My first unplanned and un organized trip
with one way tickets and one night accommodation,
How do I even begin to sum up my trip to
Nepal? So many things happened I couldn’t fit them into one blog post if I
tried. So, in an attempt fit most of it in, I’m going to walk you through my
trip as it happened, with photos of course. Stick around for the blog posts
that will follow. Eventually I’ll take you to the top of Poon Hill, a 3,210
meter high mountain in the Himalayan mountain range, over a cliff edge at
Sarangkot where I soared above Pokhara in a paragliding harness, and into the
personal lives and homes of Nepali villagers. But first, let’s start with my
arrival into this mad, chaotic, dirty albeit beautiful country.
As we flew over the city on arrival, the
place struck me as something entirely unique from the start. For miles, houses
spread out over rice fields and muddy-green land. I found the architecture very
interesting. It looked as though several thousand tiny boxes plopped on top of
the fertile land in every pastel shade of the rainbow. The angles were a simple
90 degrees from every-which-way and lacked embellishments. It looked like
someone cut eight squared windows out of the cement walls just as a child playing
with boxes might do. Nothing fancy, just a roof for people to put over their
heads and some holes to let some sunlight in.
My Hotel was in Tamal, Katmandu Guest
House, the most popular tourist district that embodies everything that
Kathmandu can give to tourists seeking for something, anything. From trekking
shops selling waterproof North Face bags to panels of pashmina shawls (all
claiming to be 100% real - it will be remarkable to actually see a sign that
says "may contain pashmina wool" instead) and book shops with
photocopied Lonely Planet guides and maps, to bronze statues, walls of
Thanka paintings, turquoise beads, wooden carvings and signs of restaurants,
hostels and hotels - all packed into a small district crisscrossed with
alleyways.
Tourist police roaming around at night will make you feel safer roaming around at night.
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| Tamal |
Evening at Funky Buddah , enjoyed nice
dinner and shisha, suggested by a prominent traveler and a close friend
Mr.Assif Yogi, Mid Novemeber, it was chilling in KTM , I had to buy additional
woolen cloths for me to survive there….
Apparently there are 3 big cities in Nepal - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. We visited Patan bright and early on the second day. Patan's the city of arts and culture.
Patan
Patan's lunch was the only time I had
the local Nepalese food when I was in Nepal - the Dhal Bhat, consisting of rice
and dhal (chickpea soup), some chicken curry and vegetable curry.
The stupa in Patan. Pigeons, everywhere.
Patan Durbar Square is the old kings
square of Patan. Patan used to be one of the three ancient kingdoms of
Kathmandu valley and nowadays it forms one residential zone together with
Kathmandu. The World Heritage monument zone of Patan Durbar Square, with many
beautiful temples, is one of the seven World Heritage zones in the Kathmandu
Valley. Patan Durbar Square shows some of the best examples of Newari
architecture in Nepal
Bhaktapur
The city of agriculture. I actually preferred Bhaktapur to Patan because it had more of a 'chillax' vibe to it, plus it was cleaner, quieter and more organized compared to the mess in Kathmandu and to some degree, Patan
The city of agriculture. I actually preferred Bhaktapur to Patan because it had more of a 'chillax' vibe to it, plus it was cleaner, quieter and more organized compared to the mess in Kathmandu and to some degree, Patan
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There's just one last stupa to see - and that's at the
Monkey Temple of Swayambhunath, a 15m taxi ride away from Kathmandu, slight up
in the hills. Swayambhunath is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal.
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| Upto Monkey Temple |
Buddhist statues dot the foot of the hill.
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Day 4 to Day 7
We were back at Tribhuvan International Airport, but
this time, we went to the domestic flight area. It was reminiscing of the times
I went to Pokhara. We checked in at 11.30am at Yetti Air.
It was a short 45-min propeller plane right. My very
first! It was really smooth sailing though since the weather was good. This air
craft will make you call all the gods you know when its landing… keep guessing…
When it was time to board the plane, there was a bus
to bring us to the plane. The plane that we boarded on can fit about 15 people
only. And the best place to sit in the plane is on the left side where one can
see the Himalayan mountain range. I got the right side, but it was okay,
because I have seen the Himalayan mountain range on my flight to Nepal.
My driver was waiting for me, quick 20 min drive from
Airport to the pre booked accommodation. Thanks to Mr.Bishnu, Tour Agent from
KTM, one of the best travel agent who I met during my entire trip. He went out
of the way to help me.
After freshen up took walk to Phokra central, This
place is really nice. Idyllic with a giant lake in the middle. Simple streets
to navigate. Plenty of shops and amenities.
Misty afternoon is best spent gazing at the waters of
Phewa Tal. The line of violet color boats (sponsored by telco company called
Ncell)and the illusion of endless lake water and small mountains along the
horizon is so beautiful that all I wanted to do is sit and stare until the sun
disappears.
The simplicity of Phewa Tal is actually what makes it
charming. Though there are few restaurants along the shore area, still it
doesn’t ruin the ambiance of calmness.Early to Bed....
Sarangkot is the most popular tourist destination from where the
tourist can enjoy the great view of the Pokhara Valley and the magnificent view
of the mountains. Sarangkot is only 5 km from Lake Side, Pokhara. Sarangkot is
the highest view point for a sunrise and it is just 1592m high. Sarangkot is 5
degrees cooler than Pokhara. Sarangkot can be reached easily by 45 minutes by a
car ride to the top from Pokhara and then 45 minutes hike up to the main view
point.
One of the highlights of Nepal would definitely be
when I went paragliding.
Yup. Scheduled a flight with Sunrise Paragliders (they
are the best) for 65 USD for half an hour's flight. Went up with the group at
around 9.30am.
We were up so high, we could see the whole of Pokhara
laid out!
This was one of the few shots I took while I was up
there. FLYING. The experience was unbelievable.
Before leaving for Kathmandu, we wanted to see the the
World Peace Pagoda at Phewal Tal in Pokhara. This is visible when you paraglide!
Unfortunately it was drizzling when we got there. Note - it is best to take a
taxi up because hiking would take you half a day.
Upon reaching the airport we found that our plane was
delayed due to bad weather, and I missed my connection flight from Katmandu to
Dubai.
My last resource to Call Mr.Bishnu, he helped me
arranged someone to pick me up from airport arranged a temporary accommodation
for one night. Booked the flight for next day.
KTM airport.. worst airport I have seen. No systems in
place, I was at the emigration q for 3 hours. And because of me flights
delayed for 30 Min. I would advise everyone to be early at the check in counter
and do the formality.
Please don’t buy Nepali Khukuri, if you are travelling
to UAE or transiting thru UAE airport as its consider as dangerous weapons
customs will catch you at the airport, 6 of my Khukari has been confestigated
by Sharjah airport customs authority even though it was dummy.
So that concludes my Nepal trip! It was a week's worth of temples, taxis and experiences. Best part of the trip must be the paragliding, and eating street food, handicrafts, but I really enjoyed being in another culture that is so different from what we have here in UAE. If you want to consider travelling to Nepal, I would recommend for a few days in Kathmandu, and plenty in Pokhara!
So that concludes my Nepal trip! It was a week's worth of temples, taxis and experiences. Best part of the trip must be the paragliding, and eating street food, handicrafts, but I really enjoyed being in another culture that is so different from what we have here in UAE. If you want to consider travelling to Nepal, I would recommend for a few days in Kathmandu, and plenty in Pokhara!
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