A VISUAL JOURNEY with YSW


Sunday, February 6, 2011

Nepal

I had been looking forward to Nepal for the warmth. Seriously. After a chaotic and somewhat comical border crossing, we arrived in Kodari, Nepal. Where the chaos and cacophony continued. We mounted our new bikes (we bade our Tibetan "support group" farewell at the border) and started cycling with our young friendly guides. There was more mud and more potholes before finally arriving in what seemed to be paradise (after the whole "hardship" trip).
This was a lovely resort with alfresco showers (walled up of course). It felt so nice to bask in the warmth of the sun. The food and hospitality were excellent.
Lots of lush greenery.
The next day, we made our way to Dhulikhel, a resort in the mountain. It was a full day of cycling in Singapore-like weather. And get this, it was 64 km of mostly uphill. Yay! I've never been that close to cows and chickens, who roam free. Neither have I cycled 3 cm away from a huge goods truck blasting their horns all the time. It was an exercise in concentration and physical endurance. =) This was our lunch stop (nasi briyani).
We finally got to Dhulikhel Resort. With its wonderful view and scalding hot water (to the point where it was nearly unusable).
The following pics are just random shots of life in Nepal and things & people I saw. From Dhulikhul, we went on to Bhaktapur (an ancient city under preservation) and finally arrived in Kathmandu where the trip ended. Nepal is, as you can imagine, vastly different from Tibet. It was noise, people, pollution, cows, colors, Hindu shrines and goats everywhere.
These kids were playing cards. The little girl sounded pretty aggressive and bossy.
Scenes from Bhaktapur.
One of the numerous shrines.

An afternoon chat.
Chickens-in-a-basket.
Em, lunch?
For some reason, popcorn was really popular there.
Shopping.
Waiting to pray at one of the many shrines.
There were mangoes everywhere.

Breakfast place.
Getting water at the well - a daily affair. I peeked and there was hardly any water in the well.
Another breakfast place. No wireless.
School.
Ladies in colorful saris at a shrine.
For water?
Namaste, Internet.
I "feel the warmth of sunrise" indeed.
High security.
Pick a goat.
Rooftops of Bhaktapur.
Oh, I really enjoyed this. Our first meal in Kathmandu (where one could find anything). Ratatouille and spinach pancake.
In Nepal, people shared the "road" with cars, motorcycles, trishaws, bicycles...in other words, there were no "roads".
Colorful cloths for saris!
Bed, Bath & Beyond Nepalese style.

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