Peaceful Cottage Bhaktapur

We were advised to go to Bhaktapur by our hotel manager and we were not disappointed. We started the day lazily IN Nagarkot watching the sunrise over Everest again and then had a very short hike! I don't think it even qualifies as a hike but it was still worth doing. This was followed by yet another failed attempt to photo an eagle while relaxing on the sun terrace.There are so many of ...

Namaste everyone<br><br> After the traffic and pollution of Kathmandu it was nice to get to Bhaktapur. It seems that time has stopped and the local live as they did many years ago. Narrow streets, traditional homes open to the street make for very interesting walks through back streets. Also small hindu temples peppered along the way to larger three tiered temples were ...

I can laugh about it now but at the time I had the feeling I was being played but did not have the confidence to call it! No sooner had Krishna left me than a young guy came and sat at my table saying that he had been asked by his "friend" (he was referring to Krishna) to come and talk to me about offering me a tour of the sights in Bhaktapur. He told me that he knew Krishna from when they had done some training together. He was not too pushy and ...

... a little fitter in preparation for the big treks to come!!<br><br>So today I am off for my language lesson in a little while. I just wish I had more confidence at speaking to people. I practice it in my head but then lose my nerve or else panic when they reply! Oh well I am sure it will get better. I have a guide with me for the next 6 days so I am bound to get some practice with him.<br><br>So this will probably be the last post for a bout a week as I am not planning to take my laptop with me!

... This ended up being a really wise decision actually because when you take a guide from Kathmandu you must pay for not only your flight but also the guide's as well and a lot of other costs are tacked on. I was just planning to fly out the next day but by the time I made my decision the airlines were closed and my options were limited to taking the tourist bus for 5 hours the next day. So that is what I did, off I went at 6:30 am the next ...

We had a few days to kill before we recieved our second six month visa for India which we had arranged from Kathmandu. So, we joined the delightful Stefano, an Italian traveller who was heading our way in a taxi to 'The Tantric City' of Bhaktapur, the most timeless and traditionally intact town in the Kathmandu Valley and where we could see Newari people going about their daily lives in this medievil and modern open air museum. <br><br>The Newar people are the ...

... cases of tuberculosis. Their maladies were also indicative of their living conditions, which were probably decent by Nepali standards, but poor by western standards. Several of the school girls gave me a tour of the building. The sleeping quarters were tight with numerous bunk beds barely a foot from each other, and quite dingy. It was clear that there was probably some monster mold growing in the room because it's rainy season and they don't have AC to ...

... the monks and nuns from the many surrounding monasteries and nunneries turned out for their daily parade. We did a few laps then rested but found ourselves being carried back into the circular flow of people so ended up doing a few more rounds whilst sticking our heads in at the stores and shopping at the same time. As well as being a ritual, it's good exercise for the people and there was lots of elderly people out for the walk.<br> <br>The stupor ...

... the restrictions are nearly not noticeable which is perfect timing as I hit the mountain roads. I love riding in the mountains with a motorbike, it is the perfect mode of transport. Motorways and straight flat roads are boring, but add lots of winding roads up and over mountains with spectacular views is a bikers dream. I make it to Kathmandu and go straight to the Indian embassy to apply for a visa that takes one week, a perfect amount of time for me to do absolutely nothing. <br><br>

Hello from Nepal! <br><br>And already the trip has a 'what's going on here??' vibe. My favorite. <br><br>I arrived in Nepal on Wednesday, March 11, and went straight to a little town called Godavari to stay with a family and take some basic Nepali language lessons for a week. This was all arranged with the 'man of the house' who we'll call Limbu. Limbu is actually his last name and his tribe name, which is a common thing here. For example ...