Wild and Woolly Katmandu: Hippy Temple; Mt Everest

 Katmandu is a lively, busy, crowded (but not India crowded), gritty, polluted and sometimes whimsical Asian city with the ubiquitous motorbikes flying everywhere as seems typical in Southern and Eastern Asia.  I think they retained the same electrician as Dehli- 

Maybe he got run out of Dehli and landed In Katmandu . 

In their central square, they have numerous ancient Hindu  temples including one nicknamed the Hippy Temple from the ancient 1960s and 70s when hippies used to congregate around it and smoke prodigious amounts of weed- 

Alas, as in Pai, the hippies have decamped (or have been decamped) to less mystical climes, tho some vestiges of their former presence remain- 

 You see shops selling singing bowls everywhere in Katmandu (and Pokhara) tho I never heard one sing a note- 

According to a tour guide, there are a number of different Hindu gods that people pray to, including this one dedicated to recovering from a hangover (ie beer god)

Seems appropriate somehow 

On my tour. I encountered some Nepali youths sitting where the hippies used to reside and my strange but welcome rock star status seemed to continue-

I noticed that you can fit more on a bicycle in Katmandu than you can in America- 

Katmandu has all sorts of establishments, many with interesting names  

Some sell fancy stuff- 

While others offer great deals if you will only go inside-

Well I took an early morning “mountain flight” where it the weather cooperates you can see Mt Everest and many other high Himalayan peaks   As it was raining in Katmandu, I wasn’t overly optimistic as I made my way to the airport in my $4 cab   But- 

Yeah the highest mountain in the world (the triangle peak)

While the pictures aren’t the best as they were shot through a window, some of the otter high peaks- 

That 60 minute flight was a major Wow  Truly my best flight ever.  

Now, on to Muscat and the sand dunes, nights and Grand Canyon.m of Arabia.   

Trekking in Nepal; ABC 2x;

If I had known Shangra La was here, I would’ve should have insisted on staying at this guesthouse -  

What is it like to trek in Nepal?   climbing thousands of these- 

Well the Nepalis do work at maintaining this trail. And for good reason. This time of year there are thousands of people hiking it as it is quite popular in the spring. Regrettably I didn’t have the best weather as it was unseasonably cloudy, rainy as and cool  But good for Nepals national plant (Rhododendron) which can grow over 10 meters here - 

My helpful guide  

As a result of the iffy weather, on  days 3 and 4 of the trek, we went up to the terminus, Annapurna Base Camp. On day 3, we climbed up from a lower village on a very long and arduous trek  - for those who like stats the elevation gain was about 4100’ over about 10 miles including descent) which left me dizzy and exhausted in the high altitude. . I thought my days of hiking over 4000’ of elevation were over but apparently not.  

Guide wanted me to do a Churchill imitation and then get some free advertising for his company- 

We stayed at Machhapuchchhre Base Camb (MBC), about 2,hours below ABC, and decided to try again early in the morning to see if we could get clear weather for the 360 view at ABC. Alas no but still some good views of the high Himalayas including Machapuchchhre (aka Fishtail Mountain- just a stunning mountain)  

The peak of Annapurna itself was still in the clouds-

 

Getting to ABC once is more than enough for most trekkers but we decided to double the fun  Next time I am leaving ABC like this- 

The thing about trekking in Nepal is it is hard to decide which is worse- the arduous trekking (particularly in bad weather) or the cold rough guesthouses   At least it gives one something to ponder as one trudges along  

Well. when they reveal themselves, the mountains are truly  awesome in their height and grandeur and while the price is dear, maybe it’s a fair trade  

The trek back was long- one of the aspects of the ABC trek that makes it challenging is the big ups going down and the same going up (discouraging to have to regain the same elevation twice)- but I included the longest walking bridge I have ever done- 

That’s it for my 5 day ABC trek  

Nepal- Rock Star with Indians; Back to Future Trekking

I flew from New Delhi to Pokhara, Nepals 2nd largest city and the starting point for the Annapurna Base Camp trek (always referred to here simply as ABC. Pokhara is friendly city abutting a pretty lake.  

While standing there admiring the lake, a young Indian fellow (maybe 21) started talking to me and then asked if he could have his picture taken with me. While being a little apprehensive that it might some sort of scam- I man I am good looking and all but still- I consented. Then all of his 7 or 8 mates asked if they could have their picture taken with me too. In an expansive mood by that point, I again agreed. I felt like a celebrity. Maybe the blog has gone viral in India  

Turns out they had just graduated from college and were all there on a holiday for perhaps their last time together  it was a fun moment and of course they posed with me- 

I then started my 5 day trek to ABC   The trek is usually done in 6 days but I am trying to do it in 5 as the accommodations leave something to be desired-  

At least the first night I had a single room   When I started my hiking activities with my old friend Craze over 50 years ago, we stayed in bunk rooms in cold Appalachian Mountain Huts  So this ABC trek is back to the future with tiny cold bunk rooms- 

I would rate these mountain Tea Houses as maybe .00005 stars   Here is my guide trying to stay warm as they have no heat- 

The weather hasn’t cooperated much either with a lot of clouds and rain   But early this morning I did see one of the most beautiful mountains I have very seen-