Shangri-La Kathmandu

... br><br>So what happened?? Well, I smashed in my face and knocked out my teeth after flipping in some rapids while white water kayaking down the Trusuli River outside a small village in rural Nepal. <br><br>Oh ****. Dear, dear. That was not in the plan at all... not at all... <br><br>It was day two of our kayaking adventure. Chris and I had just learned how to escape from a flipped kayak, but hadn't yet learned the roll, and admittedly the art of paddling in a straight line continued to elude ...

Kathmandu was so great after Kolkatta. Great food, clean, easy and cheap. We did shopping and bought stuff we needed for the trek. I met a really nice Chinese woman in the guesthouse and we went together to a good Buddhist meditation and Yoga center. My muscles were then sore for the first day of the trek ! We also walked around Durba square which was cool.

... so that will be nice. We are doing an elephant one, walking one and canoe trip to see crocodiles. can't believe I only have a week onFriday left here in Chitwan before going back to Kathmandu for a couple of days. I hope you like the pictures I managed to put on. I have discovered that all my Thailand ones have been lost as the card is somehow damaged so I have asked my friend to send copies of some of hers so I at least have some memories.<br>Very much enjoyed the elpehant ride ...

... to Pokhara, which is located only some 200km from KTM, takes 8 hours on bumpy and winding road. In Lakeside, Pokhara's main touristy area, I spent two busy days preparing for the trek and satisfying long check and to-do lists.<br>Honestly, it's my 4th day in Nepal and haven't had time to enjoy it as yet. However, it should all change tomorrow when I set out for Annapurna circuit trek.<br>Blog to be updated (hopefully) in three weeks or so...<br>

... real orphanage where the kids don't actually have any parents and they live at the home. It was such a great place run by good people. They grow their own food there, have lots of land to play on - it's gorgeous! and when not foggy you can see the Himalayas!!! Of course, I still have not seen them because I came during the rainy season. :(<br><br>This is an all boys orphanage and these kids came here when they were 5 and 6 and some of them are now around 16 and 17 ...

... happens next.<br> <br> The sounds of joy and agony are intertwined here. Intermittently, one blocks out the other, but for some seconds, each can be indistinguishable from the other.<br> <br> The madness rages on the main streets. Chaos ensues while young blue-clothed officers in white gloves and face masks direct traffic and protect themselves from the pollution, and though it's rarely mentioned, swine flu.<br> <br> If you ask anyone here, there is no swine flu, absolutely not ...

... as other donors, help run the non-profit sector. NOH is about a 45-minute walk from where we live, but I make the trek every morning with two other volunteers. The sidewalks are haphazardly done and covered in mud and trash for most of the way. NOH is a nice respite from the main road of outdoor meat markets, open sewers, and kamikaze drivers. <br><br> The doctors and nurses at NOH are incredibly friendly. It's rare to see poor ...

... March 10th, observed by Tibetans as the day the Dalai Lama fled from the Chinese in 1959. There was a heavy police presence in Boudhanath, the Tibetan area of Kathmandu where we were staying, with thousands of refugees visiting the city. The mood was tense all day but no riots.<br><br>This contrasted with another festival we had seen two weeks earlier at Pashupatinath, the main Hindu temple in the city. It ...