8 Jan - very early wakeup call this morning to leave hotel at 5am. We (half of the group minus Bhup) drive for about half an hour then have a steep uphill walk for about 45 mins, in the pitch dark, to reach the sunrise viewpoint at Sarangkot. Within 10 mins of reaching here, the light starts to change and hit the tops of the Annapurna mountain range. We are at a height of 1592m here and have a breathtaking panoramic view from left to right of Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Macchapuchre (known as the Fish Tail due to it's distinctive [View Full Entry]

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7 Jan - despite swallowing gallons of the river yesterday, I feel fine. Poor Kristina however was vomitting all night resulting in the local doctor being called and IV administered! My immune system proves itself yet again (it should also be noted at this point that I have not had Delhi belly the whole time I've been in India and Nepal...or in fact any health problems since the Syrian Skits months ago!). We need to leave Chitwan early as Bhup has heard that Nepal is 'closed' ie there's possible road blocks. Kristina and Kyle will travel by car later that day [View Full Entry]

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6 Jan - this a truly memorable day with lots of elephant interaction. It begins after breakfast when we hear the magical sound of trumpeting elephants. They have come to the resort to meet us. There's 4 of these massive, gorgeous creatures with painted trunks, gorgeous big eyes and extremely wrinkly bodies. They are very well trained by their mahouts, friendly (although slightly intimidating at first due to their size!) and perform various tricks with their trunks. It's four people to an elephant so Heather and Dallas (the Aussie couple), Bhup and me board our elephant. We have a great 2 [View Full Entry]

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4 Jan - extremely long day of driving on the bus to reach the India / Nepal border crossing at Bhairawa. Decide to get one month visa. Seen as when I left home I never expected to be coming to Nepal I may as well make the most of this extra country! Visa process and border crossing straight forward and quick. 5 Jan - cannae believe I'm in Nepal. So far however it seems the same as Northern India...ie shrouded in mist. This morning we board our colourful bus, it's a real life Nepali style bus, check out the photos below! [View Full Entry]

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2 Jan - it's late afternoon by the time we arrive in Varanasi so there's no time for the planned orientation walk round the city. Instead we explore this ancient, religious city by rickshaw en route to the Ganges River for 'sunset'. During our few days here we never did manage a successful sunrise or sunset...due to the lack of sun :) Varanasi is considered the holiest place for Hindus and millions travel here for pilgrimage, worship, to mourn or to die. We take a small rowboat down the Ganges and participate in a candle flower ceremony (releasing lots of prayers) [View Full Entry]

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3 Jan - HAPPY NEW YEAR to all. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year and best wishes for 2009. Christmas Day in Goa was spent very quietly (prob because we were out until 6am on Christmas Eve!!). , on the beach with a few locals I befriended during my stay. New Year was spent with the GAP tour in Orchha, North India having visited Delhi, Agra (again) and Jaipur. Currently in Varanasi. After 2 months in India I leave for Nepal tomorrow. Very excited about heading to a new country...and leaving the madness, noisy horns, wandering cows [View Full Entry]

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31 Dec - we catch yet another train this morning to Jhansi then travel by tempo - a jumbo size auto rickshaw / tuktuk that sits 6 people rather than 3, to the quaint village of Orccha. En route, we stop at Tarragram, a unique paper making plant set up to assist tribal women from the area. We watch the whole paper making process from recycled clothing then buy lots of nice stationery items. Our hotel is a gorgeous resort with pool and luxury tents. We have a quick lunch then explore some of the many monuments and temples in this [View Full Entry]

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28 Dec - meet my room mate properly this morning, Lesley from San Fran who's about my age and also meet the rest of the group...although it's 5.15am, dark and we're en route to the railway station so struggling to remember all the names. There's 14 of us on this trip, mostly US and Canadian but also 3 Aussies and a Dutch couple. We take the train to Jaipur, which is pretty much on time...always a bonus for the Indian Railways. Jaipur is a great city, not quite as manic as Delhi or Calcutta and not as smoggy as Agra. It's [View Full Entry]

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12 Dec to 27 Dec - from Benaulim I decide to head to Palolem which is further south and more lively...according to the Lonely Planet. Yup, this is more like it, much busier, young people, lots of restaurants and a great beach. I pick the Palolem Beach Resort, again pot luck which turns out to be a good choice. I'm staying in a cute wee orange shack! It's basic but for Rs1000 per night (approx GBP13) I get a big room, double bed and my own toilet and shower, what a bargain...I expected to be staying in hostels for this price. [View Full Entry]

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Christmas Eve - just a quick wee pre-Crimbo blog. Having fun here in Palolem, just about to head for a massage (Christmas present to myself) then off to watch the sunset in a lovely wee spot with my friend Sachin before heading to Cafe del Mar on the beach for LOTS of Kingfisher and Old Monk rum. All beach parties banned due to security issues / supposed threats but still aiming to have some fun. It's been great to hear all your Christmas party stories, esp fab talking to Gel, Luce and Gill last night who kept a seat for me [View Full Entry]

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