tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315393248376113542024-02-08T10:42:50.337-08:00NamasteEmma and Guy's travels in IndiaGuy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-36343829144949770702011-12-13T07:02:00.000-08:002011-12-13T09:44:38.700-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6178/6267575740_d1562c1760_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6178/6267575740_d1562c1760_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Puppets in Bhaktapur</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Kathmandu and Surrounding Valleys</span><br />
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</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">On our return to the busy streets of Kathmandu we coughed and spluttered with the pollution, weaved our way through crowds of people and for the first time truly appreciated to beauty and serenity of the Nepalise Himalayas. We had returned from the most amazing opportunity to live in the mountains for almost two months with not a road or factory in sight. Although we had enjoyed the simple life in the mountains we were so excited about some good food in the city. After dropping our bags at our trust little guest house in Freak Street, we strolled (well - Emma limped) to The Snowman - a quaint little coffee shop with a lovely owner and killer cakes! We gobbled our apple pies and then wondered around the touristy area of Thamel. We were lucky enough to be reunited along the way with all of our favourite trekking buddies (Germans from T<i>he Hill</i>, and Israelis from T<i>he Glacier</i>), and so we met up that evening to enjoy steak and a beer together. Good times - No more Dahl Bhat coming!</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Bhoudha - Kathmandu</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6052/6267027741_116f9abeed_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6052/6267027741_116f9abeed_b.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shanti Stupa - Boudha</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We spent the next few days in Bhoudha, just 4km from the hectic hub of Kathmandu. This Buddhist area of the city is far more tranquil. The guest houses are well hidden in the backstreets amongst many monasteries and in the centre of the region lies the ancient Stupa. The next few days were spent wandering clockwise around the Stupa, sorting out our return to India Visa and eating more lovely food including the biggest lunch ever of unlimited Momo's, chips and vegetables at Dawa's house.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Bhaktapur - Kathmandu</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6112/6267570120_fc5e37bc2d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6112/6267570120_fc5e37bc2d_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emma by the intricately carved walls of the temples of Bhaktapur</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We took a day trip to the stunning ancient town of Bhaktapur, in the East corner of the Kathmandu valley. We travelled there in great style - on the "Fun Bus" as Emma describes it. On the whole, we felt that Kathmandu is less hectic than any Indian city. However, one thing that is faster paced, even than India, is public transport. Getting on and off a bus or <i>tempo</i> is a gamble, instead of the British way of coming to a standstill at a stop in Nepal the bus or tempo cruises past with a man swinging from the open doors hollering the destination in Nepalise. If you think its your destination you jump on as the vehicle drives on. Aboard our Fun Bus we stood all the way, packaged in like sardines. This was no fun at all for Guy as he is far to tall for these Asian vehicles, his neck was bent and he avoided the metal splinter on the roof top for the next couple of hours! Although Guy was unimpressed, Emma had a great time swinging around corners with the bus blaring party music on big speakers roped to the roof!</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6224/6267042567_f6170614a0_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6224/6267042567_f6170614a0_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Durbar Square in Bhaktapur</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Bhaktapur was very beautiful - well worth a visit and also well worth avoiding the tourist entrance with a $15 fee. While the main square with oriental temples was quite impressive, we mostly enjoyed winding around the traditional streets and watching local life away from the tourist attractions and the Mantra Song! The town has a big pottery trade and local potters were continually organising clay pots out to dry in the sunshine, Emma was forced to by a clay incense Yak from one persuasive potter.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6160/6267568244_4d208152ef_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6160/6267568244_4d208152ef_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spinning on the Streets</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Fifteen days in India</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">A quick flight from Kathmandu to Delhi took us back to India. Luckily the humidity we had experienced before we left for Nepal had passed and as the city felt more comfortable the A/C bitch in Emma died. We only hung around for long enough to plan our onward journey to Rajasthan and we then embarked on an overnight train journey to Udaipur. Our first overnight journey in 2nd A/C we were amazed by the luxuries (compared to our usual 3rd sleeper trains) - bed linen, reading lights, power supplies and no cockroaches!</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Udaipur - Rajasthan</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6158/6267047733_85c2f08435_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6158/6267047733_85c2f08435_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Udaipur Sunset</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Known as the city of lakes and described as the most romantic city in India, Udaipur was very beautiful. Indeed the Bond film Octopussy was largely filmed there and the locals are justifiably proud. We lived amongst the rows of white-washed guest houses set around Lake Pichola. We gawped at the super sminky hotel in the middle of the lake costing hundreds of dollars to stay per night!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6239/6267572282_f2ee2b31bb_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6239/6267572282_f2ee2b31bb_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Striking skies over Udaipur</div><br />
The city was full of tourists - Indian families and people from all over the world enjoying what is almost undoubtedly the most architecturally beautiful city in India. We enjoyed our little guest house very much, the views were stunning and the resident tortoise made us very welcome.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6156/6267570500_34b7f29915_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6156/6267570500_34b7f29915_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Terrence</div></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Though we had been more cautious since returning to India, Emma got ill again and we spent a few days in our room, taking a trip out on a bumpy rickshaw to give a poo sample in a pepsi bottle! Once on the mend we booked onto a cooking class as we had loved the cuisine of India so much and in our last few days felt that we must learn some tips to take home. The class was inspiring, we went to a local family house and learnt how to make various curries, jeera rice, a sweet dish and chapatis. We experienced the joys of the pressure cooker and got told off for rolling square chapatis!</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6044/6267574218_798fdee7e8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6044/6267574218_798fdee7e8_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the few round chapatis!</div></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">After another day of sight seeing we made our plans to move on. Our initial idea to travel to the desert region of Jaisalmer in the far west was a little too optimistic as we were unable to book travel there and back in time for our impending flight home. So instead we packed our bags for Pushkar. </div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Pushkar - Rajasthan</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Pushkar is a holy Hindu city comprising of the most holy lake in India surrounded by 52 Bathing Ghats. The bus journey to Pushkar was very scenic and we got our first few glimpses of sandy desert terrain in India, however upon arrival we wished we had spend longer in Udaipur. Although the Ghats are a lovely place to be, the town itself was set away from the scenic views and seemed to be one big tourist bazaar. From these streets you could see nothing of the Ghats or surrounding hills and instead were faced with stalls of “Rajasthani mirror skirts!”- the bane of Guy's life. </div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6110/6267045271_06440ab47f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6110/6267045271_06440ab47f_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Birds on the Line</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We did however stumble upon a lovely little health food café and while we felt that in our last few days we should be gobbling as many amazing curries as possible, we couldn’t help but eat fresh veggie and bean dishes with mulberry and alma soda. It was hard to leave the café, but not hard to leave Pushkar and so after two nights we took a train to Jaipur – the capital of Rajasthan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6505164043_d8cfda2855_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6505164043_d8cfda2855_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The best sight in Pushkar - Perfect Royal Enfield</div></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Jaipur - Rajasthan</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We had reached our final destination in India before returning home. Feeling apprehensive that Jaipur was going to be another big city we went exploring inside the walls of the Pink City. Jaipur surprised us, aside from the hustle and bustle of the markets, it was a fairly relaxed city – in fact, we agreed that Rajhasthan was a more relaxing state than many others in India. </div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6031/6267053895_7cb1e77ee2_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6031/6267053895_7cb1e77ee2_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Palace of the Winds</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Guy's Mum suggested that the first attraction to see was the Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal). An aptly named place for Guy to be. A beautiful pink palace built to allow Women to observe the city, without being seen by men! After seeing the Palace of the Winds we went on our final guide book-guided tour and looked over the city from many view points into the evening.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6105/6267045789_2563aaca5a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6105/6267045789_2563aaca5a_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hawa Mahal<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6094/6267246145_ed805a5a19_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6094/6267246145_ed805a5a19_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Muke" Cow at Jaipur Fort</div></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
The Journey Home.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6043/6267054423_8d68340531_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6043/6267054423_8d68340531_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Inspirational Lotus Temple - New Delhi</div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">On the countdown to returning home, Emma was feeling quite sad and pointed out when events became “the last in India” - the last train journey, the last rickshaw ride, last masala dosa etc. We arrived back to the familiar Delhi in time for Emma to do her important Paraganj shopping day – where she became disappointed and bought very little. We did however visit the Lotus Temple of the Bahai Faith. It is an inspiring religion, welcoming of all religions to worship together. We ever so slightly lifted the room budget and stayed in a more swish hotel for our final evening and proceeded to eat as much lovely Indian food as we could manage. On our final morning we donned our loaded backpacks and took a final walk through the streets of India…trekking past street festivities, weaving between the crowds, traffic, two elephants and avoiding the hollers of rickshaw drivers. We arrived at the Metro and were escorted to the airport in style.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6100/6267575208_8f8f08feb6_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6100/6267575208_8f8f08feb6_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Elephants in Paraganj</div></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">After an enjoyable flight of good movies and the first glass of wine in 6 months, we landed back in Heathrow airport to be greeted by a very excited mummy Karan at arrivals. That evening we enjoyed British cuisine, drinking water from the taps, moaning about the cold and everything else British. The following day was rather odd - we felt quite alien in our own land. London felt too quiet – as if there had been an apocalyptic event. There was barely any traffic (human, animal or vehicle) and the roads felt uncomfortably smooth and fast. The sky was so far away from the land and the wind was ferocious. The multicolour merge of saris was replaced by the dullness of the British winter coat and the anorak. We paint a bleak picture, but really it wasn’t. We enjoyed seeing our family so much (Bridget had grown another 2/3 inches and now towers over Emma) and we had returned for the beginning of what turned out to be a glorious Autumn. We had missed the lush green rolling hills of England, the rich tones of the trees and the variety of colours in the changeable autumn skies. Slowly we readjusted to eating cereals for breakfast, hot showers, taking a trip to the shops without the need to barter, Weatherspoons with Mon Papa, Virgin train services and Saturday night TV on the sofa.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6218/6267578684_4486fab94a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6218/6267578684_4486fab94a_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Very Excited Mum at Heathrow</div></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">It is amazing to think that we have been home for over 2 months and have failed to complete the blog until now! Thinking back to our days in India trawling between hot and mossie-filled Internet cafes, battling with a dodgy connections and spending literally the whole day to complete one blog entry, it seems crazy that we now have two laptops between us, Internet connection 24/7 and didn’t get round to it until now. So the day before we stop living out of our bags and move back to Bristol these are our travelling memoirs…</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Travelling in India and Nepal for 6 months was an incredible experience. The diversity of landscape we discovered was breathtaking, along with the spirit of the people we met. We would both agree that the most inspiring thing about our travels was meeting with sincerely happy Indian citizens – happy to have family, proud of their family and proud of their country and culture. Of course, in the bigger cities we met people who were heavily influenced by the media and Western culture – and this did feel a little disturbing (especially the whitening “bleach” skin creams!). But we now feel inspired to see the beauty in our culture, and indeed, discover more about our land and history. Perhaps the grass isn’t always greener on the other side?</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We had a “smooth” travelling experience. Despite hearing unnerving travelling experiences first-hand and second-hand during our travels, we stayed safe and generally well (apart from Emma). We never experienced any of the tension or animosity that some fellow travellers described. In fact, the people we came across were so human and helpful that we almost felt protected. As Westerners in India, we were at times overwhelmed by the “positive racism” and almost celebrity status we felt in the streets. But the diverse conversations, photo requests and cucumber sandwiches (yes, we were offered a cucumber sandwich on a train!) that came our way really made the whole experience. Indeed, Emma’s last experience in India was being beckoned back into the searching cubicle at the airport so that the female guard could replace the broken hair clip in her hair with one of her very own clips! Emma went home with a lovely new plait and a tear in her eye.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We will always have the most vivid memories of crazy, beautiful India – from arriving into confusing Chennai with no plan and being greeted by new couchsurfing friends, swimming with beautiful people in the phosphoflourecent night time sea, biking through the mountains, having fun with the children we worked with to conquering Everest base camp! We will, we are sure, appreciate these memories forever. And so, without further ado, with a smile on our faces and a nostalgic tear in our eyes the blog is complete!...For now anyway. India, we will return!<br />
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Bonus Pics<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6214/6267054863_20abf641ef_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6214/6267054863_20abf641ef_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Inside the Hawa Mahal</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6159/6267577108_39d9fab7f8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6159/6267577108_39d9fab7f8_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Catching up with the news in Bhaktapur</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6505283193_ed4b948a5e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6505283193_ed4b948a5e_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Thumbs Up - The most supreme cola in India - Guy's final can on the plane home</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6055/6267046739_8b2f5b17a7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6055/6267046739_8b2f5b17a7_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Monkey Riding Pig - We saved the best until last!</div></div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-50077265158342574322011-09-30T05:21:00.000-07:002011-09-30T05:21:34.749-07:00Peaks and Quakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6158766176_65715a8aae_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6158766176_65715a8aae_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cairn at Gokyo Ri</div><br />
We enjoyed our final week at the school and we had lots of fun with our new friend from Birmingham, Colette, who had also come to volunteer at the school. The girls had much fun chatting about Midlands life with Brummie accents! At school all was very busy as we finished the library, computers, resources and covered lessons for an absent teacher, see the charity blog <a href="http://classroominthecloudslukla.blogspot.com/">http://classroominthecloudslukla.blogspot.com</a>. Nursery classes, a room with more than 40 little ones that don't speak any English, was challenging and very fun! We came to realise that they were not all sugar and spice and all that is nice, and enjoyed the odd round of WWF wrestling!<br />
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We had a party night the evening before leaving for our trek - a splash of Whiskey on the balcony and some final Lukla fun times with Colette singing "<i>what's that coming over the hill?</i>". Guy got annoyed with Emma for being unprepared and tipsy when she should be packing and sober, but she insisted that having fun was most important! We set of late the next day...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 1 - Lukla (2800m) to Namche Bazaar (3440m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6152/6158108403_78bb2a4629_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6152/6158108403_78bb2a4629_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beginning the Trek in Lukla</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After packing up our home for the last five weeks we began our trek at around mid day, a little stop at Sangay's shop for a Chocopie and we were set for the familiar route to Namche Bazaar. With Guy's previous weekend record time of 03:40 as the benchmark, we had rainy weather and heavy bags so set a target of five hours to reach Namche. After around 04:40 hours walking we reached Namche and returned to our favorite guest house - Hotel Tibet. We met Mingma, the owner, and again he was very generous - we had many free hot lemon drinks, a free room and as much dhal baat as is possible to eat! He informed us that he owns another guest house in the Khumbu region, Chukkung, where his wife was living and he suggested we should stay there. Though it is not on route to Everest, how could we resist the great hospitality so we agreed to stay there, at the foot of the famously beautiful Ama Dablam mountain in two nights time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6197737580_f2a4fcba07_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6197737580_f2a4fcba07_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The First Glimpse of Everest on the way to Namche Bazaar</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 2 - Namche Bazaar to Pangboche (3930m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Another beautiful morning in Namche, we took a quick trip to the National Park headquarters for the classic Everest view then begun on the walk to Tengboche. We passed a group from the University of Bath down a big valley after Namche, and pressed on up the steep other side, reaching Tengboche as the weather begun to turn. It an attractive Buddhist village with a significant monastery where most groups rest for the night, but we decided to press on to the next town of Pangboche - a recommendation of Mingma's. So we stopped for a quick Wai Wai noodle and onion campstove lunch and became disturbed by some inquisitive horses who nearly knocked off the pan and a trekking group from Nottingham we previously met in Lukla returning from basecamp. We reached Pangboche in the afternoon and stopped at a lovely little guest house for the night where we chatted to Brendan, a Geologist from a large group studying glacial lakes over near Chukkung. Unfortunately the altitude had got the better of him and he was descending the next day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6197228581_0961252e55_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6197228581_0961252e55_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Path to Pangboche</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 3 Pangboche to Chukkung (4730m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We set off in the sunny morning and passed through Dingboche - a large village full of guest houses for the Everest trekkers. Guy was allowed to buy two overpriced Marathon bars, as the further you go up into the mountains, the exponentially more everything costs (as it must be carried by porters on their heads)! The weather was good as we proceeded off the Everest path and towards Chukkung and Island Peak. We passed the base of Ama Dablam but it was shrouded in cloud so we could not appreciate its beauty at this point. Reaching Mingma's guest house, we realised we were also staying with about 30 Geologists from Brendan's group. Chindi, Mingma's wife, was as hospitable as usual and we had a jolly good dahl baat followed by an invitation to join the Geologists for a lecture about Glacial Lakes in Bolivia and another about damage to the ecosystem in the Everest region - Emma felt right at home, being back among fellow scientists at a conference!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 4 Chukkung to Gorak Shep (5164m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6158113319_a034a85d37_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6158113319_a034a85d37_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy on a Snowy Chukkung Ri</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We awoke early with the intention to Summit Chukkung Ri (5550m) before daybreak. Setting out in all of our layers with our headtorches, the snow was falling fast. We decided some way up that due to the clouds and snow, we would not see summit views of the top of the Himalayas. So with Gorak Shep as the destination, we headed back down, gleefully crunching in the fresh snow. Emma loved the "Christmas Yaks" in the snowy village. We arrived back at the guesthouse for a big breakfast from Chindi and headed on the way to Gorak Shep.Chindi came running out after us and gave us a packed lunch for the journey! Due to the weather we decided not to attempt the high Kumbhu Glacier pass, and returned to Dingboche, where we regained the trail to Everest. The valley cleared up in the morning ant we were presented with stunning views of Ama Dablam emerging through the clouds.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6194703407_9274b2989e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6194703407_9274b2989e_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ama Dablam (6848m)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The weather during the afternoon was good and we were back in shorts and t-shirts as we headed towards Labouche. We met a lovely group of Indians from Chennai (Where we first set foot in India some seven months ago) on the way and were reminded how smiley the Indians are! When we reached Labouche we had to decide whether to press on further - The evening was drawing near and the altitude was compressing our minds. After a decision cup of warm tea, we decided to make the push to the last village on the journey - Gorak Shep. The final two hours were particularly challenging - high icy terrain, river crossings and steep, rocky path but we made it before dusk and settled into our tiny box room for the night after our longest and hardest day yet.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/6158123137_92c9e922c7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/6158123137_92c9e922c7_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Prayer Flags over the Pass near Dingboche</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 5 Kala Patthar (5644m) and Everest Base Camp (5364m)</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6158126171_5a2744905f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6158126171_5a2744905f_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Everest and Nuptse from Kala Patthar</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">05:00. We arose early to a misty Gorak Shep and begun the climb up Kala Patthar. In the morning frost, the curious alpine flowers of the highlands of the world amused us with their alien appearances. We took many photos in the short time window before the sun rises behind Everest and then continued our journey to summit. Guy was feeling light headed with the altitude and the last 100m was a struggle, but it was a glorious morning and well worth the early rise.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/6197732250_50325e6484_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/6197732250_50325e6484_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Kala Patthar Summit 5644m - Our Highest!</div><br />
Though it wasn't a crisp clear day it was very atmospheric the way the clouds moved and swirled around uncovering more and more giants in every direction. After a cup of Russian tea at summit (a disputed altitude between 5545 - 5644m) with some friendly folk we descended back to Gorak Shep. We had reached the highest point that we have ever climbed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6158682734_05a2ff7f10_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6158682734_05a2ff7f10_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Up in the Clouds - Kala Patthar</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After double breakfast we set out for Everest base camp. People along the trail had said base camp was a bit like the Effiel tower, boring but you have to go and see it. We felt differently, the views were amazing along the glacial valley. And surprisingly, the sound of the glacier was beautiful also - from complete crystal clear silence to the great rumble of a distant avalanche, the creaking of melting and moving glaciers and grinding of landslides. The ambiance was amazing. Emma discovered that she was not so fond of glaciers as she scrambled on hands and knees around the icy edge of a glacial lake, while guy decided he would like to run the Everest marathon next year as he skipped around the edge!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6197734086_dff7811737_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6197734086_dff7811737_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The Kumbu Glacier Below, at the Foot of Lhotse - Everest in the Clouds</div><br />
After about an hour of glacial scrambling we arrived at base camp. Interestingly it was busy for this time of year, there was a Japanese party spending the next month there to acclimatise before climbing Everest (this being his final climb of the highest mountain on each continent without oxygen). After poking around and with Guy admiring the tech gear and tents, we decided all looked rather civil at base camp and returned to Gorak Shep for the evening.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6158688442_669382c981_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6158688442_669382c981_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Old Everest Basecamp Rock (it moves constantly as it is on a glacier)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6158152745_03157e028e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6158152745_03157e028e_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Current Everest Basecamp (5364m)</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 6 Gorak Shep to Dzongla (4830m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6158171175_c61dd7623a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6158171175_c61dd7623a_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A Perfect Morning at Gorak Shep</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had been chatting to other trekkers and porters about crossing the Cho La Pass, renowned to be a difficult route requiring ice equipment at certain times in the year to cross the two glaciers. This route would eventually lead us to Gokyo lakes. Hearing that conditions on pass were looking good we decided to take the pass route. We had a short day of walking from Gorak Shep to Dzongla, aka Hicksville! Dzonglaa was an essential overnight stop close to the Cho La Pass. There was just one guest house and it had all the charm of Royston Vasey! Luckly, after some depressingly misty cold hours we had the company of two great Israeli boys; Omer and David who were to become out Cho La Pass trekking pals.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6158706876_b113bf37a4_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6158706876_b113bf37a4_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy with Everest in the Morning<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/6158700344_e2bff5abd5_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/6158700344_e2bff5abd5_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Emma Navigates our Route at Gorak Shep</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 7 Cho La Pass (Highest Point 5420m) - Dzongla to Gokyo (4750)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After our first good night sleep at lower altitude and feeling better for having half a days rest we were walking by 05.00am with our Israli friends. The route soon became challenging and the four of us struggled to spot cairns or any other signs of a path. So we were reliant on our slightly iffy Nepalise print 1:60000 scale map and a compass (a backward compass at that since Guy kept it near a magnet of the camera case and north became south).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6158184741_96bc6a70f8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6158184741_96bc6a70f8_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy Scaling the <i>Snout</i> of the Glacier at Cho La Pass</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We Trekked around one huge glacier and over another to reach the pass. Once again Guy the mountain goat (or mountain bunny to the Isralis) crossed an icy ridge above a frozen lake with ease. Emma almost took a</div><div style="text-align: left;">freezing swim as she landslid down the ice toward the lake, while David and Omer were saved by Guy who had firm footing and could swing them across with walking poles. With the four of us safely across the snow began to fall, making the next climb up to the top of the pass more difficult. It was a steep, approx grade 3-4 climb but only about 20m high. Feeling wobbly, Emma had a little cry and claimed this was to be the last mountain she would ever climb! We made it to the top by 11.00am and immediately began the decent. Coming down the pass was equally treacherous, a steep and slippery scree, no path and the occasional landslide. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6158187999_1cdf40e6f8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6158187999_1cdf40e6f8_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emma, Omar and David on Top of the Glacier</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/6197231207_f2444c2c81_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/6197231207_f2444c2c81_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Final Scramble to the Top of the Cho La Pass (note the icy lake of everyone's near demise)</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We reached the village of Thangna, a potential overnight stop, and used the last of our backpack rations to make a tasty lunch of Wai Wai noodles and boiled potatoes on the campstove. Powered by potatoes, the<i> mountain bunnies</i> were prepared to complete the trek to Gokyo, leaving our new friends to rest for the night at Thangna.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6197303847_de98f476df_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6197303847_de98f476df_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Wai Wai Noodles and Todays Special - Boiled Potato Slices!</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The next leg of the Cho La Pass is crossing the enormous Ngozumpa glacier which happens to be the biggest glacier in the Himalayas! We followed our map to where the route across should have started but were confronted by a daunting sight; the glacier has receded considerably, leaving great pools of icy water in it's place. Confused, we headed back to the village to seek the help of locals who pointed us up the valley.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6158194069_8e5c8d080e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6158194069_8e5c8d080e_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Daunting Ngozumpa Glacier Crossing</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Our map suggested it would take one hour to cross the glacier, but for us without a guide, a map and trying to follow the sporadic and indistinct cairns it took more than two. The great mounds of gravel moraine were a challenge to climb, and there seemed less icy patches than expected. We were quite amazed to see more strange vegetation growing on this hostile land. Our only real bearing was the great scar cliffs of the other side of the glacier so we scrambled in that direction. When we finally reached the other side, we climbed the walls of the glacier through the mists and beyond that we saw what we were looking for - a curious turquoise lake! Knowing that we were in the right direction for Gokyo we stopped for our last celebratory campstove nescafe. The walk to Gokyo from there that afternoon was fairly easy and the misty valley could be likened</div><div style="text-align: left;">to many in the Brecon Beacons. We reached the village of Gokyo, set around the third of six lakes in the region, and felt that we had made the best decision to conquer the infamous pass! We set up in a friendly guest house and spent the evening eating dhal baat with some Bristolian folk and a lovely American couple who were returning to Nepal after 30 years away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6085/6158198651_c6b5dd7290_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6085/6158198651_c6b5dd7290_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Map reading near Gokyo</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 8 Gokyo Ri (5483m) to Mong (3900m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6158748368_33ba64c66f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6158748368_33ba64c66f_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cho Oyo (8201m) in the Morning from Gokyo</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We were up at 4.30am to climb our final peak of the journey, Gokyo Ri (5483m). Although lower in altitude than Kala Patthar it is said to be a steeper climb and the starting altitude is lower. It was a stunning dawn, the full moon was still bright above the turqouise lake and the snowy peaks all around created eery shadows</div><div style="text-align: left;">in the still water. To the east the sky was already pink as the sun was rising and we knew we would have to be swift up the mountain to summit before the sun summits Everest. Unfortunatly we chased the sun that morning and it won the race, though we still go stunning views photography of the top of the world was over. After 1h 13mins, precisely we reached the summit. Decorated with rows of prayer flags, a Buddhist shrine and hundreds of cairns it was the most interesting summit we had ever seen, after much deliberation, Guy admitted that he preferred it to his beloved Crinkle Crags in the Lake District! We spent another two hours there after exploring the summit, walking along the top ridge and taking lots of photos, before descending to Gokyo.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6158755710_0843f9f5cc_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6158755710_0843f9f5cc_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emma at the Summit of Gokyo Ri</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6158229121_6c041d1c92_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6158229121_6c041d1c92_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy Climbs to the Highest Peak of Gokyo Ri</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We had planned to take an afternoon rest day, but Emma became emotional about feeling so dirty (it had now been six weeks without a shower) and not sleeping well altitude. So we packed up, had lunch with our friends, including the Isralies who had reached Gokyo in the morning, and headed down...or so we thought!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6158234267_6ea73f2688_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6158234267_6ea73f2688_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gokyo Lake (note the huge Ngozumpa glacier to the left that we crossed the previous eve)</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The first few hours of walking we didn't stop, we passes through valleys (that were again comparable to those in Wales or the lakes), past tumbling waterfalls, the shrubs turned to trees and we walked through enchanted forests. The ground was wet and squelchy and we felt very at home. We also passed through quaint little farming villages, far more rural and Nepali than some of the purpose built Trekking villages on the way to base camp.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6158244065_823bce9cb9_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6158244065_823bce9cb9_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yaks are Found all over the Khumbu Region</div><br />
Emma found the first "missy dog" of the travels, an excitable Lhasa Apso Who followed us with her dingley bell until Guy had to pursuade her to head home with some expert growling.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6169/6194367603_0a4578a0a3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6169/6194367603_0a4578a0a3_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Missy in the Mountains</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We walked into the evening, and proud of our progress on the map we thought we could make it all the way to Namche. The next village was Mong, the only village on the map that strangely didn't have an altitude. The contour lines suggested an uphill climb and it certainly was! We climbed into the dusk, up the biggest hill ever that seemed as if it would never ever end to Mong La (3900) (La meaning hill, had this been written on the map we would have been more prepared!). Very tired and achey we rested at Mong La. Guy met his favorite climber in the little guest house. He was from Korea and stated, to Guy's evening of laughter: "I have a girlfriend - she is very ugly".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 9 Mong La to Namche Bazaar (3930m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6151/6194884574_818f9254fa_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6151/6194884574_818f9254fa_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ama Dablam from Mong La </div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We awoke to a lovely view of Ama Dablam (Arguably the prettiest mountain of them all), ate breakfast in the morning sunshine and started walking. We passed through the village of Kumjung and within two hours arrived in Namche. Then we had a rest day! We drank real coffee, went shopping and Guy could finally have all the Pepsi and chocolate he needed (Emma put him on serious rations on the mountains as these luxury items cost up to £3 each!). We even went to the "cinema" to watch a true story about an fatal attempt to climb Everest, and came out feeling rather sad! That evening at hotel Tibet although Mingma was not home we did catch up with our friend Bharat from sunny garden in Lukla.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 10 Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2800m)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And so we began our final decent to Lukla, a path that we now knew in detail (there are 11 bridges, and 9 advertisements for Waves Pub Lukla which annoy us). The path was busy with "trekking dodo's" (groups of</div><div style="text-align: left;">westerners), their porters (each carrying several Westener backpacks weighing 30kg or more) and Sherpas stacked with supplies for the busy season ahead. We were very glad to be finishing our trek before the route became a motorway of human traffic! <i>"Blooming Trekking Dodo's".</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6194376143_1477851ece_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6194376143_1477851ece_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sometimes you have to duck under the Sherpas huge loads, <i>no pun intended</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;">It turned out that Lukla had not changed much since we left - it was still shrouded in misty fog and raining...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6194893296_7e2f60069e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6194893296_7e2f60069e_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The Sign Reads; <i>Welcome Back to Sunny Lukla</i></div><br />
That afternoon we took a freezing cold shower for the first time in many weeks and headed up to the school to say our farewells. We ended up staying up at the school into the evening using the computers to write this blog. At around 6.30pm the ground began to shake and the power cut out. After so long surrounded by snowy mountains we thought it was an avalanche and darted for the door. The ground swayed beneath us for about 15 seconds and we realised that we were experiencing our first ever earthquake. The school building was creaking eerily and it was all rather exciting (for Guy). Unfortunately, while running away from the building in the dark, Emma forgot that the playground was on two levels with a flight of steps between and she literally threw herself off the top layer. Guy saw her disappear into the darkness. Fortunately the fall only resulted in bruised and cut knees and a few days of limping to follow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6194894506_9139ca3044_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6194894506_9139ca3044_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emma's Earthquake Injury (She claims that the photo does not do her severe injury justice)</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Back in the streets of Lukla, all was busy and the villagers were very frightened, most had never experienced an earthquake before. Although there was damage to some buildings and bridges, no one was seriously hurt (apart from Emma). We later learnt that the quake was 6.9 on the Richter scale at the epicenter in Assam, India. After the earthquake commotion we looked forward to escaping Lukla! The next morning we touched down safely in Kathmandu.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6194895522_db7c16a152_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6194895522_db7c16a152_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our Private Plane - We were the Only Passengers!</div><br />
<b>Bonus Pics</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6158660238_ff3d06b809_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6158660238_ff3d06b809_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Christmas Yaks at Chukkung </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6158176899_7aa5c29f5b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6158176899_7aa5c29f5b_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">In the mountains, the locals cook with ingenious methods - Solar cookers and dried yak poo coal predominantly!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6158202359_b5f53aa291_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6158202359_b5f53aa291_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cairn in the Mist - Gokyo. Coming to a postcard near you soon!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6197218157_1c62c9c302_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6197218157_1c62c9c302_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The only Eat Natural bars to have ever made Everest Base Camp - Twice! Thanks Astrid - We enjoyed them very much.</div></div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-54111659041963123892011-08-31T03:26:00.000-07:002011-08-31T03:26:51.817-07:00Walking Among Giants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6099167678_db6f1baa22_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6099167678_db6f1baa22_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mani Walls Along the Path to Everest</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After yet another cloudy and exceptionally rainy week in the Lukla monsoon, karma was once again on our side at the weekend. The sun was shining and the clouds had cleared to reveal great snowy peaks in the Mera region around the village. We had heard of the Saturday market at Namche Bazaar, and headed out for a long walk to Namche in the morning. However we had also heard that we would need a permit in advance to enter the Sagarmatha National Park – Home of Everest among several other 8000m+ mountains so we were prepared to just walk to the national park gate and return the same day. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6099182550_6fa9eb5c95_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6099182550_6fa9eb5c95_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Emma Loved this White Horse at Phakding</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After some 4 hours walk through small local villages, across some terrifyingly high suspension bridges and past some epic waterfalls we reached the gate. Guy attempted to sneak through unnoticed yet Emma had a less deceitful approach and sought out a person to pay. We paid our 1000 rupee ticket and entered the park. Inside Sagarmatha were the most spectacular waterfalls, more incredibly long bridges and “The Hill”. We met a young English man who completed the Everest base camp trek in the week, and he gladly informed us “The Hill” was the biggest hill in the world – Two-and-a-half hours up and around 1000m altitude gained! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6099206456_8dffe0be6a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6099206456_8dffe0be6a_b.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> One of the Bridges before "The Hill"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well we surpassed ourselves, ascending in less than two hours, and arrived in a cloudy Namche at around 16:00. We met our friend Astrid from London/Brussels/U.S.A in the same hotel and she donated us several Marathon bars and a pack of Cadburys chocolate raisins as a weight saving exercise. It was so cold we just had an enormous Dahl Bhat triple serving and went to bed (in which we ate the whole pack of raisins – thank you Astrid).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6098684237_85b32c8df0_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6098684237_85b32c8df0_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Everest, Lhotse, Amadablan - Giants</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By morning the sky was crystal clear and we were up and out at 06:00 to catch a sight of Mount Everest. We walked to the National Park Headquarters where there were beautiful sights of Everest, Lhotse and many of the giants of the world. It was the perfect morning and Guy was so excited he nearly exploded. The park rangers, friendly and of course loaded with guns (hopefully not loaded), were excited to see some tourists and were keen that we visit the museum on site. Here, Emma fell in love with Sir Edmund Hilary and Guy fell in love with a Red Panda - see bonus pics. We then hiked up to the area of Khumjung to the Everest View Hotel for the best views. The Hotel was amazing, no less than the worlds highest hotel (3880m) and a 70’s chic masterpiece – it is unchanged since it was built and Guy thought it was the most James Bond place he had ever visited! As it is off season – it was totally deserted making it all the more curious.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6071904039_0481dee976_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6071904039_0481dee976_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Everest Tourists </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We took many photos and enjoyed this perfect morning very much, however, we had school the next day and a huge distance home as we had walked an extra couple of hours north, the opposite way, so we began the decent to Lukla. We briefly stopped in Namche and eyed up some good trekking gear and warm clothes, but we had not prepared to even stay for the night, so we only had enough rupees for some raisin bread and a coffee. We begun our trek back home in blazing sun and arrived at around 18:00 extremely tired after twelve hours on our feet. The last stretch of the journey was only achievable due to the gifts of Astrid – nuts and Marathons kept us going until home. The walking was all the more difficult for Emma due to her old, leaky and too-small boots – and her feet were, well…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6098694205_f3a5b26676_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6098694205_f3a5b26676_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Freddy Kruger Feet </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So we returned to school the next day and have now sorted out all the computers we can – Eight fully working ones with a new XP OS and Office. We also spent some rainy days recording ‘Audiobooks’ for the children to read and listen in English. Emma spent a couple of days catalouging the library on Excel and making some excellent teaching resources. The children have very much enjoyed the computer lessons this week, and finally have been able to use computers physically, rather than learning about them from a textbook. When we arrived they had taken a computer exam, and never used a computer before. It was interesting to observe their work – they knew what to do, for example Space to make gaps between words, yet they did not know where Space was on the keyboard! The trainee teacher due to join Guy this week received a scholarship to undertake training in Korea, so sadly will not be joining us. Once again, please check out the school blog for more info on our work here:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://classroominthecloudslukla.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">http://classroominthecloudslukla.blogspot.com</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">During the week we decided that we would return to Namche the following weekend (which is only Saturday off) to get Emma some boots, and this time, we would take enough money for more than just bread! On Friday, at around 11:00 we left school and made an amazing five hours to Namche during another freak weekend of good weather – we did not stop even for food, just charged on, up “the hill” in one go and arrived at 16:00 in sunny Namche for a spot of boot shopping. Well we ended up with more than just boots; a lovely jumper, t-shirt and long johns for Guy (who has been instructed to give up his Pepsi addiction to compensate for the expense), and some boots, a cow bell and a new bag (containing the presents) for Emma. We had a lovely night with our new friends at the Hotel Tibet and were treated to another triple dhal bhat with the family.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6099228400_3643fb03a3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6099228400_3643fb03a3_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Namche Bazaar in the Morning</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next morning we set off to try to beat the 5 hours it took to walk here, and made it home in around 4 hours 40. Emma’s new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">White Tiger</i> boots were surprisingly good and her feet no longer look like a horror movie prop.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The weather this week has improved and now it only rains a little every day, so our current week at school has consisted of painting the new library which has been funded by the charity. Over three days we undercoated and enameled the entire room and ceiling – with brushes only! The paint from Kathmandu is surely not-so-healthy and smells potent so we take a breather looking at the fine valley views. We met Astrid again in our hotel in Lukla, having successfully completed her Everest charity trek. Once again she bestowed us with more incredible gifts and we all had a fun evening with whisky and tea on the balcony. Today is a school holiday for a Nepalise festival, so we are taking some time at the quiet school to organise work for the following few days, along with writing these blogs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6098701187_5cb57e0b22_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6098701187_5cb57e0b22_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Undercoating Emma</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So we have both felt, for a number of reasons, that our time in Lukla is nearing an end now. It is extremely expensive to eat here and our weekly bill is around 150 GBP, we have finished work as best as we can with the computer room and library for the charity and will no longer have a trainee teacher to assist, so by next week we will take the Everest base camp trek, which should take around 7 days round trip if we move fast. It is approaching Season time and the prices will shoot up even more for tourists, so we will try to beat the crowd. Another volunteer for the charity will be arriving tomorrow, so we will help her out for a few days and perhaps have a few more to spend when we return from the trek.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bonus Pics:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6098687179_7c66a5f13f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6098687179_7c66a5f13f_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Guy meets a Red Panda</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6182/6099198606_8c48d40b99_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6182/6099198606_8c48d40b99_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Emma's New Witch House</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6099447280_db36f8b464_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6099447280_db36f8b464_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another Week, Another Moth for Mon Papa - This one was Huge!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-33884563746988810632011-08-17T01:33:00.000-07:002011-08-17T01:36:39.167-07:00Farewell India, Namaste Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6196/6052184996_7afee2e540_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6196/6052184996_7afee2e540_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Tourists at the Taj</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Manali – Himachal Pradesh</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6184/6048403841_e56733fbe5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6184/6048403841_e56733fbe5_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Old town Manali</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We arrived in Manali to find that the monsoon rains travelling North through India had finally caught up with us, sheets of completely vertical rain lashing down all day. Nevertheless, the mountains were lush and green and after our 20 hour endurance on the “highway to hell” we were happy to stretch our legs while exploring the surrounding valleys. We stayed in the Old Town, narrow winding streets with hobbit-like wooden dwellings, livestock and typical Himachali life going on all around. We enjoyed Manali, preferring old-town life over the busy traveler area of Vashisht - where the smell of chillums fill the air. Manali is infamous for its cannabis – literally growing like a weed! In every garden plants loom some 6-8 ft “<i>high”</i>. Our time in Manali was short as we now had a mission – to be in Nepal within two weeks, still with many stops to make in India along the way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6048394979_04905431a9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6048394979_04905431a9_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Being a witch, Emma was excited by the rickety and enchanting old buildings</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chandigarh – Punjab</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have both been looking forward to visiting the Swiss architect designed city of Chandigarh, since meeting our Swiss friends Felix and Mirza back in Mysore. We arrived by bus at 04:00 with Emma feeling unwell (yes again!), five hours later after a mad panic to retrieve a bag we left on the bus and numerous rickshaw/foot journeys to various hotels in order to find one which (a) wasn’t full and (b) wasn’t way above our budget we found our home - in sector 22B! Each sector houses a different type of commerce or residence. This retro-futuristic city is cleverly designed into 48 – 1x1.5km sectors. It is a beautiful crumbling 60’s vision of the future – kind of Bladerunner-esque.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://chandigarh.gov.in/engg_web/images/Scan_chd_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://chandigarh.gov.in/engg_web/images/Scan_chd_map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Map of Chandigarh</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Chandigarh_Secretariat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Chandigarh_Secretariat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Chandigarh Secretariat</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Protected by listed building laws, the city is still as it was when it was built, just somewhat more run-down. As it is one of India’s only designed cities, it is home to some welcoming features – underground sewers and pavements on which to walk in particular, along with minimal traffic congestion. While Emma was bound to the toilet, Guy went to investigate this intriguing city. He found the world famous rock garden; a park built entirely of recycled artifacts and building waste with curious statues overlooking the weird place. He also enjoyed the cleanliness and organization of this fascinating city. Being in Punjab, it was predominantly a Sikh city, and as a result the people were friendly and the prices high! We could only afford to spend one night in Chandigarh, and continued our journey South the following day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6048411805_66a8448b97_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6048411805_66a8448b97_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Recycled pottery mosaics on a vast scale in the Rock Garden - Chandigarh</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6048974700_c3379b3bcd_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6048974700_c3379b3bcd_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Weird deer regiment sculptures – Rock Garden</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Haridwar-Rishikesh-Haridwar - Uttrakhand</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next two days were possibly our most stressful time in India to date, but also one of the memorable experiences that make travelling in India so unique. We had left some belongings with our family homestay to go trekking, some two months ago. To get there you have to go via Haridwar (already Emma’s least favorite city) to Rishikesh (known to Guy as Shittikesh). As these cities are on the banks of the Ganges they are important holy sites for Hindus, on a normal day both cities are busy with families on a pilgrimage to the Ganges. We managed to unknowingly arrive on the first day of a huge festival in which thousands of Indian men were roaming the streets, all dressed in orange and making a rawkus noise! For the three train journeys that followed, Haridwar to Rishikesh, Rishikesh to Haridwar and Haridwar to Dehli, we were the only passengers on board with tickets. The trains were swamped – literally thousands of people crammed into each carriage, hundreds more on the roof and about 4-5 layers thick of people clinging on from the outside at doors and windows! Unfortunately, like sardines in a tin, we were unable (and unwilling) to gather photographic evidence, avoiding standing out any more than we did. Emma got very annoyed with some Indian boys who kept taking unwanted pictures of her! We witnessed armed policemen “patrolling” the carriages, sneakily collecting 100 rupee bribes from all ticketless passengers – that being everyone bar us, they pocketed a small fortune. One of the sad corruptions of India; you can pay your way out of most crimes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6051619715_490909189c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6051619715_490909189c_z.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">A typical Indian train – taken from the middle carriage!</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Delhi</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dirty, disheveled and almost dead we arrived to the incredibly hot and humid Delhi. Totally hungry, we delved into a McDonalds veggie burger at the train station (both of us had vowed many moons ago to never eat a McDonalds again – oops!) and then made our way to our old hotel in Parhaganj with the smiliest reception man. The humidity in Delhi was so intense that Emma gave up on her “no AC” rule (which is on account of her environmental awareness and the fact that she is a mega-scrooge when it comes to room cost) and we took an air conditioned room. In fact, over the next few days she became the “AC bitch”, darting between AC buildings, stopping only for a 5 rupee Mango Licks (ice lolly) at every corner on the way!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">While planning our travels in India, Varanassi (another holy city on the Ganges) and Darjeeling (with its toy train ride through the mountains) were two cities on our “places to visit” list, however we collectively decided that with the ongoing festival and unbearable humidity of the Monsoon, train travel to these destinations would be too much. So instead, we booked a flight to Kathmandu with plans to visit these places on our way home. We spent the next few days in Delhi organizing our trip to Nepal; shopping for a printer for the school, exchanging money and visiting more AC McDonalds’ (double oops!) along the way. Once again we really enjoyed Delhi, even more so this time as there is something comforting about revisiting a place and not needing to refer to a map every five minutes. We visited Old Delhi for the first time, and as you can see, it was busy…<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6051628779_abc36bd30b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6051628779_abc36bd30b_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Old Delhi chaos</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Guy enjoyed many “Choala Baturas” – a 35 rupee street food delicacy of Delhi consisting of a greasy chickpea curry with pickled chilies, raw onion and oily bread. (Simon and Caity – This is the new Dosa!). He also convinced Emma to eat at the Hard Rock Café, as he has many fond memories of eating with his Dad many years ago in Washington DC, New York and London – Now Delhi!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Agra – Uttar Pradesh</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6052219450_ce5da4a66c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6052219450_ce5da4a66c_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">The Taj Mahal</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This hectic city is home to the world wonder – The Taj Mahal. This Muslim monument to love is revered the world round, and no trip to India would be complete without a visit to this famous building. So we booked the AC luxury Shathabi Express train, two hours from Delhi for our day trip. Arriving at 07:00 we made our way directly to the Taj (avoiding numerous tourist scams along the way) in order to beat the crowds. The giant white marble building fully lives up to expectations, beautiful, majestic and calm. Unfortunately, the monsoon skies were grey combined with the pollution from the former capital city surrounding the Taj, and it looked a little bleak against the horizon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6052192724_621e997afb_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6052192724_621e997afb_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Emma at the Taj Mahal</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We spent many hours ambling around the grounds taking obligatory touristy photos, along with amusing ourselves at other tourist antics.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6051660723_1a985f6104_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6051660723_1a985f6104_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Compulsory snap!</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As the afternoon approached, the temperature and humidity became near unbearable and the AC bitch got very hot – even our favorite Coffee Day had broken AC so we just sweated out in a little park by the Red Fort awaiting our return train some five hours later!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Although the Taj Mahal is a wonderful sight, it has become largely an expensive tourist attraction. The ultimate place of worship we visited in India was the auspicious Golden Temple in Amritsar as it is still a flourishing, living temple. The ambience there will remain in our memories forever.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6047962195_e9192af17f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6047962195_e9192af17f_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful architecture in the Mosque adjoining the Taj</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Kathmandu – Nepal</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6052226300_5838c65cdc_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6052226300_5838c65cdc_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Good morning Nepal!</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After a beautiful flight giving our first glimpses of the mighty Himalayan range of Nepal above the clouds, we landed in Kathmandu – the capital city of Nepal. The climate here was far more comfortable than that of India currently, being 1200M above sea level and nestled in surrounding foothills of the Himalayas. The difference in culture was immediately obvious, far calmer and more laid back. The Nepalese people are far more peaceful and seemingly westernized than many Indians – not a Sari in sight. We were no longer “celebrities” in family photos, and calls of “Yes, you want rickshaw!” or “Yes friend, look in my shop” were all but a memory.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We headed to Josche (AKA Freak Street) on a recommendation of Cherry. This gained its name due to the Hippie influx of the 1970’s, yet was particularly calm and relaxed, without a hippie in sight! Feeling relaxed, we took to visiting the streets of the city. The buildings are considerably higher than most in India, the majority being 6-8 storeys high. There was is decidedly more oriental influence to the architecture and it is visually more appealing than the concrete boxes of India. We visited the Durbar Square complex (and snuck in a side street to avoid the ridiculous tourist fee – thanks for the tip Cherry), a world heritage site containing many oriental looking temples, a palace and huge Buddhist prayer wheels.</div><div class="MsoNormal">.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6084/6052233162_f6a624a753_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6084/6052233162_f6a624a753_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Durbar Square Temples</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We spent just a half day sightseeing before our lunchtime meeting with Dawa, a contact from the school in Lukla. Due to inclement weather conditions, he advised us to fly out to Lukla the next morning! The only other way to reach Lukla is a week trekking from the nearest road and with all our bags and the printer we didn’t fancy that option. So the afternoon was busy buying supplies to last us in the isolated mountain region of Lukla for the next couple of months. We look forward to visiting more of Kathmandu and the surrounding valleys on our return.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6051715655_e5e198aa3d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6051715655_e5e198aa3d_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Candyfloss and bubblegum boy at Durbar Square</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At 06:00 we met with Dawa at the Kathmandu airport and waited to hear if the flight would go ahead. We were a little nervous about the impending 30 minute flight after hearing that we were to be the first flight to leave for Lulka in the past ten days. Conditions were good so we were lead to our plane – a tiny 14 seater twin propeller plane. There was a “dolled-up” air hostess greeting us who directed us to our seats – over a great pile of stuff! (supplies for the village). As instructed by Dawa, we hurried to get a seat on the left to get the best views of the Himalayan range, for on a good day, Mount Everest is visible in the distance. However it was a little cloudy so we will have to wait until we trek there soon to see it. The short 30 minute flight was incredible, flying close to the mountains bristling with trees and waterfalls – It reminded us of Jurrassic Park. Having never seen a cockpit before, Emma was excited to be sitting behind the pilot (may I inform you Captain Jeremy Upgrade that our makeshift cockpit aboard “Slag Airways” was somewhat misinformed - a Murder Mystery night hosted on an aeroplane). Coming in for landing in Lukla, Emma’s attention was still focused on the dials whereas Guy looked nervously upon the incredibly short uphill runway jutting out from the side of a mountain. Assisted by the gradient, these planes have a short stopping distance and we landed safely.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Lukla</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6052313520_91f39918d6_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6052313520_91f39918d6_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">A rare break in the clouds reveals stunning peaks</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On landing in the village, the sky was clear and there were amazing views of three surrounding valleys with Cumulous clouds rising out of the dense forests. We couldn’t wait to explore. However after less than an hour these pretty clouds enveloped the village and we were trapped inside our first of many clouds. The Monsoon rains here are intense and cold, and visibility can be very little. If the door of our room is left open then the clouds sometimes invite themselves in! Still during the intense Monsoon, life goes on for everyone – Sherpas carry enormous loads to neighboring villages and workmen build more guest houses throughout the day. Though we wish we had come a little more prepared for the cold and wet, we have invested in a rather lovely umbrella that comes everywhere with us. Lukla sees many tourists in season (Oct-Nov) as it is the start point for treks to Everest and surrounding Himalayas. To cope with season demand, the main street is lined with guest houses along with a “Scottish Pub” and a convincing-yet-fake Starbucks! None of these attractions are open yet as the season doesn’t begin for another month. We’re the only tourists in the village. The rains have brought regular power cuts and we have spent evenings by candlelight playing our homemade Carcassonne – an invaluable addition to our travelling gear. Emma is also producing jewelry at a fast pace and, at this rate, will soon be out of materials!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6051725815_5158663b55_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6051725815_5158663b55_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> A room with a view</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our first days in Lukla were spent getting to know the area. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find anywhere to stay with a kitchen for us to cook for ourselves, but we found a good base to call home. With Lukla being a trekking town and since all supplies have to be flown in the prices are significantly higher than elsewhere in Nepal (100 rupees for an apple, which is about double than in your local ASDA). We have set about hunting down the cheapest goods and hope that in time people will recognise us and we’ll get a more “local price”. We eat with the family at our guest house once a day, usually a grand portion of Dhal bhat (rice and lentil soup with VERY salty veggie curry) or Momo’s. Traditionally Nepalese people eat twice a day – both meals being Dhal bhat, so we will try to adapt to this pattern in time. Guy has found the lack of fizzy drinks, snacks and movie channels quite a challenge, but this is a great opportunity for us to live a more basic lifestyle away from the temptations of the modern world and its conveniences. One of the most rejuvenating feelings is going to collect your own water fresh from the mountain spring. Guy has become a masterchef on the camping stove – creating interesting combinations of noodles and veg, pasta and warming mochas.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6052298054_c9d496dc96_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6052298054_c9d496dc96_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Lukla School, literally a Classroom in the Clouds</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We started our work at Shree Lukla Primary School on our second day in Lukla. We arrived at the beginning of the children’s exam week and so our first efforts were to get the computer room up and running and fixing the damp-damaged computers. A challenging task with power cuts and surges making running a PC impossible for the first few days, as a result our progress was slow and frustrating. Though we have not taught the children yet, the ones we have met are adorable; calm, polite and very inquisitive about our presence. They even have little flannels pinned to their jumpers for snotty noses! Every morning before exams begin, we have a growing number of little people peeping round the door of the computer room. They shuffle in shyly, one by one, say “Namaste” with their hands in prayer position and have a cheeky look at what is going on. All being said, our first week at the school has been fun and work in the computer room is almost done. We have set up another blog for the charity Classroom in the Clouds to follow our work at the school, so take a look (if we haven’t bored you already) – <a href="http://classroominthecloudslukla.blogspot.com/">http://classroominthecloudslukla.blogspot.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6051755093_5e69b63ccd_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6051755093_5e69b63ccd_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Guy installing Windows in our room</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Many people in Lukla are used to tourists and so speak some English. We are also learning basic Nepali to help us communicate. Today we mastered “Tapii ko naam ke ho” (what is your name?) and the response “Mero naam Guy/Emma ho” (my name is Guy/Emma) – the head teacher was very impressed and we scored our first Brownie points with him! We are aiming for one new phrase a day and have an iphone app to help! It is great to learn some language and culture. In India we were on the move so frequently and with each state having a different dialect, learning more than the basic hello was near impossible.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After one whole week of non-stop rain and clouds (locals tell us that this is the worst Monsoon in Lukla for many years), feeling like it was never going to end, Saturday arrived – our one day off school each week. We must have gained some karma points this week because we awoke to sunshine! Determined not to miss the first opportunity to explore we hurriedly packed a day bag and headed for the mountains. We took the advice of a friend who informed us of a nice walk with good views to the nearby village of Bom. The walk took us through streams, waterfalls and rivers, up steep mountainsides until we reached Bom, a tiny farming village of about ten houses at 3000M. Just before the clouds rolled in we were able to look back and see Lukla in the distance. We are getting quite used to predicting the clouds and so we wasted no time getting back home – arriving about 5 minutes before the rains began. It felt rejuvenating to manage a 5 hour walk and the beautiful scenery made it clear how lucky we are to be in this spectacular place.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6048386181_c872d8286b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6048386181_c872d8286b_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">A sunny walk – and Emma finally washes her feet (no need to worry now Mum!)</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bonus photos: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6051729887_9c4851554e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6051729887_9c4851554e_z.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Mon Papa – can you identify this colourful moth?</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6205/6048430527_02b6fb8b58_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6205/6048430527_02b6fb8b58_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Little Chandigarh man made of old wires</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6052289686_165f745c9c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6052289686_165f745c9c_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Emma can whip up a not-so-tasty cardboard-like porridge in Lukla - Tasty!</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">(As always - More photos in our Flickr - search username; namasteindia2011) </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Feel free to add us on Skype: emmaandguy </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Please E-mail us any fun stuff - we are lonely in the mountains!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-57338287885249625642011-07-23T05:23:00.000-07:002011-07-23T05:23:52.441-07:00Shanti Shanti, Donkeys and Bikes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5966432264_3e4cab7214_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5966432264_3e4cab7214_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Leh, you either ride a donkey or a motorbike</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Srinigar - Kashmir - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Shanti, Shanti</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The drive into Srinigar, the capital of Kashmir, was an interesting one, passing literally hundereds of army and police armed with rifles. Lucky for us Srinigar itself was far more "Shanti" (Peace). The city is based around many stunning alpine lakes, upon which people live and trade on the water. It is known as the Venice of the East.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/5863190079_ca5e720a7f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/5863190079_ca5e720a7f_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shikaras moored in Srinigar</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had little time in the region so we decided to do the tourist thing and jump on a shikara to enjoy the views for the evening. Shikara's are very quaint little wooden paddle boats, blinged out with Indian decor. This journey turned out to be predominantly a sales pitch about "water-trekking", but it seemed like a good deal, spending nights on the shikara, paddling round to the base of mountains by morning and then spending the day walking. The perfect way to travel after so much time becoming "diesel-faces"; (Diesel-face-dogs are a particular Indian sect of dogs who just love getting in the exhaust of big trucks chugging up mountain passes). The shikara captain also used</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">his only phrase "<i>Shanti, Shanti</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">" to describe water trekking. Guy decided that we should finally accept an Indian's sales-pitch, believing not everything one sells here is just a scam...</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5076/5863758236_44b4912623_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5076/5863758236_44b4912623_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Village life on the lakes of Kashmir</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">So the next morning we left for a 4 day water trek. Life on the water</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">was incredibly beautiful; watching 15ft spear fishermen at work</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">women collecting lotus leaves and waterlillies to feed their livestock, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">kashmiri factories producing paper mache goods and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">children</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">playing in the water. However, by the end of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">the first day we started to wonder why we were no closer to the mountains. An exceptional</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"> storm </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">brewed on our first night on the boat, lightning and rain lashed down all night. So we were rocked about in our sleeping bags with no</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">protection from the elements until morning. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5320/5863760708_1f149ba5cc_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5320/5863760708_1f149ba5cc_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Shanti"</span></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">We awoke to another day of "<i>Shanti, Shanti</i>", "<i>more Shanti coming on next</i></span><i> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><i>lake</i>" and being treated like Maharajahs...but still no closer to</span> the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">mountains! Finally when we questioned our shikara captain about when</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">we would arrive at the mountains and he replied "<i>mountains no Shanti</i>"</span>. To this Guy exclaimed "<i>We hate Shanti, we just want mountains</i>"! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Luckily, Emma developed the shits again and we used this as our</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">get-out-of-shikara-free-card and rickshawed it back to Srinigar (which broke down).</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/5863196083_a48408635b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/5863196083_a48408635b_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our favorite guest aboard HMS Shanti</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Having escaped Shanti in the boat, we returned to find Pia and Ina with a Win in their mouths!</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">And so we all decided to take the road to Leh the following day. The</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">journey was long and bumpy, but so scenic and eventful. We passed</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">through Drass, the second coldest inhabited place in the world which was positively hot </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">that day.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6024/5966177491_24a88415ef_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6024/5966177491_24a88415ef_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drass - The second coldest inhabited place in the world</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">We stopped half way in S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">hergol. The village is</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">obviously vary rarely visited by westerners and we caused a stir on</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">arrival. We stayed with a very hospitable family, spent the evening</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">playing games with all of the children from the village and were</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">treated to a very sweet singing and dancing performance. It was hard to</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">leave in the morning!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/5966401924_1f9135440b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/5966401924_1f9135440b_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lovely Ladakhi family at Shergol</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">We continued the journey and hitchhiked to Leh, passing even more</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">stunning mountain dwellings strung with prayer flags. During this leg of</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">the journey the lush green vegetation diminished and was replaced with</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mysterious sandy, rocky moon-scape without a tree in sight - The spooky Zanskar mountain range.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leh - Ladakh</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/5966407358_74dc9cf8a9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/5966407358_74dc9cf8a9_z.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leh town and palace</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">The town of Leh situated in a dry valley high in the Himalayan mountains, scattered with gompas (buddhist temples) emitting an eerie drone built precariously on nearby crags and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">surrounded by snowcapped mountains. The Ladakhi people, in their traditional dress, are very welcoming. Ladakhi for hello, goodbye and thank you is "Juleh" and it has such a joyful ring in your ear. We spent two days eating Momo's (lovely Tibetan dumplings) and acclimatising to the</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">3500m altitude and preparing a trek. Ina wasn't feeling like walking in the</span> hot, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">dusty landscape and decided not to join us.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"> Pia and the two of us decided to embark on the popular Markha</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Valley trek.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5965807985_6b137f3af8_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5965807985_6b137f3af8_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tibetan Prayer wheel in Leh - The snowy peak of Stok Kangri (6200M) is just visible</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Markha Valley - Ladakh</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5966414968_4fecf94a78_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5966414968_4fecf94a78_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lunar, dusty Markha Valley</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">The trek began from the village of Chilling, and presented a bewildering introduction: A trolley bridge across the raging Markha river. This is essentially a wooden crate hanging from an old steel cable with rollers. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Emma has developed a new fear</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">of bridges since the Gangotori/Rishikesh bridge experiences, so she almost had a little cry.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5966409854_72633279cf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5966409854_72633279cf_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trolley bridge woe</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Walking for three days up the river valley,</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">through beautiful isolated Ladakhi villages, we then made the climb to the high pass of</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">5200m at Nymaling on day 4 and returned to Leh on the 5th day. Only Guy suffered the final few hundred metres of altitude, but by the summit he was so excited as to run down the scree slopes of the other side, gaining valuable o2 with every leap! </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6148/5966424822_fa7579b491_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6148/5966424822_fa7579b491_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pia, Emma & Guy at 5200M</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">The trek</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">probably was our most happy time in India to date, stunning views,</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">living amongst nature, no pollution, no shops, no tourists, just beautiful nights camping</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">under the crisp starry skies. We achieved another personal record - climbing to our greatest altitude to date 5200m.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/5966420140_1aa54f6c4b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/5966420140_1aa54f6c4b_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hanka, a beautiful isolated Ladakhi village</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">On our return to Leh our bodies were tired and we were happy to just relax in our lovely guest house where Emma fell in love with the Ladakhi family. We spent around a week reading many books; Guy has finished the Harry Potter series now, and to continue the wizard fantasy, read The Hobbit and is half way through Lord of the Rings. Emma continued with her jewelery making spell, finding old Ladakhi stones and trinkets to use for her ever expanding collection. We also bade farewell to Pia and Ina, our wonderful travelling companions of two months. They had to return to Baden-Wuertemburg to live with the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2200c1;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: nowrap;"><b><i> </i></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">eichhoernchen's and Ina's <i>Gros Brown Wurst</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July 6th - Guy's Birthday</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guy had his most amazing birthday. He rented a Royal Enfield 350cc motorbike for 800 rupees and learned to ride it alone on the highest motorable road in the world. By lunch he reached Kardung La - around 5600m high! He was in no mood to stop for lunch, but the views across the Karakoram mountain range were stunning. So he headed back down the trecherous roads, through glacial streams and over trecherous rocky roads. He was supposed to have a permit as the road leads through the Nubra Valley and on to China/Tibet. But it was his birthday and there was no time to organise a permit so on the advice of Rob from the Black Widows Motorcycle Club, he just rode on by the permit check police station smiling! He arrived home aching but exhilarated - who else learns to ride on the worlds highest road? Well the "Widows" made him an honorary member in light of his spectacular motorcycling feat. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We visited the small town of Hemis for the biggest annual Buddhist festival of the year. The day was hot and thousands of Ladakhi people along with western tourists crammed into the small Hemis temple for the two day event of music and dance. After the first day of peering over shoulders, pushing and shoving we decided that the whole thing was just too much of a "lens-fest" (hundreds of giant camera lens that would make "mon papa" and Simon Templar mk II weak at the knees).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Inspired by the peace and happy nature of the Ladakhi people, Emma went on a 3 day silent meditation course at the Mahabodhi International centre. Not quite as hard core as a 15 day vipassana retreat, it was a really good introduction to Buddhism and meditation and not speaking! The teacher, </span>Bhikkhu Sanghasena, was an inspiring man and his teachings were invaluable to every day life. Most of the experience is too personal to describe in a blog, but Emma returned to Leh smiling and happy!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/5965851859_9b63f7c6db_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/5965851859_9b63f7c6db_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emma's donkey friend greets her on her return</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile Guy was on "the road to enlightenment". Yep - you guessed, on another Royal Enfield, this time on a mission to Tso Moriri lake, which also crosses the boarder to China. A little organisation and a permit this time were required for a three day adventure. Having set out with Kevin, an English chap I met the night before, we encountered all kinds of issues, rivers to cross, exhausts/gear shifters that fell off etc and finally Kevins Enfield was barely making it up the hills and he had to turn back after an entertaining lunch in an army camp. The Indian army were so excited about having guests - they cooked a great lunch for us, and provided chocolate and gatorade for the journey ahead. The mechanics also did what they could to fix Kevins bike to limp home to Leh. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5966355726_d8b6e13258_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5966355726_d8b6e13258_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Worlds highest salt lake</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I went onwards, into the unknown lands inhabited by nomadic tribes and strange landscape. There was no roads in places, just sweeping high altitude grasslands where one felt so isolated and free. Upon reaching the tiny town of Korzok on the lake, he just bed down in a little cold tent and begun the journey next day in snow and rain. It was so cold that he decided to take the low road home, rather than the high cold pass, so thus begun a 10 hour ride back to Leh and warm sun.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We counted up the days we had spent in Leh on our fingers, and realised after we ran out of digits that we had been 26 days - almost one month! So we packed our bags, said our goodbyes to the family and embarked on the longest and hardest journey yet - The infamous Leh - Manali highway - the second highest road in the world after Kardung La.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leh - Minali - Highway to Hell! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok really it was the highway to heaven, stunning scenery amidst swirling clouds, and reaching green and pleasant lands of Minali (2500m). It was the highway that was hell - appalling roads, at least four landslide blockages, perilous cliffs with wrecked vehicles in the valley, several cliff-slipped dead cows and a mental driver who would not stop for barely a minute during the 20 hour journey. Combine that with a minibus load of vomiting Indians and we most certainly did not enjoy this journey, however, we believe that no journey will ever phase us again as we took on and succeeded on the Highway to Hell!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5966368320_6621d0b0d0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5966368320_6621d0b0d0_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emma enjoys a landslide break</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6013/5965813549_2761fe3162_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6013/5965813549_2761fe3162_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Ladakhi Woman surveys the Rohtang Pass</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">The next leg of the journey: We have had confirmation from a school in Lukla, Nepal who are keen for us to help out soon. Thank you Laura for the link - Classroom in the clouds:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will be speeding back through the North of India, briefly stopping at the Taj Mahal, Varanassi, and Darjeeling with plans to arrive in Kathmandu within 2 weeks (watch this space).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bonus pics: As always - please see our Flickr page for more: Search for user: namasteindia2011</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6144/5966264259_e10f009a5d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6144/5966264259_e10f009a5d_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old Box - India is a great land for reuse of "used" items - as proven by the Old Box shop man who had no more room in his shop even for himself!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/5966297753_6960c0b907_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/5966297753_6960c0b907_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Border Roads Organisation - one can always fill their alpine journey time laughing at these amusing signs - The best one that we missed with the camera was "Drinking Whiskey Driving Risky".</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6126/5966425924_15cf7bb7a4_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6126/5966425924_15cf7bb7a4_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emma's trekking blister toes</span></div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-30002171426655393402011-06-23T10:14:00.000-07:002011-06-23T10:14:25.907-07:00Golden Memories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Amritsar - Punjab</div><br />
We arrived in Amritsar feeling surprisingly fresh and lively after our night train with the Canadians; Michael and David. We took an instant shine to the city, and wondered why the guide book had painted such a bleak picture of the city. The Punjabi people were most welcoming, and Guy was enrolled in a game of cricket before we had even found a guesthouse. Unfortunatly, he soon found that playing cricket with these boys was unlike that of playing with the kids of Hampi Childrens Trust, and the days of scoring 6 were over, indeed he was bowled out on the third ball! Emma was a hit with the punjabi males, attracting much attention so much so that one cycle rickshaw spent so long staring back at her that he crashed into another rickshaw! </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/5863140033_345cfeac56_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/5863140033_345cfeac56_z.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Temple harmandir</div><br />
</div><div>The main reason that tourists travel to Amritsar is to visit the fantastic Golden Temple - centre to the Sikh faith. It is hard to describe the feelings we had as we put on our headscarves, washed our feet and walked through the magnificent white marble archway to be greated with the most spectacular sight of the temple. Set amid a rectangular pool of holy water surrounded by marble mosaic walls of the complex. It was a busy temple, but unlike the Hindu temples that we have visited, it was calm and relaxed and welcoming. Every Sikh should make at least one pilgramage to the temple in their lifetime, many spend days visiting the temple to pray and spend nights in the free accommodation of the temple. We found a quiet spot to sit and watch temple life pass us by; men bathing in the water (females had to bathe privately), people eating together at the communal canteen and queuing to enter the Harmandir.<br />
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We were welcomed by smiles and conversations with Sikh families, one family in particular were very excited to give us a whole tour of the temple complex. It seemed they wanted us to stay forever. Eager to learn more about the Sikh faith, we read the guide to find out more about these surprisingly welcoming people. Their ethos is admirable: No prejudice of any religion, colour or caste, they treat all people as equals. </div><div><br />
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Dharamasala - Himachal Pradesh<br />
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</div><div>After two days in Amritsar we took a government bus for 8 hours to Dharamasala in Himachal Pradesh. We then climbed 1000m in altitude to stay in Dharamkot, escaping the hustle of Mcleod Ganj - the main traveller hub; a confusing mixture of Tibetan monks, markets, neon lights and clubs. On our midnight arrival, the town was a far cry from expectations of a Buddhist town inhabited by the auspicious Dalai Lama. As we hiked up the valley that evening, we witnessed the annual Miss Tibet competition in full party swing! The region of Dharamasala consists of predominantly Tibetan people in exile along with many Nepali people. Indeed the Tibetan government in exile operates from this hillstation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5156/5863709544_21c8e6882b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5156/5863709544_21c8e6882b_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beautiful views from high in the mountains</div><br />
By morning we were awarded breathtaking views of the mountains overshadowing the town. Thick with forests, revealing monastries amid swirling clouds, the trees are strung with thousands of prayer flags and winding paths lead to remote buildings on steep valley walls. We took a short trek with our friends, new and old, to a nearby waterfall. The alpine water was near freezing, but we couldn't resist a swim in the beautiful tumbling pools, and were soon addicted to the exhilarating feeling in the water and the cleansed body and soul.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/5863151083_fdb11eb630_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/5863151083_fdb11eb630_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pleasure or Pain?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The European climate is a major attraction to this town, no less than the second wettest place in India. We were treated to a daily downpour of such magnitude as to shame the fiercest of British storms, pelting great hailstones with a deafening roar upon the tin roofs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/5863729336_55d30b76e5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/5863729336_55d30b76e5_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the Dalai Lama's abode (green roof on the distant hill)</div></div><div><br />
</div><div>Many westerners make a long stay in Dharamasala, as a result there are many activities to learn; yoga, massage, reiki etc, however we opted for less strenuous jewellery making workshops. Guy has enjoyed silversmith work, and Emma went for mala and macrame courses. We both have made some fine articles and invested in some materials to continue our work.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5107/5863738106_c57c1356c9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5107/5863738106_c57c1356c9_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emma's macrame and mala Jewellery showcase</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/5863720070_ac141c5ca5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/5863720070_ac141c5ca5_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy working with the Silversmith and Pia</div></div><div><br />
</div><div>There are many trekking possibilities in the Himalayan region surrounding the town. Unfortunately Emma was struck down with illness again (flu this time) and wasn't fit enough to trek. So Guy took the opportunity to enjoy a spot of fellrunning, reaching the snowline and back in 6 hours and gaining 1000m, a trek that most people spread over two days with an overnight stop at basecamp.</div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5863704544_cce26b5604_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5863704544_cce26b5604_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Guy (self portrait) at the snowy cloudy glaciery bit</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/5863156135_3310de4653_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/5863156135_3310de4653_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Looking down the valley in the clouds on the descent</div></div><br />
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<div>In Dharamkot we experienced our first fantastic sleeps in India; perfect cool climate, no noisy fans and no traffic. We knew that it would be hard to leave this wonderful, relaxing town, and very well may not have done. However, after two weeks and some influence from Pia and Ina, we booked transport to our next destination; Kashmir.<br />
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Bonus Pics<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5863173605_654c40deca_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5863173605_654c40deca_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This fighter jet shaped moth reminded us of both of our lovely fathers</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5117/5863162619_5278703c69_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5117/5863162619_5278703c69_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">'PIG DOG' had eaten too many pizzas at the family pizzaria. He is a photographic slimming pill for any weight conscious lady!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5076/5863696096_b2b8742d90_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5076/5863696096_b2b8742d90_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The worlds most racist chocolate bar made Guy cry, and tasted like distant fish. Contact Sami - could this be the uber-snack?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Bonus passage: Guy wanted to entitle this blog entry as '<i>Golden Showers</i>' due to the Golden Temple and the rain in Dharamasala. But Emma deemed it "too rude".</div></div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-18793539000966294162011-06-04T10:25:00.000-07:002011-06-04T10:25:01.805-07:00Highs & Lows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Delhi to Uttarakhand<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5193/5795547481_ed4126b5b4_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5193/5795547481_ed4126b5b4_z.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">6000m Himalayan peaks above Gangotori<br />
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</div>After leaving Hampi we took a cheeky flight from Hyderabad to Delhi, avoiding a 27 hour train. We spent 5 days in Delhi, and were surprised to find a well organised and clean city, with beautiful parks and quiet streets. It was a welcome relief following the bustle of all other cities we have visited so far. In particular we enjoyed the planetarium, Lodi Gardens and the immaculate, British built New Delhi. There was also the most efficient Metro service we have ever seen, built for the commonwealth games in 2010. However, despite the pleasent areas of the city it was 45C hot in the daytimes, and little less at night. By far the hottest place we have ever been.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> India Gate - New Delhi</div><br />
From Delhi we travelled north to Rishikesh - The spiritual home of yoga and guru's. It is beautifully situated at the foothills of the Himalaya, and is considered a holy town due to it's location on the river Ganges. Many Hindu pilgrims make their way here to live at Ashrams and bathe in the surprisingly cold and turbulent waters of the mighty Ganga.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/5795403845_89cc47aa98_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/5795403845_89cc47aa98_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hindu pilgrims bathing in the Ganga</div><br />
There are two famous suspension foot bridges here, high over the river. We use the term "footbridge" loosely, hugely busy with pedestrians, motorbikes, cows and disturbing evil monkeys, these overloaded bridges sway sickeningly in the wind and cause 5 minute post-bridge nausea. Needless to say we had a terrifying experience in a storm. We had dinner on the opposite side of the bridge when another giant Indian storm brewed, and we knew that we had to cross to swaying, 100ft bridge it in howling gales and blinding lightning. We had to literally cling on to avoid being blown off and Emma had a big cry. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5144/5795968144_63bcb938b9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5144/5795968144_63bcb938b9_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The infamous bridge in Rishikesh</div><br />
Emma spent a few days of morning yoga, but soon after we both became ill with the apres "Delhi-Belly". So we spent a few days in our room recovering and reading. Emma has been studying Ashtanga yoga from the bed, and Guy has nearly finished the 5th Harry Potter! The landlady was so homely, and gave us aryuvedic medicine and cooked kichiri, nusring us to health.<br />
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Feeling well enough to venture outside, we spent a lovely day at some crystal clear waterfalls feeding the Ganga, took a mountain shower and decided we were better. Following a Ganga tributary uphill, we came across a range of beautiful flora, and some scary forna. Emma found the path lined with blossoming Budleigh and thought of "Mon-Papa" and we got scared by the monkeys; if you look them in the eye they bear teeth, and pump up and down - occasionally pretending to pounce on you. We could really do without a monkey bite!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/5795422937_14d49d90f4_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/5795422937_14d49d90f4_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> After the rain, the smell was like Mon-Papa's Butterfly house</div><br />
There are some wonderful tropical birds here, and walking through the damp jungles, their other-worldly calls and cries give a jurrassic park-esque adventure sensation. The trees in the North of India have become familiar deciduous forests, with the addition of hanging vines and moisture absorbing lichins. Another plant native to this area is that of the cannibis and hemp plant. We now understand where the common name "ganga" stems, as it grows in the hills surrounding the vally of the river Ganges - known to Indians as the river Ganga.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/5795978464_b422e246f6_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/5795978464_b422e246f6_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy "healing" in waterfall near Rishikesh</div><br />
That evening we met Michael and David, two doctors from Canada. They inspired us to join them at 05:00 next morning to embark on a trek to Gomuk - the glacier source of the Ganges. So we hurridly packed our trekking packs, leaving heavy items with the lovely landlady and took the most trecherous ride in a jeep. For 12 ridiculous hours we bumped, clattered and flew up the Himalayas of Uttarakhand, with respite only when a landslide had brought several buildings into the road! It was an unbelievable journey, with vast chasms inches from the tyre as we squeezed past busses, sheep and boulders. The main thing on our mind was knowing we would have to return the same way!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2119/5796075532_d77c058f60_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2119/5796075532_d77c058f60_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This landslide caused at least an hour delay</div><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/5796427924_20424084e1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/5796427924_20424084e1_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Herd blocking the road - Emma loved the brown face one with the fringe</div></div><br />
We passed through many inspiring mountain villages, hanging with Tibetan prayer flags and built hanging off huge cliffs. The terraces among the hills were a beautiful sight, and each small terrace was a miniture farm in a mountain side, to support the many small communities built up on the impossible slopes. Finally we reached the Hindu pilgrimage site of Gangotri, only accessible for 6 months of the year in summer. It was at an altitude of around 3000m and for the first time, we put on several layers and shivered ourselves to sleep in a little freezing room.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/5796585953_2ea26045b0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/5796585953_2ea26045b0_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gangotori - Uttarakhand</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The boys woke us at 06:00 am and the trek up the mountains began. Following the river through the deep V-shape canyon we hauled up over 14 km and gained 1000m in altitude. We were all feeling the effects of the height - with headaches and shallow breathing causing difficulty. But all along, tantalising glimpses of mighty, huge 7000m snowcapped peaks of the worlds greatest mountain range kept us trekking to the basecamp.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/5797193704_0c4f313692_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/5797193704_0c4f313692_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> David, Michael and Emma hiking up the mountain pass</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2052/5796653317_941a2ac825_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2052/5796653317_941a2ac825_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Crossing the sketchy bridges over ice cold streams</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2360/5796413774_bd85bbd9bd_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2360/5796413774_bd85bbd9bd_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy trekking among 6000m + Himalaya peaks</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/5795856455_de9c509637_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/5795856455_de9c509637_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Basecamp -A very welcome sight</div><br />
We spent a well earned night beneath clear skies of a million stars in a tent with many blankets, and rested through to the morning where we all felt more acclimatised to the altitude.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/5795858033_4f87eaa8ed_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/5795858033_4f87eaa8ed_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Our cosy basecamp tent with David and Michael</div><br />
At 05:00 we embarked upon a 4km trek to the Glacier of Gomuk. Wearing every layer from our bags we trudged shrough the sleet and snow along with scantily clad pilgrims (Orange-Men) to the highly holy and dissappointingly bland muddy glacier. Unfortunately one km from the glacier snout, Emma had another bout of the Rishi-Belly and we made the urgent trip down the mountain - Thus the high and the low begun - 4000m emergency!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/5796418770_0407b95e9e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/5796418770_0407b95e9e_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gomuk glacier - one of the holiest places in the world. Not such a pretty face!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5196/5797198226_f8671aee6a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5196/5797198226_f8671aee6a_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Orange Men - Sadhu on a pilgrimage</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Emma should be commended as we made it 22km down the mountain in cold wet weather to Gangotri, stopping only for "emergency poos". The majority of tourists, Indian or western hire a mountain guide and a sherpa brings their equipment. Some really lazy ones even get a donkey plus sherpa. We were proud to carry all our gear, and still overtook the slow wheezing unfitties! However we are no match for the incredible sherpas - effortlessly carrying enormous loads, hauling it up at great speed with a strap around their forehead! Michael decided that if you took 1x sherpa and taught him to ride a bike - you would result in a Tour-De-France champion! I can well believe it too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/5795867733_efeda7a627_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/5795867733_efeda7a627_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Any guesses as to what this sherpa is hauling up the mountain? </div><br />
Upon reaching the town we learned that there is no place to stay with either hot water or heating, and took the group descision to return to the jeep for another 6 hour ride through the dark to Utterakashi where a warm room could be found. It felt like one of the longest days of our life. The medical advice from Michael and David helped us both, prescribing Emma antibiotics and helping with Guy's septic foot. Thanks dudes! While all we could dream of was a relaxing day off - the extreme Canadians were at it again, waking us early for the trecherous second half of the jeep journey to Haridwar, and when we thought it couldnt get any worse, an immediate night train to Amritsar - the next leg of the journey to Dharamasala, home of the Dalai Lama in the Himachal Pradesh. We experienced a new class of train travel - pay for two seats and get just one on a fully booked train - such is the surprising way of all things in this country. Well at least we have finally had a day off, and found time to do the blog (It has taken 4 internet cafe's and about 7 hours to complete due to Indias unreliable electrical and internet connections)! The antibiotics seem to be working for Emma, and Guy's foot abcess is healing.<br />
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Bonus pictures, as usual: More on our Flickr page; namasteindia2011<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5111/5796565335_96b3ed900c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5111/5796565335_96b3ed900c_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Present, Past, Future machine - Obviously. Guy got hassled for using it and we ran away!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5795983318_a1e2dd0eff_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5795983318_a1e2dd0eff_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Incredible clouds above Rishikesh - Dad - please consult the book and let us know what this formation is called. </div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-38388790559854215712011-05-16T01:01:00.000-07:002011-05-16T01:01:29.932-07:00Hampi Potter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5725252829_b11e34d6b1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5725252829_b11e34d6b1_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5725238035_50bb032e77_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5725238035_50bb032e77_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Vitthala Temple - Hampi</div>Hampi - Karnataka.<br />
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The moment we arrived in the mysterious boulder-strewn landscape we knew that Hampi would be a great experience, and that we may have to stay for some time. Remembering advice by a friend from Bristol (Emmy) and Flo, we set out to find and stay with the Hampi Childrens Trust, with a mind to volunteer for a few days. Well two and a half weeks have passed and we are still enjoying work with the 36 children every day. We have taken every afternoon/evening session doing various crafts with them. Juggling balls, mosaics and kites to name a few, along with visiting temples, playing cricket and going for picnics.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5725045717_15d7488eba_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5725045717_15d7488eba_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Flying Kites</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5309/5725233313_8b53de916d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5309/5725233313_8b53de916d_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Making Juggling Balls</div><br />
The trust provides the children (aged 4-14) with the chance to attend school, have healthy meals and enjoy activities. They take in children from the poor areas of the town, and encourage learning and discourage begging from tourists. The trust very much encourages volunteers and welcomes new ideas, activities and resources. We provided a good deal of all of these and feel most at home here, indeed, we regret having booked our tickets moving on from here later today. The children have even just managed to cope with Guys one syllable name, usually the just called me "y-EMMA" also. We will never forget the cries "Yemma, PATCH!" when tape or a plaster is required, or "BOAT!" when Guy has to make an emergency on-the-spot origami boat!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5725043163_3f2fc0f2b5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5725043163_3f2fc0f2b5_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy climbing a tree with children from the trust</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It has been great to live in one place for a few weeks, and it has been a very different travelling experience, almost becoming one of the locals! We have found that although it can be exhausting working with the children in the 40 C heat of the day, we have also found much time to enjoy relaxing activities. We spent some days making our very own travel version of the board game; Carcassonne. Then, as always, we had to make the expansion packs too! We introduced a long-term volunteer from the USA - Matt to the game and enjoyed many evenings gaming. Matt - I hope we meet up again in North India, and if not - Nebraska soon! Guy had to find a new book to read, and at the children's trust, found Harry Potter I & II. Sheepishly, he sneaked them back to his room and read them both in three days! Undercover Harry Potter addict!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5725597358_e4f205d3f1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5725597358_e4f205d3f1_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Handpainted Carcassonne Game</div><br />
A little about the amazing Hampi. Former capital of the Vitthala empire The strange land of huge, impossibly balanced boulders was originally brought here by an army of monkeys, preparing for battle with Sri Lanka, legend has it. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of temples built among the hills and rocks, with the Tungabhadra river flowing gently in the valley. Indeed this is where Lakshmi the Vitthala temple elephant receives her daily wash!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/5725609882_39fb05a13e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/5725609882_39fb05a13e_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lakshmi's bath</div><br />
Currently it is the hottest time of the year, daily temperatures exceed 40 C and it does not get much cooler at night. Locals tell us all the rocks absorb the intense heat of the day and radiate it at night. While this is possibly the finest place I have ever seen for climbing, it is not really possible in this season as the rock is scaldingly hot to touch during hours of sun. Though we have enjoyed some bouldering whenever possible.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5725236999_4f2948eabf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5725236999_4f2948eabf_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bouldering with Cherry on Matanga Hill</div><br />
Emma had her birthday last Wednesday. We celebrated with the children all day, who sung a rhythmically peculiar version of Happy Birthday and made her beautiful cards.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/5725030669_7d529239f6_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/5725030669_7d529239f6_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Coracle boat ride</div><br />
We met with Pia and Ena again for a few days, and went in a Coracle boat - a sort of circular tub made from palm fronds and covered with tar, walked among the rocks and took what turned out to be a disastrous moped trip in which we had no less than 7 punctures! We also met with Cherry again, whom we last saw in Gokarna. We enjoyed a trip to the local cinema in the nearby city of Hospet to watch a Tollywood (Tamil Nadu version of Bollywood) film. The experience was very funny, and very different from the expected silence of an English cinema. In true Indian spirit there was much commotion and continuous whoops and cheers whenever the love story became a little racy. It made for a really enjoyable show and we think that audience participation should be incorporated into cinemas back home, though without the huge rat that we thought was a dog!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/5725054963_f756b2c466_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/5725054963_f756b2c466_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sina and Issy meditation pose</div><br />
We once again met with Issy and Sina from Switzerland who we met around a month ago in Munnar. They kindly gave us a his & hers Swiss Army knife each, in order to cut mangos, predominantly. In exchange for these lovely gifts, we guided them to an old temple full of bats! We spent all night deploying all the different knifes and tools. y-Emma mainly enjoyed the mini tweezers and shaped her eyebrows for the first time in 8 weeks!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/5725231133_39b8cbb292_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/5725231133_39b8cbb292_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bats in old temple</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So this evening we embark on a delightful 10 hour bus journey, arriving 06:00, then have a day in the city of Hyderabad before flying to Delhi in the evening. Inspired by working with the children, we would like to head to Uttarakhand soon to work with the orphans in the Himalayan region of this state.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/5725607972_eb483f628c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/5725607972_eb483f628c_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Saved the best until last - Another storm from our rooftop above the Vitthala temple</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5725050855_0b034a65a8_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5725050855_0b034a65a8_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5663452565_50950c68ec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5663452565_50950c68ec.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emma at the headland - Om Beach</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Om Beach, Gokarna. We arrived at Om Beach and met up again with Ina and Pia around one week ago. We have completely lost track of time in this beautiful part of the west coast of India. Om beach is so quiet as the season is drawing to a close, for the monsoon is imminent. We met a good deal of travelling friends at this beach, and for a week or so we were a friendly group from all across Europe:<span> </span>Love and Sabina from Sweden, Flo (short for Florence) from Austria, James from France, Nunu from Portugal, Cherry from the UK and more who’s names have escaped me.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The beach has two small sandy bays that meet in the middle to form the Hindu Om symbol. The perfect beach is lined with little beach shacks serving great world cuisine, <span> </span>the Tandoori King Fish may well be the finest delicacy I have ever eaten. The atmosphere here was so laid back, little happened and days passed unnoticed. Swimming, relaxing, reading etc were the order of the day, and we felt, a well deserved break after many hours of overnight bus and train traveling. We ventured through the jungle along the cliffs to reach other bays: Half Moon and Paradise beach, all of which were serene and perfect, isolated from roads with access only by a short trek. Often during the day, dolphins can be seen in the bay, tails in the air and sleek fins gliding through the water. I wished I could hear their “chattering” beneath the waves.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5663454163_e4481aef77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5663454163_e4481aef77.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunset over Om Beach</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our good friend Flo from Austria provided us with much amusement, and each morning we would be up at around 06:30 to go through a session of five elements yoga, of which he was a superb teacher. This was a mixture of tai-chi and Yoga, with a Chinese heritage. It was less strenuous than Emma’s chosen Ashtanga yoga, and just perfect to do to the sunrise in paradise. Guy might have to become a five elements convert, though I can only recall two: Tone and Colour… Flo, I hope that we meet again before you leave India, as I’m currently three elements unwise! Oh, and I’ll never forget your phrase “this is one of the songs”. I hope that we will meet you near Saltzburg in the near future, and we’ll post those spices along the way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5664020050_f2d83362a6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5664020050_f2d83362a6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Bull and Calf at Om Beach</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During the night before we left, we all enjoyed the most spectacular natural phenomena:<span> </span>We swam with stars in the ocean. There was a huge bloom of luminescent plankton. The sea glowed turquoise around the body and glimmered like distant stars. One could see their whole body in the water illuminated by tens of thousands of tiny “stars”. The harder you swam, the<span> </span>more intense was the eerie, beautiful light. The sky was full of stars, and the ocean too. I don’t expect I will ever experience such a unique event again, and we were all awe-struck. Emma likened the experience to "Faeries of the Sea".</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ld4wmoKvto1qa9tzfo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ld4wmoKvto1qa9tzfo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Luminescent Plankton (not my photo)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We headed from Om Beach to Goa – Palolem beach. Well though we thought we had to see Goa in all it’s touristy glory. On arriving at 02:00 am (travelling in India is often through the night, in order to cover large distances asleep – rather like teleportation) the beach at Palolem reminded me of Newquay in it’s appearance – predominantly British tourists watching huge screen football match and drinking on the beach through the night – Emma thought it was akin to Magaluf and agreed with Alabama 3 when they sung “<i>Ain’t going to Goa</i>”, if you haven’t heard it before it sums up the scene pretty well!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Looking beyond naff party time glitz, one can see that this would have been a most beautiful place before the package tourist invasion – perfect crescent, white sandy beaches and an ominous looking island; Monkey Island that there may still be time left today to take a canoe across to visit. Pia and Ina have headed to the dog sanctuary to help with the stray dogs at a widely respected charity here. The dogs trust put on an outdoor cinema in a little bay around the corner last night, with delightful table service tandoori food and a great movie – Three Days Later. It was a superb evening and Guy got out of his general misery “I’ve come here to visit India, not bloody Newquay” mood, and apologise to Emma. Well on the plus side, we leave Goa at 05:00am in the morning and are heading to Hampi. We plan to do some voluntary work at the Hampi Childrens Trust for a week or two. So tomorrow we wave goodbye to the ocean, plankton, beach huts, paradise and Newquay for the lunar landscaped Hampi – and Scott Roberts – I think I will regret not bringing my climbing shoes…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5021/5663457091_2aa09f1487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5021/5663457091_2aa09f1487.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> This is Pervy Frog - He spent the week in our bathroom watching us with those pervy eyes!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">As always - some more photos on Flickr - There is one for you Mr Kyle.</div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-58869830669148254572011-04-20T01:38:00.000-07:002011-04-20T01:38:32.034-07:00Tea in the Clouds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5637231402_9f9c244a5e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5637231402_9f9c244a5e.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The mountains and tea plantations of Munnar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We traveled from Periyar to Munnar with Pia and Ina, our German friends. Munnar is also a national park and contains Indias highest peak outside of Himalaya - Ana Mudi 2695 m. So naturally Guy got all excited about climbing it. The trouble is, in India, such things are just not really possible. As with Periyar, the entrance to the park was extremely expensive and you were only permitted to walk for 1km! So Guy dragged Emma up the snake infested mountain (we actually saw no snakes) and we broke into the national park. Liberation? Not really: With no maps available we could only guess as to which was Ana Mudi. Well several hours of trekking through jungle, tea plantations and along dry rivers, we got to around half way up the sheer rock sides of the mountain. And there we were in the tea plantations, in the clouds. It was very beautiful and we felt pleased to have a self guided trek in the mountains. Emma saw a puma sprinting through the jungle ahead, after 5 minutes discussing the possibility of it eating us, we proceeded forth, discovering it was just big jet black monkeys!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5636653813_315fe5e223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5636653813_315fe5e223.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Top Station, Munnar with Pia and Ina</div><br />
We really enjoyed the cool climate of Munnar and could have stayed longer, but it was time to travel back to the coast; Fort Kochi. We stayed with Pia and Ina for a couple of relaxing nights and ambled around the town, enjoying good food and games of Hearts! We also ticked another box of "things to do" in Kerala and went to see the Katakali dancing. A very interesting experience - from the men applying their make-up, demonstration of eye movements and gestures to rhythmical drumming, to a 40 minute performance (these performances usually last for 7 hours). The photo really cannot capture the whole atmosphere of the drumming, singing, bell ringing, conch blowing, eyball-jiggling and dancing!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5636655903_7673cbb16e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5636655903_7673cbb16e.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Chinese fishing nets in Fort Kochi</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5637236302_23d0cf86dc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5637236302_23d0cf86dc.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The evil God of the Katakali performance</div><br />
After looking at a large map of India, it became apparent that we have covered little ground in this vast land, it was time to travel North. So we waved goodbye to Kerala from our overnight sleeper and headed to the city of Mysore (via Bangalore) in Karnataka. On arrival, we both felt that Mysore was the least chaotic city of India we had traveled to, with less traffic, less people and a slightly cooler climate. However, we soon became wise to the fact that many people in Mysore are very good at bending the truth and leading travelers astray from their plans - we were taking to beedie factories, incense factories, silk emporiums, and markets galore! We traveled around the city for the day with Mirza and Felix, two very entertaining gents from Switzerland, visiting the Hindu temples of Chamundi hill, the largest palace in India and more silk emporiums. The sheer opulence of the palace inside shocked us, along with having to bribe the guards to take cameras inside!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5637236756_4f8a6afdd9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5637236756_4f8a6afdd9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mysore Palace - former Maharaja abode</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5637241852_135e4d23c6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5637241852_135e4d23c6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Wedding Chamber</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5637243138_30e2e8e2be.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5637243138_30e2e8e2be.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite photo to date - Hindu temple within the palace</div><br />
The next leg of our travels is an overnight train to Gokarna, Om beach - as recommended by Mirza and Felix. And if you are reading this, it was very amusing to meet you we'll see you in Switzerland soon, perhaps we'll bring the little train!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5636661629_3139b18c1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5636661629_3139b18c1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Refreshing freshly squeezed sugar cane and ginger beverage, our new favorite!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">More photos on Flickr, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60579078@N06/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/60579078@N06/</a></div></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-81212975014094066422011-04-11T02:54:00.000-07:002011-04-11T02:54:54.227-07:00Keralan Backwaters to Periyar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Our stay in Varkala was extended several days due to Emma developing a severe ear infection and fever. We enjoyed a spectrum of India's healthcare options; the 2 rupee general hospital that was by no means pleasant to visiting the immaculate surgeons house (though he did look like the crazy doctor from <i>Return to Oz</i>).The storms in the evenings persisted and we managed to capture some interesting lightning photographs. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5609380224_c18f475abe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5609380224_c18f475abe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lightning above Varkala</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/5608802451_4cabd5a811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/5608802451_4cabd5a811.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Although she does look like a propped up corpse in this picture, Emma is enjoying this Varkalan sunset</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Emma has since recovered well and we made swift progress to the backwaters in Alleppy, where we took a tiny boat out into the sunset - it was our most lovely moment to date, and the first moment of calm away from the racket of the towns. We were pleased having not taken the Gin-Palace houseboat cruises - they were both expensive and seemingly pretentious on the backwaters, only able to stay to the main large waterways. Our lovely little private boat (which was little more than a canoe with a palm tree canopy) sneaked down many narrow canals, where we got a wonderful view of life on the backwaters. We observed the villagers living with the water in harmony and it was very peaceful. We decided that the driver (captain?) of our little boat had the best job in the world, and he agreed. We putted along past his house whereby his wife popped out and waved!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5609385054_faf48c713f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5609385054_faf48c713f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Our lovely boat in the Keralan Backwaters</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5609386910_474720df4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5609386910_474720df4a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A glimpse of village life</div><br />
Next day we took the ferry from Alleppy to Kottayam, where we met two lovely German traveling companions who's names I cannot spell! As a group of four, we took the taxi to Periyar National Park and Tiger Sanctuary. This was the most spectacular drive through the mountains of the Western Ghats, passing huge rubber, tea and spice plantations.<br />
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On the following day we were encouraged by the German girls to rent scooters to take on the lovely quiet mountain roads. While Guy jumped at this possibility, remembering the days he rode his scooter a decade ago, Emma reluctantly agreed to join as a passenger. Well it turned out to be the most amazing day, surpassing even that of the backwater cruise, the freedom of the weedy scooter, cool mountain air in our hair and roads so beautiful and free of traffic. We felt as if we were in <i>Easy Rider</i>!<br />
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As we rode into the sunset, we passed waterfalls, monkey roadblocks and little dusty towns where we stopped for refreshments, while entertaining the idea of being in Wild West towns, and us the cowboys. Groups of enthused locals would surround us and question us on our countries, cricketers and footballers. To finish off the perfect day, we rode to a spice garden, in which we were greeted by the incredibly multi-lingual spice aficionado owner. He took us around for an hour or so, and we were bewildered by the sights, tastes and scents of the fresh growing spices and medicinal herbs. This area is where 75% of all cardamom is grown and it smells delicious!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5310/5608810609_62bd943784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5310/5608810609_62bd943784.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Four monkeys admire Guy's radical <i>Hog</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5103/5608808149_d939166d3c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5103/5608808149_d939166d3c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We stopped at a Mountain Waterfall</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Today we took the early morning ferry inside the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and it was almost instantly a disappointment! Not only were the tickets expensive, we had expected we could just relax and go for a<br />
lovely walk, but even got told off for straying about 50m from the path! Infact all you can do in the park is get a cruise on the ferry or pay loads for a guided tour. Well at least the boat made us laugh. All the action was inside the boat, nothing really happened outside! Most of the hundred or so passengers were sent to sleep (Emma included).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5609397472_e4bb278f67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5609397472_e4bb278f67.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The Joy of Cruising Periyar Lake</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The slightest hint of a distant animal sent the passengers into havoc. During quiet moments I just wanted to stand up and shout "TIGER", however I resisted the urge! Even running for the queue was stressful - not the tranquil journey we had envisaged. We saw some distant bison, couple of monkeys and deer - not even an elephant and certainly no tigers in the Tiger Sanctuary! It was a beautiful place, spoiled by the fact one can not enjoy it freely.We hope that all of the National Parks will not be as strict and expensive in future.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5608815327_1555f7ffca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5608815327_1555f7ffca.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Periyar this morning</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It has certainly been a week of highs and lows, a rollercoaster of emotions. Such is the way of traveling India. Tomorrow we look forward to moving on to Munnar National Park, also in Kerala.<br />
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</div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-20043078251562090622011-04-03T01:32:00.000-07:002011-04-03T01:32:32.010-07:00Kerala, Cricket and Friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Kerala<br />
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We travelled to Kerala on a 13 hour sleeper train experience - 2nd class sleeper. Though there were mostly cockroaches in the seats, it was also a wonderful experience! We met many good people on the train, chatted for hours into the night and were amused by the array of delicacies being sold by "wallahas" up and down the carriages.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5584564614_e395874829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5584564614_e395874829.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emma on the top bunk in the train</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We arrived at Trivundrum, the capital of Kerala. There was a stunning Raj palace we visited, and a unique large temple we were not allowed in, though the unofficial guide was very sad when we did not want to buy his wood carvings!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5583978625_db7d41cb65_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5583978625_db7d41cb65_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hindu temple in Trivandrum - uniquely painted just one colour</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5584574028_2974cac4e2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5584574028_2974cac4e2_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The stunning Raj Palace - incredible wood carvings make up the structure of this huge palace</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>India is the land where everything is offered upon you, especially as a tourist. There are days where we become frustrated having to fend off literally hundreds of street vendors, rickshaw drivers, taxis, all offering "very very cheap price sir"! Though it is there livelihood and being a westerner is just the target for a few extra rupees.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5584013233_40e934979b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5584013233_40e934979b_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Simon - Our favourite "throw wallah" in Kovalam - He was lovely, but we just cannot fit any more stuff in our rucksacs!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We swiftly escaped the busy city (after spending a day organising getting a sim card for our mobile) and headed for Kovalam, a paradise beach in the south of Kerala - white sandy beaches and beautiful warm waters. Guy felt like a real traveller when he heard a coconut fall from the high palms nearby, despite Emma saying he could not open it, half an hour later with a brick he peeled off the fiberous husk victoriously and cracked the hard nut inside for a tasty refreshing fruit experience. It felt all Golding's <i>Lord of the Flies!</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5584625106_f1889b9a57_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5584625106_f1889b9a57_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Half way through the husk...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5584039843_b2a74d7012_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5584039843_b2a74d7012_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The freshest coconut ever - victory!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We met some friendly travellers who have inspired our adventure:<br />
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Katharine and Tom from London who were particularly generous in paying for the evenings meals and beers, along with giving us their Lonely Planet on India. We shared stories and had a great evening chatting about their stay in Kerala - they inspired us into staying in the stunning hotel in Periyar national park in the middle of a lake which may be the next port of call. Oh and Tom, if you read this - we certainly would love to take you up on the offer of the Tunng gig, and thanks for the gifts! We hope you had a safe return journey.<br />
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We also had the pleasure to meet Micah and Rachael, cycle touring south India for a few weeks - they were an inspiration into how to enjoy life and adventure. We juggled on the beaches, eat amazing burgers and did a few days of "bodysurfing" in the sea at Kovalam and Varkala. Though they were cycling, we stayed a day extra and chased them to Varkala where we met again! Im so glad that their adventure inspired Emma to embark on a cycle tour on our return. Hats off to you Micah and Rachael, how you can cycle every day loaded in these searing southern India temperatures is beyond me! We will visit one day in the US - mainly because I'd love to check out that BMW motorbike! (Don't tell Emma!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5091/5584674910_122a6c748c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5091/5584674910_122a6c748c_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Micah and Emma - Ultimates</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So we are now staying in Varkalla, where Guy was able to (almost) achieve his life ambition #2 - surfing without a wetsuit in tropical seas. 65 rupees later I had a previously snapped foam longboard re-shaped into a 5ft shortboard! Well I can half tick off dream #2, having stood up upon the weird board for almost 5 seconds on some tiny waves! I still did not get the dream wave; glassy tropical right-hander...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5584020243_a6b5de2c0d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5584020243_a6b5de2c0d_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guy (falling off)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Emma has become a sun-addict on these beaches, and is developing a lovely tan. She had a great time practising juggling with Micah on the beach and was passing "ultimates" with 6 balls. Perhaps someone might suggest a good fairytale book to replace her completed Stardust book, as she has thieved my Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance book. Grrr!<br />
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On the topic of books, my cloud spotting has reached new heights (no pun intended), with the breif encounter with Cumulonimbus, the king of clouds last night, providing a cacophony of thunder, lightning, wind and rains during the epic cricket world cup final.<br />
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We were sat in a little bar on the edge of the cliffs where we watched the final few hours of the cricket final; India vs Sri Lanka. The atmosphere was (literally) electric, all the locals chanting and drumming with the bongos for their beloved nation of a billion cricket lovers. Both sides played extremely well, but India prevailed by hitting an epic 6 for victory! Everyone in the town went crazy through the night and are smiling even more, which for the Indians, I thought not possible!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5584613282_41cb541cc2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5584613282_41cb541cc2_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"India Win"!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So next up - Kollam, where we will be enjoying the famous backwaters of Kerala, in boats and even canoes. I cant wait to leave this tropical beach paradise of Varkala!<br />
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p.s You may be able to see some more pictures on our Flickr page: namasteindia2011<br />
</div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-34395575514717623792011-03-27T07:47:00.000-07:002011-03-27T07:47:45.002-07:00Pondicherry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hello to all!<br />
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Well, after dragging Guy away from his lovely room with balcony with sea view in Mamallapuram (thought I was going to have to leave him there forever) we took a 2hour bus journey to Pondi (a rickety ride). <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5563891807_ebf4af0818_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5563891807_ebf4af0818_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Guy's balcony</div><br />
Pondicherry wasn't quite what we imagined, after reading the guide book, but still good fun! We have spent a long day walking around the city, from the sea front to the incredibly busy market, and are both pretty shattered. Lucky this town is French and we have just had a coffee in a patisserie to perk up for the evening.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5563891819_2af6af6549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5563891819_2af6af6549.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Ghandi statue (this wasn't the only picture taken as many India's also took the same snap of Emma!)</div><br />
Our plan for tomorrow is to take our first long distance train journey straight to Kerala, about a 13 hour journey, should be fun! So our next update will be in the new state of Kerala and the town of Kovalam.<br />
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</div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-9898088256754632942011-03-25T04:26:00.000-07:002011-03-25T04:35:48.024-07:00Mamallapuram<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We have arrived! And what a place it is. Unbelievably hot, colourful, friendly and every bit an adventure!<br />
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So far we have visited the enormous city of Chennai (6.4 million) and it was manic with rickshaw journeys on roads unashamedly disorganised! Our first venture outside was a hair raising ride into the city from the airport.<br />
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After our first night in an aircon room (expensive) we met a lovely friend from Couchsurfing - Lead Machary. He was so friendly and let us have the keys to his place and do as we pleased. On the second day he showed us around the city, and the many modes of transport to get around. We saw all the city had to offer from these vehicles: Rickshaw, Train, Metro, Bus, Car and Motorbike (Guy only). We hung out with Leads lovely friend Mani and his wife in the eve, and talked/laughed into the early hours. We could have stayed for longer with new freinds, but Chennai is a very big polluted city (so much waste and rubbish lines the streets, poverty is very apparent) and we felt it time to head somewhere more calm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5557825649_367cca1351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5557825649_367cca1351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lead - Guy - Mani and his Wife - Emma - Beer (V.expensive here!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We are now in Mamallapuram on our second day in this wonderful small town - where huge caves and temples have been carved from the local rocks. The town supplies much of the world with Hindu statues. It is quite a sight. Cows and Goats roam the streets freely, occasionally getting pushed away from eating from the food carts. Cheeky monkeys frolic in the temples and trees. It is a pleasant place - quite touristy though because of its white sandy beach. It is one of the beaches hit by the 2004 tsunami, but it has recovered well and people hear seem relaxed and happy. Guy could achieve one of his top things to do in his life here: #2 - Surf in waters so warm as to not need a wetsuit. I should hope to try this in the Bay of Bengal, before we head west towards the Indian Ocean.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5558411356_c15445f6e2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5558411356_c15445f6e2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Krishnas Butterball</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5557824789_ce03e5e725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5557824789_ce03e5e725.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shore Temple - Oldest Temple in South India</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Next we intend to head to Pondicherry, just south of Mamallapuram and will keep you updated. Our Indian language skills have not improved much - as in this state (Tamil Nadu) the most prominent language is not Hindi but Tamil - so valakom (hello - incorrectly spelled?!) is as far as we got. However, we have been taught the correct way to eat with our right hand and it is becoming a little easier now.<br />
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</div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531539324837611354.post-8674167000406893992011-03-13T13:46:00.000-07:002011-03-13T13:46:39.882-07:00Flights BookedWe have finally booked flights - we leave on Sunday 20th March heading to Chennai to begin our little adventure in India.<br />
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Love you and miss you already.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.luxuryproperty.com/wp-content/uploads/image/india-luxury-property/Chennai1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://blog.luxuryproperty.com/wp-content/uploads/image/india-luxury-property/Chennai1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Guy and Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06264791604605469263noreply@blogger.com1