My time in Nepal is almost through. I fly to Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow. I've had such an amazing time here, and I met some really wonderful people. It's difficult for me to sum up the past nine days into one journal entry.
There are ten world heritage sites in Nepal. Seven of them lie within the Kathmandu valley, and I was fortunate enough to see a few. They are all equally beautiful and interesting in their own right. I visited Pashupatinath Temple, Durbar Square, and Swayambunath Stupa. It's interesting because Nepal is predominantly Hindu, but both Buddhist and Hindu temples and religious sites lie throughout this country.
There are three words that could describe Kathmandu a little bit. Horns, garbage, and pollution. If I had to guess, Nepali driver's Ed taught that it was a necessity to use your horn at all times. They've even managed to step outside the box and make up different horn tones. Kind of like ring tones, but for horns. I think that it's safe to say when in doubt...use your horn.
I've never seen so much garbage in the streets. In America, it's stamped into our brains to not litter. We could also possibly be fined if we do so. It's difficult because as a visitor I would like to do my part to not add to the garbage on the streets. But this proves to be a problem when it seems almost impossible to to find a garbage can. I've taken this concept for granted in the US.
Devin had warned me about the pollution. I said "Devin, it can't be that bad. It can't be worse than Washington DC or other major American cities. It's just Kathmandu, Nepal." I was sorely mistaken. The pollution is so bad that mid way through my day, I blow my nose and it appears that I've been camping in the mountains for the past 9 days. I liken it to Salt Lake City, and the inversions that we get in the winter. But far worse.
Nepal is beautiful! My descent on the airplane was such a pleasure. My neighbor sitting next to me was laughing at me because of all the oohing and ahhing that I was doing. There is so much diversity in it's beauty. You have some of the highest peaks in the world known for it's trekking, but you also have the flat lands of the Terrai. I spent most of my time here travelling the beautiful Terrai. This is where I truly came to love this country. I was happy to escape the craziness of Kathmandu.
We travelled from town to town via micro bus. This is an exciting experience in itself. In the United States we know the micro bus as a mini van. A mini van holds 6-8 people max right? Not in Nepal. Here they like to squeeze as much space out of that little van as possible. I'm talking 18-20 people. It's exhilarating being on a micro bus for 5-6 hours. Oh the sites, smells, and sounds. The fun of the micro bus is escalated by the fact that the driver likes to play Nepali pop music so loud above 20 other people. In reality, the micro bus is the best way to travel in Nepal. It's time consuming and exhausting but it's the safest and cheapest way to get around besides flying.
This is the South Asian monsoon season. You may know that this part of the world is experiencing record breaking rainfall. Many parts of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal are flooding and displacing many people from their homes. The death toll is rising as well. This is affecting the Nepali Terrai where I spent most of my time. I'm hoping that the rains will let up, and that these people in this part of the world will get the aid that they need. I read in this mornings paper that aid is coming in.
The people that I've come in contact with here in Nepal have been so kind. I feel very lucky that I was able to come here and have this experience with a dear friend of mine. It may not be the easiest travelling that I've ever done, but absolutely worth it and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope that I'm able to make it back here again one day and spend some time in the mountains that this country is famed for.
There are ten world heritage sites in Nepal. Seven of them lie within the Kathmandu valley, and I was fortunate enough to see a few. They are all equally beautiful and interesting in their own right. I visited Pashupatinath Temple, Durbar Square, and Swayambunath Stupa. It's interesting because Nepal is predominantly Hindu, but both Buddhist and Hindu temples and religious sites lie throughout this country.
There are three words that could describe Kathmandu a little bit. Horns, garbage, and pollution. If I had to guess, Nepali driver's Ed taught that it was a necessity to use your horn at all times. They've even managed to step outside the box and make up different horn tones. Kind of like ring tones, but for horns. I think that it's safe to say when in doubt...use your horn.
I've never seen so much garbage in the streets. In America, it's stamped into our brains to not litter. We could also possibly be fined if we do so. It's difficult because as a visitor I would like to do my part to not add to the garbage on the streets. But this proves to be a problem when it seems almost impossible to to find a garbage can. I've taken this concept for granted in the US.
Devin had warned me about the pollution. I said "Devin, it can't be that bad. It can't be worse than Washington DC or other major American cities. It's just Kathmandu, Nepal." I was sorely mistaken. The pollution is so bad that mid way through my day, I blow my nose and it appears that I've been camping in the mountains for the past 9 days. I liken it to Salt Lake City, and the inversions that we get in the winter. But far worse.
Nepal is beautiful! My descent on the airplane was such a pleasure. My neighbor sitting next to me was laughing at me because of all the oohing and ahhing that I was doing. There is so much diversity in it's beauty. You have some of the highest peaks in the world known for it's trekking, but you also have the flat lands of the Terrai. I spent most of my time here travelling the beautiful Terrai. This is where I truly came to love this country. I was happy to escape the craziness of Kathmandu.
We travelled from town to town via micro bus. This is an exciting experience in itself. In the United States we know the micro bus as a mini van. A mini van holds 6-8 people max right? Not in Nepal. Here they like to squeeze as much space out of that little van as possible. I'm talking 18-20 people. It's exhilarating being on a micro bus for 5-6 hours. Oh the sites, smells, and sounds. The fun of the micro bus is escalated by the fact that the driver likes to play Nepali pop music so loud above 20 other people. In reality, the micro bus is the best way to travel in Nepal. It's time consuming and exhausting but it's the safest and cheapest way to get around besides flying.
This is the South Asian monsoon season. You may know that this part of the world is experiencing record breaking rainfall. Many parts of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal are flooding and displacing many people from their homes. The death toll is rising as well. This is affecting the Nepali Terrai where I spent most of my time. I'm hoping that the rains will let up, and that these people in this part of the world will get the aid that they need. I read in this mornings paper that aid is coming in.
The people that I've come in contact with here in Nepal have been so kind. I feel very lucky that I was able to come here and have this experience with a dear friend of mine. It may not be the easiest travelling that I've ever done, but absolutely worth it and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope that I'm able to make it back here again one day and spend some time in the mountains that this country is famed for.
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