Friday, November 03, 2006
1 November, 2006
We decided to do another hike and so we started at the Naraganj Nature Reserve. We read that it was a steep climb and it was like being on a stairmaster for two hours. Well, that was no lie and it was pretty much that. But it was also through a forest that we shared with the mosquitoes. We spotted Buck and monkeys jumping in the trees. There were so many birds…. and spiders. We reached a Buddhist Temple and the views of Kathmandu were very good. This route is usually done by the Buddhists as a pilgrimage. Well, by the time we hiked down I was so stiff and sore. India just killed us off since we couldn’t do any exercise there. We caught a cab to Patan, the second largest city in the Kathmandu valley. It was much calmer and quieter than Kathmandu City and we had a lovely lunch on a rooftop overlooking the Durbar Square (Temples). We walked around a bit and made our way back to Thamel to plan our next day. We reached our hotel by 19h00 and it felt so late because the sun sets quite early. The nights get very cold but the days are very warm. Apparently it is the best time of year here and it is peak tourist season for trekking – which we will unfortunately not be doing. We cannot get a confirmed flight ticket at a later date out of here and therefore there is no time for trekking! The best trekking starts from Pokhara and from there one can do the Annapurna Circuit, or part of it. But Pokhara is about 7hrs from Kathmandu. So, one really needs to plan ahead and have at least 8 days for a 5-6 day trek and even that is too short. Next time…
We decided to do another hike and so we started at the Naraganj Nature Reserve. We read that it was a steep climb and it was like being on a stairmaster for two hours. Well, that was no lie and it was pretty much that. But it was also through a forest that we shared with the mosquitoes. We spotted Buck and monkeys jumping in the trees. There were so many birds…. and spiders. We reached a Buddhist Temple and the views of Kathmandu were very good. This route is usually done by the Buddhists as a pilgrimage. Well, by the time we hiked down I was so stiff and sore. India just killed us off since we couldn’t do any exercise there. We caught a cab to Patan, the second largest city in the Kathmandu valley. It was much calmer and quieter than Kathmandu City and we had a lovely lunch on a rooftop overlooking the Durbar Square (Temples). We walked around a bit and made our way back to Thamel to plan our next day. We reached our hotel by 19h00 and it felt so late because the sun sets quite early. The nights get very cold but the days are very warm. Apparently it is the best time of year here and it is peak tourist season for trekking – which we will unfortunately not be doing. We cannot get a confirmed flight ticket at a later date out of here and therefore there is no time for trekking! The best trekking starts from Pokhara and from there one can do the Annapurna Circuit, or part of it. But Pokhara is about 7hrs from Kathmandu. So, one really needs to plan ahead and have at least 8 days for a 5-6 day trek and even that is too short. Next time…
# posted by Heidi & Richard's travels @ 5:38 AM 
