Return to Pokhara, and safari in Chitwan National Park

Well Tom gave you all the gory details of our trekking expedition - it was fabulous, and although hard going sometimes I would recommend it highly.  After we emerged from the foothills we returned to Pokhara by local bus for some (we thought) well-earned R&R.  Friday night saw dinner at Moondance (if you ever visit Pokhara you must go here and order the chicken and chips in a basket - absolutely gorgeous! - and also visit Caffe Concerto, our vote for top restaurant in town, beautiful pizzas and fresh ravioli, and the house wine was pretty good too).  Saturday we were very lazy and so on Sunday we thought we'd take a wander round Pokhara proper.  We went through the main shopping bazaar and out to the eastern suburbs, encountering huge numbers of businesses and touts as in Kathmandu, but also similar scenes of rubbish dumped everywhere, including by the roadside and in the river.  I have to admit I was glad to retreat to the comfort and relative peacefulness of Lakeside our tourist area. 

On Monday we took a picnic and headed back out onto the lake, this time in a large pedalo.  Huge amounts of peddling later we satisfied Tom's curiosity about whether the line on the horizon was in fact the other side of the lake - it was!  We settled into a gentle drift on the way back,  reading and watching some unfortunate paragliders hitting the lake instead of the adjacent landing strip.  We were sad to say goodbye to Pokhara on Tuesday morning, in agreement that it was a wonderful place to have spent some time, and having enjoyed the company of other tourists as well as locals and especially Bishnu and his staff at Sacred Valley Inn.  But, we headed off for our 2 night package at Machan Wildlife Resort in Chitwan National Park full of anticipation.  It wasn't all plain sailing as it transpired the bus company had sold too many tickets for our tourist bus, so we waited a long time until another vechicle was found and we were all split between the two.  To make up for having to run both the chaps decided to run them as local buses instead to earn a bit more cash.  This meant a slower journey as the bus boy continually hopped on and off trying to persuade people to get on.  It was also much more cramped, since lots of people took him up on the offer.  The compensation was that we never went particularly fast so the driving was fairly safe and we were able to read and nap along the way. 

We were dumped out five and a half hours later at Thadi Bazaar but didn't find  transfer jeep waiting as promised.  A confusing exchange with a local travel agent revealed a lady who knew Tom should be Tom and ushered us to a taxi - problem solved.  After a while we transferred to jeep for a short ride across the low river and into the park itself.  On arrival at Machan we were greeted by Mr Luke, the manager.  He runs a tight and impressive ship and welcomes all his guests with hot towels, lemon squash and a briefing about life at Machan.  Allocated Kingfisher 2 as our hut we headed off to settle in.  The semi-detached lodges were arranged around the central dining hall, lovely gardens and even a wee pool.  There was no electricity supply, apart from a generator running for a couple of hours a day, so at night each hut was supplied with two kerosene lanterns - one for bedroom, one for bathroom, but to be left outside when going to bed in case of death by fumigation - but the real treat was the hot water bottle that came with the turn down service - luxury!  

On arrival day we were served a huge lunch (they specialised in smushy puddings eg bananas & custard, rice pudding - yum) and then headed off for a leisurely afternoon activity of elephant-back safari.  As luck would have it the small number of guests meant that we had our own elephant (and a driver of course...).  The elephant drivers have all trained for years with their animals and direct them using a mixture of spoken commands and tickling behind the animals' ears with their bare feet.  It's amazing how sure-footed and placid the elephant was as it ambled along with all of us on top - not even running off when the driver abandoned us for a comfort break!  During our few hours aboard we saw lots of deer (some surprisingly small species as well as larger), monkeys and peacocks, but even just the experience of riding on the elephant was fantastic.  That night, before dinner, one of the guides gave a slideshow briefing about Chitwan and its wildlife - an impressive list of facts, figures and gestation periods, and some even more impressive 1980s slides!  Big baskets of popcorn appeared and we were all seated next to a big camp fire, so all-in-all pretty good pre-dinner entertainment.  Over dinner we chatted to Chris and Carrie Turnbull from the USA, who we later met up with again back in Kathmandu for a wonderful lunch and wander in the Garden of Dreams.  

Our second day of safari was scheduled to start early (6am wake-up call - lovely...) with a canoe and jeep safari, but overnight the most amazing rainstorm broke.  Thunder and lightning like I haven't experienced since I was in France in a tent aged 4 (although according to family folklore then I managed to sleep through everything - this time not so lucky...).  The morning's activities were delayed (not the wake-up call though, worse luck) while poor Mr Luke glared at the clouds and willed them to move.  Eventually they at least stopped dripping and we headed to the river where we hopped aboard a dug-out canoe made from a kapak tree for a very peaceful half hour journey downstream in a very shallow river.  We saw pelicans and an ibis but sadly missed the tiny crocodile which was spotted by someone in the other boat.  By the time we reached the jeep the rain had resumed, but on our damp drive back through the dense forest we saw fabulous peacocks and a group of bison (the guides told us that it is incredibly rare to see bison in the Park - we suspect they were just trying to make us feel better since no rhinos or tigers were forthcoming!).

Late morning featured an elephant briefing from the statistical guide of slideshow fame.  The elephants only sleep for a few hours every day and live outdoors next to their 'stables' where they eat pretty much constantly.  We learned that Asian elephants have ears shaped like India, with droopy bits at the top shaped like Nepal, that droop forward.  (African elephants' ears droop backward apparently.)  Fact 2: if you want to know how tall an elephant is from its footprint, measure the circumference and multiply by two (the poor chaps demonstrating this got totally soaked as the rain was still pouring).  At the end of his talk the guide asked if anyone wanted to get up onto the elephant driver-style (by holding onto the ears, placing one foot on the trunk and letting the animal life you up to its head so you can scramble onto its neck).  Carrie, who is a vet and had been looking forward to this all day, was first up and declared it well worth the getting wet - reassuring but unnecessary encouragement for Tom who had also been looking forward to some elephant contact time.  He even managed a few commands to the elephant and everyone was very impressed (see video clip). 

After lunch we opted for a wildlife walk in the jungle with guide Vishnu who explained the medicinal value of lots of the local plants.  He knew the forest well, but wasn't a strapping lad by any means so I was quite relieved that we didn't bump into a tiger that afternoon!  After the enjoyable but sodden ramble we retreated to find dry clothes and then enjoyed a comforting feast of dahl bhat for dinner.  Our safari experience ended early the next day when we left to catch a bus back to Kathmandu.  It was fun, although a tad disappointing that we didn't see more animals, but nonetheless we're glad we went, and the scenery was fantastic - the flatlands are impressively flat when you've come straight from getting up close and personal with the Annapurnas!

Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp - Tom's maiden post from Nepal

Dearest blog followers, friends, family and people we've met on the way, we have just come back from the longest walk of our lives and I think it only fair to express my account of recent events.

I'm pleased to say we had a great time.  When you face a climb of 3,000 meters, 30-40,000 steps over a 40km as a crow flies climb with 10kgs on your back, no porters, guides, with only limited knowledge of the language and even country it is fair to  say you are entering into something perilous and may doubt whether it could possibly be fun!  Catherine and I felt very uncertain when we left but retained a sense of optimism about our journey which kind of stayed for the duration.

As always, it is in my nature to look at a map and go, 'ah, it'll be fine!' but I was truly astounded with the difficult journey ahead of us after the first day as well as being quite inspired.  We left Pokhara on Saturday the 5th of February leaving early from the Sacred Valley Inn Guest House after taking extensive advice from Bishnu our friend and host of the guest house.  we left with 'Sam the taxi driver' who was the evivalent of a cockney wide boy of Nepal wearing addidas trousers and talking a lot; I gleaned a hell of a lot of Nepali which I wrote down and endeavoured to learn (it's a little limiting just saying Hello and Goodbye as that's all they hear from tourists and especially when you have some Nepali it will surely help you on such a walk).  He took us to his house on the way and dropped us off in the right place at Nayapul to set off on our trek; while many Chinese prepared for their journey with a plethra of guides and porters Cath and I departed with a back pack each consisting of bare essentials with pretty much no idea of where we were going.  Things ran through our minds of things we'd forgotten; Catherine forgot her walking stick and proceeded to fret about it, I was doing sums in my head thinking 'damn, I don't think we've brought enough money!!'  Luckily a trekker walking back to Nayapul gave us a wooden stick each and we resolved that the only way we'd get by on money was if we only spent 2,500 rupees a day (25 Euros), this all seemed pretty tenable but we both had our doubts.  After going along some fairly decent track through villages we hit our first batch of steps; we were soon to find out we were to develop a mid to long term relationship with these relentless stone objects that either went up continually or down.  We had to stop every 10-15 minutes on the first day to catch our breath and had several sweet drinks stops at Cafes on the way; our first day consisted of going up steps for 3-4 hours to Ghandruk.  This gave us a taste of what was to come; hard physical acivity.  The thing that always kept you going was the view around every corner; beautiful mountains and miles of terraced terrain with happy people enjoying the sun.  It certainly made us wonder at the surroundings about us and appreciate the tough but cheerful life of the hill people of Nepal, something we were ready to sacrifice a few more days/hours of walking up mountains to see.  Ghandruk, a town placed at top of a big hill looking out on the Annapurnas and Machupuccure provided great views and a wonderful place to stop for our first night.

 

Chommrong was the next stop.  We were welcomed into the second day to our first experience of steps going down and what seemed a never ending town of Ghandruk (pretty disconcerting as we were finding it difficult to plan and access travelling times to each place), however this theme of extensive towns over entire valleys did continue throwing us on our walk.  As is the way of a second day; you start optimistic still full of energy.  It's fair to say after 2 big ups and downs and steps constantly for 6 hours this feeling does decline some!  We did see new sights through; Donkey trains carrying goods, other walkers generally moaning more than us and many people coming back from Annapurna base camp with smiles on their faces.  When you look at a map which has a scale on it after doing so many ups and downs and see the journey ahead you can feel somewhat dismayed on the second day though; it was going to be bloody tough the days to come and we needed good spirits in order to do it; something catherine and I had been doing well on day two by taking turns at the front and cheering each other along.

Day three welcoming a new sense of enthusiasm from both of us.  We were uncertain of where we were to end up, we woke up broken; legs tired, bodies knackered and cold with very few luxuries because of our tight budget.  It was always certain of happening, this difficult stage of the journey when wills were low but how to overcome it?  My answer was to get further; the  last few days we'd stopped at 3:30, we needed to make a better distance so I decided to push.  We went quickly and soon found ourselves out of the endless steps into lush forest (rain forest like) on a path that hung to a 65 degree hill overlooking a river valley; we had broken onto the path that was to take us to the top- this also meant very much less up and down.  We lunched at Bamboo and the progress pushed our hearts and selves to believe we could make it to Annapurna Base Camp.  Views, the path, animals like monkeys, donkeys, eagles all cheered our journey along that day.  The scenery was becoming spectacular and the air was getting cold like you only feel at the top of a mountain whilst skiing.  Snow was appearing and the mountain peaks were coming right up in front of your eyes; we were really getting high up.  After passing Dovan, a potential stopping spot, we stopped at Himalaya; a one guest house town with many other trekkers.  This was our first meeting with Thakur, a guide of a Korean mother and daughter, and our first run in with many of the fellow trekkers we'd see over the next few days:
-  One massive group of chinese consisting of 3 girls and 3 boys with 4 or so porter/guides who swaggered around really taking no notice of others around them
-  Two Chinese girls - one who didn't speak at all, the other who enthusiastically and continually spoke about 'ABC' (in a speedy Korean accent) (Annapurna Base Camp), insisting on asking everyone whether her next destination was suitable for them and whether they could do it quicker than the other parties.  They went without any porters or guides.
-  A mixed group of girls from various countries; Scotland, Australia and England with a porter each who were being looked after very well and seemed to be really enjoying themselves.
-  The other of the two Korean girls with Thakur.
We were knackered, freezing cold and in no spirits to chat; my answer?  Small bottle of rum and some coca cola and some Dahl Bhat; local meal and some conversation.  This was the first place that was really basic; cold water only, squatter loo in a freezing shack and some people who ran the guest house that probably were only their temporarily; nothing grew there, donkey trains didn't make it that far and from this point onward everything supplied was to be man carried up the mountain, Catherine was not in her element.  Our man Thakur I really warmed to, he was generous and giving, talked to us about his family and gave us unending advice; at the end of the evening he even brought an extra blanket to our room.  He was someone else's guide but wanted to look out for us as well, he is a genuinely good man.

Day 4 was Catherine's mega push; she got up focused on one particular thing 'I want to get to the top of this mountain; no more ups for me, tomorrow I am coming out of this cold to somewhere more hospitable!'.  We were within shooting distance of ABC and could easily stay there that night.  We launched from Himalaya (2920 meters high) with the intention of getting to ABC (4310 meters high)- this was going to be the biggest climb.  Cath was getting really very good at the ups now and pretty much held the front for the whole day.  I was starting to get very short of breath but pushed on with semi exhaustion and slight altitude sickness setting in (very slow walking, shortness of breath, slight headache).  We stopped at Machapuchre Base Camp (MBC) for lunch, I was talking about wanting to stay, Cath saying, 'lets finish this off', Thakur, who saw us after lunch saying 'stay', I felt better so we pushed it on to ABC on our 4th day!  We arrived just before 6pm with a plethra of faces looking out from the only two guest houses open (it is low season) with a known porter to us saying; 'there are no rooms, you will need to stay with the porters in the dining room'- it didn't matter, we were there.  We sat in the corner of the dining room, got a drink and watched others eating their food whilst huddling under a blanket- we were knackered and our hearts didn't stop beating fast for pretty much the whole night.  We ate food and the kind host arranged for us a double bed in the corner of the room (compiling of 4 benches and a thin mattress) whilst the other 8 porters and guides positioned themselves around on the dinning room table and other benches.  We had a really cold and difficult night's sleep before we were awoken by porters getting their clients up for the sun rise; unfortunately it was pretty cloudy which meant there were many semi sad tourist faces surrounding us as we conducted our early morning business.

We got out of there quickly the next day; every 10 meters down the air got thicker and hearts and breathing slowed, this was continually relieving for us.  Cath again had a notion of getting off the mountain quickly; back to the warmth of Pokhara and civilisation, I didn't know how we would fair but thought the aim admirable and worth achieving.  At 3pm that day after 6 and half hours of walking we both realised we were not well; Catherine developed a stomach problem and I was not on form; we stopped at Bamboo, ate and slept.

The next day (day 6) we both felt better and slept in till late, commiting ourselves to a slow descent.  We walked slowly, took breaks and enjoyed the scenery we passed just two and three days before; it still presented itself as being spectacular and wondrous.  We had made some friends en route by now who we saw at Jhinu Danda, our stopping place for that night.  Jhinu Danda has the most amazing hot springs just 20 minutes down the hill.  We spent 2 hours bathing and resting our legs whilst hot water continually oozed out from rocks underneath a 6 x 4 meter pool of which we were the only occupants- we had found luxury indeed: Enough to heal up the wounds of dampened spirits as well as heal worn legs.  We had a great night that night as after dinner we went to visit our enthusiastic group of girls whose guides had offered them a 'disco'.  Arriving we saw dancing of the strangest variety, a constant drumbeat accompanying a Bollywood style of singing from 3 of the porters.  It was great, we danced on our sore legs, drank and were merry. 




Day 7 started slowly followed by an even slower delivery of breakfast and bill, we didn't leave till near 11am; our latest start (a slight bit of embarassment always ensued after these morning as people are usually up at 6:30, on the road by 7:30- and you see them passing by whilst eating breakfast!).  But it was one of those days you wanted to avoid; another big up hill climb of 900 meters was presenting itself out of the valley that day.  We set targets low thinking about stoppng at Tolka - 3hrs away, or possibly one of the other places en route.  We had now learnt to approach days with a distinct lack of drive at this stage, it was warmer and therefore the rush to leave had now officially ended.  My legs were hurting and getting started was hard so I pushed on at the front with the aim to get 'warmed up'.  We saw Langur monkeys, red coated sheep, goats and lush plantations as we passed across a rickity suspension bridge spanning about 50 meters across; like something you'd see in Indiana Jones.  It was a pleasure to enter such a green area after being in the bleak Himalaya mountains but as we followed the hill around we began another long ascent.  Again with my insatiable optimism I was getting keen to get further.  We lunched in Tolka on Mo Mos- filled dumplings- a local delicacy; we can confirm definitely after walking hard they taste pretty good....  We discussed our options and decided to push on even though Tolka presented itself large and very accommodating, we wanted to make an easier day on the way out.  The next few places presented themselves as hick-like settlements containing old ladies who chuckled a lot whilst you tried to speak their language, surpisingly enough the rooms presented in both Bedi Bharka and Pittam Duerali were like cement shacks with much more unappealing outbuldings, we decided not to stay.  The steps through these places nearly killed us though as we accepted the only place good for us would be Pothana; our comrades were staying there on good advice from their porters.  We arrived as the sun went down with a big sigh of relief breathed by both of us when we arrived; a long day.  Later ensued good food, quality company, a good game of spoons and an attempt at another disco (with a sound system this time!).

The large descent that laid our path on the final day was one that meant we started the 8th day with a smile and continued pretty much throughout.  Especially as you saw others start their trek and you realised you were on the way to good food, hot showers, a temperate climate and relaxation.  We did our bit for care for the community on the way out though; helped a spanish chap who didn't know any English get through a checkpoint (even though he had an Everest trekking permit) - with my limited Spanish, and gave some fellow brits (who didn't have a porter) some sound advice about where to go.  We had arranged to jump in the minibus with the girls we met but unfortunately started later than them and never caught up so with our 350 rupees left (around £3.50) we headed enthusiastically down and down.  We sidestepped the ever more frequent begging school children (who always tried to stop you in your tracks by holding hands to block the path) who continually asked for 'sweets, pens, rupees' and would follow you for many minutes, and headed on toward Phedi.  The sound of cars was unfamiliar as well as the hustle and bustle we'd removed ourselves from the for the last 8 days.  We landed in Phedi got a bus ticket for 50 rupees which left in five minutes and headed back to Pokhara- our oasis of civilisation.  The bus packed itself to double capacity en route and then dropped us at the bus station for a taxi ride back for 200 rupees.  We arrived back at the Sacred Valley Inn with 25 rupees in our pocket feeling a true sense of satisfaction; we'd cracked ABC together with slight scrapes and bruises but with great memories of sights, vistas and people.

Our last few days have mostly consisted of - eating A LOT of food!, resting, reading and relaxing in the now pretty familiar town of Pokhara, spending to our budget and just enjoying life.  After such a long journey one does deserve a rest.......

We have already planned our next journey as well- Safari in Chitwan national park- luxury in-park accommodation, Elephant rides, Rhinos, birds, tigers and much more!!!!!!
         
(Link to full photo album  for Pokhara and trekking is https://picasaweb.google.com/tomsbuffalo/PhotosFromNepalPokaraAndTrekking?authkey=Gv1sRgCM7A6ZfMiJOFPw&feat=directlink )

Brief time in Pokhara

Just a short note tonight because have left it a bit late and the chaps are trying to shut the internet cafe. Yesterday had lovely trip out on Pokhara's lake with Tom attempting the local paddling technique and soaking himself, but successfully getting us to the other side via a stop at the little island temple.  It was a hazy day though with not much view of the mountains.  Today, however, was the opposite - glorious sunshine and a clear view of the Annapurnas, breathtaking.  After sorted permits for tomorrow's trekking we made the climb up to the Peace Pagoda which is on the opposite side of the lake from where we are staying.  Fabulous views.  Photos to follow i'm afraid as short on time now for uploading, but it'll be worth the wait!  Did a bit of shopping this evening so now all set with thermals and coats for the big trek starting tomorrow.  Planning to be gone for 8 days to visit Annapurna Base Camp via Ghundruk and Chommlong (not sure re spelling, forgot to bring map to cafe...).  Will have to keep paper journal and give you highlights when we're back in Pokhara next weekend.

UPDATE: now returned from trekking and about to post Tom's epic write-up, but here are the promised pics of Pokhara (boating on the lake and the view across from the Peace Pagoda)...

Two days in Kathmandu, one on a bus...

Sunday was our first full day in Kathmandu.  We headed off to international church with Deborah and Jessica in the morning, and since that takes place in the buildings where Jessica goes to school we had a full tour afterwards, including the old school photos where we spotted Rebecca and Nathanael lurking in the rows.  It was interesting to meet a few people and see the range of jobs and nationalities represented amongst those at church, and the chiya tea served afterwards was a sweet alternative to the usual northern irish coffee!  In the afternoon we headed to the Thamel district which is packed full of tourists, and so many shops and stalls i can't tell you...genuinely mind-boggling how they all survive amidst the repetition of goods and patter.  The highlights were Deborah's favourite scarf shop - any and every pashmina and scarf, they have them all - and Jessica's beads place with a myriad of jewellery to choose from.  On the way back we stopped to see the Patan Durbar Square (durbar means palace - there are several durbar squares around the city, this is the one in the area where the McMillans live) where there was a ceremony going on to mark Martyrs Day.  The ancient temples are incredible, and we were able to see into the old palace too, which now has a small museum and a tea shop and proved a remarkably peaceful place to stop for a rest.  Back at home we enjoyed our first taste of dahl bhat for dinner which left us stuffed and ready for an early night.

Monday we had a rather excessive lie-in and emerged to brunch with Deborah who had been up for hours and already been out and about.  She took us to see the compound where Mahema is based, on the other side of the river from their flat.  It is a little oasis, with Sham's garden in bloom, and the outdoor boardroom a bit of a treat! 

It was quiet down there, except for the excitable Petit the dog who enjoyed a game of mutual wind-up with Tom!  Our next stop was a visit to Swayambhu temple, a Buddhist enclave high on a hill to the edge of the city, with a series of temples, a small museum, and fantastic views.  It is known to tourists as one of the city's two monkey temples, as there are hundreds of the little animals swinging around the place - and plenty of stray dogs too. 

We stopped for a drink at the widely-lauded Rooftop Cafe, which turned out to be mid-facelift.  Grandpa would not have approved of the welding technique being used by a chap perched on the steel frame of the new top floor (and neither would my health and safety friends back home - he had sunglasses, but nothing else - no gloves, no socks or shoes, just flip flops...). 

After making our way back down the steep stairs we climbed into a 'sport' taxi cab for the journey home with music blaring.  On the way the driver announced "jam boyo" (i.e. a traffic jam had built up) so he pulled an impressive U turn and shot off down the back streets with impressive disregard for oncoming vehicles.  He spent some time wending his way back round to get us to our destination, it grew dark, and there were many close shaves with vehicles, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians alike, along with the increasingly familiar array of everything-under-the-sun-stocked-in-this-street shops.  Randomly my memory of this journey centres on his music - Lady Gaga's Pokerface will forever have scary journey connotations (previously it had scary BBC newsreaders do Children in Need entertainment connotations, so no great loss...).  One spicy chicken dinner, and a card game with Jessica later, and time in Kathmandu was nearly over.

The day on the bus was a day on the bus.  I won't bore you with the details, but am proud to report that my record of being able to sleep anywhere anytime still stands, thanks to our new Nepali friend who demonstrated seat reclining, and the little pink pillow we brought with us.  I was rudely awoken on a couple of occasions when my entire body bounced out of the seat and into the air - the worst of the interminable juddering and jolting that lasted the whole 7 hours.  We did ok though, and on arrival in Pokhara found the friendly faces of Sacred Valley Inn staff ready to greet us - thanks to Auntie Debs for the booking - and even brought them some bonus custom in the shape of Ana and Neils, a Dutch couple we met on the way.