The sheltering canopy of Buddhism in Nepal becomes apparent with a few visits to monasteries scattered across the Kathmandu valley; indeed, you can immerse yourself in local handicraft stores selling Buddhist artifacts too. But a monastic tour is recommended to understand the influence of Buddhism and its seemingly limitless enchantment. There are no satisfactory guidelines to follow a Buddhist circuit in Nepal except that you pick a spot and randomly move on to the next. For pilgrimage tours, Nepal’s great reservoir of sanctity and solace produce a welcome note to almost any one for whom the ways of the Buddha are fascinating. Because it is in Nepal that prince Siddhartha was born who later became the Buddha, the enlightened one. From the colossal monasteries to small nunneries and gompas amidst pristine forests, the glory of the Shakyamunis and the Bodhisattvas are evident throughout this country. From Swayambhunath to Namobuddha and straight to the heart of Buddhism, Lumbini, the road to spirituality is as exciting as any adventure. It could well be defined as a quest to understand the philosophy of life and to discover yourself in the process. Monastic tours are a part of that quest, where we move into the unknown to known oneself. A Buddhist circuit is one where we visit monasteries to discover Buddhism’s vast significance on man’s soul and his deeds. You could visit Namobuddha; a place which is revered as a site where kindness and mercy were both personified by the Buddha by offering his body to be eaten by a hungry Tigress. Begin this trip from Boudhanath and then we move to Namobuddha and then to Pharping. End at Swayambhunath where the wise eyes of the Buddha bids you farewell only to further encourage you to begin your journey anew.

Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath is a massive Stupa which lies in the outskirts of Kathmandu, about 11 km away from the city centre. It is believed that this syupa was built by the Lichavis but many historians disagree on this fact. This dome shaped Stupa represents the mind of the Buddha and is today a popular pilgrimage destination for many Buddhists.

Kopan

The Kopan Monastery was established by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rimpoche in 1970 as a center of Buddhist Teachings. Kopan is a thriving monastery of 360 monks, mainly from Nepal and Tibet, and a spiritual oasis for hundreds of visitors yearly from around the world.

Pharping

This monastery is situated to the south of Kathmandu. It is believed that this is the spot where Guru Rimpoche (Saint Padmasambhava) attained level of a Mahamudra Vidyadhara. Some Buddhists also believe that this is the spot where Milerapa (the deity of hard work) took shelter in a cave one night.

 
Pharping has numerous monasteries and temples including an important Vajrayogini temple and the Palyul Retreat Centre, which is the residence of Khenpo Namdrol Rinpoche and home to the Rigpa Shedra.

Namobuddha

This monastery lies to the east about 45 km away from of Kathmandu. We will have to make a two hour drive to reach here. It is widely believed that the Lord Buddha during his 7th reincarnation offered his body to a hungry Tigress and its cubs. This is considered a great act of mercy and kindness and has ever since attracted millions of people to this spot.

Swayambhunath

This great temple is just on the outskirts of Kathmandu. No one actually knows who built it. Many believe that the Lichavis constructed it while others believe that emperor Asoka had already visited it in the 3rd century. The Swayambhunath complex consists of a giant Stupa, a large ensemble of shrines and temples, and also includes a Tibetan monastery, a museum and a library. This site has two access points: a long stairway, claimed to have 365 steps, leading directly to the main platform of the temple, which is from the top of the hill to the east; and a car road around the hill from the south leading to the southwest entrance. The first sight on reaching the top of the stairway is the Vajra.

Legend has it that the powerful Hindu god Shiva drove his trident (Trishuli) into the ground, thus creating three springs from which the river Trushuli flows. Named after Shiva’s trident, this bordering river between Tibet and Nepal is the perfect river for a great experience alone, with friends, or with the family to become immersed in white water rafting at its most enjoyable. Known as the Tsangpo in Tibet, the river flows through Tsang, meaning Tibet, to the west of Lhasa.

The Trishuli is remarkable in that it is accessible from two directions, both easily accessed from Kathmandu or Pokhara to the west. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Kathmandu and a 3 hour drive from Pokhara with easy access to the river from several places along the Prithivi Highway. Rafting rental locations can be contacted individually or arrangements can be made through local travel agents, such as Himalayan Dreams, making the day or several days’ experience along the river an easy one with all aspects handled by an agency.

To leave early from Kathmandu is a great experience as the constant din and clamor of motorbikes and people, trucks and cars is subdued and the morning trip across town toward the western heading Prithivi Highway is a nice start to your day. As you climb up and out of the Kathmandu Valley the morning clouds touch the peaks as the sun rises higher into the sky. Traffic picks up a bit as you descend along the highway headed for Pokhara, 160 miles to the west. It is a pleasant drive and at the end of the 2 1/2 hour trip you arrive at the staging area for the start of your journey down the river.

Whether a beginner or an experienced rafter, the atmosphere is filled with laughter as more and more people descend upon the area to get their life jackets and helmets fitted on them. People are assigned groups and you descend stairs and walk, single file toward the river. I was pleasantly surprised to see such expanses of sandy beach along the river which flows rapidly toward India and eventually into the Ganges River many miles away. There are several of these rafting venues that have two day excursions where you spend the night in tents and watch the moonrise over the towering mountains and then listen to the roar of the river throughout the night.

I was a bit surprised to see so many people gathered along the river’s edge with the large inflatable rafts bobbing up and down behind the river guides who instructed their groups in the fine art of helping to row the raft.

Today, however, is a one-way rafting trip and my friend and I are ready for a wonderful adventure along the great Trushuli. Our group is made up of about 20 people, who listen carefully as we are instructed in how to row and what voice signals are given for different situations as the river changes all the time. There are Nepalese, Aussies, Americans ,Brits, and Indians on board and we are truly ready for a great day on the river!

We are told by our guide that the oldest person to have taken the rafting trip was in her 90′s. I wondered at her age if she handled the oars like the others as they tend to be a bit heavy. However, I hadn’t much time to think on this as we were soon pushed out into the calmer current of the river and then swept majestically into the more rapid waters. As I looked back at the shore the other rafts were also pushing away from the shore filled with people ready for this white water adventure.

The Trushuli is a Grade 3 river and provides a really wonderful experience for rafters of all ages. As we progressed toward each rapid our river guide would indicate what we had to do with the oars. Many times we had to row backwards to keep the raft fairly steady as we surged though rushing water and careened around large boulders imbedded in the river’s bottom.

As we progressed down the river many things came into view that I had not expected. The first of several swaying suspension bridges came into view. Several had children looking down on us, waving madly as we rushed under the swaying structures. On occasion there were other types of bridges that allowed people access to the far side of the river. The most ingenious was a metal box, attached to two large rollers that ran along a wire cable suspended across the river. People would pull on the cable and the boxlike gondola, if you will, moved across the river at a very slow pace. I would have found it very hard to even get into it let alone traverse the river in this particular trans-river apparatus.

Another surprise! As we moved down the river we would catch glimpses of the highway that followed the river for most of our trip. On one occasion we saw people who had parked their cars and watched as we negotiated some of the more arduous rapids that the river had to offer.

As the day warmed and the rafts moved down the river one aspect of the trip that was not talked about before we started began to come into play. And it was play! In each raft were plastic buckets and as the rafts now began to overtake each other the buckets were used to scoop up water and toss onto the passengers of the other rafts. It became a fun way to interact, not only with the people on your own raft but with the passengers of the other rafts! With shrieks of laughter and screams of passengers being soaked, we moved along the Trushuli like a bunch of teenagers at a beach party.

At one point my friend, who was perched on the raft’s side, near the front of the raft, was literally tossed into the air as we hit a rather large rapid and was thrown into the river. Although he appeared OK and he did have on a life jacket, he lost his dark glasses and later confessed to me that he had hit a large boulder and had a sore shoulder as a result. Of course he should have been inside the raft, but it was a lesson well learned by the rest of us on following the instructions of our guide.

It was in the early afternoon that we finally slipped into a smooth flowing part of the river and we beached our rafts at the river’s edge. In several tents a wonderful lunch was prepared for us and people perched on rocks and along the river enjoying the repast and the wonderful white water rafting experience.

We were met at the lunch site by our driver. We returned to the starting point and left our gear, life jacket and helmet, and began the journey back to Kathmandu. Tired, but invigorated by this day long excursion, we were now able to say we had done the White Water Rafting in Nepal! This accessible day long trip is remarkably easy to do and the experience for all who take this adventure will be memories of a day well spent on the Trushuli, amid the Himalayas, in Nepal!

You almost have to be a detective to follow clues and tips to find a manageable route to the eclectic environs of the Kathmandu Valley and the myriad sites that compel people from around the world to visit!

My location on the west coast in California makes it an almost 10,000 miles journey to get back and forth to Nepal and it is not an easy journey. In my 10 visits to Nepal over the past 5 years I have tried several ways to approach the Himalayan country and although money has dictated much, it is the ease and convenience that I am looking for when I travel that far that dictates my eventual choice of routes.

The two major departure cities are San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX) in California. From my home base in Sacramento (SMF), both are some distance from where I live and I must either drive, leave my car and fly out of San Francisco, or I must fly to Los Angeles and depart from there. I have done it both ways and there are great differences. Because San Francisco is closer to me one would suspect that the trip would be much easier flying from there. Not so. Because one is restricted to airlines that serve that routing and airport you are restricted to using airlines that fly indirectly to Kathmandu. This means that the airlines flying from SFO usually stop once or twice before one is on a plane headed for Kathmandu.

Service on all of the airlines I have traveled is comparable. The food is good, the service smooth and reliable and the flights have been excellent. The trouble arises when one is going to Nepal. If I am flying out of San Francisco I have chosen two different carriers and both offered good prices for the traveler, good service and good food. My first experience was with Philippine Airlines. Home based in Manila the routing took me to Manila, a 7 hour layover, then to Bangkok and then on to Kathmandu on Thai Air. The reverse was true coming home. At that time the old airport in Bangkok was being used and if I chose to stay over it was very convenient. The new airport, modern and sleek, is an hour from town and presents a hassle if you have a long layover. A taxi ride is necessary from the airport on arrival and I found that most hotels offer service back to the airport if you have stayed overnight or longer.

My next experience was with Korean Airlines. Again, good prices, good service and good food, but a very different experience. A long flight to Inchon/Seoul and a 2 hour layover before boarding a plane for Singapore. Here the flight to Kathmandu was about 12 hours away the next day. The airport in Singapore is big and clean and efficient. You can grab a hotel room right in the terminal which is a welcome break from the flying. Lastly, a 5 hour flight on Dragon Air into Kathmandu to complete the trip. Interestingly enough I had to return a couple of days early and I did not know whether I would have a room or not in Singapore. Luck was with me and I got the last room in the hotel.

These two trips were exhausting and although it is a long flight to and from the west coast it beats another routing that goes in the other direction. From Sacramento I would fly to Houston, a long layover and then fly to Doha, the capitol of Qatar, in the Middle East. A long layover again and then into Kathmandu after a 7 hour plane ride. The trip takes 3 days and although I have never been tempted to do this route, I may one day just for the experience.

The most direct and efficient of all routing is with Thai Air Lines out of Los Angeles. Friendly and efficient both on the ground and in the air, Thai offers for me the most direct way to get to Nepal. Out of Los Angeles at about 9:30P.M. you arrive in Bangkok at 6 A.M., in time for the airport shops and eating facilities to be opening. After about a 4 hour wait you are on your way again, using Thai, into Kathmandu after a 3 hour flight. I fly from Sacramento to Los Angeles on a United Air Lines commuter jet, a Star Alliance partner with Thai Air, and my baggage is sent all the way through to Kathmandu from Sacramento. This means no hassle in Los Angeles and I have not yet had any problem with my luggage being in Kathmandu after all those flights and hours.

Thai Air offers great service, wonderful food, in seat entertainment and flight attendants who strive to see that everything is done to make your time on board as comfortable as they can. Do I know the way to Kathmandu? Yes, and it is my hope that this little bit of information helps you when you next go to visit Nepal.

I had not thought much about the park setting and was only mildly curious about reaching our accommodations within the park itself. I had been told we would get to the lodging by boat and a short walk into the park. After a fairly smooth drive we turned off the main highway and traveled several miles along a dirt road which passed by houses and through fields of rice and across shallow streams until we reached the river and the waiting boat.

It was here that the trip began to really grab my full attention. Since I had been to Disneyland and had traveled on their idea of river safari boats I had, tucked away in the back of my mind, a picture of a modern craft with a striped canvas-roofed awning, a diesel-powered engine and several workers to help with the luggage and so forth. It had been raining and the river was high, wide, and very fast. To my surprise the river craft was a long, wooden craft, propelled by two men with long poles, which sat very low in the water. Of course my reaction was internalized by thinking I can’t get into that thing. In my mind’s eye I could picture ancient drawings of prehistoric men in wooden logs floating down rivers, some to their doom. With these pictures in my mind and wondering how I get across to dry land, I externalized this situation with laughter!

My traveling companions were laughing also, and as we were helped into this craft with all the luggage and several other people, I knew then that I would never survive this trip! As we were poled out into the river we moved north along the bank and slowly we proceeded out into the main channel where the current propelled the boat in a southerly direction. The oarsmen had traveled in an arc and allowed the current to move us downstream and across to another spot where we were off-loaded with our luggage. The oarsmen took the luggage and following them we moved off into the lush jungle along a path toward the lodge.

The lodge itself was very much like one sees in movies of Africa; thatched roof dwellings, clustered together with a dining area, lecture area, and plenty of covered and screen enclosed areas to just sit and relax. We were greeted by a Guest Relations Officer who informed us of the rules, times for meals, gave us our bungalow keys and let us know the times for the elephant rides, the bird watching group with a guide and other activities from lectures to visiting the elephant pens. It was decided that we would take an elephant ride that afternoon.

Now elephants had appeared in my life in circus performances, zoos and of course parades on occasion. There were two elephants, each with their trainer, to transport two groups on the ride that afternoon.

One had to climb up onto a platform and step down onto the back of the animal where four could sit on a rather uncomfortable sort of a saddle. Our elephant, with three of us in tow, plus the trainer started off at a leisurely pace along paths well worn by elephants before. It was not the most comfortable of rides and I wondered about all of those well-to-do rajahs of old riding in houdahs that were supposedly very plush and comfortable!

I don’t know whether it is my luck, but for some reason the elephant we were on decided it did not want to go exactly where the trainer wanted and we found ourselves pushing through small groves of trees with this animal pushing aside large shrubs and wading through thick grass much to the annoyance of the trainer. This went on for about an hour and at the end of our journey we all were very happy to climb down and stretch our legs. Although we were looking for rhinos and tigers on the elephant ride we saw neither on our safari.

Chitwan is a marvelous place to relax and enjoy the many outdoors activities from bird watching to elephant rides and more.

If you get to Nepal it is almost a must to take the opportunity to visit and enjoy the wonders of this marvelous National Park!

Kasthamandap

While its architecture, purpose and appeal denote that Kasthamandap could belong to none other than the Lichchhavis, its origin and its creator remain ambiguous to this day. An historic account of 1107 AD mentions the existence of the temple of Kasthamandap in its current location. This is a period which falls close to the reign of the Mallas in the Kathmandu valley. However many Lichchhavi inscriptions name religious buildings as mandaps existed during their reign which could very well make Kasthmandap, a product of the Lichchhavis. The temple of Kasthamandap is perhaps one among the world’s most historic buildings that permanently displaces the very idea of ownership. A visitor becomes its owner and it commands exploration of its many layers that fill the senses with staggering chromatic textures. It is also unclear what the purpose of Kasthamandap really was apart from being a mandap whose sole purpose is a Yagna. The main God of the Vedic Aryans was fire (Agni), and Yagna, the worship of fire was made in a pit. The purpose of a mandap has always been for the protection of this pit and at other times to create a spiritual atmosphere to conduct this ritual. The structure of the temple of Kasthamandap exudes the very style of mandaps famous during the time of the Lichchhavis. Kasthamandap’s main sanctum which is a little further away from the actual centre on the ground floor has a statue of Saint Gorakhnath. It is set upon a platform and right in front of it on the ground is the Shiva Lingam, the sacred phallus buried and only a tiny bit of its top is visible now. The Gorakhnath statue within Kasthamandap is however bewildering because elsewhere Saint Gorakhnath is normally manifested not as an idol but as footprints. It has now been determined by historical documents, which consist of architectural diagrams, accounts and paintings that the temple of Kasthmandap, before the 16th century had the shrine of Gorakhnath and it only had one large roof supported by 4 central pillars. The middle roof was added after the 16th century by the Malla King, Laxmi Narsingha.

In a world where metaphors and praise consistently exhaust superlatives, the temple of Kasthmandap makes other temples emerge only as pale replicas. That is to say, that while many structures in the Kathmandu valley are magnificent for a variety of reasons, Kasthmandap usually eclipses and effaces them owing to its splendor, legacy and significance. In order to reach Kasthamandap you have to look between the three vast squares of Basantapur to the south-west, dodging people, motorcycles and a crowd of busy people in Maru Tole. This giant three storey wooden temple commands a cloistered tranquility that is ironically contrasted by the chaos and physical drama along its outer perimeter. The structure of Kasthmandap is like any other mandap style structure, the one where sixteen pillars support the upper floor. However, the central square is formed by the inclusion of four large pillars. It has balconies on all four corners. These mezzanine (neither on the ground floor, nor on the first floor) balconies could be accessed by the public during the temple’s heydays. You can find images of Ganesha (the elephant God) at each corner and the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are illustrated around the first floor cornices of the building. The ground floor covers an area of 65 square feet and the entrance is guarded by two bronze lions. This denotes similarity of structure in comparison to other temple styles of the Mallas in the Kathmandu valley. The lions portray the structure to somewhat resemble a chariot of God, a style used in almost all the temples in the Kathmandu valley. This could have been a feature that was added later after the 16th century. But it is these same features that make Kasthamandap a unique blend of the Lichchhavi mandap style and the Malla tiered multi roofed temple structure.

When one thinks of Nepal as a country built upon folklores, myths and legends you can experience centuries of traditions without encountering man made reasons and logic. It is a vast treasure that has scattered from one generation to another and had Nepal under its sway for a very long time. Legend has it that the entire structure of Kasthamandap was built by the wood of a single Sal tree. An interesting story backs this claim. In the days of the old, Saint Gorakhnath attended the chariot procession of Machhindranath, in human form. Unfortunately a tantrik recognized him and cast a spell to imprison Gorakhnath for eternity. The price for freedom was a deal in which Gorakhnath had to provide enough materials to build a temple of solid wood. Desperate for release, Gorakhnath agreed and immediately a giant tree sprung up from the earth which was chopped off to build the temple of Kasthmandap. It is also a widely held belief that the city of Kathmandu derives its name from the temple of Kasthamandap. The temple’s historic journey has covered almost a millennia but its religious significance remains intact to this day. Kasthamandap has witnessed the reign of different dynasties, ritualistic ceremonies as well as the famous era of the hippies in the 70s. Incidentally the Kasthmandap is mellifluously positioned at a place which was made famous by the hippies as “Pie Alley”. The epic song “Dum Maro Dum” from the cult classic Bollywood movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna (a movie about the surreal world of the hippies) was filmed at Kasthamandap. Kasthamandap’s three storey structure glints above the years, indicating evanescent ascendancy of every famous era that goes down in the pages of history and it remains there for many more generations to come.

In the squinting Kathmandu sun, when you try to catch a breath after walking around the bustling and chaotic New Road, an eventual stroll around the Kathmandu Durbar Square makes up for a small amount of serenity that one can’t help desire. It is place that is immediately affable and easygoing; with a stimulating blend of the exotic and the historic, packed together in a world that sometimes seems otherworldly. It is a broad expanse of history filled with dazzling beauty and captivating enchantments, from heavenly tiered temples to the breathtakingly vast square. And its high-spirited people—right through history live life with incomparable, fervent enchantment. And there hidden behind a conglomeration of temples and houses, Kasthamandap quietly stands waiting for the centuries to telescope into each other. Civilizations come and go but we absorb that stillness through Kasthamandap. Its magnificence, its wooden pillars hold the mixed glories of the ancient and the medieval. It symbolizes generations of people with their indigenous beliefs and ceremonies which are surrounded by the graceful large silhouettes of religion, devotion and faith.

Mystical Tiger's Nest

My 3 hrs hike to Taktsang Monastery in Paro, Bhutan was one that transported me to an era that I thought existed only in a digital studio in some corner of Hollywood. Bhutan has always prided herself in the ‘Thunder Dragon Kingdom’ ruled by a benevolent King. So, it is a surprise not to experience that in Paro, a truly picturesque valley. There are many things to do in Paro…from admiring the Dzongs to lounging in discos. Since I am not a party animal I took the path that gradually takes one through the Blue Pine hills, never dropping in altitude, until one has the view of the unbelievable work of art resting heavily on the mystical Buddhist legend. It is so powerful…that you accept the translation ‘The Tiger Nest’ probably as immediately as Yeshey Tshogyal had transformed herself into a Tigress on whose back Guru Padmasambhava flew to the grand rocky edifice, 900 m above Paro valley, sometime in the early 8^th Century A.D.

Prayer Flag

Hikes for Dykes - The Nepal Trekking Experience

Shock horror – how can I walk around a country you may ask?  Well I did. Thousands of others have. You can too. Trekking is the term used to describe the daily hike from one village to the next, along ancient trails which have been the used by Nepalese villagers as their “roadways” for centuries. In Nepal, you carry only a light day pack with your personal needs for the day while porters carry the larger bags between overnight stays.

Kathmandu is the arrival point into Nepal, with daily flights from India, Qatar, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Connecting flights from Australia can be by direct connection, or you could enjoy a stopover enroute.  Visas can be obtained on arrival into Kathmandu. On exiting the airport terminal the hustle and bustle of a city overflowing with people is immediately obvious. From the packed airport car park to the overflowing city streets the motorbikes, taxis and buses all jostle for limited space, constantly tooting their horns in the mistaken belief that it will speed their path through the chaos.  The mix of ancient and new, charming and extraordinary architecture passes by as you make your way to the respite of your hotel.  The range of available hotels is quite diverse. The choice of higher standard hotels with good food, hot water and emergency generators in case of blackouts is a wise move.

Once settled, it is great to walk and explore the old city. Make your way to Thamel, by metered taxi, or walk. Thamel presents a multitude of shops, bars, restaurants and galleries. The stores are overflowing with trekking gear, day packs, clothes, hats all bearing international recognised brands but none making claims to be genuine. After some spirited bargaining it is very easy to acquire some good comfortable walking gear if you haven’t managed to find it all before you leave home.

To get to the trek start point it is necessary to take a short and very scenic flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara or Lukla.  Be sure to jostle for the best seat for the view of the Himalayas as we fly west to Pokhara for the Annapurna’s, or east for Everest.  After arrival we transfer to our start point, meet our porters and guides and start out on our trek.

So let’s get back to this trek idea. Am I really being expected to walk- all the way? Yes, up and down hills, across rivers on suspension bridges, across steams below beautiful waterfalls climbing innumerable steps up and steps down. Steps-so many steps built into the path by hand over many centuries, maintained as we would maintain our roads, used by tens of thousands of feet; the feet of trekkers like us, and the men and women who live and work in the villages we are to visit.

Each trekking day is measured to allow for all to complete the trip within the available daylight. This means that you can rush, be super fit, have great lungs, have no altitude problems and get to the next village before lunch time. Or you can take a slower leisurely pace, stop to rest, drink some more water, look again at the mountains and the streams and slowly slowly climb or descend, taking in the majesty of all that surrounds you, letting the magical landscape sweep you along. You will trek along paths through rhododendron forest, alongside terraced rice paddies and past soaring pines.

What are the physical demands of trekking? It is necessary to be fit enough to walk up demanding slopes, which means no major joint problems, and a generally good level of fitness. Any time you put into preparation, be it going for long walks, time in the gym on stair machines, any aerobic exercise to improve your heart-lung performance will be rewarded with a more pleasant end of day experience. It is certain that you will be fitter when you get home than when you left, but to minimise muscle soreness, effort before departure is recommended. How old is too old? I’m 57, never played sport in my life, never walked much but survived, thrived and loved it. Our porter stated that his oldest client had been 83. We certainly saw trekkers who appeared to be well into their 70s on the same trails as us.

How does altitude affect you? The answer is very much dependent on your body, on how your body reacts, and it is not related to your level of fitness. As you climb higher, you definitely notice the effect of the thinning air. The Annapurna trek is much lower than the Everest Base Camp trek and less likely to produce problems, but both itineraries are designed to maximise the acclimatisation opportunity for you, as you climb upwards towards your final goal. Our guides are fully equipped to provide guidance and assistance in the event of altitude problems. Some people may not be able to continue to the highest level of the trek – continuing upwards is not an option for those who are unable to acclimatise to the altitude. Severe problems with altitude is unusual on these itineraries, but it is a possibility.

So where do we sleep- what do we eat? The options while trekking are lodges or camping. The many villages, each a few hours apart have small lodge accommodation which typically consist of 10 to 20 twin bed rooms, usually with a single electric light and sometimes a power outlet. The beds have a comfortable rubber mattress and pillow provided. A shower is usually available nearby or within the building. It will usually have a sufficient stream of water at a better than cold temperature. Showering on arrival during the warm afternoon is recommended. In addition to the shared shower is the shared toilet- mostly the foot pad each side squat over the hole design.  Toilets like this are usually found to be available in villages we pass through during the day, so the need to resort to a squat behind a tree is very limited.

The great part of the lodges is the home-style cooking, and the uninterrupted panoramic view across to the spectacular mountains from the table set up outside. On arrival at the lodge, a late lunch can be shared seated in the warm sunshine looking out to the rugged peaks, perhaps enjoying a (sometimes) cold beer. The same table next morning in the chilly air provides views of the orange glow on the mountains peaks as the sun climbs into the sky from the east.

The menu is fixed in each region, with a standard offering and description. Our treks include breakfast, lunch and dinner while in the lodges, so you can enjoy the vegetable omelette, porridge and banana pancakes for a big start to the day. Lunch might be vegetable fried noodles followed by rice pudding. Dinner might be soup, a pizza and apple filter (meaning apple fritter but universally wrongly described within Nepal!). The food is made from fresh ingredients gathered each day from the gardens at the lodge. There is no refrigerated truck delivering frozen produce here. Everything which comes up into the mountains comes by donkey or on the backs of men and women who walk the same trails as you. The meals are mostly vegetarian, with occasional chicken available. They are always interesting. Each kitchen has its’ own local touch, always producing meals with great care and pride.

At night, entertainment is mostly up to you and your fellow trekkers. Cards, name games, all of the games that used to happen in homes before electronics came to the fore. With a full belly, a little local spirit and a long walk behind you, bed is usually not far into the night.

Serendipity has always been a word that seems to resonate well in my mind. It means a variety of events or a multi-colored patchwork of items creating a wonderful experience. I want to use it as the guide word that took me eventually to Nepal.

Mt. Fishtail View from Ghorepani, Nepal

The First Event – I retired from over 40 years of teaching. That change in life style would lead to the next event on the path to Nepal.

The Second Event - My wife and I decided to celebrate the First Event we would take a river cruise in Europe. To this end my wife started bringing home travel guides and books. One of these books would lead to the next event.

The Third Event - One of the books had letters from travelers and one person said that whenever he took a trip to a place he had never been he joined this free international pen pal club and wrote to someone from the country to which he was traveling. He said he always got a response and valuable information about where to go and what to see. And so I did exactly as he suggested and this lead me to the fourth event on my road to Nepal.

The Fourth Event - I contacted someone and got information and it worked beautifully. As I was scanning the list of countries I came across Nepal and I looked at the people wanting to write to a pen pal. I wrote and got a response and this lead to the last step.

The Fifth Event – this was an invitation to visit Nepal. It included my wife, who declined, but I went as I had never been before.

That was 6 years ago and since that time I have come to admire and love the people of Nepal who struggle against so many shortages and a lack of a government. But, it is the children that are the draw for me. As a former educator, I am torn by the helpless victims of civil war and political malaise that keeps children begging on the streets and involved with drugs and a sense that nobody cares. So, I help where I can. Getting there is neither of a short duration nor a cheap travel trip. I have tried many ways and the best and most expedient way is to fly Thai Airlines out of Los Angeles to Bangkok, Thailand.

This is a 16 to 18 hour flight. Once in Thailand, landing at 6:30 AM or so, the next day leaves you tired but glad to walk the ,long corridors of the airport and visit the shops and grab a bite to eat. For me on the way out, or in, I grab a McDonald’s hamburger as beef is not a staple in Nepal. After a 3 to 4 hour wait you fly for about 3 and a half hours into Kathmandu, Nepal, by Thai Air.

Another way is to fly out of either Los Angeles or San Francisco to home ports for whatever airline you choose. For example, on my last trip I flew Singapore Airlines so we stopped in Inchon/Seoul, Korea on our way to Singapore. In Korea we had a 2 hour layover after a 14 hour flight and then we were off again for another 6 hours into Singapore. Here I booked a room at the Ambassador Hotel which is inside the airport. Be sure to make reservations well ahead. Then in the morning we took off and flew another 6 hours into Kathmandu. Singapore service was excellent on board. This was a long flight. The one positive was the hotel where one could get a hot shower and about 6 hours of sleep. If you are younger the long flights and long layovers, 10 to 12 hours depending where you land, are handled more easily than for older travelers. Although a bit more Thai offers the ease of the flight, superior service and a quicker arrival time in Nepal.

Will I go again? Yes, as I am drawn there by good friends, beautiful scenery and the chance to help a little and give back to a few.

Indra Jatra Festival -2011

It is on this very day when one is able to observe numerous varieties of traditional dances. The festival is named after Lord Indra who is known as the god of rain and also as the king of heaven.The festival of Indra Jatra continues for eight days with much rejoicing, singing, dancing and feasting. People from all over Nepal, mostly those who live within the Kathmandu Valley, gather at the Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu. The first day of the festival is viewed by a large number of people.

On that day, a long wooden pole is erected in front of the ancient Royal Palace at Hanuman Dhoka, in order to propitiate Lord Indra, the”god of rain”. Classical dancers also assemble at the spot, wearing different kinds of traditional masks and costumes and dancing around the courtyard of Hanuman Dhoka to celebrate Indra’s visit. On the third day of the festival of Indra Jatra, the living goddess Kumari is taken out in a procession in a chariot. “Kumari”, the “living goddess”, is considered to be an incarnation of the goddess “Taleju”. Chariots of Kumari, Ganesha and Bhairav are taken around the city for three days. According to Hindu beliefs Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati who has a head of an elephant and Bhairav is another form of Lord Shiva himself.

Dashain commemorates a great victory of the gods over the wicked demons. One of the victory stories told is the Ramayan, where the lord Ram after a big struggle slaughtered Ravana, the fiendish king of demons. It is said that lord Ram was successful in the battle only when goddess Durga was evoked. The main celebration glorifies the triumph of good over evil and is symbolized by goddess Durga slaying the terrible demon Mahisasur, who terrorised the earth in the guise of a brutal water buffalo. The first nine days signify the nine days of ferrous battle between goddess Durga and the demon Mahisasur. The tenth day is the day when Mahisasur was slain and the last five days symbolise the celebration of the victory with the blessing of the goddess. Dashain is celebrated with great rejoice, and goddess Durga is worshiped throughout the kingdom as the divine mother goddess.

In preparation for Dashain every home is cleansed and beautifully decorated, painted as an invitation to the mother goddess, so that she may visit and bless the house with good fortune. During this time the reunion of distant and nearby relatives occur in every household. The market is filled with shoppers seeking new clothing, gifts, luxuries and enormous supplies of temple offering for the gods, as well as foodstuffs for the family feasting. Thousands of sheep, goats, ducks, chicken and water buffalo are prepared for the great slaughter. All types of organisations are closed for ten to fifteen days. Labourers are almost impossible to find; from the poor to the rich, all enjoy the festive mood. Anywhere you go the aroma of ‘Vijaya Dashami’ is found.