Monkey Temple | Nepal

10/10 would do a Malaysia layover again. Just saying that airport has everything. My flight from Malaysia to Nepal was an interesting one. After boarding the full plane, I looked around and realized that I was one of three girls on the planet… the ENTIRE plane. Every single other individual was a man. At first, I thought I was being crazy but then I stood up to use the restroom (yes, I made it all the way to the bathroom before beginning DAD) and I only passed two women, both tourists. This was incredibly weird to think about.

Landing in Nepal was both beautiful and frustrating. Beautiful because Kathmandu is surrounded by spectacular mountains that are asking to be explored. The greenery was so inviting. However, I was spoiled with how easy Australia was to navigate and I was lucky to get to travel with my best buddy for the past week. Being alone again in a country that is not as easily navigated was… a little shocking again. I thought my phone would work in Nepal but it was not working at all. I ready online that the visa fee was $20 but when I arrived it was $25 and my second bill had a rip in it so they wouldn’t take it. The ATM machines weren’t working and the guy at the desk was giving me hard sass about having to use the credit card machine. Then, the immigration officer was quite the chatty one and three or four other people passed through immigration in the time it took me to. He even picked up a phone call in the middle of my assessment! Haha. After clearing everything I started walking out when a guy asked me what hostel I was going to, I caved and told him, and he said “oh, they don’t pick up.” I gave him the I-have-been-through-the-ringer-and-slept-in-an-airport-last-night-so-don’t-mess-with-me look, added a verbal “yeah okay,” and walked away. Thankfully, I had desperately emailed my hostel to pick me up at the airport minutes before I lost wifi connection in Malaysia and waiting for me on the other side of door was a very nice man with a sign that said “Kinley” on it. I’ve never been so grateful in my life. Especially after sassing that man.
The driving in Nepal is crazy. On a scale of 1 to Bangkok, it is probably a 6. I’m not sure how they manage to squeeze between small spaces or see the scooters — because I sure don’t. Riding in the car is an adventure in itself. The Sparkling Turtle Hostel was my home for the next couple nights and a great home it was. They had delicious food, a nice balcony, decent wifi, and they were in a quieter area near the Monkey Temple. I had a comfy bed and there were mischievous monkeys warning signs posted all over. It wasn’t 5 minutes before I saw one of the cuties outside my window.

At breakfast the next morning, I met a girl from California named Shannon. She, generously, became my tour guide for the next day. We started out by climbing the many steps to the Monkey Temple. Before step one we could already see all of the monkeys climbing through the trees. The species was Rhesus macaques and they were EVERYWHERE. It was awesome. Ascending into greenery and pray flags, the temple was quite special. At the top of the mountain you were able to meander along the pathways, watch the monkeys play, see all the souvenirs, and enjoy the view of Kathmandu. We spent so much time watching the monkeys cannonball into a water fountain. They would launch themselves from the tops of walls. It was hilarious. Afterwards, we went to a rooftop café and sipped watermelon juice.
When were walking back this blasting music started coming our direction. It turned out to be a celebration of some kind and a marching band was strutting down the street. I don’t know how I keep hitting this musical celebrations — but I’m not complaining.
That afternoon we used local transportation to go to Thamel — the tourist destination. I love taking local transportation. Nepal’s reminded me a lot of Nicaragua’s where you climb onto a small car and they cram as many people into it as possible. You are crushed in their tightly yet no one has a problem with it and everyone is smiling and friendly. I was on a personal crusade for a chocolate croissant. Thankfully, there were a ton of cute bakeries around and I was able to fulfill this dream. Thamel was a neat street. Prayer flags were hung everywhere, and the energy was high. It was especially nice because no cars were allowed on the roads, meaning it was just pedestrians and more peaceful.
Sadly, the following day, I was holed up inside answering emails, updating my medium blogs, and filling out paperwork. But, I still got to watch the monkeys play from my window and Mckenna arrived that evening, so it was not all bad. 😊
