Thursday, May 10, 2007

Bandipur

Rather than rushing back to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, I decided to take the slow road back by stopping in rustic Bandipur, a hill station to the Himalayas.

There, I spent a lovely four days and three nights in the solitude of the small town and its tiny surrounding villages.

I would make many local friends, befriend a few tourists, namely Mark (from Malta) and Knob (from Ireland), as well as meet Yael and her friend, Moshi.

Bandipur was an excellent transition for me to the chaos of Kathmandu.

I would highly recommend Bandipur to anyone traveling in between Pokhara and Kathmandu. It is a very lovely and special place to view to Himalayas, as well as a wonderful place to meet locals and see the true daily Nepalese lifestyle.

Below are the photos I took while in Bandipur. I hope to include a more detailed description of my experience in the near future...

The photogenic children of Bandipur.

A local dice game in action.

Bandipur is situated at the foot of the Himalayas. On a clear day, one can see the entire Annapurna Range.


On my first day in Bandipur, I decided to take a walk along one of the rural roads... I wound up in a tiny village about an hour outside of Bandipur, where I met these two lovely girls and a school teacher (their names are in my articles that I sent home-- I will add them as soon as I am home), who invited me to teach the following morning at the local government primary school. I watched my first sunset in Bandipur with them. (see above)

I was a guest at the Primary School 31 during my visit to Bandipur, where I helped to lead English lessons during the morning.

Here the children are doing their daily calisthenics.

Singing the national anthem.

One of the classrooms that I taught.

A view of the school, an hour walk from Bandipur.

The heart of Bandipur.



The view from my room window as a storm rolls in.

A panoramic view of the wonderful scenery.

Inside Siddha Cave, an hour walk down from Bandipur.




The entrance to the cave.

My friend Mark (from Malta) exiting the cave. Later I would ride a motorcycle for the first time in my life with Mark at the helm as we rode back to Bandipur.

Fig trees line the path toward the Tundikhel parade ground.

A view of the mountains from Tundikhel parade ground.

A close-up of the mountains at sunset from Tundikhel parade ground, the most popular place to view the Himalayas from Bandipur.

Sunrise at Tundikhel parade ground.

The main square.

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