Leaving Kathmandu, into the mountains

We've left Kathmandu now and have been spending time in some of the small towns in the Himalayas. It's so much quieter here than it is in Kathmandu! It's really like being in a different country. While we were in Kathmandu we stayed in Thamel which is where the cheap hotels are and where all the tourists stay. There was traffic, bicycle rickshaws everywhere, and no sidewalks. Lots of noise from horns, etc. I don't mean to get down on Kathmandu, there's lots to see there and in between all the tourists, banana pancakes, and people trying to sell you things there is real Nepali culture there. But we were happy to have a change.

The smaller mountain towns are more off the beaten track. To get to the town we're staying in now we had to take a small jeep from the valley into the mountain town of Bandipur. We shared the back of this jeep with about 12-15 other people, a goat, and a spare tire. There were always about four or five people standing on the tailgate and holding onto the roof where our bags were as we twisted and winded around the small mountain road. We found an inexpensive hotel that is one of the nicer one's we've stayed in so far. There's no hot water, but the view is incredible! Snow capped mountains in the distance which seem to float in a sea of fog in the morning. The fog lifts in the afternoon and then you can see all the way down into the valley. It's going to be hard to leave, but the other stops on our route will be just as wonderful, I'm certain.

We are very tired though. Since leaving Kathmandu we haven't spent more than two consecutive days in the same place. Lots of traveling. The good news is we've been getting to sleep pretty early. Power outages are a daily occurrence in Nepal. Hotels in the bigger cities have generators, but places like we are right now do not. When the lights go out, they're out. If you don't like it you can buy some candles. We brought our cell phones with us from Ukraine. They don't have service until we get new sim cards, but they do have flashlights built in which have served us well.

We have only one more week in Nepal before our visas expire. We'll cross the Indian border and head for Varanasi, a holy city on the Ganges. There will be lots to see there, but we will have to adjust again from the quiet mountain towns to having people everywhere! Really, EVERYWHERE. India has well over a billion people so it gets pretty crowded there. I'm sure we'll continue to retreat once in a while to smaller towns so we can clear our heads and take time to absorb all we're experiencing. More updates soon, bye for now!