Happy, healthy, wealthy life - Namaste Nepal

After Central America, a small part of South America and East Africa South, we have now found our way to Asia.

Upon arrival in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, we were initially somewhat skeptical as many people warned us about this chaotic, noisy and dirty city during our journey. However, upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised by the pleasant atmosphere of the city compared to other Asian cities. Even in the most touristy neighborhoods, the people are very friendly and far less intrusive than what we were used to in the last few months in Africa. In addition, the huge selection of good food and cheap activities on the first day put a smile on our faces.

The city is filled with temples of various sizes, and if you don't look closely or constantly have your guidebook in hand, you can easily overlook some of these interesting buildings as some -- apart from the major temple sites -- seem to merge into the cityscape.

So on our first day, we strolled through the city and enjoyed the first impressions of this beautiful country that we were able to travel for a month.

The next day, we headed to the famous "Monkey Temple". Upon arrival, we were convinced to take a guided tour and attentively followed the teachings about the history of Kathmandu, Nepal, and the two main religions in this region, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The "Monkey Temple" offers its visitors, as its name suggests, not only spectacular views over the city...

...and impressive temples....

..., but also a few hundred monkeys who live quite well here by snatching food and drink from inattentive tourists.

We also decided to learn the art of cooking momo in a cooking course.

These small, wonderfully tasting things resemble small Kärntner Kasnudel dumplings and have already conquered our hearts.

With a little tolerance for the aesthetics of the small steamed dumplings, we are also happy to spoil our family and friends with our new cooking skills on occasion 😊

After these city experiences, we finally set off for our actual destination, the Himalayan mountains. Before that, we made a two-day stopover at the Trisuli River and greatly improved our rafting skills :D We also had the chance to attend a party exclusively for men with a Nepalese DJ in the evening, which made the not-so-luxurious accommodation appear more bearable with the help of a few beers.

After a relaxing day at Phewa Lake in Pokhara, the starting point for all hikes in and around the Annapurna Range,...

....we prepared ourselves for our 10-day tour to Annapurna Base Camp.

We started in Phedi at an altitude of about 1,000 meters and worked our way up to Annapurna Basecamp at 4,130 meters over 7 days.

The first two days were steep, and unfortunately, we were not immediately rewarded with breathtaking views of the mountain range that separates the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan plateau, as we started at the end of the monsoon season and the fog still hung low in the valleys and enveloped the high peaks.

However, the weather improved from day to day, and we found a good pace and enjoyed every minute in the mountains.

It didn't take long for us to catch a glimpse of the snow-covered peaks for the first time. In order to get closer to them, Lisa had to overcome one of her biggest fears several times...

Arriving at an altitude of 3,700 meters, Lisa once again felt the effects of high altitude, just like at the volcano in Guatemala. However, the stabbing headaches were bearable in the face of the beautiful views and the wonder cure "Lemon Ginger Tea" which the hospitable Nepalese conjured up for us in the teahouses along the way.

On the seventh day, we stormed towards Annapurna Basecamp early in the morning and immediately made many new friends.

In bright sunshine and perfect visibility, we approached the glacier...

...until we finally reached the top. A wonderful birthday gift for Matthias!

Although we started in the off-season, unexpectedly many hikers flocked to the trek and we couldn't find a place to sleep at Base Camp. We were offered the opportunity to sleep in the kitchen, but since the clouds were already rolling over the peaks and the temperature was dropping suddenly, and Lisa's head was still throbbing, we decided to descend and ultimately spent the night below 3,000 meters without any headaches.

However, before returning to the valley, we decided to extend our Himalayan expedition to the so-called Poonhill to once again experience the breathtaking panorama of this mountain region.

Back in Pokhara, we treated ourselves to good food, clean laundry, and a massage.

We explored the lake by bike,...

...and went on a hike to one of Nepal's two Peace Pagodas, which overlooks the lake, the Annapurna Range, and the city of Pokhara.

Before immersing ourselves again in the hectic atmosphere of the capital, we made a stopover in the small mountain village of Bandipur, where time seems to have stood still. Tourism has not yet fully taken hold here, and you get a small glimpse of Nepal before the ever-growing hiking tourism, the country's largest economic factor.

We also tried our hand at Nepalese cave exploration and visited Nepal's largest cave.

Upon returning to Kathmandu, we gathered our sightseeing motivation once again and visited the city of Bhaktapur, located in the Khwopa district, the largest of the three Newa kingdoms in the Kathmandu Valley.

The center of the city is a collection of temples and shrines dating back up to 1,000 years.

With the help of information brochures and our guidebook, we navigated through the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After a very varied month in Nepal, which we enjoyed very much, we are now heading to New Delhi, India. So far on our journey, we have only met two types of India travelers: those who loved it and those who hated it. It remains exciting to see which group we will belong to...