Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Nepal

I booked an early morning taxi for Ari and I (Josh and Leo opted out) to visit the nearby town of Nagarkot, but it was too cloudy to see anything. Setting the alarm at 4:30am was tough, and we were hoping to see the Himalayan mountaintops in the distance, but alas, we saw mostly haze.

Only to assuage my guilt for turning the taxi driver’s usual full-day trip into a mere pit stop, I replied “yes” when he asked if we wanted to stop at Changunarayan Temple. Ari opted to stay in the car, which was fine because it wasn’t worth 400 rupees to have him walk around uninterested anyway. I snapped some colorful photos of the - at least according to Google reviews - oldest Hindu temple in the Kathmandu valley. Josh and Leo were just finishing breakfast when we returned to the hotel.

And about the trip I’m having? I’m feeling more relaxed with being in the world. I’m still drawn to the art and craft of everywhere we go. I love the things that people design and make with their hands. Today I snapped a photo of someone’s painting station, a floor pillow in front of a easel with lots of materials. I wished it was my space to sit. I wish I was the painter.

Getting a few groceries the day we landed, walking to the Buddha stupa yesterday, and the shortest excursion to Nagarkot is the entirety of our Nepal sightseeing on the ground. In the air, however, due to the kindness of a stranger, I have a few crisp aerial photos on my phone of Mount Everest!

The airplane rows went three by three across and we flew over Everest with views on the right side. We were all on the middle and window seats on the left side, way across the aisle and three other seats. Straining I could see the mountain, and it was so exciting. The young Bhutanese man sitting next to me and across the aisle from his friend, offered to take my phone, pass it to his pal, who in turn asked the Chinese tourists next to him to snap a photo on my phone. He did, and he they turned out beautifully.