Nepal, April 2018

One of my more spontaneous trips.

This one started with me lying in bed on a Tuesday evening, thinking about whether or not to travel on the upcoming (long) weekend. I was checking on flights to all kind of destination when Dana asked me via text if I wanted to go out for dinner. I told her I didn't have time, as I was already in bed, already had something planned for Wednesday and planned on traveling somewhere for the weekend.

I decided to go to Nepal as the flights were convenient and not too expensive. Also I have wanted to see Nepal for a long time. I asked Dana if she wanted to join - and she did.

So we went to the airport on Thursday evening and caught our flight to Kathmandu.

On arrival we took a Taxi to our hostel - which was about 15km away, outside of the capital. The first thing we noticed was the terrible condition of all roads. The 15km from the airport took us more than an hour - not only because of the traffic in Kathmandu but also because of the condition of the road. As soon as we left the city center there was no more tarmac to be seen and the dusty road was full of potholes. Eventually we reached our hostel and were greeted by the host, Biwash.

The 'Dreamland Eco Hostel' was all hand-built and located on a hill which gave us a beautiful view over the valley. Our Bungalow was small but cute, we had a little balcony and just outside there was a little public terrace to hang out with other guests and the host. The only big problem with this place: No running water. Usually they have water (for showering or flushing the toilet) but for some reason this feature was out of order for the time we were around. No problem for these few days though!

We met some of our hosts friends and some other guests and spent the rest of the day with them, just hanging out, chilling and enjoying a few beers. In the evening a group of young locals passed by and we sat around a bonfire, had chicken and pork and sang 80s songs together while one of them was playing the guitar. The reason for the gathering: Hogmanay! Saturday would be the start of the nepalese year of 2075!

So we sat and celebrated and sang and drank and laughed.

Shame on me though - I went to bed before the clock hit midnight. I just couldn't keep my eyes open any more. Dana continued to chill with our new friends.

The next day we took a cab to Kathmandu and met up with Koushik (a friend of Dana, also living in Kuwait) and Linh. We roamed around Nepals capital, eating street food, visiting temples, buying souvenirs and trying not to get robbed (close call, someone tried to steal from me - at one point my backpack was opened, but I seem to have repositioned it just in time..). Loads of impressions, many many people on the streets (as it was new years!) and yummy street food.

We went to the monkey temple in the evening to see the sunset over Kathmandu from there (stunning!), tried not to get robbed (by monkeys this time..), roamed around the area and enjoyed the thousands and thousands of colorful flags and banners blowing in the wind. A view I will remember for a long time - this place is magical.

Once it got dark we left the temple behind and found a nice little restaurant to have dinner in. We must have sat there for 3 or 4 hours, chatting, eating, drinking and smoking shisha.

Around midnight Dana and I said good-bye and took a cab back to our hostel.

The next day started early - we packed our stuff and left our hostel. As our host was not to be seen anywhere we just left the money in our room, walked downhill and found a taxi to take us to the airport.

Our flight was delayed by about 3 hours (again, STUPID Qatar Airways), so we just chilled and waited.

This was a very short vacation but totally worth it. Nepal is a beautiful and hospitable country with friendly people, good food and a special vibe. I will definitely come back to see more of this beautiful place! There are always some black sheep around (referring to the attempt to steal from my backpack), don't let these things change your view on places. The vast majority of the Nepalese people are kind-hearted, friendly and hospitable. It is definitely worth visiting!