Haatiban Resort

It's always nice to get out of the city a bit; this weekend we tried out Haatiban Resort. It was about a 40 minute ride to the bottom of the road, then about an hour and 15 minute hike up the hill (more like 45 without the extra weight and hold-up factor of a baby and toddler).

picture by Molly

At the top of the climb we put our bags in our rooms and quickly made for the outdoor seating at the restaurant to have drinks, play cards, let the kids nap and watch the cloud cover burn off to give us some great mountain views.

From this point we could see the whole Kathmandu valley and had fun trying to guess which building was what.

We stayed one night (sleeping in a "king bed", really 2 twins pushed together) and in the morning had a sub-par breakfast made entirely enjoyable by the views and company.

Overall it was a nice trip and the ease of getting there was great, but the service wasn't good nor was the food. Namo buddha is still our favorite getaway, hopefully we make it out there again soon.

View

From ABC trek Jeremiah did last spring break

Round 2

Pretty sure the last time we had so much dead air here was around the time we announced this.  I have an equally good reason to not be blogging this time around too - we're preparing for Oh, Baby O.2!  Baby is due beginning of December and we couldn't be more excited!

So, what have we been up to?  I had a bit of a hiatus there where I was too tired and sick to do much other than play with Tegan from the couch - she's a trooper.  Jeremiah hiked Annapurna Base Camp, no big deal.  I'm hoping he'll write a bit of it here, we'll see, at the very least share some of the pictures.  Warm weather has come, as well as some crazy monsoon rains.  Rain means more electricity though so I'm all for it.  We've also been wrapping up the school year; at the end of the week we fly home for what I'm sure will be a fun-filled summer!  

Temple on the hill

On a hike to Namo Buddha we walked through a large temple and I took a few pictures of the details.  It's hard for me to take in a whole temple at once, but snippets like this are easier to digest and appreciate.

Balthali to Namo Buddha

For Tihar we spent a few days away from home.  Along with 2 other couples we hiked into Balthali resort (the term "resort" applied very liberally), spent the night then hiked to Namo Buddha resort where we spent another night.  The first hike was only an hour or so (with 2 kids under 3 years old) while the second day took more like 4-5 hours.  The views were amazing and we loved Namo Buddha resort with its little hobbit-like houses.  We will certainly go back!

Scary bridge

View from our room at Balthali

Balthali morning

Tihar decorations

Prayer flags and Himalaya mountains

Namo Buddha knows what kids want

Hobbit house doorway

Amazing views!

Cow puja

Marigold garlands and tikas all around for these cows at Tihar

Leave the stroller at home

Travel and strollers just don't always go together very well.  Many of the places we've visited/lived have had uneven roads, non-existant sidewalks and crowded areas that made stroller usage impractical, if not impossible (ramps and elevators no where in sight!).  They are also often just another thing you have to cart around, send through x-ray security and maneuver when your hands are full.  So, much of our travel thus far has involved babywearing (our baby, Tegan, is just about to turn 1 and we've lived and/or traveled in Taiwan, Thailand, Nepal, and the states with her).

When Tegan was little we used the baby bjorn a lot while out and about.  She fit in it well, it was cooler than the moby wrap and easier to take on and off (we alternate carrying her depending on the situation).  She hated slings and I used the moby a lot at home and around our town but found it bulky and time consuming for traveling. 

As she got bigger, we've moved to the Ergo because it's better for baby's hips (they sit rather than hang) and I personally find it more confortable.  Tegan didn't like this carrier until she was big enough to really sit in it, but they do have newborn inserts and our good friends used their Ergos practically from day one with much success.  Sometimes she sits in front, sometimes on the back and occasionally when she's more antsy I put her on my hip.

In countries where everyone wants to touch and hold your baby, a carrier is a great way to hold off over eager admirers and help keep baby feeling safe.

We've recently added another carrier, for our longer hiking, the Osprey frame backpack.  So far only Jeremiah has carried her in this one as it's a bit heavier.

I highly recommend babywearing, for anytime really, but especially as an alternative to strollers when traveling.  I like having a variety, and Jeremiah and I each have different preferences, so the more the merrier in this house (I just bought a sling to try out with Tegan on my hip and I'm pretty sure she is going to love it).

Some tips:
-Practice at home first.  Walk around, put it on and take it off, put the child in and take them out, do some chores, bend down, get stuff out of your pockets, etc.  You'll get the hang of it and see what works for you.
-If you don't love it at first try again, or try a different style carrier.  Everyone has a preference.
-If you go with a wrap style, you can pre-wrap it so you are ready to go when it's time to put your child in.
-Some airports will make you take the child out of the carrier when going through security, others won't.
-Many airlines will make you take baby out for take off and landing as it is safer to have them in a car seat or in your lap if you have a lap-seat ticket.

Any other babywearers out there have advice?

Overnight in Shivapuri National Park

Last Friday, I abandoned Allison and Tegan and went on a couple hikes and an overnight camping trip with 3 other teachers and 21 students to Shivapuri National Park.  This was in preparation for our 4 night camping trip I'll be taking with the same group in early November while Allison's mom is visiting.

Local students coming back from a hike

Local students posing

Mid-hike view of the valley

Tent setup

Local millet based alcohol production (Tongba?)

Hill houses

View from the tents

Stars at night
(Ok, normally I wouldn't post this picture, but this is just so you can compare it to the picture at the end of this post that my friend took)

Morning view (Moon sliver and Venus barely visible up and to the left)

And, what you've all been waiting for (even though you might not have known it was coming):

Picture taken by Peter.  Yes, it was that awesome at night.

Weekend hike

Yesterday we hiked from Sankhu to Nagarkot (link to map, we didn't make it all the way to Hotel Sunrise though).  We hired a school van to take us to the starting point and pick us up at the end.  The scenery was beautiful and it was great to get out of the city, my first time to do so in fact (Jeremiah's gotten out on a number of bike rides so he was excited for me to see it).  The hike was uphill, and by the end we were exhausted, but it felt good to be active.  Jeremiah was awesome (even after his quick food poisoning bout the previous night) and carried Tegan on his back the whole way and for almost the whole 3-4 hours we walked she was content to hang out up there and see the sights.

Clearly from the photos I took, you can tell I was enamored with all the green.  It's such a stark contrast to the concrete and construction rubble of the city.  We will be going back out soon for more hikes for sure!

PS - Dad, that sun shade on the carrier was amazing.  She would have fried without it!

Taroko Gorge

Taroko Gorge is beautiful.  We spent only a day there and would love to go back.  We first did a popular hike along the river then took a shuttle bus around the park, getting off to walk a stretch wearing very fashionable, and required, hard-hats.

Luckily the effectiveness of the hard-hats was not tested.  We did, however, experience the reason why cars are only allowed into the park at certain hours after sitting on the bus waiting for traffic to fight it's way through single lane tunnels.  Slow goings!  The good side of the wait was it allowed for more time to appreciate the scenery.  

My favorite part was the water - it's so blue!  And of course the hard-hats.

A whole lotta buddha

We recently took a hike to Changhua to see the "Great Buddha Statue", well known in Taiwan.  There's not a whole lot to the town, but it was a nice day and we enjoyed walking around.

Our destination - standing at 92m and hollow so visitors can walk inside

In the town of Changhua - some delicious snacks and a big plane?

T

Trees in bloom

Colors in the temple

Buddha's backside; I love the streamers

Not pictured is the path leading up to the buddha statue lined with squid vendors.  Squid prepared in any and every way you could eat it.  We didn't partake in any of it.