This trip had been a much anticipated one. After being rescheduled twice, an agonizing wait for more than a month, and an even more agonizing 16 hour flight plus overnight layoff in Delhi finally saw me boarding the flight to Nepal. Not long after the plane took off, a glance through the window revealed what lay in store: spectacular views of the Himalayas! Immigration at Kathmandu was nice and easy, and after negotiating the overwhelming crowd of tourist touts at the airport, i hopped on a taxi to Lalitpur.
My first destination was Patan. It took a bit to get used to the crowds around here, especially when you dont speak the language, but after that, navigation by foot was fairly straight forward. Walked around the Durbar square for a solid couple of hours, and a nearby restaurant filled me up for a late lunch. With some time to spare before sunset, a quick visit to Swayambunath seemed attractive. This is a temple suituated atop a hill, and with me still attached to my backpack, the steep climb proved to be more challenging than i had imagined. A bird's eye view of Kathmandu city greeted me at the top. It was soon evident why this place is nicknamed "the monkey temple", and am sure the monkeys far outnumbered people on that hillock.
I was meeting someone in Lalitpur that evening, and i gladly accepted the very generous offer to stay at his house for the night. Dinner soon followed at a newari restaurant, and sleep followed even sooner.
Early next morning, i hopped on a local van, eager to leave kathmandu behind for a few days. 25 people jammed into a 15-seater, winding hillside roads, a seat with no back rest, and a soundtrack ranging from bryan adams "everything i do" to madhuri's "choli ke pechae kya hai", the 8-hour ride proved to be as much a cultural experience as it was tiring. Mid-afternoon saw me alight in Pokhara, which was refreshingly different compared to the capital. This town is famed for its mountains views, but today it was not to be as the clouds decided to play spoil sport. Evening passed by while i popped some beer by lakeside, followed by some delicious Daal bhat, the nepali national food.
It was still dark when i woke up a roadside taxi driver, and my plans to catch the sunrise at Sakargot was abruptly altered when he suggested i visit Naudanda instead. And it was indeed a brilliant choice. This small village is seldom visited by tourists and on this morning, i had the viewing grounds all to myself. It was a memorable experience to watch the sun rise over the stunning Annapurnas, which seemed so close that i felt i could almost reach out and touch them. The enigmatic fish-tail mountain "Macchapucchre" being especially unable to take my eyes off. A stop at a Tibetan settlement and a walk on a narrow swing bridge completed the return trip.
The next couple of days in Pokhara did not follow a set plan. I didnt have the money to try any of the adventure sports being offered here, so i did a lot of walking instead. Boating at Phewa Lake was pleasant, so was the half day hike up to World peace Pagoda site. A rented bicycle trip to Old Pokhara took me to a part of the town which many a tourist doesnt realize exists. One afternoon, eager to explore, i stepped off the beaten path and walked on one of the many trails that wound up and down the hills surrounding Pokhara. I was lost within a few minutes, and as i wandered off into the countryside with not a care in the world about where i was going, i got a glimpse of life in rural Nepal. Every time i walked into a little village or settlement, and as the adults carried on with their day-to-day work, little kids would surround me asking for "pen" or "chocolate". Groups of girls would only giggle shyly and turn away in response to my attempts to ask for directions. I couldn't help but think of the stark contrast to the women from the place that i live. The sun began its descent before i realized i had to find my way back and eventually ended up many miles from the point i started. A bus and taxi ride put me back in familiar territory.
Time to say goodbye to Pokhara, and i took the morning flight back to Kathmandu, where the dad and brother joined me for their two day visit. It was a meeting of favorite souls after a long time, and after the initial excitement had subsided, we headed to Thamel for our stay. Thamel is a tourist hot-tub. The streets are crowded with shops upon shops, where anything from your favorite Italian pizza to quick Internet is readily available, and one tends to run into more tourists here than locals. A visit to Boudhanath and Kathmandu Durbar square rounded off the day. I took special liking to the momos that we sampled for dinner.
This was supposed to be the highlight of the trip to Nepal, although in retrospect, it was not. The Mountain Flight. We were at the airport at 7am, and almost as soon as the plane cleared the runway tarmac, the mountain views began. The One hour flight takes you through, if i remember correctly, 8 of the 15 highest peaks in the world. Some of the familiar ones include Gauri-Shankar and Cho-oyo. As if waiting to make an appearance, the highest of them all, Mt Everest, was the last one to come into view. Many pictures were clicked, and by the end of the ride, the 10 of us on that tiny plane were a much satisfied bunch.
The afternoon in Bakhtapur turned out to be very interesting. I liked the Durbar square here more than the other two in the valley, and the whole town seemed to radiate an air of antiquity. Unfortunately, with the lonely planet guide suggesting atleast a whole day to explore the area, the lack of time resulted in a half-hearted departure. An hour and a half ride up the hills brought us to the view point at Nagarkot, and once again it was captivating to watch the sun slide behind the towering Himalayas. The mountains here were not as close as the ones around Pokhara, but nevertheless the panorama was much wider and the scene was second to none. It was well into the night by the time we reached the hotel, and all i could think of was the bed.
Schedule for the last day was kept relatively light on purpose. Morning was consumed by a ride out to Pashupathinath, supposedly the holiest of all Shiva temples in this part of the world. Sitting on the banks of the Bagmati river, cremations are carried out here everyday as a matter-of-fact. Although born a Hindu, i had never seen a body being burned in person, and to see so many of them at the same time was quite a revolting sight.
Remainder of the afternoon was spent walking around the streets of Thamel, doing some last minute shopping and generally soaking in the vibe. The only thing that was left to do was catch the late afternoon flight to Delhi.
And so, after a week, my visit to Nepal had come to an end. There are far too many places on this earth to see in a lifetime, that a return to any one place seems improbable. But if i live long enough, see far and wide enough, and if i ever draw up a list of places to revisit, Nepal should be right there among the top.
