One month in Nepal

We spent a month in Nepal traveling across the country from Central West all the way towards the East of the country. We had a nice time exploring the country, culture, and meeting people from all walks of life.


Nepal is officially called the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. Nepal has a population of about 26.4 million and is bordered by China and India. It is also within 50km from Bangladesh and Bhutan. The country is mainly located in the Himalayas and the official languages here are Nepali, Maithili & Bhojpuri, and English. But Hindi is also spoken widely by almost all Nepalis. Contrary to the popular belief, the major religion of Nepal is Hinduism not Buddhism with approximately 82% of the population following Hinduism.  Nepal is home to 8 of the top 10 highest mountain peaks in the world, including Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga, and the Annapurna ranges. The flag of Nepal is the only flag of the world that is not rectangular in shape.

Our month in Nepal was a lot about interacting with locals and traveling across the country. We arrived in Kathmandu by flight and took a one month visa-on-arrival at the airport. We first stayed for five days in the suburban area of Kathmandu where there was very little tourism and it gave us a chance to interact with locals and see the life of locals. This was also our first exposure to the cuisine of Nepal. The small stalls in the area sold MoMos, which are steamed dumplings filled with vegetables or buffalo meet (no cow meat). The other unique dish we found in this area is called Thukpa, which is a noodle soup with meat and/or vegetables. The other dishes that were sold everywhere in the town were fried noddles, and rice plate (Thali) with vegetables and/or meat. Wherever meat was served, it was either chicken, fish, or buffalo meat. Cow meat was not sold anywhere we visited in Nepal. Most of the people we met spoke Nepali and Hindi, and many were also able to understand and speak English. As Sam speaks Hindi, we were able to communicate in Hindi and English and we had no difficulty interacting with people around the country during our stay there.

During our stay in Kathmandu, we visited just a few touristy places and we spent most of our time on the streets walking and exploring the neighbourhoods. Unfortunately most of the tourist places are now charging a high fee for foreigners but it is free for Nepali and Indian citizens. So we visited only the free ones but not the ones where we had to pay high entrance fees. We spent some time at the Boudha Stupa, Kathmandu Square, walked through Thamel, and walked to the Pashupatinath Temple. Exploring the streets of Kathmandu was fun. After a few days in Kathmandu, we went to a nearby town called Nagarkot from where it was believed that one could see the Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks. We took a local bus to get there. The road was rocky, shaky with a lot of animals on-board. But we finally reached there after a few hours. It was a rainy day, so the sky was very cloudy. We didn't get to see the Himalayan peaks but the views were amazing. We spent most of the day in the mountains hiking to the nearby viewpoint and returned to Kathmandu in the evening. While we were in a park in Kathmandu we got to see a movie shoot of a Nepali movie. It was fun to sit and watch the takes and retakes of a single scene :)

Kathi and Nora watching Thukpa being made at a local eatery

Nora praying at a stupa near Boudha Stupa

Nora watching pigeons in front of the Boudha Stupa

Actors dancing in-front of the camera for a Nepali movie shoot

Kathi and Nora taking a stroll in Kathmandu Square

Passengers on a bus to Nagarkot from Kathmandu

Kathi and Nora climbing up the ladder to reach the top of Nagarkot tower

Kathi and Nora looking towards the Himalayan ranges (not visible) from Nagarkot Tower

View of Nagarkot village on our hike back from Nagarkot Tower

Sam and Nora playing with rainwater in Nagarkot while waiting for the next bus to Kathmandu

From Kathmandu we took a bus to the central part of Nepal to a town called Pokhara. It was about an 8 hour ride. Pokhara was a beautiful lake side town close to the Annapurna Himalayan ranges that were visible from the town. We spent two weeks here. In Pokhara we spent a lot of time next to the Phewa Lake, and some mornings we went there with our breakfast and had it there watching the water, mountains, and boats. Boat ride in the lake was fun and Nora enjoyed the lake and water a lot. We also took a boat ride and hiked a nearby peak where there was a World Peace Stupa, a place dedicated for world peace. The hike was wonderful with views of high rise snow covered mountains of Himalayan ranges. Another highlight of our stay was going to the nearby mountain peak town of Sarangkot. From there the Annapurna mountain range (8091m) was visible up-close. We went up to the hill with a local bus and hiked up to the town for an hour or so. The views were spectacular. While we were there we found out that we could spend a night there and watch the sunrise above the snow covered mountains, we couldn't let go of this opportunity. We came back to Sarangkot again after a few days and stayed there overnight. It rained crazy all night, and early in the morning, we went to the viewpoint before sunrise and watched the beautiful sunrise above the snow-covered Annapurna mountain range. It was one of the most beautiful things we've seen. We still get excited when we think of our time in Sarangkot.

Sarojini Rao, from whom we rented the house in the village in Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad, wanted to travel with us for some time. She was in her late 70s. She joined us in Pokhara for a week. We spent the second part of our stay in Pokhara with her and she traveled with us until we left Nepal. After she arrived, we showed her a bit of Pokhara, spent time near the Phewa Lake and traveled one more time to Sarangkot to see the Annapurna mountain range. It was as beautiful as it was before.

Nora sitting next to Phewa Lake in Pokhara

A local artist making a hammock in Pokhara

Kathi and Nora walking on the streets of Pokhara

Kathi and Nora on our boat ride to the World Peace Stupa

Paragliders flying towards Pokhara from Sarangkot with the Fishtail peak (6993m) in the background 

Kathi and Nora taking a break from the hike to world peace stupa and looking at the Annapurna mountain range

Sam and Nora looking at the Annapurna mountain range from World Peace Stupa

Sam and Nora looking at the Paragliders taking off from Sarangkot towards Pokhara

Nora and Kathi looking at Pokhara, Phewa Lake, and nearby towns from a viewpoint on the hike to Sarangkot village

View of Pokhara from Sarangkot at night

Kathi, Nora, Sam, and Nina (in Kathi's belly) in-front of the Annapurna mountain range in Sarangkot

After our wonderful time in Pokhara, we went back to Kathmandu and stayed in Thamel. During this time we visited for the second time a beautiful park called "The Garden of Dreams." This was a European styled park with a lot of art, water, greenery that was beautiful to watch and spend a few hours.

Kathi and Nora (on a tree) in the Garden of Dreams in Kathmandu

Nora having a fun time in the Garden of Dreams in Kathmandu

From Kathmandu we looked up the options to enter India by road. We couldn't find any private buses that were going to India as it was off-season. So, we had to try out the non-touristy public transportation options. We found a bus that left in the evening and reached a town called Dharan next to the Indian border next day morning. It was an overnight trip by bus through the curvy mountains with a lot of twists and turns. We just took the big step and booked that bus. It was one of the hardest journeys we did in a very long time. The road was very bumpy so the entire bus was shaking making our entire bodies shake as well. As Kathi was pregnant she had to hold on to the bus so she doesn't feel any big jerky moves on her belly. Finally the night ended and we all arrived in one piece in the town of Dharan. We walked around the town and found a place to stay for few days. While we were there we found some local dishes to try and visited a nearby Budhasubba temple and Namaste waterfalls. Dharan was a small town mostly serving the tourists crossing between India and Nepal. As it was non-touristy season, we had a calm time not bothered by taxi drivers and tour guides.

Local folk singers performing in-front of the Budhasubba temple near Dharan

Kathi touching the sacred threads tied by visitors of the Budhasubba temple near Dharan

Kathi, Sarojini Rao, and Nora walking from Panchakanya temple near Dharan

Kathi, Nora, and Sarojini Rao sitting with local shopkeepers in a small village near Dharan

Kathi and Nora enjoying the freezing water at the Namaste waterfall near Dharan

Kathi and Nora looking at the Namaste waterfall near Dharan

After two days in Dharan we took a local bus to India. The border was just about 1 1/2 hour from Dharan. We arrived at the border and we decided to cross the border on foot. It was a wonderful experience to cross the border between two countries by foot. We did the same in the past between Cambodia and Vietnam. Finally we arrived in India after a month in Nepal and took a local bus and headed to the nearby town in India called Siliguri in the state of West Bengal.

Our time in Nepal was wonderful. We would love to visit this country again and most probably we will come back again here, especially to relinquish our time in Pokhara and Sarangkot.

If you are thinking of traveling to Nepal, here are a few things that might be helpful for you to keep in mind -

• The bus journeys in Nepal are very long due to mountainous terrain. The distance on the map has nothing to do with the amount of time it takes to get to your destination. Check the arrival time with the bus agency before you book the tickets. 
• It is a common sight, especially in the villages to see dead bodies being carried around to the cremation grounds. 
• The entrance ticket prices are different for Nepali citizens, SAARC citizens, and citizens of other countries. Check the prices before you decide to visit touristy places. 
• Tourist and long distance bus prices are also different for locals and for foreigners. 
• Flights are cheap within Nepal but the cheap prices are valid only for Nepali citizens. Others have to pay a higher price. So check on the airlines website for the exact price for foreigners. 
• As the flights within Nepal have small cargo space, they won't be able to carry big backpacks and suitcases. So you have to plan accordingly. 
• Smoking is very common across the country and there is no separation of smoking and non-smoking areas. So, if you are a non-smoker you have to find ways to protect yourselves from the cigarette smoke. 
• There is no Visa fee for Indians but other nationals can get visa on arrival for varying durations for a fee. 
• You can find lot of India dishes in Nepal and the sweets here are also very similar to Indians sweets. 
• Find small shops to eat in Kathmandu. The prices will be cheap and the food they make is fresh and upon order. 
• People in Nepal are very friendly and calm. You will enjoy your time in Nepal.