Morning all Firstly, it was great to see lots of you whilst I was in England over Christmas / New Year and then the month of working in London. Thanks to those of you who put me up / cooked me food / bought me drinks etc etc etc. It was hugely appreciated. Anyway, I thought I should break radio silence and let you all know what's going on. In short, I'm intending to spend the Summer in France, trying my hand at becoming self-sufficient in vegetable and fruit growing. Sounds boring, and probably is unless it's your sort of thing. [View Full Entry]

---

---

So apologies for another blog so soon, but I feel the need to put my thoughts down on the page. This entry, being completely devoid of pictures, will no doubt have the lowest audience ratings yet. But I can honestly say that at the moment this matters very little to me. Perhaps it is the drink talking (I have spent the last few hours drinking rakshi). But for perhaps the first time ever, I no longer care what people "at home" (or in fact anyone else) thinks. It currently seems hugely irrelevant and inconsequential. It is most unlikely that I will [View Full Entry]

---

---

Gatlang is a relatively large village on the newly-opened Tamang Heritage Trail. To end the blogging year with something other than mountains, I have put together some of my favourite pictures of the people of the village. Hope this makes a nice change. All that remains is a bit of Christmas shopping, getting an Indian visa (I fly home from Delhi), and perhaps a visit to Lumbini (the birthplace of the Buddha). Look forward to seeing some of you when I get back. PDx [View Full Entry]

---

---

So I'm glad to say that I managed to summon up one last bit of energy for a final period of trekking before the end of the year. The problem with getting out of Kathmandu to actually do something is summoning up the enthusiasm to sit on a bus for 10+ hours surrounded by sweaty Tibetans, chickens, goats etc etc etc on what can kindly be described as a very rough dirt track. Definitely not a road. The "highlight" of this bus journey was undoubtedly watching some of the locals puke into plastic bags during the journey (then chucking the bags [View Full Entry]

---

---

Perhaps I was a little harsh when talking about Dal Baat in my last blog. One thing I definitely should have mentioned in its defence is that if you order Dal Baat it is an "all you can eat" affair - making it a good choice after a long and tiring day in the hills. Anyway, as if to answer my criticisms I have finally found a restaurant that serves good Dal Baat - and for 60 rupees (about 50 pence) you really can't grumble. I've spent the last while in Pokhara. The restaurant in question deserves a mention - called [View Full Entry]

---

---

The last week or so is going to be almost impossible to describe, certainly in a way that does it any justice. But I will try my best, and hope that some photos make up for my lack of literary talent. I said I wanted to experience some "real Nepal", and my prayers were certainly answered. Oh, by the way, I have had some emails wondering (given the lack of photos of me) whether I am really travelling, or just sat on my arse in England or France. Given that my ridiculous ginger beard has recently been removed, I am happy [View Full Entry]

---

---

So as always, the most interesting travelling comes when you abandon your plans in the face of new and unexpected opportunities. I was visiting Swayambhunath temple when I got talking to a trinket seller - I had no intention of buying anything, but this guy (Tibetan) seemed interesting and was a nice guy as well. A few hours later I find myself pretty drunk on Rakshi, eating "buff" (or buffalo) curry in this guy's house. Far too drunk to walk home, he offers me his bed for the night whilst he takes the floor. The next day, after making breakfast he [View Full Entry]

---

---

After Gorak Shep I headed west over the Cho La (a fairly steep, slippery high pass on which sadly an Indian guy died a week previously) to the Gokyo valley. In the opinion of many, as nice as the main Everest valley, this place gets relatively few tourists. Gokyo village itself (4700m) is situated next to a large lake, and again it's main claim to fame is a small hill behind town (Gokyo Ri, 5500m) from where again you get yet more views of Everest, Lhotse, Baruntse, Ama Dablam, and Cho Oyu. Unlike Gorak Shep, this village is actually nice. What's [View Full Entry]

---

---

Firstly, apologies for more blogs so soon, but I'm off again in 3 days time, and so want to get this done before I disappear. Feel free to ignore them :) So Gorak Shep (5100m) is a grotty little place which I would never dream of going to if it weren't for its spectacular location. Right next to the Western face of Nuptse - truly one of the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen. What this place is famous for is the small hill behind town (Kala Pattar, 5500 metres) - from where you get killer views of Everest - including [View Full Entry]

---

---

Where to begin? Kathmandu, I suppose, is as good a place as any. Ridiculously crowded (I reckon in my first hour I saw far more tourists than in 3 months of Pakistan), and "travelling light"- i.e. everyone speaks English, the food ranges from Indian to Mexican to French (very little Nepali on offer unless you go actively hunting), and the hotels hardly ever have good-old squat toilets in them (actually, I must admit to still hating squat toilets after all these months, but when in Rome....) I said in my last blog that I wanted some easy travelling after the rigours [View Full Entry]

---

---