Tuesday, March 27

Our guide had asked if we were interested in trekking and we were.  We started out early and drove to a place outside of Kathmandu, about 4,500 feet elevation.  It was a beautiful hotel/restaurant which allowed those who decided not to walk (or started out and returned early) to sit and enjoy drinks, snacks and the amazing views.  It was, unfortunately, too misty to see the Himalayas but at least we were in the foothills!  We hiked up to a temple that was 700 feet higher elevation.  Although I kept up with the group I could feel the effects of the higher altitude.  It was worth it- more beautiful views, the occasional encounter with the locals (with our guide translating), glimpses of what life was like far from Kathmandu.  (The guide said they do go there occasionally, on foot).  There was still temporary housing made of corrugated metal as people repaired earthquake damage, but two people proudly showed us the new houses they were building.)

We then went to Bhaktapur, the former capital of Nepal, and the walled city has a lot of historic buildings including temples that are hundreds of years old and - yes- shops.  I'd seen some cute kids' T-shirts that were made in Nepal, not China, on a stop yesterday and hadn't bought them.  So, I changed a US $20 bill and went hog-wild with the resulting  2,000 Nepalese Rupees.  I got T-shirts for my granddaughters, a pack of note cards made from hand-made paper and also got a set for Mary Beth, who didn't have the local currency.

Lots of stuff to buy!

Temple

View from Temple

One the way back, one couple asked if they could stop at a pharmacy and buy some amoxicillin (available here over-the-counter).  The bus stopped and they seemed to be taking forever; we were delayed further as the bus had to move well down the narrow road to avoid blocking traffic so our guide and the couple had to walk some distance back to the bus.  They finally returned with a giant bag containing several varieties of antibiotics and reported that they’d saved about $400 compared to US prices.  This wasn’t an emergency stop- it was a drug run!  People like that are why we have antibiotic-resistant infections.

Our Farewell Diner was a Mongolian Hot Pot in the restaurant overlooking the golf course.