Remembering Kathmandu

I fondly remember a Nepalese shop keeper's unique (and sales oriented) way of asking us where we were from when he said, "And what country is suffering without you?" It was terrible to hear this week of the disastrous earthquake that hit Nepal. Hard to believe that the ancient buildings and sites that we visited are now a pile of rubble. 

me in Durbar Square

The streets of Kathmandu

Besides the architecture and haunting musical chants being played in the streets, was the sight of hundreds of tourists from all over the world outfitted in trekking gear.

I hope this sight was not destroyed in the earthquake!

Nilah and I "shopping" in Kathmandu

a photo I took at the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu

photo of Monkey Temple - notesfromabigworld.com

I took this photo when we were "trekking". The white in the sky is actually the peaks of the Himalayas!

a Nepalese family that we met while hiking near the Himalayas 

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to see the sights of Nepal, especially the ones that are no longer there. We were also fortunate that our week long vacation was not interrupted by a major disaster like the one that took place recently. Below is an article from the Toronto Star about a young woman who encountered the recent earthquake in Nepal. Jessica Adach, the subject of the article, just happens to be the daughter of a friend of mine! I was amazed to hear of her story and happy that she was able to leave safely.

The drone video in the article shows the devastation of the city and you can see the sight of the  Monkey Temple.

Toronto Star Article about Jessica Adach