NEPAL

12 June, Kathmandu
NEPAL
We have just arrived in Kathmandu. Took us 4 hours 40 min by flight from Singapore. There was hardly any queue in immigration and the airport is tiny. We already got ripped off when changing our UK pounds. The guy at the counter basically gave us a different rate to what was on the official receipt. No doubt he kept the rest of the money. On top of that we got charged 200 Rs commission. Well, this was the charge you get at the airport - so we exchanged as little as possible. We jumped into a pre-paid cab that looked like it had been bombed. It had no locking, no window handle, no glove room, no seat belts and it felt like the wheels were about to fall off. Now, it feels like we are back in the "real" Asia. Singapore was so smooth, now we are back in backpacking style.
Over here our money goes a long way, 1 pound = 131.12 Nepalese Rupees. Things are very cheap here - cheaper than India. We paid 13 Rupees for a 1 litre bottle of water = 10 pence.
The cab ride through the streets of Kathmandu felt like driving in India. Small bazaars, "thelas", kurta shops, rickshaws and loud traffic. Here the first language is Nepalese and then Hindi. Most people speak Hindi and they watch Bollywood movies, so we speak Hindi to the locals. Sometimes, some of them will swap over to English. I guess we can't pretend to be locals, though a few of them have said that I look Nepali. That is good - saves me from getting any hassle then. The dusty roads, the scents of spices and colourful street corners all make me feel less of a stranger, as it is like being in another town in India.
Nepal was never really on our travel plan, it was merely an entry to Tibet. Since, we cannot visit Tibet on this trip - apparently, the borders are open officially, but China is not granting any access to Tibet until after the Olympics. So we have to change our plans too. We are spending a few hours today deciding whether we just tour Nepal, or stay a few days in Nepal and then head to Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia or Bhutan. Bhutan will be the least-visited by tourists. Let's see what we decide tonight.
We are staying at Kathmandu Guest House, a budget hotel. Our room is facing a pretty garden with a small fountain. It is in the middle of the Thamel centre with lots of shops, bakeries and tour agencies.
We realised that a Lonely Planet guide would have been very useful for Nepal - so we went on a hunt, and we found a book shop that sold us a second-hand Nepal Lonely Planet guide for 1000 Rupees and the man will buy back the book from us for 500 Rupees, when we have finished with it. Not a bad bargain!
We are currently in an internet cafe, trying to download photos and Hindi songs are being played in the background. I am hearing a couple of the oldies from the 80s (those who have been watching Bollywood movies - will know these), such as the songs "Yaad Arrahi Hain, teri yaad arrahi hain" and "dabli wahle, dabli wahle, dabli baja" and "Payaliya, hoohohooo". These songs are bringing me back to my childhood.
The weather is nice and pleasant. Although, it is the monsoon season, it has not rained yet and the locals are expecting it in July. The sun is shinning and it is dry. Not so humid like Singapore.
We are taking it easy today and if possible, quite keen to watch a Bollywood movie in the local cinema.

I like it here..

15 June
We booked a mountain flight to fly over the Himalaya Range, but the flight got cancelled due to bad weather and nil visibility. Maybe a sign that we should not do a trek at this time of the year. We went hunting for an ideal trek, we so wanted to do the Everest Base Camp trek, but the monsoon is on and will make visibility bad. Then we were recommended to do the Langtang Trek which is a 10 day trek taking you to the border of Nepal and Tibet. We almost booked it until last minute when it rained all day, we thought why go and see something that we know will not be as beautiful as it really is when it is the right weather. So we are keeping this trek in mind for the future. Watch this space!

We spent a night at Pema's place, a local Nepali who has a house in Shanti Goreto. She is the mother of one of Geeta's (my younger sister) friends. She kindly took us in and looked after us. She and her sister were so kind and welcoming. It was nice to see what "life" is like in a local home.

We thought the weather might be better outside Kathamandu, so we went on a 7 hours bus trip to Pokhara. It was very hot and dry here. It is set by a lake - the Phewa Tal, which is surrounded by green hills. Pokhara is a cute place with lots of cafes and shops. We went to the World Peace Pagoda, which is a buddhist stupa and is set on a hill that faces the lake and Pokhara town. It is nice and peaceful up there.
After two days in Pokhara, we headed back to Kathmandu. It took us 10 hours to get back! We were stuck up in the mountains in a 25 km long queue. A big lorry was hanging off the mountain side - looked like a very bad accident. The 25 km took us 3 hours to drive and you can imagine how frustrated everyone was getting.

18 June
We spent a last night at Pema's before completely spontaneously booking a flight to Langkawi. The rain in Kathmandu made us long for the beach and some sun.