I've been in Nepal for just 3 days now, and it has been a whirlwind! I'm not sure where to start!
The first night, Christie's cousin was having some friends over for a get together and birthday party for their 1 year old daughter. There were many people here and they all seemed very nice. Having been very tired I went to bed at about 7:00pm. (Party pooper!) I woke up 4 times to go to the washroom... it's so hot and humid here you drink all the time!! I also had a coughing fit as my throat was bothering me. Aside from that, it was a great sleep. Laurel (Christie's cousin) gave me my own room on the main level. It just so works out that there is a bathroom right close and with everyone else sleeping on the second or third floor I didn't wake anyone up, and vice versa.
Karen and I got up at 5:30am the next morning to go on an excursion. Christie wasn't able to come. We got a taxi to take us to Kantipath, which I guess is a street or district where a lot of tour buses depart from. Although we had arranged for someone from a tour line to meet us there at 6:00 to give us our tickets, no one showed up. Fortunately there was another bus with spots available that we took. At 6:35 the guy from the first bus came and found us and asked why we weren't on his bus. Well, we were waiting over half an hour, so didn't want to take any chances if he didn't show. Apparently this is how Nepali time works... people are late.
We got on the 8 hour ride to Pokhara which is a beautiful area with Phewa Tal Lake, views of the Himalayas, Tibetan Settlements, the World Peace Pagoda, and many other things. The ride was very scenic and we saw tons of villages and the rural lifestyle of the people here. There were a lot of chickens, goats, cows, and the fields/terraces were filled with corn and rice patties. Many of the homes were made from cinder brick or wood, and the roofs were sheets of tin, or sometimes thatched. We also saw an abundance of fruit trees such as mango and banana.
Our bus arrived in Pokhara just before 2:00pm. Karen and I had been talking to this man on the bus from Holland named Raymond. He was very nice and recommended a hotel to us that his friend suggested to him. However, when we got off the tourist bus we were quickly surrounded by hotel representatives offering us their 'best price'. It was confusing to have 5 people talking to us all at the same time about different things. They were handing us their business cards, giving deals on taxis, and giving their best sales pitch. When it was clear to one man that we were not going to his hotel he actually had the nerve to take his business card back! Eventually we got to The Little Tibetan Guest House and set our bags down.
Raymond stayed at the same hotel and we all went out to visit a Tibetan Settlement together. At the settlement we got to see many monks... some as young as elementary school years. We got to sit and observe their chanting and praying.. it was mesmerizing. Along the dorm there were blankets hanging off of the rails to dry. Their was a mischievous monkey that was going around and pulling the blankets off... pretty funny! :)
We then went out for dinner at a place called 'Once Upon A Time' right next to our hotel. I had some Daal Bhat which seemed to be rice and vegetable curries. It was good but super filling so I couldn't finish it all. The waitress asked "Not good?" and I made sure to tell her it was very good but that I was full. She seemed satisfied and left. Karen and I each gave her a tip and she seemed very happy. Perhaps this is unusual here.. I should probably find out!
The next day we got up at 5:30 to see the Himalayas. Any later than that and the clouds will descend and block the view. Unfortunately it was raining and very cloudy so we couldn't see anything. Despite the weather, Karen, Raymond and I went down to the lakeside and got someone to row us across the lake to the trail that leads to the World Peace Pagoda. It is situated on top of a mountain and took at least an hour to climb. Although the rain had stopped, it was really muggy and I had a hard time climbing all the way. But eventually we got there and it was amazing! The pagoda itself was huge and spectacular and looked over Phewa Tal Lake and the mountains (just rolling green mountains, not the Himalayas). It was still pretty cloudy but at one point the clouds parted and we saw a glimpse of Annapurna South. It was so high above everything else I couldn't believe how big it was. Unfortunately this was the only glimpse we got of the Himalayas, but it was worth it as the clouds covered it again as we went back down the hill. It was amazing.
On the way back to the mainland, we stopped at an island with a temple on it. It is called Barahi Temple and many people were there to visit it. There was a shrine of the god Ganesh and also a big temple with a man inside putting tilaka powder on people's foreheads. They then spun a prayer wheel and lit incense. The prayer wheels are supposed to spin your sins away and leave you at peace. It's a pretty cool ritual. A lot of the people there were watching us and many actually asked to take pictures with us (I'm guessing because we are white!). They said they were from Bangladesh and gave us their business card and said Canada was their dream land. We all felt like celebrities but it was still weird. People would take pictures of us (not so discreetly) and stare. Not sure what to make of it yet, but I get it a lot!
Once back in Pokhara Karen and I went shopping and got some pretty cool gifts. I don't want to spoil them though! But I will say that we stopped at a store that was empowering women. Everything in the store was loomed by their employees. We actually got to see them at work. Plus, it provides a steady wage for women who may otherwise be unemployed. I bought an over-the-shoulder bag for about $9.00. It was so cheap, why wouldn't I support them?
Karen and I left Pokhara this morning on a 7:30 bus and arrived in Kathmandu by about 1:00 I think. We got off close to an area with public transit and took a bus to Swayambhunath Temple (Monkey Temple) for 18 rupees, or about $0.25. This vehicle was small, had three wheels and would not have been bigger than an SUV. At one point we had 15 passengers inside. It was crazy! I'll try to get a picture of this next time!
The Monkey Temple proved to be very busy today as it is Buddha's birthday! Everyone was happy and wearing make-up... even babies. People were dressed in their best clothes and it was packed to the brim. From what I understand there is a Hindu section and a Buddhist section and we saw them both. There were many people selling things and singing. The temple also has an amazing view over Kathmandu. We only saw a few monkeys but maybe we will see more at other temples!
Tomorrow Karen, Christie and I are going rafting! It should be a blast. I hope to update more soon! Until then, I'm going to sleep!
^^ Paradise in Pokhara... writing postcards! ^^
The first night, Christie's cousin was having some friends over for a get together and birthday party for their 1 year old daughter. There were many people here and they all seemed very nice. Having been very tired I went to bed at about 7:00pm. (Party pooper!) I woke up 4 times to go to the washroom... it's so hot and humid here you drink all the time!! I also had a coughing fit as my throat was bothering me. Aside from that, it was a great sleep. Laurel (Christie's cousin) gave me my own room on the main level. It just so works out that there is a bathroom right close and with everyone else sleeping on the second or third floor I didn't wake anyone up, and vice versa.
Karen and I got up at 5:30am the next morning to go on an excursion. Christie wasn't able to come. We got a taxi to take us to Kantipath, which I guess is a street or district where a lot of tour buses depart from. Although we had arranged for someone from a tour line to meet us there at 6:00 to give us our tickets, no one showed up. Fortunately there was another bus with spots available that we took. At 6:35 the guy from the first bus came and found us and asked why we weren't on his bus. Well, we were waiting over half an hour, so didn't want to take any chances if he didn't show. Apparently this is how Nepali time works... people are late.
We got on the 8 hour ride to Pokhara which is a beautiful area with Phewa Tal Lake, views of the Himalayas, Tibetan Settlements, the World Peace Pagoda, and many other things. The ride was very scenic and we saw tons of villages and the rural lifestyle of the people here. There were a lot of chickens, goats, cows, and the fields/terraces were filled with corn and rice patties. Many of the homes were made from cinder brick or wood, and the roofs were sheets of tin, or sometimes thatched. We also saw an abundance of fruit trees such as mango and banana.
Our bus arrived in Pokhara just before 2:00pm. Karen and I had been talking to this man on the bus from Holland named Raymond. He was very nice and recommended a hotel to us that his friend suggested to him. However, when we got off the tourist bus we were quickly surrounded by hotel representatives offering us their 'best price'. It was confusing to have 5 people talking to us all at the same time about different things. They were handing us their business cards, giving deals on taxis, and giving their best sales pitch. When it was clear to one man that we were not going to his hotel he actually had the nerve to take his business card back! Eventually we got to The Little Tibetan Guest House and set our bags down.
Raymond stayed at the same hotel and we all went out to visit a Tibetan Settlement together. At the settlement we got to see many monks... some as young as elementary school years. We got to sit and observe their chanting and praying.. it was mesmerizing. Along the dorm there were blankets hanging off of the rails to dry. Their was a mischievous monkey that was going around and pulling the blankets off... pretty funny! :)
We then went out for dinner at a place called 'Once Upon A Time' right next to our hotel. I had some Daal Bhat which seemed to be rice and vegetable curries. It was good but super filling so I couldn't finish it all. The waitress asked "Not good?" and I made sure to tell her it was very good but that I was full. She seemed satisfied and left. Karen and I each gave her a tip and she seemed very happy. Perhaps this is unusual here.. I should probably find out!
The next day we got up at 5:30 to see the Himalayas. Any later than that and the clouds will descend and block the view. Unfortunately it was raining and very cloudy so we couldn't see anything. Despite the weather, Karen, Raymond and I went down to the lakeside and got someone to row us across the lake to the trail that leads to the World Peace Pagoda. It is situated on top of a mountain and took at least an hour to climb. Although the rain had stopped, it was really muggy and I had a hard time climbing all the way. But eventually we got there and it was amazing! The pagoda itself was huge and spectacular and looked over Phewa Tal Lake and the mountains (just rolling green mountains, not the Himalayas). It was still pretty cloudy but at one point the clouds parted and we saw a glimpse of Annapurna South. It was so high above everything else I couldn't believe how big it was. Unfortunately this was the only glimpse we got of the Himalayas, but it was worth it as the clouds covered it again as we went back down the hill. It was amazing.
On the way back to the mainland, we stopped at an island with a temple on it. It is called Barahi Temple and many people were there to visit it. There was a shrine of the god Ganesh and also a big temple with a man inside putting tilaka powder on people's foreheads. They then spun a prayer wheel and lit incense. The prayer wheels are supposed to spin your sins away and leave you at peace. It's a pretty cool ritual. A lot of the people there were watching us and many actually asked to take pictures with us (I'm guessing because we are white!). They said they were from Bangladesh and gave us their business card and said Canada was their dream land. We all felt like celebrities but it was still weird. People would take pictures of us (not so discreetly) and stare. Not sure what to make of it yet, but I get it a lot!
Once back in Pokhara Karen and I went shopping and got some pretty cool gifts. I don't want to spoil them though! But I will say that we stopped at a store that was empowering women. Everything in the store was loomed by their employees. We actually got to see them at work. Plus, it provides a steady wage for women who may otherwise be unemployed. I bought an over-the-shoulder bag for about $9.00. It was so cheap, why wouldn't I support them?
Karen and I left Pokhara this morning on a 7:30 bus and arrived in Kathmandu by about 1:00 I think. We got off close to an area with public transit and took a bus to Swayambhunath Temple (Monkey Temple) for 18 rupees, or about $0.25. This vehicle was small, had three wheels and would not have been bigger than an SUV. At one point we had 15 passengers inside. It was crazy! I'll try to get a picture of this next time!
The Monkey Temple proved to be very busy today as it is Buddha's birthday! Everyone was happy and wearing make-up... even babies. People were dressed in their best clothes and it was packed to the brim. From what I understand there is a Hindu section and a Buddhist section and we saw them both. There were many people selling things and singing. The temple also has an amazing view over Kathmandu. We only saw a few monkeys but maybe we will see more at other temples!
Tomorrow Karen, Christie and I are going rafting! It should be a blast. I hope to update more soon! Until then, I'm going to sleep!
I can't believe what a good writer you are Laura. I really felt like I was on some of those treks with you!
ReplyDeleteBummer about the cloudy weather the day you wanted to see the Himilayas. I am glad to hear you are enjoying the culture, learning lots and taking time to just have fun....like rafting.
Keep safe, keep healthy but most of all KEEP POSTING :-)
UJ
Love love LOVE your blog posts! It really is like traveling along with you. I can't imagine getting off the plane with jet lag and then hiking uphill in the heat and humidity...but you did it!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about the rafting. At least you will refreshed. (I hear you are sunburned :( Have you been lathering on the Ombrelle?)
Mom xoxo
Sounds amazing Laura!
ReplyDelete"The Little Tibetan Guest House" sounds so quaint! I'm curious what the hotels are like - any weird bathroom situations?
xo
Lyndsay
Lyndsay,
ReplyDeleteThe Little Tibetan Guest House was really nice! The hotels are super cheap. That one was about $6 a night. Luckily it had a Western toilet. The bathroom situations aren't outrageous. There are some with a hole in the floor and a bucket of water to wash yourself with in lieu of toilet paper. That's very common here. It's just like this... http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X0Gj5RH_bOo/T13oTk6KqNI/AAAAAAAAACA/fQokHuKThiw/s1600/image-744743.jpeg
The weirdest bathroom situation I had was just a cement slab. No hole or seat or anything. Just a block of cement. I put a picture of that one on my facebook!
Thanks everyone for your nice comments!
Laura