Kathmandu, Nepal

Eighteen years ago I was planning a solo trip to Nepal, when a handsome, charming man came into my life and lets just say . . . I got a little side tracked. Matt had just returned from his six month travels around the world and he would leave me maps and brochures of Nepal on my desk at work , being the supportive new boyfriend that he was. I never took that trip, but I never doubted that, one day, we'd go to Nepal as a family. So, it was a long time coming, but so worth the wait, and so much fun to share it with Alex, Madeline and Matt.

We stationed ourselves in the Thamel area of Kathmandu, which is where all the trekkers and mountain bikers base themselves before taking off to the Himalayas. We spent eight days at the Kathmandu Guesthouse, a hip little spot with spacious, clean rooms (at $40 per night!) gardens, a small bar, restaurants and plenty of places to hang out and meet other world travelers. Out of all the places we've traveled so far, Kathmandu seemed to attract the most adventurous breed of travelers. We met a couple from Holland who have been riding their bikes around the world for three years. There was Ai from China, who decided to live at the Guesthouse for four months to learn English. A bright light in our Nepal trip was meeting Alex from Toronto, who was working in Bombay, but came to Kathmandu in hopes of renewing her India Visa. Alex is a smart,
beautiful, promising young woman, who celebrated her 23rd birthday at the Guesthouse. The girls were really taken with her - especially our Alex (and even better that they shared the same name). The more people we met, the more our six month travels started sounding like a three-day weekend to the Mystery Spot in Arizona! There are some really courageous people out there in the world and we just soaked in the stories and personalities while we were there.

The monsoon season is well underway in Nepal which meant that every day we had dramatic rain storms that lasted for at least an hour. The day we decided to visit the Monkey Temple, it dumped rain the moment we finished our long climb to the top and we were stranded up there for about an hour. On another day we took a four hour trek through the farm lands outside of Kathmandu and just as we sat down for lunch, the clouds broke loose. We had hiked to 7,200 feet and we had a front row seat of the parading thunder clouds. The forever views of the fertile green terraced mountains, which produce rice, corn and potatoes, completely disappeared in the downpour. The trek was definitely a highlight and left Matt and I with a desire to return to Nepal for a more extensive, long-term trek.

It was very interesting to have been in Nepal, especially Kathmandu, for such a historical moment in Nepal's history. The deposed Nepali king left his palace to begin his life as a civilian in the new republic on Wednesday, June 11th. The media were all over that place and we spoke with some French journalists, our neighbors at the Guesthouse, who shared some grim insight into the future of the Nepalese political situation. The country is in transition and hopefully will fare well through the journey.

We managed to venture out to Durbar Square, Patan (which is where the Temple of 1,000 Buddhas is), Bakhtapur and all over Thamel. The temples and architecture of the old sections of the city are so beautiful. The people are gentle and good-natured and we particulary had fun with the kids in the streets and around the temples. They like to engage you, often to sell you something, but sometimes they just want to laugh with you and be silly. I carried suckers around in my purse and had a lot of fun handing them out to willing takers. I'll never forget one little boy (about five) who took a sucker, smiled and said thanks, then disappeared. About 1/2 hour later, we were leaving in the taxi and the same boy was running along side us, holding his sucker in the air, waving and smiling at me.It's a mental picture I will never forget.

There is so much more to explore in Nepal, but now, it's under my skin, so I know I'll return. Alex was completely taken with Thamel, the glimpse of trekking, and the "culture" of the Guesthouse. She's itching to get back very soon!

I'm reading The Snow Leopard right now and it's a beautifully written account of one man's spiritual, physical and emotional journey as he treks through the Himalayas of Nepal. I don't think I'd ever be that ambitous, but the story is an inspiring one. I think there are many people who travel to Nepal with big dreams and aspirations and you can just feel it in the air when you're there. I feel very blessed to have experienced the wonder of Nepal.
Namaste