Hiking a Mountain!

Since we were in the Himalayas, it seemed only natural to go trekking! But first, we needed a good breakfast, so....  since I was up early, I headed out to the German Bakery first.  I loved walking down the little alley-way from our hotel to the main street.

Women hard at work

I saw this man EVERYWHERE!  Good thing I'm not paranoid....

But my favorite people were these little boys who played cricket here every day!

The plan was to meet there for a yummy German feast.  Two problems:  one, it wasn't really a German bakery (although the food was pretty good), and two, Laura and Diana couldn't find the place - which is ironic because I am the one who has the terrible sense of direction and even checked the map before leaving the hotel!!!!  Anyway, after a long wait and search up and down the main street, we met up - at the German Bakery!!!!  

Now it was time for our climb.  We headed down to the lake and took a boat across to the opposite shore where we would head up ~

On a little island along the way, there was a very crowded Hindu temple!

On the opposite shore, we started our climb - piece of cake!
 

Half-way up, we already had a great view...

...and a perfect spot for a rest: a tomb!

But we were still doing okay - just a little sweaty ;)

Would have been okay not having seen these guys though!  Ick.

 Almost there ~

And doing just fine!!!  (Keep breathing!)

Ta-da!!!!  Finally, we made it to the top!  The beautiful Peace Pagoda!!

Piece of cake!!

 And there is Diana - looking for internet!!!!

I slipped off my shoes and walked around the stupe.  It was decorated on all four sides with gorgeous Buddahs.

The birth of the Buddah - 

 The meditation of the Buddah -

 The death of the Buddah -

The enlightenment of the Buddah -
 

 

Eventually it was time to head down the other side of the mountain in search of Davis Falls and a Tibeten Refugee Village!  What I really wanted to see, though, was a yak!  

And at one point I thought I had spotted one -

 But no.

 Turns out they were just "buffalo"

The hike down was easier, in that we had a dirt road to follow.  Diana was just glad we weren't in a car as we rounded this hairpin turn!!!!
 

It was about this point that we realized we had probably missed a turn because we were more than halfway down the mountain, but.... no falls.  Hmmmm.  At least the weather was fantastic!

  

And then - we found the falls!!!!

He he he - okay, not really, but we were desperate!!!

 As we neared the bottom, we came across these kids playing on a 'swing'.  They looked harmless, but they were aggressive!  No, really!  One of them wielded a switch and threatened to hit us with it (actually did take a swat at Diana and me!!!), and another one demanded the "candy" in my backpack (which was really almonds)!!!!  Sorry there are no action shots - we barely got away!!  This photo was taken on zoom well after our escape!

Finally we reached the bottom!!!  We had fretted the last thousand meters about how we were going to get back to the hotel, but we needn't have worried 
because right there at the end of the dirt road was a taxi!!

 The driver dropped us off at the office for Yoga Treks, and on the walk from there back to our hotel I again thought I might have spotted a yak.  



But, no.

And so, we headed back home, cleaned up, and went to our favorite eatery for:  

Happy Hour!

And the best Mo-mos EVER!

 

Oops ~ it seems we ate them all before I could get my camera out!  Trust me, though ~ they were fantastic!

Off to Pokhara!

Finally, it was time to fly to Pokhara.  We did not know, however, that our flight would be a plane with propellers....  
 

After landing in Pokhara, we waited in.... baggage claim (outside) while our luggage was... transported to us!

Our hotel was the Sampada Inn ~ a lovely, family-owned hotel that was clean, comfortable, and peaceful.  In all, it was exactly the sort of place I imagined I'd find in Nepal ~

 

We had the penthouse room (which actually sounds better than it is, because we had to walk up the five flights of stairs!!), with a lovely patio ~

 ~ and pretty views of the neighborhood:


 

But the most gorgeous part of our hotel, was the view of the mountains ~ the reason we came to Nepal in the first place ~

 

Annapurna

Machhapuchhre - or Fishtail Mountain (which from this angle looks a bit like Mt. Hood!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though it was hard to leave our gorgeous view, we headed out for a stroll through Pokhara.  Luckily for me, Diana noticed that my black shirt was somewhat... see-through in direct sunshine!  (Which explained the long stares I received leaving the hotel!) So she graciously gave me her scarf ~ whew!!
 

 

Lunch!  We found a cute little place with a view of the main street.

We saw lots of these 'lawn-mower' trucks...  very innovative!

And more cows!

Just our luck, we found our restaurant during Happy Hour!  
 

We opted for a taste of Nepal:  and it was DElish!!!!
 

But the best part of lunch was that, as we sat there enjoying the tastes of Nepal, the clouds cleared, giving us the most impressive taste of Nepal:
 

Nepal ~ Katmandu

A dream come true: a trip to Nepal!  It's funny how I have preconceived ideas about various locations on this planet.  My feelings are based on previous visits, or on things I have read, and sometimes simply what I imagine....  In my mind, some countries are sure to feel comfortable and homey, others bustling and crowded; some countries conjure  up images of magic and mystery while others speak to the romantic in me; some countries feel like they are designed for the physical adventures while others for the gluttony!!  

Nepal, for me, has always been a place of mystery and dreams ~ While I have envisioned myself visiting many countries, I never thought I would actually go there!!  And yet, for Eid vacation off I jetted - to Katmandu, Nepal!
  

We booked a room at the Holy Himalaya Hotel ~ mostly because of the name  :)

Diana, Laura, and I landed in Katmandu at night, and so I was not really able to get a feel for the city.  Well, I did FEEL the city.... because there are really no roads! 

The Holy Himalaya Hotel

The next morning, while we were waiting for our flight to Pokhara, we decided to brave the city (or at least the street down from our hotel!) and do some shopping!

 We also got a glimpse of Katmandu.  As I learned later, this country sort of exploded with tourism (started by the trekkers who yearned to touch the heavens), and has suffered from political unrest.  Unfortunately, the country has not fared well: there is no infrastructure (and no roads!), and the poverty is apparent everywhere.  I have to say: Katmandu made my heart hurt.

 And yet, even here there were glimpses of beauty:

 And odd spectacles!!

 After our shopping jaunt, we headed back to our hotel to relax ~

The three of us: Me with Diana and Laura

 And what better to relax with, than a Special Everest beer!

 Aaaahhhhh!