This was my first time visiting Nepal. It was a shock getting off the plane because the airport looked like a busy bus station from my home country, China. I was so nervous because I couldn’t speak the language and didn’t know what to expect. I soon learned however, that the people in Nepal are very caring and warm-hearted and even though they didn’t understand what I was talking about they still tried to help me as best as they could. Using body language to communicate with the locals, I was able to get to the information centre. It was a rainy day so the temperature was about 24 degrees which was perfect; not too hot, not too cold. Although there was so much dust in the air, the sky was really blue and there seemed to be no clear sign of air pollution.
I still had to wait for my friend Bobby to arrive at the airport before leaving. The driver Raja and I waited for him at the airport for 2 hours before heading to the hotel. When we travelled from the airport to the hotel, I could see old buildings and lots of trash so I was a bit worried about where we were staying. However, when we arrived, we were quite impressed because the inside was nice and cosy and we were soon told that they had 24/7 kitchen access and dining. The staff in the hotel were very welcoming and polite which also made us feel more comfortable.
While staying in Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu, one of the things that surprised me was that they didn’t have traffic lights. In the day there were traffic police but at night, the drivers were by themselves on the road. It seemed quite dangerous because there also weren’t any street lights so it was pitch black. Most of the vehicles were very small including our driver’s taxi. Raja was a good driver though so we felt safe in the car with him.
I was happy to find out that the food in Nepal is cheap compared to Australia with each dish costing less than $10.00. The meals were very tasty too; my favourite meal was a Mushroom Chilli Nepali omelette. I also really liked that most of the restaurants in the area served authentic Nepalese cuisine which I was surprised about because the area we were staying in seemed quite touristy compared to other cities I have visited in Asia including China, Thailand and India.
When we went to the shops, we noticed that everyone bargains/negotiates the prices down before making a purchase. There were some very beautiful handmade items for sale including scarves, jewellery boxes, rugs and backpacks. I purchased a jewellery box made out of walnut which protects the jewellery from insects. I was very pleased to get this for less than $100 to take home with me.
Overall my experience was great and I would be happy to return for another visit.
