Another beautiful morning on our last day in Kathmandu. And to make it even more special, Danielle celebrated her birthday today. Happy birthday Danielle.
I believe Pa Tom (Elaine's dad) may be following the blog and if you are reading this, Elaine wanted to let you know she wasn't interested in the Monkeys!!!
This morning after breakfast we all walked 45 minutes to the Monkey Temple. Did I tell you I like monkeys? The back street blocks of Kathmandu are the best, you literally go two streets back from the main tourists streets and you find the local butcher shops, pictures attached, mechanics workshops, fish shops and even a pet shop. I have told the group that one of the best things you can do in Kathmandu is get yourself lost. And when you discover you are lost, keep going. You will see more being lost than what you will ever see on the main streets. Negotiate a taxi or ask for directions back to the Kathmandu Guest House when you've soaked up all you can.
Ok, here's something funny for the day. It's fairly common that when you spend time in a third world country your bowel movements change. To put it mildly, you get to a stage where you can't "pass wind" safely without fear of following through. I know this as it happened to a very good friend mine, without mentioning any names BILL BROWN. Well, Jason tells me one day before we start the trek that he's had to take a dose of Metamucil as he's "bunged" up. Is he serious!!! Watch this space!!!
After returning from the Monkey temple everyone went there own separate ways for a few hours. John ventured back down to Durbar Square in the off chance that he may be able to get Kumari's attention before the normal 4pm viewing. He left her a note on the wall saying he's going trekking but will be back on the 31st if she's interested. Michelle Sue and I had lunch and the best coffee in town at a great coffee place called the Himalayan Java. Evan and Elaine grabbed some lunch and soaked up the sun in the guest house garden and sorted out some last minute shopping, while Anne, Greg, Danielle and Jason enjoyed a nice family lunch to celebrate Dani's Birthday. Sue found an "original" North Face shop and sent her credit card into meltdown.......sorry Ian. Sue does like to shop. A lot of the streets around Kathmandu are dug up. Durbar Square back to the guest house has a lot of roadworks. They're putting in an underground water pipe to supply drinking water around the place. It's a bit of a mess.
With the help of Prakash our guide, Anne had organized a birthday cake for Danielle which was enjoyed by all in the Guest House Gardens. It was then time to pack our trekking gear ready for an early morning start.
We are being picked up at 7am to get to the airport for our 8.30 flight to Pokhara. From here we have a 1.5 to 2 hour drive to the start of our trek.
Let the adventure continue.
I believe Pa Tom (Elaine's dad) may be following the blog and if you are reading this, Elaine wanted to let you know she wasn't interested in the Monkeys!!!
This morning after breakfast we all walked 45 minutes to the Monkey Temple. Did I tell you I like monkeys? The back street blocks of Kathmandu are the best, you literally go two streets back from the main tourists streets and you find the local butcher shops, pictures attached, mechanics workshops, fish shops and even a pet shop. I have told the group that one of the best things you can do in Kathmandu is get yourself lost. And when you discover you are lost, keep going. You will see more being lost than what you will ever see on the main streets. Negotiate a taxi or ask for directions back to the Kathmandu Guest House when you've soaked up all you can.
Ok, here's something funny for the day. It's fairly common that when you spend time in a third world country your bowel movements change. To put it mildly, you get to a stage where you can't "pass wind" safely without fear of following through. I know this as it happened to a very good friend mine, without mentioning any names BILL BROWN. Well, Jason tells me one day before we start the trek that he's had to take a dose of Metamucil as he's "bunged" up. Is he serious!!! Watch this space!!!
After returning from the Monkey temple everyone went there own separate ways for a few hours. John ventured back down to Durbar Square in the off chance that he may be able to get Kumari's attention before the normal 4pm viewing. He left her a note on the wall saying he's going trekking but will be back on the 31st if she's interested. Michelle Sue and I had lunch and the best coffee in town at a great coffee place called the Himalayan Java. Evan and Elaine grabbed some lunch and soaked up the sun in the guest house garden and sorted out some last minute shopping, while Anne, Greg, Danielle and Jason enjoyed a nice family lunch to celebrate Dani's Birthday. Sue found an "original" North Face shop and sent her credit card into meltdown.......sorry Ian. Sue does like to shop. A lot of the streets around Kathmandu are dug up. Durbar Square back to the guest house has a lot of roadworks. They're putting in an underground water pipe to supply drinking water around the place. It's a bit of a mess.
With the help of Prakash our guide, Anne had organized a birthday cake for Danielle which was enjoyed by all in the Guest House Gardens. It was then time to pack our trekking gear ready for an early morning start.
We are being picked up at 7am to get to the airport for our 8.30 flight to Pokhara. From here we have a 1.5 to 2 hour drive to the start of our trek.
Let the adventure continue.
