A starting point in sharing our adventures in Nepal

After spending almost a week in Nepal, I have so much to write and about and so many photos to share. I've been going through both my and Tim's photos, and I realize it will be hard to select just a sampling.  But over a few posts, I'll give it a try.

And I have other photos and notes from our drive in the Northern Emirates, too.  But first, I am most eager to share about Nepal.

Last night I dropped Tim off at the airport for a 2 a.m. flight home to California. As I write this (7:30 p.m. UAE time), the online flight tracker shows him over Canada at this point. With about 3.5 hours to go in his loooonnnngggg trip home.

So I shouldn't feel so tired after getting to bed at 1 a.m. and then working today. But honestly, it's going to be a really early night for me.

I want to get back to this blog, though, and start sharing again.

Why Nepal?
My friend Hannah from work was planning a trip there for October. And the timing was such that Tim and I could go at the same time. From the States, it would be multiple flights and many hours of flying to ever get to Nepal. Yet from Abu Dhabi it's 4.5 hours (never ever did I think that was a short flight!  but we do now!), non-stop, and affordable. And what fun to say the word Kathmandu :-)

One of the kickers was, that for some unknown reason, we could fly business class cheaper than the economy ("Coach") seats that were left. Well, that was an easy decision, to fly business for a cheaper price!  

As I mentioned, I'll share a few posts about Nepal with photos of temples and stupas and beautiful mountains and animals and intense traffic and colorful buses, and more.  For tonight, before my I give into my brain and my body saying "sleep!", some photos as a starting point.

As you schlep your backpack on a mountain trail (nope, not Everest size mountains, just regular ol' mountains), you see a woman carrying water or milk jugs or a load of grass and leaves (for the animals) and you find yourself shutting your mouth and not complaining! These containers are empty at the moment, but the Nepalese carry their physical loads with much more ease than I could muster!

A typical store (snacks, sodas, and such). And young boys/men playing a game had what looked like checkers and a sandy surface ...

A Buddhist monk at one of the temples we visited.

Marigolds abound at temples. People lay the flowers (individually or in strings) at statues and shrines in the temples, and use the color from dried marigolds on the statues of gods. And once in awhile, as in this photo, you'll find someone taking a nap in what feels like such a random place.

More details and more photos coming!
Hope you like this taster!

Coming soon: notes from Nepal

Hi everyone.

Just a note that I will post new things soon. Tim is visiting (yay!!!) ... and in addition to driving around the Northern Emirates for a few days (including a few hours in the country of Oman) Tim's first week in the UAE,  we are visiting Nepal his second week.

As in, I am typing this post on my tablet via wifi from our hotel in Kathmandu !!!
(If you google Hotel Courtyard and Kathmandu, you should be able to get to their website.)

Have just been here 24 hours, and we are loving it. Temples, stupas, trekking (low level, not Everest!), rafting, a jungle safari ... to name a few of the very fun things I hope to do and and write about.

So please stay tuned! 

- Kate

Falcons and falconry

Falcons and falconry are a long-standing and important part of the culture and heritage of the UAE. These birds are treasured by Emiratis. There is even a well-known falcon hospital on the Abu Dhabi outskirts.

At the equestrian and hunting exhibition (ADIHEX) that I have been writing about, there were many falcons, most of which were for sale.  (The few price tags I saw involved tens of thousands of dirhams.)  You could hold them, touch them, and get very close to see their beautiful coloring and their striking features.

There were other birds on display by the Al Ain Zoo ...

There was even a brief show featuring several different parrots ... talking, playing a game of miniature basketball, flying through hoops. Unfortunately, I couldn't get close enough for good video of that, but I appreciated that you could get this close for still photos and to interact with these beautiful creatures.

Random and different at the hunting and equestrian show

At the Abu Dhabi hunting and equestrian exhibition (ADIHEX), there were some unique objects, and I want to share a sampling.

The most unique motorcycle I've ever seen:

A beautiful traditional horse saddle:

And modern saddles:

Some very interesting furniture:

Shields and swords:

Coffee, and making Arabic coffee, is HUGE here. (One of the competitions at ADIHEX was Arabic coffee making!) This is a table specifically for making and serving coffee and tea:

Additionally, there were boats, cars, quads, knives, bows and arrows, and guns, all for sale. And just about any type of gun or rifle you could want. Wish I had taken more photos, to give you a better idea of the equipment available!

Gorgeous bows with exotic woods. (The price you see is in Dirhams, not USD.)

Hunting is a long-standing tradition and heritage of the UAE bedouins, and is still an important part of the culture today. And with so much land, enjoying the outdoors (the boats and quads, etc.) are a big industry here too.

A final photo for this post, that I think is so sweet: