A little bit more about Kathmandu...

With a day to spare in the big city before setting off for the trek, we decided to venture out of the touristy areas a bit and also walk out the the "monkey temple", which is apparently something to see here. So off we went and once out of Thamel (the horrendously expensive and hecklesome tourist area), things were much less crazy, but quite the dose of reality. The people are terribly poor and living conditions are difficult. Families packed into small rooms with communal water taps every few blocks, where people bathed and collected water for drinking and cooking.

As we made our way through the city toward the temple on the hill, I'm sure we were quite the spectacle as we gawked at the people, the chickens, goats, dogs, cows, random fresh piles of animal skins (really!) and everything else new to our senses.

When we made it to the temple, what looked from a distance like a normal hill, was actually a terribly daunting staircase up to the temple that seemed to go on forever. As we ascended, we certainly got our promised dose of monkeys -- they were playful and very cute. Worth the drive to Acton.

About halfway up the stairs there was a Bollywood style music video being recorded. If you've ever caught a bit of what's playing in your average shady Indian restaurant in Toronto, you'll know what I'm talking about, except this one was way ghetto! There was a cheesy guy badly dancing and grinning with a piece of orange in his back pocket, which was there to try to entice a monkey to interrupt the video. I'm guessing an intricate plot twist was intended. Brilliance.

Nearing the top with every muscle in our legs burning, we paid our entrance fee and struggled the last few steps up to an amazing view of Kathmandu from above. Well, as much of Kathmandu as can be seen from above with all the smog. We walked around atop the hill, in and around the temple area and shops and made our way back down once our legs had a chance to regain some stability. Little did we know this would be just a mini version of the climbing that was to come...

We returned to our hotel to regain our bearings and decided to head out for dinner. We wanted to find a good authentic Nepalese meal and ended up at a place called "Thamel House." It didn't disappoint. The basic Nepalese food which we were to become all too familiar with is called "daal baht," which translates to "lentil rice." It's basically a pile of rice with a bowl of stewed soupy lentils to mix with it. It generally comes with a bit of vegetable curry and spicy pickle on the side. In any case, at this dinner we got a set menu, which ended up being an incredibly gourmet extension to this. It came with the rice and lentils, but also with a host of different curries and sauces and deliciously spiced soybean salad and even a shot of roxy (local rice alcohol -- horrendous.) The ambience was great as we sat on the floor at low tables, and despite my discomfort we all really enjoyed it.