Kathmandu ... Our Last Post for a While.

The Colours of Nepal

Here we are in Kathmandu. The last 3 days have been exhausting and we have spent 1,000's of Nepalese Rupees getting ready for The Annapurna and Upper Mustang Valley. We have found it very unnerving handing over all this money, which really only comes to a few hundred NZ dollars.

Those of you who have had experienced Asian countries will have some idea about how Nepal works. Pete and I have had enough experience, (Taiwan and Bangkok) to be prepared for chaos, smell, dirt, tooting cars and lots of scooters ... but we are still exhausted and grateful to retreat to our room at the end of each day.

Our room is very spacious and has wonderful light. We are staying at the Hotel Florid in Thamel, thanks Rosie for the Hotel tip.

I love the light ...

This is our view ... 

This is our very own Bidet hose ... the bucket is for the disposal of our toilet paper. We do what we do on the toilet then we hose ourselves down ... which is a little bracing as the cold water shoots out to clean us, then we wipe and dispose. There is certainly a clean sensation after the use of the hose, but I think I would prefer warmer water ... although after 3 days I don't mind the shot of cold water, feels refreshing.

Pete standing in a bookstore in  Thamel, Kathmandu ... we tried to find Rosie's bookstore, this is our equivalent. There have been a few of our family that have come to Nepal to walk the Annapurna ... Mike, Chris and lucy came here together a few years ago and our niece Rosie is the most recent. Rosie had her photo taken in a bookshop when she was here with Jasmine. We have picked their brains for advice and info as we have prepared for the Nepal part of our travel. Walking the Annapurna has been a long-time dream of Pete's. When Mike was young Pete and Mike would often talk about coming to Nepal and walking the Annapurna together. It was something that Pete always wanted to do with Mike, but it never happened, instead he is doing it with me. This part of the world has been quite big in the Cammock family's life.  Uncle Harry, married to Syd's sister Jean, was a very big climber and very well known in the climbing community back in the day. He is known to have been one of Sir Ed Hillary's climbing companions and teachers. Rob, Pete and Cathy grew up with climbing stories from Uncle Harry and spent quite a bit of time at Mount Cook with their cousins and Aunty Jean and Uncle Harry when he worked as a guide there. 

This is our Rosie in Kathmandu ... who loves books and loves to read. This is the bookshop we tried to find ...

I took a photo of this pedestrian light because it does not work! People walk out into the road in front of traffic and put their hand out to stop motorists. It is a little like Russian Roulette, you just don't know when a motorist is not going to stop!

I know this photo may look like a piece of modern sculpture but it is not ... I am not sure if you can make this out but it is cables ... it would appear that all cables in this part of Kathmandu are above ground and tied up in knots. We have walked past wires hanging lose like a spaghetti patch.

Entering into the area of Thamel where we are staying and where all the stalls of fake outdoor gear sell their wares. Note the cables.

 Colour is what they do best here ... I have seen some amazing coloured fabrics and clothing ... so bright and beautiful. We have not really had much of a chance to see any sights in Kathmandu, we have been busy meeting our guide and organising money for permits and buying and renting our gear that we need for our hike. We will be back and will do some sight seeing then.

Pete standing under the fairy lights. Mandela Street is a very trendy street in this part of Thamel ... we stumbled across it and went for a wander, it is very western looking and has had a Hippie reputation for a while, now it is upmarket, tiled pavement instead of dirt and stones. No traffic, only foot traffic, boutique type shops that probably charge a whole lot more than the street shops and no negotiating. We don't have the stomach to beat vendors down too much in their prices ... everything is so cheap when converted to NZ or US dollars, we felt uncomfortable when we are paying $US3, trying to get a vendor down to $US2.

Packing up for our 30 day hike on the Annapurna and Upper Mustang Valley. This stage feels so overwhelming, trying to fit so much into so little. The orange pack is mine. By 8.30am on Thursday morning everything will be in our pack and we will be on a bus heading to Annapurna. I think the bus ride is the same one Rosie took and thought she was going to die. Greg Rood recommended that we go to Mustang Valley, which borders on Tibet. The owner of Hotel Florid also suggested we go there and said that we will be 'truly satisfied' when we do.

This is our last post for at least a month. We will take lots of photos and have lots of stories to post when we get back. It is now 11.05pm and we are getting up at 6am to finish packing and be on our way. I need to go to bed.