where's wolmut?: kathmandu nepal

look out dali lama

few trees, many terraces

himalayan queen

in this local village we were told (after we left) that laurel's outfit indicated that she was either a prostitute or a witch

laurel says:
nepal is an odd place. visions of pristine mountain ranges, crystal clear skies and fresh mountain air are immediately dashed upon touchdown in kathmandu. sadly, the nepalese capital is one of the most polluted cities in the world. the smog is so thick that your eyes burn. but i guess when you are wedged squarely between china and india, your chances of fresh air are about nil. kathmandu draws a real mixed bag and we were lucky to be staying at the hotel where seemingly all the characters come to mingle. we nicknamed the outdoor lobby bar 'cheers.' at any given time the perfect blend of hardcore trekkers getting ready for everest climbs, jaded expats that have drunk a little too much kathmandu koolaide and western volunteers working at the numerous ngo's in nepal could be found wiling the day away. at one point we suggested to the owners that they could film a reality tv show there. turns out they had already been approached and declined the offer. beyond the incredible people watching, the buddhist temples and traveller-freindly neighborhood of thamel were a very welcome change-up from india. and for sure one of the highlights of our trip was our 'glamping' experience at the last resort up on the tibet border. trekking thru the himalayas was an unforgettable experience. especially with the snow capped peaks of tibet in the background. we were even able to meet a few of the locals that live in tiny remote villages scattered up in the hills. their contact with the outside world was so limited that they eagerly asked us to take their pictures and then send them the prints. it is was a glimpse into a much simpler way of life. all in all, nepal is an interesting place to visit. but better catch it now before pollution ruins this beautiful place for good.

nepalese family fermenting millet wine

bodnath stuppa and prayer flags

hindu cremation site and temple

at the foothills with our guide 'prem'

everest here we come

emil says:

when i think of kathmandu nepal i think of eddie murphy at his best in 'golden child' spinning a prayer wheel in a buddhist temple on the other side of the world somewhere in kathmandu. that is to say i think beyond remote, hyper exotic, and at the doorstep to the himalayas. fuhghed-about-it. mad traffic, more smog, deforestation aplenty even multiple hours drive away from the capital, thousands of tourist trap stalls selling some wool blend 100% maybe pashmina scarf type thing, fallafel spots that make one gassy, a million tour operators that will take you and your labradoodle to any summit you wish, and more north face mountain trekking extreme sports stores than one finds in marin county california. its really scary that even kathmandu is overpopulated and overrun. on a positive note kathmandu is home to the largest buddhist stuppa (buddhist prayer area) in the world, and it truly is at the foothills of the himalayas and thus most everest and annapurna expeditions leave from here, and this makes for some great people watching. personally i prefer cuzco, peru's version of kathmandu, which is far more authentic architecturally and the vibe a bit more refreshing. kathmandu though was a welcome reprieve from maddening india and it was nice to get our first decent slice of pizza (there are multiple brick oven pizza spots and you can even get whole wheat crust and yes i am still talking about kathmandu nepal). also we did drive 4 hours out of kathmandu to get to a more remote area from which we did several big hikes to see the mountain facades of tibet, and they were tremendous. i would return to kathmandu only to do some big trek to the basecamp of annapurna or everest or perhaps their summits but as a standalone destination i wouldnt reccommend it.