take-off site for paragliding. Another
magnificent view of Pokhara Lake and
the city was visible from zero point of
Sarangkot.
Here I decided to change my origi-
nal plan. I headed towards Kathman-
du to enjoy some colour and vibrancy
as any other tourist in the city would
do, so off I went!
I checked myself into The Marriott
and enjoyed the exact opposite expe-
rience to camping along the Pokhara
Lake. Kathmandu being the capital
city offers a lot for visitors. It has a
good mix of temples, nightlife, shop-
ping, food and fun. The city is so full of
energy that it complements the calm-
ness and serenity that the mountains
and plains offer within this country.
Kathmandu is governed by good
driving sense and most of the traffic
is controlled by the traffic police, not
traffic lights!
A few must visit places for shopping
are Thamel, Ason and the Mangal Ba-
zaars and I bet you will definitely find
something to spend your money on …
I did! Before I tell you what I bought, I
need to give you a little background …
as you might know that the Nepalese
Army also referred to as the Gorkhali
Army, is one of the best in the world.
The symbolic weapon of the Nepalese
Army is called a ‘Khukuri’, a specially
designed knife that can be used as a
tool and a weapon … now that’s what
I picked up as a souvenir for myself.
Awesome!
Just like India, Nepal is a diverse
country wherein you can experience
a change of culture, language, dialect,
food, traditional wear and weather af-
ter every 100 kilometres.
A food-lover and a cook, local fla-
vours do attract my palate and the
thrill of tasting various local dishes,
experiencing the flavours and talking
about the cooking styles are a key
TRAVERSE 64
component of my trips.
As luck would have it, I was in the
midst of the festival season where Di-
wali, also called ‘Tihar’ in Nepal, was
being celebrated and I wanted to en-
joy every moment of it. This festival
is celebrated for three days in contin-
uation and encompasses a lot of fun,
food, music and colour.
Day one is called ‘Kaag Tihar’ or
Crow festival. The Nepalese consider
the crow as a messenger of the god of
death.
Day two is called ‘Kukur Tihar’
where dogs are worshipped. All the
dogs on this day enjoy the luxury of
wearing garlands and having good
food. This is celebrated to acknowl-
edge the close relationship between
humans and dogs.
Day three is called ‘Bhai Tika’ or the
festival of brothers where the sacred
brother-sister relationship is cele-
brated. Traditionally the sisters apply