After an over-night in the airport in Delhi, we boarded our flight to Kathmandu. The glimpses of Himalayan peaks bursting out of the cloud cover were breath-taking, and we were excited to land and get on with our trip. We began the steep descent into the valley, and within 10 meters of landing, abruptly pulled back up, engines roaring, shooting back up into the mountains and clouds. Apparently, our landing was aborted due to a dog on the runway. After our hearts stopped pounding, we enjoyed the rest of our circle around the valley, and a more successful landing into Kathmandu. Our Nepali Adventure had begun!
We were met at the airport by lovely family, and enjoyed some relaxation time; eating, chatting and cousin-playing. It's so fun to be in a completely strange country and immediately feel right at home because you are with family.
We waited for the un-seasonal rain to let up, and then headed out to the first UNESCO World Heritage site of our trip, the Monkey Temple, Swayambhunath. The rain and lightning kept away all but the most devout, or most crazy, visitors, but after a long wait in the car we made our way up the stairs to the temple.
We ran our hands along the many prayer wheels, delighted in the antics of the temple monkeys, dodged raindrops, and enjoyed a meal of momos. (Don't tell the Nepalis, but they are basically just Chinese dumplings, except for the fried ones. Yum.)
She had to touch everything during the trip and her dirty hands showed it.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Enjoying a shelter from the rain and conversation during our wait for momos.
For more pictures from Day 1, check out this slideshow.
My grandchildren like to ham it up for the camera.
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