Feb 17-18

NEPAL

Flying into Kathmandu…finally, I’m here Nepal! The view from the air is already amazing. The mountains are overwhelming and I can’t believe I’ll be climbing up there in a few days. Scattered around the mountains are tiny little houses looking like the little Monopoly game hotels. I am struck by the beauty I find in these ruins. It’s brick, stone, grey, and brown…and yet so amazingly colourful and full of life. Kathmandu won my heart from day one.

A wonderful man by the name of Mingmar picked us up from the airport and got us all settled, making sure our gear was ok and showed us around. He spent the whole next day sightseeing with us and took us to his house for lunch with his family and the guide and porter coming along on the trek with us. I can’t say history is really my thing, but is was great to have Mingmar around to ask all about the culture and different things we saw.

Kathmandu is cold as soon as the sun sets and with only about 5 hours of electricity there isn’t much of a heating system or hot water to be spoken of. I decided fairly quickly that showering wasn’t gonna be prioritized unless absolutely necessary.

Pictures from around colourful Kathmandu

View from our hotel

Pahupatinath, a Hindu temple where funerals are held on these small 'altars' by the holy river. The bodies are burned on the little wooden stacks that can be seen, but only after the dead person's feet have been cleaned in the river which to them is holy.

Children in a charity school

At the Bodhanath Stupa

faces of Nepal

We sat in at a monastery as the monks were blessing the food and got to share some snacks with them

Lunch at Mingmar and his cute pregnant wife's place

View of Kathmandu from the hill of the Swayambhunath Stupa

the prayer wheels that they turn to be freed from their sins

Busy streets of Kathmandu

with its beautiful architecture

the dentist...

I just loved the small little shops along the street