Everything became an adventure, including finding functioning ATMs. 

We especially loved seeing the brightly coloured powders being sold!

With almost every turn, we came across temples. This city is filled with them! There is such beauty and history in this city. On our first day, we met a man who sells Nepalese handicrafts in a shop in Calgary, and he taught us how to approach the temples and prayer wheels. My left handedness is really being tested with everything being completed clockwise! 

We also visited Swayambhunath, better known as the "monkey temple". It was a hot walk to the top of the stairs, but the temple and the view from it were certainly worth it. After seeing so many other people's pictures of temples and prayer flags flapping in the wind, it's hard to believe we are here seeing them in person! Of course, I also loved sitting and watching the monkeys chase and clean each other.

We enjoyed a beautiful lunch break in the Garden of Dreams. It is hard to believe that such a peaceful, serene place exists in the middle of a bustling city! We loved seeing people kick off their shoes and lay down in the grass. We meandered through the paths in this garden, walking by many flowers, ponds and statues. 

We spent some time wandering through Durbar Square. From the number of buildings that are being held up by large wooden poles, it is clear that this area has not yet recovered from the 2015 earthquake. Again, we were shocked to see the number of temples and beautiful structures standing in the middle of the city. 

We also spent some time getting ourselves ready for our upcoming trek. We had to spend a few hours at the tourism office getting hiking permits, and were excited to meet a lot of other trekkers. We are heading out to try the Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Sanctuary treks, and have applied for permits that will cover us for 25 days on the trail. Because these trails are equipped with teahouses all along the trail, we are able to hike without a tent, cookware or food. Although we have enjoyed exploring the city, we are excited to get away from the busy, dusty streets and get into the mountains! 

In order to get closer to the trail's ending point, we travelling to Pokhara by bus. After nine hours on the bus, we were happy to stretch our legs and take in this lakeside city. Like Thamel, Pokhara's streets are filled with shops and restaurants, but there aren't nearly as many vehicles or people. And there's a LOT more spas! Before getting up into the mountains, we had a few items we had to rent and purchase to make the hike possible. We spent most of a day shopping, bartering (which we are both terrible at), and then packing. 

Top 10 Most Common Items In the Nepalese Shops We've Visited: (in no specific order)

• pashmina/cashmere scarves, sweaters, and ponchos
• wool slippers, bags, and puppets
• beaded jewellery
• trekking gear (mostly knock offs of quality, name brand gear)
• singing bowls
• mo mos (dumplings that are delicious!)
• mandala art
• prayer flags
• Buddha statues
• Postcards, maps, and books about meditation/spirituality

BONUS: Ice cream shops are back! We've been out of the world of ice cream for far too long now, and I was only too pleased to see the signs for soft serve, gelato, and even Baskin Robbins. I'm back in my happy place. 

Also, although we haven't seen shops specifically for this, Will has been asked to buy hash multiple times every day. He has only had to wait a few minutes after stepping out the door of our guest house to be asked, regardless of the time of day.

Random act of kindness: while chatting with people about trekking, we met a number of people who have been to Southeast Asia recently or are heading there next as well. We gathered a lot of information about places to visit from a few people in particular, and exchanged emails with another couple that would like to meet up when we're there!

We will be heading out to the trailhead tomorrow morning, and our permits will allow us to be on the trails until November 11. We aren't sure yet what fate (read: weather or body abilities) will bring us in Annapurna, but regardless of how much of the trails we do, we are really excited about the views and the fresh air!