Goodbye to the Tamang Family and Hello to Fear Factor and Beautiful Scenery

Nepal Adventure - Up to the Tibet Border and The Last Resort

Up at 5:15. We do our final pack up and load Durga's truck up with all our stuff. 

Sunrise... the sun is struggling to be seen through the pre monsoon humidity.

Just as we are sitting down to a last breakfast with our host family, a truckload of army men show up asking for breakfast and tea. Mixing with a bunch of uniformed soldiers armed with rifles and hand guns wasn't exactly how I expected to end our time here, but hey, one of these days I will learn to expect the unexpected. Given that the country was embroiled in a bitter civil war not too many years before it makes for a slightly uncomfortable feeling, but then it is also my misgivings about what an army is for. In reality these are young country boys (one of whom is related to Gyan's wife) doing their time and showing the countryside that their new government is in control. And I can't help but smile when I spy Liam staring, jaw open, at the rifles and guns on show. Boys and war, somehow they go together with such ease.

Sumi gives Randall a Buddhist farewell

Even though we have been staying with Tamang family for only four nights we really have become quite attached. As we pile our stuff into Durga's truck Gyan and his family give us the traditional Buddhist farewell blessing and drape white cloths around our necks. The girls are inconsolable about leaving their little friend Sumi, but as this world gets more global it is not inconceivable that they will meet up again someday. We will miss our lovely Nepali host family.

And then we are off. Out of the rural dirt roads and down to the Tibet Road where we are scheduled to pick up a mini bus provided by the resort that we are going to stay at tonight. Durga's truck is making some sad sounds and while we wait for the bus to arrive Randall and Durga try to assess the problem. It's a bit funny to watch them, and I'm not alone, the local troop of monkeys also head out of the trees to watch them.

They get the car temporarily sorted and soon our mini van is loading our bags into the back and we are off along the Tibet Road.

The road that leads from Kathmandu up to the Tibet border is the main one through to the north, and as the tourist trade of Mt. Everest grows, so do the people travelling this route to get to the Northern approach to Everest. Someday, someday, someday I will get to see this amazing mountain! Not this trip though, too high in elevation for our small children. We will stop just before the Tibetan border at a world renowned adventure-tourism resort. I can't wait to see this place, supposedly it is literally perched in a cliff, high above the Bhota Kose River.

But for now we are bouncing along the road, through commercial villages that sell - with increasing stock every mile we get closer to Tibet - cheap merchandise made in China. One town obviously was the Large Teddy Bear knock off town, with every village store selling an assortment of over sized plush teddy bears. Something every Nepali child needs, right? Um, I think not. It's really for all those rich tourists heading up this road to the North Face of Mount Everest who stop and buy the dirt cheap knock offs as prezzies to take home to their children. Oh, but I digress....

The roads are often bad, and, oh, did I mention that the drivers in Nepal are shockingly horrible? But the real delay are the constant road blocks put up by the police. I suppose after ten years of horrible civil war it is the new government's way to not only show that it has a firm grip on power but also employs many people in it's cause as possible.

The subject of the Nepali civil war itself is interesting. It was essentially the Maoist party who tried to overthrow the reigning monarchy back in 1996 and they slugged it out for ten years, eventually becoming a struggling democracy in 2006. As with many political wars the result was that something like 11,000 civilians alone were killed and more than 150,000 civilians were displaced from their homes. I guess that explains the horrid overcrowding and congestion of Kathmandu! I know that for myself between the years of 1996 and 2006 I don't recall any media about what was going on here. It makes you wonder why the media blows one event that kills a hundred people out of proportion and never even mentions one where civilians are being affected in the tens of thousands. Just saying!

One of the many police check points that we went through on the three hour drive.

I pretty much lose track of all of the police check points that we have to go through. As a tourist bus with a bunch of whiteys in it we don't get hassled at all, they seem to be mainly aimed at preventing illegal trade etc amongst the local population. I do notice that Durga and family who are driving behind us get pulled over for questioning a few times. Luckily Fionna, Scottish to the core, negotiates out of it every time.

As we follow the wild Bhota Kosa river closer to Tibet the canyon walls become ever increasing in the slant and soon it is rushing river rapids below us and sheer cliff faces above us. I'm no good at heights and it absolutely terrifies me travelling these roads that seem to be hanging on to the cliffs while crazy drivers pass and random dogs chase the bus. But, well, if I wanted safe I should never leave my home right??

At long last we reach the stop off point for our accommodation for the night - The Last Resort. A world class adventure resort in the heart of this crazy landscape. Not only do they do white water rafting and canyoning, but they are also world famous for their bungee jump and canyon swing.

It is only now that it becomes apparent to me that to get to said accommodation I will have to cross a swing bridge that hangs 150 meters above the wild rushing river.

Did I mention that I am afraid of heights?

No, terrified.

I get vertigo.

This is my worst nightmare come to life.

Unfortunately, while I am processing all of this my family and baggage have all crossed and are busy checking in. They obviously are not affected the way I am! Thanks for waiting guys!!

There comes a time all people's live when they have to face their fears about something and I suppose this is mine. I am certainly not going to sleep in the street with the feral dogs tonight, so cross I must. And I do it. The fear is something that comes straight from the gut. Something visceral and all encompassing. Sweat glands that have never been activated before go into overdrive.

I feel silly writing about it now that it is over with and obviously I survived, but fear is a funny thing and can strike a person for many different reasons. Seriously, I will take swimming with a lone hammerhead shark any day over this. But OK, I am meant to do this. If I was logical I would obviously go as fast as possible and be done with it. But no. I inch along, snail like. An octogenarian Nepali man passes me with a basket of bottles perched on his head, coming from the resort. I pass the section where the bungee jumpers go from and nearly pee my pants.

Eventually I do make it. My children are feeling shamed by me, and I don't blame them. Who has the snail-like mother who prolongs her state of fear by moving slowly across the bridge of doom? Oh well, no one is perfect!!!

Looking down between my toes more than 150 meters to the rushing river. Have I mentioned that I am prone to vertigo?

Once across it seems that I have landed in a beautiful idyll. The resort is absolutely a little slice of heaven nestled into the cliffs. Cut off from the reality of the world it is beautifully landscaped and butterflies float around the semi tropical flowers. It's just starting to rain, but it is a gentle rain that combines with the river sounds coming from way below us that epitomizes tranquility.

Welcome to The Last Resort, Nepal

The grounds are like a fairy land and the the luxury tents are so peaceful!

The accommodations are luxury tents nestled into the vegetation. What a contrast from the village life that we only left this morning! I book in a massage and the poor lady who gets my lot has quite a challenge with my knotted muscles. She literally climbs all over me with her own joints cracking in a stellar effort to unbend my knotted muscles.

Dinner is a huge buffet in the common area. I stick with the Dal Bhat, I've gotten a taste for it by now! And we even order a bottle of Indian wine. Such a luxury. The resort has a well stocked bar and the resort is very full with all manner of travellers, all of whom are western. We pass the evening playing games, dancing and enjoying the atmosphere. 

Tonight will probably be our last night with Durga, Fionna, Jaimie and Rona so they have a little ceremony for the kids with special awards and presents for the things that they have noticed about them over the past three weeks together.
*Juliet gets the supreme best Dal Baht Eater Award.
*Liam get the Most Adaptable Award.
*Clara the best Back Massager.
*Liana gets the Award for the Best Jokester.
It has been such a fun journey with our new found friends. It will be sad to see them go, but they are on to Europe from here for a family wedding.

Soon the night winds down and we head back to our tents in the rain. Going to sleep with sound of the soft gentle rain and the rushing river below I am utterly content with the universe.

Namaste.

To the Mountains We Fly!

Nepal - Day Four - To the Start of the Annapurna Track!

Sorting bags at the Kathmandu Airport

Again we are awake with the birds. I like the rhythm of sleeping with the sun. But maybe not the barking of the dogs at all hours of the night. Oh well, breakfast in our colonial retreat is lovely with fried eggs and croissants. It is a good idea to fill ourselves up before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal, and the starting point for our five day Annapurna Trekking Adventure.

In the end, we take two separate taxi's - plus Durga's truck - to get the ten of us and all our luggage to the airport. After honking and weaving our way through the morning traffic we find ourselves deposited at the front of the Kathmandu domestic terminal. And what an experience it is. Something one should experience at least once in your lifetime, at least if you are adventurous. The utter chaos. The lines. The dirt. The lack of any signage. But we do it. Ten people with all our baggage - and twice the baggage as what we would normally have because we have separated out our trekking gear to make matters simpler on the other end. Well, let's hope so, because getting it all through the crowds is a challenge. But somehow we get our bags checked in, go through the segregated male/female security lines (the girls and I were frisked by a small Nepali police women, Liana was not impressed)  and find ourselves in the waiting lounge for our Yeti Airlines flight to Pokhara.

The Yeti Girls

Waiting in the terminal turns swiftly into an entertaining experience when our little girls are spotted by the "Yeti Girls". Beautiful make up and dresses, they are glamorous ambassadors for the Yeti Airlines. At first it starts with them asking Clara for a photo, then another one with Juliet. Then they want a photo with both girls. Then a couple of Chinese tourists get in on the action and take photos of the Yeti Girls having photos taken with our girls. And then the whole scene complicates with irony more when a troop of Buddhist monks see the commotion and come over to get in on the action. The head monk jumps in to photo bomb a picture with our girls and the Yeti Girls while his monk friend busily uploads the whole scene to Facebook on his iPhone. It's a full-on paparazzi scrum, with our exotically fair girls in the middle. Then our flight is called and we tear ourselves away, but not before the girls get chocolate bars for their trouble.

Post paparazzi scrum

Up, up, up we go. Out of the stench and foul air of Kathmandu. It's a relief to get away from the city. And during the 25 minute flight to the West we are treated to fleeting glimpses of the highest peaks in the world. Each peak loftily looking down on the clouds below peaking out from beneath shawls of white snow. Juliet convinces herself that each one is Everest. I don't think Everest is to be seen on this route. But it doesn't matter which one is which. They are all equally majestic.

We arrive in Pokhara and start the process of weeding through the bags. Those going with us on the trek get thrown on top of the land rover type vehicle. The bags staying at the hotel in Pokhara get crunched in with us. It's a tight fit, but we only have about five minutes to drive. Besides, we are getting used to the sardine thing!

It's not really possible to give an accurate impression of Pokhara from the few minutes we spend sorting out the luggage and driving through on our way out. But it is a whole lot quieter! The streets are not as frantic, and the pace seems more relaxed. There is a lake, but it's quite dirty. The tarmac cows are still around, but they have the company of a few Water Buffalo's.

After a quick drop at the seemingly plush hotel, The Temple Tree, we say goodbye to western conveniences and start our journey to the trail head.

The "Annapurna Cicuit" is one of the most famous hiking trails in the world and circumnavigates the Annapurna range of the Himalaya Mountains - home to six of the world's top ten highest peaks. To do the full trek is about 200 kilometres and takes about three weeks of hiking, with altitude up to 5,400 meters. Obviously this would be far too strenuous and too high of altitude for the children at this point in time, so we are doing an abbreviated five day tea house trek to get a flavor of the region and get a taste for this alpine region. 

From Pokhara it's a two hour drive to where we start the hike. It's a good thing we were acclimatized for the driving in Kathmandu, because the farther we go up the (increasingly narrow) roads the driving gets more harrowing. The roads are just wide enough at some point for the oncoming traffic and there don't appear to be lanes. The buses overtake just as much as the cars. Each with their own special brand of horn. And to make matters worse our driver is on his mobile phone the ENTIRE drive. How many people does this guy know?? At one hairpin turn, while his right hand keeps the phone plastered to his ear, his left hand is changing gear and all I can see is the cliff ahead of us with no hands on the wheel. His knees manage the turn the car, I'm still alive to write this tonight, but what the heck! I do start wondering who he is talking to and start various scenarios in my head. (It's better than the fiery plunge to death alternative.) My favourite is that he is actually one of those tech support people you get on the phone to help you with your "IT" questions. Since all our calls get routed to India, maybe all of India's calls get routed to Nepal? Anyway, it's a theory. And we didn't die on the road.

And long story short we do make it to the end of the road. Literally. We go through a village, lodge the trekking permits and photos, cross a river and then another bridge and the car can go no more. So out we get, unpile the luggage and settle in at the local tea house restaurant called "The New River View Lodge and Restaurant" to have lunch and wait to meet up with our porters. Having seen the scooter carrying a couple dozen white, headless chickens through the muck and dust on the road behind us, I am solidly vegetarian on this trek! And the lentils and rice are really very tasty!

The end of the road....

And, just quietly, for anyone going this way, they are PORTERS not SHERPAS. You quickly get told off for the distinction, there is obviously some jealousy between the two. Sherpas are a local people who inhabit the Everest region of Nepal and who specialise in the very high altitude climbing. They, as a people, have gotten some fame and a little (relative) fortune since good old Hilary and Tenzing climbed Everest back in the 50's, so I get the jealousy. Our porters are from the local tribes, and we are lucky to have five of them meeting us today.

It's so picturesque sitting in the open aired patio. After the blaring horns of Kathmandu, it's a pleasure to be surrounded by the sounds of nature. With the rushing mountain river below us and the terraced valley all covered in humid pre monsoon air it feels like we are sitting in a huge hanging garden. Well, in truth, we are. Just on a very grand scale. Nepal sits right on the edge, a country that starts in the flat Indian sub-continent and ends at the top of the world tallest peaks - all in the approximately the same land size as the South Island of New Zealand!

Namaste - We are off on the trek.

It's hot, mum.

Soon the porters arrive. Sujendra, our head porter, has brought his thirteen year old son to start learning about his fathers trade. Up onto their heads go ropes to strap our bags to, and once tied in they take off in single file line through the stone pathway that leads up and out of the village. We will see them at some point tonight, once we ourselves have hiked up to Hille. Tonight's tea house stop.

So, after a last cup of "milk tea" - a kind of chai spiced tea boiled up with milk - we are off ourselves.

The afternoon heat is just awful. It's a shock to the system to be going up hill after so many days of inactivity. The road that we take out of the village is dirt and only wide enough for one vehicle. We don't see any and I think this is probably used only by rich tourists wanting to get a head start.

At the start of our Annapurna Trek

Water Buffalo checking us out.

I am fascinated by the walk. We are certainly in a tropical, or at least sub tropical climate here. The air is thick and heavy. We follow the course of the river up. Humans are an ever present part of the environment, like they have always been here. I guess they have been - for millennium at least. At one turn there is a boy herding his goats above us in the trees, and every few hundred meters is another farm house made from the slate of the surrounding mountains combined with dirt and wood. Most have their resident water buffalo wandering around either in the field or in it's own little barn. And the higher we go, the more fields we see. Mainly corn from what I can tell so far.

We reach a very small little village and all the locals seem to be engaged in fishing. They have part of the river partitioned off so that the fish have to swim into their nets. The fish are only about the size of Juliet's thumb - so it's a little bit like white bait! I wonder if they fry them up into fritters?

Taking a cue from the locals we call a halt to our upward march and spend an hour soaking our feet in the icy cold river. Liam discovers that they have "cleaner" fish here, who will swarm your feet and eat all the dead skin off. Not unlike the fish pedicure shops that we visited back in Santorini two years ago. Funny that. At least in Nepal it's free!

Cooling off in the river

With the clouds suddenly coming over and the sound of distant thunder we decide to move on. Straight up a hill. Goodbye river, we are headed up into the mountains. And I mean straight up. It's a long hour slog up, step after step, but the scenery is breathtaking, although I suspect that it will get more so with each day. There are no lofty peaks to see, yet, just sharp valley walls and green terraced fields. At a few corners we encounter women sitting on the road breaking up rocks.

This is why we are here, says Fiona, speaking about her mission with First Steps Himalaya, and their educational push in the rural villages. They want the people to have a fighting chance in this new modern world. And education is a powerful tool that can be used, not only to prosper, but also retain your culture, if done properly. I look forward to seeing their school projects later in the trip.

Finally, just as I think the girls are not going to make it, we hit a flight of rock stairs that seems to go on forever. But the good news is that when that final ascent is made we pop up into the tiny little town of Hille, perched precariously on the side of the cliff. There are a few tea houses to pass before we find ours. The porters are all sitting outside - enjoying having all of our bags off of their heads I'm sure! The view is immense.

Within minutes Liam has found the local boys, and while I am showing the girls how to navigate a Nepali toilet (squat) he's off down in the village playing football with the local kids. That's what I love about childhood. There are no barriers, no preconception, no analyzing. Things just are. A bunch of kids. A ball. OK then, we all play football! Well.... until he came back up later to report that the ball had been kicked over the edge of the cliff and half the kids were off to retrieve it - a half hour walk each way. Something tells me Nepal may be a little too steep for much Football!

Our Tea House in Hille

While we wait for our dinner we all eat popcorn and drink ginger and lemon water. Simple and very yum. It's a great way to hydrate after all the hiking. And all the kids jump in on it. Waiting for our dinner of Dal Bhat, pancakes and fries Clara and Randall sing and play guitar with the porters while the rest of us sort out the rooms.

In the Village of Hille - Freshly harvested Potatoes at our Hille Tea House

The "Tea House" that we are staying in is so quaint. It's a two story structure made of wood and plywood. (With many gaps between.) We are separated into several rooms and we each have a wooden bed with a very thin mattress to put our sleeping bags on. Nice and hard after all that hiking. And luxury of luxury there is a sort-of hot shower downstairs that is just heaven.

Just as dinner is finished we send our flagging kids straight to bed, and there is not one single complaint, despite the fact that it is only seven o'clock. As the night wraps itself around us the lights of the local houses twinkle on like a canyon of glow worms. Randall and I share a beer and just sit in silence as we take it all in. It doesn't take long before the lights go out - power cut, again - and then the lightning and thunder storm moves in.

Climbing into the sleeping bag that my mom bought me when I was ten I'm falling asleep with the thunder roaring in the halls of the mountain king.

How far will we be hiking tomorrow?

Krazy Kathmandu - Buddhist Temples, A "Break Down" and Dal Bhat

Nepal - Day Three - Kathmandu

Just as I fell asleep to the sounds of the night, so I awoke with the sound of the morning. Before dawn the little birds started rousing, then the larger birds, until finally the day was started. It was still before six, but we were all awake, so out we went to see if anyone else was stirring at the hotel.

Up nice and early as well are our new friends, and hosts for most of the trip - Fionna, Rhona, Jaimie and Durga. The family hail from Nelson and Rhona and Jamie are eleven year old twins - just the perfect age to mesh with our kids. Durga, their father, who grew up in a poor rural Nepali family, managed to pull himself up out of the poverty and now runs First Steps Himalaya, the grass roots charity organization that we've come to Nepal with. The aim of the organization is to bring a higher standard and awareness of education to the rural countryside and I am really excited to be a part of this kind of charity work. (More on this part of our adventure later, I promise!) Fiona and I hit it off right away. Both of us foodies and travelers, it's going to be fun to learn about Nepal through their eyes.

The kids take to each other as most kids do, seeing the sameness in one another. Liam is so immensely pleased to be doing this trip with another eleven year old boy. And it would be my guess that Jaimie is similarly pleased!

After breakfast we all pile into Durga's pick-up truck again. This time with no luggage he puts the four older children into the back (which the kids think is the most amazing thing that's happened so far) and the rest of us crush into the cab. I am a bag of nerves having my babies out there in the elements, but really, I just need to get over it. They are fine, apart from asphyxiation from smoke fumes! Out we go into the city. It's just as crazy as the day before, but with a full night of sleep it seems just a bit more manageable. The heat is starting to build, quite a bit hotter than when we first arrived.

lining up for petrol

I know I mentioned it in my last post, but the driving scene here is just absolutely chaotic. No one uses lanes. Monkeys scamper along the overloaded power lines. Pedestrians walk calmly through the cars. Smoke and smog and god knows what else is being kicked up into the air. Cows sit in the middle of the road dully chewing their cud, obviously on some kind of bovine power trip.

Our destination this morning is just a bit north of the city. We are going to Boudhanath, a holy pilgramage sight for Tibetan Buddhists. 

 

As we leave the safety of the car and walk down a narrow alleyway, I have to admit I'm wondering where the heck we are going. But then suddenly we emerge out into the square where the giant stupa of Boudha dominates the skyline, the eyes of Buddha stare down at me and the smell of incense overpowers. It's like we've stepped back in time and entered another world.

 




This stupa is on the ancient trade route that led from Tibet down into Kathmandu and has been visited for more than a thousand years. There are some conflicting dates but it seems it was first erected about 500 AD, with the stupa we see today dating from around 1500 AD. It's 36 meters and widely rimmed by buildings some six stories tall housing monasteries, restaurants, guest houses and the usual array of stores selling incense, prayer flags and the like. 

The kids join in the prayer wheel spinning

Inside one of the monasteries

Tibetan women at Bouhda

 

Boudha stupa is a massive whitewashed structure with a large dome and topped with the eyes of Buddha looking out in four directions. Prayer flags gently flap in the wind leading the eyes up to heaven. While at the base are many shrines burning incense and prayer wheels set into the lowest walls of the stupa, ready and waiting for the faithful who spin them as they walk around in a clockwise fashion saying prayers.

Clara, Liam, Jaimie, Rhona and Juliet on the first tier of the stupa

When the Chinese took over Tibet in 1959 thousands of Tibetans fled the country to escape the religious persecution of the Maoist regime. Many followed the Dalai Lama to India, but even more settled here, around this most amazing temple. Now there are something like 50 Buddhist monasteries surrounding Boudha and as we walk out into the crowd over half seem to be local Tibetans, noticeably different in dress, and intent in their prayers. The sounds of bells being rung and the sound of chanting coming from the monasteries fills the air. I'm not Buddhist, but I can feel the peace that the cloud of intense meditation around me brings. 

While Buddhism is not the main religion of Nepal (the majority are Hindu) it is interesting to know that Saddhartha Gotama - later known as Buddha - was actually born here. I've always been intrigued by Buddhism as it is more of a philosophy than a religion. No "holy wars" have ever been waged in the name of Buddha, and he never claimed to be a god, or to take his word for granted. Please question all my teachings is his commandment. More like a philosopher or a scientist than a holy man. For over 2,500 years his teachings have been a strong part of this world, and it seems that even in this day and age of ultimate greed and gluttony, his teaching ring true. 

I find it interesting to watch the faces of the Tibetan devotes as they go about their morning prayers and we spend quite a bit of time circling the stupa. We are allowed to walk up to the first level and end up walking around the entire dome with our mid line view. The dome above, and the devotees and prayer wheels below. There aren't too many crowds and no westerners (besides us!) to be seen. 

Bouhdhanath

Lemon Soda on the rooftop restaurant on the square is our next order of business. At nearly eye level to the giant eyes of the stupa, you get a bit of a birds eye view up here, and have a quiet break before descending down. After the obligatory stop in a Thanka studio, the Tibetan religious artwork, and a demonstration of a Tibetan singing bowl, (ohhh soooo, coool) we leave the peaceful Bhoudhanath and re-enter the Kathmandu crazy traffic.

Very Fancy Dal Bhat - Lentals, Rice and Veggies

Luckily we were headed back to our hotel for lunch. I decide on the traditional Nepali meal of Dal Bhat - lentils and rice - even though I know I will probably be sick of it by the end of the third week. I'm keen to give it a go, and, spoken as a true foodie - YUM. It's not spicy the way that Indian food tends to be, but with enough kick to feel that you are getting a digestive kick. 

With jet lag hitting everyone we decide to spend our afternoon enjoying the tranquil poolside environment that our hotel, The Summit Kathmandu, provides. With the buildings creating a shelter from the honking traffic and the trees and flowers providing a pleasing view, the coolness of the pool refreshing all of us, we spend a languorous afternoon. It makes me feel as if I'm floating in some colonial British dream - India circa 1880. But then I realize, oh no, I'm in the 21st century. Dream time has to pass.

It's good Friday and we are meant to be shopping for goods to take with us to the "project" later in the trip. The "project" being the region where First Steps Himalayas have set up their operation, introducing proper teaching and classrooms into the disadvantaged local schools. I have some money generously donated by friends back in New Zealand to provide classroom materials and with things being so much more affordable here, I am happy to spend the afternoon choosing books and games for the centers.

And amazed I am with how far the money goes. 1 New Zealand dollar is worth approximately 85 Nepali Rupees. But many of these games and books are just a couple hundred Rupees. We leave the bookstore with boxes of books and early childhood games. It will be interesting to see how they get distributed later on in the trip. 

Car trouble?

After the book store we need to make a quick stop at the French Embassy so that Durga can pick up his passport, but alas there is no parking. So, what do we do? In good Nepali style we "fake" a breakdown outside the embassy and while Durga is inside getting his paperwork sorted Randall and Fionna peer under the hood of the car as if something is wrong. No one questions us. It seems to be normal procedure here. Ah well, sometimes you just roll with the local customs. 

We end up back in Thamel for an amazing Maharaja style Indian dinner. I must say that I was a bit skeptical of going back to Thamel after the craziness of yesterday, but today it seems calmer and more manageable. I guess after 24 hours we are getting into the rhythm of this new country.

The last drive home does feel like forever though, partly because we are tired, and partly from the manic driving. As we weave through the narrow alleyways and congested streets of Thamel, one of the kids leans over to me and says in a quiet voice "I miss New Zealand driving".

Amen. 

Tomorrow we are leaving Kathmandu and heading off by airplane to start the trekking part of our journey. So for tonight, it's goodnight and sweet dreams.