There and back

The following is a rough photo journal of my trip to Nepal with a few days spent in Thailand before and after. Being more troublesome than I anticipated I don't have many descriptions for each picture but just about every one has a story behind it. Get together with me some time and I would be happy to tell you more about the amazing adventures I had or just send me an email if you have a question or two. I hope you enjoy.

The beginning _ Thailand to Nepal

After an 11 hour flight, 3 hour layover in Tokyo, another 6 hour flight, and a 90 minute taxi ride I had made it to Thailand where I stayed for 3 days in a beach town south Bangkok. This is where I sweat the San Francisco out of me and had a blissful time either swimming, sitting at the beach, getting massages, dancing, and roaming the streets. I really enjoyed how relaxed the people are and how friendly everyone is. I didn't carry my camera around too much but wasn't terribly different than anywhere else, just having many, many more scooters and street vendors making food up and down the block. There was a typhoon the day before I left that flooded the streets but locals didn't seem to think much off it as they still walked around and even road their scooters through it.

Nepal _ day 1

The flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu is only three hours which was a breeze and I enjoyed flying with Thai Airways. Coming in to Kathmandu I had my first glimpse of the Himalayas in the very distant north but great views of the land surrounding the city as we touched down. Tribhuvan airport is literally in Kathmandu and an experience in itself if you ever had the misfortune of having to pass through it. As I had read many times before coming to Nepal, don't make any plans that are time sensitive and expect delays pretty much everywhere you go. Thankfully after waiting in lines for 2 hours I was free to go and was greeted by the mob of taxi drivers who took good care of me in getting to a hotel. At times it seemed as though my taxi wasn't going to make it out of the war zone that they call driving on two way streets but it was certainly entertaining. I arrived at my hotel called The Magnificent View which was tucked away nicely down a long alley and was surrounded by a couple of buildings I was never certain if they were occupied or not. There wasn't any magnificent view but the staff was extremely friendly and the room was well kept. After settling in I explored the streets of Thamel which is the neighborhood I was residing in, also known as the tourist ghetto. Walking through Thamel for the first time is about as stimulating as being hit by a car, given you don't actually get hit by one in Thamel. The streets are narrow, the buildings tall, and have more cars, bikes, motorcycles, pedestrians, dogs, trash, cows, and people trying to sell you a laundry list of things. Car horns go off so frequently it's as though every car on the block has orchestrated a continuous tone by taking turns and sometimes letting by rickshaws squeak their horns made out of plastic water bottles. I had an early dinner which was one of my best meals on the trip and finished my day at the hotel getting prepared for the following day until the electricity got shut off.

Nepal _ day 2

My guide Rai came to my hotel at 7am and we took a short taxi ride to the bus stop in northern Kathmandu. Busses in Nepal come in many different shapes and sizes but as I tower over most Nepalis people, most busses don't come in my size. My knees were slowly grinded down over the 9 hour bus ride but I was happily distracted by the views. The busses act more as carpooling taxis where the doors never close and people are getting on and off at any moments notice, at times with their bags of rice that seemed double their size. Winding through the hills for 5 hours allowed me to see all kinds of people, young and old, with amazing faces and equally stunning style. We stopped for lunch in a small town and continued further up in to the mountains where the road was carved out of a cliff side which had obviously crumbled many times before. After 4 hours we had reached Dunche and quickly settled in to a lodge with cute little roof top garden. I walked down the main road of town as the sun set before having dinner and sharing some 'medicine' with Rai which was a locally made millet wine. The wine was good on it's own but it tastes a little funny after they fry it in butter with a little rice.

Nepal _ day 3

Rai and I woke up at 6 in Dunche and were quickly on the trail since we had a long day ahead of us. Dunche is only at 1,764m and I think Laurabina is at about 3,800m so it was mostly all uphill. The lower regions in the mountains are mostly covered in trees and very lush and moist. There are springs all over the place so at times there were little waterfalls, big water falls in the distance, and water running it's way down the path. We had a big lunch of dal baht which I became very accustomed to and finished at the lodge shown at the bottom. Being 1 of three lodges in Laurabina, it was nice but one of the coldest places we stayed.

Nepal _ day 4

I woke up around 6am in Laurabina with a view out of my window of the first picture. Being so clear out after the fog the day before I climbed out of my cocoon of heavy blankets. I walked out in front of the lodge and took the pictures 2-7 which is a view from left to right of the Himalayas. I can't remember all of their names since there are a lot but I started my day off being so inspired and in awe. My guide Rai and I had a quick breakfast thanks to the family who owned the lodge that had the cutest kids. I was always wanting to peek in to the kitchens of the lodges that were like industrial factories with no lights, smoke billowing out of the wood stove, and walls lined perfectly with a wide array of metal ware. This day was an easy day which was welcomed after climbing to such a high elevation so fast. We only walked for about 3 and a half hours, stopping at two small stupas that were sitting waaay up on the ridge all by themselves. I ended up seeing them all over the place and was always amazed how the Nepalis carry EVERYTHING up the mountains by a strap looped over their head. We soon got to Gosainkunda, or Gosainkund, which are the sacred lakes up near the top of the mountain. Apparently there are 108 of them but we saw about 8 them since there are some big, steep ridges in the way of the other ones. We made it to our lodge that sat right next to one of the biggest lakes that was crystal clear and ice cold. Rai told me that 'a lot' of monks make a pilgrimage each year in the spring to the lakes where they dunk themselves three times in the water. I asked how much is 'a lot' and he said about a million and a half! I really wanted to jump in but it was the first and only time I had a bit of a head ache due to the altitude. Regardless, it was wonderful to spend the day next to the lakes and drink a bunch of tea. I even bought a knit hat and a crazy colored woven bag from an old lady who was part of the family who owned the lodge I was in. She told me she made them but I was a little skeptical, either way, I liked the idea.