10 Things We Learned in Nepal - KK/LL

1. The Nepalese are very gracious and hard-working. Without exception we encountered courtesy from all, and in the case of service workers (hotel staff, drivers, guides, waiters, etc.,) the desire to ‘serve well’ was notable. They were all so polite and service-oriented. The scourge of entitlement is not an issue in Kathmandu.

2. Plan a couple of hours upon arrival and departure to and from Kathmandu Airport. The Nepalese entry and exit processes are inefficient and have many steps. You’ll be fine, but it takes a while if you are there during high season. We were.

3. Hire a guide for sight-seeing. This should be a priority.  They are very reasonably priced like everything in Nepal. DO NOT ride a public bus or try to rent and drive a car. You will shave years off your life. (FYI: Many tour packages include both a guide and a driver as part of the package.)

4. The trekking and mountain climbing market appears to be the backbone of the Kathmandu marketplace. There was no shortage of outfitters, shops geared toward trekkers, merchandise and equipment available everywhere, trekker pharmacies, you name it. We saw many tourists there specifically for that purpose. The beautiful and challenging mountains draw people from all over the world that otherwise would likely not have Nepal on their bucket lists.

5. Be sure to visit a marketplace. We visited the popular Thamel Market. Part of the fun is negotiating a reasonable price. Just remember to be fair, because for the most part, things are already incredibly cheap.

6. Monkeys. Do not touch! It’s tempting, but don’t. (Rabies - or worse - can be spread even through a scratch or a lick—ick!). Honestly, when the monkeys are given free reign as they have been at the temples in Kathmandu, they come across a bit like glorified rodents that poop everywhere, steal food and carry diseases. We enjoyed seeing them because it was a novelty for us Texans, but honestly the monkeys in Nepal were pretty stinky.

7. The 2015 earthquake was really, REALLY devastating for Nepal. Much more so than what one might have gleaned from the coverage by our US news. It was 8.1 on the Richter scale, and it killed nearly 9,000 people and injured about 22,000. It also triggered an avalanche on Mt Everest that killed 21, making April 25, 2015 the deadliest day on the mountain...in history. And: it triggered another huge avalanche in the Langtang Valley, resulting in another 250-300 missing people. Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless with entire villages flattened, and centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley. Most of the sites that we visited had been visibly, heavily damaged. The damage to these sites impacted tourism, so it’s been a vicious cycle in a country that does not offer much in the way of government emergency assistance to try to rebuild. Many of the restoration efforts we saw were funded by other countries  interested in preserving the world heritage sites, and most families have had to fend for themselves in (truly) makeshift housing. All that said, those incredible sites are “must sees” if you ever visit Nepal: Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath, Changunarayan, Bodhnath Stupa, and others, are still truly amazing to see with your own eyes. Some of our guides’ families were still trying hard to rebuild, and the entire economy is very dependent upon continued tourism.

8. Buy tickets for a tour to see the Himalayas up close and personal on an airline. Buddha Air offers a great tour - they even let you go into the cockpit one at a time to take pics of Mt Everest from the pilot’s point of view. We went back and forth about doing it, but we were SO glad we did it and agree that it was worth every penny! #seriousbucketlistmoment

9. Trekking is just hiking! It doesn’t necessarily have to involve “mountain climbing” or “crossing ice crevasses.” After doing a 1-day trek, we wish we’d done a multi-day trek. Don’t be scared to do a 3-day Annapurna Trek, for example. (We have good guides with which we can connect you!!)

10.We appreciate the conveniences of our lives in ways we wouldn’t have if we didn’t have to do without them for a time. Driving on paved roads in cars we own, brushing our teeth with safe tap water, ordering a favorite Starbucks or Juiceland drink, TOILET PAPER, or even having consistent television, internet or electrical services are but a very short list of the many things we take for granted that we should wake up every day and be thankful for. We have new gratitude for all the “little things” - all those modern day conveniences and luxuries that make up our daily lives. It’s not like that everywhere. We will try to remember this when stuck in traffic or standing in a Starbucks queue. #begrateful