Kathmandu - a time of contrasts...

My time in Kathmandu was split into 3 periods - I arrived there in early April and spent a few days shopping for my Everest Trek but didn't really explore - I left that for when I returned...

The plan was to take it easy, rest my weary limbs and take in the atmosphere and buzz of this hectic city. Kathmandu used to be a little village at the end of the hippy trail - in the 70's it's where the Magic Bus stopped and the stoned occupants disembarked...!



Although it has grown massively Kathmandu still retains that vibe...especially around the wonderfully named Freak Street!

It also has more than it's fair share of wonderful temples several of which are World Heritage sights

Colourful Kathmandu

Ancient piece of wood which people nail coins into for good luck before going into the dentist !


Window display of a local dentist!!

Kathmandu would be an electician's nighmare!!

I'm guessing that their RHS membership has probably expired!!



Street Temple

Using toes as well as fingers to string up beads!

Cycle rickshaw driver takes a snooze...

Local Nepali headwear

Hugely decorative window...

Kathmandu is full of these courtyard temples...

Copydog!



Durbar Square...

Just the 4 degrees from 4 different countries...not that I'm skeptical :-)

Shy local kid

Hilarious advert for a playgroup!

Kathmandu from the big temple - you can see about 2 miles and then it's all smog!

Buddha eyes at the temple...

        
            Below...The temples of Patan - an ancient capital of Nepal

People like to socialise at the temples...

Trafficking of women is a huge problem in Nepal...

Temple bells - it is traditional to ring these during your visit to the temple

Guardians of the temple

So as you can see from the photos Kathmandu is a fascinating place to visit - on Saturday April 25th I had planned to visit Bhaktapur - an ancient capital of Nepal and World Heritage Site... 
When I woke the weather was cloudy for the first day in ages...not great for capturing the best photos... I'll stay at the hotel update my blog and maybe go tomorrow I thought.... It was a twist of fate that may have saved me...

Bhaktapur - where I had been planning to visit...

The moment the earthquake hit in Bhaktapur

The aftermath in Bhaktapur

 Later that morning just before 12 I felt a thumping on the wall of my room...a few seconds later the room began to violently shake...it was an earthquake! Get under the bed I thought to myself...but it was a bed that was blocked off... get under a table was my next though...too low! By this time the shaking had pretty much stopped. I looked outside - a few people were in the street but I could not see any damage It was only when I googled "Nepal Earthquake" that I realised the significance of what had just happened - a 7.9 magnitude quake had just hit...


Over the next day or so the damage caused by this disaster unfolded - to date nearly 9000 people have died including nearly 500 in the town I had planned to visit on the morning of the quake. Water and electricity supplies stopped and there were very few sources of food. It was time to head to the British Embassy - who were great about taking us in and providing us with a place to sleep  - feeding and watering us. The situation was becoming a little chaotic and the Embassy advised to leave Kathmandu as soon as possible. 

A natural instinct is to offer help but in Nepal it's easier said than done - the state of dis-organisation and lack of government disaster preparedness means that even if you wanted to help you couldn't. The best thing to do was to move to another less affected area of Nepal and not be a drain on the limited Embassy resources.

You had to walk past this building to get to the embassy - I was walking past it when the second earthquake occurred - luckily the bamboo scaffolding held!

Inside the British Embassy

Peaceful Everest Base Camp on the day I visited

10 days later and this was the scene as the earthquake triggered off a huge avalanche

The devastation after the avalanche...very sadly 19 people lost their lives

 A photograph I took in Patan on Friday the 24th -

The next day...


My visit to Durbar Square 2 days before the earrtquake

The square afterwards...

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As I left Kathmandu airport big transport planes carrying medical supplies were coming in... 

I left Nepal with a mix of emotions...the beautiful things I had seen, the amazing trek, the hospitable people but witnessing a natural disaster and the terrible effects it has on people's lives was a source of sadness. 
Visiting developing countries always leaves me appreciating the privilege we all have in UK - we truly are fortunate to live here... this time it was magnified - Nepal is a country with immense social and political problems - a disaster like this has a much greater impact than it would elsewhere in the world. It is thought that these events will cost $10 billion and set Nepal's economic development back 10 years...now that is a shock...

So the end of another great trip...lots of sun, lots of wonderful food, lots of great people and most importantly no British winter!!

Same time next year - and don't forget to Apaga La Tele Y Vive Tu Vida!! 
        

   

Amazing Annapurna

A bumpy slow ride took me to Pokhara about 200km west of Kathmandu. Pokhara is known as the second tourist city of Nepal - however it is tiny compared to Kathmandu. Most people come here to trek - the Annapurna trekking area is only a short bus ride from the town 

The terraced hillsides on the way up the trail...

The route up to ABC - Annapurna Base Camp

The scenery was not quite as spectacular as Everest - you start off at about 1000m above sea level and it takes a couple of days hiking to get into the mountains proper. 

The terraces are still ploughed by oxen...

The peaks come into view...

The area was extremely quiet compared to normal - a lot of trekkers had headed out of Nepal because of the earthquake and also there had been a lot of rain - it felt like I had the mountains to myself.

Ominous sign on the trail....

A glimpse through the clouds...

Beautiful Annapurna Valley

Langur monkey on the trail

Tea House - with obligatory stunning view...

 However the downside was that local business was affected - some of the teahouses I was staying in had not seen trekkers for 4 or 5 days

Like all treks in Nepal this one was not without it's risks - the Annapurna region is well known for avalanche risk  40 trekkers having lost their lives last October. 

 

Fortunately by the time I trekked the risk season was over - most of the avalanches had already happened (causing no problems to trekkers)

Old avalanche covering the trail

Another old avalanche on the valley floor

Annapurna is one of the highest mountains in the world at over 8000 metres but also one of the most deadly to climb. a third of all climber who attempt this summit don't return. Compare this to 2% on Everest...The area was littered with memorials to these climbers...

Memorial to a Korean climber although I can't agree with the opinion on the plaque - I would say if there's a 1% possibility turn back...

Memorial to famous Ukrainian climber Anatoly Boukreev who survived an Everest disaster only to die on Annapurna the next year...

Prayer flags at Annapurna Base Camp

At the top of the Annapurna Valley

Annapurna early morning

The Annapurna range from Poon Hill

 With not many fellow trekkers to stop and chat to it was all about the walking and I completed the trek in half the time it suggested in the Lonely Planet!

 

Once a bible for travelers it's reputation is much diminished these days - sites like TripAdvisor are much better for searching accommodation and restaurants but it is still useful for basic trip planning - of course no need to cram thick guides into your backpack anymore - ebooks have stopped all that nonsense !!      

At the end of the trek I got the bus back into Pokhara - the last few days here have been the laziest of my trip since I arrived in Bali - lazing around drinking beer, reading books and shopping for souvenirs...just like a normal tourist! :-)