2024 Nepal – Nagarkot
2nd January 2024
Kamal and his driver picked us up in the morning and drove us to the outskirts of Nagarkot, where we did a three-hour hike. We would have liked to try something a little more adventurous, but it was only in the spring that I was told I needed a new hip and whilst another doctor said I was far from that stage, there was no doubt I did have some arthritis. It was very unpredictable. I didn’t generally have trouble walking long distances, but then my leg would start hurting while walking around the supermarket. I was also not great with high altitudes, although our route was only around 2170 metres, which might make me a little breathless, but nothing to worry about. It wasn’t exactly a Himalayan trek, but it was still thrilling to be walking so close to such a legendary mountain range, even though most of the time there was a haze that slightly obscured the view. The path wound in and out of villages and sometimes through people’s front gardens. We stopped in front of someone’s house, where an elderly couple greeted us. There were lots of goats and chickens around that looked at us with a mixture of curiosity and indifference. 
The man climbed up a nearby tree and started picking tangerines, which he passed down to Kamal, and we stopped just down the road on a large rock to eat them. Who said we were too old for adventure?
At one point, we were in the middle of nowhere when I heard a familiar sound. Was it the sound of a lesser-spotted warbler, or a bear calling its mate? Maybe a black-necked Tibetan crane or even a Yak? I listened more carefully and no, there was no doubt. It was the boom boom boom of a bass drum. There we were, mid-morning on a Himalayan hike, far from civilisation, and I still couldn’t get away from bass drums.
It was a 12-kilometre hike, which was OK, but towards the end, the uneven surface took its toll, and my leg started to hurt, so I was relieved to see our driver waiting by the finishing post. He drove us up a long dirt road to our hotel, Country Villa. It was spread out over several levels on the side of the mountain, so every room had a view of the Himalayas. 
We sat in the bar with Kamal and paid him before saying our goodbyes. It turned out that the hotel catered for big groups, and on that day, there was a group of 220 travel industry students making a lot of noise, but fortunately, they left by the evening. Considering the high price, our room was very basic, but there was certainly a good view, and to my great relief, the heating was working well because it was quite cold. As we lay on our bed resting from the long day, we were amazed to hear a party of children playing in the open air, unheated swimming pool.
The restaurant was very good, with the option of a buffet with a wide variety of unrecognisable dishes. I am not a connoisseur of curries and generally categorise them as being either tomato or cream-based curry, but I don’t remember ever eating a curry I didn’t enjoy, especially with a nice crispy paratha. The trouble was that eating curry twice a day was beginning to get a bit much, so even though it was only the first week of our holiday, we were starting to yearn for something European. It was not usually difficult to find pizza and pasta on a menu, but they could be pretty bad, so even though we started each meal saying “not curry again”, we usually ended up ordering and enjoying it.
On each level of the hotel, there were three or four areas where small groups of people could gather around an open fire. 
It was a great idea, but on our first night, there was a group not far from our room making a lot of noise and playing music until 2 a.m., so we weren’t too happy. We set the alarm for 6.30 a.m. so, like most of the hotel guests, we could watch the sun rise over the Himalayas. 
I can’t say it was a spectacular sight as there was a lot of early morning mist, but it was well worth the early rise, even if just for the atmosphere. Later that morning, we went for a walk, but there wasn’t much to see, and there was a problem with very old vehicles spewing out exhaust that was so bad that it was several minutes before we could breathe normally.
Our stay in Nagarkot came under the category of places I was really glad I saw, but would not return to or advise someone to go out of their way to visit. Of course, a genuine Himalayan trek would be a different matter for those fit enough to undertake it. It is interesting how sometimes we visit world-famous places which don’t live up to our expectations, and other times we turn a corner and are confronted with something as magnificent as it is unknown. When I was 19, I was driving in Switzerland with a friend along a snowy road just outside Gstaad and out of nowhere, appeared the most magnificent sight I had ever seen and one I will never forget. I had no idea what the mountain range was called, and I doubt if most people will have heard of it. We both got out of the car and stood looking at it, unable to speak. We all have priceless memories in our lives, and they are rarely the ones we plan.
2024 Nepal and India
