One Month in Nepal: Dreaming of Snow Capped Himalayan Peaks

“This is not India. This is Nepal,” a tout exclaimed after I played hard ball to get a fair price on the taxi ride from Kathmandu Airport to Thamel, the city’s backpacker district. From the tone of his voice, I sensed the sincerity behind his words, but I still could not help keeping my guard up, especially after running into a few scams on my month-long travel in India. I was about to spend the next 29-days in Nepal, I was sure to find things out for myself anyways.

At the time of my arrival, I didn’t plan out my trip yet. I only knew that I wanted to go trekking in the Himalayas, and see snow (even if it was just from afar) for the first time in my life.

I, together with two trekking buddies, decided to do the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek that reaches the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). The whole Annapurna sanctuary, located in the western part of Nepal, was encircled by the several famous Himalayan peaks, including Annapurna 1, the 10th tallest peak in the world.

My trip mostly fell on the month of October, which got me very excited because it was supposedly blessed with the clearest bluest skies of the year — prime trekking season. Having lived and traveled in tropical pacific islands my whole life, I was looking forward to the change of scenery.

Unfortunately, the monsoon season ended a few weeks late that year. During most days on the trail, we were either greeted with heavy downpour or total cloud cover, which initially barred my hopes of seeing perfectly clear views of the Annapurnas.

We finished the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek in just six insane days of steep trails, rain, and cold weather. The trek was suggested as a seven to eleven day itinerary but my trekking buddies wanted to finish it fast. Even without the grand views, surviving it was already a fulfilling personal accomplishment in itself.

Come sunrise on the fifth day of our trek, clear mountain views surprised us and revealed itself in full splendor. I got to see an unobstructed view of the summits only for an hour and then, like clock-work, the rain clouds rolled in. It was a brief window of opportunity but the arid otherworldly views were totally worth the journey.

We spent many days of not doing much of anything in the scenic lakeside town of Pokhara. The same happened in the busy capital of Kathmandu. I guess, my body needed the slower paced travel to take in the experience better and get to know interesting characters I was meeting. It was my time to be more open.

I still craved to see the slopes of Mount Everest, so I traveled a bit east to the small hillside village of Nagarkot. I did not get to see any view because of the heavy cloud cover. No surprise there.

On my way, though, I was able to explore a bit of Bhaktapur, at the height of the Dasain festival no less. Bhaktapur was a beautiful medieval-age city filled with many interesting old buildings and functioning Hindu temples. The city’s character became even more alluring because of the festive atmosphere and the rainy mood.

I spent my last days in Nepal at the farming village of Bandipur. Me and my travel buddy decided to go there because of the promise of sunny skies. We got lots of it, finally! No view of the Himalayan mountains though … not until the last minute. Bandipur was the perfect place to end my journey in Nepal. It was just full of good vibes and perfect place to think about and be thankful of all the beauty I had seen and experienced during the past two months of traveling in India and Nepal.  The sunsets were particularly amazing too!

Other than the beautiful sights, the kindness and warmth of the Nepali people made a lasting impression on me. Everywhere I went, even in the big cities, people (most but not all, of course) were always so genuine, helpful, and willing to share a friendly chat.

Another thing that I loved about Nepal was the low travel costs. Together with India, it was the cheapest country I had ever traveled. Booking flights to/from Kathmandu and paying for the visa on arrival might have made things a bit more expensive, but once I was there, the transportation, accommodation, trekking equipment, and food were all very cheap.

You can find my do-it-yourself travel notes on this trip at DIYDetour: Nepal 1 month itinerary.