We've been jetlagged. We've been culture shocked. We've filled our bellies with dhal batt and walked miles around Kathmandu. We've been slowly adjusting to life on the road, and are preparing for our journey west to start our first trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area.
We arrived in Kathmandu on the eve of Tij, a three day women's festival where women dress in red and either fast or feast depending on the day. As we are writing, loud music blares from the temple just below our hotel balcony and almost drowns out the sound of the traffic from the congested streets. But nothing can compete with that.
We left Seattle on a bolt bus and after getting hassled by the Mounties crossing into Canada (apparently jobless 20 somethings without a return flight are at risk of becoming street urchins) found ourselves in Vancouver. It is a beautiful city that we just scraped the surface of. We wandered around downtown, eating poutine, sampling maple syrup infused beer, and stuffing out faces with almost fifty pieces of sushi. We also grabbed a sight of the first of many sunsets to be watched during our trip, but the last we will see over the pacific for quite some time.
The next day was a long one; the sun didn't set until we let it catch us in Guangzhou, China. By the time we reached Kathmandu, we were glad to have a driver waiting with Amanda's name held high to speed us through the deeply rutted, chaotic, and serpentine streets of the darkened city.
On our first day we didn't get up to much, except for getting used to a very different city and the fact that we will be on the road again for another year. We are staying in Thamel, Nepal's tourist pit, and decided we had better get acquainted with it. We got lost in winding alleys that dead ended at huge trees incased in brick platforms holding shrines, ate our first of many platters of momos (Tibetan dumplings usually stuffed with buffalo), and did some warm up haggling.
The next day we were in better sorts although we woke up quite early having gone to sleep around 6pm the following night. We enjoyed the rooftop garden of our hotel before packing up and moving further out of the tourist pit to a nice guesthouse on a somewhat quiet alley. We then ventured to Durbar Square, the old palace with temples dedicated to some of the valley's Hindu gods. Since it was a festival day we got free entry, which all of the touts used to their advantage to justify paying it to them instead. We then wandered down to "freak street", the area where hippies like my dad hung out in Kathmandu in the 60's and 70's. We had tea at one of the last standing freak street pie shops, Snowman, which was dark with psychedelic art and music.
Walking further south we visited the ghats on the once impressive Bagmati River. Much of it's flow has been repurposed for irrigation, so the ghats no longer reach the water and a shanty town has sprung up along the new shore. Funeral pyres were once burnt along the length of the stone steps and many burial markers (chedis) flanked the water. These days they have been left to the elements where they have become obscured by plants growing up out of them and are slowly tumbling down. In one enclosure we caught sight of holy cows.
The Bagmati Ghats
Day three we were feeling even more adjusted to the time. We set out to visit the National Museum which had a pretty impressive collection of religious art, historical artifacts, tons of weapons and the smallest coin ever made.
We also visited the iconic Swayambhu temple complex, set on top of a hill to the west. 300 stairs takes you to the giant white stupa with its painted eyes and spire representing the 13 steps to enlightenment. Prayer flags flap in the wind and pilgrims circle the temple ringing bells and spinning prayer wheels. There are several other temples dedicated to various deities and of course shops and hawkers selling everything from ice cream to film.
Today was our first "business day" which took us to the tourist office to arrange our permits for our Annapurna trek. We were able to get both the TIMS card ($20 each) and the ACAP permit (2,000 rupees each) at the same office, which was relatively easy. We also stocked up on some trail food including coffee, tea, peanut butter and honey. We are getting very excited about the trek and will get our first taste of the mountains when we arrive in Pokhara tomorrow. We probably won't have another post till we return, which could be quite a while. We are planning on taking our time and doing many side trips off the main trail.
PS we arrived on Pokhara yesterday, the mountains are hiding behind clouds, but the trip up was beautiful (and bumpy and was stopped in the middle of a crazy traffic jam on a narrow mountain road for over an hour).
We arrived in Kathmandu on the eve of Tij, a three day women's festival where women dress in red and either fast or feast depending on the day. As we are writing, loud music blares from the temple just below our hotel balcony and almost drowns out the sound of the traffic from the congested streets. But nothing can compete with that.
The muddy streets of Kathmandu
We left Seattle on a bolt bus and after getting hassled by the Mounties crossing into Canada (apparently jobless 20 somethings without a return flight are at risk of becoming street urchins) found ourselves in Vancouver. It is a beautiful city that we just scraped the surface of. We wandered around downtown, eating poutine, sampling maple syrup infused beer, and stuffing out faces with almost fifty pieces of sushi. We also grabbed a sight of the first of many sunsets to be watched during our trip, but the last we will see over the pacific for quite some time.
Walking over the Granville bridge to some toursity hoopla
Leaving the McFeron nest and on to the Bolt Bus
Watching the sunset on the outskirts of Stanley Park
We found the hidden lagoon in Stanley Park (okay, it's not hidden, but it was magical)
The next day was a long one; the sun didn't set until we let it catch us in Guangzhou, China. By the time we reached Kathmandu, we were glad to have a driver waiting with Amanda's name held high to speed us through the deeply rutted, chaotic, and serpentine streets of the darkened city.
Just a little tired in Gaungzhou where there was only boiling hot drinking water available in the airport!
On our first day we didn't get up to much, except for getting used to a very different city and the fact that we will be on the road again for another year. We are staying in Thamel, Nepal's tourist pit, and decided we had better get acquainted with it. We got lost in winding alleys that dead ended at huge trees incased in brick platforms holding shrines, ate our first of many platters of momos (Tibetan dumplings usually stuffed with buffalo), and did some warm up haggling.
The next day we were in better sorts although we woke up quite early having gone to sleep around 6pm the following night. We enjoyed the rooftop garden of our hotel before packing up and moving further out of the tourist pit to a nice guesthouse on a somewhat quiet alley. We then ventured to Durbar Square, the old palace with temples dedicated to some of the valley's Hindu gods. Since it was a festival day we got free entry, which all of the touts used to their advantage to justify paying it to them instead. We then wandered down to "freak street", the area where hippies like my dad hung out in Kathmandu in the 60's and 70's. We had tea at one of the last standing freak street pie shops, Snowman, which was dark with psychedelic art and music.
Durbar Square, Kathmandu
"Freak Street" - look familiar pops? :)
Day three we were feeling even more adjusted to the time. We set out to visit the National Museum which had a pretty impressive collection of religious art, historical artifacts, tons of weapons and the smallest coin ever made.
We also visited the iconic Swayambhu temple complex, set on top of a hill to the west. 300 stairs takes you to the giant white stupa with its painted eyes and spire representing the 13 steps to enlightenment. Prayer flags flap in the wind and pilgrims circle the temple ringing bells and spinning prayer wheels. There are several other temples dedicated to various deities and of course shops and hawkers selling everything from ice cream to film.
Swayambhu Temple
Today was our first "business day" which took us to the tourist office to arrange our permits for our Annapurna trek. We were able to get both the TIMS card ($20 each) and the ACAP permit (2,000 rupees each) at the same office, which was relatively easy. We also stocked up on some trail food including coffee, tea, peanut butter and honey. We are getting very excited about the trek and will get our first taste of the mountains when we arrive in Pokhara tomorrow. We probably won't have another post till we return, which could be quite a while. We are planning on taking our time and doing many side trips off the main trail.
PS we arrived on Pokhara yesterday, the mountains are hiding behind clouds, but the trip up was beautiful (and bumpy and was stopped in the middle of a crazy traffic jam on a narrow mountain road for over an hour).
Terraced rice fields on the way to Pokhara
Woohoo! Great first post! Looks like you've already had quite a few adventures. Glad to see our matching striped shirt made it on the packing list. Love you!
ReplyDeleteI have a tee shirt of that temple! (wore it on my own hike), long live freak street!! Cool descriptions of all those memories long lost, wish I was there. I'll never forget those mountain traffic jams though, only one hour - brace yourselves for some wild rides.
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