Kathmandu

Dusty, dirty, crazy place. Just nut's. The pollution is comparable to that of Mexico City. Nonetheless we quite enjoyed our short time in Kathmandu. the first few days consisted of us walking from trekking shop to shop buying the latest 'Gore Tex' genuine fake products and generally kitting ourselves out for the great big trek we were soon to undertake. After spending a small bus of cash (Nepalise Rupees) at Yak Mountain Trekking store we were invited for some tea with the owner. He presented us with a stool and we continued to sip on some milk tea with the friendly man. We shared stories of our homeland and tried to understand his broken Engrish and his explanations of the Nepalize cultures and terms.


Hotel Ganesh Himal Roof Top Terrace


"Namaste - A traditional greeting, it is not a handshake but a spoken word that is expressed with a slight bow of the head along with the clasping of ones hand together in perfect form beneath the chin"

Later that evening after meeting a pommy couple and steamy Spanish dude we went to the Irish Pub to enjoy some of the local brew and jam to the Nepalize cover rock band. Twas quite a jol. The Everest beer (quart form) is fantastic and provides a hangover free breakfast! Unfortunately we opted to go for the cheaper local RAKSHI rice wine as it was going for a 'buy 2 get 1 free' special. What a deal? Yes. I'll take a dozen thanks.


Bustling streets of Kathmandu


After buying our local bus ticket (fail) we were due to depart for our great big trek through the Nepal Himal the following morning.

Leg 1: Cape Town, South Africa to Kathmandu, Nepal

After years of dreaming about a trip around the world - more like a time-out from reality, Jim and I finally decided last year that we would take the plunge, pack our bags and head off on the journey of a lifetime. We thought about it carefully as to where to go and what to do and finally it all seemed to come together. We would start this epic trip by climbing to Everest Base Camp. 

A sad farewell to Jim's folks and Elsa later we were on the plane en route to Kathmandu via a fourteen hour (!!) stop over in Abu Dhabi. We eventually landed in the desert and had some time to kill..... We expected some warmth being in a desert and all, but froze our arses off to say the least. The terminal was reduced to single digits which prevented us from any form of sleep whatsoever. If we were cold in a desert, how would we be able to cope in the snowy mountains of the Nepal Himal? The longest 14hrs of our lives ticked by and finally we were on a jam packed flight to Kathmandu.

Having finally reached our destination we were greeted with the chaos that is Kathmandu and checked into our very own sanctuary amongst this buslting city.