Namaste Nepal

Well, that's it. I'm out of India. Probably just in the nick of time, as the temperature in Delhi was over 40deg Celsius. A bit oppressive really, so I was quite thankful to get on the plane and arrive in the mountain Kingdom/Maoist Republic of Nepal where the temperature is more reasonable. The guide book describes Kathmandu as a noisy, hectic polluted city, but to be honest, after 6 months in India it seemed like an oasis of calm to me. The city itself is a bit of a tourist trap, 40 odd years of catering for western travellers, trekkers and mountaineers has created an enclave of shops selling all sorts of crap and restaurants offering pizza and filter coffee. On a more positive note, the beer in Nepal is about 100 times better than the piss water you get served in India. Kathmandu has one place of interest-Durbar Square. A complex of old temples and gompas set around the now redundant Royal Palace. Nepal has a strange mix of Hindu and Buddhist religions. Everyone seems to get along with each other. Even with the Muslims.
After a couple of days in Kathmandu it was time to catch the bus to Pokhara. Why anyone 'backpacks' is beyond me. While I was sweating away on the bus, knees cramped under armpits, looking out at the wonderful landscape of mountains and terraced villages, all I could think of was " Shit, I wish I was on my bike." Anyway, Pokhara is the Nepali version of Chamonix. It's right by the Annapurna range, and pretty much the national centre for trekking, rafting and any other adventure sport you'd care to name. In the next couple of days, weather permitting, I'm gonna head up into the mountains and do some trekking for a couple of weeks. With it getting towards the end of the trekking season, the cloud tends to build up in the afternoon and it starts raining, so unfortunately its going to have to be a low altitude/not very dangerous trek. After 6 months biking around India, best not push it! Don't think theres many internet cafes in the Himalaya, so don't worry if you fail to hear from me for a while!!:)


Temple, Durbar Square, Kathmandu.



Cool lime green Enfield custom, with interesting hemp leaf motif, Pokhara.