One more medieval city-state in the Kathmandu valley to visit before we go home: Bhaktapur. I can't get enough of these impressions. Two weeks in Nepal were extremely interesting, bizarre and beautiful. What a lovely people. They make me smile :-)

It was time to explore some more in the Kathmandu valley! We took a taxi to Pashupatinath, the holy Hindu temple and burial ground on the Bagmati riverbanks. How bizarre for me to watch the people burning their dead relatives in the cremation ghats next to the river. Together with the appearance of some holy men this place is so impressive!

From Pashupatinath we walked to Boudhanath. This place is home to Asia's largest Buddhist stupa that is surrounded by many Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.

A 4-day Himalaya trek on the Anapurna circuit from Ghorepani to Ghandruk. The first two days we climbed up to reach Poon Hill (3193m) and enjoy the view on Anapurna peaks (over 7000m). We stayed in basic (cold) guesthouses. On the third day we reached the highest point and we descended for the last day to catch the bus back to Pokhara. Exhausting but another great experience!

Because of terrorist-threats for road transports we boarded a Nepalese plane to fly along the Himalaya mountains to Pokhara. Pokhara is situated on a lake and breathes a relaxed vibe. What a relief after the crazy crowdy streets in Kathmandu! We climbed the hill to World Peace Pagoda to have a view on Pokhara area. We decided to do a 4-day trek in the Himalaya mountains (see next blog). When we return to Pokhara national elections were held. Empty streets cause all traffic was forbidden by threats of political terrorists.
To reward ourselves for the Himalaya trekking we went paragliding above Pokhara lake. Great experience! After being treated on the national dish Dal Bhat we flew back to Kathmandu.

Net day we walked to another former kingdom: Patan. Beautiful Durbar square with Himalayan snowpeaks on the background! We visited the Kumari child-goddess. What a mixed feelings to see a child having to act as a goddess.

Jeroen (a tabletennis-buddy from Tilburg) and I decided to go on a trip to Nepal. Without fixed plans we booked ourselves a return-ticket to Kathmandu. After a flight with transfer in Dubai we arrived in the evening in Kathmandu. Next morning we wandered the streets and used all our sentences in this Himalayan capital. Stunning architecture at Durban square, where former kings were crowned. From the Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath (also known as Monkey temple) we had a view on Kathmandu and experienced some real Buddhist traditions.