Writer:
Ms. Pauline Payne (Client)
Tumbarumba, NSW Australia
Date of experience: November 2022
Places visited (in order of writing): Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), Pottery Square (Bhaktapur), Nagarkot, Bandipur, Pokhara, Chitwan National Park
We arrived in Kathmandu mid-afternoon and were met by a delightful guide who presented us with marigold leis. I felt like a queen. Marigolds grow profusely in Nepal and in rural areas. I noticed people decorated the outside of their homes with marigolds – rather nice I thought.
The ride from the airport to our hotel was an amazing experience – traffic everywhere, and the road was jam-packed with cars and motorbikes I had never seen a traffic jam before and thought we would be there for hours but our driver had obviously seen a few because he wriggled his way through with a great deal of skill and nerve, I thought he deserved a medal. This was an amazing experience as was the whole trip from day one to the very end.
Kathmandu is an amazing city, parts of the city are really old with very narrow paved streets. I felt as if I had stepped back centuries in time. My guide said parts of the city dated back to about 200 years BC. I am not a gullible person but had no trouble believing this. I hope the city retains its character even if developers move in.
There are many beautiful temples in Kathmandu and the first temple I visited was known as Monkey Temple which I am sure was not the correct name but there were monkeys by the score. Perhaps the name was related to the number of monkeys there. Monkey Temple was a lovely introduction to Kathmandu; very peaceful very serene and wonderful views of the city. There were a lot of steps to be climbed – I thought climbing all the steps I climbed in Kathmandu was as good as any fitness class.
I visited a very old part of Nepal. It reminded me of a marketplace. There was a pottery section where a potter was throwing pots on what appeared to be a very old pottery wheel – no electric motor, no kick wheel; just a man sending the wheel spinning with a stick. It was fascinating to watch the potter set the wheel in motion and it wobbled and wobbled. I thought he would never be able to produce a pot but he did and it wasn’t a wobbly pot either. He made beautiful large pots which he produced in a minute or two. Then he took them off the wheel and put them in the sun to dry out. I greatly admired his expertise having done a bit of pottery myself back in the dark ages. I envied his expertise. I would have loved to have bought one but they were definitely way too big for my suitcase.
I attended a cooking class – it was a great experience. The mother of the chef took one look at me and went off to get a chef’s coat belonging to her son. Perhaps she recognised the potential for spillage or perhaps she thought I should look the part. One-on-one teaching was the order of the day. However, in spite of that, I never got the knack of producing beautiful dumplings like the chef produced. He was a very patient man and produced dumpling after dumpling with the greatest of ease and all of them uniform in size and shape – something I failed to master. When visiting Kathmandu, a cooking class should not be missed. It is a real treat and you get the opportunity to eat the dumplings whether they were lopsided or not.
On about day 3, we drove up a mountain on a road that appeared to me to still be under construction and a bit nerve-wracking (funnily enough they found a sealed road to return to Kathmandu).
The destination was the Hotel Himalaya and the views were stunning even though I had to concede that it had been worth the journey. I was up at first light to see the sun rise over the mountains but it was a bit overcast and not as breathtaking as it might have been – a bit like having visitors in Darwin Australia and promising them a wonderful sunset only to find that that was not the day for a beautiful sunset. Mother Nature had not provided a beautiful sunset that particular day temperamental creature that she is, cannot be relied on.
We left Kathmandu to travel along the National Highway to visit other towns. I pictured myself travelling along a sealed road but that was not to be the highway was still under construction, but that did not detract from the beautiful countryside and as the driver drove slowly it was possible to enjoy the views.
What was most interesting about the highway construction was the apparent lack of mechanised earth-moving equipment – a great deal of the earth-moving was done by Nepalese men with picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows. It might take a long time before completion. I was speaking to a senior gentleman at one stop and he said rather philosophically – “This might all be washed away during the next monsoon.” I sincerely hope not!
One of the interesting things about driving in Nepal is the complete disregard for what many people regard as the rules of the road – people overtaking, sounding the horn all the while in. However, I must say they are among the most courteous drivers I have come across. Both the guide and the driver assured me that road fatalities were infrequent.
The first stay was at Bandipur – a very beautiful village perched on the top of a hill/mountain. The streets were paved with quarried stone and were incredibly clean. The buildings were beautiful and reminded me of some villages in Scotland (without the pubs). In the morning, women were out with very small brooms sweeping the street. During the afternoon a group of people sang and danced in the street entertaining all the people in the streets. I stayed in a most beautiful place. It was very old and seemed to be fairly traditional, very very quiet although a bell chimed at regular intervals. I loved that place and was sorry to leave. I briefly considered the life of a nun or monk in such a wonderful place.
From there to Pokhara a lovely town which did not appear to be as big as Kathmandu. The highlight was the beautiful lake which actually had fish, large fish were easily seen. We hopped into a small wooden boat and were rowed over to the island, on which was a temple. This was really a day to be enjoyed. It was a beautiful day. The water was calm, the temperature very comfortable. The island was very small and obviously a very popular spot for tourists and locals alike. All in all, a great morning.
A visit to the Alpine Museum is a must-do. This museum features life as it was in Nepal years ago when winter clothing was heavy and bulky. Also featured are cooking utensils, eating utensils, ethnic clothing, and wonderful photographs of the Himalayas. There was a section devoted to Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing. This museum is definitely a must-see; you could stay there for hours.
At Pokhara, we visited rice fields a short distance out of town, and to my delight an elderly man jumped out of the field and said he would like to have his photo taken with the goddess (me) he was followed by two lovely women who said they would like their photo taken as well – we had a lovely time with them eating mandarins they provided for morning tea. I have tried to encourage my family to treat me as one might treat a goddess, but they are having none of that – they are completely lacking in imagination.
The next visit was to an Eco Resort. On the way there we saw a Rhino feeding along the river bank, the photos were taken by the guide. I knew I could not outrun a Rhino. The driver assured me that that particular rhino was almost domesticated, (he probably poses for photos) in spite of that reassurance, I kept a safe distance knowing that even a surge of adrenaline would not make me any faster on my feet. I saw many elephants going home at dusk after a day’s work – they were just placidly making their way home – for a feed, it was a real thrill to see a baby elephant with what I assumed were its parents. It was a delightful sight.
The Eco Resort was a truly lovely place. It had wonderful, gardens and lots to see. We visited a folk museum where it was possible to see the work of a wheelwright. Two girls weaving a mat on a loom that sat on the ground. We also saw a traditional house where a lady was cooking over an open fire, a girl was husking rice using a very large mortar and pestle, and she quickly managed to produce a sizeable amount of brown rice.
Another great experience was folding myself up and sitting in a very small narrow canoe, much like the dugout canoes built by the Australian Aborigines. I felt a bit clumsy getting into this canoe, but no one was tipped out so all was well. We went up the river and saw many freshwater crocodiles basking in the sun. We also saw deer which were much larger than any deer seen where I live in Australia – not much like Bambi at all.
A Jeep Safari was a terrific experience. Birds, deer, other small animals, a peahen but no peacocks, plus the domesticated elephants. After bouncing over the dirt track for several hours, we went back to the resort in a horse-drawn cart (a very tiny horse) I thought that it might resemble an Irish jaunting cart, that was great fun and the guide almost fell out. I had the camera at the ready – it looked like a great photo opportunity. It was rather glamorous turning up at the resort in such an elegant style.
While at the resort we visited the animal hospital where injured animals are carefully nurtured back to a healthy life and while there we saw two young rhinos who were about two years old and weighing about one ton each. What was fascinating about them was they were actually playing together – wrestling in the mud and just playing like pups, kittens, and small children.
While there we went bird watching with the Ranger who was a fount of knowledge regarding the local birds as well as the local plants that they once used for healing before modern medicine took their place. He also blew bubbles using the leaves of one of the native trees, these bubbles were as good as any bubbles produced using regular soap.
From the resort back to Kathmandu, we flew and were able to see the Himalayas close up without the rigours of trekking – way to go for the chronologically challenged. I experienced two plane trips and they were not to be missed as the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The flights actually made me regret not having taken the opportunity to fly over Mount Everest.
Two days before flying to Singapore. I persuaded the guide that it was necessary to go shopping. My son back in Australia had seen a very colourful jacket that had been made in Nepal and nothing would do but his mother should go shopping for such a jacket. He supplied plenty of photographs so there was no excuse for not finding one. This jacket was to be a Christmas for his wife. The guide was a very willing shopper. We visited seven shops before we found the right garments. The shopkeeper was a delight. She happily showed us practically every jacket in the shop. She even insisted we have tea before we left. A phone call and someone appeared with cups of tea for us all. This was the most wonderful shopping experience I have ever had.
I had a truly wonderful time in Nepal, both the guide and driver had infinite patience. They never appeared to be tired of my constant questions; some of them silly, but they never showed any impatience at all and they knew where every washroom in Nepal was. They both deserve medals. The three words I heard most were “Mind your head”. Those words are still ringing in my ears!
I can strongly recommend such a tour of Nepal the people are lovely and the food is great!! l only ate fish and chips once while I was there.