We were off to a great start after boarding an A380 to Qatar that was empty enough for everyone on board to have had three or four seats each. Even better was the fact that the flight to Kathmandu was overbooked, and so we were asked if it would be acceptable to place us in business class. It seemed churlish to say no, so we risked it up front.
Kathmandu! The stuff of legend and a mental image of mysterious monasteries surrounded by misty mountains. The reality was a city of a million people, and a sharp divide between the tourist areas and the other 99% or so. There were plenty of mountains at least.
If you’re going be adventurous in Nepal and your life will depend on the quality of your equipment, then make sure you buy it from a shop with windows and a door. There are any number of open-air shops selling rugged-looking clothes with rugged-sounding names, but suspiciously cheap, sometimes misspelled, and insulated with something akin to shredded newspaper. The real deal may cost a lot more, but you’ll die a lot less.
We boarded a bus for the seven-hour journey to Pokhara, on a highway that would have benefited from some serious repair. Large rocks were used to warn drivers of potholes, and the surface was rough enough that by the time we arrived, my watch had registered 11,000 steps. The town was scenic, peaceful after the chaos of Kathmandu, and popular with paragliders who drifted by the dozen in the skies around the nearby hills.
The mountain Machapuchare, also known as The Fish’s Tail, has never officially been climbed to the top. In 1957, the Nepalese king granted permission for a British team to make the ascent on the proviso that they not set foot on the summit. The team complied and stopped 50 metres short, but there are reports that a New Zealand climber successfully and illegally completed the climb in the early 1980s.
Next up was Chitwan National Park, which was reputedly home to a lot of wildlife. A rhinoceros wandered by us seconds after getting off the bus, so full marks to the tour documentation. She was something of a local celebrity, judging by the local visitors taking selfies with her, although I used a zoom lens and kept my distance. I like a rhino, but I don’t like to take liberties.
Our accommodation for the night made a decent attempt at Western-style food, but we requested local cuisine for the next day, and it was fantastic. The chef was duly summoned and given a standing ovation. It’s always worth trying the local specialties in any country you happen to visit.
Nepal is dusty, bumpy, occasionally chaotic, and highly recommended.
1 - A view over the Pokhara Valley.
2 - Kathmandu seen from Swayambhunath, aka The Monkey Temple.
3 - A very chill Rhino in Chitwan National Park.
4 - The Local kids were always keen to have their photo taken.
5 - Machapuchare has possibly been summited once, but probably never.
6 - A colourful local in Kathmandu.
7 - A menacing local in Chitwan.
8 - The tourist area of Kathmandu, identified by English signs and dodgy Goretex.
9 - An elephant calf being roused from sleep by its mother.
10 - Incense sticks and candles are a major business in Nepal.
11 - The Monkey Temple was aptly named.
12 - Prayer flags at the 14th century Boudha Stupa.