Day 16, 17 & 18 - Kathmandu

“That’s why I'm goin' to Katmandu Up to the mountains where I'm goin' to
Hey, if I ever get out of here That’s what I'm gonna do
K-k-k-k-k-k-Katmandu”
Bob Seger

Today we leave Chitwan National Park and head for Kathmandu. I always have that Bob Seger song in my head “Katmandu” when I think of going to Kathmandu. It’s another nice day so the 5 hr 30 min, 103 mile (166Km) drive was very pleasant. Arriving early afternoon we check into our hotel which is in Thamel. Thamel is a popular tourist destination within Kathmandu. There are a lot of shops, cafes, bars, stores, restaurants, just about anything you can think of here. We’ll spend the next two days touring around the city, relaxing and just having some fun. 

Kathmandu from our hotel window

Our hotel in Kathmandu

Day 1, first stop is the Buddhist Temple “Boudhanath” which has the largest stupa in Nepal. Up next is the most sacred Hindu temple in Katmandu “Pashupatinath Temple”. We were able to witness some cremations which for us, was a rare experience.

Boudhanath Stupa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monkey Man

Cremation

Faux Sadhu or Baba

Day 2, we walked from our hotel to the Buddhist Temple “Swayambhunath” also known as the monkey temple. Plenty of monkeys to see! Then we took a taxi to Durbar square. There are many durbar squares in Katmandu. We visited Hanuman Dhoka which was not to far from our hotel.

The city is dirty and the air can be full of dust and fumes. The streets are crowed, narrow and bumpy. They can be dangerous if you are careless as cars and motorcycles go pretty fast. A lot of people hassle you to buy stuff still, the city has a nice feel about it and most of the people are friendly. There is plenty to do and see. I like it here but, many tourist do not as it can be overwhelming.

This has been a great trip and I would love to come back again.

Peace to all who spread the message of peace, love and compassion.

Be the change you want to see in the world - Gandhi 

Donna and Tom 



Days 14 & 15 - Chitwan National Park

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous"
Aristotle

Today we departed Pohkara and took a taxi to Chitwan National Park. It was a 4 ½ hour 90 mile (145 Km) ride. Traveling on the roads in Nepal is always very interesting. They are not well maintained, and are very bumpy and crowed. You’ll see some of the most interesting sights traveling via the highway.

At about the half way mark we stopped for lunch at Marsyangdi Restaurant. This is the place where we all had our first plate of Dal Bhat.

We arrive late morning and check into our hotel. The hotel is nice and is next to the Rapti River. The weather in this part of Nepal is very tropical, hot and humid. We had some lunch then walked around to get the lay of the land. We were surprise to be able to see a baby rhino up close. The trainer was taking it out for a run and we were allowed to watch and take pictures.

 

 

 

To my surprise our porter Ram showed up on a bicycle. He lives in this area and invited us to his home. We agreed, rented bikes and headed out into the country side to visit his family. What a great treat this was as we biked through rural farmland and villages. Once at his home his mother offered us tea and we sat and talked. It was very interesting to visit and see how they live.

Outside our hotel on the river bank you could, for a small fee, bath with an elephant. It looked like great fun for those that did it.



The next day we went on an elephant safari. It was pretty cool riding an elephant through the jungle. We did not see any wild animals just a lot of other tourist. Overall the park is nice, very touristy but, worth a visit.

 

Peace and Love, Tom and Donna