Destination: Nepal

Entry #3

Tue, 15 Apr 2014 | By dblatt | Views [365]

It is now the year 2071.  Today is the Nepali New Year.  We celebrated by making a small pilgrimage to a Hindu temple. We had to take a bus down the main road out of town.  While walking to the bus, there was a "shuttle" driving by our ... Read more >

Entry #2

Sun, 13 Apr 2014 | By dblatt | Views [432]

I've been here almost a week now and the past couple of days have been exciting.  Each day starts with one of our neighbors bringing some freshly uttered milk.  It is obviously delicious rich whole milk, but even after its necessary boiling, ... Read more >

Entry #1

Sat, 12 Apr 2014 | By dblatt | Views [584] | Comments [1]

    It's  3:45 am , and I am in my private sanctuary of netting, mosquitoes hovering a safe distance away.  These past three days have been tiring, but I can already see how satisfying a decision it will have become to embark ... Read more >

My ticket was stamped KTM-MTN (the famous scenic mountain flight)

Thu, 10 Apr 2014 | By high_altitide | Views [434]

This one is a off the scale in terms of the old Disneyland A-E tickets.  Although it ends up being one hour from wheels off to on the runway, and about 1/2 hour is spent either in smog or in clouds the Everest flight cannot be missed.  Every ... Read more >

Learning the ropes

Wed, 9 Apr 2014 | By high_altitide | Views [503]

I really didn't mean that title as a mountaineering double entendre.  I do not believe that I gave the city much justice on my last post because I forgot to mention the scheduled power outages.  The country seems to have been naughty in not ... Read more >

Tags: everest, trekking

How did I get here?

Wed, 9 Apr 2014 | By high_altitide | Views [384]

For the flying cognoscenti it was SAN-ORD-LHR-BKK-KTM. Three hours to Chicago with a slightly early arrival for a tight connection to London. The only inconvenience was having to walk from C to B terminal.  I forgot to mention that naturally ... Read more >

Base camp Khatmandu

Wed, 9 Apr 2014 | By high_altitide | Views [432] | Comments [1]

Elevation 1450m/4500ft Well, here I am in Shangri La.  Where the air is so polluted the risen sun appears as a fuzzy orange ball in a seipia cloud.  Where the streets look like jigsaw puzzles topped with a cake of fine dust.  Where ... Read more >

Tags: everest, trekking

Photos: Annapurna, Nepal

Fri, 4 Apr 2014 | By lifeinthefoodlane | Photo Gallery

Trekking in the Annapurna Foothills

Fri, 4 Apr 2014 | By lifeinthefoodlane | Views [1891]

There is something about mountain hiking. It is liberating and energizing like few things are. I love mountain hiking, even if for me it comes with a good deal of huffing and puffing, a fair amount of under-the-breath swearing, and envious looks in the ... Read more >

Tags: adventure, mountains, nepal, travel with kids, trekking

Pokhara

Fri, 4 Apr 2014 | By vagabondstoo | Views [1266]

POKHARA IS NEPAL'S ANSWER TO QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand.  It is the paragliding capital of the world and a starting point for many treks in the Anapurna range.  It is also a great place to recharge oneself, do laundry, stock up on groceries and ... Read more >

In and around Kathmandu

Wed, 2 Apr 2014 | By timhughes55 | Views [596]

I've been thinking of what to write about the principal sights of Kathmandu. A long day tour took us to several Hindu and Buddhist sites and princely relics. These are shabby and less colourful in comparison to the temple and palace splendours of Thailand, ... Read more >

Tags: bhaktapur, kathmandu, pashupatinath ghats, swayambhu

Cities as Living Organisms

Wed, 2 Apr 2014 | By timhughes55 | Views [595]

I'm sure this isn't original but walking around Kathmandu I am reminded of an old thought: how alike an old city is to a living organism. Lanes and alleyways feed into streets and roads and these into squares and major roads, not unlike the capillaries ... Read more >

Tags: city, kathmandu

Chitwan National Park

Mon, 31 Mar 2014 | By vagabondstoo | Views [562]

NEVER TAKE CANDY FROM STRANGERS.  AND NEVER, NEVER heed the advice of an agent hanging around the airport.  We should paste this reminder in our passports.  The Greenline bus from Kathmandu to Chitwan National Park was a pleasant surprise ... Read more >

Singing bowls of Kathmandu

Sun, 30 Mar 2014 | By timhughes55 | Views [2843]

Arrived at 11pm at airport at Kathmandu. Was expecting an Indian-like scrummage but pleasantly surprised how low key the taxi touts were. Prepaid taxi to Thamel Rs800 and a bumpy ride to the hotel in the gloomy night. Several hours later, awake, much ... Read more >

Tags: kathmandu, thamel streets, tibetan bowls

To Kathmandu

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 | By timhughes55 | Views [728]

Checked in a 13kg backpack and carried on another 8kg of stuff that didn't fit in it. All these bags I seem to need... a backpack to carry, a duffle to give to the porters, a day pack for rest days and a bag to leave in Kathmandu.... Too much stuff I'm ... Read more >

Tags: backpacking, everest base camp, people, trekking