Bandipur, Nepal

With my planned itinerary for Nepal out the window we had decided to take a bus to Bandipur in the countryside to experience some time in a small and quiet village. We left the hotel in Kathmandu with another couple and their guide who were on their way to Pokhara to go on a hiking expedition. We walked to the bus stop only to find that the bus was elsewhere, the guide had to call the bus driver and we all had to scramble into taxis to catch up to it, it was like Shimla in India all over again! The journey was bumpy thanks to the unpaved roads but after a few hours we had made it to the busy town of Dunre where we jumped off to make our connection to Bandipur, the rest of the bus carried on to Pokhara where we would also be visiting in a few days. 

Bamboo Scaffolding And Pretty Steps In Bandipur, Nepal

We wandered around the town, withdrew some money and then found the correct bus to take us up the winding roads to Bandipur, it was boiling hot inside the bus so we couldn't wait to get on with the journey. As the bus got going up the steep road the views became more and more impressive. Finally we could see the green Nepalese countryside. The bus stopped at the entryway to the village which is closed to all vehicles, we were immediately ushered into a guesthouse when we left the bus but it was not to be. There were flies everywhere and a distinctly 'toilet' smell about the place. We walked to the hotel immediately opposite and were pleasantly surprised to see a lovely clean, modern and spacious room with amazing views, after a little bit of a haggle we got the room for a great deal too. 

In The Centre Of The Village In Bandipur, Nepal

The Temple Bells in Bandipur, Nepal

After settling in and evicting a spider we walked into the village to grab a bite to eat. The village was so pretty, characterful brick buildings with wooden verandas, trailing flowers and cobblestone streets void of any litter at all. It felt like we were in a wonderfully preserved village in a time before concrete. We found a cute little café to eat lunch and started to chatting to a group of three backpacker girls who approached our table. It was so nice hearing how lovely a time they'd had in Bandipur and Nepal overall, they also gave us tips on what food to try and what to steer clear of. As we ate our delicious lunch the skies opened and there was a downpour, there's something so soothing about watching the rain when you're safe and dry. 

Walking To The Top Of The Viewpoint in Bandipur, Nepal

Walking To The Top Of The Viewpoint in Bandipur, Nepal

The next day after breakfast we decided to walk to the viewpoint directly behind our hotel. We found the path and worked our way up, it was a steep ascent and really strained my legs. It's amazing just how fit I felt at the start of the trip in South America compared to how I feel now, those slow days in India really have weakened my hiking stamina. Slowly but surely we made it up, the higher we climbed the better the view and I made sure to stop frequently to take photographs, nothing to do with catching my breath of course! The landscape was an ocean of green; hills and forests, lonely farmhouses in the middle of nowhere and the small village of Bandipur were all in view as well as the tiny winding road that brought us here. Once we reached the top we sat in a shelter and watched the light and shadows play in front of our eyes, there was a tiny temple with bells and a goat herder who spoiled the tranquility somewhat by hocking up phlegm every few minutes, travel moments can't always be idyllic I thought. We made our way back down and decided to treat ourselves with a refreshing beverage in the Red Rose restaurant overlooking the quaint village street. 

A Dog Snoozing In Bandipur, Nepal

Bandipur was turning out to be a fantastic place to get some rest and relaxation, after our walk the previous day we decided to spend the next day hanging out at our hotel, we only left to eat which was a treat in itself as the food in Bandipur was so far rather lovely. I created a mini art studio on the roof terrance looking out over the hills with the sun on my back. The young girl who takes care of things at the hotel came over to watch me draw and paint with watercolour, in that moment I felt very happy that we had made the decision to come to Nepal after all, even though we were still taking it easy we were creating these small moments which would end up being memories etched in my mind. 

The Top Of The Viewpoint in Bandipur, Nepal

Walking To The Top Of The Viewpoint in Bandipur, Nepal

The following day we took a walk to another viewpoint which was a little further away on the other side of the village but wasn't as steep or strenuous a walk. The paths were muddy, we passed cows in sheds and a woman walking her goats. Once at the viewpoint we could see for miles and gained a completely different perspective of the village and surrounding area. As I sat to catch my breath a sweet little dog came over to sit with me, he ended up following us all the way back to the village. We had another dinner at Red Rose which has fast become our favourite eatery in the village thanks to the fried vegetarian momo's which are a vegetable and spice filled dumpling. The lady who makes the food is so lovely, it's almost like being in a family home, her small grandchildren would pop in from playing every so often. 

Craig Nearly At The Top Of The Viewpoint in Bandipur, Nepal

A Sweaty Betty At The Top Of The Viewpoint in Bandipur, Nepal

The next day we took a walk around the village and I bought myself a token traveller t-shirt from a shop, mostly because there are no laundry facilities at all that we can find and our clean clothes pile is seriously diminished. Our daily treat came in the form of a hot chocolate and chocolate brownie at the bakery on the corner where we could sit and watch the world go by. The next day we packed and paid up ready to leave when we were told by locals that there were no buses running due to a nationwide strike. We had heard that this can happen in Nepal and although it was inconvenient it wasn't the end of the world, in the back of my mind I secretly rejoiced at another opportunity to have Red Rose fried momo's for dinner. We went for breakfast and got chatting to a Nepali man who has been living in New Zealand, he told us that he led the rebuilding of the village from what it was to what it is today and seemed very happy with our feedback when we told him that it was a wonderful place. When it got to dinner time we went for momo's, two ladies we'd seen a few times around the village asked when and where we were going next, when we said Pokhara tomorrow they asked if we'd like to share a taxi with them as they didn't want to travel on a bus with the young toddler they were travelling with. Although the journey was about 80 km away we decided to go for it to avoid the hassle of the bus and another possible strike. 

Have you been to Bandipur? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments below. 

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Kathmandu, Nepal

The journey from Varanasi in India to Kathmandu in Nepal was an uncomfortable one, fraught with a long delay in the night due to dangerous road conditions and a tricky border crossing when our newly acquired US dollar bills were not accepted as they were too crumpled. Thankfully a friendly border agent and a nearby currency exchange counter meant that we were able to cross into Nepal by exchanging all our leftover Indian rupees and our new Nepalese rupees too, we had to take a hit with the expensive fees. 25 hours after setting off by bus from Varanasi we arrived in a busy and dusty Kathmandu to start the final chapter of our journey which had reached 10 months. I wasn't sure what to expect of Nepal, the catastrophic earthquake of 2015 was mentioned countless times in the updated guidebook that we had. I wasn't sure if the city of Kathmandu was going to be one big pile of rubble. I was glad to see buildings still standing and life going on as it always seems to despite shattering disasters, there were piles of bricks and building materials abound but rather than focusing on the destruction it seemed to suggest rebuilding instead. 

Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

Our bus left us on the side of the road nearby a temple. We navigated crossing the insanely traffic laden road to get to an ATM so that we could afford a taxi as all our pre-prepared currency had gone on the visa fees. With money in hand and taxi's aplenty we made our way to Thamel, a popular tourist district where our hotel was based. The streets in Thamel were narrow, muddy and full of character. With a muddle of electricity wires hanging over our heads and colourful trinket shops on every corner I had flashbacks of our time in Vietnam on our first backpacking trip, despite the city being brand new to us there was something so familiar about it that I didn't feel as overwhelmed as I have in other cities on the first visit. We checked in, the hotel staff seemed very friendly. We had a cup of tea on the rooftop terrace and looked over the higgledy-piggledy buildings and streets before venturing out to find something to eat. Rather than brave some local cuisine we decided to treat ourselves with pizza at Fire and Ice; an Italian restaurant that wouldn't feel out of place at home. We decided that this would be where we'd have our last supper before flying home.

I Love The Colour Of These Doors - Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

Quieter Streets Than India - Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

Street Scenes in Kathmandu, Nepal

We woke up after a decent nights sleep which we were thankful for after our long journey. The room however seemed to be very damp, we weren't sure if it was the room itself or our damp trainers and clothes which we'd had to hang up as they were still soaked from the downpour in Varanasi. We moved rooms which was also a little damp proving that although our wet things didn't help they weren't entirely to blame. I'll be glad when we get to leave depressing hotel/hostel and guesthouse rooms behind us, we have certainly had our share of horrible accommodations on this trip. We got ourselves organised and booked our flight home for the 22nd July which gave us three weeks to explore Nepal. We then donned our heavy waterproof walking boots and headed out to see the city. We vaguely followed the Lonely Planet Old Kathmandu walking tour although we stopped short of going into Durbar Square, the city's most famous square due to its 1000 rupee entrance fee which worked out at half a days budget. We could see a lot of the temples from the outside and so we took a few photographs and then doubled back to check out some more of the streets, Kathmandu had a vibrancy to it that was captivating and I couldn't help but take dozens of photographs of the street scenes. We had some more places in Kathmandu that we wanted to visit but decided to save them for when we returned for our outbound flight, we were keen to see a more peaceful side to the country and hopefully catch a glimpse of some Himalayan mountains and countryside too.

Colourful Grains For Sale in Kathmandu, Nepal

Our next stop was to the quiet village of Bandipur, a few hours away by bus.

Have you been to Kathmandu? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments below. 

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Rishikesh, India

The bus stopped on the side of the road, outside it was dark and dusty, ramshackle buildings were illuminated only by car and moped headlights and despite the early hour, the roads were chaotic with traffic and people. We departed and grabbed our bags, although the sun had not yet risen the air felt humid and clammy and we weren't quite at our end destination of Rishikesh yet. The road was split down the middle by a corrugated iron fence, we found an opening in the face and crossed the road where we found a bus station. As the sun slowly rose the light transformed the area from something scary to something quite ordinary. With bleary eyes we waited hours for a bus, luckily we met a group of travellers on holiday from south India who were headed the same way. We boarded a bus, got told to get off and did the same again twice, my patience was wearing thin. Eventually, the right bus was ready and off we went. We arrived at another bus station which was really just a bus parking area in the middle of a field and caught a tuk tuk. From the tuk tuk we could see a procession of people scattering colourful petals around with naked men and a band playing instruments, I had to do a double take, naked men in the street?! There must have been a religious festival going on, we were right near the sacred river Ganges after all. 

The River Ganges And Footbridge in Rishikesh, India 

The Sacred River Ganges Framed By Trees in Rishikesh

The tuk tuk dropped us off at a footbridge which we walked across with men on mopeds, cows, you name it. The river was fast moving and brown in colour, groups whizzed down in dingy boats. We found a hotel to stay in and had a lovely lunch at a very modern café. Apart from a walk to a waterfall and a walk to another footbridge along the river, our time in Rishikesh comprised mostly of sitting in a café that we found that overlooked the river and footbridge. We became so familiar with the owner that we could help ourselves to drinks from the fridge and pay up at the end of the day. Our go-to treat was a refreshing chocolate milkshake and a dish known as 'a sizzler' a hot pot of vegetables including fried potatoes in a rich gravy with rice, it was pure carb heaven. 

Taking A Walk Along The Roads Of Rishikesh In India

We stayed in Rishikesh for eight days, longer than intended as we weren't able to get transport to our next destination. Though the town was nice enough we felt a little stuck and our adventurous spirit had dwindled, we could have found several more walks to do, had a go on the river rapids or enrolled in a yoga school but we just couldn't be bothered, which sounds really bad but is true. Travelling had taken it out of us, all those days trying to get from one place to the next had taken their toll and we were starting to feel exhausted. We knew that our two months in India were coming to a close and we were so glad with what we had done but we were ready to move on, either to Nepal or home. One memory I have is speaking to my mum on the phone while sat in the café on a cushioned floor with pillows strewn around and pink and purple fabrics draped across  the walls. The river was in sight, fast and rumbling and I was talking to her about the sacred cows, she asked me to send her a photograph of ones we'd spotted on our stroll. I felt so far from home, in a place so different culturally and the distance really hit me. 

A Painted Gate In Rishikesh, India 

🎥 India video:​

Have you been to Rishikesh? If so, what did you think? Maybe you're planning a trip? I've got tonnes of advice and tips I can share. Let me know in the comments below. 

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them.

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