Trekking the Globe with Mostly Gentle Footsteps
Join Irene Butler and her husband Rick on their journey across four continents. As they immersed themselves in each culture their intent was to leave a favourable impression behind. The “Mostly” refers to times when their footsteps were less than ideal, leading to bizarre, hair-raising or humorous incidents. Chock full of travel tips and lessons learned, the most valuable lesson being “expect the unexpected”. See in spread-sheet-form how the Butler’s follow their personal challenge to travel for the same cost as staying at home.
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Excerpt from Trekking the Globe –
NEPAL
A Kingdom Gloriously Crowned by 8 of the 10 Highest Mountains in the World
Efficiency met us in Nepal like a twister after our travel-related woes in China. We were spun and swept out of the airport within minutes, which included obtaining our visas and changing some money into Nepalese rupees. Hopping into a decrepit cab, we rattled through the narrow, crowded, sinuous streets of Kathmandu with cows grazing where they pleased. Wheels squealed as we pulled up to the Hotel/Hostel Patala ($4.00 Canadian per night) for a private room and shared biffy.
Our hotel and most Kathmandu hotels are clustered in what is known as the exhilarating, touristy Thamel area. Compulsive shoppers, like me, beware. Vibrant shops with congenial owners line the streets with everything imaginable. Sewing machines whirred from canopy-entranced embroidery shops where nimble fingers created mountains, dragons or gods right before our eyes. Catchy folk tunes bounced out of music shops. Mouth-watering aromas idled in the air from numerous eateries. Internet cafes, banks, travel bureaus were all in close proximity.
What a first day! After a fabulous Nepalese meal of dal, bhat, tarkari and rotis (lentils, rice, curried vegetables and flat bread) at Thamel House Restaurant, we were treated to a traditional floorshow where young men swirled and leapt with acrobatic finesse.
Walking out into the warm evening with throngs of people still cavorting in streets lit with multi-coloured bulbs, we fought off our exhaustion until our legs could carry us no further. Even then we lingered for a time watching the city lights from our hotel balcony, completely enamoured with the amicable laid-back atmosphere.
After a fortifying breakfast the next morning, we headed for Durbar Square. The mood was electric. Swarms of people milled around vendors selling wares set out by the temple bases; side streets gleamed with stacks of highly polished copper; three-by-four foot tool shops were heaped with an astounding inventory; rows of gunny sacks brimmed with exotic spices adding to the already deliciously fragrant incensed air. A tiny lady emerged balancing a load of recycled cardboard and plastic three times her size strapped to her back. We jumped back as a young cyclist shaved past us with a dozen squawking chickens strung by their feet to his handlebars; their heads bobbing upward attempting to peck themselves free. Crowds divided to go around a gigantic bull nonchalantly plunked in the middle of a main thoroughfare. Wild monkeys swung by one arm while watching us from the intricately carved wood of a temple.
As we worked our way to the site of the old palace, the activity around the grounds confirmed the stories of it once more being occupied by King Gyanendra. Rumour had it that he had again vacated the new palace, located a few miles away, because it was haunted. And he was probably right. A bloody massacre had taken place in 2001. In a drunken rage, believed to have stemmed over his parents disapproval of a marriage partner, Prince Dipendra, had shot his father, King Birendra Bikram Shah. There was no stopping the crazed scion as he gunned down his queen mother, his brother and sister, before turning the gun on himself. Since all the direct heirs to the throne were dead, the king’s brother, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, was officially instated into the monarchy.*
For more excerpts from Trekking the Globe go to globaltrekkers.ca
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