We Heart Nepal

The people, the landscape, the vibe, (the shopping!) - we have loved everything about our time in Nepal. Perhaps this stems from the contrast of having just come from Africa, not that we didn't love Africa, but life has just seemed so easy & peaceful here and the people have been very welcoming. When we first arrived in Kathmandu it was hard to imagine 'peaceful' being a word we would use to describe our time here; it is a chaotic, loud and well-worn city where car horns and touts can be overwhelming but after a few days we settled into the neighborhood of Thamel and grew to really appreciate the city.

We found out that our American friend, Julie, who we had met in Ecuador happened to be in Nepal at the same time so we linked up and planned a trekking excursion in the Annapurna mountain range, not really knowing what we were getting into just that we wanted to spend some time in the Himalayas. After gearing up in the town of Pokhara we set out with our little porter, Ojin, carrying 20 kilos of our stuff on his back.

Day 1 - off we go

In the back of our minds we all hoped to make it to the Annapurna basecamp but after four days of climbing up and down rocky trails for hours each day and battling the elements associated with monsoon season (rain, humidity, incessant leeches) we were feeling the effects of the workout as we reached a fork in the road/trail. We had a decision to make: do we press on and spend three more days ascending 2,000m to the basecamp in the rain only to have to wreck our knees coming back down OR do we complete the loop we'd begun and head for the very enticing hot springs in the next village. Not surprisingly the hot springs won the popular vote and we spent the next three days leisurely making our way back to town enjoying every minute of being in one of the most impressive mountain ranges in the world.
Along the way we stayed at 'tea houses' which were surprisingly comfortable and served up great meals as well as the occasional ice-cold beer. As there are no roads, everything in the villages is carried up on the backs of people and mules which is incredibly impressive considering how well-developed & stocked the villages are. At one point we even saw a little Nepali man carrying up a WASHING MACHINE!

There were literally hundreds of waterfalls along the way

After trekking each day we'd wash up and relax with our books or a deck of cards

Given the time of year the snow-capped mountain peaks were typically obstructed by clouds but at a few points along the way we were lucky enough to have amazing views, typically at sunrise.

the sacred Fishtail Mountain on the left, forbidden to climb

felt like a couple of grannies with our sore knees and walking sticks!

fancy guesthouse in the background (for your viewing pleasure, mom!)

Back in Pokhara we spent a few lazy days indulging in delicious Nepali meals, riding bikes we`d rented around Phewa Lake, walking around town and even opted for for an afternoon at the spa to comfort our aching muscles.

A 10 hour bus ride brought us back to Kathmandu where we did a whole lot of souvenir & Christmas shopping, saw a number of the Stupas during a walking tour through the city and ate curries at our favorite restaraunt `Mitho`every night with our new friends Justin & Steph (there`s your shoutout ya Townsvillain!). We also splurged on a 45 minute flight with Buddha Air over the Himalayan mountain range which includes the incredible Mount Everest. We were very fortunate to have a perfectly clear morning and were in awe of the numerous amazing peaks towering above the clouds.

sunrise and a distant view of the peaks

Everest is the tallest peak in this photo

view over Kathmandu from the top of the Monkey Temple

Nepal has been another one of the countries that we would love to return to one day as we feel like there is still so much to see and explore. Tomorrow we are off to Thailand for yet another reunion with the Belgians for 'One Night in Bangkok' to kick off the southeast Asia leg of our journey! I can't believe it's September already...