Wandering Nagarkot, Nepal and the Tamang Village

The following day, I decided to wander around the town of Nagarkot.

Nagarkot has a population of 4571 and 931 houses. It's at an elevation of 7000, which you can feel. You can see 8 of the 13 Himalayan ranges located in Nepal, which is amazing.

Also, I had no idea about this fact that I just found: "Nagarkot was an ancient fort of the Kathmandu valley built to monitor the external activities of other kingdoms. Later, it became a summer retreat for the royal family before becoming popular as an international hill station."

Little did I know...

My first foray into Nagarkot involved trying to find the ATM that was "right by the hotel," and then "at the bus stop." This meant a mile and a half away by foot and several blocks away from the bus stop. So I wandered aimlessly saying hello to random children and taking pictures of goats and beautiful views.

I eventually found it tucked behind a restaurant. It was miraculous and I was able to pay for my hotel.

I also safely walked a couple miles on a nature trail by myself. I was all alone and survived. (Sorry mom.)

While hiking through nature, the peaceful silence was broken by "Gangnam Style" playing in the distance. I cannot escape.

These children were adorable.

Here is a goat.

Sunrise Boarding School.

Here is a goat.

One of my favorite pictures of children and a goat.

Just some guys hanging out.

Here is another goat.

I also saw this and it was mildly horrifying. There were a lot of flies.

This is the road leading to my hotel.

This is also the road leading to my hotel.

This is the building where my room was located. It was surprisingly nice inside.

I returned to the hotel briefly to get some lunch and milk tea. This was the view while I ate. It's just shockingly beautiful.

Afterwards, I went on a walking tour with a hotel worker named Dill. He took me into the Tamang Village where his family is. It was actually a sad situation. He only gets to go to his house where his wife, Brizka, and daughter and parents live once a month on his day off, even though he is in easy walking distance of the house. He was very proud of his daughter and always talked about how strong she was. His daughter was adorable but I didn't take pictures of his family because it seemed weird. They were very nice though.

Some information about the Tamang Village from my hotel: "Tamang people are one of the indigenous inhabitants living in the hilly regions of Nepal. The name Tamang means "horse trader." They are one of the many ethnic groups of Nepal who trace their ancestry back from Tibet Tibet. They have their own unique culture, language, and religion. Tamangs have their own distinct language. Their mother tongue is Tamang, which falls into Tibeto-Burmese language group. The majority of Tamang people follow Nyingmapa, one of the four major schools ofTibetan Buddhism, but mix this heavily with animism and to a lesser extent, with Hinduism. Their priests, or lamas, have a dominant role in the community and perform ceremonies for funerals, etc. Buddhism spread to the Tamang from nearby Tibet, and the Tamang were early adopters of Buddhism. Perhaps the most powerful person in society, however, is the shaman, who expels evil spirit and interacts with the spirit world."

My favorite cow.

Even more goats. Including one very wide, pregnant goat.

The only picture I took of Dill's house.

My other favorite cow.

A mama and her chicks.

Posing for the camera, as usual, when in reality, I was dying of altitude-related breathing issues. Hiking around was a LOT harder there than in Washington.

We returned to the hotel for dinner and then I watched an amazing foggy sunrise and went to bed. They gave me a hot water bottle to sleep with, which allowed me to fall asleep without my jacket, gloves and hat on. It was wonderful

Testing out my new lense by creeping on people