Momos and a Side of Green - Nepal

It was time for a last minute adventure in Nepal, complete with monsoons, propeller planes, strikes, riots, beautifully green forests, and the hidden Himalaya. Scott, Lane, Dave, Naraen, and I flew into Kathmandu from Delhi for an extended weekend trip. Despite its proximity to India, Nepalis very much hold their identities very far from Indians and subsequently have struck a nice balance with an easygoing demeanor and way of life which differs significantly from Indians.

We arrived the first day early in the morning around 8:30am, and after checking in at our wonderful hotel (Le Meridien Gokarna) immediately took to the streets. The Buddhist culture is prominent throughout the city with many gorgeous stupas. We started out at Swayambhunath and make our way to Thamel for some momos, shopping, and walking. Dave lived in Nepal two years ago, so we made an impromptu visit to his old host family which gave Lane and I a better taste into Nepali life and just how nice and sincere they are. The family he stayed with works on a number of different philanthropic efforts including an orphanage and local school.

The next day, Scott and Naraen arrived on the same we had the day before. The adventure began as we hit a huge roadblock only minutes from the airport. Our driver started to ask people on the street what was happening, but it didn't at all become clear until a police van arrived with 10 men jumping out with automatic weapons and tear gas. Apparently a cab driver was stabbed to death and a small riot and crowd ensued. We took a steep grade detour and eventually made our way to the airport to meet Naraen and Scott and fly to Pokhara.

Pokhara is west of Kathmandu and built alongside Phewa Lake, with Anapurna in the backgrounnd (although we never got to see Anapurna because it was too cloudy). We wandered around some and rented scooters/motorbikes to explore. We drove up to the World Peace Temple - a decent hike consisting of lots and lots of stairs. However, we were rewarded with great views of the entire valley. When we drove back to return our bikes, we got caught in some issues with a shopkeeper trying to blame me for "crashing" my scooter and causing damage. Leave it up to five guys with four digital cameras - we had photos of the scooters before we left showing the damage, but the shopkeeper was just too stubborn

Putting that all behind us the next day, we immediately headed to the Pokhara airport to catch a flight into Kathmandu. We must have sat for nearly two hours in the Yeti Airlines small business office. The employees must have thought we were crazy - we shared a lot of laughs. We finally made our way back into Kathmandu in the late afternoon, checked in once again at Le Meridien and relaxed with some beers in the pool and Swedish massages.

The next morning, we awoke to find that a transportation strike was going on which paralyzed the entire city as all bus, cab, and rickshaw drivers were demanding higher wages. We finagled a ride with our previous Meridien driver and headed to Bahktapur. It was "renovated" by the Germans some time ago, but was filled with intricate wood work and the type of architecture you might easily find in Europe. The slight drizzle throughout the day made things pretty cool as we bargained and explored the narrow streets. Cutting things a little close by then, we headed back into Kathmandu to catch out flight back to Delhi.

It was a really exciting weekend - somewhat unpredictable. Gorgeous. Green. Great.

Blog Photos - Here's a link to my photos of Nepal in Google Photos (also links from the slide show below).


Travel Notes

- Le Meridien, Kathmandu: Luxury hotel nestled in the Gokarna Forest, complete with its own spa, swimming pool, and 18-hole golf course; free yoga classes every morning, awesome massages, and nice restaurant selection
- Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple): Great panoramic views of the Kathmandu valley, beautifully classic stupa perched atop a hill, 200/- admission fee
- Yeti Airlines: Fun way to fly (earplugs included!)
- Yeti Guest House, Pokhara (yetiguesthouse@hotmail.com): Great place tucked away alongside the main drag in Pokhara. Staff here is extraordinarily nice, rooms are dirt cheap (US$8/night)
- Bhaktapur: Only 20 from Kathmandu, a great place to ramble around, lots of history, clay, trinkets, and momos