I believe this is the first hiking report ever written by a U.S. participant. I hope it will be up to the standards of the past. We got started bright and early with eleven total hikers. The first people got picked up at 7 am. It was a bit overcast and I was hoping it would not rain. As it turned out, there were just enough clouds to make the temperature extremely pleasant all day. By mid-day, a delightful breeze kicked in and it was extremely pleasant. We started out day with breakfast at the Bamboo Restaurant just across the street from the Monkey Temple where we would finish our hike. The restaurant was surprised to see a large crowd for breakfast and we had the entire place to ourselves. They had this great U-shaped couch where we were all able to sit around and have a delicious breakfast of toast, eggs and coffee. At about 9, we got started up the road next to the restaurant toward the Buddhist temples we were heading for. We meandered through the local street watching all the mothers getting their children ready for school. I couldn't help noticing how sharply all the children were dressed in the uniforms comprising a shirt and tie..even the little ones. You couldn't tell rich from poor and they all looked so cute. I'll never understand why children in the United States are not required to dress this way for school. After we had walked for 25 or 30 minutes, we came to our first "shortcut". The road was on a gradual incline, but Kapil and Abanish decided to hang a sharp left and we went up what seemed like an endless set of stairs. I felt like I was climbing to the top of the Empire State Building. Actual, I think the Empire State Building is shorter. When we got further down the road, it was time for the next "shortcut". You could see the road would eventually take you up a tall hill on top of which sat two large Buddhist Monasteries. The road was too easy. The alternative route was through terrace farms of rice, maize and mustard. Guess which route we took? As I have learned with all paths in Nepal, they start out fairly wide, and narrow and steepen as you go. It got muddy at times, dense with brush and by the time we were to the top, and many of us had bristles from the brush all over us. We got to the Druk Amitabh Monastery, but realized we were on the backside of it, so we decided to go across the hill to the monastery. When we got there, the gates were closed and the security guard wouldn't let us in saying that they were not open on Sunday. We went to several gates, and Bhuwan and then Ashish desperately tried to talk our way in. Bhuwan knew some people inside from work he previously had done and he tried to maximize that connection. We were told to come back in about 90 minutes, so we headed back up the hill past a village and through a seemingly never ending field of mustard plants. We had an objective of getting to the highest point nearby, but there was an army base in the way. We climbed up to the gate only to be turned away. Across from the gate was a house with a “bhogatey” tree. I had never seen them, so Bhuwan purchased 7 for a few rupees. There was a store at the bottom of the hill were we were able to get a chilli and salt mixture that you put on the bhogatey pulp. It was the sourest fruit I had ever eaten. Kind of like grapefruit but much more sour. The combination of fruit with the chilli and salt was an interesting one. After that, we headed back to the monastery only to find the place more locked up than when we left it. This led to more pleas and negotiations between our team of Bhuwan and Ashish and the temple guards. We got all the way to a head guy before he turned us down. This came as no surprise to Laxman who had been predicting this. After this disappointment, we headed back to another monastery nearby, this time taking the road instead of the "shortcut". I was shocked to find that the road led right to the main gate! The temple was under construction so they were allowing visitors. The painting was remarkable: flawless and with incredible detail. I don't think I have ever seen anything like it. It reminded me of the remarkable artwork in St. Peters Cathedral in Rome or the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. What a treat it was to see it. After the photo opportunities, we were going to start our journey down the hill when we were able to negotiate a ride with a local to hop in a van. Abanish and I got to sit in the front seat behind the shattered windshield. This was quite comforting, particularly when the driver almost ran head first into a stone wall. The van was full when we started. And it got even fuller as they started to pick up additional riders as we went down the hill. Eventually we all arrived safely at the starting point. After about 5 hours of walking, we chose to take the Deerwalk van up the hill to the Monkey Temple. Now that's my kind of "shortcut". It was also very beautiful with a great view of the entire Kathmandu Valley. Finally, we were all pretty exhausted, at least I was. We went down the hill to Thakali restaurant and relaxed, had beer and a delicious dinner. We went home both tired and full after a great day.

• 1. I wanted a breakfast and I ended up here...

• 2. Cheerful on Empty Stomach

• 3. This is just what I wanted before a hike

• 4. We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly, but let us never lost sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way

• 5. Hanging on to dear life...

• 6. RUDRA...Here I am...I made it...

• 7. If everybody strings barbed wire, what's the point of wide open spaces in nature...

• 8. Coming together, sharing together, working together, hiking together, succeeding together and on top of all SMILING TOGETHER

• 9. Even though we ended up at the back of the Monastery, hike through fields were much more interesting than smooth paved roads...

• 10. G.One - Wanna be my Chhammak Chhallo

• 11. I wonder who are those two on either side of Buddha...

• 12. One day I wake up and strangely sky seems somewhat different.. and then I realize that Buddha was staring at me and the sky looking holy...

• 13. Those eyes will always be calm no matter how close the lightning strikes...

• 14. Time marches on for whom the bell tolls...

• 15. All set to get popped and flaked...

• 16. Hey kid...don't worry...people seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile...

• 17. House is where the heart is...no matter how it is...

• 18. I still wonder why was it padlocked...

• 19. I wished I was a honey bee...

• 20. If two different plants can live in harmony then why not humans...

• 21. In this busy world, always take a moment for yourself and see the beautiful world...that does make a difference...

• 22. Make no mistake...they won't fade so quickly...

• 23. No matter where it is bamboos or in the trees as long as I have a swing, I'm happy

• 24. Now do I not look like a Lion King...

• 25. Sigmund Freud truly said...Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts.

• 26. Size does not matter in this case...that's for sure...if you don't believe me then try one of them...

• 27. The coins at bottom do reflect that Peace is what world needs above all...

• 28. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts...

• 29. There must always be spice in life as well...things just gets more interesting...

• 30. These rusts won't stop me from providing you a shelter...

• 31. Verticals and horizontals are just the perspectives...

• 32. We were far ahead and turned around to see if guys are with us or not...

• 33. Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others...

• 34. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul...

• 35. You are in a different world when you are wrapped around by mother's arm...