To get into Nepal we get a jeep to the border then just walk across it. The whole thing is very sureal. After getting our exit stamps on the Indian side the guard points to a bridge and says 'go to Nepal'. So we do. The bridge is about 800 meters long over a dried out river (a sort of barren no-mans-land) and very busy with people going back and forth, mainly walking but some on cycle rickshaws. There are armed guards at either end. When we get to the Nepali side we pay $20 for our month long visas then head to the small airport to catch our plane to Kathmandu. The flight takes less than an hour and we get mints, water, cokes, newspapers and peanuts.
Nepal is very different from India, but i'm not sure if I can explain how, as lots of things seem to be the same - people still live their lives in public, there are street food stalls and rickshaws and temples and hundreds of grubby guesthouses. To me it seems much more modern (although the roads are worse), and less traditional or even less cultural. Im sure my guide book writers would strongly disagree with me on this - maybe it is just because we are in Kathmandu. There are very few women in saris or traditional clothing, there are bigger supermarkets, the western food is better (more authentic) and people are much friendlier.
Everything in Kathmandu quite spread out, there is the odd small field and not very many buildings above maybe five floors, so it doesnt feel like a big city. However, it is very vey polluted and after two nights I am glad to leave for Pokhara, a lakeside town 7 hours west of Kathmandu, where we will plan our trek in the Annapurna range and from where I am writing this post.
Below are some photos of 'Boudha', an old part of town and Buddhist pilgrimage sight which supposedly holds relics of the Buddha.
The view from the plane. I think the Himalayas are behind there somewhere
Nepal is very different from India, but i'm not sure if I can explain how, as lots of things seem to be the same - people still live their lives in public, there are street food stalls and rickshaws and temples and hundreds of grubby guesthouses. To me it seems much more modern (although the roads are worse), and less traditional or even less cultural. Im sure my guide book writers would strongly disagree with me on this - maybe it is just because we are in Kathmandu. There are very few women in saris or traditional clothing, there are bigger supermarkets, the western food is better (more authentic) and people are much friendlier.
Everything in Kathmandu quite spread out, there is the odd small field and not very many buildings above maybe five floors, so it doesnt feel like a big city. However, it is very vey polluted and after two nights I am glad to leave for Pokhara, a lakeside town 7 hours west of Kathmandu, where we will plan our trek in the Annapurna range and from where I am writing this post.
Above: The outskirts of Kathmandu
Below are some photos of 'Boudha', an old part of town and Buddhist pilgrimage sight which supposedly holds relics of the Buddha.
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