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Oct – Nov 2019

Nepal

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  • Trip start
    October 18, 2019
    Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Kathmandu - Thamel

    October 19, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We had a good journey to Kathmandu from Stansted via Dubai. Getting a visa at the airport takes time and there us no greater pleasure on leaving the airport in a new country than seeing your name held up on a card by your hotel transfer! The stress of the days travel was dispersed by some excellent Ghurka beer on the rooftop bar of the Hotel Tibet.

    After an excellent breakfast we walked via the beautifully restored Rana-era Garden of Dreams to the (now) main tourist and backpacker area of Thamel. Here we took the Lonely Planet walking tour to Durbar Square; we took in the popular Tibetan pilgrimage site of the Kathesimbhu Stupa and the shrine to the toothache God at Bangemudha Square on our way to the six-spiked junction that is the market place of Asan Tole.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Kathmandu - Durbar Square

    October 19, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    This area is the heart of the Kathmandu old town, comprising three loosely linked squares with numerous temples; many were damaged in the 2015 earthquake. We visited the Kumari Bahal (home of the local girl selected to be the town's living goddess) and saw many other monuments, including King Pratap's column and the Kal Bhairav (Shiva in his destructive manifestation). Durvar Square also houses the old Royal Palace, an inner complex with several courtyards – the Hanuman Dhoka.Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Kathmandu - Hanuman Dhoka

    October 19, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Originally founded in the 4th century, but expanded greatly by King Pratap Mala in the 17th, the sprawling palace complex was unfortunately badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake (the 1934 earthquake was also very bad!). A red cloaked Hanuman monkey god statue marks the entrance which leads to the Nasal Chowk courtyard; on the left is the Audience Chamber with the five-roofed Panch Mukhi Hanuman temple next to it. The white 19th century palace wing holding the Trubhuvan Museum is damaged and closed, as is the nine-storey Basantapur Tower in the south eastern corner. The Lohan Chowk and Mul Chowk courtyards can be visited, but the Mohankali and Sundari Chowks are closed.

    We had our Dragoman group meeting on the evening of Saturday 19th October; there are 12 in the group, not including Alex and Julie, our Dragoman crew (not to forget Rashida, our truck).    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Nuwakot

    October 21, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Situated on the north western end of the Kathmandu Valley, Nuwakot was a key trading hub and look out fort area on the ancient trans-Himalaya trade to Tibet and beyond and was Nepal’s capital until 1768. Although only 90km from Kathmandu, the journey took 7 hours with breaks due to the traffic and the condition of the roads in some places. Nuwakot has excellent walking trails and is regarded as “one of the best travel secrets of Nepal”. We stayed at the lovely Famous Farm lodge.

    We went on a splendid 4 hour guided walk in the hills, seeing terraced fields and small local villages communities, as well as tiny temples and shrines. Back at Nuwakot, we visited the Durvar Square and saw the 18th century seven-storey palace; both again in a state of repair.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal
    1

    Pokhara - Phewa Tul area

    October 23, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Pokhara was founded on the trade route linking India and China and is situated in a valley surrounded by hills with the Annapurna Massif forming a spectacular backdrop and next to the second largest lake in Nepal – the Phewa Tul.

    Today was a free day, so Helen and I hired a doonga (a manned rowing boat) across the lake to the Varandi Mandir – a Hindu temple on a small island – before crossing further to the trail head for the long ascent to the World Peace Pagoda, which was built by Japanese Buddhist monks. We then walked down the other side to the Gupteshwor Magadav Cave (with its large venerated stalagmite) and the Devi's Falls opposite.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Old Pokhara

    October 23, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We took a local minibus from the Devi's Falls to the north of Pokhara where the old part of town is located to see “what Pokhara was like before traffic, chaos and tourist restaurants besieged the erstwhile village” (Lonely Planet). We walked up Terpasati street, then north, seeing the old style Newari houses with decorative brickwork and ornately carved wooden windows and the Bhinsen Temple before finishing at the 17th century Bindhya Basini temple.Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal
    2

    Annapurna region

    October 24, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    From Pokhara, we were driven by jeep to Dhampus where we set off on a 3-hour trek along the ridge at the start of the Mardi Himal trail. The weather was perfect and we had amazing views of the Annapurna range comprising from the west (left):
    • Annapurna II / Hiuchuli
    • Machhapuchare (the pyramid shaped peak)
    • Lamjung Himal

    The walk itself took us through several small villages and we even stopped at a tiny primary school; the views seemed to get better as went further! Our destination was the self sufficient eco-lodge at Astam; great views and great walks are assured.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal
    1

    Annapurna region - dawn and dusk

    October 25, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We were up in good time for dawn at 6:15am and watched the sun rise from a viewing platform behind the eco-lodge. The first glimpses of the sun against Annapurna II was at about 6:25am and then they all started to get brighter – marvellous to witness.

    Back at the lodge I helped to milk a cow before enjoying breakfast! Later in the day we watched the sun go down.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal
    2

    Annapurna region - walks around Astam

    October 25, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After breakfast we went on a two hour guided walk down the slope and up into the woods, seeing people going about their day. Back at the eco-lodge we watched kites and eagles circling on the thermals.

    After lunch we went on another interesting guided walk, this time around the village. We visited a “distillery" where the local moonshine is produced (raksi comes from millet) and a Japanese project with some old style Nepali houses in the gardens.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal
    1

    Bandipur

    October 27, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Bandipur (1030m) is situated on a mountain saddle on the Mahabharat range and established as a funnel point of trade on the old India to Tibet trade route; it consists largely of a main street lined by 2-3 storey 18th century buildings on each side – these with a steep descent both sides. Trade fell into decline in the 1970s due to the Prithwi Highway bypassing it. It has now turned to tourism, taking advantage of its beautiful buildings and location.

    A short walk and steep ascent away is the Thani Mai Viewpoint, which offers excellent views of the town and the Himalaya, especially at dawn and dusk.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal
    1

    Bandipur – Dipawali Festival (Tihar)

    October 27, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    The owner of our hotel (Hotel Bandipur Organic Home) and his extended family celebrate this at the nearby Mahalaxmi Temple; some of us went down to join in the fun for an hour of so.

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Bandipur – walk to Siddha Gufa Cave

    October 27, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    This 90 minute walk down from the town offered some good views of wildlife. The cave itself is the largest in Nepal at 50m high and 437m deep. There was a lot of clambering around and use of ropes rewarding us with views of Ganesh’s face and other structures.Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Chitwan National Park – Sauraha

    October 28, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Chitwan National Park is situated in a huge lowland area in central south Nepal and covers an area of 932 sq km. It was originally a hunting reserve in the 19th century inhabited by the local indigenous Tharu population, but an extensive malaria eradication program using DDT in 1954 meant that many other people could move into the area and the subsequent loss of natural habitat caused a reduction in the diversity and quantity of species. King Mahendra stopped this by making the area a royal reserve which eventually became a national park in 1973 and some 22,000 people were relocated outside of the park. With the Maoist insurgency from 1996-2006, however, the army was unable to protect against poaching and further reduction in species number and diversity followed. Now the army is back – and very much in evidence – and species number and diversity has increased; by 2017 there were in excess of 600 one-horned Indian rhino, characterised by their large plates, and approx 140 Royal Bengal tigers.

    After lunch, it was an ox cart tour through Sauhara to Bhagmara to visit a local Tharu village to see their communal living style and houses; these are built with reed and have a mixture of mud and cow dung smoothed over the surface. They speak a different language to Nepali.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal
    2

    Chitwan National Park – Mammals

    October 29, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We arrived at our destination, Rhino Lodge in Sauraha, via the Mahendra Highway and Bharatpur, at about 11:00am. After lunch, we went on a jeep safari to the Bis Hajar Tal wetland area (aka 20,000 lakes) in the Chitwan NP buffer zone. We saw various species of birds and other animals before returning to a community forest on the edge of Sauraha where we saw the heavily plated one-horned Indian rhinoceros in the flesh! We saw another one around 9:00pm as a rhino had wandered into the lodge grounds!

    Next day, we were up early for a dugout canoe trip followed by a 2-hour forest walk in the Chitwan NP. Birds, crocodiles and rhino were seen (see subsequent posts). This was a lot of fun and the 6:45am departure was worth the effort as it gets hot here later in the morning.

    During the course of our visit here we saw the following mammals:
    - Indian rhinoceros
    - Rhesus monkey
    - Spotted deer
    - Tiger 🙄    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Kathmandu - Swayambunath

    October 31, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The journey back to Kathmandu was uneventful and we all parted company the morning after arrival. There has been a great group dynamic on this trip and we have had a wonderful time. Now we are on our own for a few extra days in Kathmandu to see more sites here and in the Kathmandu Valley.

    Today we visited the “Monkey Temple” – Swayambunath – which is situated on a lofty hilltop looking over Kathmandu and is a jumble of Buddhist and Hindu iconography; its nickname is due to the hundreds of rhesus macaque monkeys that seem to be everywhere. The Eastern Stairway is very steep and at the top you are greeted by a thunderbolt (dorje), the Buddhist symbol for enlightenment. The Swayambunath Stupa itself is huge, with its white dome representing the earth and its 13-tiered tower representing the 13 stages to Nirvana. The squiggle under the piercing eyes represents unity and the third eye represents all-seeing insight. There are thousands of prayer flags fluttering in the wind; there are many other religious monuments surrounding the Stupa. Further along, we descended slightly to the Buddha Amideva park and contributed to the Peace Pond by trying to throw coins into an aperture. Swayambunath is a must-see site in Kathmandu.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Kathmandu Valley - Patan

    November 1, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Along with Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, Patan (aka Lalitpur) was one of the three medieval city states that originally occupied the Kathmandu Valley. Patan has a long Buddhist history; most of its main buildings were erected in the 16th to 18th centuries by the Mallas and are located in the Durbar Square.

    There are many temples and monuments in the square and the Royal Palace occupies its eastern side; it is one of the architectural highlights of Nepal. The Royal Palace comprises:

    - the Mul Chowk, with its small, gilded Bidyapith Temple in the centre of the courtyard,
    - the smaller Sundari Chowk, with its carved and sunken Tusha Hiti water tank in its centre and the larger Bhandarkhal water tank outside, and
    - the northern Chowk with the Patan Museum housed around it; entry is via a beautiful golden gate.

    We enjoyed walks both south and north of the Durbar Square courtesy of the Lonely Planet guide book, taking in many interesting sites, including the Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal).    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Kathmandu Valley – Two gems

    November 2, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Just outside of the Kathmandu ring road are two very different, but culturally and religiously important, sites; Pashupatinath (Hindu) and Bodhnath (Buddhist).

    Pashupatinath
    Nepal's most important Hindu temple stands on the bank of the Bagrati River and is as sacred here as Varanasi on the Ganges is to the Indians; the temple is closed to non-Hindu people so we could not enter, although we did mingle with the crowds. At the side, by the river and two bridges, are the cremation ghats. There were interesting views of all proceedings from the other side of the river.
    After this, we walked up the hill past lingam shrines and other temples and descended to the other side and headed for Bodhnath.

    Bodhnath (aka Boudha)
    Thia is Asia's largest stupa, covering approx 6,700 square meters, and was built originally about 600AD when the Tibetan king converted to Buddhism. It is surrounded now by a huge circle of shops, monasteries and other buildings. We walked round and visited the Guru Lhakhang and tiny Ajima temple before climbing the stupa and circling around it.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerNepal

    Kathmandu Valley – Bhaktapur

    November 3, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Along with Kathmandu and Patan, Bhaktapur was one of the three medieval city states that originally occupied the Kathmandu Valley. Bhaktapur was on the old India to Tibet trade route, but really grew during the reign of King Yakshe Malla (15th century) with another growth spurt in the 18th century. The city was damaged in the 2015 earthquake and is characterised by three major squares:

    Durbar Square
    Just like those of both Kathmandu and Patan, the Durbar Square has many temples, as well as a King Malla column, Taleju Bell and a Royal Palace area; the latter is accessed by a magnificent Golden Gate (which has the 55 Window Palace to its right) and in its Mul Chowk is a Hindu only temple.

    Taumadi Tole
    Nearby, the second major square has the tallest temple in Nepal, the five storey Nyatapola Temple wits stairway flanked by stone figures, and the Bhairabnath Temple.

    Tachupal Tole
    The third major square was the original central square of Bhaktapur and the seat of royalty until the 16th century. The Dattatreya Temple is the main building on the square and along from this is a street of ornate houses, one of which houses the Woodcarving Museum with its 15th century Peacock Window facing out on view.

    We also enjoyed visiting the Potter's Square and walking the backstreets. Bhaktapur is an excellent day trip to make from Kathmandu.    Read more

    Trip end
    November 5, 2019
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