Namaste! We are now settled into Kathmandu, Nepal. What a culture shock after glitzy Singapore. The conditions here are brutal- 40% unemployment, deforestation, contaminated water & air, and poor roads. Their greatest beauty, the Himalayan Mountains, is also Nepal’s Achilles heel. We’ve pondered that even if Nepal were able to produce valuable goods and services, without infrastructure- the roads are poor, there are no trains or rivers, and with the world’s highest mountain range- how could they ever get goods to market?
We were loaded up with some tough challenges for our three-day stay in Nepal. We opened our visit with a plane ride over the Himalayas and the grand daddy of them all, Mt. Everest. What a thrill to see those majestic snow-capped peaks. We even got to go up into the cockpit to take photos.
From there, we spent the day running among the many historic squares dotting the Kathmandu and area countryside. We even visited a local supermarket where we met the pint-sized grocery store greeter in the photo (Did I hear him say, “Welcome to WalMart?”) We took a journey of winding hillside roads to the village of Nagarkot for sweeping views of the countryside. Due to its 7200 foot altitude, the town is often used by climbers to acclimate themselves prior to attempting Mt. Everest. We closed out the evening at a full moon festival at nearby Pashupatinath temple where local Hindis hold cremation ceremonies for their loved ones.
We were loaded up with some tough challenges for our three-day stay in Nepal. We opened our visit with a plane ride over the Himalayas and the grand daddy of them all, Mt. Everest. What a thrill to see those majestic snow-capped peaks. We even got to go up into the cockpit to take photos.
From there, we spent the day running among the many historic squares dotting the Kathmandu and area countryside. We even visited a local supermarket where we met the pint-sized grocery store greeter in the photo (Did I hear him say, “Welcome to WalMart?”) We took a journey of winding hillside roads to the village of Nagarkot for sweeping views of the countryside. Due to its 7200 foot altitude, the town is often used by climbers to acclimate themselves prior to attempting Mt. Everest. We closed out the evening at a full moon festival at nearby Pashupatinath temple where local Hindis hold cremation ceremonies for their loved ones.
2 comments:
Now that's a "little man" if I ever saw one.
OMG Jo sounds like the trip of a lifetime can't wait to see all your photos. Leave it to you to make friends wherever you go!
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