Nepal 2020

 Across the world, whispers of something called COVID started to turn into shouts. While we had yet to experience any of this in India to that point, we planned to go to Nepal. Others started to cancel their trips but we held out, hopeful we could still attend. 

We flew to Kathmandu and on to Pokhara with our hotel overlooking Phewa Lake. A hike up from town to the beautifully white World Peace Pagoda gave us views of the Annapurna Range that cannot be rivaled. Our driver took us to the south of town and we walked the short way to Devi's Falls, storied to have a tourist once go under and die. We also headed outside of town to the bat cave and walked under thousands of hanging creatures. If that wasn't questionable enough, we had to climb out. Not afraid of climbing a bit we managed to get out, but not without significant scrambling and squeezing out. The people ahead of us let us pass because they were, shall we say, not the same body type. How (if) they made it out, we will never know.

The next day we visited the International Mountain Museum. Inside were all sorts of pictures and artifacts dedicated to mountaineering in the region. There were some interestsing pieces related to Everest which I found informative. 

The world's fastest zip line is said to be here but the kids were too young to do it, so rather than go alone, we did something together. We were driven to the top of the mountain and then hooked into our harnesses. With a guide behind us, we were told to run toward the edge of the cliff and not stop. So we did and soon were sailing high above the lake. Paragliding offered amazing views of both the lake below and the mountains above. Due to the thermal updrafts, we were able to ride for quite some time, with a few people wishing it would end sooner, especially when we went into spinning dives. 

Our short trip was wrapped up with some cocktails and food while watching the sun set over the lake. Earlier that day we took a boat ride on the water, bumping around in the junky boats that take anyone and everyone out for a spin. We flew home to India shortly after, and within days, everything fell apart. Flights were canceled, people were stranded. COVID had arrived and, as we know, there would be no end in sight. We look at this whole experience as having stolen a vacation since there wouldn't be another for quite some time!

My Smilebox Creation

Nepal

For some, seeing Mt. Everest is a life-long dream. Many will never hike to it, let alone climb it. In order to get our shot at seeing it, at least for now, we took a mountain flight from Kathmandu early in the morning. After waiting for a while with no signage and un-discernible announcements, we boarded a bus to a 30-seater plane on Yeti Airlines. Armed with a map of the skyline, we rose up out of the city for 50 minutes of amazing views. Crystal white snow-caped peaks soared out of the clouds from the valley below. Mesmerized by the size of these features, we stared, breaking contact only to go to the cockpit to get a panorama of Everest before swinging back toward Kathmandu. A champagne toast and a certificate before we landed celebrated up the experience.

Mt. Everest from the plane

After eating breakfast, we decided to head into Kathmandu for some shopping. We chose Thamel district, the crowded, touristy shopping area. With knock-off trekking gear and cashmere in every other shop, it was a bit much. But we found some nice posters of the mountains and shirts before stopping for a "craft" Nepalese beer and momos. Shopping and city life satisfied, we headed by car into the mountains to get to the hill station of Nagarkot.



Our next two days were spent gazing at the mountains, breathing crisp air, and hiking around the trails. We watched the sun crest the peaks, bathing the snow-capped summits in pink during the dawn.  Our favorite part was probably the celebration of Diwali at night.  We had dinner at a nice place and watched the sunset, then stopped and had a beer at this little roadside hut.  The people didn't speak English, but welcomed us in.  A family of 4 slept in one room, in a single bed (with a dog and chicken), and the main room was the bar.  We drank terrible beer on the cheap and watched the kids chase a chicken around the dirt floor.  Local children came outside and sang and played music, attempting to raise small amounts of money.  The place was lit with candles.  It was truly a unique experience.

   

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