Back in Nepal! I decided I needed to take a bit of time to recharge my soul and could not think of a better place for this time than Nepal. Having traveled here before, twice in the 90's, I have been waiting to return since. So my plan is to trek in the mountains and kayak on the rivers of Nepal, trek in the mountains of India, and then relax on the beaches of southern India and the Maldives. However, this plan can completely change at any moment.
I will add as many photos that capture the wonderful places and try as best I can to describe these experiences. I hope you enjoy!
Journey to Nepal and arrival in Kathmandu:
The first few days in country were spent in Kathmandu re-discovering a bit and getting over the jet lag. A lot has changed here since my last visit 13 years ago! The trip here took me from Denver to LAX, then a 16 hour flight to Bangkok, and then a 3 hour flight to Kathmandu…thankfully I was flying business class, so I was able to sleep much of the flight to Bangkok.
On arrival, the VSO office in Nepal was kind enough to pick me up at the airport. With my airline status, I was able to bring 3 pieces of luggage with me. Since I only need 2 pieces, I offered to bring any needed supplies from the USA to assist with their programs here in Nepal. I sent a call out to my friends for their help and received a wonderful amount of school supplies, games and children’s clothes from everyone. VSO was very excited about receiving these supplies and timing could not have been better, since they volunteers from the Education Program were getting together for their annual meeting this coming weekend. So from the airport I went directly to the VSO office to deliver the school supplies (crayons, pens, pencils, notebooks, glue sticks, construction paper, and other various items), children’s books, playing cards, flash cards, musical recorders, maps, jump ropes, soccer balls with air pump... Thanks to all that helped me out with gathering these supplies and donations!!
The next evening I met with one of the VSO staff to deliver the clidren's clothes to an orphanage that houses close to 40 children. When I arrived, the younger ones were home from school and I was introduced to them as they lined up and they told me their name, age and class level. Then they sang a few Nepali songs for me. It was a very nice way to begin my visit in Nepal.
I am still searching for a local organization to give the cash donation to, so I will keep you updated once that decision is made.
The next evening I met with one of the VSO staff to deliver the clidren's clothes to an orphanage that houses close to 40 children. When I arrived, the younger ones were home from school and I was introduced to them as they lined up and they told me their name, age and class level. Then they sang a few Nepali songs for me. It was a very nice way to begin my visit in Nepal.
I am still searching for a local organization to give the cash donation to, so I will keep you updated once that decision is made.
The monsoon season is still in full force and the first days in Nepal are rainy. On the 3rd day here, I woke to sunshine and decided to spend it exploring Bhaktapur, just outside of Kathmandu. It was a nice escape from the traffic, crowds and pollution of Kathmandu as it is closed to motorized traffic. This town was once the capital of the valley and used to house the king’s palace and has many temples and squares to explore.
This village has a long history for producing pottery
I fly from Kathmandu to Lukla to begin my trek on September 23rd.
