A mini version of the Annapurna Circuit

Namaste!

We swiveled our way into the mountains. I was absorbed by the beautiful surroundings with the river still leading its way along our side. We got to Pokhara at about 4pm and again did not know whether we were being picked up or not. If anything an army of small white cabs were waiting for our pick. Sharon called Raj and got the name of the hotel. We were staying at the Pokhara View Hotel, and what a view! The Himalayas were just peering over us.

We checked into an internet cafe and later met our trekking guide, Amrit and sherpa, Ganesh. That evening we were specially treated out for drinks and dinner by two MPs of Nepal. Effectively, Sharon had made friends with them (or should I say them with her?!) through Raj. They practically escorted us for the night almost failing to take us back to our hotels!!! Small adventure there, which I'd rather not recall! ;)

Before we set off the next day, I managed to confirm my booking for my next trip to Indochina. I was twice as thrilled, yipppeee!!! We were driven to Nayapul, our starting point, from then we started walking, upwards and onwards, for the next 5 days.

There was lots going on at the starting point; trekkers start or end their length version of the Annapurna circuit (the full version taking 22 days to complete).
It was a hustle and bustle, one road long town; full of trekkers and their sherpas getting ready, mules carrying heavy loads, rows of shops selling everything the last-minute trekker might need. We walked across the suspended bridge to the park ticket office and paid our dues to enter the Annapurna National Park.

"Nepali flat, sometimes up sometimes down". And so it was. But the views were stunning, trees, rivers, waterfalls, and the Himalayas which accompanied us along the way. It felt good to break into a sweat again and even better to quench our thirst at the quaint teahouses along the way. I could have set for hours on those terraces over-looking valleys and fields. After some 3hours of trekking we got to our lodge for the night, the Laximaster in Tikhedhunga. Our 2 single-bed bedroom with two walls of glass panes overlooked the green hills we would climb up the next day. The terrace overlooked the tiny cobbled street beyond which was a sheer drop into the valley below. We had pasta for lunch, then chatted with two Finnish girls in the lovely sun until it was time to hit the shower before the hot water ran out. It was dark before 5pm and the cold night grew on us quickly. We tucked up into warm clothes and joined other trekkers in the dinning room. We munched our dinners on wooden benches and made friends over a cup of tea and biscuits. The evening turned into merriment with the young lodge owners dancing with fellow male trekkers. We ended up coming across most of them over the next few days either beating them on the trek or for hot showers at our teahouse stops :)

Next day we set off at 8am. The day ahead of us was meant to be the most strenuous, involving about 5hours of continuous uphill. We just went up endless flights of stairs for the first 2 hours which also served as roads along tiny villages. The locals as well as the mules, carried all sorts of weights on their backs and heads. We were amazed at their ordure especially when we were punting under the weight of our small backpacks! We stopped for a tea break at the top of hills overlooking the terraced fields, valley and the now tiny lodge we stayed in the previous day. We continued until we came to Ulleri which is at 2120m. We stopped for lunch in the pretty garden. After lunch it was an easy walk through lush forest.
Towards early evening we arrived at Ghorepani which is around 2853m high. Police officers were quick to welcome us into the blue-roof topped village. They were after every entrant's Park passes.
Some more stairways away was our lodge, Kamala for the night. As the sun began to hide behind the mountains (and it was still 3 in the afternoon) open market sellers started to pack up. The dining area downstairs was a plain barely furnished room, except benches a long table and some more wooden benches around a large tin stove which hardly emitted any heat. Sharon and I quickly took the opportunity of beating the other trekkers and made a dash for a hot shower. Our room was on the 4th floor, which apparently was luxury with one western toilet at the end of the corridor and the best view ever of the Fishtail mountain.

We huddled up nice and tight around the stove writing our journals and engaging in small talk with our guide and sherpa. Before we knew it the lodge was filling up. At about 5, when the sun started to set, I got my camera and went out into the cold chill air to take some photos. Before we knew it it was dark and to my and Thunda's amazement we witnessed something extraordinary. An illuminant white ball was rising from behind the lodges and mountains in the distance. It was the moon. Never had I seen it so blindingly bright.

Back at the lodge we had our dinner by candlelight, which added to the cosy and warm atmosphere. At one point a voice struck me. We were seated on one of the long tables. Sharon was on my right while Amrit and Ganesh were seated infront of us. The voice attracted my attention to a trekking couple seated at the end of the table, with their guide and sherpa infront of them. I heard the man talk but couldn't make out the words. I stood still, straining my ears. Sharon gave me the odd looks trying to figure out what I was doing. 'Would you mind if we exchange seats?' I asked her. 'ok! you alright?!' 'Yes Yes.... I think....' and at that point I heard what I was hoping to hear; a word in my language, Maltese! I jumped out of my seat turned towards the couple and blurted, 'Intkom Maltin?!' (You're Maltese?!). And so they were!. I still can't believe I met Mariella and Andrew to this day. OMG!!!! It was amazing to meet a Maltese couple in a teahouse right in the middle of the Annapurna Circuit. And how even more amazing was it that they were about to complete the 17-day trek. WOW, what a feat! I had never felt so proud of being Maltese :) We chatted for ages, relating our adventures in turn. They told me about the toughest point being the Throng-la Pass at 5416m trekking through the cold and snow. I was in awe.

We were then sent to bed quite early by our guides that night as we had to climb up to Poon Hill (our highest trekking point at 3210m) for sunrise the next morning. According to 'Gurkha Encounters' (our friend Raj's tourist agency) the view has had 'a life-changing effect on people.'

The wafer-thin walls of our room and the excitement didn't make it easy for us to sleep and at 5am we jumped out of bed despite the cold. We dressed quickly in thick layers of clothes and shot outside in the stark and dark streets. We set off, step-by-step. Before we knew it our breath cut short; altitude was kicking in. Head-torches bobbed up and down further up the path. At one point the moon revealed a clearing - our first viewpoint. The horizon started to tinge with pink and red. We punted and puffed the rest of the way until we finally got to a gate beyond which was the white viewing tower. The night was turning into day. A cup of coffee or chocolate from the locals' wooden stall was definitely a warm welcome. Everyone was preparing cameras and trying to get the best spot. I thought the whole 360 view was just stunning. The moon was still standing strong behind us as we faced the east in anticipation. Then after a long wait the sun made it's appearance from behind the Range. There it was shining bright as ever restoring glory to the Himalayas. And I was there to witness it, simply amazing!
Back at the lodge they fed us breakfast. We said our goodbyes and set off for a full day's trekking, this time heading downwards.

Thunde and Mandeep caught up with us at the teahouse in Duerali. Was lovely sitting and sipping tea in the sun. As we continued our descent the rocky steps became even more slippery and muddy. Then at one point I just slipped on my bum. Luckily, I suffered no injuries, except for a huge bruise on my bum! oh, and a brown matching patch on my trousers!! Despite the small accident we still managed to surpass the others. We stopped at another teahouse. The views were something out of the ordinary. Sharon and I couldn't get enough of them. After curving our way around the side of a hill we got to a solitary restaurant. Amrit wanted us to have lunch here, reason obviously being the panoramic view. I just wanted to sleep on that wooden bench!

But the afternoon didn't turn into a siesta. We descended steeply into a valley only to climb it up again on the other end. It was steep but Sharon and I were doing fine. I was practically enjoying it. Before we knew it we got to our night lodge, the Himalayan Guesthouse in Tadapani. We had tea with the Finnish girls and later again with Thunda and Mandeep who were running behind especially when they had another 2/3 hours trekking to get to another lodge for that night.
After goodbyes, Sharon and I hit the showers, which were the best so far. We took a mini tour around the village; women selling handmade jewelery and crafts while children played around. It was getting cold again so I decided to write my journal in the warmth of the dining room, which was very cozy especially with a blanket tablecloth which covered our legs and buckets of charcoal at our feet, underneath the table. (just to think how cold it was outside!) We drank tea and munched on popcorn and later I learnt how to play 'arsehole' :)

At about 8pm Sharon and I headed off to our beds. The view from the 2nd floor long balcony was another stunner. I must say Raj ensured we got the best rooms well, or at least rooms with best views, for each of our stays.

Next morning we breakfasted outside on the stone terrace overlooking the forest we were about to descend into. We skipped like little elves through the rhododendron forest. So, pretty pity it wasn't flowering season. After 2hours we came across the first teahouse out of the forest and sunk in tea and sun. Within less than an hour later we arrived at Ghundrig, known as the stone village. The cobbled streets led us to the and our last Annapurna View Hotel. Now that felt quite an upgrade and was infact the best 'hotel' we had stayed in over the past 5 days. I spent hours writing my journal in the lovely sunny garden as Sharon slept soundly in her bed facing THE VIEW one last time from our bedroom window. We had dinner that evening in the noisy dinning area and played 'arsehole' till we were dozing off on the table.

The next day was our final day. We only had about 4hours of trekking again downwards and on until we got to our starting point in Nayapul to get our bus back to Pokhara. It was lovely and warm and sunny. We were so lucky with the weather throughout our trekking. So were twice as pleased with our accomplishment. When the bus finally arrived we decided to take 'a seat upstairs' i.e. the roof. It was a good ride, we got to enjoy the remainder of the Annapurna views and chatted up three good-looking guys :)

next..back to Pokhara and a bit of paragliding :)

ta
nicky
X

Nicky's & Sharon's (BIG) Tour !!!

Namaste!

Our bus journey wasn't a long one. We stopped for an early lunch on our way at a 'highway' restaurant. Back on the bus we stopped one hour or so into the journey where we then had to proceed over the Trusili river, i.e. rafting. There were only a couple of houses on the river's side of the road. We changed into something lighter and 'waterproof' i.e. thongs and rolled up trousers, grabbed an oar each, wore a hard-plastic helmet and a life-jacket. With our dinghy and all we crossed some fields to get to the riverside.

We stuffed our stuff and cameras into a plastic clamp-tied keg and we were off. The river was quite calm initially, during which time our raft-leader explained the oaring instructions and commands. His assistant was a young lad, half the size of the oar in length and width!

Then we met the rapids, one was called 'surprise' the other 'electricity' etc etc They were great but not that drastic to catapult us into the air, bar Ben, poor guy! With 5 men on board and us 2 girls we coped pretty well. It was good fun. The rapids were a tad scary. Us girls shrieked and yelled at every rise and fall as we tried to obey our leader's rowing orders 'faster!' 'faster!'.
In between the rapids, the water turned so still that it allowed us to absorb the peaceful views of the valley. It was lovely looking at Nepal from the river, it gave it a different perspective from looking at it from top of the hills; untouched grey sand lay at each side of the river, the spray rising from the water was visible in the bright sunshine which reached us through lush green trees. A suspended bridge came into view and a few local lads waved at us. Cute little houses, like proper mountain chalet's decorated the sides of the valley.

After about 2hours of rafting we anchored in a little bay. The crew laid out a lovely picnic as we sprawled over the boulders to dry ourselves. We wolved the freshly prepared salad, sandwiches and fruit. After lunch Sharon and I decided to take the lead and took the front positions of the dinghy. And that was even more fun.

We met some calm waters again and the guide suggested a swim. Mmmm, quite tempting. Sharon and I looked at each other as if in agreement and before we knew it we were thrown over by the guide and his tiny assistant. OMG! the water was so cold, but I got used to it and strolled for a while. Sharon just loved it and let herself flow by the gentle current. Back on board though she wanted to see the guide in the water. After a good hassle and tug she finally managed to hurl him and herself into the water. It was a good laugh.

The last 3 consecutive rapids brought us to our destination. Dripping wet as we were we walked up to the a house at the side of the main road again. We changed into something dry on the roof of this house! There was nowhere else more discreet! Back downstairs, we chatted with a Dutch guy over over hot cup of tea, waiting for the next bus to take us to Chitwan.

The interior of the bus was draped in carpet material with huge speakers above our heads playing rave music. It took two and half hours to get to our destination and by that time it was dark. As the bus drove through towns, villages and roads we had no idea of anywhere nor where we had to get off or whether someone would pick us up. Sharon dozed off as I kept ears and eyes on the alert. Then finally, the bus came to a halt and everyone got off, so I assumed we were there. Infact, two men with 4-WDs were waiting for us and who had been waiting for hours as we happened to be very late. Despite our lack of punctuality, The Maruri Sanctuary Lodge manager, a handsome Burmese guy, greeted us with a huge smile which shone through his eyes. We drove through a tiny hut village, which took me back to Africa. The bumpy road led us to the Sanctuary Lodge; a wide cultivated open space made up of lovely individual bungalows. He welcomed us in the reception room or rather glasshouse where he briefed us about the Sanctuary itself and our agenda for the next 2 days. He then asked us whether we could have dinner in 10minutes so we could make it to the Stick Dance show in the village. Sharon and I dumped our stuff and wet clothes in our separate bungalows and sat down for dinner in the bare empty restaurant adjacent to the reception area. Our cook and waiter was a lovely and very caring Indian guy who prepared a three course meal for us, lovely, only we had to gulp it down as our driver was waiting for us.

The Stick Dance show was intriguing. I was amazed and the young boys' dexterity in beating their sticks to fast-paced rhythms. By the end of the show, I was up on stage hopping up and down to tribal beats. Awesome!!! :)

Although tired, Sharon and I chatted till late; we were energised with the day's activity and the rest had only to be discovered.

Next morning a knock at 6.30am woke us up for an early breakfast. We were then driven to the crocodile river where we got a long flat canoe which daintily glided over the water; cutting through the ripples and mist. It was a calm awakening to a wonderful day. We managed to spot a lousy long-spouted croc sunbathing at the side of the river. Our canoe took us to one of the jungle-looking islands where we were greeted by two park rangers who led us on a walking safari. We walked for an hour or so but only managed to come across a wild boar. I wasn't sure what we could have come across anyways, I didn't dare ask! We perched ourselves from the balcony of one of the long-stilted wooden tourist lodges in the middle of the jungle. The view was gorgeous.

Next we visited the elephant breeding centre, which well, looked like an elephant zoo. The elder ones were chained to wooden poles for display, poor things. Luckily, the young ones were left to roam freely about. One of them greeting us at the ticket office. Although still a baby it was quite huge and it was the first time I had actually touched one. Visitors were busy taking photos and feeding him cookies when suddenly the master came our yelling at the elephant like dad to a naughty son. Apparently, the young elephant was a known mischievous one which climbed over the a broken part of the fence to be fed cookies by visitors.

Our rangers then took us for a surprise; bathing with the elephants! The tiny beach was crowded with tourists watching elephants being bathed by their masters. Then there were those who dared jumped in for a trunk shower and hump-back plunge. Sharon and I were tempted. We stripped to what we could not having our swimsuits on and cautiously threaded the warm water (luckily elephants' poo was going downstream with the current!!!) The master hurled us up on the back on their elephant. Never have I had thought about the skin of an elephant till that day. It was thick, course, hairy and gosh, it smelt strongly (....mmm can't really think like what?!?) It was a joy-ride! the minute we managed to climb the hump, the master would yell out something and the elephant would simply turn on its side and duck into the water with its passengers and all. Up again and down again. Shear fun. But nothing bet the reverse-trunk shower while standing on the back of the elephant, oh yes!!! :)

Wet, stinking but smiling we took off for a good shower only to see sunset from the back of an elephant as we rode one across the small jungle, meeting a pair of rhinos on the way. We slowly made our way swaying from one side to the other. Our seats overlooked the rear side of the 'vehicle', so we could observe swishing tail accompanying the pedantic rhythm. It was definitely a different point of view especially when your vision is suddenly blinded by a branch of leaves! Towards the end of the ride, our master let us take the lead for a while. It was the best buttocks massage ever !!!

Next day was a very early morning start as we were woken up before break of dawn and sent out for early bird watching. But we only managed to come across and hear a few birds making us feel jealous of our beds. Until, a huge deer almost the size of a horse, made us jump. All I saw was a dark figure against the faint rays of the sun streaming through the trees. It was a majestic vision. On our way back we walked through the hut village. Picturesque in every sense; colourful hand-printed walls, old water pumps, open-air baby cradles, red chilli chopping on the doorstep and I was back in Africa! Our lovely and caring Indian cook could not have us leave on empty stomachs so we hugely breakfasted and set off again on another long bus journey, cut short barely outside Chitwan due to a mechanical fault.

Next....Himalayas ...here I come again!

ta
Nicky
X

Everything happens for a reason!

..and so it does!

hi again, I couldn't do anything that Saturday except to wait for Sunday to come by and try to sort out my fight to Bangkok. So, f888 it, I went for our group's farewell dinner and my tears soon dried up and turned into laughter. It was great seeing Sharon so excited, I should say ecstatic with her thangka gift.

Some interesting revelations happened that night but probably the most incredulous one was from Mystique Flip's fortune-telling!!! She declared that everything will turn out right and that I will be happy the next day! So it be, I thought.
Next, we hit Tom & Jerry's pub where we let our spirits rise again!

Next morning, the remaining six met for a peevish breakfast in the garden of the Harati Hotel. We exchanged our goodbyes, which made me feel even worse. I then set off and finally found the ThaiAirways offices, given directions by the Reservation Manager of the KGH (Kathmandu Guesthouse). It turned out I had never actually purchased the ticket and had only made a reservation online. Getting a bit frustrated (to say the least) I crossed the road to a travel agent to try to book and buy a flight to Bangkok. Luckily, they found a seat for the first lag of the journey, which was to be Kathmandu to Calcutta but they asked me to allow a few hours before they could try to confirm the next lag, from Calcutta to Bangkok which if successful would only turn out to be an expensive business class ticket.

I met some of the others for lunch at the KGH. I was kind of nervous and anxious. Alana reassured me that I'd find a flight and worst come to the worst I get to stay here in Nepal for a while. In the meantime, surely Intrepid could postpone the trip so I could join another group at a further date. OMG!!!! and so it struck me, just there and then like a bolt out of that blue sky on top of us. That was it. I decided. And finally, I was able to articulate that underlying and inexplainable feeling. Or was I perhaps trying to deny it all the time? I fell in love, yes I had fallen in love with Kathmandu and was dying to discover the rest of Nepal. This was it - this was my chance to do, to just go for it.
I barely ate my lunch, I just dashed back to Jaya, the travel agent. On my way, stopped to call Intrepid to ask them to postpone my booked trip. I couldn't get hold of them. But by that time my mind was pretty much made up. I was staying. The friendly staff at Jaya, greeted me with smiles; they had found a business class flight from Calcutta to Bangkok. Within the next few minutes their smiles turned into frowns! I had decided not to take it after all their effort but at least I had the decency to apologise and make another booking to fly out to Bangkok (and via Calcutta - since there weren't any direct flights available for months) within the next 10days.



I had taken a shot in the dark; what will I be doing in Nepal for the next 10 days? what if Intrepid won't be able to postpone my trip? will I loose my money? then if so, what will I be doing in Bangkok? so many questions, yes, but I had never felt happier. I walked along the streets of the Thamel with a radiant smile.
That evening I ended up celebrating high class with Michelle, Kevin, Flip and Alana at the posh Hyatt hotel.

Next day I had a bit of a let down! Intrepid would not postpone, so I basically lost the trip and worst still the money. I was hit but not beaten. I discovered that they still had last minute places available on a trips starting beginning of December and I was still determined to make it to the South East. So, I asked them to book me afresh for the 5th December one.

Having settled that matter I was now keen to sort out my days in Nepal. My mind was swimming with thoughts and ideas. I wanted to do some trekking in the north, adventure stuff along the way, somewhere, take a safari at the natural reserve in the south, etc etc..
I jotted down everything on a piece of paper, searched the internet for a while then started to ask about at the local tourist agencies. In the meantime, I had to see to my accommodation. I had exhausted the nights at our final destination hotel the Harati and it was only thanks to Kevin that I managed to fit in an extra night that night, as he decided to treat himself at the Hyatt.
I went to the KGH and sorted out a room with a kind of provisional booking as I had no idea whether I'd be staying there for just one night or for the rest of my days in Nepal, which I hoped not.

The Reservation Manager (I'm crap with names!!) on enquiring about my stay in Nepal asked me whether I would want to meet his friend who ran a travel agency the Gurkha Encounters. Well, I thought that won't hurt and if anything would help me fine-tune my thoughts.

I was back at KGH at 11.30am. One of the agent's representatives met me at reception then walked me a few metres down the road to their offices. The minute I walked in to my surprise, I recognised a familiar face seated behind one of the desks - it was Sharon!! OMG! I had just text her a few minutes earlier to let her know about my situation with Intrepid failing to postpone the booking and my new resolution as to wanting to 'get lost' in Nepal over the next days to make up for the 'loss'.

We hugged one another. I had never thought I'd see her again being on the brink of setting off for some holiday of her own in Nepal. It turned out that she didn't have anything planned and was still wondering and pondering about what to do, where to go.
Raj came along, surprised to see that we knew one another. He then asked me to take a seat while Sharon left to do some errands. He's a well experienced organiser and all he needed was my roughly sketched itinerary to turn into a fantastic custom-built tour. I was so happy - a dream come true!!!
I think he was pretty chaffed by it too and asked me whether we should try to buy Sharon into it. So, the minute she back we sat her down and gave her a good description of the tour. She just nodded and finally said 'I like it. I'm on!'
WOW ! WOW ! triple WOW! not only did I have a great trip to look forward to but I was about to share it with a great friend :) It was awesome, timewise brilliant. It would turn out that I would be spending my birthday back into Kathmandu, then fly out to Bangkok two days later.

Raj took us out for lunch to celebrate. The day grew on us and before I knew it I was back at the Harati, had a quick dinner, packed and tried to sleep but my endorphins were on a high :)

It was an early start the following day. 6.30am found me at the reception waiting for one of Raj's employees to pick me and Sharon up and take us to the bus junction. At about 6.45 a guy turned up with his little motorbike. I was wondering how we were all about to fit on top of this 2-wheeler, backpacks and all?!?! We zigzagged through the sleepy streets and at one point saw Sharon seated on a step in front of the hotel she was staying. I yelled into the driver's ear to stop. He looked surprised. It didn't even seem to occur to him that he was supposed to pick up another customer that morning. I waved to Sharon and signalled her we'll be back. The guy dropped me off at the piazza and asked me to wait until he picked up Sharon. Together again, we got organised on the bus full of Western tourists. We waved goodbye to the our scooter driver and said hello to a new big adventure :)

next...Nicky's & Sharon's Tour !
Nicky
X

Dhulikel & Kathmandu

Namaste!

The Himalayas accompanied us all the way into Dhulikel. It was a smooth but winding upwards road. The mountainous scenary stayed with us until the sun hid behind one of them.

We dumped our stuff in our rooms quite out of breath after climbing up flights of stairs to get to the actual resort, which was spread across a number of terraces. I hung around for a while after a lovely dinner in the resort's restaurant with Simon, Sharon and Michelle, letting the wine caress our brains! The ambience was typical Nepalese with traditional paintings, tapestries and furniture - so unlike the westernised Last Resort. We were curious to see the view the next morning. Each of our rooms had a wide balcony facing the Range. And what a view! I stumbled out of bed at the break of dawn to get the best sunrise photos. I was mesmerised.

We continued to consume the breathtaking Himalayan Range over breakfast which we had in the sun on the roof of the restaurant! Awesome! Pure food for the soul, as Sharon remarked. She had planned a visit around the historical town of Panauti for the day. We walked down the hill to the main road, got a local bus and to make sure we continued to get the best of all views, we sat on its roof!!! What a joy ride! Desperately holding on to the iron bars (roof rack) at every turn or hump in the road, laughing our heads off with the wind and dust brushing against our faces. We jolted amongst fields, cows, people on foot, bikes and carts, others yelling from their market stalls at the side of the dusty and dirty roads.

We stopped at the busy and loud bus junction. Buses just crammed into one spot of the square so we actually had to jump over to the top of another bus to get off, while trying to avoid getting caught in the electricity wires dangling like ivy from the lamposts and adjacent buildings!!!



We met our local guide and started to walk away from the noisy square and into the narrow streets. The facades of the buildings had a turkish oriental look to them.
We walked until we came to an opening in the countryside and 'entered' a sacred place adorned with temples and a open crematorium. Everything was so still and quiet as people paid respects to their gods.



Back to the bustling town through sweet and vegetables stalls, cows and people we visited a local bakery/confectionary/restaurant. The locals were eating dal bhaat with their hands (the Nepalese staple all-day meal of lentils, rice, potatoes and greens). We sat at the bench & tables reading the English version of the local newspaper as we were served with cups of tea and homemade veggie samosas.


They were yummy! Infact they were the best in town. We couldn't have been luckier with the weather. A photo caption of the pristine Himalayas in the paper described the previous day 'a phenomena' with crystal clear visibility of the full Himalayan Range.



After that we walked along the street for a while before heading off back on a bus. This time we got off half way and walked amongst the fields and out of nowhere came across a local University. We climbed back uphill and like little kids raced one another to the resort. We sat in the warm sunshine on the roof of the restaurant for the rest of the afternoon. It just felt good to be up there!

That night we had a party in one of the room's balconies and let ourselves be elevated by the white spirit!!! The night - a sky of diamonds!

Next day we headed towards our final destination of our M&M tour; Kathmandu - the heart and capital of Nepal. It wasn't far off and got there within a couple of hours tops. A short tour of the Thamel (the heart and soul of Kathmandu) made us feel at ease and at home with the number of hippie westerners wondering about and narrow streets lined with bookshops, bakeries, patisseries, pubs, restaurants, markets, souvenir shops boasting colourful hand-made products. We fell in love with it! We ate at a western cuisine restaurant then headed off for a bit of shopping.

At one point I decided to stop with Aaron and Jori at the internet cafe to check my flight for Bangkok. Funnily enough, my reference number 'could not be recognised'. I thought I'd check again later but a funny feeling was stiring inside of me. Putting it aside I joined the rest of the group for a tour around the Durbar Square. We squeezed our way through people, cows......I just realised that I mentioned 'cows' many times in this blog, actually they roam about just like people in the streets of Nepal, this cause they are considered sacred Hindu creatures, and even more valuable than human life...... motorbikes, old cars until we finally got to a pot pori of Hindu and Buddhist temples amongst them the Royal Palace. We also had the honour to see the Kumari Devi for a few seconds. The Kumari Devi is a girl who is chosen from others mainly for her beautiful looks and during her reign is condisered to be the Living Goddess for both Hindu and Buddhist worshippers and as such is an object of worship during ceremonial religious occasions. Her house, the Kumari Ghar is a store-house decorated in magnificent carvings. We weren't allowed to take any pictures when paying her a visit in the courtyard of her house, however this is what she looks like. The notoriously popular Freak Street was still open and bustling with business competing with the open market of freaky stuff just round the corner. There was something romantic and mystique about the place which I felt I has getting hooked on instantly.

We decided to buy Sharon a thangka - a Buddhist type of scroll-painting generally used to adorn monasteries. In Kathmandu they were an expensive souvenir for Westerners. We bought her a classical one; the wheel of life - a visual representation of the Abhidharma teachings, the Art of Enlightenment. After shopping and bargaining our way around we finally bought the thangka from a young artist's shop. I loved the paintings and thought of buying one for myself before leaving Nepal, that is within a couple of days, or so, I thought.

Later that evening, I checked my flight again and when I got the same result decided to make a call to the ThaiAirways office. Unfortunately, there was no reply, it was Saturday but their offices were closed. I had no option but to find them and check things the next day. I was due to fly out of Kathmandu to Bangkok on Monday.

I still decided to go and look for the airline's offices. I set out desperately but soon enough got lost in the maze of the Thamel streets. I gave up in the end and decided to tackle it the next day. Warily, I found my way back again. I scouted the printed papers I had with me for contacts, references, bookings, etc... but nothing gave me peace of mind. I sat on the step outside of the internet cafe. I was going through Intrepid's trip cancellation terms and conditions when at one point I raised my head and got sight of Kate and Jori coming up to me. Then my vision blurred. They comforted me and promised everything will turn out right in the end. It was their sympathy that caused tears to run. Somehow, I did not feel sad. Despite the sense of loss; of loosing out on a big trip to the South East and the fear of not knowing what will happen next, the weird sensation I felt earlier was intensifying. It grew as the day wore off and manifested itself clearly within the next two days.

............
Nicky
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mmmuuuuuuuu!!!!!!

Zhangmu & crossing the border

Merry Xmas!!

It was mid-November last year, i.e. 2007, and I was with a bunch of others being driven in Landcruisers across from Tibet and into Nepal.

We were barely an hour's drive from Tingri when one we were alarmed by a bursting tyre and our car took a sudden sharp swivel. Our driver mastered the brakes and steered the car to a halt at the side of the road, avoiding a descent into a small crevice and its stream. The minute we regained our breathe and checked on each other we got out to examine what happened. The burst tyre was sent reeling into the ice-glazed stream leaving the disc brakes twisted and half buried in the ground. Sharon and Simon recovered the lost tyre while the other cars were called back for help. It wasn't an easy tyre replacement though. The drivers had a tough time banging the disk back into some form of shape so it could be fitted with a spare tyre. It took ages to get back on the road during which we not had a long pee break (!) and walked along the icy stream at the end of which stood an old fort in ruins.


Back on the road, we stopped at every possible viewpoint to take pictures of the Himalayas. We were so lucky to have had another splendid day.

Just outside our lunch town, Nyalum, roadworks brought us to a standstill. Once again we tried to use our 'friendly and playful' tactics to get through with the workmen. But nothing worked this time. It was pretty obvious that there was no way we could have got through with a huge pin roller smoothing the freshly tarmaced road.
It was fun though playing footie with a pistachio shells-filled plastic water-bottle. We spend about an hour or so dashing about chasing the 'ball' with the drivers and workmen. Then some Chinese drove up to us. Seeing that there was no way that they could drive on the road, they reversed and side-tracked their way across the fields. On seeing this our drivers chased them up letting them guide us through quite a bit of off-roading. It was pretty bumpy and muddy. At one point the local peasants and farmers decided to block our road with stones and bribed us into clearing the passage. They actually bribed each vehicle and cunningly enough probably earned a month's worth of wages. Silly and funny, but at least we got ourselves back onto the road.

It was somewhere around 4 or 5pm when we got to the centre of Nyalum. We stopped for late lunch or early dinner in dingy restaurant. We had plenty of time to kill anyways as the pass into Nepal was only due to open at 6.30pm. During that time, Sharon went to have her hair done at a local hairdresser while the rest of us lingered about buying very 'expensive' chocolate by which time we were craving desperately for. Snow started to fall. It was our Xmas day after all so snow was very appropriate! It got heavier by the time we left the village and it couldn't have started at a better or rather worse timing; crossing the mountain pass.

Within a couple of hours the bleak grey scenary turned into a white wonderland. We drove on in the midst of thick falling snow, just inches away from a deep valley which accompanied us throughout our journey through the pass. Despite the edgy experience the scenary was magnificent; tall cypress trees carpeting either side of the deep gorge transforming themselves from green giants to a huge white blanket. I took some interesting pictures of the scenary outside in between wiping the windscreen for our fully-focused driver to see better and feeding him up with snacks to help his concentration. We continued to enjoy the view until it grew dark and the moon shone in the black sky.


As we descended down the valley the sides of the steep hillsides were illuminated with lights coming from residential homes. Closer to border we met a slow-moving trail of cars until finally we got stuck in a traffic jam. As huge lorry was trying to make a U-turn in the narrow road risking loosing grip over the steep edge. As we waited our bladders tightened. By then we were desperate for the loo not having stopped throughout at least the three hours we spent driving along the one-way and one-vehicle width pass.

Finally, we got to Zhangmu; a town serpenting its way along into the depths of the valley. The long winding road led us to our hotel - another building amongst a row of others - as the clammy air and rain welcomed us. Since everything was built on a slop the rooms were spread out vertically so that he had to climb several flights of stairs before getting to our rooms. Catherine and mine's was at the very top. And being at the top it was probably the best room - the penthouse if you may - with an ensuite shower and seatless western toilet. It was cold, unwelcoming and not quite clean. The flushing wouldn't work well while the water taps were twisted out of place. We changed hurriedly, made ourselves look pretty and boosted our sugar levels with a Mars bar. We met Sharon in minutes and together we joined the others at the dance club (the ninma) just beneath our hotel. It was still empty but was quickly filling up with young late teenagers some of whom were about to give us quite a sassy karoke and dance show.

After the show the dance floor was free for us to perform. And man what a performance! I danced it away into the wee hours of the morning. I ended up being twirled and swung by one of the hot dancers, and phew it was HOT with all those sweaty bodies. Ragu, my dancing partner of the night was a big romantic and tried to even rob a goodnight kiss from me, but I left him all for Sharon's delite, his 'old-time' favourite, who by the way was being courtshipped by Tashi, the owner of the hotel!!! One hell of a steamy night!!!! :)

Back in our room I had had to take a shower despite it being past 2am and the water stone-cold! I barely slept, feet freezing in my sleeping bag. Next day was a haze. We woke up early and bought breakfast from the bakery next door; a pastie filled with transparent-looking suet and wilted green leaves. Definitely not pleasing to the eye and least the palate! We exchanged our money for rupees from street currency vendors then walked to the Chinese border to check out of 'China'. We drove a little further before saying goodbye to our wonderful drivers. Next thing we grabbed our backpacks and crossed the border into Nepal.

I did not expect it to be or feel any different, well at least not immediately but the second we crossed and thread foot into the new country, Nepal welcomed us with it's clammy weather, vibrant or rather noisy people, bustling their way along an endless line of fully loaded trucks and busses, hooting horns and yelling drivers. The sun shone brightly in the blue sky - a far cry of the previous snowy and cold day. The air was humid and lush with oxygen and green scenary. What should have taken us 20minutes took us about an hour to get to the Last Resort. Our bus parked at one end of a valley so we had to traverse to the other end over a suspended bridge - the bridge from which we jumped off the next day!

The Last Resort proved to be a haven. There we were, drinking cocktails in the sun in T-shirt and shorts, surrounded by huge colourful butterflies, deep green slopes. Our rooms were dispersed across the terraced lawns. I shared a comfortable and lavish 4-man tent - a dream when compared to our recent accommodations. Not to mention hot running water from the outdoor showers! Oh yes, hot water, finally! oh, and proper clean western loos!!! We spent most of the afternoon sunbathing while seeing others head dive into the valley below from the edge of the bridge. Most of us courageously booked ourselves for a bungee jump next morning then had a lovely dinner in the chilled-out low sofa restaurant / lounge area of the Resort.

We were woken up at about 5.30am next morning to make our way to the bridge. It was a bit chilly and the 160m drop from the bridge made us shudder even more. We were ranked by our weight and being the lightest I was the last one to jump off from our group. We sang, shouted and cheered the next one down. When my turn was up there was no one to sing to me :( so I sang on my own. The 'bungeemasters' giving me the odd looks as they prepared me for the dive, roping my legs together.

I was on the edge, arms wide open waiting for the master's GO! It was an endless nerve-wrecking wait. Then I leaped into the valley below. The world stopped. There was silence. The dizzy surroundings of the valley toppled over so I lost all sense of direction. Split second later the wind whipped hard into my ears and I felt my breath again. I was diving into a head rush so the seconds my lungs filled with air I let out a hell of a yell. At the rebound I jerked back up again by the tug of the thick elastic rope I was attached too. The tightening pain around my ankles was quickly released as I bobbed up and down in mid-air and let more air out of my lungs at every yell and scream. I let my arms hang loose and enjoyed the strange sensation of the upside down world. Adreladine was at its peak!
Suddenly, I realised someone was yelling at me from the bottom of the valley. I got sight of a man pointing a long bamboo stick at me. Then I remembered that I had to grab it to be hurled back on solid ground. Gradually, I was lowered on a kind of stretcher. They untied my ropes and in no time I dashed to embrace the others who were cheering me from the sides of the valley. It was a steep half hour or so climb back up to the Resort. But it was worth it especially the hearty buffet breakfast after that :) Not to mention the DVD session of each of our dives. By the end of it were laughing our heads off!

The rest of the day was spent lazing around in the warm sun until it was time to hit the road again at 4pm. Our next destination was Dhulikhel - a village in the mountains with spectacular views of the Himalayas.

Nepal here we are!!!
Nicky
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Everest Base Camp

hi all

Next day after visiting Sakya, we set out at 8am and headed off to Everest Base camp at 5200m altitude. We were all pretty nervous and excited at the same time. The air was cold and we couldn't imagine how colder it would be further up there. We were already at about 4800m and by then adjusting to the cold and altitude. To make things less easy however, Gemma dropped her water bottle all over me so not only was I wet but looked as if I wet myself! Luckily, she had a hot water bottle with her, and that helped quicken the drying process.

We got the highway, long, wide and empty and after a few metres, our local guide, Jimmy stopped the troupe and pointed at it. There it was the tallest peak in the world. It was a clear as ever against the limpid blue sky. Showing off it's grandeur and almost saluting us with smokey wisps of snow flying off from it's peak.
Sharon later commented that she had never it like this on any of her tours and so we were very lucky :)

We drove on and soon enough its other companions came into view. The range of mountains were like a perfect oil painting, their canvas, the clear blue sky. We were gobsmacked and asked our drivers to stop at every bend to take pictures.

Later a small Tibetan village welcomed us for lunch. We set on carpet-draped sofas in the heat of the sun which glared strongly from behind the window panes. We discussed hypothermia and frostbite which although out of place in that tiny warm and cosy restaurant, were well within context for the night ahead. We set off again after lingering a while longer on those comfy sofas, stomachs full of of Tibetan eggs, tomatoes, rice and bread. The road to Base Camp was bumpy and dusty but then what did it matter when we were being driven there?!


Just before getting to Base Camp we stopped at the Rongpbu Monastery - the highest situated Monastery in the world. The wind was picking up making the air even colder. I was so cold, I hardly felt like moving. Even taking photos was quite a task. We visited the dorm quarters; a line of small rooms in great need of refurbishing. The walls were worn, paint peeling off, the windows, fragile and wafer thin especially with the North Face backdrop behind them. The rooms were bare except for a couple of hard wooden beds with not enough bedding and blankets on them. There was just one pair of disgusting wooden-fenced squat toilets out in the courtyard, which were well exposed to cold and wind, in case they got too smelly!

So that was it, our stay for the night. Six of us had decided to spend the night there, including myself. By that time I was feeling much better and anyways couldn't resist such a once in a lifetime opportunity. We were so excited and very nervous. Sharon kept warning us of the shear cold we were about to expose ourselves to, having gone through a night herself on one of her previous tours. I was filled with energy and positiveness and was already thinking of having an all-in-one room huddled-up together party.
I really wanted to walk it to Base Camp but Sharon was against that :(
There was no way we could have done it that afternoon as the others had a long drive to get to their accommodation in Tingri and doing it the next day we could have risked poor visibility. Even so, Sharon was skeptic of taking on the responsibility of walking us at 5000m altitude for 2 to 3 hours. So, I went with the majority and visited Base Camp by car.

It was windy and freezing cold despite the sun. We climbed a small hill to get to the yak's skull with horns and prayer flag monument. It was out of this world. The air was getting to us and I started feeling a bit light-headed, more of it due to ecstatic feeling. As I looked up at Everest's peak I wondered what it would be like to start trekking from that altitude up to over 8000m.

Back at our rooms Catherine took out a 'Cadbury's' dairy chocolate bar to celebrate us being there. We gazed at the wonderful vista from our window holding our breaths at it. Suddenly, Sharon burst into our room and like a bolt out of the blue put a stop to our dream, or which could have been a nightmare! The Chinese Military wanted us out there asap. We were given strict orders; the group could not split up, we had to travel as one. Unfortunately, since Simon was ill, we had no choice but to join the others. In other words, leave Rongpbu. I couldn't believe my ears and honestly, thought Sharon was having a laugh until I dashed out almost getting knocked over by one of tall men in green. Disappointingly, we loaded our stuff and set off to Tingri.

Everyone was silent for a long while until Gemma burst into tears. We hardly said anything as all the screaming and yelling was going on in our heads.

Tingri was a place forsaken by the Buddhas! It stretched itself thinly along the Friendship Highway into Nepal. It was actually just a motel stop. Our line of rooms were literally at the edge of the village facing a plain of barren brown land. All across and towards the right were the Himalayas - the only proud jewel of this village. Our rooms were simple; two beds, some bedding and a bulb and even smaller that the ones at Rongpbu. Infact other than that, the difference was minimal well, except of an altitude of about 250m less which made it slightly warmer than up there! Still freezing cold. We reluctantly had dinner over which we tried to heighten our spirits by coming up with some lively thoughts. We discussed bringing 'Secret Santa' night forward to that night or the next day. In the end we decided to exchange our out-of-season Xmas gifts the next morning over 'Xmas breakfast' as some us were still too moody to even come out of their room and join us for dinner. By the end of the evening Flip and I were singing carols at the top of our voices making the locals stare at us then burst into laughter.


It was another splendid morning. I woke up early and decided to go for a walk across the barren land opposite our rooms. I couldn't take my eyes off the mountains and by the time I was back, I sat on the step outside our room in the lovely sun and cried my eyes out. Not sure why. But I was kind of expecting the big mo at any point throughout the journey and probably this was it. Finally, it was a kind of release too. Catherine comforted me and when I was happy again joined the others for the big Xmas breakfast. The dinning room was full of smoke (from cigarettes and the centre fire stove) and sunlight. We ate then Sharon started to go round with sacks of gifts letting each one (inc the drivers) pick their choice. My pair of fluffy carpet slippers went to one of the drivers for whom I was glad. The other gifts ranged from Tibetan music CDs to foldable scissors. Then, my turn came and I picked up one of the biggest...pink panties ever!!! Oh yes, it was one of Michelle's extra surprise gifts. I joked about with it and flaunted it over my walking trousers reducing our (driver) men to tears with laughter :) :) :)

It was great and we all felt good by the end of it. Best part was donating my big down jacket (the one I wore for Base Camp) to the woman who ran the place with her husband and kids.

Luckily, Sharon managed to expedite our trip by a day so we didn't need to spend another cold night in Tingri. We set off for Zhangmu, the border town between Tibet and Nepal. That drive was a long and full of adventures, mostly fun and scary stuff!!


....tra la la la ....
Nicky
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