Namaste Nepal

My second day in Orchha was spent exploring the city palace, wandering around the markets, getting saris made, and participating in a cooking class. It was such a great day filled with so many cool moments. One of my favourites was playing music in the street with some locals. Soon after starting there was an audience of at least thirty gathered around. The whole thing happened so spontaneously, it’s something I won’t soon forget. The cooking class was also neat as we got to make some traditional dishes. Hoping to perfect my masala tea for when I get home.

That night our group caught an overnight train to Varanasi and arrived there mid afternoon the following day. We spent our time here visiting the place where Buddha did his first sermon as well as saw the tree he got enlightened under. We discovered how machine as well as hand made weaving was done and busted the Ganges. Unfortunately water levels were too high for us to go on the ghats, but it was a cool experience to see the river as well as witness a Hindu prayer ceremony.

Next stop, Nepal! Here we stopped in Lumbini and saw Buddha’s birthplace. The site was gorgeous, boasting lots of  greenery, prayer flags and turtle ponds. While there we walked around the site, spinning the prayer wheels and witnessed others burning incense and saying prayers. It was a surreal experience. I was even lucky enough to get blessed by a monk.

 

Afterwards we travelled to Chitwan to stay with the  Barauli community. This was definitely one of the highlights of the tour. The community was so welcoming and friendly. They treated us to a demonstration of some of their traditional dances and then we put on some makeshift saris and joined in. Two of the locals even took us on a trek through the bordering jungle, where we saw an elephant,  rhinos, peacocks, tiger tracks and deer. Our stay with this lovely community ended with a bike ride to the beach to watch the sunset. It was the perfect spot to rest up and recharge before we ventured back to the big city.

  

The following day we were on the bus travelling to Pokhara. Along the way we stopped at “The Sisterhood of Survivors”, another project which G Adventures supports. It helps women and girls who have been trafficked learn the skills they need to become paralegals. They also do cooking demonstrations for tourists in order to practice their English and bring in extra money. We were lucky enough to learn how to make momos (like dumplings). It was a fun afternoon with these brave ladies. They are doing amazing things to change their life and the lives of so many others in Nepal.

In Pokhara we had some free time to explore the city. I decided to go paragliding in order to get a different view of the city. This was a nerve wracking but great experience. Although, I could have done with a few less tricks at the end as my stomach didn’t feel the greatest afterwards haha.

 

  

Our last stop on this tour was Kathmandu. Here we visited the monkey temple as well as the largest stupa in the world. Kathmandu is where many people come to begin their trek to the base camp of Everest. So there was many more tourists wandering about in this area. The restaurants were more westernized as well. So although the food has been amazing and I have enjoyed trying all the different curries, it was great to have a familiar meal. Not sure when I will be able to again.

  

The final thing on my list to do before I left Nepal was to see Mount Everest. It did not disappoint. The Himalayas are absolutely breathtaking. I must admit however, that I was surprised that there are actually many other mountains around it that are almost just as high. I always pictured it as one on its own. Regardless, it was an experience I won’t soon forget.

  

India and Nepal were two countries that I had previously known very little about. I still feel like I have so much to learn as I have just scratched the surface of all the sites to explore. However unfortunately my time here is finished and I’m off again. Wishing you all a fantastic thanksgiving weekend. Have an extra slice of pumpkin pie for me!

See you in Vietnam!

~Ms.C