Souvenirs of Nepal

<body stylesrc="NepalText.html" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080">  <p><font size="6">A View of Nepal</font></p> <p>We had nearly a month to spend there and moved around a good bit in order to discover different facets of Nepal. We started by visiting the Kathmandu Valley and discovered its incredibly rich cultural heritage, then we took a bus to Royal Chitwan National Park for a brief safari in the jungle. Another bus trip took us to Pokhara and from there we went for a seven-day trek in the Annapurna region. Then we took the plane to go back to Kathmandu. We visited the capital some more and then it was time to go home.</p> <p><a href="nepal.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="nepal_small.jpg" border="0" width="288" height="137"></a></p> <hr> <p><font color="#008000"><b>In Kathmandu Valley...</b></font></p> <p>We arrived in Nepal on March 10<sup>th</sup>. We spent a few days in Kathmandu, checking out the city. It is a pretty hectic place, where it seems that activity never stops. It is probably the most polluted city we have ever seen and it is sometimes hard to breathe there. Spring is the end of the dry season, so the air is saturated with dust, and of course gas fumes of all kinds. In recent years, the streets have become packed with all sorts of trucks, cars, rickshaws, scooters and motorcycles. Unfortunately, environment is not a priority in this country that still belongs to the developing world, even if a lot of efforts are now made, especially in the trek regions. Anyway, Kathmandu is not the paradise of fresh air, but it is still a town with a lot of charm and mysteries. In every corner of the city some beautiful temples remind us of the presence of religion. Hindus and Buddhists live in harmony there, and often share the same praying places.</p> <p><a href="DurbareSquareKathmandu.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="DurbareSquareKathmandu_small.jpg" border="0" width="141" height="91"></a> Here is Kathmandu Durbar Square, with Hindus temples and four Saddhus. Saddhus are holy men, often coming from India, who have ascetic lives and look for enlightenment. They're also the only ones to be able to legally smoke big joints, and they definitely take advantage of it.</p> <p><a href="Swayambunath.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="Swayambunath_small.jpg" border="0" width="90" height="141"></a> That is Swayambhunath, a stupa (Buddhist temple) on the top of a hill, in the West of Kathmandu. Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims go there for meditation. It is a beautiful place, with a great view of the Kathmandu Valley. We actually spent most of our time there watching monkeys playing. At that time, we did not know it was a good idea to keep some distance from them. They have bad breath and big teeth.</p> <p>We took a small trip to Nagarkot, a place famous for the view it offers of the Himalaya Mountains, in particular Mt. Everest. Nagarkot is a popular spot in tourist guides, judging by the outrageous prices there, but not for tourists who travel there in the spring. We saw the very top of the Himalayas in the evening, but the next day, although we had gotten up at dawn to admire the sunrise, a wall of dust hid the mountains. We left the place with no regrets, hiked to Shangu Narayan, a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, and from there went to Bhaktapur. We really had a good time on the way, meeting a lot of great people.</p> <p><a href="NagarkotKelly.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="NagarkotKelly_small.jpg" border="0" width="89" height="141"></a> Don't look for the mountains in this Nagarkot sunset, they're behind us (uh, I think).</p> <p><a href="NagarkotForestKelly.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="NagarkotForestKelly_small.jpg" border="0" width="141" height="90"></a> This is on the way to Shangu Narayan. It's hard to see, but behind Kelly there is a bunch of women covered with huge bags, carrying leaves. It's amazing to see how much the Nepalese men, women or children can carry on their backs. </p> <p><a href="NagarkotForestHouse.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="NagarkotForestHouse_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> Here's a farm on the side of the trail.</p> <p><a href="School.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="school_small.jpg" border="0" width="141" height="91"></a> This is a school. It was a lot of fun to attend the class, with kids singing their lessons in Nepalese and English. In the past, only a minority of the kids attended school -- girls in particular had to stay home -- but things are getting much better.</p> <p><a href="SanguNarayanKelly.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="SanguNarayanKelly_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> This is on the way to Bhaktapur, Shangu Narayan is behind us.</p> <p><a href="DurbareSquareBhaktapur.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="DurbareSquareBhaktapur_small.jpg" border="0" width="88" height="140"></a> Here's Durbar Square in Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is a pretty neat town, very rich culturally, and pleasantly quiet: cars can't get in.</p> <p><a href="ThangkaPainter.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="ThangkaPainter_small.jpg" border="0" width="90" height="140"></a> At this painting school in Bhaktapur, apprentices learn to paint tankas, which are beautiful representations of mandalas (symbolic designs of the universe, used as an aid to meditation), the life and teaching of Buddha, the Kathmandu Valley and so on.</p> <hr> <p><font color="#008000"><b><a name="Terai">In Teraī...</a></b></font></p> <a name="Terai"> <p>The bus trip to Teraī is worth taking... once. If you're more than 1m60 (uh, something like 4 or 5 feet tall I guess), expect some knee pain after a day trip. But after a few kilometers, you find out that comfort is but a detail when compared to your chances of survival with the maniacal drivers -- your bus driver and above all, the others.</p> <p>Royal Chitwan National Park is located in the south of Nepal, next to the Indian border. What used to be a royal place for hunting is now a huge reservation. </p> <p>In the afternoon, we visited the village and the elephant farm. The appearance of Teraī inhabitants, their language, their folklore, their houses and their way of living are quite different from what we saw in the rest of Nepal. Nepal is really a mixture of very diverse cultures.</p> </a> <p><a href="ElephantSteph.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="ElephantSteph_small.jpg" border="0" width="139" height="90"></a> This is a baby elephant.</p> <p><a href="ElephantDrivers.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="ElephantDrivers_small.jpg" border="0" width="90" height="141"></a> And here is an adult elephant.</p> <p><a href="TeraiHouse.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="TeraiHouse_small.jpg" border="0" width="141" height="90"></a> This is a Teraī house. Sorry, we didn't take pictures of Nepalese people (it could have been perceived as a lack of respect).</p> <p>The next day, we went canoeing in a hollowed-out trunk. We saw many birds, and some crocodiles. We thus realized that moving too much was really a poor idea, since the canoe was not a model of stability.</p> <p><a href="aligator.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="Aligator_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="90"></a> This is one of the crocodiles, I can't remember what they're called, but they're funny looking with their long and narrow jaw, full of big teeth.</p> <p>In the afternoon, we visited the jungle in a Jeep. We saw many fires and had to turn around a few times, but we didn't see many animals. The guide saw some bears, rhinos, etc, but I guess he was the only one. </p> <p><a href="RhinoSteph.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="RhinoSteph_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="90"></a> This baby rhino lost his mom and is taken care of by the park employees -- believe me, you don't get close to wild rhinos, especially non-orphan babies.</p> <p><a href="KellyStephRiverTerai.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephRiverTerai_small.jpg" border="0" width="137" height="91"></a> Here are two tourists on the edge of the river (the one with the crocodiles) at sunset.</p> <p>The day after, we went in the jungle by foot. Our guide had a big stick, and said it was his weapon. We didn't really get it until we saw some tourists and their guide being charged by a mama-rhino who looked pretty upset. After that, we did our best to stay under cover in the forest. We saw some rhinos behind the leaves, a few monkeys in the trees and some tiger prints (after a few stories about the tiger, we were glad we didn't meet him).</p> <p>The last day, we went in the jungle again, but for an elephant safari. It sounded like a lot of fun at the beginning, but turned out to be pretty painful. After three hours on an elephant back, there wasn't a part of our body that didn't hurt. It was fun though, because we got to charge the rhinos and got pretty close to them.</p> <p><a href="Rhinoceros.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="Rhinoceros_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> This is a big rhino, scared by us (and the elephant beneath us).</p> <p> </p> <hr> <p><font color="#008000"><b>The Trek...</b></font></p> <p>We took the bus again to go to Pokhara. After our elephant experience, the bus seemed much more comfortable than before. Pokhara is a resort town next to a lake, where most of the treks of the Annapurna area start or finish. It is actually a pretty nice place and the lake is beautiful. When the air is clear, it reflects the mountains and it is supposed to be gorgeous. Well, we only saw a blue lake, but we found it pretty anyway.</p> <p>We had chosen a modest trek of seven days. Thank God. It was fabulous, but a bit of training would have helped (and better knees too). We left with a porter-guide called Nima. He was a nice guy who did his best to teach us a bit more about Nepal, with the little English he knew. Kelly learnt some Nepalese and got pretty impressive after a week. (I learnt to count and say "slowly" and "difficult".)</p> <p><a href="trekking.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="trekking_small.jpg" border="0" width="350" height="204"></a></p> <p>This is our trek. The main goal was Poon Hill, a place famous for its view on the Himalaya Mountains. The first two days, we went up to reach Poon Hill, then we walked up and down in the mountains and along the river to go back to Pokhara. </p> <p>We were pretty lucky with the weather. It did not rain much, and only in the afternoon, which cleaned the air a bit. We saw the Annapurna mountains a few times during the week, and got to admire the Dhaulagiri, the Annapurna and the Machhapuchhare at Poon Hill. The great interest of the trip was the rhododendrons though. They blossom only a few weeks a year, and it was just the right time to see them. They were as big as trees, and covered with flowers. The entire mountains looked pink from a distance.</p> <p>We stayed in lodges, which are pretty comfortable (better than most of the shelters I know in the Alps). There, we met many people, some Nepalese and some tourists from all over the world. We had pretty neat conversations with some of them.</p> <p><a href="KellyStephRhodos1.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephRhodos1_small.jpg" border="0" width="90" height="140"></a> This is us and the rhododendrons going up to Poon Hill.</p> <p><a href="KellyStephRhodos2.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephRhodos2_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="90"></a> Here we are again with the rhododendrons.</p> <p><a href="KellyStephDaulaghiri1.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephDaulaghiri1_small.jpg" border="0" width="91" height="142"></a> The Dhaulagiri (from Poon Hill).</p> <p><a href="KellyRhodos2.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyRhodos2_small.jpg" border="0" width="90" height="141"></a> Kelly, the rhododendrons and the Dhaulagiri (coming back from Poon Hill).</p> <p><a href="KellyStephDaulaghiri2.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephDaulaghiri2_small.jpg" border="0" width="145" height="94"></a> This is us, with the Dhaulagiri again (the Dhaulagiri meant a lot to me because when I was a child, my Dad spent a few months struggling to get to its top -- he almost made it but had to turn around because of the cold).</p> <p><a href="KellyNimaRhodos.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyNimaRhodos_small.jpg" border="0" width="141" height="91"></a> Kelly, Nima and the rhododendrons.</p> <p><a href="StephRhodos.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="StephRhodos_small.jpg" border="0" width="91" height="140"></a> Here I am with the rhododendrons (we really enjoyed seeing them, especially since the view of the mountains didn't distract us too much ;-)</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="KellyNimaSteph.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyNimaSteph_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> The three of us.</p> <p><a href="KellyStephTrekking.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephTrekking_small.jpg" border="0" width="91" height="140"></a> On our way down.</p> <p><a href="KellyRhodos.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyRhodos_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="89"></a> Still on our way down.</p> <p><a href="KellyStephPokhara.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephPokhara_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="89"></a> This is us with Pokhara in the background (on our last trekking day).</p> <hr> <p><font color="#008000"><b>In Pokhara...</b></font></p> <p>We spent a few days in Pokhara taking care of our colds (especially Kelly) and relaxing. We took a bicycle trip, and the next day we crossed the lake on a boat. It was cool.</p> <p><a href="KellyStephPokharaLake.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="KellyStephPokharaLake_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> This is us climbing the hill on the other side of the lake.</p> <p><a href="StephBoat.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="StephBoat_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="90"></a> This is me, trying to row.</p> <hr> <p><font color="#008000"><b>Back in Kathmandu...</b></font></p> <p>We flew back to Kathmandu on March 30<sup>th</sup>. We were hoping to admire the mountains from the plane but as expected, we only got to see the dust around us. We visited Kathmandu some more and checked out Patan (a big city to the south of Kathmandu).</p> <p><a href="Kathesimbhu.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="Kathesimbhu_small.jpg" border="0" width="89" height="141"></a> This is Kathesimbhu, a stupa in the center of Kathmandu, which is a replica of Swayambhunath. Pilgrims who are too weak to climb the hill to Swayambhunath pray here.</p> <p><a href="PatanCommunists.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="PatanCommunists_small.jpg" border="0" width="141" height="91"></a> This is Durbar Square in Patan, on a communist propaganda day. When you think of what is happening in Tibet because of China, it's pretty scary to see communism having so much influence in this new democracy.</p> <p>We visited two major temples: Pashupatinath, a Hindu temple devoted to Shiva in his Pashupati form (shepherd), and Boddnath, the biggest stupa of Nepal. I got really scared that day, because a big monkey (bigger and weirder than the others) looked at us groaning, and finally jumped on me. I ran away screaming, leaving Kelly behind with the monster. Everything turned out okay (Kelly used the bag as a shield) but from then on, I avoided getting too close to the monkeys.</p> <p><a href="StephBasmatiRiver.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="StephBasmatiRiver_small.jpg" border="0" width="90" height="140"></a> This is the Basmati river, a sacred river that flows into the Ganges. Cremations are numerous along the river, and it is probably the ashes that make the river look so dark. Hindus believe that after death, the corpse must go back to the four elements.</p> <p><a href="SadusPashupatinath.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="SadusPashupatinath_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> Saddhus always offer to be in your pictures, especially since it is a good way to get some fruits or money from you (Saddhus live on alms as a sign of humility).</p> <p><a href="MonkeyPashupatinath.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="MonkeyPashupatinath_small.jpg" border="0" width="142" height="91"></a> This is a peaceful monkey. Behind it you can see the smoke of the cremations. I felt kind of weird watching people's funerals, and then I got really ashamed seeing some tourists taking pictures of the scene, displaying their disrespect.</p> <p><a href="bodhnath.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="Bodhnath_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> This is Boddnath, with multicolor prayer flags flying in the wind.</p> <p>We left Nepal on April 4<sup>th</sup> with a strong desire to go back there one day. The constant of this trip was definitely the kindness of Nepalese people: they smile a lot, are very welcoming and have a great sense of respect. We met fantastic people and learnt a lot from them.</p> <p><a href="LakhpaNimi.jpg" target="Pictures"><img src="LakhpaNimi_small.jpg" border="0" width="140" height="91"></a> This is us with Lhakpa and Nimi, two Sherpas who own a travel agency and took care of our trip. Both of them are mountain climbers (Lhakpa went on an expedition with my Dad years ago) and great people.</p> <p align="center"><strong>The end!</strong></p> <p align="center"> </p> <hr width="80%"> <p align="center"><a href="../../../index.php" target="_top">u n l e s s</a></p>  </body>