Ratna Park

One thing I forgot to mention about Nepal is that there’s no roads. Well, the Chinese government seem to be pushing a lot of dirt around, but for the most part, travelling through Nepal is like 4 wheel driving on a rough track. Even in the city, the roads (although not as chaotic as India) are super underdeveloped and difficult to navigate. This was particularly hairy as we drove around the mountain ranges, dodging animals, dirt piles, potholes (not sure if you would classify a giant ditch in the centre of the road this though) and machinery. The drives between cities were particularly long and uncomfortable in Nepal.

Our first stop in Kathmandu was the monkey temple to see the most famous landmark of the city. We then headed into the city centre to find our accomodation. Where we were staying was in the centre of town, with access to awesome shopping and nice cafes. We spent our time in Kathmandu mostly exploring the shops and the streets. We visited Adam Bazaar, which was a market which originated from the silk trade. As we walked deeper and deeper into the market, we saw that each of the alleyways was set up for different trade - from silk, to meat (freshly plucked chickens mostly), to electrical appliances and clothes. Small wooden appartments blocks overhang the tiny streets, with residents in windows watching the world.

In the evening we went for dinner. Alex (with the help of Jai) had organised a Valentine’s dinner. It was a lovely way to end our time in Nepal.

We woke up early for our flight to Dubai, via Delhi. We were told by a few different people to request a window seat on the right hand side of the plane. And wow! Lucky we did! The plane flew alongside the Himalayan mountain ranges for almost the entirety of our flight. The mountains seemed almost higher than the altitude of our flight and it was crazy to not be looking down at them. The highlight was spotting Everest in the distance. The photos definitely don’t do our view justice!Read more