The good, the bad, and the ugly of Nepal
As we see it:
-Thanks for all the concern, Brian's foot was able to make the hike. He had some issues with a nerve in his foot caused by work. We pushed back our start date for our hike, but the warmer
temperatures really helped. Months later it is still bothersome, but tolerable. At least he is able to wear shoes and walk.
-Yes, indeed, I was THAT tourist and wore socks and sandals much of the trip. After a long day of hiking in boots, sandals were a welcomed comfort and the socks kept my feet warm. And, in town
the socks with my sandals kept mosquitoes at bay. To be fair, at least they weren't flip flops with socks.
-The smog, so much smog! Sad that it ruined afternoon views. However, it did mean that men, women, and children could hock the most amazing loogies.
-And, the trash, so much trash. Without the infrastructure to deal with trash, people would just throw it on the ground. It seemed that it would occasionally be burned, causing more pollution and
black puffs of smoke.
-The flowers were amazing. Everywhere we went folks had planters and gardens filled with beautiful flowers. Clearly, it was very important to them and they spent much time and effort planting and
growing.
-Honking is a language of its own. I loved the decorated, colorful semis, too.
-It's official, I love lentils. Dal bhat is a common dish served in Nepal. Often a favorite of the porters because it offers free seconds and is inexpensive. Typically includes lentil soup, rice,
maybe a meat, veggies (like green beans, potatoes, pickles) in a curry sauce and served with sauces on the side to spice it up. I enjoyed this dish especially the lentil soup, Brian not so much.
He often referred to it as dal blah. I even learned to appreciate curry!
-The streets often smelled of incense and curry. Walking by shops were spices were being ground is a memory that won't soon fade. Yum!
-The Himalayas were truly breath taking and not just because the amount of stairs we did in 9 days. Crazy to think we were at 13,500 feet at base camp and Annapurna I was nearly twice that size. Made me feel so small!
-In all seriousness, we had a wonderful time exploring Nepal, but Mom and Dad, no need to worry this isn't the country to keep us from returning home. Next off... Southern Africa.