After two whole days in the big city of Kathmandu, we were ready for a break. It was Saturday (their “Sunday”) and we were told many things would be closed. A cab driver told us to check out a place called Nagarkot – so we looked it up during breakfast, packed an overnight bag, and hopped on a local bus. It cost us a whopping $2 for both of us to get there. We were excited for our first spontaneous adventure, especially because we decided to stay at the:

The bus ride provided an interesting insight to how things work in Kathmandu. Sometimes buses are buses, and sometimes they are large vans. There is a paper in the front window to tell the route, but generally someone is hanging out of a window or the open door shouting it out as they drive. People hop on and hop off, paying as they get off. And no driver wants to miss out on a fare. They cram people in pretty tightly. We even might’ve witnessed a fight between a lady saying she had no more room and the guy cramming people onto the bus trying to find room. Luckily, we got on the bus early and nagged a pair of seats. Having seats on a crowded bus, however is a double-edged sword. While we got to sit semi-comfortably, our faces were about butt, gut and armpit level with all of the other passengers that were standing and sweating.

Anyway, two busses later we reached Nagarkot — a very small village with amazing views. When we arrived we stopped in a stall for some momos (or dumplings). We watch as they make our “buff momo” by hand, popped them in the steamer and served them up with a delicious spicy sauce sometimes called momo soup. (When we first heard “buff” we thought they were saying “both” – like mixed chicken and pork. But then we learned it was actually water buffalo and not too shabby.)

Once we got up the hill to our hotel, we were greeted with this view and we were instantly glad we had made the trip!

It was here that we first learned of true Nepali tea and fell in love! (Rich, creamy milk tea with spices like clove and cardamom for flavor.) And don’t forget the ridiculous amounts of sugar that go into the tea. Man, the tea was truly incredible, one of our favorite Nepali/Nagakorot/Mountain memories. I (Brandon) can’t put into words the feeling of warmth the tea gives you. But let me try, first the rooms didn’t have any heaters built into them so at night, our room at the end of the universe could get pretty cold. We would just pile up blankets to stay warm. But heading to the very top of the hill for breakfast and being served the tea first, really warmed our souls. I mean, we watched the sunrise over the Himalayas while drinking Nepali tea. Doesn’t get much better than that!

We only planned to stay one night, but before dinner we’d booked a second night. We ended up spending the evening with a pair of Canadian Vegans who got drunk off of the local Nepali moonshine, Raksi. They then proceeded to tell me (Devon) that all of my Crohn’s and stomach problems could be attributed to the simple fact that I eats meat, eggs, milk, and basically anything besides pasta and potatoes. Ohhh, lovely drunk vegans. They also recommended a homo-pathetic doctor for us to check out. You can guess what we did with that doctor’s name and information.

The next day is what really made the weekend. We started at 5:30AM and headed to an old military tower on the top of a hill to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas.

And though it was about 80 km away, we still saw the sun rise over Mt. Everest.

Instead of taking the car back to the hotel we decided walk and stopped for breakfast at a little hotel called Om Manila. The owner and his brother made us a fantastic “simple breakfast” with a masala omelet, potatoes, masala tea, and homemade bread, mango jam, and juice made from a tiny red berry that we still cannot identify. Not only that, but he gave us a tour of the property, showing us where they were growing their own fruits and veggies — including a new mushroom farm. It was so homey and personal – and an overall amazing experience.

The rest of the day was filled with tea, hiking and meeting some amazing people. One couple even owns a foundation in southern Thailand that helps abused children that we may spend some time at in the coming months. The gentleman (Joe) was an Italian journalist, and his wife is Thai. Joe was a trip and promised to teach me (Brandon) about the finer things in life involved in being an Italian gentleman.

One of our favorite parts of the weekend came after dinner. There was a group of 4 local guys playing guitar and singing songs like “Hey, Jude” and other great classics. We sat down and were instantly each handed a plate heaping with delicious food (that they refused to let us pay for) Then we spent about an hour singing and chatting with them. (They also had a cute puppy which was a bonus!)

All in all – one of our favorite weekends in Nepal!