A Snippet of Kathmandu, Nepal

---

A SNIPPET OF KATHMANDU, NEPAL

---

24th - 27th May 2019

---

24/05/19

After a three and a half hour plane ride, we finally descended into the dusty city of Kathmandu, rather different from the rest of the countries we have visited. To our excitement, Luke was waiting in the arrivals hall for us. Nearly 5 months have gone by since the last time I saw him and hasn’t that flown! We took a taxi, with Luke’s apparent brother Krishna (spoiler: later ends up being quite creepy).

We finally got to explore the little winding streets of Kathmandu...

Thank goodness I didn’t buy too much in Thailand as Kathmandu seems to have everything I could possibly want for 10X cheaper - guess I’ll have to stock up on a few bits after the first trek! We got ourselves a cheeky falafel and chip wrap from the side of the road, recommended by Luke from his last visit. It’s lovely having Luke around who knows some of the good restaurants and places to go - I knew he came out here for a reason!

We continued to explore the streets, seeing the mess of wires everywhere which hang all over the roads... it is safe to say that these disorganised wires are much worse than in Thailand... but still not sure if they quite beat India!

Escaping the hustle and bustle, we visited the Garden of Dreams. A peaceful sanctuary in the middle of the city that provides peace and quiet from the car horns and shouting beyond the walls.

Later in the evening, Luke took us to a lovely restaurant through a small archway in the street that had some very Moroccan vibes. We had some delicious food which we ate sat on cushions on the floor.

It wasn’t a late night for us as Luke was still catching up on sleep and I, of course, was happy to go to bed early. This was the first night in about 3 1/2 months that Megan and I wouldn’t be sleeping in the same room... hopefully we don't have withdrawal symptoms!!

---

25/05/19

The following day after a rather rubbish night sleep for me - since our curtains were essentially seethrough which let every ounce of light in. As well as the constant noise of car horns, our first full day in Kathmandu had begun!

Of course, we wanted to start the day right so went to a cafe called New Orleans where I could finally, after craving it for so long, have some porridge. Now I won’t pretend that it was my ideal consistency of porridge as it was very watery, but I still very much enjoyed it. Can’t wait for my cinnamon and banana porridge when I’m back home! Megan had beans on toast and Luke a delightful spicy tofu concoction for first thing in the morning! Not surprised!

One particularly noticeable part of Kathmandu is the prayer flags that are hung in between the buildings. The narrow streets filled with shops (particularly trekking gear shops) have everything you could possibly need for the mountains at such a cheap price - wouldn’t be able to get any of it at home for that little.

We spent most of the middle of the day exploring more of the city. We walked to Durbar Square which was beautiful from the outside but we didn’t go in, instead we weaved our way down narrow streets, further away from the centre, to experience the less touristy culture of Kathmandu.

Along the way, we saw some beautiful buildings. I loved how hectic it was with everyone weaving in and out of the road - both vehicles and pedestrians. Why does no one get run down?

Megan, full of excitement, went to pick up James from the airport, making our trekking group complete. And Luke and I went out for lunch... to the BEST PLACE EVER: Newa Mo Mo which was down some little streets essentially in someone’s house...

We ordered a plate of Mo Mos, of course, to try (dumplings essentially) as well as noodle soup and a flatbread with potato in it... we were not really sure what we ordered off of the menu but we were very pleased with what we did. It was honestly some of the most delicious food I have ever had and a nice change from Thai curries. However, next time I definitely want to try the chocolate mo mos (of course)!

And the entirety of this meal, along with a ginger tea and lemon tea, cost about 300 rupees, the equivalent of about £2.50. What!?!? The cheapest and most delicious food... we’ll definitely be back!

After a chill out in our hostel as Megan and James got ready to come out, we then all went and got trekking gear. For a whole £37 I managed to get a down jacket, waterproof trousers, trekking trousers, a snood, and a waterproof backpack cover... there is no way you could get that at home. The down jacket I got was North Face - it says North Face on it so it must be real... right? Haha! (Just to clarify for any of the haters, I most definitely do know that it’s not real)!

And of course, we couldn’t help ourselves and dragged James and Megan to Newa Mo Mo for another cheap meal after the big spend. I got more this time but still ended up being less than £3 for the entirety of my food... SO good!

So here’s to our trekking group, finally together and ready to undertake the task of trekking to Everest Base Camp! Here we come!

---

26/05/19 - Day 1

Technically day 1 of our Base Camp trip but really a day to arrive, we spent most of the day buying some final trekking gear as well as snacks for the trip so that we were all organised for the next day. We also moved across to a new hotel and spent a lot of the day catching up on my diary and sorting out all the trekking gear that I would need.

We headed out for a falafel wrap again, mostly to show James and because all of us were craving one...

By 5:30 we met up with our full group of 15 people and got a briefing from our guide as well as our first group dinner. In our group, we have a big mix of nationalities: British, Canadian, American, Australian, Irish and Kiwi. We are definitely the youngest in the group but everyone seems so nice and quite a few people haven't trekked at all just like us so that gives me hope!

And our adventure begins tomorrow!

---

- A