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Daman, Nepal

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Daman, Nepal

October 18, 2008

Daman, Nepal -

After spending nearly one week in Kathmandu, we started back up with our hitchhiking adventure towards Daman. As it had nearly been a month since we had last hitched a ride, it was understandable that I felt a bit worried about how it would work out for us.

We were pumped though, so all we needed now was a ride!! Guess what?!! Were we rusty?!! No sir, we weren’t!! Hitchhiking worked out beautifully right from the start here in

Nepal

. I think after

Indonesia

, it’s one of the easiest countries in which to catch a lift.

So, Daman was our destination, but we were a bit unsure of how to get there.

Daman, Nepal -

We had our little rinky dink of a map in hand as well as the names of some towns we would have to pass through in order to reach Daman. And though, we got off on a rather quick start, the journey seemed never-ending!!

Luckily we were in nice company . . . We managed to catch a ride with a young trucker and his three sisters, and who were thrilled at the idea of giving us a lift. They were so incredibly generous and helpful. I still remember, how they squeezed together to make room for us and our bags. Then on top of that, they were generous enough to include us in their family meal when they made a stop for lunch.

The meal wasn’t anything luxurious; I think it was sheep or goat meat with some rice, but it did the trick right about then. We were starving, since we had only had milk tea and a piece of cake for breakfast.

Daman, Nepal -

Yes, the journey was indeed a long one, especially since we would be traveling through the mountains and in a tractor trailer truck. Again, good thing, we were in pleasant company. ;) Ok so, communication was tough, but at least we had no real setbacks during the journey. The sisters all just smiled and attempted to practice the little English they did speak with us. Really nice gesture and I really appreciated it, even their curious and personal questions.

After many hours of traveling together, we finally reached what according to the driver, was Daman. “Are you sure we’ve reached Daman?” I wondered. Let’s just say, it wasn’t exactly what I had expected. You see, supposedly Daman was THE place to get the most spectacular outlook on the Himalayas & view of snowcaps from Dhaulagiri to Mount Everest, so we figured .

Daman, Nepal -

. . why not?!! I had already gotten a pretty unforgettable view of Mount Everest during the mountain flight; however, Arnaud didn’t get that chance, so it was important for me that he also get a glimpse of the highest, and one and only, Mount Everest.

So, there we were in this town that was supposed to be Daman. It just didn’t look right, so once again, we used our great communication techniques to ask around and see if we were in the right place or not. And yep, we were. However, we needed to walk up the road to be at the proper location. No biggie, just 1 or 2 km walk . . . with our bags!! :( Surprisingly enough, this time around, Arnaud wasn’t affected by the high altitude. Mind you, we were now at an altitude of 2320m above sea level!!! Great! No altitude sickness, everything was going to be perfect!! Well, so we thought.

Daman, Nepal -

Again, Daman wasn’t exactly what we had imagined, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You see, we were thinking that since it was one of the hot spots for a great view of the Himalayas, the town would be properly equipped to welcome swarms of tourists. But no, it wasn’t the case. On the contrary, it was this itsy bitsy town with about 2 hotels/restaurants, and about 2000 inhabitants. So, the options were limited, but a sure thing. Oh yeah, and I think we were two of only three tourists passing through . . . No tourists?!!!

Anyway, you’d think that prices would be reasonable, considering the small quantity of tourists in town. Nope, the hotels were costly and the food, well, for the quality being served, was a bit over-priced.

Daman, Nepal -

Enough of that fussing though . . . on the bright side, at least we had a tent and some good ol’ patience and perseverance. Thanks to our determination we did manage to find the perfect spot to pitch our tent and catch that amazing view.

Definitely a plus to have a smooth-talker as your travel partner!! Thanks mi amor!! At first, the hotel guardian wanted to charge us for setting up our tent and using the facilities there. But then, I guess Arnaud was convincing enough to get him to let us pitch our tent right next to the viewing tower, free-of-charge!!!

Just picture it . . . sleeping at the foot of the viewing tower . . . that was us, literally!! It was really the perfect spot, because the next morning all we had to do was wake up and climb up the tower to see the sunrise . . . Wow!! It was . . . truly breathtaking, wonderful, incredible, marvelous, all that and so much more!! And to put the cherry on top, I was able to experience it with my one and only, Arnaud.

Daman, Nepal -

So, what began as an uncertain situation, turned out to be undeniably one of the best moments of our adventure together. Daman was AWESOME!!

The view of the Himalayas was outstanding from Daman, but we still couldn't get enough, so now off we went for another place where we could catch some more breathtakingly beautiful sights . . . Pokhara!!!

Daman