At long last, I get to visit a country that has been on my bucket list for ages. As a young teenager, I was intrigued with the Bob Seger song ‘Kathmandu’. I remember hearing the lyrics and wondering where in the world is this place with the unusual name that Seger signs about. In the mid 90’s, we had a family trekking trip planned in the Himalayas with Kathmandu as our staging point but a terrorist attack scuttled our plans. So here I am decades later finally visiting Katmandu!
Home to Mount Everest, Nepal has eight of ten tallest mountains in the world contained within its borders. Geographically a small country about the size of the state of Arkansas, it is one of the most culturally diverse places in the world.
Its 30 million people comprise more than one hundred different ethnic and caste groups that speak over 92 different languages although Nepali and English are second or third languages spoken by most urban dwellers.
The majority of Nepalis practice Hinduism, although Buddism, Islam, Shamanism and Christianity are present.
Although citizens of one of the poorest countries in southeast Asia, Nepalis are known for their patience, lack of drama and resilence; traits that have allowed people of so many different ethnicities, faiths and beliefs to peacefully coexist.
Our time in Nepal is short, just alittle over 24 hours, as Kathmandu is merely the connecting point for our flight to Bhutan but we intend to make the most of this brief visit!
March, 2023