Mountain Views from Nagarkot

We decided to stay one night at Nagarkot, a small hill-top village about an hour and a half drive from Kathmandu. From there, you can see the sunrise over distance peaks -- assuming the weather is clear.

It was nice to get out of the city and see some of the surrounding countryside. The monsoon season is just over so everything is lush and green.

As we got to our hotel late in the afternoon it was getting very cloudy and rained for a short time. It's difficult to see in this photo but there are some terraced fields on the hillsides.

The narrowest/diciest part of the road . . .  but that never deters large buses or cars squeezing past in opposite directions.

 Sunset view from our hotel.

We woke up at 5:30 am to get a good spot to watch the sunrise. Luckily our viewing area was a little more safe and secure than this one.

The sun has almost arrived! The birds are waiting for it too.

The fog in the valley added some drama to the view. 

The mountain peaking up from behind the dark hill about a third of the way from the left of this photo is Manaslu, a mountain we attempted to climb in 1999. Shishapangma (2001) is also supposedly visible but it has a less distinct summit so we were unable to identify it. 

After breakfast we went on a short hike before our ride came to pick us up.