Nepal 2012

(Blogging is not easy on the iPad - typing in the virtual keyboard is slow.)

Shortly after arriving in Kathmandu I thought, "Uh-oh, thus trip was a mistake."  The skies were overcast and the temperatures in the low 40's and dropping fast in the late afternoon. I haven't become a total wimp in my time in the desert; I can handle these temps. The problem is that the hotels have no heating. As it fell to just above freezing I realized Sri Lanka with lows of 75 might have been a better plan.

I spent two unremarkable days in Kathmandu. The daytime weather was fine but the nights were cold and my hotel had no hot water. I went three days without a shower.

On my third day I took an early morning bus to Pokhara. The journey is just over 100 miles but it takes 7 hours over the winding paths up the mountains and the three stops for bathroom/eating.

Pokhara was also overcast and cold the day I arrived. This vacation was beginning to look like a major mistake.

Fortunately, I was greeted at the bus stop by the staff of the hotel.  It was a nice gesture for my travel weary state of mind. After reaching the hotel I realized I left my iPad on the bus. My friend Vikram got me back to the station quickly and the driver had it. I paid him 1000 rupees ($12). I think we were both happy.

The next morning the sun came out and it warmed up nicely. The daily pattern for the past week has been warm days - shorts and T-shirt weather followed by nights just above freezing. By late afternoon the temperatures start dropping like a rock. By bedtime I am covering with four blankets and have no desire to get out of bed until the sun comes out again.

This has been a laid back trip. I've already hit most of the touristy places on previous trips.  My friend Sanjaya and I visited a cave full full of bats and a Hindu monestary. We also climbed a mountain to visit a Peace Pagoda. (OK, "mountain" might be overstating it just a bit, but it felt like climbing a mountain.)

I also spent a day with my friend Vikram visiting Hindu temple that is built on a man-made island and we spent hours out on the lake watching the para gliders against the backdrop of the Himalayas.

The rest of the time I have been reading. I have completed four books about the 2012 election and I'm on my fifth. Spending two hours/day reading about politics for the past year was apparently not enough.

Christmas Eve was amazingly cool. The hotel guests and staff had a communal BBQ. A chef prepared lots of pork and chicken in a garlic, ginger, and red wine marinade.   Lots of food, lots of beer and good conversation. Very nice.

So a week has passed and I have a week to go in Nepal. So far, so good.