Hello Nepal!

India / Varanasi - Nepal / Pokhara - Chitwan National Park - Kathmandu

Yes Namaste, just like in India. The languages are still very similar. But thankfully many other things are different.

After two exciting and exhausting bus rides, which were in ancient, fully occupied buses and on a road that can't be called a road, we reached the border. Full of enthusiasm, we crossed the border from India to Nepal on foot, and then Emely sprained her ankle so badly in the jump that she couldn't walk any further. After some back and forth with the money and stamps, we got our visa for 30 days. We immediately booked an overnight bus to quickly get to a fixed place. We quickly questioned whether this was a wise decision. Because the bus was overcrowded, people were even sitting in the aisle, and it was thundering outside as we drove up the mountain in the rickety bus. Finn didn't have a seat at all, and Emely couldn't elevate her foot, and the fear of falling into a gorge was a constant companion. After 12 extremely exhausting hours, we finally arrived in Pokhara. We first went to a hostel where unfortunately we only booked one night. Unfortunately, because the hostel had a beautiful garden with a brilliant view, where we could get a first impression of Nepal's beauty. Emely was able to cool her foot and we enjoyed the peace and quiet. We booked five more nights in a private room in another hostel which later turned out to be a hotel.

We stayed in the beautiful Pokhara for a week just to enjoy the peace, the landscape, and being together. Compared to India, this feels like a vacation for the soul and helps both of us recharge. We went out for nice meals, even though they are European prices, went to an open-air cinema, and went on a small hike with a boat tour. This trip showed us that the weather can quickly change from sunshine to thunderstorm and that we have to postpone our five-day hike in the Himalayas. Because Emely is great at hiking on flat and uphill terrain, but going downhill is still not good for her foot. So we will postpone this and first look for the endangered rhinoceros. Even though we only spent a week in one place here in Nepal, we can already say that Nepal is very likable to us. The people are very friendly but not intrusive, the climate is very pleasant, and the nature is beautiful. We are looking forward to discovering more of this small country.