- wonderful support from friends here in Doha
- incredible support from friends and family from back home
- passport and visa in my possession
- an amazing experience
- health and safety
- a trip to Nepal to enjoy some beautiful creation
I cannot believe the time has flown so FAST! It is already December and we are already finished with a quarter of the school year! I feel very far removed from the holiday atmosphere, but having a break from school was just the ticket we all needed to make it through the next few weeks! I certainly hope you all are enjoy the holidays and gearing up for a great December!
My roommates and I enjoyed an incredible trip to Nepal- aka Never Ending Peace And Love. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape and the kind hearted people! I have never been to a country quite as poor as this one, but on the other hand the beautiful people were so welcoming and rich with personality! It was a perfect change from DOHA. The trip turned out to be very exhausting. We trekked in the mountains (not snow covered mountains, but we got high up there!). We hiked for 3 full days! The first day by far was the most difficult- ALL UP HILL! By the time the sun went down and the moon light was our only guide, we were all wondering what we got ourselves into! We arrive at our Hostel in Chisopani ("cold water") and MY was it COLD! We warmed up with some Nepali tea, good food, and really fun card games! Put on our scarves and hats on and hit the slightly uncomfortable beds at about 9pm!
We unfortunately missed sun rise, but started our hike again at about 9am. The view from our hostel was breathtaking!! Layers upon layers of rolling hills and rocky mountains floating with the clouds! I truly do not think the pictures to it justice! This day was much easier. Less uphill and more flat roads!! My body thanks the guides for an easier day!! We enjoyed walking the roads that lead through little villages and passing by locals. Each person greeted us with "Namaste"! This hostel was a bit warmer. It was a trend that the electricity would go out each night. So we ate by candle like and listened to music around the campfire. Our two guides, Milan and Deep sang, played the guitar, and the drum for all of us :)
Our last day trekking brought us to two temples. One of which I do not know the name, but we received blessings from the priest, were anointed on the forehead, were decorated with marigold necklaces, and were fed holy food. The atmosphere was very peaceful. We finished our hike by ending at the Changu Narayan Temple. It is the most ancient pilgrimage site in Kathmandu Valley. We then took a city bus to the city. This bus was packed to the max and drove through a very congested city of small streets, honking, and people everywhere!
The following day challenged us to come up with a PLAN B! Our original plan was to take the day and go BUNGEE JUMPING!!! AHhhh! Much to our dismay, the one day we had available, the site was not opened! Dang, we were all gearing up for that THRILL!! Well anyway we decided on other adventures- I took a day to go rock climbing. Lauren, Kate, and Ashley went white water rafting, and Summer rested trying to get over her cold. It turned out to be a very fun experience. I had never rocked climbed before, so my legs, arms, and fingers got a workout! I went up 4 different pitches, as they say. Needless to say I maxed out my body's strength pretty early, but enjoyed the climbing I was able to do. I would say the repelling down on the rope is certainly the fun part!
Our final day consisted of rushing to the spa for a massage. And then good byes to the lovely hosts at Panda Trekking Company. We bonded more than we ever expected. They might have even talked us into returning to Nepal within 3 years :) Then finally we were off to the airport! Made the closing gate within 5 minutes! What clock work! The flight took off at sunset over the mountains- what a beautiful way to depart!
"Though we did not climb Mount Everest, we touched it with our hearts" :)
