For the past 10 years, Judy and I have said to each other, “Someday we need to go back to Nepal and see our friend Paras.” He was our guide back then and for the past 10 years our Facebook friend. And today, our wish came true. Paras was our group’s guide to two locations in Kathmandu.

First stop: The Chandragiri Hills, an entertainment complex reached by cable car. There they have lots of fun things to do. Some in our group did the zip line.

This site is also thought to be a place of historical significance. Prithvi Narayan Shah became king of the Gurkha Kingdom in 1743 at age 20 and went on to be the first king of a united country of Nepal. One of his critical moves in this endeavor was to conquer the Kathmandu valley. The valley at the time was divided into three kingdoms. The three kings were brothers

King Prithvi Narayan climbed a hill to reconnoiter and hatch a plan. That spot was the same spot where we stood today, looking out over the Kathmandu Valley. Long story short, he eventually succeeded and, after numerous other battles, the 54 kingdoms became united as one Nepal. He was coronated on September 25, 1768, just 8 years before our Declaration of Independence.

Incidentally, the Gurkha Kingdom is Paras’s home district. Prithvi Narayan’s strategy included building a strong, well-trained army. His army was not only successful at home, but Gurkha soldiers kept the British out of Nepal, unlike India where the Brits took over the place. The British were so impressed that they hired Gurkhas to serve in the British army. The Gurkha Guards remain part of the British armed forces to this day.

 We descended by van to a restaurant partway down the hill for an enjoyable poolside snacks and drinks followed by lunch. Some of us had the Nepalese “set meal,” a plate with rice in the center surrounded by pickles, lentils, chicken and a vegetable. See the picture to see what I mean.

Back down in the valley, our driver took us, following a circuitous route, to  Kirpitur, a town just south of Kathmandu and home to many Narwari people. The Narwaris speak a unique  ancient language and maintain a distinct culture.

The streets through which we walked featured numerous Buddhist stupas, many dating back to the 15th century, give or take a few. One in particular is thought to be the site of a stupa dating from much earlier times, although reconstruction in the 15th century seems to have eliminated archeological evidence.

Frequently, we came across women and sometimes men sitting (separately) in doorways, some of the women tending babies. Kids coming home from school were playing in the streets.

We saw an example of an open street-side platform which served back in the day as a place of rest for visitors coming to town. Those platforms are now used for communal gatherings of local residents.

Lots of sleeping dogs in the street, too. Paras said some might call them strays, but he prefers to think of them as guardians of that particular place.

We went to the Kirtipur Stupa built on the site where our friend King Prithvi Narayan fought two unsuccessful battles in his effort to take control of the Kathmandu valley before finally succeeding.

And, lucky travelers that we are, clouds lifted enough for us to get a good look at some of the Himalayan Mountains. Mt Dorje Lakpa was the main one we saw.

Dinner tonight was at the hotel where the rooftop restaurant had been converted into an Arabian Knights theme, complete with a chef brought in from Saudi Arabia.

Tomorrow we’re off to Chitwan for some safari action. Rebecca and Sammy’s flight into Doha was late so they won’t get to Kathmandu until 8:40 AM, hopefully in enough time to join us on the 20-minute flight to Chitwan.