February 7, 2012 - Nagarkot

I'm sitting on a balcony overlooking the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas in front of me and tiered farmlands to the left. The whole while, I'm drinking milk tea and listening to the wind sway through the trees and the birds chirping their sweet little melodies. Tibetan prayer flags wave all around and a honey bee is buzzing around my head. And yes, I am still in Nepal.

My parents and I have taken a respite from the dust, loud noises, and overall craziness of Kathmandu and traveled out to Nagarkot for the day and night. Nagarkot is a quaint little town east of Kathmandu, about 90 minutes via taxi or car. The drive takes you out of the honking traffic of the city and up in to the foothills. The last two kilometers to our guesthouse are on unpaved, and a bit treacherous, back roads. And even though Nagarkot is only 32 kilometers away from the city, they seem to be worlds apart. Nagarkot is so incredibly peaceful and quiet, surrounded by nature and the best views of the Himalayas from anywhere within the Kathmandu valley.

Thanks to Krista's great recommendation, we are staying at the Nagarkot Farmhouse. It is a bit "off the beaten track" and requires a skilled driver to navigate the last few kilometers, but it is well worth it. There were a few other guests here when we arrived, but now we have the place to ourselves. Per suggestion from both Krista and Lonely Planet, we are staying in room number 15. I understand why this room came so highly recommended. While all of the rooms have great views, our room has Windows on two sides and a wrap-around balcony, giving magnificent views of the Himalayas right out of our windows.

We were provided with milk tea (or coffee, if you so desire) upon arrival and had a delicious lunch. Our visit here also includes dinner and breakfast, as well as a fireplace in the main house and in our room to keep us toasty tonight.

After getting settled in to our amazing room, we went for a short stroll to take in the area. Little did we know that our "stroll" would entail quite so many stairs. The farmlands around Nagarkot are tiered for more productive farming, so our short hike took us through some of these tiers. On our way down, we met a very friendly Nepali husband and wife, who live just below the Farmhouse. When we came across the man, he was working on building an impressive stupa near his home (a stupa is a Buddhist temple). He was very friendly and more than happy to chat with us. Despite our persistent efforts to not keep him from his work, he insisted on showing us around the farm and explaining all of the fruits and vegetables that they grow on the farm. I even tried a peppercorn straight from the plant - it was very bitter! He also invited us in to his home (well, his boss's home) for a cup of home-made lemongrass tea. I have to admit that I was a bit leery, but it was delicious!!

He talked with us for a while about his past (parents were refugees from Tibet), his family (wife and three children, all of whom are attending boarding school in Kathmandu), his job (taking care of the farm, his boss's house while he is away, and building stupas), and the upcoming Tibetan new year (February 21). He even taught me a few words in Tibetan, which I have already forgotten... It was such a pleasant afternoon. Now I plan to drink more milk tea, read my book, enjoy the wonderful views, and forget about the craziness of Kathmandu and Patan for the rest of the day!