SEMEURBAK

Durbar Square (above) in Kathmandu is one of the highlights in Nepal. It was really damaged by the 2015 earthquakes but it is still beautiful.

Two weeks later I came back to Durbar Square for the Holi, a Hindu spring festival (above left). I have to say: it is the BEST PARTY EVER.

This is the view from the rooftop of my second hotel in Kathmandu: Potala Guest House. Rooftops are one of the best places to chill out: less noise, pollution, crowds. In this picture you can see some solar panels, this is because Nepal has a serious problem with power cuts (at least 12 hours a day while I was there). Im very optimistic and I think it could be a good opportunity for it to be an energy sustainable country in the long term.

One of the things I remember the most is how good I ate in Nepal. If Im not wrong, there are two main traditional Nepali foods:

• Dal Bath (kind of a national dish): Nepali people eat this recipe based on rice and lentils almost every day, it is very simple but absolutely delicious in part because they have very good rice.
• Momos: There are two kinds of people, those who prefer steamed momos and those who prefer fried momos. I prefer the second ones.

Stomachaches are not uncommon for travellers but I ate almost everything without too much care during almost two months and I just had one or two days that I had to stay in bed (close to the toilet). Water is the most important thing: always drink bottled or disinfected.

Many Nepalese people are vegetarians but you can find meat very easily in almost every place, even beef (cows are sacred for Hindus--80% of the population). In this picture you can see a typical butcher shop. Almost sure, this is the same meat youll eat at that fancy and expensive restaurant you want to go for dinner.

The signs of the earthquake are appreciable in many places but, please, dont believe the mass media too much, they really love to show the worst. The country is still a very good option for backpackers, trekkers and travellers of every condition (ok, not every condition but almost). At the left, you can see the typical broom used in Nepal. Lovely, right?

This barbershop was located on a street in Ilam (in eastern Nepal), famous for its tea gardens. I tried this barbershop and I have to say: If this is the average quality of barbers in Nepal, they are really good! I had the best shave ever, and super cheap.

I did some trekking in the Annapurna mountains and I found some funny contradictions for a European traveller. There are some villages where the only way to transport things like gas, Coca-Cola, rice, or cereals is by donkey (drones are still not there). Everything is very austere BUT many villagers seem to have a good smartphone connected to the Internet. It is some kind of globalization.

This is one of my favourite drawings. If you look well you see a string from the shovel to the old man. Why? The old man pulls the string to guide the man with the shovel to dig the trench straight.

In this small village I had the pleasure of:

• Being surprised by a rhino while having a beer at a river bar.
• Being scared by a wild elephant while riding in a boat on the river.
• Finding a plantation of wild marihuana next to my hostel.
• Paying less than 4€ night for two people in a hostel.
• Enjoying some of the best moments in the country: sitting on a rooftop bar at sunset while taking a Red Star (Red Bull fake), listening to good music and drawing in my sketchbook.

Thank you very much for reading this post, Ive enjoyed a lot writing it. Ive remembered many good times spent in the country. But if there is something that travelers often avoid when telling their experiences is this: bad moments. Bad moments are also a part of travel. Embrace them, remember them and stay with them.

You can download the full ebook I made about Nepal for free: www.bernatmoreno.com/books/nepal

Greetings from Valencia, Spain.