Nepal!!

Swayambhunath - are those eyes on the temple watching over us,or just WATCHING us?

Welcome to Nepal! It would be easy to write a very short post here, basically saying, Go to Nepal, it's awesome. But perhaps I should justify this a little bit…

Thamel, Kathmandu, is backpacker central. After the heat, stress and assault of Indian cities, the traveller area of Kathmandu is a haven: all manner of global goodies stock shop shelves - I even had a Yorkie bar - while veins of Nepali culture course through the narrow, crowded streets. Thangka paintings and Khukhuri knives bristle from the shops, jammed against stores rammed full of climbing gear and trekking essentials. ‘Om mani padme hum’ chimes out of a hundred little outlets, almost like an unofficial national anthem to accompany the wanderings of hippies, mountaineers and the rest through the busy lanes.

Our experience was coloured heavily by having a Nepali contact - Samiksha Rani, ex-work colleague of Mhairi's. The kind acts of hospitality that Samiksha performed for us are too long to list, but none were greater than introducing us to her sparky and good natured friends - Diplaw, Shriya, Anki and Ayush. Together we hit the town one night, Thamel also being where the bright and beautiful youth of KTM go out on their Friday nights. Trisara, The Factory, Faces. Here it's a global mixed crowd with friendly locals to chat to and we had our own posse. On the second night we ate some wonderful home cooked food with the gang while playing Marriage - a card game traditional during the October festival period, where its main function is to satisfy the gambling tendencies of family members.


In contrast to our evenings, day times were a riot of temples, statues, and palaces. The fusion of East Asian and Indian influences, Buddhist and Hindu religion, has created distinctive Nepali styles that are exquisitely detailed and that vary dramatically. Nepali pagoda, mountain and stupa style temples are some of the finest to be seen anywhere. And the Buddhist temples in particular, with their distinctive Nepali eyes have a powerful and engaging presence. 






 In the UNESCO areas of Patan and Bhaktapur, in the main temple sites of Swayambhunath and Boudanath, KTM’s fascinating cultural heritage is deep and engrossing. And perhaps nothing more clearly illustrates this than the continued art of Thangka painting. Centuries old, this painstaking art-form paints Mandalas and Buddhas to incredible detail with tiny individual brushstrokes. Students train for years, and it takes a lifetime to become a master at the most precise and patient vocation.

Thangka painting dude!

 
After three days of city living and high culture, it was time to take the bus out west to the lakeside resort city of Pokhara - jump off point for a 3 day trek to Poon Hill for spectacular views of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. Pokhara has that timeless air of a city servicing the relaxation requirements of pre- and post- adventure. The climate is warm with cool breezes coming in from the lake, and none of the humidity common to southern areas of Nepal. The wide streets are lined with open air cafes and bars, massage and spa centres, and a multitude of small tour agencies to organise treks, paragliding, zip-lining, jungle safari - all backed up by having the most stunning mountain ranges in the world on its doorstep. Our decision to trek to Poon Hill came from strong recommendations, the fact that we only had 3days and that I'd read Maurice Herzog's account of Annapurna's first ascent in 1950. 

The brutal story of Herzog's trip is awe inspiring. With only dirt poor villages in the Annapurna region, the expedition carried 5 tonnes of equipment to supply itself, and only with the express permission of the Maharaja did it venture out. Herzog was to suffer agonizing injections during the descent to fight off necrotic frostbite and still lost most of his fingers and toes, ultimately having half a pound of maggots taken out of his feet back home in Paris. Nowadays, for Poon Hill or Base Camp, ten dollars gives you a license to trek with all the other tourists and resupply with water, coke and chocolate every 500m or so. Around 300 people make the trip every morning up Poon Hill, where an overpriced tea stand provides chai to watch the sunrise by. 

Baby Nepali that Mhairi considered stealing

You can go and up and down by pony on the well-trodden tracks. Not that anything detracts from the majesty of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. Seeing the sunlight crest onto the summits of these giants, and watching as they transform from dim, forbidding shadows in the pre-dawn half-light to their blazing white splendour was breathtaking.

View from Ghandruk to Annapurna South

The other 300people on Poon Hill with us

In total, we had 10 days in Nepal, with two of those spent in transit. With such limited time, we feel like we missed a lot - treks to Everest base camp, or to see wild tigers in Chitwan were agonisingly impossible this time round. To be fair, our budget could not have held on longer. Tourists want to go to Nepal and prices reflect this, including the American standards of quoting prices without tax and tipping. But if you're not on a traveller budget, those gripes are meaningless and the payoffs in any case are so great. I find myself agreeing with the Nepali tourist board slogan - Once Is Not Enough.