Kelly's trip to Nepal

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Bodda at night	Bodda	Amazing decor	Amazing temples	Sisters
Bhaktapur	Tika and Kelly in Pohkara	Kelly spinning the prayer wheels	The golden door	The handicrafts
The tea fields in Iiam	Him Mnt	Him Mnt 2	Me in Pokhara

(Scroll down for Kelly's letter ...)

DESCRIPTIONS

1. The Boudha Temple at Night

2. The Boudha Temple during the day

3. The beautifully decorated houses

4. Amazing temples

5. Two little sisters on the road

6. The massive Bhaktapur Temple

7. Tika (the Post Security Officer) and Kelly

8. Kelly spinning the prayer wheels

9. The colorful handicrafts

10. The medieval golden door

11. The lush tea fields of Iiam District

12. Heavenly Himalayas

13. The magical mountains

14. Relaxing after my last day in Pohkara



January 26th, 2003

Hello friends and family,

I have just returned home from the land of eternal fascination.the Kingdom of Nepal. Fortunately on this trip I was accompanied by a fantastic team from Peace Corps Headquarters.Jill Carty and Beth Ritterpusch.we affectionately called ourselves Charlies Angels. Lots of work was conducted but we managed to infuse plenty of laughter and a bit sightseeing along the way thanks to the incredible staff at Peace Corps Nepal.

Nepal is a small country abundant in cultural diversity. There are more than 40 ethnic groups each with their own cultural practices, festivals, rituals, and other social activities. The Himalayan Kingdom has a population of over 23 million and it stated as one of the poorest countries in the world. It is the worlds only Hindu Kingdom, with 90% of the population Hindu. Nepali people are extremely friendly, helpful, honest and generous beyond belief.

The Nepali food ranges from tasty water buffalo, goat and chicken to a delightful variety of rice or flat bread, colorful lentils, and ice cream available everywhere. Needless to say unfortunately no weight was lost on this trip.

Most of my trip was spent in Kathmandu, staying at the comfortable Yak and Yeti hotel that was surrounded by folk art shops and in walking distance from the Royal Palace. It was also close to the famous area, Thamel, as we strolled through the crowded streets we were assaulted by the smells, sounds and colorful people.it was a place you felt truly alive but exhausted after a few hours of too much stimuli. In the Kathmandu valley, the timeworn temples are everywhere. As we pilgrimaged to the many temples and shrines I marveled at the architecture details and questioned the abundant usage of the erotic figures.

I encountered the most spectacular sweeping views and breathtaking landscape of course all it was toped off by flying past the majestic Himalayan peaks on my way east to the Terai area. Nepal is an environmental wonder within a country the size of Florida, lies most of the worlds climatic zones, ranging from Arctic tundra to high dry deserts to tropical lowlands. Outside Kathmandu, in the Eastern Mountain district the air is fresh, cool and exhilarating with beautiful tea gardens and plantations scattered for as far as you can see.

I was also fortunate to fly to West to the city of Pokhara where I had visited many years ago. I was pleased to see the magnificent lake in all her glory and was continually awestruck by the towering Himalayan Mountains that lay directly ahead of me. The Himalayans seems so close that you could touch them; at some points the Mountains stopped as they pierced the puffy white and pink clouds and then miraculously reappeared again. Needless to say it was a breathtaking trip!

I will be in the Philippines for about 10 days and then I am off to bella Italy.until next time..

Ciao,

Kelly