The Hunt For The Abominable Snowman (Yeti)

We landed in Kathmandu and met our hosts Kiran and Nirmala. I had fun playing with their girls Sareena and Angel. They took us to visit some temples in Kathmandu. We went on a long bus ride (the bathrooms weren't great) to Chitwan National Park. We took an evening walk and I got to sneak right past a rhino while he was feeding. Going for an elephant ride early in the morning was quite an experience. Later in the day we floated right past a crocodile while we were in a dugout canoe. Our guide Bishnu took us on a jeep safari and we saw lots of animals including a python. We really liked our Chitwan Gaida Lodge. We traveled to Pokhara where we woke up really early to see an Annapurna sunrise at Sangarkot. Our guide Kaji took us on a couple of hikes in the mountains around Pokhara. It was hard climbing but the view was breathtaking. We climbed to the Peace Pagoda and took a boat ride across Fewa Lake. Before we left Nepal, I received a scarf and a handbag from our new friends in Kathmandu. I will never forget them especially Sareena and Angel. (It was a shame that I never got to meet the Abominable Snowman in Nepal.)

 

The Bizarre Bazaar

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar has tons of shops. I had fun looking at all the different rugs and bowls. I picked out a fancy candy bowl for Oma and Opa for Christmas. We had lunch by a nice restaurant with a friendly waiter and a warm heater. After buying some table runners, we had tea with the shopkeeper. The Spice Bazaar was very large and I tried on a Sultan's hat. There was lots of snow as we walked to the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. We went to visit the big Topkapi Palace but the best part of our time in Istanbul was playing games with Uncle John and Aunt Linda. 

I quite enjoyed reading in our next apartment in the Taksim part of Istanbul. We loved the kebabs that we purchased in Taksim Square. The Hagia Sophia was very pretty at night because it was lit up. We had fun visiting the Basilica Cistern and saw the Medusa pillars. I climbed the Galata Tower to see all of Istanbul and in the distance I could see part of Asia! It was interesting to cross the Galata Bridge which was full of fishermen. The different mosques were quite amazing in size and height. On our last day before we left, we went to the Europlaza Hotel to use their pool. Our two plane rides to Kathmandu were tiring because we had to spend eight hours sleeping in the Abu Dhabi airport.