Hotel Arniko Dhulikhel

... to take care of all the stuff that was impossible to do in Tibet, like washing laundry, replacing my broken mobile phone charge with a new one, taking my laptop to maintenance, buying something to read etc. We also planned our program for Nepal and booked ourselves an 8-days rafting trip as well as a day of canyoning at the Last Resort near the Tibetan border, where I also intend to do the 160 metres bungy jump.<br><br>About the jump in the next entry!

... decided to take a bit of a tour. We spent about an hour visiting various sights including the Boudha temple and house that apparently belongs to a friend of the Dali Lama. There also happens to be a shop belonging to a friend of Dilbado so of course we had to visit so that I could learn about Tibetan Thanka painting. It was very interesting and very beautiful but naturally it was just a matter of time before the sales pitch!! However, I managed to escape by asking for his card and saying I ...

... it's almost as if they see there's no point to getting worked up. Here, patience isn't golden - it's as common as their ordinary dishware - tin. <br><br><br> This weekend I decided to tour around Kathmandu a bit. My roomie, Niloofar (she's a Brit(ney Spears fan!)), and I booked a room in a hotel in Thamel and spent Saturday going to the nearby city of Patan and visiting the Patan Durbar Square as well as Swayambunath, or Monkey Temple. The Patan Durbar Square ...

... she came too<br><br>And was awarded &#8216;Dick of the Day&#8217;<br><br>To become one of the elite few<br><br>She likes her music too<br><br>As well as all things old and new<br><br>Her name is Rosie and she&#8217;s a real hippie too<br><br>She&#8217;s probably done a poo on the loo<br><br>I&#8217;m not quite sure it may have been on the floor<br><br>This isn&#8217;t all quite true<br><br>But it sounds real good too<br><br>Anyway here&#8217;s a gift for you<br><br>I hope you ...

I have been trying to go to teach English in Ramechhap pretty much since the day I arrived in Nepal, and this time finally thought I was going to make it, bus ticket booked, all packed and ready to go. We walked down to pick up a taxi on the ringroad only to be confronted with protesters and a completely empty road. The whole city was shut down with a strike for the whole day. So not only did we not leave for our placement but Jason, who was ...

... I discover by jumping up that in general I am luckily ok; I have a very sore foot and a bloody elbow but that&#8217;s it. I lift my bike up &amp; try to move it off the road and while doing so the Policeman comes up and starts lambasting me. Woo, hang on a second it&#8217;s me that should be furious. I charade &amp; say to him why he didn&#8217;t see or hear me and why he just keep on cutting across. My words are useless as he doesn&#8217;t speak English apart from one word he ...

Haha, happy birthday Julia und dann ging es los. Erst noch ziemlich harmlos auf einer asphaltierten Strasse mit ab und zu mal einem Schlagloechlein und einem atemberaubend schoenen Bergpanorama. Dann kam der erste Platten... Der lustige italienische Hippie und der Fahrer haben das ganz gut hinbekommen und die Strasse wurde schlechter. Mittagspause, Beinaheunfaelle und die ersten Fluessen zum durchqueren... Irgendwann dann waren wir auf 5220 Metern ...

... spectacle. For the past couple of days we had been encountering huge herds of goats on their way down from high pastures to be sold for slaughter during the forthcoming Dasain festival. During this festival, when the entire country grinds to a halt, Hindus celebrate the victory of the goddess Durga over evil in the guise of the buffalo demon Mahisasura. The entire thing lasts for fifteen days and there are a number of important days within this period. On one particular day (Maha ...

... by the piercing low sun and their flanks were clothed in a green velvet of forest whilst their heads were crowned by halo-like clouds. The hill, being at over three thousand metres, was topped with vegetation reminiscent of some Scottish island. Thistles and wild flowers grew in abundance and I noticed a small green hummingbird-like bird (possibly a blue-bearded bee-eater) flitting between them.<br><br>Against all my expectations there was a snack bar serving tea and coffee perched on the ...

... Michelle vehemently defended. For entertainment we had brought our miniature backgammon set which proved very useful in moments of boredom later on.<br><br>As we walked the path became steeper. It was constructed of rough rock steps of a composition that seemed to be loaded with silver and consequentially gleamed in the overhead sun. Butterflies in their hundreds alighted on this path to leech minerals from it and fluttered up before our boots as we approached heavy ...