Woke up quite refreshed this morning, only problem is part of my foot is sore as I wore my boots for over 30 hours from leaving UK until the hotel in Kathmandu (should have took them off whilst in the Oryx Lounge at Doha). I really was hoping this eased up before we started the Trek.
After breakfast it was our Trek Briefing with Basant (the manager of the Treking company) and Ratna (the Guide for the trek), we had forgot his name an hour later but we hoped we would learn it before the end of the Trek.
After introductions we went through the route we would be taking etc. and Dad to try on the Down coat he would be using on the Trek during the colder sections.
I had brought one with me as been a fellow on the larger side I knew the branded stuff doesn’t come near me ( they are missing out on a big market I think) in the end I had accidentally come across down jackets on the Harley Davidson website and according to the data they did large sizes. It just so happens there is a Harley Davidson dealership 10 minutes walk from my office, so very convenient, so the one thing I was having trouble getting I had got (and on sale, SCORE!).
Once that was out of the way it was time to change our Pounds into Nepalese Rupees, so many notes you needed 2 wallets.
Then off to explore Thamel and go see Dunbar Square where all the big temples are (there are little ones on nearly every street corner). Slowly we made our way though the streets, looking at this and that, snapping away with our cameras. Looking at the state of the electrical wiring (seeing is believing), at one point the cables where lower than my head.
(photo to be added when find it)
The streets are dusty and can be dangerous if you don’t keep an eye out for the motorbikes zooming all over.
We stopped at a musical instrument shop and popped in, I had wanted to get my self a Nepalese Flute and when was told how much it was the equivalent of about £3 (on Ebay cost you minimum of £30, got it straight away).
Then Dad spotted mini cornets in a cabinet and asked to have a look, he then started to try and do the last post on them (about the only thing he knows and then on a bugle) quite a few locals did start to look through the door to see what the mad European was doing, unfortunately there was no where for me to hide.
Through the winding streets we went until we finally got to Dunbar Square, paid for access and got ourselves a guide (so we may learn at least something). This is where my Flip Video died on me for no reason (still miffed about that). There we was shown around each of the temples and told facts & dates etc.. The Temple reputed to have been built using the wood from only on tree, the Hippy Temple (so named by the locals after all the hippies used to smoke pot there in the 60s). We went into to the Temple of the Living Goddess (a 10 year old girl) but we was too early to see her when she briefly waves out of a window in the afternoon. For about an hour or so we was shown this and that, our cameras snapping away and then the last Temple we came to was the Kama Sutra Temple with all its very graphic wood carvings, of course we took many photographs for educational purposes.
The rest of the day was spent exploring and taking photos, plus been harassed by sellers if you even look at what they are selling.
“come look, it free to look” is the usual start of the patter. They then start getting out everything and you just have to say no, don’t think they understand most of us like not to be hassled and they may find they get more sales.
(photo to be added when find it)
Pizza tonight as we had no idea what the food would be like on this trek, after that it was back to the hotel as we had to sort out our trekking bags and rucksacks ready for the morning.
It was then to bed and sleep early as we were to be picked up at 6:30am (Oh De Joy !) .
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