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Solo Trip to India and Nepal
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Happy Days Travel

Solo Trip to India and Nepal

This is my first solo overseas trip since Mark died earlier this year. I'm excited to return to India and to explore Nepal for the first time, but it will be strange not to have Mark with me to share the experience with. En savoir plus
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  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalVoyageur

    First impressions of Kathmandu

    28 février, Népal ☀️ 17 °C

    I slept pretty well, despite the fact that the bed is rather hard. There's a Buddhist temple just next door, and the half-hourly bell ringing began at 5am. I guess I'll just have to get used to it 😄. 

    The view from my window turned out to be pretty good. It's great for people watching 😂

    After unpacking and having a coffee, I went out to explore. I didn't go far because I've booked a walking tour for tomorrow, which I'm sure will give me a greater understanding of the history and culture of the city.

    I was happy to see lots of fabric shops in the vicinity of my hotel. There's some realIy interesting architecture, too.

    I watched some kind if protest going by. I don't know what the issue was, but everyone was very good-natured.    En savoir plus

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    Breakfast with a view

    28 février, Népal ☀️ 19 °C

    I loved what I saw in my locality this morning. I had breakfast in a rooftop restaurant overlooking the square. It was a plateful! I didn't eat all the corn, and the egg whites were a bit too runny for my liking 😀.

    Many of the shops are selling brightly coloured powder paints for the upcoming Holi festival. You can buy cheap, throwaway clothes for the occasion, too.

    Everyone I met was very friendly, and I enjoyed shopping for ingredients to cook in my apartment. I think I'm going to enjoy my time in Kathmandu.

    I did a bit of work this afternoon, and then cooked pasta with verdure sauce for dinner (yes, I know, veggie again, but at least it wasn't a curry 😄).

    This evening, I watched some TV and had an early night ahead of a busy day tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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    Walking Tour of Kathmandu

    1 mars, Népal ☀️ 17 °C

    I was up with my alarm at 6.45am, so that I could have a shower and cook myself some eggs for breakfast before I needed to leave to get to the starting point of my walking tour. This was in Thamel, the area of Kathmandu where most tourists stay. It's only a 25-minute walk from where I am, so I think I'm happier to be close to Durbar Square. The square was the focus of the tour, so I was walking away from it, only to come back on myself, but that's OK. I wanted to do a guided tour, so that I didn't miss anything.

    As I walked to Thamel, I passed lots of interesting local food shops and stalls. I made a mental note to return there another day to shop for ingredients. Thamel itself had several European cafes and bakeries, so I'll probably go back to one or two of those, too!

    My guide, Sandip, arrived on time for the tour. I was the only participant, so we set off straight away. We didn't go directly back to Durbar Square. Instead, we went through back alleys and visited temples I would never have found by myself. Sandip proved to be an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of Kathmandu and we got on well from the start.

    Our first stop was at the stupa known as Kaathe Swayambhu Shree Gha Chaitya. It is a miniature replica of Swayambhunath, the 'monkey temple' that stands on a hill overlooking Kathmandu. Buddhist pilgrims who are too elderly or infirm to make the trek up to the Swayambhunath Temple can gain the same number of credits by coming here. It was built around 1650, and it is one of the most popular Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Kathmandu. The main stupa is surrounded by smaller chaityas, inscriptions, statues, and an ancient cloister similar to a Tibetan monastery. The spire on top of the stupa has 13 steps to signify the 13 stages to reach Nirvana.

    The area around the stupa is full of pigeons. Sandip said it would give me good karma to feed them. I told him to go ahead. I would film him feeding them while trying to avoid being pooped on for the third time in three weeks 😂. In the corner of the courtyard, there is a hot lemon stand which Sandip described as 'historic'. It opened in 1978!! They only sell hot lemon - a concoction of lemon juice, water, sugar, salt, and something sulphurous that makes the whole thing taste of rotten eggs. It's supposed to be very good for you, but I'd rather live without it 😄.

    Next, we visited the temple of Seto Machindranath, a deity worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists in Kathmandu. The temple is believed to have been established around the 10th century, making it one of the oldest in the city. It is a place of pilgrimage for people who are grieving.    En savoir plus

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    The guided walk continues

    1 mars, Népal ☀️ 19 °C

    From there, we walked through streets with fascinating architecture and interesting craft and fabric shops. It's definitely an area I want to explore a bit more while I'm in Kathmandu. We emerged into Durbar Square, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find again, should it? 😊

    The first port of call in the square was the ticket office. Foreigners have to pay 1000 Nepalese rupees (about £5) to enter the square. You are then given a luggage label-type thing that you have to wear around your neck. Later in the walk, Sandip helped me to exchange this for a card which allows me to come and go through the square for the duration of my time in the city. This is great value, especially as it includes entry to all the museums in the square.

    We stopped next at Kaal Bhairav, an open-air Hindu shrine. According to legend, the shrine, which is sculptured from a single rock, was found in a paddy field. It was later placed in Durbar Square by King Pratap Malla.    En savoir plus

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    Hanuman Dhoka

    1 mars, Népal ☀️ 19 °C

    We paused to look at several more shrines and temples before entering Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu's spectacular royal palace. Sadly, the complex was severely damaged in the 2015 earthquake. A China-funded restoration project is ongoing, so some areas are out of bounds, and many of the treasures usually on display in the museum have been relocated elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is still a really interesting visit. The lavishly carved window and door frames are a sight to behold, and the views from the top of the nine-storey Basatapur Tower are spectacular.En savoir plus

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    Gaddhi Bhaitak

    1 mars, Népal ☀️ 20 °C

    While repairs are happening, visitors exit the complex through the stucco-fronted Gaddhi Bhaitak, which was constructed during Nepal's early 20th-century love affair with all things European. Opened in 1908, the grand ballroom-style great hall was reputedly modelled on London's National Gallery after Prime Minister Jung Bahadur's diplomatic tour of Europe. Inside, the interior drips with Belgian crystal chandeliers and ornamental painted plaster.En savoir plus

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    Meeting the Kumari

    1 mars, Népal ☀️ 21 °C

    From the palace, we went round the corner to visit the Kumari Ghar, also known as the Kumari Bahal, a magnificent townhouse that serves as the sacred dwelling of the living goddess. It was built in 1757 by King Jay Prakash Malla and showcases exquisite wooden carvings and craftsmanship of the highest calibre.

    Kumari (Sanskrit for "young girl" or "unmarried") is a unique Hindu practice, primarily observed in Nepal and parts of India, which centres on the worship of a prepubescent girl as a living goddess and a manifestation of the divine feminine energy, Shakti. The girl is selected from the Shakya clan of the Nepali Newari Buddhist community. It is believed that the girl is possessed by the goddess Taleju or Durga. The chosen female child is typically worshipped from a pre-pubescent age, with her tenure as the divine vessel concluding with her first menstruation or a significant loss of blood (for example, from an accident), signifying the departure of the goddess's spirit. While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu.

    Every day, at moments between 9am and 11am and between 4pm and 5pm, the Kumari appears at the middle window of the third floor of the Kumari Ghar to wave to pilgrims and tourists gathered in the courtyard below. To me, it is a very bizarre ritual. The current Kumari, Aryatara Shakya, was chosen in September 2025 to replace her predecessor, who had reached puberty. She was only two years old when she was selected. She has recently had her third birthday. It doesn't seem like much of a life for her. She is not allowed to leave the house, except on ceremonial occasions. When she does go out, her feet are not allowed to touch the ground. She must be carried everywhere. The power of the Kumari is perceived to be so strong that even a glimpse of her is believed to bring good fortune. Even though her irregular appearances last only a few seconds, the atmosphere in the courtyard is charged with devotion and awe when they do occur. Certainly, people in the crowd when I was there were visibly moved when she did appear, crying and wailing and appearing to pray to her, a three-year-old child!

    Visitors are not allowed to take photos of the Kumari. Indeed, guards in the courtyard make sure that all phones and cameras are put away in bags and pockets before they will allow her to appear.

    This was the end of what had been a fascinating walking tour. Sandip and I went for lunch together at a rooftop restaurant next door to where I went yesterday. I had chicken momos and buffalo meatballs. I couldn't finish either of them, so got the leftovers packed up to have later. During our conversation, Sandip mentioned that Holi is celebrated here tomorrow, unlike in India, where it is on Tuesday. I have booked a cooking class for tomorrow, but I really want to see Holi, so I quickly messaged the cooking school and moved my class to Tuesday.

    After lunch, Sandip and I parted company. I went to buy some bits and pieces, and then went back to the hotel. I didn't need to eat anything else, so yesterday's and today's leftovers will have to roll over to tomorrow 😄.    En savoir plus

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    Holi Festival

    2 mars, Népal ⛅ 22 °C

    I had an easy morning and then ventured into nearby Durbar Square to join the Holi celebrations. I had heard drumming and the screams of children playing since around 7.30am. The square was a riot of people, noise, and colour as powder paint was being thrown everywhere and revellers were shooting each other with water pistols and throwing water-filled balloons. The atmosphere was incredible. Everyone was having a great time. Of course, I joined in. You can't not. Once you're in the thick of it, people just come up to you, wish you Happy Holi, and smear paint all over your face 😂. Some tourists with their big cameras and smart clothes were clearly trying to stay out of the way, but once you're there, you can't avoid the paint! I had deliberately worn clothes that were going straight in the bin afterwards, so it wasn't a worry for me.

    I sat for a while just to watch the shenanigans and got talking to a Chinese girl. She was loving it. She said she never has this much fun in China. I stayed for a couple of hours and then went back to the hotel to shower and get the pink and purple paint out of my hair 😂. Sandip messaged to see if I wanted to meet up with him and his friends, but I definitely wasn't going to go out again.

    I spent the rest of the day writing. And I did finally have my leftovers for dinner 😄.    En savoir plus

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    Nepali cooking class

    3 mars, Népal ☀️ 16 °C

    I had yoghurt and fruit for breakfast before heading out to the Kathmandu Cooking Academy for a class on Nepali cuisine. It was about a 25-minute walk from my accommodation, and I arrived in plenty of time. Nish, who was leading the class, was very friendly. There were 7 of us taking the class this morning - a Dutch family of four, two French guys, and me. It was good to be doing an activity with other people. We had a thoroughly enjoyable morning.

    Much of the initial conversation was about the USA and Israel launching attacks on Iran on Sunday and killing their leader. Retaliatory strikes have hit several Middle Eastern countries, closing the airspace over busy international hubs like Dubai and Doha. The French guys were only at the class because their flight back to Paris yesterday was cancelled. They have rebooked and will now return home on Thursday via Bangkok, Seoul, and Munich! There are fears that we are on the precipice of World War Three - God forbid!

    Firstly in the class, we had to decide what we wanted to cook from a limited menu. Fortunately, there were no vegetarians or fussy eaters in the group. We decided on aloo chop to start with. These are flavoursome potato cakes served with a spicy tomato sauce. For the main course, we chose to make chicken momos. These were accompanied by the same sauce, but we all wanted to learn how to make this classic Nepali dish. For dessert (not for me 😄), the group elected to make carrot halva.

    Before starting the cooking, we went down the road to buy vegetables and chicken from the local shops. Back in the kitchen, Nish and her commis chef (I didn't get his name) were very good at delegating tasks, so that we were all involved in preparing the food. The results of our efforts were delicious. I wasn't tempted by the Big Master Mix Fruit Wine to accompany our meal, though! We came away feeling full and with a whole stack of Nepali recipes to recreate at home.    En savoir plus

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    Shopping in Thamel

    3 mars, Népal ☁️ 22 °C

    After the class, I spent a couple of hours wandering around Thamel. It's an area full of shops, both tourist and local, cafes, and bars. I had a coffee in a French bakery. I don't know what made it French, but the coffee was very good. The sugar-free carrot cake, however, was not! 😂 I came across an entire street of wholesale fabric and dressmaking supplies. There were a number of outlets that only sold buttons - millions of them! I couldn't resist buying a 100-yard roll of cord for my kinchaku bags. It was only 400 Nepali rupees (about £2). I know I'm not supposed to be buying stuff, but in the UK it costs me about that per metre! I also bought a pair of hippy trousers and a hooded top - together they cost £6. Oh, and a cross-body bag to replace the one that got covered in paint during Holi 😀. I spent a long time browsing in a couple of English-language bookshops. I was very restrained and only bought one title 😄.

    On the way back to the hotel, I bought half a ready-roasted chicken and some vegetables for meals over the next couple of days. I'm planning to stay in and get some work done. Most businesses in the city will be shut anyway as it is election day on Thursday.    En savoir plus

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    Kathmandu Guest House

    6 mars, Népal ⛅ 23 °C

    I spent far too long reading news reports and scrolling through social media this morning! The situation in the Middle East is escalating. Scary times are upon us.

    After spending the last couple of days in the hotel working, I decided I'd better get out and about today. After breakfast, I sorted out my laundry. I dropped it off on my way to the Museum of Nepali Art in Thamel. I also browsed lots of souvenir and fabric shops en route.

    The Museum of Nepali Art is privately-owned and is located inside the iconic Kathmandu Guest House, which was one of the first hotels established in Nepal. It opened in 1968 with just four rooms priced at only one dollar a night. Today, it is a landmark, a historic and iconic Nepali institution, renowned around the world for its associations with mountaineers, explorers, anthropologists, and historians. Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, said, "Kathmandu Guest House, like Istanbul, is a bottleneck that every traveller has to pass through at one point or another." Today, it was my turn 😄.

    The museum opened in 2020. It houses both traditional and contemporary art.    En savoir plus

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    Enough biryani for a week 😂

    7 mars, Népal ☁️ 22 °C

    Today was a work day. I've really got my writing mojo back, and I'm happy with the content I'm producing.

    Tonight, I cooked myself enough chicken and mushroom biryani to last for a few days 😄. I used some of the biryani masala mix that I bought from the Spice Girls of Rajasthan. I was missing some other ingredients mentioned in their recipe, like turmeric, so it looked a bit wishy-washy, but it tasted great.En savoir plus

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    More exploration of Durbar Square

    8 mars, Népal ☁️ 20 °C

    I intended to visit Monkey Temple today. It's one of the major attractions here in Kathmandu. There are 365 steps to reach the top. However, it was a very dull and hazy morning. I set off, but I couldn't even see the temple as I was heading towards it. It seemed a bit stupid to climb it if I wouldn't be able to see anything from the top, especially seeing as I have plenty more time here, so I decided not to do it today. Instead, I spent a lot more time exploring Durbar Square and visiting the temples I have only walked past before. There are so many of them 😄.En savoir plus

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    The bazaars of Kathmandu

    8 mars, Népal ☁️ 22 °C

    Afterwards, I wandered the narrow alleyways of the bazaars near Durbar Square. I wanted to buy some sewing thread. I keep seeing fabric shops, but I haven't seen any sewing supplies. I asked someone who directed me down a particularly narrow alley to a hole-in-the-wall shop. There was nothing visible to say what the guy sold, but when I asked him for navy blue sewing thread, he opened one of the hundreds of small drawers behind him and handed me exactly what I wanted! Best of all, it was 8 Nepalese rupees - about 4 pence!! 😂

    I also found the small street that only sells beads. I'd read about it, but hadn't come across it before today. Kathmandu is a city that keeps throwing up surprises!    En savoir plus

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    Kathmandu by night

    10 mars, Népal ⛅ 20 °C

    Yesterday was another work day, so I stayed indoors. It turned out to be quite fortuitous as it rained all afternoon. It was the first rain I'd seen since leaving the UK at the beginning of December!

    This morning, I dropped off my laundry and paid extra to get it back tonight, ready for my trip to Chitwan and Pokhara starting tomorrow.

    I then went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day working.

    Later, I went to collect my washing and took some photos of Kathmandu by night.    En savoir plus

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    From Kathmandu to Chitwan by bus

    11 mars, Népal ⛅ 16 °C

    I had to leave the hotel by 5.30 this morning to walk for half an hour to catch my bus to Chitwan. I was a bit trepidatious about walking around in the pitch black at that time in the morning. I need not have worried! The streets were busy - full of people cleaning and preparing every shrine and temple on my route (and there were loads!), shopkeepers opening their shops, girls in uniform already on their way to school, and street sweepers clearing away yesterday's rubbish. It was all going on. But unlike in Indian cities, it was quiet. Vehicles were moving around, but there was no hooting. It was just people going about their business without disturbing others who were still sleeping.

    I arrived at Kathmandu bus park in plenty of time. It's not a bus station. Buses simply line up on the side of the road, and passengers walk along the row until they find their bus. I found mine and my allocated window seat about half an hour before we were due to leave. Gradually, the bus filled up. It seemed like I was the only foreigner, but the couple across the aisle, although Nepalese, lived in Australia and were just back for a month visiting family. They were able to translate for me during the journey.

    We left about 15 minutes late, but we were still in Kathmandu over an hour later, having had multiple stops to pick passengers up, to get fuel, and to load 20 cases of bottled water on board! Soon after we did leave the city, we stopped again - for a 30-minute breakfast break! It was 9am before we really got going!

    Progress was slow throughout the rest of the journey, mainly due to roads being under construction. It was certainly a bumpy ride! It felt good to be away from Kathmandu, though, and see more of Nepal, both rural areas (lots of terraced paddy fields) and small towns. We stopped two or three more times for toilets, as well as another 30-minute break for lunch when we were only an hour from our destination! I just had an iced coffee, as I knew I would get lunch when I arrived, as part of my all-inclusive package.

    After many more stops to drop passengers off, we finally arrived at the Chitwan bus park. As arranged, a driver from Eden Lodge, where I would be spending the next two nights, was waiting for me. It was only a five-minute drive to the resort.

    On arrival at around 2.30pm, I was welcomed with an extremely sweet glass of fruit juice, and I checked in. My room was lovely. It was really hot and very humid in Chitwan, especially compared to Kathmandu, so I freshened up before going to lunch.    En savoir plus

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    A walk in Chitwan National Park

    11 mars, Népal ⛅ 31 °C

    There, I discovered that I was the only arrival today, so I would be doing most of the activities by myself with a guide. The very nice guy who served me in the restaurant assured me that this was normal. After a very good lunch of vegetable soup followed by fried chicken, vegetables, rice AND chips (yes, Gill, it's a thing in Nepal, too! 😂), I had a few minutes to myself before meeting my guide at 4pm in reception. 

    Laxman turned out to be a friendly and knowledgeable guide. He was quite happy that I was his only client, and he was very pleased that I wasn't Chinese, Indian, or Nepalese - his least favourite guests, apparently 😂.

    After a short introduction about the activities for today and tomorrow, we set off for a walk in the national park. The entrance is just across the road from Eden Lodge. I was shocked that the first animals we saw were working elephants shackled in ankle chains to wooden posts. Laxman explained that these are government-owned and are used to transport wood and to help the park rangers do their jobs. It still made me feel uncomfortable!    En savoir plus

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    The walk continues

    11 mars, Népal ⛅ 30 °C

    As we walked deeper into the jungle, Laxman pointed out many different bird species. By the water's edge, we saw spotted deer. We watched more working elephants being ridden back to their stables carrying huge loads of vines. We settled down by the water to wait in the hope of seeing rhinos. Unfortunately, the peace was shattered by several groups of Chinese tourists who were quite loud. Laxman was particularly annoyed because many of them were wearing white. This would likely stop any rhino coming within 100 metres. Laxman berated the other guides for not advising their clients on what to wear. I think they had tried, but the guests had chosen to ignore them!

    In the end, we did see one huge male rhino. I could see him clearly through Laxman's binoculars, but he didn't come close enough for me to get a photo. It's on occasions like this that I miss having my big camera and long lens with me, but it's just so heavy to carry and for most situations, my phone is perfectly fine.

    Even though we didn't see many animals, I really enjoyed being out in nature. We ended our walk at a viewpoint where we could see several large crocodiles. We had to wait there for the four guests who were doing the activities today that I will be doing tomorrow. When they finished their jeep safari, they came to the meeting point. They were two friends, one from Ireland and one from Canada, and a couple from the US. They had seen a rhino close up when it crossed the road in front of their vehicle. We chatted as we walked back to the hotel.    En savoir plus

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    Thauru Cultural Show

    11 mars, Népal ⛅ 26 °C

    Once there, we had twenty minutes to freshen up before we were in a vehicle to go to see a cultural show performed by local Thauru people. It was a very entertaining hour! We saw a whole range of dances, including a clapping dance, a stick dance, a fire dance, and, the highlight for me, a peacock dance! 😀.

    Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for dinner. It was a bit late for me to be eating, but as it was all prepared for us, it would have been rude to refuse. They served us Dal Bhat, the national dish of Nepal. Similar to a thali in India, it is curry, rice, vegetable sides, pickle, and some sort of bread, followed by yoghurt sweetened with local honey. It was very good.    En savoir plus

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    Canoeing down the river

    12 mars, Népal ☀️ 24 °C

    It was an early start on my 61st birthday! I was at breakfast by 7am. They gave us porridge with banana (not for me!) followed by omelette, potatoes, toast, butter, jam, juice, and coffee. I'm certainly not going to go hungry in this place!

    By 7.30, I was waving goodbye to the people I met last night. They were all heading for the bus stop to go back to Kathmandu. When the transport returned a few minutes later, the driver took Laxman and I to the starting point for a canoe trip down the river. Once Laxman had bought my permit, we were joined by a Chinese guy and his guide. We got in our canoe and spent a very pleasant hour and a half pootling along the water. It was so peaceful. All we could hear was bird song and the odd splash as fish came to the surface. The water was crystal clear, so it was easy to see the large crocs beneath our boat 😀.

    We saw lots of bright blue kingfishers and Indian rollers, several stunning yellow and black orioles, a pair of majestic sea eagles, a scarlet woodpecker, and many other species. On the banks, we saw spotted deer and several monkeys. It was delightful.    En savoir plus

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    A second jungle walk

    12 mars, Népal ☀️ 26 °C

    When we got out of the canoe (with a certain amount of difficulty in my case 😀), we set off on another jungle walk. This took us through an abandoned resort formerly owned by the Nepali royal family before they were deposed. This happened less than 20 years ago, but already the once five-star accommodation has been reclaimed by the surrounding nature. 

    At one point, a Red Ghoul Face Stink Bug landed on Laxman's back. He said it was his favourite insect and that it's lucky to have one land on you. I'll take his word for it 😀.

    We walked back to the hotel past the captive working elephants.    En savoir plus

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