Travel
Unearthing the beauty of Nepal
By Betina Fuentes
A
s I climbed the nearly vertical
spiral staircase, clutching the
iron railing, I joked with my
husband, “This had better be
worth it.” Two more flights of stairs
later, I found myself lifted above the
smoky haze of Kathmandu’s busy
streets and surveying the hive of
activity below.
It was worth it.
24 hours before, I was just taking
off from Abu Dhabi, on my way to a
place I’d always heard of, but never
thought I’d visit. Nepal carries a
certain mystery, generally reserved
for Everest trekkers and backpacking
students; I came with my husband
and our toddler. The blogs and travel
articles I’d read warned of bad roads,
unpredictable power outages, and
street beggars. We experienced these
things, certainly, but they did not take
any of the luster from our getaway to
one of the world’s oldest and most
resilient countries.
Beautiful and colourful carved statue.
Our travel itinerary was set up so that
we saw our main destinations in the
morning and early afternoon, returning
to our hotel before dinner. I would
highly recommend this schedule for
anyone with kids, as Kathmandu is
extremely dark after sunset due to the
lack of street lighting and occasional
power outages. We stayed a few
kilometers from the city center at the
Food market.
Tricycles known as Rickshaws are a common
sight and a fun way to get around.