Nepal

After the long desert of the past 30 days in Western China and Tibet, Nepal was a revelation. Moisture picked up off the oceans surrounding the subcontinent gather into clouds over Nepal, hit the Himalayas and dump their cargo onto this country, leaving everything north of the Himalayas stark and barren, but making Nepal itself a fantastic menagerie of life. The forests outside Kathmandu, the city where we spent 8 days, boast over 500 species of flowering plants, over 380 species of birds and countless species of insects, including gorgeously-coloured butterflies and thirsty leeches. Nepal, squished between mountain ranges both to its north and its south, is a healthy mixture of forest, rainforest, plain, mountain, lake and river, making it an outdoorsperson's dream. However, much like some of the beautiful flowering plants we found, thorns are hidden amidst the lushness, leaving the country in a fragile state and one best traveled warily.

Kathmandu is located in this lovely valley ringed by mountains, with the Himalayas just out of view.

Coming into Nepal, we admittedly didn't know much about it other than its close proximity to Mt. Everest and the Himalayas and that it was a great place to trek. What we learned in our very short time there surprised us. For example, we didn't know that in 2001, the prince at the time took up arms and massacred his entire family before turning the gun on himself. Imagine young Prince Harry doing this to the present-day Queen and all the rest of the family? The outcry and disbelief would echo around the world. How could we not have heard of this? We also learned that now the country is a democracy, but the election that was supposed to happen months ago has been suspended time and time again, leaving the people with less and less faith in their leaders. Then there's the Maoist rebels wreaking havoc in the West, kidnapping, killing, creating strikes and generally keeping things in a constant state of flux. They were granted opposition status as a party, then decided they wanted more, and have since walked out of parliament and have taken up alterior means of trying to get what they want. On top of that, we had a few experiences in the city and one in the forest while birding that made us feel a little uncomfortable, and glad that we stayed in the close confines of Kathmandu.

We're now in the land of the sari, and Nepal was a good precursor for India.

Kathmandu itself is quite the place. We spent most of our time in Thamel, a Bangkok Khao-san road-esque place that was like stepping into a dream-nightmare after the beauty and emptiness of Tibet. On the one hand, there was every food known to a Westerner's mind. Curries, Mexican, pizzas, Italian, steaks, chocolate mousse, apple pie . . . the list goes on. Also plenty of beers and wine from France, Chile and Australia, including one of our favourites, Hardy's Shiraz. On the other hand, motorists there have very little respect for your toes, and motorcyclists are simply coming through. The main street of Thamel is jam-packed with internet cafes, restaurants, bakeries, ATM machines, money exchangers and everywhere people selling trips, bus rides, tiger balm and hash, the latter a little more quietly than the three former. Add to this taxis, motorcycles, peddle bikes, small trucks, dogs, and you've got yourself one happening place.

Sun sets on an ancient structure which we guess houses deceased.

It was neat for us to be there with Mom and Dad Styles, as they were here in 1973, and just a few things had changed! It's not very often that you get to see what a place was like 35 years later through someone else's eyes like that, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Like most other places that have been 'discovered' by tourists, some changes are good, and others not so good. Check out their blog for more on their thoughts on what's changed, and their experiences in Pokhara, a lake-side town a few hours out of Kathmandu valley. Nepal is a place we'd like to go back to, though the political situation would have to change significantly for us to actually do so. For this trip, it was a great place to recover a bit from the last 30 days of buses, trains and dust, and to prepare ourselves for what for us is the scariest part of our journey, India.

A touch of old in downtown Kathmandu.

We will spend 6 weeks in India, trying to take in as much as possible in that time, both in the north and the south. We've heard mixed reviews of the country, and, after reading some of its authors, also know what to expect in terms of poverty and beggars. But, it's a country that has drawn both of us for various reasons, so, to India it is! Hope all is well with you, and thank you to those email senders among you - we appreciate the updates:)