Back in Kathmandu

Since my last post, I have traveled throughout Nepal quite a bit, in addition to taking part in some really neat happenings at the Monastary where I go to school. In the beginning of November, I had a chance to travel to both Pokhara and Chitwan, Nepal. Pokhara is about eight hours away from Kathmandu, and it serves as the base city for many treks heading off into the Himalayas, or specifically the Annapurna Circuit. Generally, my time in Pokhara was magnificent as it is a small town around a lake, with gorgeous mountain views, and much clearer air as compared with that of Kathmandu.Although I didn't partake in any trekking myself, the mountain views in Pokhara were amazing! The Himalayas are truly a breathtaking sight, early in the morning sunrise. The popular lookout point to get early morning mountain views is in Sarangkot, which is located about 15 minutes in a taxi from Pokhara. That morning we arrived in Sarangkot at around 5am, and sipped chai at tea shop just until the sun hit the mountains at a perfect enough angle to take pictures.

After out time in Pokhara, we went to Chitwan National Park in hopes of seeing some rhinos or at least an elephant. Chitwan is located in the lower terai region of Nepal. The interesting thing about my time in Nepal has been the varied topographies within short distances of one another. From Pokhara, a mountain town, we headed straight to the lowest part of Nepal, Chitwan, which borders Bihar, India. As such, Chitwan was noticeably warmer than both Pokhara and Kathmandu, and also significantly flatter. Although we didn't see any rhinos, the time spent viewing elephants was really neat and definitely worth the trip. After Chitwan, we headed straight back to Kathmandu, where I have been ever since.

I will be in Kathmandu for the remainder of my time here in Nepal. With just two short weeks left, I am looking forward to spending lots of time with my host family, and getting lots of school work done.