Traveling to Nepal
7:33 PM
Traveling to Nepal has been the most amazing experience of my life. This is the country I was born in, and I am proud of it. It may be third world, with load shedding and pollution in the big city, but the natural beauties of the himalayas, exotic sceneries, daring adventures, and especially the rich cultural heritage of the country make it the best place to ever go travel (Oh! You can't forget the food and the people! LOVE Nepali food, and the people are the most hospitable people you will ever meet). In this trip (my third trip to Nepal), I got explore Kathmandu valley as well as other parts of Nepal including Chitwan and Pokhara! I literally experienced the most breath-taking views here. Anyway, pictures are worth a thousands words, so here are some pictures of the amazing sceneries:
These temples are truly Nepal's treasures. Right in the center of Kathmandu valley, these ancient temples in Bhaktapur and Patan(a UNESCO World Heritage Site) were probably built by my Newari ancestors in the 1600s. It is made of bricks and intricate wooden hand-carvings that tells stories about the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. I'm truly blessed to be able to visit the temples that my ancestors (who were priests) prayed in everyday for a couple hundred years.
(EDIT: These temples have been destroyed by the 2015 Nepal earthquake. I literally just visited these sites two weeks before the earthquake struck. I'm deeply saddened that Nepal has lost these treasures. Sure, they can be rebuilt, but they will never be the same. I'm so lucky to be able to experience my heritage before they got destroyed.)
This picture is Kulekhani Dam, outside of Kathmandu valley. I rode on a motorcycle with my cousin through the twists and turns of the rocky hill roads outside the city to reach to this destination. This dam generates power to the city. I wonder if Kathmandu will have less load-shedding once this dam completes construction.
Chiya bhari ma o chiya bari ma! This is a line of a popular nepali folk song, and translates to "near the tea garden oh near the tea garden." And yep, this picture is the Lapsifedi tea garden, up in the hills an hour away from Kathmandu. The mountainous scene was absolutely stunning, and is a great place for photoshoots!
We stayed in a hotel near the Lapsifedi tea garden, and in this hotel, we were able to see this amazing view of the sunrise!
We also stopped by a nearby village. The villagers raise water buffalos and live in houses like these. They even have cable TV.
This is the cable car ride to Manakamana, a temple that is literally on top of a hill up high. The only way to reach the temple and the town surrounding it is to ride a cable car OR hike up the hill for five or six hours. I don't know about you, but I'm lazy and I preferred the cable car ride haha. And I got to click this scene of the river and the highway we drove for three hours from KTM! Oh and there is also a cable car specially design to transport goats, because goats and lambs get sacrificed in the temple. Many hindus from far and near travel to Manakamana just for this purpose and to pray!
And here, we've reached Chitwan, a good four hour car ride from Manakamana. Chitwan National Park is in the tarai area of Nepal, meaning it is more tropical and flat and is much hotter than the rest of Nepal. Here we reside in a spot that is perfect to watch the sun going down. Despite the heat, it was hailing this day.
In Chitwan National Park, you can ride on an elephant through a jungle! It is about an hour long and was my favorite part of the trip because I am literally OBSESSED with elephants. They are so majestic and intelligent. Our elephant, Anakali, lifted up her trunk to say 'namaste' to us many times. And during the bumpy ride through the jungle on her back, we also spotted a wild rhino, deer, and exotic birds.
In this picture, I am with a baby elephant, the cutest animal I have ever seen up close.
Then, we attended the Tharu culture program in Chitwan, where girls and boys dressed in cultural dresses and performed traditional dances.
We have now reached Pokhara, the number one tourist destination of Nepal. This whole city is literally built on tourism. This here is David's Fall in Pokhara. Legend has it that a man named David exclaimed that he would jump in this water fall and survive, but unfortunately, he didn't. So to commemorate him, this fall is named David's Fall. The water travels underground to a cave that you can also hike down to see.
This is lakeside Pokhara, Fewa Lake. Watching the sunset while enjoying fish curry and fish sticks with chai was absolutely amazing and peaceful.
Here we hiked up to a buddhist stupa up on a tall hill overlooking Pokhara. Here we saw the most breath-taking sceneries of the Annapurna mountain range, Fewa lake, and the city of Pokhara. We also saw many paragliders drifting high in the sky.
Back to the city of Kathmandu. Here, I visited the garden of dreams, a cute park inside the hustling city. This used to be the former princess's park where only she could access it. After the monarchy ended, this park got remodeled and is now a public park for citizens to use. It is a popular destination for couples to date.
And finally, I will write about the monkey temple! Aka, Swayambhu buddhist stupa, one of my most favorite places ever (and yes there are monkeys everywhere that are more than willing to snatch your food). There is so much history in this stupa and surrounding structures which my ancestors built a long time ago. In one building, there lies a golden door, where it leads to a deep underground passage with 100+ more golden doors. It is like a maze, and only two people in all of history have ever completed the maze and got out alive. The whole country has a deep and magical history behind it. Everywhere you go, there will be a certain religious structure with a story behind it, and each story connects to the Gods and mystical creatures.
Of course another popular destination/ activity in Nepal is mountain climbing since Mt. Everest resides in the himalayas. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit the mountainous regions of Nepal, nor am I skilled at mountain climbing, but one day, I will surely come back to experience the himalayas up close and try adventurous things such as paragliding and bungee jumping!
I truly believe that Nepal is one of the most hospitable, spiritual, and breath-taking countries ever. If you have ever considered traveling to this mysterious country hidden among the himalayas, do yourself a favor and go explore! Nepal has so much rich culture, heritage, and places that you will never ever ever forget.
Have any questions about my trip or questions about Nepal? Feel free to post a comment, and I am more than glad to share information about my culture!
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