Going to Nepal was a spur of the moment idea. The year’s end was quickly approaching and I had a few weeks vacation left. I could not let them go to waste. Looking around on Google Flights, I noticed exceptionally low fares for Kathmandu in the upcoming weeks.
Fast forward two weeks later and I’m checking into the Taleju Boutique Hotel in Kathmandu. Having done only the most basic and critical research on Nepal, I ventured out into the streets of Kathmandu for the very first time.
One of the first scenes I saw was that of mountaineering and climbing equipment hung up in a store’s front. This immediately took me back to about a decade ago when I saw the exact same scene in… Disney World’s Animal Kingdom! Waiting in line at the Everest Expedition ride, they had recreated a little ‘’Tibetan’’ village scenery complete with stores selling climbing equipment. Everything was covered with a thin layer of dust, exactly like what I was witnessing in front of me. I now realize what a great job they had done.
I had been walking for barely three minutes when I turned a corner and arrived at my first shrine/stupa.
A bit more wandering around and I found myself inside a temple.
