Well, it happened: I went to another place I've wanted to for a long time. After leaving Boston and 3.5 weeks with my family and friends this summer, I headed southeast on a 17 hour flight to drop off my luggage and repack for Nepal. After too much time in the air and the hassles of Kaust security, I dashed into my house and spent the next 6 hours frantically packing so I'd make my next flight heading...northeast. I got into Kathmandu pretty late, went right to the hotel and fell fast asleep.
I spent the next day sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley with a guide and driver. We went to Pashupati Area, which is on the river and includes a Hindu temple and old folks home. Nepalis have funeral ceremonies there and we saw a few cremations as we walked around. It was packed with people, some crying and some laughing and celebrating. We also went to the cultural city of Bhaktapur and took pictures of temples and shrines and all sorts of fun stuff. There is a pottery district in Bhaktapur, not far from famous Durbar Square. We watched artisans spin pots and haul hay in for drying the clay. We finished up at Boudhanath Stupa, where we ate lunch and went to see a Thangka school. Thangka is a popular form of Buddhist painting which involves a great deal of color and detail. The Boudhanath area is basically a big bazaar built around the stupa, where you can eat, shop, pray, paint, etc...mainly I ate and took some pictures.
The next morning, I flew to Lukla with a different guide, Rovin. We met our Porter, Santos at the airport in Lukla and began what we thought would be a 12 day program. Because of cloud cover in Lukla, we stayed an extra 4 days before returning to Kathmandu. Flights were canceled, so we stayed at the guesthouse playing cards and drinking Tongba. The trek was something hard to describe. It was an array of sights, smells, and surroundings. Sometimes I gaped at the landscape, sometimes I laughed, and sometimes I cried. I was very fortunate to be with Rovin and Santos and both of them took very good care of me. I stayed healthy the whole time, only coming down with mild altitude sickness symptoms which were easily resolved by an extra acclimatization day in Namche. It would be futile to go into an account of all the emotions I felt while there, so I'll leave the pictures to narrate.
When we got back to Kathmandu, I still had 3 days before I had to be in Saudi, so Rovin pretty much entertained me the rest of the time, taking me to the monkey temple (no pics....I was too busy relaxing), a close by hike, and all around Thamel and downtown Kathmandu for a traditional dal bhaat lunch. He taught me a good deal of Nepalese and became a good friend. I hope to go back again and again. Enjoy the pics....
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2129647774068.117335.1632204269&l=a687f7a29b&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2129629653615.117332.1632204269&l=789bcf8714&type=1
P.S. I really think this is something everyone should do if they have the means. It's a place unlike any I've been or even imagined. It will stay with me for a long time...probably always. Its not hard to do- trekking can be very cheap and even the walking isn't difficult in Everest Region. There are steep sections, but with varying terrain and experienced guides, it's feasible for people of most fitness levels.
If you do decide to do this, use the same company I used. Here is a link for them:
http://www.acethehimalaya.com/index.php
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