We arrived in Nepal a couple of days ago - Kathmandu is a wild city! The sights, smells and sounds are all new to us and we have spent the last few days adjusting to our new environment. The weather during the daytime is quite pleasant and it has been pretty cold at night. We have mostly been cruising around the greater Thamel area of Kathmandu (which is the main tourist area) and have spent most of the days dodging Tiger Balm salesman, trekking salesman, hashish salesman, carpet salesman, and nearly every other type of salesman you can imagine! Oh yeah, we have also been busy dodging cars, motor bikes, mopeds, scooters, bicycles, and rickshaws. While the Hindu and Buddhist temples, shrines, and other sites are very interesting, we are pretty excited to get into the less congested parts of the country.
Tomorrow we are heading off to trek (hike) around the base of Annapurna, the sixth highest mountain in the world! Though this trek is nicknamed the "apple pie trail" because it sees so many tourists, it is nonetheless, said to be one of the best treks in terms of cultural diversity and scenic beauty. We'll surely let you all know if that proves to be true.
You probably won't hear from us for a couple of weeks, but hopefully we'll have some great photos and stories to share when we finish the trek (it will take us about 14 - 16 days).
Sending HUGE smiles from Nepal...
