http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/KMAC/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from KMAC en-us Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:54:28 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:54:28 +0000 Itrsquos pretty strange because in Nepal they do book swapping. You hand in a book and you get some credit to buy another book at the shop. You still have to pay a bit of money for a book but itrsquos not too much. Itrsquos hard to hand over a book that Irsquove just read and really liked but I get to read more books We just did a really big trek up in the Himalayas. Annapurna Base Camp http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Pokhara/blog-447772.html It was amazing up there. The Annapurnarsquos are really something. Early morning views were the most spectacular as cloud rolled in most days by about 10 or 11am. It made for perfect hiking weather with the cloud cover in the middle of the day. The diverse flora was also incredible. One day hiking in subtropical forest and the next in alpine vegetationThe porters are absolutely awesome. This http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Annapurna/Annapurna-Base-Camp/blog-447767.html I got some cool presents for my birthday. My favourite was the strawberry bubble gum. I nearly ate the whole roll in one day I can blow little bubbles now Mum and Dad and Aiden also gave me a singing bowl with an OM inside a necklace which Irsquom wearing now a chocolate hiking bar and a Tibetan bracelet. Everyone on the whole trail knew it was my birthday and gave me some sweets and sang me http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Annapurna/Annapurna-Base-Camp/blog-447766.html I asked the people in the restaurant in Kathmanda ldquodo you have juicerdquo They said they did. They even said they had ldquoReal Juicerdquo When it came it was fake juice. It was fake mango juice It was really yummy though I went out the front of the restaurant and made a friend. He had a sewing shop. I thought it was a bit weird that someone with a sewing shop didnrsquot have http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/blog-447764.html Our plane from Beijing took us to Abu Dhabi. It meant overnighting in the airport there which is a pretty big set up. It was our first time flying with Etihad. The food was excellent and the boys gave the inflight entertainment a 1010. Our morning flight to Kathmandu was detoured to Bangladesh due to bad weather. We refueled and were soon on our way back to Kathmandu. The Kathmandu Garden Hote http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/Pashupatinath-Temple/blog-447763.html It has been another wonderful visit to Chinahellip wersquove certainly experienced some exceptional hospitality from our friends here. After teary farewells to parents in southern China we trained to Jinhua the city we once studied in. The locals including our friends that work at the University the bike repairman Callumrsquos new best friend since he daily requires work on his bike http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Daxing/blog-447755.html After several days in busy Hong Kong meeting up with Mum and Dad and securing the seemingly elusive yet very necessary visas for China we took a train across the border. Shenzhen was alive with business deals. The barbed wire was only on one side of the border. It reminded me of the stories some of our friends in Hong Kong told about swimming to refuge many years earlier. Shenzhenrsquos prices http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Guangxi/Guilin/blog-447752.html Thank you for the wonderful hospitality shown to us while back in Australia. Itrsquos been far too fleeting once again though I did have a wonderful time in Perth with family friends and prac time at the Uni. Now back in Kuranda Irsquom getting more than my fair share of attention biking around town with a trailer that has become Calrsquos rollercoaster and good entertainment for the loc http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Kuranda/blog-447751.html Aiden has a couple of boils on his legs and is louder than a firetruck in excruciating pain with them. We now have the magic cream so are hoping they heal quicklyCal has had a heat rash for a while now though it's becoming quite itchy and uncomfortable as the heat increases. The diagnosis is that we move up to the top floor of the accommodation building where there is air conditioning. My researc http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-428282.html Now I am running the kitchen here at the Ashram. We have about 25 people though sometimes this fluctuates. Irsquom learning about some different vegetables lots of new Hindi vocabulary and some Indian cooking. Also how to use an abundance of milk that we get from the Ashram cows. During the day we churn the yoghurt to make butter which is then heated to get the ghee. When the milk separates we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402933.html I am just a few hrs in the school at the moment now exams are over. We've been juggling and doing lots of art. Oh and a bit of English too The children are mostly playing games and the staff are enrolling new students. Aiden's favourite teacher from the school invited us to his wedding. We went home on the school bus with one of Calrsquos favourite teachers. Her son is Aidenrsquos age. We http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/blog-402882.html Have been enjoying some late night swims in Talab. Purnima full moon is soon so it's great light. Especially floating on your back because it's so quiet and relaxingLast night we enjoyed a typical Indian feast. Lots of oily spicy food and of course lots of overly sweet halva for dessert It was great to have puri again. We do have delicious chipatis every day for lunch and dinner but there i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402880.html When Swamiji was here I went and listened to some of his lectures and when the Bhaktas came to sing songs. When I see Swamiji I go up to greet him. He asked me if I had any wish but I didnrsquot so I said no. Then I heard there was a tour. When Swamiji left here he was going to visit the other Ashrams in India and then go to Europe. I asked if I could go and Swamiji said yes if my Mum came with http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402842.html I was going to ask Swamiji for a Spiritual name but Callum asked for Mantra so I asked for it too. Mum was really surprised Swamiji doesnrsquot usually give Mantra to kids. The day I got my Mantra there was a lot of people in the Bhakti Sagar. We gave Swamiji a tray with some incense a candle a coconut papaya and sweet melon some flowers and 108 rupees. Swamiji gave us the candle to keep a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402831.html I saw a snake on the way to school. Someone found a scorpion behind the alter at the Bhakti Sagar. We are getting ready for exams at school. We are celebrating Navaratri the start of summer. Itrsquos a 9 day festival event and wersquove had a few days off school for it. Today is the last day of Navaratri and we had a fire ceremony. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402375.html I am having fun here. I got a thumb drive and Avatar hid it but I found it again12290Well Gretchen our friend in China sent us Harry Potter number 5 the movie and two really cool Dr Seuss Books. At school itrsquos pretty easy now exams are finished. Itrsquos hot so we start early and finish early. We start at 730 and finish at 1230. Irsquom doing some revision of the Hindi alphabet le http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402370.html We have been swimming in the fountain in the middle of the kitchen eating area and enjoying Easter eggs. The Easter bunny even found us here in the desert Exams are on now. We only go to school on the days we have exams. Cal looked at his fingernails this morning and said ldquoLook at these Mumrdquo. He also asked ldquoWhy do you think they look like thatrdquo I said they looked great an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402365.html Elections are on and this is one example of what happens in India. One guy up for consideration has a Guru that in this case just happens to be Swamiji. So although the candidates are not allowed to feed their supporters he charters about 25 big buses and moves somewhere between 510 000 people along in these buses and they just happen to be in the area where his Guru has an Ashram. So they stop http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402343.html The past week we have also had a few accidents. One 1820yo Indian guy drowned in Talab our dam while doing some repairs. Santoshpuriji had sunstroke and was out of action for a couple of days. Chandrapuriji got stung by a bee up his nose and had bad swelling on more than half his face for a few days. One of the horses here sustained an injury though seems to be recovering. One of the bhaktas wh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402349.html Cal is helping raise money for the hospital in our Ashram grounds. He has been selling stickersI happened to chance 5mins alone with Swamiji on the lawn. They'd set him up there on his special chair and gone off to prepare other things and for some reason no one was around. I took the opportunity and asked what to do about Aiden's nose which has been how it is since I left the boys in Sept to ret http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pali/blog-402359.html