Enjoy the Himalayas

For many people who are passionate about adventure stories, perhaps the Himalayas are at the top of the list as the most wanted place to visit. Especially for mountain children who like to climb the highest peak. Many of my friends whose hobbies go up the mountain say that the Himalayas are like Meccanya mountain climbers. At least once in a lifetime they hope to see, look closely, breathe air or even step on and grasp the highest mountain snow in the world that stretches for thousands of kilometers, from Pakistan to India and Bhutan, from Nepal to Tibet (China).

I saw the Himalayas with my own eyes for the first time when I traveled to Darjeeling India in 2010. At that time I could see Konchenjunga, the highest peak in India and the third highest peak in the world with my own eyes. The moment was very magical for me. Moment that makes me want to see the Himalayas again and again.

The second time I saw the Himalayas when I traveled to Pokhara Nepal in March 2015, only a few weeks before the earthquake occurred. At that time I could even see Annapurna Himalaya from the window of the hotel room where I was staying. And even more clearly when the next day I went to Sarangkot to enjoy the beautiful view of the rising sun rising from the shoulders of Fish Tail, one of the highest peaks in the Annapurna Himalaya. Cool is not it?

Enjoying the Himalayas from Nepal in various ways, by walking miles to Poon Hill or Annapurna Base Camp from Pokhara, trekking to Langtang, taking a flight to Lukla from Kathmandu to then walk for 7 to 12 days to reach Everest Base Camp . Mount Everest in Nepal is called Sagarmatha (Forehead in the Sky) or in Tibetan called Chomolungma (Mother of the Worlds).

If not able to trek for days, we can also enjoy the Himalayas from afar. Just go to Pokhara or Nagarkot or other small villages at the foot of the mountain to enjoy the Himalayas from the hotel room window. If we have more budget, we can even enjoy the Himalayas from the plane window. In Kathmandu or Pokhara many Mountain Flight packages are sold, flying by special aircraft to circle the Himalayas. The budget that we have to allocate to fly for one hour is about 750 USD. It's expensive indeed, but the view offered is extraordinarily beautiful. Once in a lifetime experience. Or we can also enjoy the Himalayas from the plane window by traveling from Kathmandu to Pokhara or vice versa with Buddha Air or Yeti Airlines.

I believe, it takes a little luck to be able to enjoy the Himalayas. Not that we have flown thousands of kilometers to come to Tibet, Nepal, India or Bhutan, we certainly can see the Himalayas clearly. Just like what I experienced last year when I first visited Nepal. Of the four days I spent in Pokhara, only one day I was able to enjoy the Himalayas clearly. The rest, the Himalayas are shy about hiding behind the clouds. Moreover, what I am experiencing right now, two days ago after landing in Kathmandu, we immediately chartered taxy to Nagarkot. Hopefully the next morning we could see the sun rising from between the peaks of the Himalayas. But whatever, thick fog and clouds covered the sky. Only one peak was seen that morning, but the view was enough to make my colleague, Francis Ayok, happy unparalleled. Likewise today, we actually planned to go to Pokhara to see Annapurna Himalaya. But seeing the weather conditions, we undo the plan. Though almost all travel books mention that winter is one of the best seasons to be able to see the Himalayas. But what is our power? But never mind, this will be one of the reasons we return to Nepal someday.

"The mountains were so wild and so stark and so beautiful that I wanted to cry. I breathed in another wonderful moment to keep safe in my heart ”Jane Wilson

Dhanyabad Nepal