Reset search
Nepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019
  • We are Living the Dream
  • We are Living the Dream

Nepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019

Mount Everest here we come. One more for the bucket list. Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    May 1, 2019
    We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    1Namesta Nepal we are on our way

    Nepal

    May 1, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Nepal here were come, lots to see and do. Heaps of Temples to see and stairs and mountains to climb. We will do Mount Everest in style with a helicopter tour to base camp fingers crossed the weather permits.

    Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world according to the U.N. This means we will see drastic differences between life in the cities and life in the small villages. The culture and people have a resilient spirit and it’s a beautiful place to visit according to what we have read and heard.

    Nepal’s history dates back more than 2,500 years. But much of that ancient history is unknown. Many of the UNESCO sites we will be visiting date back to the 1400s.

    Nepal has some development but remains about 80% rural. It’s also one of the least developed countries in the world apparently.

    Nepal has struggled to meet tourism demand which has resulted in poorly maintained transportation infrastructures, hotels and places to eat so this will not be a 5 star vacation. We are looking forward to all that Nepal has to offer and hope we do not have any issues with the altitude or food.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Plane to Bus1

    Kathmandu Airport

    May 1, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Flight was fine, 2 movies and reading. We landed 1 hour late due to a storm, we circled for about an hour over Kathmandu which was annoying.

    Getting off the plane onto the tarmac then straight onto a bus for a very short ride, off the bus and then a blackout at the terminal this was also only short but very dark.

    The airport was not as crazy as we thought the only weird thing was you had to go through security again to collect your bags.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Our RoomFoyer on our floorOur Room

    Hotel Mulberry

    May 1, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    The streets on our way to the hotel look dirty and very dark, it was night time so maybe in the daylight it will look more inviting.

    Hotel is not bad, we are here for 4 nights, we had a quick dinner in the Hotel, an unpack and now bed we have been up for 24hours.

    We will explore the area tomorrow.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Swayambunath Stupa
    Prayer to land at Mount EverestKathmandu

    Swayambunath Stupa

    May 2, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Well our day started a little different than our itinerary, we planned on a get to know walk around Thamel but the tour company suggested we do the city tour today rather than later in the week.

    So after a very quick breakfast we were off on our first of many sightseeing trips.

    First cab of the rank was Swayambunath Stupa which is perched on top of a hill on the western edge of the Kathmandu Valley. The ancient Swayambunath Stupa is also known to tourists as Monkey Temple due to the 100's of monkeys. The Stupa is Kathmandu's most important Buddhist shrine. The sleepy, all-seeing Buddha eyes that stare out from the top have become the quintessential symbol of Nepal.

    Once up the many steps you look down over Kathmandu which I think would be lovely if not for the smog.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Patan Durbar Square
    Where is Wally or should I say John2Queens Swimming Pool

    Patan Durbar Square

    May 2, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Back in the car and along incredibly bad roads. I don't think I will ever complain about Sydney roads again. The roads are full of huge pot holes , cars, bikes and trucks. It is also extremely dusty actually not very pleasant but that is all part of the experience.

    Patan Durbar Square is located in the center of Patan city Lalitpur and was built by the Newar People ( Newar, or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation.)

     It is one of three main ancient royal durbar squares in the Kathmandu Valley. Patan Durbar Square is the smallest of all durbar squares it is often referred to as the most beautiful of all.

    There are many temples and idols in the area. The main temples are aligned opposite of the western face of the palace. The entrance of the temples faces east, towards the palace. There is also a bell situated in the alignment beside the main temples, The Square also holds old Newari residential houses.

    The square was heavily damaged by the earthquake in April 2015 and is currently being restored.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    1View from the Resturant to Boudhanath Stupa
    Boudhanath StupaWhere we had lunchFeed the pidgeon's tuppenance, tuppenance a day

    Boudhanath Stupa

    May 2, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    More driving along the dreadful streets of Kathmandu. This time we are at Boudhanath Stupa which has a massive mandala which makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal.

    Boudhanath was probably built in the 14th century after the Mughal invasions. After the arrival of thousands of Tibetans following the 1959 Chinese invasion, the temple has become one of the most important centers of Tibetan Buddhism. Today it remains an important place of pilgrimage and meditation for Tibetan Buddhists and local Nepalis, as well as a popular tourist site.

    The Stupa is surrounded with cafes, tourist shops and homes. We had lunch at one of the cafes overlooking the Stupa.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Pashupatinath Temple Cremation
    The Viewing and Blessing

    Pashupatinath Temple

    May 2, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Back on the road this time to visit Pashupatinath Temple. However, not being local we could not actually go inside the temple so we had to walk around the outside. The temple was not actually the reason for our visit it was something very different but a little history first.

    The pagoda-style Pashupatinath Temple was constructed in 1696, but has been a site of Hindu and Buddhist worship for far longer. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the compound of the famous main temple, but you can catch glimpses of what is going on inside from several points around the perimeter wall. The nearby riverside steps are Nepal's most holy cremation site.

    Now for why the visit . Despite being clogged with garbage and black with pollution, the Bagmati River is actually an extremely sacred river. Pashupatinath is the Nepalese equivalent of Varanasi on the sacred River Ganges. The cremation ghats along the Bagmati are the city's most important location for open-air cremations and we were there to see a cremation which was very interesting and weird at the same time. We then walked along the river behind the temple to view the preparation ceremony this was even more strange.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Traffic
    Thamel 8:30 at night

    Back to the Hotel

    May 2, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Back to the Hotel. This was an extremely long drive home. The roads appear to have been hit by bombs there were pot holes everywhere and the traffic was dreadful.

    A very tiring day with what seemed hours in the car.

    15,813 steps, 10.92 km and 27 floors of stairs according to my fitbit.

    We had dinner in the Hotel before going for another short walk to see what happens at night here and as the photo will show not much. Everything other than a couple of cafes closed by 8.30pm.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    The TeachersThe SchoolThamel street

    Morning Walk

    May 3, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    This morning was a little more leisurely than yesterday. We started with a delightful breakfast and then a walk around the Hotel and to a local school.

    A few more cars and people in the road this morning compared to last night but no where near a busy as we thought it would be.

    We continued our walk to a local school which was little difficult to find so we followed a little boy to the school entrance where we found 4 teachers in the quadrangle welcoming the children on arrival. We did not go into the classrooms as they were in class. This school was a private school. We had hoped to visit a government school but this appeared to have been lost in translation at our hotel front desk when we asked for directions. Maybe later in our trip we might visit a government run school.

    Now back at the Hotel waiting for our tour guide.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    In the cable carView of Katmandu from Chandragiri Hill

    Chandragiri Hill by Cable Car

    May 3, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Tour for today is to Chandragiri Hill, 16 kilometres from Central Kathmandu, lies on the South-West of Kathmandu Valley and is 2551 metres from sea level.

    The cable car route is around 2.5 km and it takes around 9 to 14 minutes depending on the windspeed on the cable car.

    The weather today was not the best, it started to rain when we were driving and as soon as we arrived at the base of Chandragiri Hills it started to rain heavier and windy. We still went up by cable car but the view was not the best. which is a shame as on a clear day the 360 view of Kathmandu Valley, Mountain ranges including Mount Everest would have been incredible.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Kathmandu CityKathmandu City

    Chandragiri Hill

    May 3, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Chandragiri Hill is 2551 metres above sea level. This hill is connected with both Buddhist and Hindu religions. The hill provides panoramic views of Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan ranges from Annapurna to Everest.

    We could not see the moutains due to the bad weather BUMMER    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Bhaleshwar Mahadev Temple
    Ringing the Bell for good luckThe King2

    Bhaleshwar Mahadev Temple

    May 3, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The Bhaleshwar Mahadev temple of Lord Shiva is on top of the hill. Legend says that King Prithivi Narayan Shah worshipped in the temple before conquering the valley during his unification campaign.

    This temple was quite small but it did have some lovely statues and what could have been a wonderful view.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler

    Early Morning Start to No Where

    May 4, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Up early this morning for what should have been a highlight of the trip but alas NO.

    Where do I start we booked this trip to take a helicopter to Base Camp and on arrival the first day the tour campany have been pushing us to change our plans due to possible bad weather to do a different helicopter tour which was not Everest Base Camp but Annapurna Base Camp with a scenic flight over Mount Everest. We were not happy with that so we stuck to our guns and waited to see if the weather improved and unfortunately this was not the case so this morning we were up early to take a scenic flight over Mount Everest but as the weather had not improved even for a plane this flight was also cancelled. So at the moment the main reason for this trip may not even happen. NO EVERST BASE CAMP. We do have one more opportunity later in our trip just for the scenic flight so fingers crossed.

    This morning we actually drive out to the airport received ourt ticket, went through security and even on the bus waiting on the tarmac next to the plane, then an airport officer came and told us that the mountian was not visible so the flight was cancelled, so close but so far.

    So this means we have a free day so we will walkaround the streets of Thamel and take in what Kathmandu has to offer.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    1

    Thamel Chowk

    May 4, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Thamel Chowk is the shopper’s hub, the place to buy, sell, rent and enjoy. Located on the north region of Kathmandu, this is the one stop solution for all your problems while in Kathmandu. Crowded streets are lined up with shops on all the ends. Hotels ranging from luxury to economy, shops for hiking gear, clothing, eateries. This area is a short walk from our Hotel and as it was an early morning, a place for coffee and cake.Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    1
    1

    Grocery Store

    May 4, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    On our walk we found a grocery store. They had so much variety it made it hard to decide what to pick so we bought nothing but we will go back when we return in a few weeks for snacks before heading off to Bhutan.Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    1

    It's Electrifying

    May 4, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    The power lines always amuse us when we travel within Asia. This is Kathmandu's example of power to homes and shops. It is a wonder no one ever is electrocuted.

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler

    Paleti Bhanchha Ghar Resturant

    May 4, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    As this is our last night in Kathmandu we went to a restaurant which was recommended by Graham Martin which serves authentic Nepalese food. It was a great choice. The owner, Kishan, sat with us most of the meal and chatted about his family and the restaurant and suggested when we come back that we should contact him for places to visit and trek.

    The walk took us in another direction to where we have walked other days so we saw some more interesting buildings and some we need to see in the daytime when we return on the 18th May.

    Fit Bit Stats:
    13909 Steps
    9.64 Km
    4 flights of stairs    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Fixing the roads 1 pothole at a time
    First stop3rd stop2nd stopBus Terminal in Pokhara

    Bus trip from Hell

    May 5, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Well today was horrible we believed from the itinerary the transport to Pokhara was going to be Luxury mini bus or similar. Boy were we wrong we sat on our local tourist bus for 8 hours which when we researched should have been 6 hours. The distance travelled was 200km which is 25 km per hour. Not only was it very uncomfortable we had 2 American girls behind us that talked non stop about their friends,health and well being. They certainly did not help our health or wellbeing . The roads were horrendous even my for fit bit it took around 20,000 steps whilst sitting on the bus. John just worked out that is 20,000 bumps which is 40 bumps per minute.

    We did have a couple of short breaks and these were as expected very basic and a hole in the floor for you know what.

    Not looking forward to the next bus ride. Just getting the tour company to come up with some options as in 2 days we are back on the road for 6 hours.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    The winding bumpy road

    Pokhara

    May 5, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Pokhara is a metropolitan city in Nepal which is situated in the Gandaki Pradesh of Nepal. The country's second largest city and is located 200 kilometres west of the capital Kathmandu.The altitude varies from 827 metres in the south to 1,740 metres in the north.

    The Annapurna Range has 3 of the ten highest mountains in the world
    Pokhara is considered the tourism capital of Nepal being a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit through the Annapurna Conservation Area region] of the Annapurna ranges in the Himalayas.
    The city is also home to a large number of the elite Gurkha soldiers.    Read more

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Traveler
    Our RoomHotel GardensHotel Pool

    Mount Kailash Resort

    May 5, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Home for the next few days, it is meant to be a 5 star hotel but they changed the accommodation to a 4 star but is more like a 3 star. It is OK but not what we expected as this trip was a Luxury Escapes Holiday and so far nothing is as advertised. The Hotel is in a great spot though walking distance to some great tourists shops, cafe's and restaurants. So much cleaner than Kathmandu.Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice