My hand is recovering from an unfortunate introduction to Nepal's stinging nettle called
shishnu, so this will be a picture heavy post. More than twenty-four hours later, my pinky and ring finger on my left hand feel like they are permanently asleep. The Nepalese apparently use it both in cooking and for flogging misbehaving children. I discovered shishnu (henceforth known as "devil weed") while bushwacking in Nagarjun in Shivapuri National Park, a forest on the middle hills ringing Kathmandu. I was seeking undeveloped climbing areas...and found nothing for my troubles. Well, not
nothing exactly. I found a choss pile (climbing term meaning crumbly, low quality rock) that appeared to second as a mountain goat bathroom. As I bouldered and traversed around on dirty, hollow sounding flakes, I realized I had become one of the stupid Americans I derided in my previous posts. So I quit before I fell in the goat dung, or worse. (Did I mention I was alone?)
While I can't advise hiking through pugnacious plants or climbing alone on hollow rock, I can fully endorse a visit to
Shivapuri Heights Cottage, also in the national park. Elyse and I spent New Years with friends at this stunning and peaceful locale. I'll let the pictures do the typing for me:
Our small crew usurped two of the cottages. Here is party HQ.
With a common area for, judging by the wine bottles, celebrating the new year.
We had a nice view, although it was cloudy and rainy. My kind of weather.
Pretty artistic, eh?
But I spent most of my time playing with this guy. He forced me.
Meanwhile, the moms went hiking. Who has the better baby carrier?
Our small crew usurped two of the cottages. Here is party HQ.
With a common area for, judging by the wine bottles, celebrating the new year.
We had a nice view, although it was cloudy and rainy. My kind of weather.
Pretty artistic, eh?
But I spent most of my time playing with this guy. He forced me.
Meanwhile, the moms went hiking. Who has the better baby carrier?
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