just a quick post to say we are both well and in amritsar at the moment. we left Vishisht to go to McCleodGanj and didn't really like it there although we had a very interesting day at the tibetan childrens village but will write this up later. We both got ill for nearly the whole time we were there, about 4 days, so didn't feel like doing or blogging much. Have come to amritsar and we are both back to 100% health and happiness, glad to be rid of tummy cramps and grumpy hippies trying to find themselves in the north, [View Full Entry]

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Our guesthouse in Vishisht is situated off the main drag of the village and right at the bottom of our steps are hot springs that pour forth scoldingly hot water. There is a row of three taps out in the open which spurt out onto a rock where I have been joining the locals, rolling up my trouser legs and doing our clothes washing; occasionally borrowing someones scrubbing brush to work on our really grimey clothes and listening to the gossiping Nepalese ladies there. Near here there is also an open air plunge pool and taps where the men can go [View Full Entry]

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The past two days have been quite an adventure! As there is often no easy way to get about the local terraine, due to no trains and dodgy buses, many people hire motorbikes just to potter around the local area. Stoppard and I wanted to do the same but take ourselves off for two days and do an over night stop somewhere enabling us to get into some of the remote villages that tourists don't get to visit. Our initial plan was to head over the Rohtang pass and up to Keylong which is surrounded by a landscape of lunar quality [View Full Entry]

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In Rishikesh as things are fairly spaced out many people hire motorbikes while they are here to make getting about easier. Having been several years since Stoppard had sold his Vespa he was more than a little willing to get his hands on a motor bike again and have a ride; we have decided to hire an enfield when we get to Manali and to take it into the hills and try and stay in some of the villages but thought the extra practice while we were in Rishikesh couldn't hurt. Yesterday we found a place in the morning that would [View Full Entry]

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thankyou to all the family for my birthday cards and emails, my phone charger is broken so can't use my phone any more in case anyone text. My yoga lessons in Varanasi were a wonderful introduction to basic assanas (yogic positions), meditation and pranayam (breathing technique). They were one to one sessions with an Indian man in his mid 50's at his family home in the crowded alley ways of the old city. Up a steep flight of stairs was an open courtyard with rooms running off all around, and in one of these i had my lessons. It was wonderful [View Full Entry]

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On Matthew's first day in Delhi we went to the old city and visited the jama majid and old fort, must sees if visiting delhi. The real treat was in the evening when we went to hear Sufi music at the tomb of nizzamudin, an islamic sufi saint. When i was with Dom and Chris in January we had tried repeatedly to find this place with no success but Alex had shown me where it was, turns out we had been walking practically on top of it the whole time! The lanes leading to the tomb were narrow and conjested with [View Full Entry]

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Well i have been slacking with the old blog writing, a thousand apologies... i'm afraid it will just have to be a quick catch up of events, although so much has happened it the past week, but to go into more detail would take an age. So... 15th April: Lazy day simply sitting in the bar of my hostel, the Via Via Cafe - wonderful place in an old Newari building that is more like a home than a hotel, people tend to stay there for months at a time and everyone pitches in with helping to run the place, as [View Full Entry]

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Thursday 3rd April Woke early, I don't know why i can't sleep at the moment. Did last bit of packing and met Dhana at 6am. Kathmandu airport, for local flights, was filled with trekkers and climbers, most people there waiting to start their adventures into the mountains, some just to take a flight over the Himalayas then return to the warmth and comfort of their hotels; i looked on scornfully. Flight was slightly delayed due to bad weather and cloud but made it onto the tarmac about 8.30am. About a dozen small craft were awaiting their morning passengers, and on our [View Full Entry]

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I have had the most amazing time in Kathmandu these past few days, i never want to leave, i cannot explain why but this place really feels like home after only 2 days. Yesterday I met up with my guide who's name is Dhana. He's a tiny petite little fellow but sturdy as a rock! He is exactly what i was hoping for, friendly chatty and knows exactly what he is talking about. I told him i had been worrying about whether i would be able to do the trek and reach base camp and he calmed me right down and [View Full Entry]

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I'll catch you all up on the last few days... 26th March 2008 Had a really nice day and got a boat in the morning across the lake to the peace pagoda side and climbed the many steep steps leading up to it. Great views from the top and good exercise although guessing this isn't exactly everest! I wanted to come down the other side of the hill, the scenic route described in LP, and got completely lost! Ended up going up and down a path about 3 times then found a path into the forest and followed that. Soon became [View Full Entry]

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