You can't really say you've seen Nepal until you've done some Himalaya trekking. Although the weather wasn't great we did get to see, through the fog, some amazing sites and villages during our three days of trekking around the rim of the Kathmandu Valley.
On Tuesday, March 28th along with our driver and trekking guide, Govinda, we left Kathmandu at 8:00am. Our first stop was the village of Bodhnath, which is in the centre of Nepal's Tibetan community and home to Asia's largest stupa.
From its white dome to its tower painted with the eyes of Bhudda. Depictions of these eyes appear all over Nepal. The monument is highly symbolic and draws pilgrims from very far away. All I could think of was how far we were from home and how completely different this place was from anywhere I was used to. We just stood and marveled at how rich in spirit the people were as we watched them light lamps and walk clockwise around the massive stupa.
After we left here our driver continued on until we were out of town and in the foothills of the Himalayas. It was here in Sundarijal where we said good-bye to our driver and started walking.
We walked up and down one hill after another as our path led us through small hill side villages. During this first day we walked 14km, much of it in the fog and we reached an elevation of 2464m. At around 4pm we stopped for the day in a villiage called Chisopani.
The most memorable thing about Chisopani for us was the incredible amount of damage left from the earthquake. It looked as if the earthquake had just happened. There were buildings left that looked as though a good swift breeze could blow them completely over. We spent the night at a very simple lodge where we got to know a few other trekkers and guides.
The hardest part of the trek so far was staying dry. During the early part of the day the sweat from the heat made our clothes wet and at night the cold damp room did nothing to dry anything. It was a problem we would continue to encounter.
On Wednesday, March 29th, we left Chisopani at 7:50am and finally arrived in the town of Nagarkot at 3:20pm. This day we did 20km and unfortunately the sky didn't clear anymore than the day before.
We trekked most of the day with the group that we met at the lodge; however, there were times when it was just Jueun, myself and Govinda.
Nagarkot is one of the best places close to Kathmandu to view the Himalayas. On a clear day you are supposed to be able to see Mt. Everest. Unfortunately for us the weather did not cooperate. All we got to see were numerous hotels and restaurants perched along a ridge with signs bragging about their amazing views.
On Thursday, March 30th, we set out from the cold and damp town of Nagarkot on the last leg of our trek. Both of us feeling like we had pretty much reached our limit, we somehow managed to make it another 13km and stagger our way into a place called Changunarayan.
In Changunarayan we barely had enough energy left to drag ourselves around the very earthquake damaged temple there. After a brief visit to this UNESCO World Heritage site we met our driver and collapsed into the back of the car which took us back to Kathmandu.
Although this trek left us only imagining the mountain views, it was still an experience we will never forget. Thanks to our amazing guide, Govinda, we got through the three day, 47km trek. It was both exhausting and exhilarating and left us with some VERY stiff and sore muscles.
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