Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Kathmandu and beyond!

Hello from Kathmandu!
I just arrived today and I am going to be very busy here. Through Great Adventure Treks & Expedition I have booked up almost my entire time here in Nepal. Tomorrow morning I head to Chitwan National Park to see some Nepalis rhinos, ride some elephants, do some bird watching, some jungle treks, and some elephant bathing! Then I am off to Charaudi to do two days of intense white water rafting. Fabulous! That will also evolve some camping under the stars. Then I head to Pokhara to start my 7 day trek around the Annapurna Circuit. I will be hiking through towns and villages with the names of Tikedhunga, Ghorepani, Tadapani, Ghandruk, Tolka, Saraugkot, and Pokhara (for those of you who would like to follow where I am going on the map...ahem...mom..).
I will most likely be out of contact until I return to Kathmandu around the 31st of May. I may have internet access in Pokhara.

I am very excited about the next two weeks.
It will be just me and my guide for the trekking portion, but the national park and the rafting will be with other people. Well, I think I will be with other people in the national park. Highly unlikely there will be no tourist there doing what I am doing, even if it is low season.
My trekking guide will also fulfill roll of porter when my bag gets too heavy for me. The tour company is also supplying all the equipment, they are giving me a smaller bag for the trip and a sleeping bag. I will be staying in tea houses along the trek and a hotel in Pokhara.

Jen- good news and bad. The bad news in that Kathmandu is just as dirty as India. Good news is that the Pumpernickel Bakery is still in existence (bad news is that it was closed for renovations when I tried to go, hopefully it will be open when I come back to Kathmandu).

I went to a Japanese restaurant tonight for dinner. SOBA!!! TEMPURA!!! MISO!!! It all melted in my mouth. I know I love food from everywhere, but sometimes you just need a bamboo plate of cold soba!

Kathmandu is pretty cool. Like Koh San but better! The choice in restaurants and guest houses is overwhelming!!! Everything looks amazing!

Loving life.
Linden

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So happy to read your blog after an intense weekend away. We celebrated Autumn's birthday yesterday...little cousins continue to find delight in each other. You were missed.
But what stories you will have to tell.
Love you, Mom

Anonymous said...

Tea houses and rhodendron forests, Ghorepani, orange groves, hot springs, monkeys, bucket of icey mountain water showers, if you make your porter carry your bag it better because of your ankle only- toughen up
enjoy the mo-mo's
love jen
No, say it's not dirty!!!
Sitting on top of the world- Lenny Kravitz
don't pick the wild .......shrubs!