Sunrise in Nagarkot

On Tuesday, 16 April, Christine, Isaac and I traveled two hours east from Kathmandu to Nagarkot, nestled in the Central Hills.  This area was heavily damaged in the 2015 earthquake and the main road from Bhaktapur to Nagarkot still reflects heavy damage from washouts and hill slides.  Some new building construction is visible and many of the retaining walls have been rebuilt, but the roads have not been repaired yet, so travel from Kathmandu takes longer than usual.

The journey here, however, is well worth it!!!  Nagarkot sits on a high ridge and historically, inhabitants controlled the eastern entrance to the Kathmandu Valley and the vital trade route to Tibet.  Awaiting visitors is a panoramic view of the Himalayan Langtang Range.  On very clear days, you can see the Himchuli and Annapurna.  We were fortunate this morning for most of the clouds to dissipate in time to watch a beautiful sunrise.  The air is clean and the scent of pine needles is everywhere.  In addition to mountain gazing and picture taking, the area offers hiking trails, mountain-biking, and motorcycling opportunities.  After an early breakfast, we hiked for several hours, and enjoyed the cool air and bright sunshine.

 Tomorrow, we head back to Kathmandu.