Photos of our Fabulous Adventure
Ahhhh……..Kathmandu, it is so great to be back!
I was up bright and early around 6:15am and went down to the courtyard to meet Gautam, the General Manager. After a short meeting, several of the group were also early risers and we enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast and took it easy before Bikesh was due to arrive.
I am still orienting myself to the new configuration of the hotel, so I make an occasional wrong turn.
Bikesh and Nir, one of his crew, meet me in the lobby and I am then introduced to Shankar, our tour guide for the day. The group arrive promptly. The 6 of us going on the Everest Flightseeing tour tomorrow are given the delightful news that we need to be in the lobby at 5:00am. Bikesh, of course, delivers this news with an impish grin on his face – he loves this!
Introductions all around, Shankar leads the way to the van and we are off, well………not so quickly. Just outside our hotel the traffic is literally at a standstill and no one is budging. We all look on in amazement and disbelief that the city can actually function in this way. There are no lights, no rules, and no one following any semblance of order. There are over 900,000 motor bikes and 1,000,000 cars in the city of Kathmandu, and It felt like they were all on the road today! This becomes a great source of commentary and entertainment throughout the day as we spend a good 1/3 of our tour in traffic jams. As Roger aptly put it, how on earth can you translate today’s experience into words!
After 25 Nepali minutes (more like one hour) we arrive at Boudhanath Stupa which was built in the 5th century, and thankfully survived the 2015 earthquake with only a couple of cracks.
Back into the chaos of the city streets and we are no on to Pashupatinath Cremation area.
Now to the old centre and Durbur Square where most of the damage of the earthquake is evident. Many of the old temples are in ruins, however thankfully to international funding many of the buildings and temples are being restored.
Finally a lunch break up 4 or 5 stories to the rooftop Festival Fare Restaurant (the same restaurant we had lunch at 5 years ago). One thing you realize very quickly, everything in Nepal is up or down, and count on lots of stairs. At least we are getting our steps in!!
One of my favourite meals here are momos, a steamed dumpling very similar to gyoza or dim sum. We shared several plates and ordered other small meals that hit the spot. It is now 4pm and time to head off to the final stop, the Monkey Temple.
Traffic seemed a little lighter and we arrived at the Swayambhuna or the Monkey Temple quickly. As the name suggests, there are literally hundreds of Macaques Monkeys everywhere. Darling little babies abound clinging to their mothers backs, bellies or scampering after them. They are absolutely adorable and a source of fascination for several of us.
The sun set as we are leaving the temple and we jump back in the van tired but smiling, what an incredible day we had.
Arriving back to the hotel we take a half an hour to organize ourselves and then head out to the streets for a look around to orient ourselves. It is a pleasant walk through the pedestrian only area of Thamel – such a treat.