Yeti Air

They gave us cotton to put in our ears. Thanks Yeti Air!

time to go

At this point, I was exhausted by Kathmandu. Time to go to the mountains! I booked a ticket to Pokhara on the amusingly named Yeti Air and looked forward to a relaxing break from the city. Maybe I could even take a quick trek in the Himalayas!

Durbar Square 6

Some final Durbar Square shots, including what I think is Bhairab, the wraithful incarnation of Shiva.

Durbar Square 5

This was outside a temple that I was not allowed to go in (I'm a bit impure, as it turns out.) People smeared orange pigment on that thing in the red cloak (I guess it's some god?) until it started to look like a pumpkin/Tibetan monk.

Durbar Square4

More shots of this place. It was really interesting to see the mix of what I think of as Indian style temples (including strange oblong shapes like an un-opened flower) with those pagoda roof Nepal style temples with the white version of a British style building. and

Durbar Square 3

Here are some gods watching and a spice seller.

Durbar Square 2

More Durbar square. Many people were just hanging around, taking naps, talking with their friends or playing with their kids.

Durbar Square

This is the old palace area of Kathmandu. They really do have some amazing wood carving, some of which has survived for hundreds of years. I did finally break down and hire a guide here (I'm not a fan of the hard sell), who was okay but not great, though he did make sure to show me the erotic carvings.

Kathmandu 3 bicycle rickshaw

Of course I felt like a tool, but I did give the bicycle rickshaw a try. I didn't enjoy the touristy feeling, but I occasionally used it just to find my way back to my hotel. The roads all looked similar, were twisty and had no signs or names (!), and I got lost a couple of times. It was particularly bumpy on the cobblestones and massive potholes, but here are a few shots I took while riding.

Kathmandu 2

More shots of the crazy Kathmandu streets.

Kathmandu 1

Some shots I took on my first walk in Kathmandu, including the road (which was mud, with giant holes) that was a main road through the most touristy area. All of the taxis were white, 80's era japanese (or Ford, maybe) compact cars. They were pretty ragged, with limited suspension. I wonder how these cars became the taxis in Nepal. Maybe someone got a good deal.

my hotel

My hotel was pretty nice, not fancy but it had style. No AC, but a fan. The electricity went off for large portions of the day. Also, limited hot water. My room had a TV. The location was next to but just outside of the busiest tourist area (Thamel), so it was convenient but not too noisy. There was a nice courtyard and they served a decent pot of masala tea. It was kind of dark, but nice. Other than the main boss (who seemed to be aggressively selling all the time, the staff was friendly.

pics from the ride from the airport

Here are some shots of the streets of Kathmandu.

I got off the plane and it felt like South Asia. They hit me up for a fee as soon as I got off the plane (they got me leaving as well) which i think is a mistake. I was also aware of how lucky I was when I was in India to be with other people who were planning and taking care of things that I didn't want to take care of. As my taxi took me to my hotel, I was amazed that the roads in the most touristy area were so beat up. I am aware that the country is poor, but usually countries invest in infrastructure to keep that tourist money coming in. The pic is of the Kathmandu airport.

Nepal 1

My next trip was to Nepal. In deciding to go there, I really wanted to go to Mongolia or Tibet, but the money and hassles involved made me reconsider. Travelling alone, I thought that Nepal would be easier. But it wasn't really so easy.

Post Mortem

Well, it's been a while. So catching up. Cambodia continued to be great. We biked all around Angkor and that was great. When I went back to Phnom Penh I was sad that I hadn't spent more time in Siem Reap. Anyway, I saw the Killing Fields which was pretty horrifying. There was a tower of skulls. Also bone fragments and clothing scraps visible in the dirt. And it was silent other than a recording of a Buddhist drum tok-tok-toking away. Very creepy and to say I was happy to see kids playing with a puppy as I drove away would be a major understatement. Anyway, that stuck with me. Walked around the city quite a bit, bought a betel nut box, and relaxed. It was all very nice. Then I went to Thailand. Then I came home to Taiwan, ready to get back to work.