Panauti and last days in Kathmandu

Sunday 10 April.

Up early. Still no electricity so phone and laptop nearly flat. After porridge, onto bus on Banepa, 10 mintues, and straight on another bus to Panauti, 10 minutes. Staying at Ananda guest house, near the main temple, and there is electricity. Joy. It is a traditional wooden house, low ceilings, very cosy.

After yesterday, I was keen to do a bit more walking today so headed out for a couple of hours to Sunthan and onto Sankhu, partly retracing my steps from yesterday. I came back the other way, completing a loop. The green fields full of crops were dotted with ladies picking and throwing the produce into the doko (basket) on their back, which is supported by a strap around their forehead. It sometimes looked like a scene from a Communist Propaganda poster.

Unfortunately, the women here seem to spit even more than the men. Although I should be used to it by now, it still makes me cringe when someone snorts their flem into the back of their throat and then 'hack-putt', spits it out on the ground. Is it necessary? They often do it (someone just did it outside as I am typing this!) when they are just standing around.

I have seen more women (usually older women) than men smoke here, which is the opposite to India. And many older women work as labourers at constructions sites, carrying and stacking bricks.

It rained quite a bit this afternoon, on and off. I had a look around the temple area and walked into town. Had buff momo and tea and chow mein. Its another Newari medieval town. It's nice but I have seen enough.

Monday 11 April

Up at 6am. Walked around the temple area, quite a few people milling around and placing their metal plates of offering in their Hindu shrines. Walked around with a small brick in my hand to ward of the barking dogs. They got close a couple of times but a raised hand made them back off. They can smell the blood of an Englishman. Checked out at 7am and got the bus back to Kathmandu.

Arrived at 9am, went to the Tibet travel agency. The Chinese in Lhasa are still saying they won't give permits to groups of more than two nationalities (yes, it's as silly as it sounds). I could try to organise a much smaller group but then the tour cost would be much higher. Oh well, the agency said to keep checking in with then during the week to see what happens. You have to get a permit (faxed from Lhasa to the agecncy?) which the agency then takes to the Chinese Embassy to get a visa.

I walked to Patna, stopping for Buff (water buffalo) momo along the way. I didn't really intend to eat buff (partly cos I am on a vegetarian tip at the moment) but I didn't realise until they had served me, that that was all they had. I also stopped at the football stadium to find out more about Nepal's game against Sri Lanka later in the day. I got to Patna and saw Durbar Square which had the same type of temples as Durbar Square in Kathmandu so, since you have to pay to get closer, I gave it a miss, just wandered about for a bit, had samosa and chai and decided I have seen enough historical architecture and walked back to the stadium to check out the football.

Quite a few riot police at the stadium but it seemed friendly enough so I got a ticket and unwittingly pushed to the front of the queue. On the way in, I was frisked 3 times and my bag was searched twice. They took from me a bottle of mineral water, some coins and a pen. The game kicked off at 3:30pm in bright sunshine. There must have been 7 or 8000 people there.

On our side of the ground you just sit on concrete steps. There was a good atmosphere and the Nepalese fans were pretty enthusiastic. It was a pretty good game and Nepal were the better team but neither team seemed capable of creating chances. It ended 0-0 and atferwards Nepal did a lap of honour. They are through to the next stage, next year. They were in a group with North Korea, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Nepal's manager is Graham Roberts who used to play for Spurs in the 80's; he has put on a bit of weight since then. But the locals seem to like him.

Sat in the internet cafe and Ciaron came by. We went to the cafe across the road ate chow mein and momos and drank milk tea, and chatted to Canadian Connor.


Tuesday 12 April

Changed hotel to where Ciaron is staying, its slightly cheaper and there is hot water. We had breakfast downstairs, then again at Penny Lane across the street. Walked up to Thamel and went to the Tibet travel agency, they told me they are still waiting to hear and to come back later. We walked away from Kathmandu, a few kms through the suburbs, stopping for chai, to Pashupatinath. This is a very holy places for Hindus from Nepal and India, like the Ganges in Varanasi. It was (relatively) expensive to get in and we are templed out so didn't go in. We unwittingly walked around to the cremation ghats where we saw bodies wrapped in cloth. There were ladies there mourning and crying so we left; this was different to Varansi where only men were present and they seemed indifferent to the ceremony.

We walked on to Boudanath, to the Great Buddhist stupa. We walked around the outside and up some steps to a monastery from where we overlooked the stupda. It was a pleasant place to hang out for a bit. After we took a long stroll back to Thamel.

In the late afternoon we walked to one of the streets off Durbar Square, into the crowds, to watch the large chariot, with a christmas tree on top, being pulled through the streets by young guys. This is happening most nights this week as part of Nepal's New Year celebration. Everyone gathers and then people push back as the chariot approaches and the riot police usher most people away. It was ok, not so spectaculr, and then it started to rain so we just came back.

In the evening we sat in the cafe and the others got drunk while I didn't touch a drop. They went off to Bollywood dance thing but I couldn't be bothered.

Wednesday 13 April.

Posted some stuff home. Surfed the net looking at contingency plans for if I can't go to Tibet. Lunch at Penny Lane. Laundry. Its good to have a day of no sightseeing, just getting little jobs done and hanging out. A few drinks in the evening with other travellers and some Nepalese guys to help the locals celebrate New Year, 2068. It is the same in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. One of the older Nepalese guys calls himself Jimi, because, he says, when he was 10, he met Jimi Hendrix here in 1969 when the singer visited Nepal.

Went back to the Tibet travel agency, and to cut a long story short, I am not going to Tibet. It was getting more expensive, on a tighter schedule and still no guarantee of getting a Tibet permit. So I will fly over Tibet to Chengdu. Have to get a Chinese visa, and quick!


Thursday 14 April

A bit of a stressful day booking my flight to Chengdu for Sunday. A kind of stuff up by edreams.co.uk so wasn't sure whether I had a proper reservation or not. Ended up on Skype to Barcelona and got it sorted. Expensive 4 hour flight at $500, especially when I later found out that it might have been cheaper at a normal travel agent. Oh well. Chinese embassy was closed today.


Friday 15 April

Up early, a bit anxious at the Chinese embassy since my expensive flight is booked for 2 days time. Handed in passport, photos and application form and applied for 'Urgent' visa, processed same day (US$74). While I waited for my visa, had a wander round Thamel and to my favourite tea/samosa shop, and bought and sold some books. In the afternoon, back to the Chinese embassy. Had to go to three different counters before finally getting passport and visa back. Yippeee, I can fly on Sunday.

Went to favourite momo shop and wandered around taking in Kathmandu as I only have a couple of days left. I have loved India and Nepal (most of the time!) but I am ready for a new adventure. China will quite different and I expect that it will be more challenging being in and getting around in China, and I might have culture shock for a few days!


Saturday 16 April

My last day in Kathmandu. Bright sunshine and a bit quieter as Saturday is the weekend (sunday is not). Just wandering around, it has been fun staying in Freak Street, at the Century hostel and the cafe downstairs. But looking forward to a new adventure tomorrow when I fly to Chengdu.

Lumbini - Tansen - Pokhara - Bandipur - Kathmandu - Dhulikhel

Saturday 26 March

So the I finished the Annapurna Trek at Naya Pul, and after some wheeling and dealing with the taxi mafia, we got a minibus to Pokhara and to where the buses go from to Lumbini, 8 hours. (I want to go to Lumbini first and then make my way back to Pokhara). The guys who gather passengers and collect the money are pretty pushy, they seem to be able to persuade people onto the bus who never looked like they wanted go anywhere. But they seemed like nice enough guys. I usually like the bus journeys, I was sat near the front and watched the people getting on and off the bus and interacting with eachother.

Stopped for lunch. The owner of the cafe gave me latest cricket scores. Ate 2 small plates of curry and a boiled egg, and later spicy potato with raw onion, I like the snacks in Nepal and India. Good scenery from the bus, rivers and lakes.

While we were stopped for lunch I got chatting to a Nepalese guy and complimented him on his good English. He said this was because he served with the British Army. "Oh, you are a Gurkha", I said, "Thats right", he said. He invited me to sit with him and we had a good long chat about the Gurkhas and his career. He served in Hong Kong until it was handed back to China in 1997. He has  been granted right of residency in the UK, something Gurkhas had campaigned for for many years. He knew all about Joanna Lumley's support for them and about the Sun newspapaers support (maybe the one good thing the rag has ever done?) And he met David Cameron before he was Prime Minister, as the Tories supported the Gurkha's too. So i guess the Tories brought in the law when they came to power. The next step is to provide the Gurkhas with the same pension that regular British soldiers receive. Quite right too. Although of course this does all mean that the British are taking away Nepal's best soldiers which might not be so good for Nepal?

We had an unplanned stop at Bhaiwara, they said the suspension was broken and shuffled me onto another bus, which I then had to pay for, and the guys I had paid before were nowhere to be seen so maybe it was a scam. I sat right in the middle at the front of the bus, virtually on the gear stick.

Changed bus again as the sun when down over another dusty town and a stone archway across the road. Off we went down a dark dusty road to Lumbini. We arrived after an hour or so. Lumbini is a hot, dusty, near-border town, with lots of mozzies. It is less than 10kms from the Indian border (the border I crossed at in 1995) so it feels more like India than Nepal, which is fine, cos I miss India, and I can sit and have chai and samosas again.



Sunday 27th March

Well, Lumbini may be dirty and dusty but it is also the birthplace (in 563BC) of Siddhartha Gautama, better known as Buddha, so it is visited by pilgrims and tourists from arouund the world. The sights are within the Lumbini Development Zone which is a work in progress, designed by a Japanese architect. The Maya Devi temple houses the exact point, under a Bodhi tree, where Buddha is said to have entered the world. There is a flat slab of rock encased in bulletproof glass, to mark the exact spot.
Nearby there is an Ashokan Pillar, said to be from 249BC, as well as many small brick stupas hundreds of years old. As I left the grounds the sun was casting its rays from behind the clouds, right above the temple, and if I was Buddhist I would have thought it was a message! Anyway, it made a good photo.

Still in trekking mode so early to bed in my shoebox size room. But got up in the night to go out to the front veranda and watch the crazy rain and lightning show.


Monday 28th March

Up at 6:45am. After omelette, I hired a pushbike and cycled around the West and then the East Monastic Zone. These areas house Buddhist monasteries financed and built by countries around the world. So, rather like Bodhgaya in India, it is a bit like Disneyland for Buddhism, but in a good way. The German and the Chinese temples were the most interesting with some great dreamlike, pastel-coloured murals inside. Also cycled out the Japanese Peace Pagoda, not that exciting but fun riding out in the countryside.

Checked out at lunchtime. Had samosas and chai and watched the world go by, the closest I will be to India for a long time. Bus to Bhaiwara (where the cycle rickshaw drivers lied to me by saying that the bus stand was 2kms out of town, but I knew it was right there in the main street) then another bus to Butwal then another to Tansen.

Tansen is a small Newari medieval town, some of the buildings remind me of Tewkesbury. Had dinner with a french guy who only has half a lung, yet happily lit up a cigarette. Not many tourists here and locals are friendly, met a lovely local English teacher. Its chilly up here in the hills and not much choice of restaurants.

Tuesday 29th March

Upset stomach today. At lunchtime I walked up through the forest but it was too misty for the mountain views. Saw Hindu Hanumann monkey statue and Buddha statue then walked back down. Felt lethargic and just pottered around the town. Watched NZ v Sri Lanka in the samosa and tea shop with the owner and some locals, and saw the end in my hotel lobby with the staff there. The Nepalese seem really into the cricket which is cool.


Wednesday 30th March

My stomach is a bit better today but don't feel up to doing the long walks down into the valley, so just wandered around the town again. Watched India v Pakistan in the same samosa shop, the 2 Prime Ministers watching it together at the stadium. I got my hair cut, the guy knew exactly what I meant when i said 'grade 4', he used scissors rather than clippers and was real quick. I bought a new, fake, Diesel manbag, for 5 bucks, finally throwing out the beyond-repair bag from Cameroon. The cricket was on in many shops and cafes.  Tansen is fairly quiet but sometimes a truck goes roaring down the narrow streets and sounds like it is going to crash through the hotel wall. Watched the end of India's win against Pakistan in the lobby.
Irish Ciaron sent a text to say he is in Pokhara.

Thursday 31st March

Got the bus from Tansen to Pokhara, 6 hours. Normally I pretty much enjoy the bus journeys but today was pretty tedious. This is partly because I had a tipsy guy sat next to me (at 10am) hopelessly trying to make small talk. And later there was a rambling old sadhu trying to get my attention across the back seat. I put my headphones on but he kept shouting at no one in particular. Finally some nice little kids came and sat next to me and they put my headphones on and I showed them photos of Coogee and my neices. They called me 'uncle', as Nepalese kids do to older males.

The taxi mafia swarmed the bus as we got to Pokhara. I managed to fob them off and got into one with two English people. As we drove into Pokahara town I saw Ciaron sat in a cafe so got out there and we met up and had a good chat and shared his hotel room. Ciaron went the opposite way around the Annapurna circuit and ended up at the Pass, by himself, late in the day with not much food or drink until he was found by a local. Probably a good job we each did it our own way.

Friday 1st of April

We moved to a cheaper hotel then went to Laughing Buddha for breakfast. Porridge, then fried egg and toast and curried potatoes, and coffee. Delicious. Then we hired pushbikes with a plan to cycle around Phewa Tal, the big lake alongside Pokhara. After less than an hour we had cycled to the far end of the lake but then it became green pastures with the odd cow and hamlet along the way. We wanted to cycle around so we went over a suspension bridge and looked for a path. But the only way was up, and up. We were a bit knackered, but enjoying the picturesque lake and town from above, for about 2 hours. Most of the time it was so steep and bumpy that we had to push our bikes. We stopped at a tea shop and they warned us it was still further up, but we certainly didn't want to go back the way we came so although we couldn't see where we would pass over the hill, we kept going and eventually passed over to the other side of the hill and it was all downhill from there. We passed a few small villages and the local kids annoyingly ran up asking for money. The downhill was so steep that it was easier to get off rather than ride. Finally we arrived back on the main road. Stopped for momos and chai and then completed the our circuit back in town.

went to a very local bar and had daal baat (lentil soup, rice and curried vegetables) and big cups of chai; excellent. Its great how the lady brings out more food to you as soon as you have eaten about half of your plate. They usually just slop it onto your plate without much care, but thats fine. Not so happy about the caged owl they had on the floor. Drank whiskey in the room.



Saturday 2nd of April

Up early and breakfast at the Laughing Buddha again. Then we hired the bikes again. My bike had no gears and I got unduly agitated about the fairly steep roads to the Bat Cave. My legs hurt and we had done enough hard work yesterday. We had a quick look at the temple and then followed the signs to the Bat Cave. Well, it was a bit of disappointment really, just a fairly small cave with some bats hanging from the ceiling, and too many tourists. We cycled back via a samosa shop. We went to the Gurkha museum which was pretty good. They had lots of information about the various battles and wars that the Gurkhas have fought in alongside the British including both World Wars (including Gallipoli), the Falklands and Malaysia. There was a photo of Joanna Lumley with some Gurkhas and a framed copy of the British ruling from a few years ago that Gurkhas are entitled to UK residency.

I got my washing back from the laudrette and now I cant find my shorts, though I am not completely sure that they were in the washbag. The place where I took the washing made some calls and said they don't have my shorts.

We watched some Premiership, and the start of the Cricket World Cup final in an expensive bar. Then we went for the same daal baat as last night.

We went to another restaurant to watch the last couple of hours of the Cricket Final. I really wanted India to win and the atmosphere in the stadium in Mumbai looked electric, I would have loved to have been there, especially since India won. Ciaron, being Irish and therefore having no knowledge of cricket (except when they beat England!), had no idea what was going on. We had chai and 'chocolate pudding', which was actually chocolate custard.

Sunday 3rd of April

Slept in. I went to the immigration office to extend my visa. They blatantly tried to over-charge me, until I got hold of the calculator and showed them how much it should cost. They refused to lend me a pen and then were upset that I had used a red pen (although I realise that in Asia its bad luck, or something, to write with red ink). After, I had breakfast again at the Laughing Buddha, where the staff can be rude but its the best deal in town. I finally gave up on finding my shorts and bought a new pair. While I wandered around town for an hour deciding whether to buy them, I had left my wallet in the pocket.

We had daal bhaat at the same restaurant. Big cockroach in our room.

Monday 4th April.

Up at 7am. Left Ciaron and got a local bus to the bus stand and, after curried chickpea and beans and chai for breakfast at the roadside, got the bus half way along the Pokhara-Kathmandu road, to dusty Dumre. From there I took a minibus taxi up the hilll to the lovely Newari medieval town of Bandipur. Its a quiet town with few tourists and a relaxed atmosphere. After daal bhaat (lentil soup, rice and curried vegetables) and after a couple of false starts, I made my way up some steeps steps to Thani Mai temple; it wasn't much to look at but the surrounding valley and crop terraces are beautiful. I went back down and then hiked 5kms up and along a ridge to the smaller village of Ramkot, meeting freindly locals and some goats along the way. The women were throwing stones at the pesky goats eating their crops and also blocking the path. It was enjoyable to be hiking again although this was much easier than Annapurna, and it was good to be by myself, enjoying the countryside and the quiet.
But my blisters, which had almost healed after the trek, are sore again.

In the evening the hotel owners were a bit weird but I had daal baat there. They both seem over-friendly and became pushy expecting me to eat all my meals there and asking me what time I will back.



Tuesday 5th April

Read in my room until Ciaron arrived, to avoid the annoying owners; the guy came up at 10am and said he was making my lunch, when I hadnt asked for that and hadn't even had breakfast. Anyway so Ciaron and I went out and we got the same Daal Baat that I had yesterday and then started our walk to the cave. We went through the other side of town, the opposite way to where I went yesterday. It soon became downhill down steep steps cut into the rock. My blisters were a bit sore and when we got to the cave 1.5 hours later I justed wanted to sit down. Ciaron went with a guide into the cave. I don't think I missed much. We walked another half an hour down to the main road, my feet were fine once we were on the flat. Had chai and samosas then we walked the five miles up the proper road back to Bandipur, arriving at 6:30pm after a 6 hour enjoyable walk and lots of chat. Same Dhal Bhat for dinner.


Wednesday 6th April

Up at 7:30. Did my best to avoid the annoying owners. Left Ciaron there and stood up on the back of a shared jeep taxi down to Dumre and the main road and the bus to Kathmandu. Read my book and watched the landscape, we followed the river most of the time. Quite a few people were throwing up, some into black plastic bags, the woman behind me just threw up in the aisle. There seems to be no sense of embarassment and no thoughts of clearing it up, a bit went on my shoe. It was similar in India in that many of the locals can't cope with bus trips, especially bumpy ones.

The bus dropped me a bit outside of town again and I didn't want to deal with taxi drivers so I walked for a bit and then kind of forced my way into a packed local's minibus taxi. Still a bit lost and wandered for a while before coming to familiar places. Checked into nice hotel room in Freak Street near Durbar square, then walked up to Thamel to get my laptop from the travel agency and to talk to them about the Tibet trip. They said the Chinese are currently saying that only groups with a maximum of 2 different nationalities can enter Tibet, and obviously our group of 30 or so is from a wide variety of nations. We are hoping they will change their minds. Had a good walk around, I enjoyed being somewhere busy again. And everyone I met today, in the shops and on the buses was very friendly and helpful.

I have just had my first proper look at my photos of Annapurna, on my laptop, and they are amazing, especially the widescreen ones, the landscape was out of this world.

Thursday 7th of April.

Out to the post office at 8am, but found it doesn't open until 10am. But it was good to see Kathmandu preparing for a new day, the streets were fairly quiet and it was easy getting around. Bought some new sunnies after smashing mine on the overhead compartment on the bus yesterday. Porridge, then took my box to the travel agency for storage, they seem to like me so I thought I would take advantage (they are also getting alot of cash out me for the trip of course!)

Then I walked the 3kms west out of town to the temple complex of Swayambhunath, which is highly regarded. You walk up the very steep steps and at the top is a large Buddhist stupa with a gold-plated spire and four sets of Buddhist eyes looking out north-west-south-east. It was good to watch the local pilgrims touching each prayer wheel as they walk around the stupa clockwise. Inside one of the temples were hundreds of butterlamps (candles). There are many smaller stupas and lots of carved statues and lots and lots of souvenir shops and other tourists. By itself it might have had more magic but it was a bit like many other busy small Buddhist towns. The views across the city were ok, a bit smoggy. Still, I did buy a stone carving of the Buddha, from the guy who makes them. I walked down to the other stupa and then back down.

I wandered around the old part of town. I ate buff (water buffalo) momos, and samosa and chai, and visited bookshops, the post office and tried to find an internet cafe with a working connection, but in that area the power was off. As I have mentioned before, the electricity supply has to be rationed, so often you go somewhere only to find that the power is off. But how can an internet cafe have a business whereby there is no power between 3pm and 11pm? In my hotel, the power has just come on after being off since at least when I came back 4 hours ago. It makes you appreciate it more when it comes on.

On the way to the post office, there is a long wall where people sell sundry goods like sunglasses, cottonbuds and exercise books - very local. There were also quite a few disabled people there, some selling, some begging. One guy had only one leg and he had two stumps instead of hands, and yet he was drawing concise patterns very clearly with the pen clasped between the stumps. 

Generally tourists are advised not to give to beggars as it creates a dependency on hand-outs and they will never do anything else, and there are charities who help them. So, to be honest it doesn't normally bother me to ignore them. But there were quite a few kids there today. Particularly one girl of about 7 who didnt seem to be able to stand but she shuffled across the pavement when she saw me and tapped my shins with the stump of her right arm and said something - I kept walking. It is a pretty easy cop-out for tourists to say you have to cruel to be kind.

I had the same dinner at the same Newari restaurant as last night, the guys who work there let me watch the Champions League game from last night and filled my water bottle up for me. One of them asked me, sincerely, if the American Wrestling, which was on before the footy, is real.


Friday 8th April

Up early and walked around to the bus stand for the bus to Dhulikel, 1.5 hours away. As often seems to happen, I was first on the bus, then within a few minutes it is jam-packed and off we go. I sat right at the front, not the safest but easier to put down and supervise my bag and try not to annoy anyone with its bulk. We cruised out of town, low flying planes landing.

Passed through grubby Banepa and arrived at the bus stand in Dhulikel. Annoying guy trying to usher me to any number of hotels, presumably for a commission. I told him to buzz off but he followed me anyway. The Nawaranga Guest House is cosy and has a solar-heated hot shower.

I went out for chow mein for early lunch then came back and sat on the rooftop terrace updating my blog from the Annapurna Circuit. Went for a walk to the old town and it was excellent. It was like going back in time, Newari medieval buildings, locals sitting outside their houses chatting, kids playing (not begging from the tourist), old men sat in the square playing cards, ducks following eachother around, a family sorting through a pile of straw. This is much better than the other Newari medieval towns I have visited, and they were friendly to me too. Will defintiely have another look around tomorrow.

It got me thinking about whether it made any difference to these people's lives whether their country was still run by the old monarchy, or the present Communist govt. I guess life has been the same here for centuries, no matter what. There is still some terrorism in parts of Nepal. Are the terrorists lives really so bad that they have to kill other people in order to try and force what they want, although of course, that's what the Maoists, who now have power, did. But the Communist govt was actually voted in through democratic elections in the end. Most people in Nepal work hard and just want to get on with their lives and supprting their families. It seems other people just want to cause trouble. Strangely, after thinking about this this afternoon, I read a very similar viewpoint in a local newspaper.

I also reminded myself how lucky I am not to be working, when most people around me are, often long hours, everyday. This should help me to be patient when shopkeepers or bus drivers or passersby don't understand my questions or requests.


Saturday 9th April

What a great day. After wheat porridge for breakfast, at 8:30am, I headed out of town, toward Mamobuddha. I left the main road and walked up the steps to Kali temple which is pretty much an empty brick shell, but a few army guys were there, machine gun behind sandbags, pointing down the hill. Carried on along the sandy path, pretty flat and along the ridge. Great views, not obscured by trees, like the walk to Ramkot was.

Passed through Kavre where men were gathered round playing a traditonal board game, the ladies holdling babies and chatting. Through the other side of the forest and along another ridge I stopped at a tea/supplies shop. Inside were 3 lovely young ladies and the mother of at least one of them; she was a bit nuts but funny. She started kind of dancing in her seat, so I put my mp3 player on, Buddy Holly, and she moved a bit more. So i changed it to FatBoy Slim and she stood up and danced around a bit. Her daughter(s) were a bit embarrassed but it was all good fun. I had spicy potatoes and milk tea. There was a sting in the tail when they clearly charged me more than they would have charged a local.

Past more small villages and tethered cows and goats to Phulbari and then I could see the monastery on the next hillside. A few coaches came past and when I got to Namobuddha there were many pilgrims there. Some were sitting in groups singing while others queued to offer biscuits and nuts and water at the stupa.

I walked around the site and then up the steep hill to Trango Gompa where a past Buddha is said to have offered himself as lunch to a starving tiger and cubs. This gesture transported him to 'a higher level of existence' and the story is portrayed in a diorama. Just a bit further up is a great view of the temples with thousands of Tibetan prayer flags.

I walked back down the other side of the hill and to Sankhu. I watched a guy working two cows as a plough with his wife scattering the seeds behind him, they let me take their picture, as did another group of older locals and a kid. As I approached Batase, along the sandy road with green fields on each side, it made me think of the Yellow Brick Road. And there was Hindi music coming from the village, it was like being in a Nepalese Tourist Promotion video, in a good way. I found that the music was coming from a makeshift tent and inside was a Hindu priest (guru) preaching and playing music to a couple of hundred worshippers. I didn't hang around as I was quite conspicuous, but the locals were friendly and all smiles and helpful with directions.

The last part of the walk, back on the main road, seemed to go on for a long time and it started raining but I was back in Dhulikhel by 2:30pm. The scenery and the countryside and the people and the villages were fantastic on the walk and really made me appreciate Nepal even more. Every tourist goes to the mountains but they don't all get to see rural life like I did today.

I had another look around the old town in the afternoon, but what a difference a day and the rain make. The square didn't look so good, there were motorbikes parked there and the guys were playing cards in the shelter. Oh well.

And in the evening I went for dinner and after, in the dark, decided to go back to the hotel via the old town again. As I came back out the other side I could hear some music coming from a large-shed-size brick building, that had only iron bars on the side facing the street and inside was a group of 6 guys singing and playing Hindi/Hare Krishna songs with traditional instruments including a small piano-accordian, bongo drums and small cymbals. This must be what they get up to when the electricty is off (their microphone and speakers must have been powered by battery or generator). Inside the room there were several pictures of Hindi deities on the back wall. As they played I sat on the wall outside, near some ladies and then took a photo from a distance. I approached the iron bars and asked one of the guys if I could take a closer photo (from outside), and he said 'you are welcome, come inside'. So I took off my sandals and my beanie and went and sat cross-legged in among the guys, and it was awsesome, watching them sing and play. A couple of the older guys in the corner were dozing off and the tambourine player had his eyes closed. I was only sorry that I couldn't stay longer as the hostel owner insisted I was back by 8:30pm. But I had stumbled across something authentic and really hung out with the locals.

Annapurna Circuit Day 7 to Day 16

Annapurna Circuit, sorry it's a bit long!

Thursday 17th March Day 7 Acclimitisation Day in Manang at 3540m asl.

Today was acclimitisation day. Since this is around the height that most people would start to feel any effects of altitude sickness, everybody stops here for two nights to adjust to the altitude. You are also advised to take a short upward trek around the town and then sleep back down at Manang.

So the french guys, their guide, and I, headed across the river and upto the Gangapurna glacier and the frozen lake. It was a steep climb along the ridge and only a small part of the path, the part on the edge, was mostly clear of snow. This proved to be the most tricky bit of trekking I had done so far, trying not to slip on the icy snow, and coming down was even more difficult. I slipped a couple of times, but then so did the guide. The experience did make me a bit nervous about descending the other side of the pass in a couple of days, as we heard that it is still icy, and that it could take many hours to get down, if at all. But this is the challenge of how I react when it becomes difficult and maybe scary

After lunch I took myself to the other side of the valley and an easier walk up to a Buddhist gompa. I sat there and read my book and found a tibetan prayer flag on the ground so kept it as a souvenir.

In the afternoon, most of the trekkers staying in Manang, 60 people?, gathered for an informal lecture on the warning signs and dangers of altitude sickness, AMS. It was presented by an Aussie doctor who suffered from it herself on Mount Kilimanjaro.

At dinner, chatted to Swiss girl whose Grandmother left Tibet in 1955. She is hoping to visit Tibet too. Enjoying reading 'Between the Assassinations', a collection of short stories about India that I can relate to after my time there.


Friday 18th March Day 8 Manang to Letdar (4200m asl)

8am start. A very slow walk to Gunseng, 3900m. I was happy dawdling, slowly slowly and no problems. No need to push any harder, its not a race. We stopped at Letdar, 4200m above sea level, the equal highest altitude I have been at, the peak ofMount Cameroon, last year, is 4200m. Clearly less oxygen up here!

At lunch Nema started complaining about his boss and that he doesn't get paid enough, not really appropriate but I guess he is thinking about his tip? But moaning at this point is not going to entice me to give him a higher tip at the end.

Saturday 19th March Day 9 Letdar to High Camp (4850m asl)

This was, obviously, the hardest day so far. It was flat for a while and then we crossed the river and there was a short steep descent that I scrambled, rather than walked, down. It knocked my confidence for a while and I had to rest to get my breath back, I felt a bit queasy but was ok as long as I went slowly up the side of the mountain; it was quite windy too. The last and steepest section was quite icy and I felt that my porter could have been more helpful in showing me the easiest route rather than pretty much going ahead without me. He was watching me for the last 100 metres of steep ascent.

At High Camp there is just one lodge, about 25 of us staying there. The porters and guides ask if you are ok. I still felt a little strange and spaced out and it was all a bit surreal with huge mountains right outside the window but I felt that I just needed time to adjust. The porters say that if you are suffering from altitude sickness you should go back down. But I couldn't have faced the steep icy descent and the prospect of even walking back the same way we had come for 8 days. I remembered that the Aussie doctor had said it can feel a bit like a hangover. So i sat tight and after an hour I felt better. You could see that some of the other trekkers were struggling too. Starting to feel a bit nervous about the walk upto the pass, and the icy descent, tomorrow. But its just one day to get through.

We played chess and had lunch and gathered around the heater. I heard that some of the other trekkers, at their guide/porters suggestion, are starting out for the pass in the dark in the morning, mainly to avoid the mid-morning wind. So I asked my porter what our plan was, and he said likewise. I didn't argue but I did point out that he could see I wasn't the world's most  confident trekker and that it would be more precarious in the dark. But I still respect his advice, so an early start it is.


Sunday 20th March Day 10 High Camp to Muktinath (3800m asl), over Thorung La Pass (5416m asl)

I didn't sleep much last night, mostly nervous anticpation about today. Up at 4:15am and after breakfast, we left, just the porter and I, before 5am, before most other trekkers, in the pitch black. We walked up along a ridge and it was snowing and we just had our headtorches to light the way, That was a very memorable and exciting time, the snowflakes passing through the torch's beam, in front of my face. We were trudging in about two feet of snow for much of the time. Putting myself in that position, 5000 metres above sea level, on the side of a mountain, with a bit of sheer drop, in the dark. I really enjoyed it and it was a fantastic experience. Again, I had to go 'slowly slowly' to keep away the nausea.

We walked up, with rest breaks, for about 1.5 hours and slowly it got light. We crossed over an icy footbridge and I looked back to where we had come from in the dark and felt amazed at where I was and what I had done. As time went on we met other trekkers but I fell behind a little and then couldn't see my porter or anyone else for a few minutes. Then my porter appeared in the distance and then I came round the corner and saw the prayer flags which I knew marked the Pass, the highest point. A sense of relief and achievement. I arrived at 8:15am feeling mostly ok. I went into the tea shop and joined the others in cups of ginger tea, and some celebratory wine. I had not really felt cold while walking but, like all the trekkers, was shaking with cold once I stopped and sat down. We drank the tea quickly, took some photos and started our descent down the other side, without having the chance to think too much about what we had achieved.

The descent, which I had been apprehensive about, was relatively straight-forward. It was a quite icy and there was some snow, but it wasn't as steep as I imagined and the there were no sheer cliffs so even if you slipped you couldn't fall far. My porter decided that we should run down the grassy bits. We arrived at Charabu (4230m asl) and I had lunch and Seabuck Thorn juice with the Swiss and American guys. We then walked on down to Muktinath, arriving at 1pm after 8 hours of walking.


The scenery on the path to Muktinath is spectacular and the desert hills look like the Middle East. We sat on the hotel veranda and chatted. A Czech girl said she had been blown over 3 times when she crossed the path, so that further justified our early start. But I'm not sure I want to go to 5416m again.


Monday 21st March Day 11 Muktinath to Marpha (2670m asl)

Muktinath felt like returning to (relative) civilisation, and after yesterdays efforts, I felt like a day off. But we left at 7am with the Israeli guy and his guide. After a couple of hours, we left them and headed for Jomsom. The scenery was very different from before, desert-like, pebbles, sand, rockscapes and far-off snowy peaks. Things were more relaxed and I was happy for Nema to wander off ahead. I had the landscape to myself. With my widescreen camera, it was like the opening scene of a spaghetti western.

At Jomsom I met Irish Ciaron, who I had hung out with in Rajasthan and seen briefly in Calcutta. I knew he was doing the trek around the same time, but I didn't expect to see him coming in the opposite direction. Very, very few, crazy, people attempt the circuit in the opposite direction. He told me more grim details about Japan.

We walked, or rather marched, 18kms today. Some people finish the trek here, especially since a rough road has been built instead of a path. I got the impression before that we would be walking along a normal road with heavy traffic but we just saw the odd bus and truck come by occasionally so I am more than happy to continue to the end. It was enjoyable walking today, in the warm, with no altitude to think about.

At Marpha, a small medieval town, the guest house owner pointed me towards a festival, a little way up the hill above the town. It was for Toren La, New Year festival. From above I couldn't see what was going on, although the view was great. As I headed down I could see that the older local guys were dressed in traditional clothes, Nepalese hats and orange sashes, and were shooting arrows from one rooftop, across the top of the narrow alleyway, to a target on the on the rooftop opposite, the main part of the festival celebrations. I was able to get quite close and the locals didn't mind me watching. Every now and then, the ladies would present the guys with a garland of flowers. And the guys passed plants to eachother. I felt it was a real bonus to see this and there were no other tourists there. In the early evening two Buddhists stood on rooftop and played the Buddhist horns. The houses here are cute, white-washed walls and red shutters. Irrigation channels direct water through the town. And, as in many towns, there are no police. Hopefully they don't need police as they live simpler lives than us.


Tuesday 22nd March Day 12 Marpha to Ghasa (2010m asl)

Left at 7am, with heavy legs and a couple of sore blisters, just from when we ran down the hill mountain the other day. Walking in the valley, its a dry river bed, or the ocean - where Nepal is now, used to be open seas until the Indo-Australian plate collided with the Eurasian continent 60 milllion years ago; that's how and when the Himalayas were formed.

Pretty tired today, we stopped for lunch at 11:15 at Kalopani, 2535m, 17kms to here. After, Nema went ahead and I had the valley to myself, singing Bizarre Love Triangle out loud to myself, enjoying the wilderness and the fresh air. More animals down here, cows and horses. There are more villages on this side of the pass, whereas it was mostly just lodges before that. Cute little kid climbed onto her Dad's dirt bike, then she and Mum and Dad went off up the road, no helmets, kid squeezed in the middle.

Lots of pebbles and sand, like a beach and we had to use stepping stones to cross some babbling brooks. Sad to see the school kids necking Red Bull on their way to school, not really a healthy breakfast and no good for their teeth in a country where dental care is not so good. Red Bull is a western influence they can do without. I wonder whether Bryan Adams has thought about this since his concert(s) in Kathmandu are sponsored by Red Bull. Does he need to be sponsored by, and therefore effectively promote, such a harmful product? Doesn't he have enough money? Anyway, the kids chucked the empty can on the floor and the adults said nothing. And here we are, as visitors, doing all we can to leave no 'footprint'.

By 2pm we arrived at Ghasa, I think we took a bit of a shortcut but thats ok cos my feet need a rest. Grey and thundery but no rain. I have been hankering after my afternoon chai, chaat and samosa, looking forward to that when I get back to Kathmandu.


Wednesday 23rd March Day 13 Ghasa to Tatopani (1200m asl)

7:15am start. Blisters a bit stiff and sore but ok once I get into a rhythmn, and put more weight on my trekking poles. Very sunny, good scenery and not so many breaks today. Arrived at Tatopani at 10:45. There are concrete hot springs here which is quite welcome for weary trekkers. The springs is actually a concrete pool about the size of a lounge room and the warm spring water is just pumped in through a hosepipe so not very 'natural', but it was ok. I left when 12 American geologists arrived.

The geologists are staying in the same hotel as me and they filled the dining area, and had a meeting. It reminded me a bit of us on tour in Africa.


Thursday 24th March Day 14 Tatopani to Gorepani (2870m asl)

Very, very steep this morning, up rough-hewn steps cut into the rock, relentless steepness! So, we had lots of breaks, panting at the side of the track, while enjoying the scenery, the villages and terraces below. Lunch at Sikha, 1935m asl, with the geologist students and professors from University in Oregan, they were good company.

More steepness in the afternoon, just up and up. As we approached the top we passed through a forest and saw a few rhododendrons flowers. It may have been my tiredness but the the forest was a bit surreal and seemed like an enchanted mystical forest. It got cold and started raining just as we reached the lodge. Each room was named after a sportstar, I was in Yelena Dementiava's room ('Russian polevaulter', I had a feeling she was Aussie?) My blister was briefly the talk of the town as the geologists gathered to look at it. Its more like a hole than a blister, but it doesn't really matter, only a couple more days walking.


Friday 25th March Day 15 Gorepani to Birethanti (1025m asl)


Up at 4:45am, pretty cold. All the trekkers staying in Gorepani walk up to Poon Hill, 3250m asl, a half hour, uphill slog. And from there we waited for and watched the sunrise and the excellent view of the surrounding mountains, which glowed pink. Back down for breakfast and then started descending, at 7:45am through the magic forest, no snow down here. Lunch at Tikedhunga, 1540m asl. Lots of downhill, felt like a reward for all of yesterday's efforts. But felt a bit sorry for those coming up to Poon Hill, they loooked exhausted!

Arrived at Birethanti at 3pm. A bit over it by the end as the last two hours seemed to go on forever, but it was my choice to come this far today so we can finish the trek early tomorrow and get to Pokhara early. Sat with the a few of the geologists and we had some gin and whiskey to celebrate  (almost) the end of the trek.


Saturday 26th March Day 16 Birethanti to Naya Pul (1070m asl)

Up at 6:15am. After porridge, hobbled the last half hour to Naya Pul, which is the end of the Annapurna trek. I did it!

Annapurna Circuit Day 1 to Day 6

Annapurna Circuit

Friday 11 March Day 1 Kathmandu to Besi Sahar to Ngadi (890m asl)

My porter, Nema, picked me and my bag up from the hotel at 6:30am and we took a taxi to the bus station, we drank tea while waiting for the bus. The bus journey took about 7 hours, we stopped for daal baat along the way. Besi Sahar is a dirty dusty town, but it is also where the Annapurna Circuit starts. There is no big sign or anything, just a path off the side of the road. We started mid-afternoon. There are few other tourists about which is great; it is busiest in October and November.

Nema is a proper Sherpa. The name sherpa is used by us to mean someone who carries lots of stuff up and down mountains, but it is actually one of many ethnic groups in Nepal and Tibet, but he is the real deal, his Grandfather came from Tibet as a refugee many years ago. Nema, when he is not portering, lives with his young family in a remote village, 3000 metres above sea level. So i was expecting him to be some kind of Superman with my bag, but not really.

The path runs alongside the gushing Marsyangdi river and after a while you come to the first checkpoint where you have to show your National Park entry permit. There are many such points along the circuit which is good because they know roughly where you are if something bad happens. Around 6pm we came to our first stop, Waterfall Guest House at Ngadi, very comfortable and much nicer than I had expected. Slept to the sound of the river rushing by.


Saturday 12 March Day 2 Ngadi to Chamje (1385m asl)

Porridge then a 7:30 start, a bit chilly this morning. Blue skies and mountains in the distance. I was full of beans and wanted to go faster but Nema keeps saying 'slowly, slowly'. Lunch at Jagat. Passed a few small villages and donkeys carrying heavy loads. Stopped at Chamje at 3pm and Nema slept. The porters and guides eat after and seperately from us, which I guess is a cultural or a respect-for-the-customer thing. Seems a shame really.


Sunday 13 March Day 3 Chamje to Dharapani (1900m asl)

Tibetan Tsampa porridge for breakfast, hot and filling. Cold walking at first but you soon get warm and start peeling off layers and soon walk in t-shirt and shorts. Very sunny, and lots of uphill today, tired legs. Daal bhaat at 11am seemed a bit early for such a big lunch but thats what the sherpas do and they know best. Stopped at a coffee shop (shack) and it was nearly as expensive as a room so won't be doing that again. They don't/can't recycle mineral water bottles in Nepal but the NZ govt. has setup drinking stations where you can buy treated water, which is great. A few wobbly suspension bridges to cross today, more wobbly in the wind.

We stopped at 2:30pm. Why so early? I would have liked to keep going, but Nema has done this trek 20 times so he knows best. I suggested to him that we share a room, and I would pay but he says that he snores. But again I think this is an etiquette issue and from his point of view, it would be wrong. Oh well.

I started reading Seven Years in Tibet, which was appropriate being in the mountains. Heinrich describes how to make Tsampa. He also talks about suffering from sciatica and how much it hurts and that he thought it was an old mans disease. These were my exact feelings when I had sciatica in Bolivia.

One of the rules of the trek is that you must eat all your meals in the lodge where you are sleeping, or pay much more for your bed. I don't mind but it means you can't spread your money around the different establishments. The menus are the same everywhere so it doesn't matter from that point of view. The lodges are all clean and the staff friendly.

We have met a few people coming back down the hill because of altitude sickness, they looked pretty grumpy, as you would expect. Nema has done this 20 times and never had a trekker with him who did not make it over the pass - no pressure on me then!. But I am determined to make it.


Monday 14 March Day 4 Dharapani to Chame (2710m asl)

7:45 start. We are now into a daily routine. I get up and pack most of my stuff, then have breakfast and finish packing and Nema puts some of his stuff in my bag while I pay. I have my small day pack and Nema has my 12kg? big backpack. We walk for a short time in fleece and beanie then have a break to strip off and eat granola bars.

Today I felt like we were really trekking whereas until now we were just walking. Along steep narrow ridges, often pausing for a rest and enjoying the mountain views, including Annapurna II. We finished for the day at 2:15pm. Although it was hard work, I feel good and really healthy. Chame is a large village with a bank and internet access; no thanks, no internet for me, I want to forget about the rest of the world for a couple of weeks, but the Belgian guy did mention that there had been a tsunami in Japan.

The terrain today was alpine, big green pine trees and some snow at the side of the path. Walking along with a couple of french guys and their porter and guide. Good for Nema to have other Nepalese to chat to as his English is not good enough for us to really chat as we go. My feet feel ok but they smell of vinegar. I had a cat nap but then couldnt sleep well at night, so I must make myself stay awake when we finish each day.


Tuesday 15 March Day 5 Chame to Lower Pisang (3250m asl)

Gloves on this morning, my scuba diving gloves. Walking, its warm in the sun and chilly out of it. It's too fiddly to keep putting clothes on and taking them off so I just put up with the cold, being too warm is more uncomfortable, and you warm up eventually. The scenery was fantastic today, walking through the forest, and the melting snow and the moutains up ahead. We stopped at one point and looked across this green valley with the white mountains and it was beautiful, and I discovered the glory of widescreen photography. I will always remember that scene. I stopped by myself, not a person in sight and looked around 360 degreees and it was awesome, in the wilderness. Its also fun walking alongside the sherpas who live there, and their donkeys, probably carrying my next breakfast, lunch and dinner up the track.

Hanging out with the french boys again. Nema keeps saying 'something tea' which I think means 'do you want tea', but I have told him tea is overpriced and doesn't always agree with my stomach and I am not drinking it. I think he gets pressure from the lodge owners to get me to spend as much as possible. Well, they have got the wrong guy!

I do need to eat more, especially in the morning, before lunch at noon. But apart from that I have had no problems. Slowly slowly.


Wednesday 16 March Day 6 Lowe Pisang to Manang (3540m asl)

Some of the path was icy today, good to have my trekking poles. The mountain scenery is amazing and you could just take photos all the time, but I mostly just take it all in without click-clicking too much. We arrived at Manang at 1:30pm. It is a larger village with internet and places to watch movies. Had my first hot shower of the trek, very welcome. I sat on the lodge rooftop, my hair drying in the sun and breeze(!), admiring the snow-capped mountains that look close enough to touch, and enjoying 'Seven Years in Tibet'. He talks about some of the Tibetan antiques and documents being smuggled out and taken to India by refugees; I saw some of these things in the museum in Darjeeling.