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Had a spectacular flight from somewhere just inside the Eastern Nepali border to Kathmandu with the Himalayas poking through the clouds on our right. I'm sure we could see Everest - we picked out about 20 possible candidates!
Thamel, the main backpackers area where we stayed in Kathmandu, was a lot of fun. After being on the road in India for over a month, the vast array of restaurants, bars and bakeries was very welcome, as was the laidback and friendly atmosphere. There's so much to do in Nepal, especially of the outdoor activity kind, you can choose from trekking, rafting, bungee jumping, paragliding, canyoning etc, and then there's courses in meditation, yoga, reiki, or massage, as well as lots of important Hindu and Buddhist temples to visit, all surrounded by breathtaking scenery. After just a couple of days here we realised we couldn't possibly fit everythng we wanted to do into a month, and so we'll definitely be coming here back at some point.
One thing we weren't prepared for was how early everyone seems to go to bed in Nepal! We stayed out one night until about 10:30pm (crazy party animals that we are!) and came back to find our guesthouse locked up for the night and all the shutters down. Had to bang on the door and wake someone up to let us in.
Our main task while we were in Kathmandu was to find a good trekking company and get it booked, then get whatever gear we needed. Managed to fit in a couple of sights too, most notably Bodnath Buddhist Stupa, a huge white dome filling up the square in the centre of town. We visited at dusk, when monks and other locals would come out to walk around the stupa (always clockwise) spinning either the prayer wheels built into the side of the building or their own small prayer wheel. At one point there were hundreds of people moving around the stupa in prayer and it was quite moving to watch.
Trek-wise we ended up going for a longer one than we initially planned, opting for the Annapurna circuit trek (about 17 days if no mishaps!). We decided to get a guide (knowing what we're both like for getting lost) but didn't get a porter - thought it would feel a bit weird having someone carry our bags for us. Both felt nervous and excited the night before the trek started, as we just didn't know what to expect...
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