When two pickleball friends of ours, Navin Gurung and Leo Gonzalez, showed us a proposed programme of travel to Nepal with an opportunity to play a pickleball match as well, my husband and I jumped at the chance.
There were seven of us in our party and we were joined by another group from the Rotary Club of Beaconsfield also organised by our friend Navin.We landed in Kathmandu, presented with the obligatory floral necklaces and whisked off to our rather nice hotel.
First impressions of Kathmandu are of chaotic traffic and even more chaotic electrical cables. My husband was so amazed by the cabling that he took photographs to show to our electrician back home. We spent a day sightseeing viewing the Stupa with its beautiful prayer flags and then to the Hindu temple.
It may sound a bit macabre, but along the banks of the river beside the temple were a series of funeral pyres where the bodies of the recently deceased were prepared for cremation and then the remains sent downriver. I found it fascinating to learn of such traditions and was amazed when the practice of suttee was explained to me where in past times a wife was expected to throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre if he predeceased her.
The city was vibrant and noisy. We were privileged to be invited to a BBQ dinner at a close friend of Navin’s house and were treated to wonderful hospitality.
The next stage of our trip was the road journey to Pokhara where we were to play pickleball, visit the boys football orphanage and then go into the mountains to visit schools, deliver books, pens and clothes and visit the village where Navin’s grandfather was born.
The journey from Kathmandu to Pokhara was an experience to say the least. It took eight hours of driving on appalling potholed roads. Our little group of 7 laughed and laughed.
“Would anyone like drinks or crisps?” Navin asks.
“Oh yes please, crisps would be nice” replies one of our party. “Well, we don’t have any” was Navin’s reply. However, he remedied this by leaping out of the vehicle and going in search of a shop. Ah well maybe you had to be there to find it so funny………!!
Another very nice hotel in Pokhara was our next port of call. From our base there we played a pickleball match against a team from India who had travelled to compete against us.
The football orphanage boys were all on hand to watch, all looking very dapper in their uniforms. We were warmly greeted by them the following day at the orphanage. To see such happy kids who have so little was very humbling and brought tears to my eyes on many occasions.
Pokhara has a beautiful lake and great shopping for trekking clothes and Nepalese artefacts.
Then it was on to the schools and to the village where children and elders alike welcomed us and showed us tremendous hospitality.
Our trip took us once again on some atrocious roads as we headed for a safari at Tigerland. This was another quite different and relaxing dimension to the trip.
All too soon we were back in Kathmandu. Time for a little shopping – a beautiful authentic singing bowl for me but only after I tested it on one of the party’s heads.
All too soon we were back in Kathmandu. Time for a little shopping – a beautiful authentic singing bowl for me but only after I tested it on one of the party’s heads.
What I enjoyed most about this trip was the sense that we were seeing the authentic Nepal. We received amazing hospitality, we were humbled by the children in the orphanages and schools, and we were honoured to be welcomed by the elders in Navin’s great grandfather’s village. Navin was a wonderful guide and host. We really felt we had packed so much in and had been able to experience regular tourist attractions but also got a real feel for the way people live.
The trip gave us a lot of variety and was rich in cultural learnings and experiences. We had the most amazing driver for the whole time we were there and he seemed to take all our antics in his stride. The trip served to create an amazing bond between the seven of us and we still reminisce on our ‘in jokes’ and the fascinating and fabulous time which we had. I rarely remember ever laughing as much as we did on that trip.
Although we saw a lot, I feel there was more to this beautiful country which I could explore. So I am tempted by the possibility of some trekking …. but that is another story!!