Monday and Tuesday afforded Namgyal and I a chance to get away to a resort high in the hills. There had been discussion as to whether to go to Hattiban or Nagarkot - both resorts. After soliciting many opinions, Hattiban won out. Hattiban literally translates to "elephant forest." We were definately in the forest, but no elephants. Turns out the mountain we were on resembles an elephant. We have a connection so we were able to get a killer deal on a night otherwise we never could have afforded it. We took a cab to the center of the city (150 Nepalese rupees) and a rickety bus to the base of the mountain (24 Nepalese rupees). It took about 1.25 hours to get there on the windy, bumpy road. At the base of the mountain we climbed in a Land Rover and were whisked to the top on a dirt road that had stones nicely placed the width of tires. We went up and up and up and up! We climbed to about 1800 meters above sea level (Kathmandu is about 1300 meters). The top brought breathtaking, awe-inspiring views of the Kathmandu valley and ...
...the Himalaya's! This is the view of the Himalaya's we were supposed to have.
The Himalay's in monsoon season!
The resort is in the background and we are standing on an observation platform nearly 30 feet in the air. This deck provided nearly 270 degree views of the valley and surrounding mountains.
As the night drew closer the clouds broke and we could begin to see the tips of peaks in the distance. At first we were convinced that we were looking at Everest but we were infromed by the staff that we were looking at Ganesh Himal. Impressive nonetheless, yet Everest still eludes us.
The Kathmandu valley in the foreground and the Himalaya's in the background. Tibet is just on the other side of those peaks.
As the light changed, we got better views. Everest would be to the far, far right.
A cocktail, a beer, a deck of UNO cards, an outdoor patio... heavenly bliss.
Part of the range to the West.
The road back down the hill. Yes, of course we walked. It was super.
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