Blogs from Nepal, Asia
the girls at a bar after dinner
December 2nd to December 18th Coming down from the trek was bittersweet. On one hand, we were looking forward to being back in 'civilization'...aka, proper coffee, hot showers and food other than noodles and lentils. On the other hand, we were sad to say goodbye to the fresh air, peacefulness and serenity of the Himalayas, something only nature and rural areas can provide. We finished off our trek in the town of Jomsom. Some travellers choose to continue for another week on roads which, due to blasting and construction, are now filled with buses and jeeps. We opted for the daring bus ride down the mountain, which took 13 hours teetering on some of the sheerest cliffsides we've ever seen. We managed to make it to Pokhara in one piece with our new friends from the ... read more
One month in Himalaya - Primi giorni - Kathmandu I primi quattro giorni sono stati caratterizzati da una grande ansia. E’ la propaggine del lavoro e dell'ultimo casino .. cinese. A volte penso che questo Paese sia molto, molto usurante... Oggi credo che le nubi siano un po’ dipanate e mi sembra meglio. Kathmandu è una città molto interessante. Sporca, caotica. Le vie sono "sgarruppatissime", buche che sembrano crateri, clacson e moto/motorini che sfrecciano da ogni dove. Ogni 100 metri qualche tempietto, edicole votive indù con ghirlande e fiori, incensi, fedeli (specie induisti) in adorazione. Molti di questi edifici servono sia al culto induista che buddista, qui come in molti Paesi dell'Asia i fedeli sono completamente sincretisti. Camminando da solo spesso vengo abbordato da giovani nepalesi che fingendo amicizia poi ti vogliono scroccare soldi. Dopo le ... read more
Chitwan park
Nepal Well, I know Brian promised to post the blog about Nepal before we had left the country, but surprise, surprise, we have been in Thailand for a week now, and still no blog about Nepal (Not sure how this got past the editor!!)… Brian is busy doing much needed maintenance on the bikes for a few days, which gives me (Tanja) some time to write about Nepal for a change. Crossing the border Crossing the border from India into Nepal was actually relatively easy, but took ages. We therefore decided to spend the night in the border town before heading to Chitwan National Park the following day. Many people have said that after riding in India, Nepal feels like an oasis of peace, and that is exactly how we felt when we got to Chitwan. ... read more
Sambar and Idli (Famous Indian Comedy Duo)
Aaaargh !! The idlis are following us !!! I thought we'd left them behind in India, but oh no. They only had to go and turn up here in Kathmandu didn't they ? OK, OK, I get the message. I'm going to have to give them a proper go. You're supposed to have them with Sambar ( mixed vegetable cooked with yellow lentil flavoured with tamarind and Indian spices ). Not my first choice for breakfast but only fair I supppose. So, what are they ? I've told you once, breast implants. No, really. Um, OK, steamed rice flour dumplings. And what do they taste like ? I've told you once, breast implants. No, really. Yes, really. Stop it. Um, OK, I find I am forced to admit, they're actually quite nice. Rather like dumplings. The ... read more
A View From The Stupa
Last day in Kathmandu - leisure day. But first, the massage yesterday. A few years ago, Moi and I were in Tunisia and both of us went for a massage. We were shown to the treatment rooms and there were two young Tunisian ladies standing in the entrances of the their respective treatment rooms. One of them was a lovely, petit, attractive young lady, while the other was, and I'm sorry but there's just no other way to say this, a right bruiser. Before I had chance, Moi barged past me and went straight into the lovely petit ladies room! Well, thanks a lot. I emerged an hour later, bruised, abused, ashamed and violated. After that, Moi and I made a deal that next time we both went for a massage together (which was yesterday), I ... read more
So we decided to make the wise choice and fly to Kathmandu, after a week in hospital I did not fancy a 20 hour bus train bus bus ride to get here! We arrived just before Christmas and had a rather uneventful couple of first days. The most important thing to mention here is that Nepal eats buff. Buffalo. Yes the closest you can get to a cow in these parts. And maaaaan was it good. Our first steak in over 2 months tasted like a slab of heaven. We thought we'd treat ourselves for the festive season and booked into a room with a bath. And hot water to go in it! Luxury!! We also spotted our first Christmas tree which was very exciting as we hadn't seen a peep of Christmas thus far. Unlike ... read more
Buddha Air Hostess
Once upon a time, there was a little boy called George. George was born in Powys, Wales in the latter part of the 18th century and, from an early age, showed a keen interest in geography. As a young man he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery and sent abroad to India to work on the Great Trigonometrical Survey of the sub-continent. He was responsible for mapping the Himarlias and became the first man to identify that one of these mountains was probably the highest in the world. As this was later proved to be true, the mountain was named after him in his honour (despite his personal objections) and this is the name we all know it as these days - Mount George. Some Facts: The south approach (from Nepal) is the "easiest" and to ... read more
Kumari - The LivingGoddess
First - Time Zones: Nepal is actually 15 minutes ahead of Delhi, which means that it is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of London ! How does that work then ? I always thought that time zones were multiples of an hour ahead or behind ? It got me to thinking about timezones generally. Ignoring political boundaries for a minute, scientifically, if we consider the Earth as a sphere with a circumference of roughly 24,000 miles at the equator (24,901.55 actually), then dividing this by 24 (hours in a day) means that every 1000 miles represents an hour forward or backward ( depending which way round you go ). Now then, again ignoring policial boundaries, if every time zone was divided up equally (rather like the segments of an orange), then as you move up or ... read more
The Band (After The Execution)
Well . . . . Kathmandu, Nepal. This is a bit different. I think it’s only now that we have realized just how mad India is. The word “frenetic” comes to mind. Although it does have its own charm, it was completely bonkers. If people were cold, they just lit a fire on the pavement or in the road, if they wanted a wee, they just had a wee wherever they were, if they wanted to drive somewhere, they just pointed the car in that direction and put their foot down. In Nepal, the vibe just seems a whole lot calmer. We were met by a lovely man called Mark (traditional Nepalese name) who draped silk scarves around our necks and welcomed us to Nepal. After a (calm) drive through busy traffic he explained that Kathmandu ... read more
Diddly.com
For more exciting and innovative ideas to do with your Idlis, please see attached. (Just present this coupon at your local Idli store and for every Idli you buy, we'll give you one absolutely free. You can't say diddly to that!).... read more
