Journey Towards The Land Of Himalayas

Journey Towards The Land Of Himalayas

This world is a melting pot of many languages, cultures and societies, which are quite distinctive from each other. Each culture has its own way of life, food and values. I love travelling because it is the best way to learn about new places. One such country that is unique to us is Nepal. It is a landlocked country located in the cradle of the great Himalayan mountain range, also home to the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. It is known as “Sagarmatha” by the locals. In 2019, before the world came to a standstill due to the COVID outbreak, I had the privilege to visit this majestic place with my family. It was one of the best experiences of my life. So, here I am going to anecdote my journey.    

Arrival at the Capital

In October 2019, on a beautiful winter morning, I started my journey towards Nepal from the airport. It was a clear day with a chilling breeze. It was a brief journey of only two hours. The mountains will be the first thing that strikes you as you look out of your plane window upon landing in Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital. Even though it is beautiful, it is scary as well. Tribhuvan International Airport is not only the only international airport in Nepal but also one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Even the runway of the airport is surrounded by mountains. After landing safely, we were amazed by how beautiful the Kathmandu airport was as soon as we got there. Even from the plane, you can see the beautiful mountains of Nepal.

After going through the immigration process, we get in the car waiting outside the airport to take us to Nagarkot, our first appealing destination in Nepal.

Here's a funny incident that happened during my immigration process after landing. I had some metal jewellery in my handbag back then. So when I went through immigration, they rechecked my whole bag because the metal detector picked it up. For this reason, if you want to avoid unnecessary trouble, remember not to bring any metal in your handbag while travelling to Nepal.

Journey Towards Nagarkot

From Kathmandu, the drive to Nagarkot took about an hour. Nagarkot is one of the most peaceful tourist destinations outside of the Kathmandu Valley, situated at an altitude of 2,175 metres. For SARC visitors at the time, the entrance cost to Nagarkot was 250 rupees. We stayed at Nagarkot for one day. Our hotel had the most beautiful sunrise view. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. just to see the spectacular sunrise from our hotel roof. From Nagarkot, you can see Mount Everest (the highest peak in the Himalayas), the Annapurna range (Annapurna I, at 8091m, Annapurna II, at 7937m), and other peaks in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal. Moreover, while in Nagarkot, I tasted their traditional vegetarian biryani, and it tasted so good. I'm adding the photo I took of the stunning sunrise view of Nagarkot.

                        

       

Now We at Pokhara

The next morning, we started for Pokhara after our breakfast buffet in Nagarkot. The 2nd-largest city of Nepal, Pokhara, is widely known as one of the major tourist destinations in the entirety of Nepal. The major attraction of this metropolitan area is the world-famous Phewa Lake. Mount Machhapuchhre and other Annapurna and Dhaulagiri peaks are mirrored on the lake's surface, increasing its attractiveness. From Nagarkot to Pokhara, the journey took a total of 8 hours. Our hotel was just beside Phewa Lake.

    

Phewa Lake is also popular for kayaking. They have brightly colored boats that can be rented for kayaking, which adds to the allure of Phewa Lake. Even if you don't feel like going on a boat ride or kayaking excursion, you can still enjoy a walk along the shore of this stunning lake, and the breathtaking views will help you calm your mind. By going out on Phewa Lake on a boat, I was able to appreciate its stunning beauty. I could see people having fun paragliding while I was on the boat.

We spent two nights in Pokhara, and on the second morning, we drove out to Sarangkot for the sunrise. The mighty Annapurna range was visible from the lookout tower that day. However, if you're having a bad day and the sky is gloomy, you might not be able to see it all that well.

                                       

Onto Chitwan

After spending two nights in Pokhara, we started for our next adventurous destination, Chitwan. If you are a wild animal lover and adventure lover, then Chitwan is the place to go. The Chitwan National Park (CNP) is the main attraction of Chitwan, and it is a world heritage property. I went on a whole-day safari at the Chitwan National Park; our safari guide was with us the entire time. I walked in that deep jungle of Chitwan and saw many wild animals (obviously from a distance). There is an elephant breeding centre there, and you can see elephants of all ages there enjoying their lives. There is also a crocodile hatchery there, and you can just wander around breeding cages with crocodiles of various ages gazing at you and not moving. I saw all ages of elephants and crocodiles there. To see the famous float of crocodiles at CNP, the gharial, we had to take a boat and float silently in the Narayani-Rapti river. We got to see many gharials there. Chitwan is so abundant in wild creatures and trees that it is impossible to list and record their names.

Back to The Capital

After all of the exciting experiences we had in Chitwan, we made our way back to Kathmandu. The final day of our trip was spent here in this city. On our last full day in town, we did some last-minute shopping and sampled some regional delicacies. We sampled both their famous warm momos and their locally renowned traditional thali. Since we had to be at the airport early the next morning for our flight to Bangladesh, we were limited in how much time we could spend sightseeing in Kathmandu. When it comes to the city of Kathmandu, it is important to note that it is the metropolitan area in Nepal with the highest population density.

                                     

                                            Credit: https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/nepal-nep.htm

In conclusion, If you are fascinated about hilly and mountainous places and love the dreamy serene scenery which is created by mountains and clouds in unison, Nepal will definitely appeal to you. It is a must-see place for all mountain lover people of the world. The terrain may be rugged and sometimes dangerous but the people here are warm and hospitable. So, if you ever decide to visit Nepal, it will definitely give you a memory that will last a lifetime.