Category Archives: Nepal

Chhori’s visit to the Zoo in Nepal

Posted on April 12, 2017 | 9 comments

The last time we went to zoo was when we went to Nepal with my then 6 months nephew. This time we wanted to take the little girls, Chhori and our niece, there.

The zoo is located a few kilometres away from the city centre, Kathmandu. It is the only zoo in Nepal but there has been about talk about opening another zoo somewhere else as well.

We went there with AS’s mum, his two brothers, sister in law and niece. We really wanted the girls to have a good time. As it was Saturday afternoon, as expected the zoo was busy with many families coming for an afternoon out. It was a warm sunny day which was great.

The zoo is arranged according to taxonomy, with mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes all occupying different parts of the zoo. There are also playground rides, picnic lawns and boat rides on the lake.

The zoo houses some 780 species including the critically endangered white-rumped vulture and Chinese alligator and six endangered species: Asian elephant, royal Bengal tiger, one horned rhino, wild buffalo, gharial and yellow headed turtle.

Along with these animals, there was a hippo that was lazily sunbathing, a hyena, a giant deer, peacocks, white-napped crane, two big rhinos, monkeys, water buffalo, chimpanzees, leopards, bear, tigers, lions as well as golden pheasants, silver pheasants, chukar, kalij, parrots, owls. They also had a small reptile collection which featured a common cobra, an Indian rock python, snakes and a turtle.

As we walked from one enclosure to another, I could see the girls’ excitement. They would make noises of the animals that we saw or count the birds.

Chhori loves to look at real animals as she can hear them make noises and she gets really excited. I am so glad that she got time to spend with our families in Nepal and the girls did bond well despite fighting from time to time.

After the whole tour of the zoo, we were all tired so decided to go to a nearby restaurant for our favorite momo and Nepali food.

I have mentioned before that Chhori loves momo and she was over the moon in Nepal getting to eat so many times. In one occasion, she surprised us all by eating 8 momos in one sitting.  I guess she is showing us her Nepali side.  🙂

I hope everyone is having a great week. Take care till next time.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

9 Comments

Posted in Holidays, Kathmandu, Nepal, Nepal 2017

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Dal (lentil) fry

Posted on April 7, 2017 | 17 comments

I have written a recipe about dal before but this one is slightly different as this is thicker and I have used different spices.

  • ½ cup red lentils
  • ½ cup  brown lentils
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 medium red onion finely chopped
  • ½ inch ginger crushed
  • 6 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 dry red chilies
  • 1 teaspoon methi, crushed
  • 1 large tomato finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required
  • salt as required
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  • In a pressure cooker, pour all lentils and add 1 teaspoon salt, a pinch of turmeric powder and add 2 cups water.
  • Cook for 15 minutes on a low to medium flame.
  • When cooked, the lentils should be soft. Lightly mash and keep aside.
  • In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee and add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamoms and bay leaf to the pan and sauté them till they crackle and become fragrant.

  • Add turmeric powder, ginger garlic and fry for a few minutes.
  • Now add the chopped onions and fry till the onions turn light golden brown.

  • Add chilli and methi and stir for a minute.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes; stir and sauté till the tomatoes soften.

  • Now add chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix with the rest of the onion-tomato masala.

  • Add the cooked dal and mix well.

  • Add water and stir very well and season with salt as required.

  • Simmer the dal on a low flame till the dal thickens a bit. Keep on stirring the dal at intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • When the dal is done, switch off the flame, add chopped coriander leaves .

Take care and have a great weekend.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

17 Comments

Posted in Foodie, Nepali food, Recipe

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Travelling with toddler

Posted on March 8, 2017 | 8 comments

First of all sorry for disappearing for so long, I think I have never not blogged for this long since I started blogging.

We went on a holiday to Malaysia and Nepal and somehow I was so busy that even though I drafted a few posts, didn’t have time to publish them. But now that I am back, I will write all about our trip and Chhori’s special birthday celebration in Nepal.

But let me first share my experience in general about our travel with Chhori. As I have mentioned in my posts before, I was bit nervous about such a long flight with Chhori. Even though Chhori has been on a plane before, the longest she has travelled is around 4 hours and she was great on that but it is a different story when it came to travelling to Nepal. First of all, we had to be on two different planes with a total time of 14+ hours and on top of that as she was under 2 years old and we didn’t have a separate seat for her.

We flew from Sydney to Malaysia during the day and that 9 hour flight was the worst of the entire trip. As it was day time, Chhori slept for only an hour and the rest of the time we had to entertain her. We had a tablet full of movies and rhymes for her and also a lot of snacks but it was a very hard job. She was OK for the first few hours and then she started getting bored. She would move from my seat to AS’s and we had to try our best to make sure she was busy so she wouldn’t cry.

At one stage, she wanted the whole seat to herself so she evicted me from my seat and I ended up on the floor in from of the seat.

AS couldn’t stop laughing and luckily as we were allocated seats with good leg room I had room to sit on the floor.

Chhori also played peekaboo with a couple behind our seat. She would stand up and say “boo” and sit down again. I hope they were amused and not annoyed.

In Malaysia, she was great as we went to different tourist spots every day and she enjoyed the new environment. She loved the fact that she didn’t have to sit on a baby seat in the car anymore and she enjoyed the freedom. Above all she enjoyed the fact that mummy and daddy were with her 24/7.

The flight from KL to Kathmandu was better as it was only 4 hours and she was OK most of the way. The worst part was when we landed and we had to wait for immigration and customs and the airport was bit chaotic.

Chhori is only 2 years old but I know for sure that she loved Nepal. In Kathmandu, we spent most of our time in AS’s home and she loved it there as she had her grandparents, uncles and aunt and cousin to play with her.

Every morning when she woke up, she wanted to go to the living area straight away because she knew there will be someone to play with her. She really enjoyed the company of her relatives and was really happy to play with her cousin.

We took Chhori to visit many of our relatives and she did really well. She was social and affectionate and very well behaved most of the time. She really made us very proud.

I am sure she would have been very happy to stay longer in Kathmandu but our holiday ended shortly after we celebrated her birthday and it was time for us to come back.

I was a bit worried about our flight back but luckily for us, it was better than the journey to Nepal.

On our flight from Kathmandu to Malaysia, we had an empty seat next to us so Chhori was happy to have her own seat. It did make our journey less stressful. From Malaysia to Sydney, we got a bassinet for her and she slept most of the flight even though she was a bit big for it. I was happy to have a peacefully sleeping baby which allowed me to rest and eat my meal without worrying too much.

I was so happy when we landed in Sydney because even though I loved our trip, the flight there and back was bit tough. I think if a child is over a year old and it is a long flight, it is a good idea to buy an extra seat for the child as it will be really helpful and gives you a bit more flexibility.

Take care everyone.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

8 Comments

Posted in Being Mum, Holidays, Nepal, Nepal 2017, Our daughter, Travel

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Chhori’s first Tihar

Posted on November 2, 2016 | 4 comments

Tihar, the second biggest festival for Hindus after Dashain, was from 28th Oct to 1st Nov this year. Please click here to know more about the festival.

This year was Chhori’s first Tihar celebration so I wanted to make sure she had a great memory of the celebration.

bhai-tika-12 bhai-tika-7

Tihar is celebrated for five days and here are some photos from our celebration this year.

  • Kaag / Kag (crow) Puja

kaj-puja-2 kaj-puja-1

  • Kukur (dog) Puja

kukur-puja-2 kukur-puja-1

  • Laxmi Puja and Gai (cow) Puja

laxmi-puja-4 laxmi-puja-5 laxmi-puja-3 laxmi-puja-6 laxmi-puja-2

  • Goru Puja,Gobhardan Puja , Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat

As my parents are here this year, it was great to have a whole family celebrating Mha puja.

mha-puja-3 mha-puja-4 mha-puja-1 mha-puja-2

  • Bhai Tika

Chhori does Bhai tika to my nephew. It was so cute to see these little ones performing the ritual.

bhai-tika-15 bhai-tika-14 bhai-tika-13 bhai-tika-1 bhai-tika-9 bhai-tika-16 bhai-tika-4 bhai-tika-5

Hope everyone celebrating had great Tihar too.

Take care everyone,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

4 Comments

Posted in Celebrations, Kathmandu, Nepal, Nepali Culture, Nepali Festivals, Newari Culture, Newari Food

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Goldstar shoes – Made in Nepal

Posted on October 20, 2016 | 17 comments

I remember when I was really young, my dad used to go to the gym and he used to wear Goldstar brand shoes. It was a brand which was made in Nepal and it has reputation for lasting long.

But since I have come to Australia, I haven’t seen the brand much until recently.

First I saw the comeback of the shoes in my Facebook with Nepali celebrities wearing them. It has changed completely from what I remember; from traditional dark conservative style to new modern colourful shoes.

goldstar-2

I read that now Goldstar exports premium quality shoes to India and other countries at an affordable price. It is also available online and via Facebook and Instagram.

One of my friends was getting a few pairs of Goldstar shoe for himself and his wife so I decided that I would get a pair as well.

Finally it has arrived here and I love it.

goldstar-1

I love the colour and style. The finishing could still be better for competition in international market but it is still a great product starting from Rs 500 (AUD8). How can one go wrong with that price? It is really comfortable and I hope it will last long.

If you are going to Nepal do check different range of Goldstar. I am sure you will find your style from their huge range and support a product made in Nepal.

Take care everyone,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

17 Comments

Posted in Nepal

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