Today we headed up to Nagarkot, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagarkot a small village on the rim of the Kathmandu valley where last time here Lynda and I did our first warm up trek prior to starting the Annapurna circuit. We had such an excellent time and the lodge was so memorable that we just had to go back and check it out. Not sure why but we has such fond memories of hiking the 20km up to the summit with enough camping equipment and food to support an entire expedition only to stay at a lodge and have our meals cooked for us.
On the way there we stopped at Bhaktapur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaktapur, a town outside of Kathmandu known for its intricate woodworking on windows and doors as well as a traditional goods market. again this central area was a museum that had paid entry. after shooing away several would be guides we had a peaceful walk about the old town and then enjoyed a rooftop cup of tea above the square.
On the road up to the Nagarkot tower I had the driver stop and let us out to walk the last 5km and 1500 ft of elevation for some birding and acclimation hiking to prepare for Bhutan. We had to walk past an army exercise so for about 500 m we had a half dozen rifles and two machine gun nests aimed at us. They were very serious so I didn't think it wise to ask if I could take a picture. Sunset at the tower was great and we had fantastic views of the Lantang valley range as well as Everest. Lynda and I spent two weeks backpacking in the upper Lantang so it was really a nice feeling getting to see it again even if it was from a viewpoint.
