The past few days have been spent up at Shivapuri, a National Park in the mountains north of Kathmandu. The trip there was quite fun, as we began in a van that took us about 1.5 hours, through the outskirts of Kathmandu and through a bit of the countryside. The roads are very thin, and it can be a bit interesting when two vehicles pass each other, especially when there is a cliff down one side, but I am glad to say we made it in one piece! After driving we walked about 2 hours up the mountain into the park, which was a beautiful walk. It was nice to be walking again, I really missed taking long walks while I was working so many hours in November and December. It definitely served to get me excited for the safari and free travel time, which will include lots of trekking!!!
The view here at Shivapuri is amazing. It is too beautiful to even capture in photos. We look out over a valley, where there are lots of farms and villages, to the Himalayas beyond. On a clear day we can see right down to Annapurna. It is truly amazing! Shivapuri is like a combination of resort and reteat. The amenities are pretty basic, but we have toilets and hot showers, which is really all I need. This is when the real trip begins, as we have been doing Nepali lessons and preparing to teach. It has been really great to be here, as everyone in the group has really had the chance to begin getting to know each other. There are 15 of us in total, split into three groups of 4 and one group of 3. I am the only Canadian, Magnus is from Norway, and everyone else is from Britain.
Our days are pretty full, but I am usually so tired that I sleep well and am awake and ready to go for breakfast at 8. (this is totally not me, at home I don't even know that 8am exists!) Our classes are all done outside in the sun, with the mountains as a backdrop. I have never had such a beautiful classroom. The sun is quite warm, but once it is gone it does get very cold. Our lessons run until dinner at about 7, (but with lots of breaks and it is very fun, not at all strenuous), and after dinner we have free time, which I tend to spent sitting around the fire with a few beers. Really a very wonderful way to spend an evening.
On the second day everyone woke up to see the sunrise, which was ok, not as spectacular as I was expecting. The sun first hitting the mountains was beautiful, but the rising of the actual sun was blocked by a ridge, which was a bit of a let-down.
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