Bhaktapur: Home Away from Home

As I admired the Himalayas en route to Nepal it occurred to me how little I knew about what the next month had in store for me. The plan is to volunteer on a small organic farm for at least a month. I will be staying at a hostel run by the same people who operate the farm. Beyond that, the rest was a mystery.

I landed in Kathmandu excited and nervous.

I was immediately thrown back into the absurdity and chaos of South Asia when my taxi served as a hop on and off shuttle for not one or two, but three different people throughout the journey.

Welcome to Kathmandu.

I took an hour long taxi from Kathmandu to the neighboring city of Bhaktapur, my home for the next month. There were a lot of unknowns as I entered the hostel. One major unknown was solved quickly. Fast WiFi? Check. This was huge for the program.

I'm staying at the Swastik Hostel, run by Bishwo, a Nepali native, and Lena, his New Zealander business partner of four years.

They took me out to dinner for the first night along with a fellow volunteer, Sille from Denmark. Everyone is so welcoming. It's fun to join this team. Off to a great start.

The next day we went off to the farm - my workplace for the foreseeable future. It's a lovely plot of land 2km from the hostel.

I worked with Ewen, a Paris native, while Sille painted. On day 1 we planted some onions and lettuce. Very exciting!

When the farming was over we returned to the hostel for some dal bhat for lunch. This is now a staple of my diet. Notably there is no meat in this dish.

This is the common area where we eat, read, play board games, sing songs, you name it. This area is such a vibe it feels almost like a movie set of what a hostel should be like.

Post lunch I set out to explore the streets of Bhaktapur.

This city is a maze of temples and chaotic streets.

That night we returned to the farm to watch a dump truck drop off approximately 5-10 thousand kilograms of rocks. These rocks would occupy the majority of my farm time for the next four days.

To celebrate the successful rock delivery we hit up this (literal) underground bar called Hotel California. Apparently this is a local, or at least Bishwo, favorite.

As the days progress I am slowly falling into a routine of farming from around 8am to 2pm and eating dal bhat for lunch and dinner. I read, rest, and explore during my large chunks of free time. Sometimes I supplement my vegetarian diet with trips to local Nepali restaurants. I love momos.

On night three the hostel crew watched The Lorax, which felt fitting given the emphasis on sustainable harvesting.

I didn't know what to expect, but my time in Bhaktapur living at a hostel and working on the farm has been fantastic so far. This city is rich with culture and full of infinite alleys and opportunities for exploration. Lena and Bishwo and the many other volunteers and hostel guests are great. It's fun to be in such a social environment after my third period of solo travel. Having bounced around every 3-4 days for the past five months, the routine is also wonderful. I am quite fond of my new home away from home.