I spent the entire month of May, 1987 in Nepal after heading there from India. May is not the best time of year to visit Nepal because at that time the air is full of mist and clouds which obscures the view of the Himalayas. On the other hand, the cooler temperatures of Nepal were a welcome relief from the heat of India.
Most of the time I spent sightseeing and relaxing in Kathmandu which is an altogether good place to unwind. Tourism has long been a feature of Nepali life but there was little in the way of touts and hustlers, at least compared to India.
Pokhara was another place I visited. It’s less than 200 km west of Kathmandu but the bus trip took 12 hours due to the appalling road conditions and the serpentine nature of the route through the mountains. It makes Kathmandu seem like a whirlwind of hustle and bustle because it’s so laid back. Pokhara is a popular place from which to launch treks into the Himalayas.
Along the southern border of Nepal is a region called the Terai. Chitwan National Park lies in this region and it is home to highly endangered Indian tigers and rhinos. I spent a few days in Chitwan and I got to go on an elephant ride through the jungle at one point. I learned that taking photos from on top of an elephant is no easy task what with all the swaying back and forth. Rhinos were easy to spot but I didn’t catch a glimpse of any tigers.