I've never seen so many beards before. And not just your run of the mill, average facial hair, but proudly grown, who knows what's hiding in there, I'm-a-man burly beards.
It's like a right of passage, a sign if you will, that you've arrived in Nepal. No, it's not the locals, but the travelers who are of a distinct set -- think faux-North Face and dreds, carefree yet thoughtful -- and it's the first time I've been to a place, where beard or no beard, I feel as though I've joined a secret club. A really dirty, but awesome, secret club.
Nepal is not a stop over, nor is it a vacation destination. It's intense, it's uncomfortable, it's frustrating and chaotic and surprising. It's the kind of place only a certain kind of traveler visits, and most turn a visit into a life, for a period of time or so. I'm the only person in this town crazy enough to come here for 10 days, but every traveler in this town, is crazy in some way. And I mean that in the best of ways.
There are two types of tourist here: those finding themselves in the grit of Kathmandu, exploring the Hindu sites and small hill-top villages, working at an orphanage or a hostel or school. And then there are the Everesters. Those who come to Nepal for a dare. But being in Nepal in itself, is a challenge, with and without the climb... The Kathmandu Chronicles
