Nepal Trip 2007

Last Post from Nepal

2007-12-30T21:09:00.000-05:00

Namaste Friends and Family,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! We wish you all a happy and healthy start to 2008. We are spending our last few days visiting friends and family in Kathmandu and throwing a New Year's party at the house. Though we are sad to leave Nepal, we are extremely excited to arrive in San Francisco and start this new chapter of our lives. We hope to speak to all of you soon. Thanks for checking out the blog while we were away. We enjoyed creating this collection of memories from our travels.
Enjoy your new year's celebrations.
With Love, Sudhir & Rachel

India Photos!

2007-12-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

We never did manage to get a perfect photo of us at the Taj Mahal, but this one will do. We spent more than 4 hours there in complete awe of the immense beauty of this architectural masterpiece. It certainly lived up to its reputation!

Bahai Temple (Delhi). Bahai Faith was founded almost century and a half ago in Persia. The essential message of the founder Baha'u'lla'h is to emphasize the spiritual unity of humankind. The religion welcomes people of all beliefs and backgrounds into its temple. It is incredibly serene inside.

Humanyun's tomb(Delhi). The Tomb was built by Emperor Humayun's widow in 1562 in his memory.

Humanyun's tomb.

Jaisalmer Fort stands out on the scrubby plains of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan (western India).
Intricate stone carvings of the Jain Temples in the Jaisalmer Fort.

Havelis were the homes of the the prominent business men and wealthy families in India. They are extraordinarily ornate, every inch is covered with intricate stone carvings.

We were lucky enough to meet a kind soul named Badal who runs a bed and breakfast in Khuri, a village on the edge of the Thar Desert dunes west of Jaisalmer. His son (the boy with the huge smile in the middle) took us on a camel ride at sunset in the dunes. Badal and his son were without a doubt the kindest and most genuine people that we met on the entire trip in India.Rachel was overjoyed to take a break from her camel's back and watch the sun set behind the dunes. When the camel is standing, he is over 12 feet high off the ground and he doesn't care too much about the passenger's safety or security on his back. Rachel's camel had a knack for kicking up his hind legs and sending her heart racing and her hands grasping for the saddle. We are not sure what was louder, the camels snuffs, snarls, and sneezes, or Rachel's yelps and gasps heard in the desert dunes! Sudhir's camel had a thing for jogging, which Sudhir didn't seem to mind, but his backside paid the price- camels aren't the most comfortable creatures on earth!

We returned to the dunes to watch a glorious sunrise, then headed back to Jaisalmer to catch the night train to get to Pushkar. One of the funniest moments of our four months' trip was our departure from the train at Phulera Station. We boarded the train at 4 PM in Jaisalmer, set up our "bunks" with sleeping bags, books, snacks, etc. and relaxed for the next 10 hours. The train had departed an hour late and we were originally supposed to disembark at Phulera at 4 AM. At 2:30 AM, Rachel got up to visit to the unsavory train bathroom and noticed that according to the schedule, the train was now running and hour and a half late. She settled back into her bunk and went back to sleep thinking that we had at least 2 hours before our stop. Sudhir woke at 4 AM when the train slowed down to make a stop. He casually strolled to the bathroom and happened to peak out the train door to check the station stop. He knew it wouldn't possibly be Phulera because the train was running one and a half hours late, but when he peered at the tiny sign in his half-sleep, he noticed the word started, p-h-u... Sudhir came running back to the bunk and shouted to Rachel to wake up and get off the train. Trains make barely a 5 minute stop at small stations, so we knew we had a maximum of 2 minutes left before the train took off again. OK, waking up and getting packed is easier said than done at 4 AM in the pitch dark in a tiny cramped train bunk space shared with two other people and their belongings. Sudhir fumbled with the bag locks, Rachel busied herself grabbing everything and anything that looked remotely familiar, and we both literally ran off the train seconds before it started to chug away. So, this is when the scene gets even funnier. We are now standing on the empty platform of a tiny train station in the middle of nowhere in India at 4 AM with all of our belongings in our arms. Characters began to emerge from the dark to witness the tiny cloud of chaos that had disembarked from the train. We assessed the situation, with anxiety gripping us with fears that we had left anything important behind. So, here's the list. Rachel was carrying in her arms no less than an open sleeping bag, carry bag, fleece, blanket, sneakers, ipod, water bottle, hiking backpack, and a plastic bag with bananas and crackers. Sudhir had been a bit more prepared for the departure, so he was disheveled, but much more together than Rachel. In any event, amazingly we made it off the train without leaving a single thing behind and we caught the next train to take us to Ajmer and on to Pushkar.

We rented a motorbike for a day and explored the Shiva temples in the desert hills on the outskirts of Pushkar. We had so much fun bumping along the road and skidding on the sand paths!

Pushkar is considered one of the holiest places in India according to the Hindu religion. People believe that Brahma, the creator of the world, carved this lake out of the earth. It is a gorgeous and peaceful town where we stayed for 2 nights.

We enjoyed a serenade at sunset by this musician. He was kind enough to let Sudhir have a try on his Chikara, stringed instrument that he plays with a bow with tiny bells attached.Jaipur is called the Pink City. The walls surrounding the city and many of the prominent buildings are pink! This is Hawa Mahal, a lookout over the city built by the Maharaj for his numerous queens.

Our auto-rickshaw weaved through the Jaipur traffic behind these giggly children on their way to school. View of Amber Fort on the hill above Jaipur.

The Taj Mahal.
Reflection pools .The Main Gate to the Taj Mahal.

After arriving in Kovalam, Kerala at midnight in the dark, we were blown away the next morning by the beauty of this little oasis. The crystal clear blue water, classic lighthouse, and coconut and banana trees created the perfect backdrop for a relaxing few days. Our first morning we were lucky enough to witness these local fisherman pulling in their enormous nets. It took a crew of about 30 men and two hours to pull in the nets. When the net gets closer to shore, a line of men stand in the water, splashing their arms and shouting to scare the fish into swimming back up into the net. The whole process was unbelievable and beautiful. The men sing the whole time they are working.
On this particular day, the fishermen caught thousands of fish in the net. They take it from the net in buckets and dump it into their wooden boat to divide amongst themselves and sell.

At sunset, the fishermen again gather on the shore to prepare their nets to drop at night.

Varkala beach was our next stop, only two hours north of Kovalam. It is set on a cliff top with restaurants and cafes galore overlooking the beach. We spent one relaxing night there and had a delicious fish tikka dinner cooked in a tandoor oven.
Our next stop was Alleppey, a small town on the edge of the famous Kerala backwaters. Hundreds of kilometers of inland water canals link villages and towns along the coast of Kerala. We spent three hours one afternoon exploring the backwaters in a traditional wooden canoe with a local man. It is incredible to see streets of water. We even saw children coming home from school in a boat!
Houseboats are a popular option for locals and tourists who want to live on the water.
This was one of the small canals winding its way through a village.
Our last stop in India was Fort Cochin, a small town with a long history of foreign occupants. The Dutch and Portuguese influence can be seen in the many churches and the mismatched architecture. These nets were built during the period of Kublai Khan's influence in India. It is a Chinese cantilevered fishing net based on simple pulley and lever physics principles. There are about 10 of these enormous nets in a row along the waterfront and the fishermen work in teams to lower and raise the nets continually during high tide.

On our last night in Kerala, we went to a traditional Kathakali performance. The men spend over an hour applying their make-up and getting into character in front of the audience, then emerge onto the stage in bright costumes. The performance is comprised of dancing, drumming, and sign language between the characters. The performers tell a story of the Hindu gods and it is VERY dramatic. On this particular night, the script was about a demon female trying to lure a beautiful prince from heaven. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The short one hour flight from Delhi to Kathmandu delighted us with views of the Himalayas.

India was an unforgettable experience!

2007-12-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks- We are back in Kathmandu after a fantastic trip in India. We endured the busy streets of Delhi, rode on camels in the desert at sunset, explored Rajastani forts, shopped in the amazing markets of Jaipur, were awed by the immense beauty of the Taj Mahal, bodysurfed in the clear blue waves of Kovalam, lazed in a canoe on the backwater canals of Alleppey, ate delicious seafood caught in the Chinese cantilevered fishing nets in Fort Cochin, and experienced a traditional Kathakali performance. We had so many diverse experiences and interesting snapshots of India. We hope someday to return to explore the vast country more. We will post photos in the next couple of days. Wishing you all happy holidays and healthy new year from Kathmandu! Love Rachel & Sudhir

The Last Group of Annapurna Circuit Shots

2007-11-22T21:10:00.000-05:00

This group of photos picks up in Muktinath, after our descent from Thorung La. The landscape was drastically different on this side of the mountains. It resembled a desert canyon scene, dry and scrubby, with little visible life.
After our incredibly long day of crossing the pass (we were up at 3:30 AM), we arrived in Muktinath around 3 pm, took HOT showers, ate momos and slowly hobbled up to Muktinath temple. The temple is a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists from around the world. This temple and village attracts many national and international tourists. It is not difficult to understand why it is considered a holy place. The temple sits up on a hill, peering out into the wide expanse with mountains circling at 360 degrees. We were fortunate to be there at sunset. Not only were we the only people at the temple, but the mountains were lit up from behind with the setting sun yielding a silhouette view that was magnificent. Visiting the temple was indeed a spiritual experience to end an incredible day for us. The trek in the days building up to the pass challenged our minds and bodies more so than ever before, both with the physical strain of the trail and the worries about altitude sickness. Standing at the temple at sunset on weary legs, we both felt such a sense of fulfillment in our hearts. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to do this trek together.

Prayer flags and old chortens.

Sudhir was fascinated by these balanced rocks. Look closely and you'll see the dark silhouette of a mountain in the background.

View of Jharkot Village across from Muktinath.

The zig-zag etched into the side of this cliff is actually a long, arduous trail (that we did not attempt) that takes travelers to the Upper Mustang region. Upper Mustang is a very old region of Nepal that borders Tibet. The traditional villages have a strong Tibetan influence and a lot of trade is done between these villagers and Tibetans. The Upper Mustang area is carefully protected by laws that require foreigners to pay USD $700 for a permit to visit for any period of time. Though we cringe at the thought of paying so much to visit, we are pleased to know that the traditional cultural and lifestyle are being preserved. Some of you may have seen the movie Himalaya by a famous French photographer that documents the Dolpo area of Upper Mustang. We hope someday to make a trip back to explore this region! Anyone interested in joining us?

Desert-like surroundings on the trail between Muktinath and Kagbeni.

This is a "famous" little place in Kagbeni that attracts "McDonald's" fans by calling themselves "YacDonald's." Beef is rarely served in Nepal, but yak and buffalo are meatlovers' favorites.

View of the old settlement of Kagbeni, right on the edge of the Kali Gandaki river and Mustang region. We visited a temple and several stupas that were built in the 1600's and are still well-preserved today with thankas, murals, and Buddha statues that are beautiful.

View up the Kali Gandaki river into the Mustang region.

Our trek from Kagbeni to Marpha was exhilarating with howling, gale-force winds whipping up the river. We were forewarned not to try to trek after noon because the winds come up strong every day, but we wanted to spend the night further along the trail. We were completely bundled up and still managed to get sand between our teeth and in every crack and crevice. Though we followed the flat riverbed for much of the trail, at one point we went up the side of a cliff and on our way down the steep trail, the wind was so strong that we could balance leaning into the wind with no effort!

Many strange rock formations delighted us along the way. Geologists from all over the world come to this region to study the rock mysteries.

The wind can be seen in the distance whipping up sand storms along the dry riverbed.

Sun setting over the mountains behind us as we rounded the corner to Marpha.

Sudhir "conquered" this rock on our way from Marpha to Lete.

A common sight on the trail were caravans of ponies carrying goods (salt, groceries, hotel supplies) from village to village. When we saw them in the distance, we always looked for a safe place to stand. The ponies often push through with no idea of space between them and an innocent trekker. We had a couple of intimate encounters with ponies when we were on narrow cliff paths!

Annapurna I (26,493 feet). Mountaineers acknowledge that this is the most dangerous of all "Eight Thousanders," mountains with a height over 8,000 meters. Actually, 40% of those attempting to summit Annapurna I have died ( compared to a 15% average of people summiting other Eight- Thousanders) and only about a third of the attempts have been successful. Maurice Herzog, with his French team and Nepali sherpas, summited the peak in May 1950 making it the first mountain above 8,000 meters to be summited in the world.

View of the Dhaulagiri Icefall from Lete. This was the mountain that Herzog and his team had originally planned to summit, but upon arrival and surveillance, they realized that it would not be possible and they went for Annapurna instead.

Sunrise behind Annapurna I

On the trail from Lete to Tatopani.

Swings are built all over Nepal for the festival of Dashain. These kids were swinging on a cliff edge next to a deep gorge!

A landslide consumed the trail on the top righthand side, which has now been replaced by a lower trail that can be seen on the lefthand side of the photo. Landslides were common along the trek and we never did manage to get used to walking on a narrow rocky path, with loose boulders looming over our heads and steep drops to the river down below.

On our way to Tatopani, we came across this caravan of sheep that were traveling from Tibet.

Buffalo relaxing in the warm afternoon sunshine.

The trek from Tatopani to Ghorepani was ridiculously arduous. We literally trekked up hill for 7 hours straight, gaining 1,560 meters in one day! We were absolutely exhausted by the time we reached Ghorepani. Unfortunately, we had our first morning of fog and clouds in Ghorepani and missed the supposedly spectacular view of the Himalayas from Poon Hill.

The last day of the trek lead us through gorgeous old forests, thick with moss, vines, and lush vegetation. Though it was our last day, it was a very long one. We hiked 11 miles, including one stretch that consisted of 3,421 rough stone steps down hill! We made it back to NayaPul just as it began to rain (the first time on our whole trek!). We shared a taxi back to Pohkara with our newfound friends, Catherine and Gregory. Unfortunately, just when we thought we could relax, we ended up on a hair-raising ride through the rain on dark, slippery roads in a taxi with no windshield wipers, no headlights, and a maniacal driver who thought he was competing in a race against time. Just as we arrived in Pokhara, the suspension shocks on the car broke and we screeched to a halt on the pavement. We were exceedingly happy to catch another, safer taxi the rest of the way to Pokhara, where we were met with the next challenge- to find a hotel in rain, in the dark, in an area of town with a power outage. It was not easy to do given the circumstances (and after having hiked 11 miles and suffered an insane 2 hour taxi ride)!

Phewa tal (lake) in Pokhara

Finally resting! It was sheer pleasure relaxing by lakeside in Pokhara and enjoying a good meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed our two nights in Pokhara with Catherine and Gregory(and fine steaks, ice cream, and cold beer). They are a lovely couple from France whom we hiked with for several sections of the trek .

THAT'S ALL FOR OUR ANNAPURNA ADVENTURE. STAY TUNED FOR PHOTOS AND STORIES FROM INDIA. WE ARE OFF TO DELHI THIS MORNING AND WILL NOT POST AGAIN UNTIL WE RETURN IN MID-DECEMBER. LOVE SUDHIR AND RACHEL

Second Set of Photos from Annapurna

2007-11-16T20:53:00.001-05:00

Hi Folks-
We are working our way through our photos, so here is the next installment. Sudhir's brother borrowed a slideshow projector from his friend, and we've been hosting photo viewings with friends and family to share our experiences. Some of the photos look fantastic on the big screen!
This group covers our favorite parts of the trek from Upper Pisang to Manang, Letdar, and then the climax of our (sleepless) night stay in Thorung High Camp (4,860 meters/ 15,940 feet) and over the ThorungLa Pass. During this portion of the trek, we climbed elevation steadily each day from Upper Pisang at 3,305 meters to 5,416 meters (17,768 feet) at the ThorungLa pass. At the top of the pass, we were 1,998 feet higher than Mont Blanc, the highest alpine summit in the world, and we were just short of Mt. McKinley's summit, North America's highest peak!
Enjoy the photos and remember that you can click on the photo to see it in a larger version which looks much better. Love, Rachel & Sudhir

These photos pick up where we left off with the first set. The first four photos are views from our favorite trek from Upper Pisang to Manang. The far-reaching mountain views were absolutely breathtaking!!

Stone chortens mark the trail.
The landscape changed remarkably as we joined the lower route to Manang after our descent from Ngawal on the upper route. It became barren, dry, and treeless. The hills looked like sand castles with loose sand and rocks crumbling from the sides.
Braga is an old settlement built into the side of the mountain just before Manang.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day hike on our extra day in Manang. We stayed in Manang for 2 nights to acclimatize before moving steadily into higher altitudes. The day hike took us up to 3,900 meters. It is said that one should "climb high and sleep low" in order to assure proper acclimatization. We were very lucky along the way and did not suffer from AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) symptoms. AMS is something to be taken quite seriously on the trip. Many people suffer from mild symptoms, such as headache, nausea, or insomnia. However, it can rapidly progress to a severe and life threatening condition. It is essential to stay focused on one's body symptoms and health every step of the way. Sadly, we know of one woman who was helicoptered out of Manang because of the apparent onset of brain edema. Needless to say, we took AMS very seriously and constantly checked in with each other to make sure that we were healthy.
Gangapurna Glacier Lake stood out with its brilliant turquoise color against the dry, treeless landscape around Manang.
Gangapurna Glacier is flowing down the moutain (seen behind Rachel's shoulder).

Beautiful horses greeted us just below Manang.Rachel was in love with this gray yak. He seemed so fuzzy after his new sheering. Luckily, Sudhir was there to talk some sense into her and stop her from giving him a hug!
Two porters carrying their loads for a group that was "camping" along the trek. Though each village along the way had plenty of lodging and food available, some organized trekking groups would camp next to the lodges. It sounds romantic, but it infuriated us. The idea of wealthy trekkers paying porters to carry tents, stoves, gas, food, clothing, pots, pans, lawn chairs, etc. just so people can say that they "camped" along the way is ridiculous. It important to acknowledge that the trekkers in these groups carried nothing more than a water bottle and an extra jacket for themselves as they walked the trail.
As we trekked from Manang to Letdar, we crossed paths yet again with two seasoned German trekkers and spent the day (and night) with them. The woman has visited Nepal for the past 15 years, every year for 5 months. Not only is she fluent in Nepali, but she has trekked Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp many many times. On this section of the trail, we were following them when the trail split. Sudhir followed down onto the riverbed, over a small wooden bridge, and up a very steep riverside hill. Rachel was lagging behind them and chose the easier route- across the new suspension bridge from hill to hill with no major climb. Sudhir took this picture from the riverbed when he realized that Rachel had taken the shorter, easier route. Ha ha!
Rachel enjoyed several warm cups of "lemon tea" in Letdar. This was our first really cold night and it had been a relatively short trek to reach here, so we had the afternoon and evening hours to pass. We were lucky to witness a sighting of blue mountain sheep roaming across the hillside behind us. They are an endangered animal and it is rare to see a herd in the wild. Chulu West Peak (21,059 feet) is in the background.
View from our lodge. Letdar consists only of 3 lodges along the trail, it is not a proper settlement.
Sunrays setting on Chulu West. It was a bitter cold night and we cursed each time we had to leave the room to go to the outdoor toilet, but the blanket of stars that greeted us was absolutely magnificent.
Moon setting over the Chulu Central Range. The contrasting colors were brilliant.

The climb from Thorung Phedi to High Camp took about an hour and was extremely strenuous. We climbed from 4,430 m (14,530 feet) to 4,850 (15,940) in one stretch. It felt pathetic to be taking 10 slow steps and then stopping to catch one's breath, but the views were worth the effort and made the stops supremely enjoyable.
This view is of the Annapurna Mountains and Chulu West Peak on the left. We arrived at High Camp by 11 AM to secure a room for the night (there is only one lodge). We were worried that we would hike all the way up there and find out that the rooms were full. Groups heading to High Camp would send a porter or guide ahead to book their rooms, where as we needed to get there early to do it for ourselves. In fact, there were only 5 rooms left when we arrived. After eating and taking a nap, we hiked up to a lookout above High Camp. It felt like the mountains were in "surround-sound", 360 degrees of unfathomable magnificence!!
This is our favorite picture from the entire trip!! Purkung Himal Range in all of its brilliance!

Yep, we were pretty psyched at this point in the trip!!! Can you imagine the awe and beauty?
View from our doorway at Thorung High Camp Hotel. We were not able to sleep well because of the altitude, but this was our favorite night stop on the entire trek. The views were magnificent in all directions. The beauty of staying a night at High Camp was bittersweet, in that we also had a fair amount of anxiety about the potential onset of AMS symptoms and our ascent to ThorungLa Pass the following day. Every year on average 2 trekkers die crossing ThorungLa. In fact, the night that we spent at Thorung High Camp, one trekker died from AMS and another young woman died in Muktinath after completing the ThorungLa Pass. Apparently, her brain and body had not reacclimatized yet and she died in her sleep after celebrating the achievement with her friends. Though we were confident in ourselves and we were both feeling healthy, the seriousness of trekking at such high altitudes was clear to us.
We were anxiously awaiting the sun to peak over the range and warm our bodies. Though some people start the trek over ThorungLa at 3 AM to ensure reaching the pass before the wind rages (around 10 AM), we decided on a more godly hour of 5:30 AM. Unfortunately, the first stretch of the trek from High Camp was hair-raising in the dark. We wore head lamps and walked in line to ensure we stayed on the foot-wide, icy path that wound around the cliff and climbed steadily. One slip would mean a fall down a snowy slope with not much in the way to stop the slide. Though we were trying to focus on our breathing to power us through , we found ourselves holding our breath due to the anxiety of the challenging trail. We were thankful when we came to more solid ground and the sun rose high above the range to light the path. View of the teahouse at 16,800 feet, about halfway from Thorung High Camp to the pass. We decided to trek onwards and upwards, rather than stopping for tea. At this point, we didn't think tea would help us much. Sheer energy had to come from chocolate, glucose water, and inspiration! It was so cold, though, that our water was freezing inside of our camelbak tube and nalgene bottles. We saw one man drool water into his beard as he sipped, and the water instantly froze into ice!
Sudhir managed to smile after nursing a bar of chocolate, a glucose drink, and some energy candies. The effect of altitude and the harsh cold took its tole on our bodies after a while. We were exhausted after taking few short steps and had to take deep breaths to maintain our energy. It was impossible to drink, eat, or speak at the same time as walking. Rachel's mantra was to breathe and step at the same pace. At lower altitudes, this would be hyperventilating and you would soon pass out, but up there, this was barely enough oxygen.
We made it to the top of the pass after 3 1/2 hours of huffing and puffing with small steps and many breaks! It was incredibly bright (being that we were that much closer to the sun!) and the snow was blinding, so we squinted in every photo. We only stayed for 10 short minutes, as it was freezing and we had a formidable task ahead of us to climb 4 hours steeply downhill to reach Muktinath.
View of Dhaulagiri Range on the other side of ThorungLa pass through prayer flags.
Thorung Peak (20,344 feet) looks less than impressive here, as it is a bit of a mound on top. It was gorgeous to see the crisp blue sky contrasted with the gleaming white snow. Our eyes were blinded without sunglasses.

Sudhir peered out into the wide expanse before him. A porter (crouching behind the suitcase) took a second to catch his breath and appreciate the view next to Sudhir. It was absolutely incredible to see porters bearing unbelievable weights on their backs at this altitude. We were wearing almost every piece of clothing in our bags and they still felt extremely heavy on our backs!
The trail to Muktinath required an extremely strenuous descent that took 4 1/2 hours. As we began the trek down, our heads started to pound a bit from the sudden changes in altitude. Rachel's knees barely made it through this part of the journey. She shed a few tears and many complaints as we trekked downwards on steep, narrow paths and descended 1,716 meters. Sudhir not only put up with the strain of the trek, but he was a trooper with his wife, who had a very difficult time with this part of the trek due to her joints malfunctioning!

That's it for the second installment. We will download the last group of photos in the next few days. Hope you are enjoying! -R&S

First Set of Photos...

2007-11-10T10:35:00.001-05:00

We hopped off the local bus in Besisahar (820 m) and trekked 2 short hours to our first night stop in BhuleBhule. This was one of the many beautiful waterfalls along the way between BhuleBhule (840 m) and Ngadi (890 m) on the following day. Oh, and that's Sudhir smiling, too! We were happy to finally be out on the trail.

This was our first view of the snow-capped mountains. It would be eight days before we were actually trekking up and over the snow-covered mountains. For the first couple of days, we were trekking in hot weather up and over hills covered in lush green vegetation and rice paddies.

The Marsyangdi River was our guide for the first half of the trip. We followed it upstream as it transformed from a calm, relaxed river into a rushing, roaring river at the bottom of a deep, ridged canyon. We finally reached its source on the way to Thorung Phedi a week later.

This was our first truly laborious hill climb before lunch in Bahundanda (1310 m). It was a preview for a gain of thousands of feet in elevation during the course of our trek. We started at 820 meters in Besisahar and climaxed at 5416 meters at the Thorung La pass a week later. Our legs and lungs were in shape by the end!

A distant view of one of the many suspension bridges that we crossed along the way. This bridge took us from Ghermu (1130 m) to Syange and then we walked for 2 hours more to a village perched on the river gorge edge called Jagat (1300 m). We were getting anxious as the sun was setting and our destination was not yet in sight when we crossed paths with a local villager. When Sudhir asked him in Nepali how far we were from Jagat, he pointed to a small puffy cloud perched next to a steep hill in the distance and said the village was just beyond that cloud. Gee, thanks!
This is the dramatic view from our porch outside our lodge room in Jagat just after sunrise. The trek on this day took us from Jagat (1300 m) to Bagarchap (2160 m). It was a very long trek of almost 17 kilometers along hair-raising cliff paths. Many of the paths zig-zag back and forth up the hills overhanging the gorge and they are barely narrow enough to pass other walkers, much less ponies carrying goods. We always opted to hug the mountain, rather than risk the fall when passing!
Sun rays striking the steep gorge and lush vegetation. The Marsyangdi River winds far below.

Tal (1700 m) lays lazily on the wide river bed. We had a delicious dhal bhat lunch on the roof of a restaurant here and put on our wool hats and fleeces for the first time on the trip so far.

Trekking onward from Tal to Bagarchap, we actually walked on the riverbed for a while and then crossed over a suspension bridge and climbed a steep, rocky ledge path for the afternoon.

After our night halt in Bagarchap, we walked through landslide areas up from Danaqyu (2200 m) to Chame (2710 m). After an hour of steep climbing and picking our steps carefully through the landslide, we came upon this "safe" cliff walk with a view of gorgeous Mt. Manaslu(8163 m), the planet's eight highest peak.
Morning sun hitting the mountain near Timang ( 2590 m). Timang is tiny village of 14 houses nestled in a valley right under the mountains with spectacular views of Mt. Manaslu and Lamjung Himal. We were so fascinated with Timang that Sudhir was compelled to ask for the land price from one of the hotel owners. Hmmm...maybe a cottage in the mountains someday???

Background of Mt. Manaslu. A new road is being constructed in the foothills along the Marsyangdi River, with the ultimate goal of connecting Besisahar to Manang. The BIG problem is that as the roads are being constructed, the mountains are literally falling apart. Within the next 10 years, one could probably ride in a vehicle all the way from Besisahar to Manang. Though this is seemingly a positive idea, in actuality, it is destructive to both the environment and the villages along the way. Many villages will not be located on the road, so they will most likely suffer from lack of tourism after the road is built. In addition, the Annapurna Circuit as we know it, will cease to exist. The whole beauty of the Circuit at this point is that one has to trek from BhuleBhule all the way to Muktinath before seeing a vehicle. The uniqueness of the landscape, village culture, and environment will undoubtedly change with the addition of motor vehicle access. We are thankful that we were able to trek before the road was built. The number of trekkers on the trail is already overwhelming and we can only imagine how it will be affected when busloads of tourists are able to drive in to see the sights.

Prayer flags on the roof of the house seems to blend well with the background of Mt. Manaslu. Each day, we saw so many sights that were indescribable, inspiring a deeper sense of our spiritual connection to the earth.

Lamjung Himal. As we came around a cliff corner on the trail, Sudhir spotted this magnificent mountain greeting us, but Rachel was focused on putting one foot in front of the other on the trail in front of her. Sudhir told Rachel that there surprise waiting for her, which made her absolutely confused. Finally, she looked up and saw this incredible sight. Seeing the mountains so close truly does take your breath away!

We celebrated reaching Chame (2670 m) before lunch with our first beer on the trek. Needless to say, we got tipsy with the bottle of 750 ml at that altitude. Chame is the district headquarter of Manang and largest settlement after Besisahar. We visited the "hotspring" which was so "big" that we could just dip our two feet in. The water was extremely hot, though, and it was a curious sight to see a hotspring "puddle" right next to a rushing, icy mountain river.

Lamjung Himal.
Paungi Danda, or Swargdwar, appeared as we rounded the cliff corner. People call it mountain of heaven. It is a wall of slate that slants 12oo m from top to bottom. After crossing another suspension bridge, we climbed a steep hillside and were overjoyed to find a tiny tea shop. The shop owner, porters, and guides were very curious about the nature of our relationship. It was hard to convince people that we were actually a married couple, not a guide and tourist. This was a recurring situation for us along the trail. Apparently, very few mixed Nepalese/ foreigner couples trek along the Annapurna Circuit. Some days, Sudhir was even given complimentary dal bhat ( rice, curry and lentils) with the assumption that he was a guide to this foreign lady (guides get free food and accommodation in many places for bringing the business to the hotels). Needless to say, we didn't correct people when free food was involved!

View from Upper Pisang. The climb from Lower Pisang to our lodge in Upper Pisang was about 45 minutes, but the pay-off was rewarding. Our night stop at Upper Pisang was one of the highlights of our trek. We befriended a french couple, Gregory and Catherine, with whom we would go on to share many parts of the journey. The restaurant was cozy with very friendly international trekkers, a warm wood stove, and windows that showcased Annapurna II and views of Lower Pisang.

Mt. Annapurna II and view of Lower Pisang.

From Pisang, one must choose one of two routes to Manang; one can trek from Lower Pisang along the foothills, which is a fairly undemanding trek, or one can trek from Upper Pisang through the high hills to gain expansive views of the mountains. The Upper route involves a very very strenuous climb to Ghyaru(3670 m) and then a long day of trekking to Ngawal (3660 m) and on to Manang. Many trekkers decided to do the Lower Pisang route to give their bodies a break, but, of course, we opted to challenge ourselves. In our minds, we considered the climb to Ghyaru to be a sort of training for Thorung La. We climbed 350 m on steep slopes and felt the altitude in our lungs for the first time. We also spotted a very fashionable trekker with his pants hanging down below his waist, but, of course, we couldn't compete with our sweaty shirts and dusty trousers.

Looking down the valley on our way to Ghyaru.

Resting our backpack for a kodak moment.

Village of Ghyaru

Mt. Annapurna II towering over Ghyaru village.

We're back in Kathmandu!

2007-11-10T02:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks! Happy Tihar! We just got back from our trek and it was fantastic! Words can't describe the beauty of the sights, the magnificence of the mountains, and the strain of hiking over 150 miles up to a height of 5416 meters with huge packs on our backs. We were basically in awe for two and a half weeks straight and now we are enjoying organizing our photos, sharing our stories, and resting our aching bodies. Over the next few days, we will post photos and some short descriptions of our experiences, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, we are back in Kathmandu, enjoying the celebration of Tihar with family and friends. It is a celebration of lights, so the city is beautiful with strings of lights hanging from the houses, shops, and buildings. Children are also lighting off firecrackers everywhere which makes things a bit hectic in an already chaotic city! Needless to say, we are shocked to be back in the city after our cathartic journey through the Himalayas. We really miss everyone at home and hope you are all well. We leave in just over 2 weeks for our India adventure, then back to Nepal for 2 short weeks and on to San Francisco!! Wishing you all well. Enjoy the photos. Love Rachel and Sudhir

Happy Dashain!

2007-10-19T22:37:00.000-04:00

Namaste. Happy Dashain! We are enjoying the festival season in Kathmandu and preparing for our trek in the Himalayas. On Monday, we will spend the day taking multiple buses for 8 hours or more to get to the start of the Annapurna Circuit Trek. We will spend one night in Besisahar and then head out on Tuesday morning for 18-20 days of trekking from village to village in the mountains. We are extremely excited to be living simply for 3 weeks and surrounding ourselves with the mountains and wilderness after being in busy Kathmandu for weeks. If you google "Annapurna Circuit Trek," you can check out the route that we will be following and when we return to Kathmandu, we will be sure to post our photos and thoughts to share with you all. We will be thinking of you when we are saluting the Himalayas from the Thorung La pass at 5400 meters!!! We plan to be back around November 9th. Until then Love from Rachel & Sudhir

Pictures from Sauraha in Chitwan

2007-10-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

Women herding the goats

Buffalo and goat stable

Photos from Sauraha- Our last day in Chitwan

Abhishek, Sunny and Sudhir

On our short hike to the bus stop from Jungle safari Lodge

Water lilies with the background of piercing Himalayas

Praying mantis
Dahlia

Noorie

Three Simple Pieces of Advice

2007-10-09T21:18:00.000-04:00

“Welcome to Chitwan National Park! Before we step out into the jungle for our first “nature walk,” let me share three very important pieces of advice with you. Please listen VERY carefully. It could save your life. First, if you come upon a rhinoceros, run to the nearest tree and climb 8-10 feet up. If no tree is in sight, then run in a zig-zag pattern as quickly and as far away as possible. Rhinos have poor eyesight, but a very keen sense of smell, and they can run 30-40 kilometers per hour. They are very dangerous and powerful. Second, if you come upon a bear, quickly come together into a group. Shout and clap your hands, stomp your feet, and sing a song to scare the bear away. Bears are the most dangerous animal in this jungle. They will unquestionably be aggressive and try to attack unless they are scared away. Third, if you come upon a tiger, stand extremely still, be silent, and pray to G-d. Now, if you just follow these three simple pieces of advice you will be safe and we will have a good time on this jungle walk. Any Questions?”

With this “simple” set of instructions, the group of eight tourists and one fearless jungle leader set out on foot in the Chitwan jungle. Let us mention that we were not just in the jungle, we were on an island in the jungle. We had arrived at The Island Jungle Resort less than an hour earlier after traveling 5 hours by bus, 1 hour by SUV, and 15 minutes by boat. Sudhir’s brother’s friend, Abhishek, owns the place and he set us up in a deluxe cottage, complete with running water and all of the amenities. We looked around and were surprisingly pleased by how “civilized” the Jungle Resort was, including well-maintained cottages, a riverside bar, lounge, and a nice dining hall. Feeling confident and comfortable, we put on our hiking boots and our camouflaged clothing, we strapped on our cameras, water bottle, and binoculars, armed ourselves with DEET bug repellant and lined up for our first jungle walk. After the short and sweet briefing by our guide, Santa, we headed off into the jungle, tip-toeing, whispering, and casually following him. At the time, we weren’t alarmed that he carried nothing but a pair of binoculars and a 3-foot long walking stick for protection. After fifteen minutes, Santa slowed his pace considerably and gave hand signals for us to stop. He peered down into the mud and back out into the jungle brush several times, then explained that the tiger footprints that we were following were three days old. He was not at all alarmed, so we continued on with what we considered to be a fairly fast pace for jungle walking (we had to run to catch up if we stopped to take a picture or tie a boot). Thicker into the jungle brush, we came across another set of tiger footprints and heard a loud barking sound in the distance. Simultaneously, everyone in the group seemed to start breathing a bit faster and move in closer together. Santa calmly chuckled and explained that the tiger footprints were old and that the sound came from harmless barking deer in the distance. Twenty minutes deeper into the jungle brush, we were visibly starting to sweat and get nervous. Coming to a water hole, Santa suddenly stopped and motioned for all of us to stop in our tracks and be silent. He crept forward to peer through the brush and made a hand signal to tell us that there was a rhinoceros within view. As we crept as close as 8 people can possibly stand behind one person, the rhino slowly tottered into the water hole less than eight feet away from us. At this point, our hearts were beating in sync at an extremely fast pace, and Santa, our fearless guide, was visibly nervous and beginning to make moves to “protect” us. The rhino lowered its head to the water to drink, then, as if he caught a whiff of 8 meaty tourists, he raised his head just slightly and peered directly at us with one big blurry eye. The middle-aged woman next to us didn’t quite get the seriousness of the situation and she kept moving around to get a better view, showing her red shirt in plain view, which we were warned was the color that attracts the animals’ attention. We were thinking of the Spanish bullfighters at this point, and with shouting whispers tried to get her to stand behind and quiet down. The red shirt seemed to seal the deal with the rhino, because all of a sudden, he started charging across the tiny water hole towards us. Santa, unbelievably clever and quick, charged towards the rhino with his puny 3 foot stick. He shouted and banged the trees and made himself look the size of 4 rhinos. Meanwhile, the eight of us tourists were absolutely useless and clueless despite the sage advice that we had been given when we started the trip. Rachel was shouting at Sudhir, “What to do?! What to do?!” as he was preparing to run off into the bush. We had the three pieces of advice flashing through our minds, but in such a panic, could not remember which one was which. Do we climb a tree, run in zig-zag, pray to G-d, or get together and shout and clap??? Thankfully, Santa, our savior, showed an incredible amount of courage and savvy jungle skill when he approached the rhino in such a way. The rhino turned around and went galloping off into the jungle in the opposite direction and we were left standing on shaky legs, perspiring profusely, watching our hearts beat through our chests, which was loud enough to drown out the thumping of the rhino retreating into the bush. We laughed for a few moments to keep back the tears of fear and watched Santa regain his composure. (He was visibly shaken and stirred by the incident). He said with a big smile in Nepali, “That rhino was about to come and kneel at our feet.” Apparently, rhino sightings are common on the island jungle, but it is rare to have a close encounter with a rhino that aggresses towards the group. We gathered our bedraggled and bewildered selves and trudged off into the jungle for another, less eventful, hour walk. It was clear that those three pieces of advice were given for a reason. This jungle walk was the real deal!!

After consuming a tasty meal and downing several cool beverages, our heart beats had slowed considerably and we slept soundly through the night. The 5:30 AM wake-up knock on our door brought the chill of the events from the day before right back to mind. We dressed hurriedly, chugged a cup of tea, munched a few biscuits, and again set off into the jungle for an adventure, not knowing exactly what to expect. This time, we were going for an elephant ride through the jungle. The Island Jungle Resort has 4 domesticated elephants that they take good care of and use for riding around the island. We were happy to climb aboard a friendly elephant named Heerakali, who carried us through the jungle for an hour. We were pleased to realize that riding on top of the elephant up in the trees, meant that we looked like an elephant, not a group of meaty tourists, to all the other jungle creatures. Heerakali lumbered through the jungle without posing a threat or a problem for the animals, and we were able to get up close and personal with another rhino. We got to see the rhino drinking at a water hole. He made eye contact several times with the elephants, then walked away casually through the brush- clearly a different scenario than when we were on foot. We came back to camp, had a hearty breakfast, and tried to prepare ourselves mentally for our next jungle walk.

Santa greeted us with his calm, cool, and collected smile, and again lead 8 meaty tourists off into the jungle. This time, no one doubted the sincerity of his advice and the serious nature of our jaunt into the jungle. Everyone kept close to Santa and followed his hand motions and instructions without question. Though we didn’t have as close an encounter with a rhino as the day before (and no one dared to wear red), we did meet rhinos on two occasions that were close enough to warrant Sudhir shouting in a whisper, “Climb that tree! Go behind that tree!” at Rachel repeatedly. Several times, we stood with our hearts pounding, listening to a rhino rumble around in the bush within feet of us. We were “lucky” enough to find a fresh tiger footprint path, which we followed for about 30 minutes through head-high grasses before it veered off in an impassable direction. At this point, Rachel was heard saying under her breath, “Tiger prints are enough for me. I’m all set. I don’t think I really need to see a tiger!” At another point, when we were standing in wet bush, waiting for a rhino to move away, Valerie, a sweet Swiss woman, noticed a leech squeezing into her shoes through the mesh. After several attempts, the leech was pulled out, but the event caused a huge stir. Everyone started checking themselves for leeches, meanwhile we were still standing in a wet spot, literally inviting them to latch onto us. Needless to say, we survived the leeches without any big bites, moved onwards into drier bush and spotted some barking deer, before retreating back to camp. Safe again! Though we didn’t want to admit it to the whole group, we certainly sighed relief when we reached the confines of our room!

The second afternoon was the highlight of the trip for Rachel. The maute (elephant trainers) brought three of the elephants down to the river to bathe. We were given the opportunity to swim with them and surprisingly few people wanted to. Rachel went in first, somehow more intrigued by the prospect of swimming with the elephants, than worried about the contents of the river or any other harmful creatures (crocodiles!!). Sudhir captured some beautiful photos and then went in for his turn. We actually were with Heerakali again, much to our delight. He was docile, peaceful, and agreeable to soaking us over and over again with his trunk full of river water! Soaked and grinning ear to ear, Rachel was a little less than pleased to find out that we would be heading back out into the jungle for another excursion. This time, however, we would be on elephant-back, therefore a bit safer than on foot.

We climbed aboard our trusty Heerakali again and sitting beside Valerie and Jocelyn, the Swiss travellers that we befriended, we sauntered out into the jungle. We were soon in the thick of the jungle, seemingly lost and wandering in amongst trees, tall grasses, and dense brush. After about twenty uneventful minutes, the maute stopped the elephant and peered into the bush. Everyone was silently trying to follow the maute's line of vision, but we were not sure what he had spotted. All of a sudden, he said, "Bhalu, Bhalu!" in a harsh whisper. At this point, Sudhir was videotaping with our digital camera just in case we spotted something and Rachel can be heard asking frantically, "What is bhalu? What is bhalu?" Rachel's question was answered as the elephant pushed closer to the bush and a SLOTH BEAR could be seen huddling with two cubs (baccahs). As Heerakali brushed the bushes aside with his trunk, the bear jumped forward into plain view and the babies followed. At this point, despite the fact that we were high up on the back of an elephant, our hearts were again jump-started and we were all anxious and excited. The maute made whistling signals to alert any other guides in the area that there were "bhalus" in view, which, we all remembered were the most dangerous jungle creatures. One guide appeared out of the bush behind us with 8 tourists following him. He appeared visibly unnerved by the possibility of meeting a mother bear and her two babies on foot with a load of tourists. From the top of Heerakali, we could see that the tourists were alarmingly clueless about the situation and weren't even following the guide's directions. In the mean time, our maute commanded Heerakali to step closer to the bear to scare it away, since we were "safe" on the elephant. The bear jumped out of the bush suddenly and growled while pouncing towards the elephant. Heerakali fearlessly broke the tree branches in front of the bear and made a loud racket with the bushes around him using his trunk as an amazingly accurate mechanism. The bear retreated with her cubs back into the bush and everyone seemed to let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. The guide with the walking group stuck close with our elephant for much of the next hour, zig-zagging his path back and forth through the brush as to always be close enough to us that he would have the protection of our elephant if we had any other close encounters with the bears. We wandered our way out through the jungle at a painstakingly slow pace with only one more close encounter with a rhino. Somehow after all the rhinos, the fresh tiger prints, and now the bear encounter, we were fully satisfied with our jungle excursion and didn't want any more risky ventures. Upon returning to camp, we had a few cold beverages with Sunny (Sudhir's brother) and the Swiss couple, and all admitted to one another that the jungle seems more dangerous and unpredictable the more time you spend in it.

The next morning, we had a brisk bird watching walk and then took the boat back over to the main road and headed off to Sauraha, a small town just outside of Chitwan, known for sunsets and relaxing restaurants. Of course the adventure was not over yet... as we passed through a small village, three young boys came running towards the truck to stop us. They had caught a 10 foot Python in their village that morning and somehow managed to get it into a rice sack. We all lumbered out of the truck and Sunny bravely maneuvered the python out of the bag and onto the ground. Needless to say, we were excited to see the snake in a semi-controlled situation, not in one of our rooms at the Jungle Island Resort!! Apparently a month earlier, a python had wandered into the Jungle Island Resort kitchen searching for a midnight snack and gave the kitchen staff a bit of a fright!

We finally made it to Sauraha and watched a beautiful sunset at riverside. We saw the silhouettes of two wild elephants walking along the jungle edge on the other side of the river and one crossing the river a while later. After dark, the stars came out in full form. Abhishek, who has lived in the jungle for many months now, gave us a detailed lesson on the constellations that were out. We had a wonderfully relaxing night and retreated back to Kathmandu the following day.

So...that is our attempt at giving you a piece of our adventure here in Nepal. Hope you enjoyed. We look forward to remembering these exhilarating (and heart-pounding) events for years to come. More soon... Love Sudhir and Rachel

Namaste Friends and Family, Welcome to Island Jungle Resort!
Way to Island Jungle Resort

Tiger foot print

Bhalu jumping out from the bush to attack our elephant

Tibet is a no-go

2007-10-02T22:31:00.000-04:00

Namaste Friends and Family,
The news from Kathmandu is that we didn't go to Tibet. It was an unfortunate set of strangely coincidental circumstances that all pointed to the cancellation of our trip. A brief explanation is that the trip was going to cost WAY more than we wanted to spend in one place and we were going to have no freedom to enjoy it along the way. Basically, we were mislead in many ways and ended up finding out last minute that ALL overland travellers from Kathmandu to Lhasa go as one tourist group that is taken to the Nepalese border, dropped off, and then picked up on the other side by a Chinese governmental travel agency that takes you the remainder of the way to Lhasa. There would be no time for hiking or staying extra time in beautiful places. We were told that the "tour guide" on the Tibet side would be Tibetan, but would most likely speak very little english and be fairly inhospitable and that the accommodation and food would be less than savory along the way. Essentially, we would have been driving in a bus or 4WD all day and brought to a "city" each night to stay in a dormitory-style setting. Of course, none of this was actually admitted to us until 3 days before we were about to leave. We weighed the pros and cons, knowing that this would be an opportunity to see Tibet before it changes any more from the Chinese entrepreneurial take-over and the governmental control of Tibetan culture. On the other hand, once we found out the intimate details of what we were going to pay for and we knew that the money would be going right into the hands of the Chinese government, we really felt uneasy. In addition, the night before we were going to leave, we found out that our visas had not been approved and it was unlikely that the group would depart as scheduled. It had something to do with other tourists who tried to enter Tibet from Beijing and were denied visas, so they came to Kathmandu and signed up with the overland group. When the Chinese embassy got the overland "group visa" application, they denied the whole group because these other tourists were in it. The good news is that we didn't spend all of our money in one place, so we are now in the midst of planning our other trips. The other good news is that the Himalayas aren't going anywhere soon, so when and if the political situation sorts itself out, we will be able to make a trip someday in the future. For now, we are in Kathmandu, planning our next move. Tomorrow, we will go to Chitwan National Park with Sudhir's brother to stay at his friend's resort for a few days, then we will be back in Kathmandu for Dasain, and leaving for our trekking trip on October 23rd or thereabouts. We hope you are all well at home. Keep the emails coming! It's nice to hear how things are going at home. Love Rachel & Sudhir

2007-09-27T23:14:00.001-04:00

2007-09-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

250th celebration of the Indrajatra festival. On this day 250 years ago, King Prithvi Narayan Shah attacked Kathmandu city to unite Nepal when all the city dwellers were drunk. Ever since then the Shah king had been the guest of honor at this festival. But with the current movement of abolishing the Monarchy the head of the state ( prime minister) was invited as the guest of honor. Some people revolted against it so the ceremony did not go as usual.

Akash Bhairabh

Children collecting the butter lights

Offerings presented to Gods at every corner of the city

Kathmandu Dental God. In old days when people had toothache they made the coin offering to this God.

2007-09-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

Friends and Family- We hope you are well. The festival season is beginning to kick off here in Kathmandu and around Nepal. Yesterday we attended festivities to mark the beginning of Indrajatra. We went to Durbar Square with thousands of people to watch the raising of a huge wooden post, we saw the Kumari chariot being readied, and we watched people preparing extensive food offerings to the God of Heaven.
Yesterday was also an auspicious day for the Newari community. We attended three communal meals in a "community center" type place for the extended Manandhar community members (several hundred people). At dusk, we went on a 3 hour stroll all over Kathmandu with thousands of other people. The route that was laid out follows the old border of Kathmandu when it was a country in itself during the Malla Kings reign. We placed butter lights every 5 feet or so on the ground to light a path for Sudhir's Hajurama (grandmother) to reach heaven. Anyone who has lost a family member in the past year walks with family and friends. It was overwhelmingly beautiful to see so many people coming together and walking the same route for hours, lighting candles and building a path for their loved ones. The children in the street were delighted with the "parade" of people and candles. Families came out of their houses to stand on the street and sit on their stoops and watch the procession. Bands from different Newari groups played drums, trumpets, clarinets, and cymbals to lead their community groups. It was a wonderful event to participate in. The gregarious nature of the Newari community was evident in the ceremony.

Dahlia in Sudhir's mother's garden

Chariot for the Kumari, living goddess.
A Kumari is a young girl (pre-adolescent) who is chosen
as a reincarnate goddess to participate in ceremonies
until she is about 13 years old, at which time, she returns to
relatively normal life and another Kumari is chosen.
There is also a belief that whoever marries a Kumari will
suffer from bad luck, so she usually remains unmarried.
Yesterday marked the beginning
of Indrajatra Festival which celebrates the God of Heaven.
This year is the 250th anniversary of Indrajatra, so it should
be an exciting few days of festival.

This is the courtyard of the house
where the Kumari lives.

The lights on the netting decorate the Kumari's
window. She will look out from this window
on the last day of the festival to greet the crowds.

Cows mingling with pigeons in Durbar Square.

Seto Bhairabh in Durbar Square.
This statue is being repainted and unveiled
for the Indrajatra Festival. On the last day,
a hose will be placed behind the
statue coming out of her mouth
and people will drink rice beer as an offering from her.

Kalo Bhairabh in Durbar Square.
The crowd is anxiously awaiting the
event that will signify the kick-off of the festival.

A beautiful "baccah" (pronounced bacha)
overwhelmed by the crowd.

After hours of coordination efforts, the
"linga" was raised. Bands played, dancers performed,
officers shot blanks from their rifles, and the crowd cheered.

Flowers on the terrace.

A framed photo from our wedding
last year. The grass garland that we exchanged
to signify our union as husband and wife
is framed around the photo.

In other exciting news, we have finally booked our trip to Tibet. We leave on Saturday, September 29 and return to Kathmandu on October 9th. We will be going overland in a four-wheel drive truck on the winding routes through the Himalayas to Lhasa, which is often referred to as the "rooftop of the world" because it is a high plateau sitting in the mountains. We will visit small villages and monasteries along the way and see Potala Palace and other sights in Lhasa, then we will take a 2 night trip from Lhasa to the surrounding areas, hopefully to see Namtso Lake. We are very excited for the trip. It will undoubtedly be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Stay tuned for more pics!! Love Sudhir and Rachel

2007-09-21T21:50:00.001-04:00

A Happy family.
I was taking the picture of this Family. The Male is very protective of the baby. It almost attacked me while i was taking the picture.

Getting attacked

Mother!! Where are youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu?????????

Mini Stupa ( Seeghal, 5 mins walk from our house)

View of the Kathmandu valley from Swayambhu

Delicious Samosas

Learning to make Samosas

2007-09-19T22:36:00.000-04:00

View of the valley from the top of Nagarkot hills

Rice paddy in Sankhu on the bottom of Nagarkot hills

View from Nagarkot hills

Calf of the Buffalo

Big Momo ( one of the national favorite snacks) Land Buffalo

Sunset view from the top of the Helena's restaurant in Thamel(five mins walk from our house)

View of the houses from Helena's

2007-09-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

With surendra's parents at their house

Patan durbar square

Cooling out on a rooftop restaurant at patan durbar square

Gridlocks of the daily traffic

on top of swayambhu temple

practicing our culinary skills

Another balancing act

streets of Endrachowk

Narashima inside the Basantapur durbar

2007-09-16T13:27:00.000-04:00

Fresh fruits to your house

getting ready for the winter

"excuse me, sir, do you have the sari in my size?"

the chowk(courtyard) of Bijeswhori temple
where we got married last year on July 14

The stupa of the Bijeshwori temple
where we got married last year July 14

random well in the middle of the street in Kirtipur

Streets of Kirtipur

View of Uma Maheshwor temple(Kirtipur)

The balancing act

Kirtipur Pictures

2007-09-15T21:54:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we went on a short day trip to Kirtipur, one of the cities in the valley near Kathmandu. It was a 30 minute cab ride and we walked back taking in the sight, sounds, and smells of the road. Kirtipur has a long, proud history. It was one of the toughest cities for King Prithvi Narayan Shah to capture on his crusade to unite Nepal 100's of years ago. Kirtipur is up on a hill with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and a panoramic view of the valley. On our walk back to Kathmandu, we stopped at Kalimati Vegetable Market to buy some produce.

Kathmandu branch of Crate & Barrel

We only paid 75 cents for half a kilo of mushrooms, and 10 cents for half a kilo of tomatoes! It is exciting to be able to afford such fantastic selection of vegetables. We also walked down one side street that seemed to be a butcher block. They were carving goat, chickens, and fish out in the hot, sunny street with skin, feet, heads, and all gushing everywhere. It was not Rachel's favorite sight so far!

The city is drying out after monsoonal rains and we are planning
our trips outside of the valley. That's it for now. The internet is about to cut out! More picture soon! Hope everyone is well. Love Rachel & Sudhir

Vegetable market at Kalimati

View of Dakshinkali mountain from Kirtipur

Bhag Bhairab Temple

View of Kathmandu Valley from the top of Kirtipur

Getting in Touch

2007-09-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone- we just wanted to let you know that we got "Skype" set up on the computer, so we can talk for 2 cents a minute to anyone on a landline or cell phone, or speak for free with other Skype members. If you google "Skype" you can download the program for free and all you need is a headset or webcam, so you can talk to anyone anywhere in the world. We would love to chat with all of you and we have a webcam hooked up, so we could actually "see" you, too. Let us know if you have skype and what your "skype name" is, sp we can plan a time to chat with you.
In other news, life in Kathmandu is fantastic! We are eagerly awaiting the end of the monsoon season, so the skies will clear and it will be worth it to travel outside of Kathmandu Valley. We are planning to leave on a 14 day trekking trip on October 5th in the Annapurna region. After that, we will go to Chitwan National Park, which is in the western lowland region and has very different landscape and animals! We are speaking to a few guides that are friends of the family to consider a trip to Tibet. As many of you are aware, Tibet is occupied by the Chinese government and recently a fast train was built that will bring thousands of tourists and Chinese entrepreneurs that will undoubtedly change the region drastically in a short amount of time. We are hoping to travel overland from Kathmandu to Lhasa to catch a glimpse of this ancient culture before it changes too much. It will be a lifetime opportunity, as this whole trip is.
Other than planning our travels, we are spending tons of time with Sudhir's family and he is reconnecting with old friends. Rachel's Nepali is improving by the day and she is having so much fun getting to know her mother-in-law "master chef"!
We miss everyone from home and we send you our wishes. We are finally settled into the daily routine of life here and we are loving it. It's great to change pace from the U.S. grind and adopt a completely different way of life for a while. Rachel is thinking of SEEK staff and all of her students, as school started last week. Sudhir says hello to Au Bon Pain staff. We hope autumn in the northeast is as beautiful as always- it is our favorite season.
Ok- that's it for now. We will post more pictures, but it is taking an incredibly long time to download each picture, so they will be added slowly, a few at a time. When we get back to the U.S., we will definitely post tons of pictures when we have a faster internet connection and computer. Love to friends and family from Kathmandu. -Rachel and Sudhir

More pictures from Kathmandu

2007-09-13T13:48:00.001-04:00

sudhir's mother and me .We are staying here(Parent's house)

Come on it's a hot day, give me some business

Streets of kathmandu, with the new budget for construction the repair work is visible through out the city.

Prayer's butter light

2007-09-10T23:06:00.001-04:00

2007-09-10T23:05:00.000-04:00

We have been climbing the stairs of Swayambhu temple in the morning. This is just the 10% of the stairs.

2007-09-10T22:56:00.000-04:00

Cat man do

2007-09-10T22:49:00.001-04:00

On top of Swayambhu temple

2007-09-10T22:39:00.001-04:00

View of Kathmandu from Swayambhu temple

2007-09-10T22:30:00.000-04:00

We have arrived!!

2007-09-07T08:33:00.000-04:00

Namaste Friends and Family- After a long and arduous journey across the Pacific, we have arrived in Kathmandu. We are rested after 12 hours of sleep and settled in, enjoying spending time with Sudhir's family and friends. The summer monsoon season is still pushing through with heavy, heavy rains the past couple of days, but soon the skies should clear and cooler weather will arrive. Rachel is learning more Nepali each day with her in-laws patiently teaching her all the time. We are enjoying every morsel of Sudhir's mother's home cooking. Rachel is in a crash-course for Nepali cooking with her loving mother-in-law!! We are planning our trekking trip for early October to Annapurna region and we have other travel plans in the works. We will be getting internet at the house within the next few days, so stay tuned for new pictures of Kathmandu and personal emails to each of you when we have more time. Hope all is well in the States. We are missing home, but enjoying every minute of our trip so far. (ok- truth is that we didn't enjoy all 22 hours in the Bangkok airport due to flight cancellation!!) Anyways, we are here now and would love to be in touch as much as possible. Take care.
Pheri Betaula! Love Rachel & Sudhir

So HAPPY to be together!

2007-08-31T14:02:00.001-04:00

Captain Pirate has hooked Sudhir- We must stay in San Francisco!!

2007-08-31T13:57:00.001-04:00

Classic San Francisco Victorian houses

2007-08-31T13:51:00.001-04:00

The Swan dance

2007-08-31T13:41:00.000-04:00

Sun peeking out from behind the San Francisco fog

2007-08-31T13:38:00.000-04:00

Clear Sunny Skies

2007-08-31T13:36:00.000-04:00

View from Glen Park

2007-08-31T13:33:00.001-04:00

The perfect weather and perfect view

2007-08-31T13:25:00.000-04:00

View of the sunrise from our room where we are staying

2007-08-31T13:20:00.000-04:00

Wake up San Francisco

2007-08-24T11:41:00.000-04:00