Namaste. It's my first full day in Nepal. Before I give my overview here's some interesting things about Nepal. Nepal is the only country that does not have a rectangular flag. Nepal's time zone is GMT +5:45. That means if it is 9 AM in Tampa Florida it is 7:45 PM in Nepal. It is one of the few in the world which uses a 45 increment time zone. Now, today I slept well for the first time in a few nights. Zach and I started the day roaming the streets, exploring the local shops. There are a bunch of trekking gear shops and cashmere goat and yak wool products. The cashmere goat wool is so soft and comfy. We ended up finding a good deal for a sweater for 45 dollars. Others we saw were over 100. I also bought cotton pants, a cool t shirt and pin for my backpack. A guy harassed me to buy a mini chess set and I bought that too! Kathmandu is a rambunctious city with small alleyway streets and a bunch of shops. Motorcycles and cars are jam packed in the alleys. Some Hindu temples are scattered throughout the city. The weather is cool and nice. Even though the city is hectic, I feel at peace here. The Nepalese and Hindu culture energy can really be felt. After lunch we ran into a storefront offering various treks. Coming to Nepal we really had no plans. Along the journey people have been telling me it is a must to do a large trek in Nepal. The beauty of backpacking with no plan is that you can be spontaneous and shift your plans. After going into the storefront we decided to do a 2 week long trek around the Himalayas! I loved the spontaneity of the trip and I'm grateful to be traveling with someone who is willing to do spontaneous and challenging things with me. After our explorations we went to a rock climbing gym and I did some push ups and pull ups. I heard from my Israeli friend that the Kathmandu Chabad is one of the best Chabads and is super social. It took me a while to find it due to the convoluted alleys here, but eventually we found this beautiful, large Chabad in the middle of the city. It has open, outdoor seating and we met a cool couple just hanging out. It is now the low season in Nepal but during the late spring and early fall 100s of young travelers hangout there. I look forward to going back on Shabbat and meeting some cool people. After stopping by Chabad, Zach and I went to a meditation space built by Sadhguru. It was nice and relaxing and the people working there did some cool rituals with fire, coconuts and drums. At dinner I noticed some interesting things about Nepal and Eastern culture. They served us hot water without even asking. Supposedly hot water is way better for digestion than cold water. Also all the food is served in copper vessels. Lastly you can eat some fennel seeds after your meal for digestion. It is really cool being in Asia seeing all of the cultural differences. Until now we have been traveling in countries greatly influenced by the three major Abrahamic religions. However now and for the future, we are in the lands of the far East, which diverge greatly from western religious philosophy.
