http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Vixi/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Vixi en-us Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:52:13 BST Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:52:13 BST 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 b http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Punjab/Amritsar/blog-280216.html 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 real http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Manali/blog-277835.html The past two days have been quite an adventureAs 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 v http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Manali/blog-277405.html 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 village http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Rishikesh/blog-274978.html 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 ol http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Rishikesh/blog-274375.html 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 bee http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-271822.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-270193.html Thursday 3rd AprilWoke 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. F http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/Thamel/blog-266650.html 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 wo http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/Thamel/blog-261629.html I'll catch you all up on the last few days...26th March 2008Had 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 lo http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/Thamel/blog-260914.html Oh dear god what am I doingJust spent a terrifying last hour searching around on this blog site reading other peoples experiences of getting to base camp now i'm petrified. Not only dealing with the fact that you can barely breath you should have legs like steel which i do not have the constant cold and damp the frightening landscape but now that i have found out i'm not with a http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Pokhara/blog-260628.html for those who were concerned about me reaching basecamp because of the chinesetibet situation i spoke to my guide today and he said that it is fine and we will definitely get to base camp i wanted to tell him he might definitely get there but the jury is still out about my chances. Also it looks like i'll be doing it on my own and not in a group as i thought organising treking over here w http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Pokhara/blog-259983.html After whiling away the rest of the 23rd i got up early yesterday and after gulping down copious amounts of medication i felt almost prepared for the 8 hour bus journey to Pokhara. I was so ready to leave Lumbini and needed to be somewhere where there were more facilities as there is absolutely nothing in Lumbini.I started out at 6.30am so that i would hopefully get to Pokhara before it got dar http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Pokhara/blog-259682.html Well hello everyone After nearly 7 weeks it has been so good to contact people and catch up with what has been going on back home. I cannot explain how wonderful my experience was on the project in Jharkhand and will start a seperate blog entry which i will update when i can about my experiences there but to do all that now would take too long so i will pick up the adventure from the 18th March http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Lumbini/blog-258808.html Namaste from Varanasi...Got my second train from Jaipur to Varanasi after my last blog entry. On the platform getting into my carriage was a wedding party of about 25 indians very wealthy family dressed up in all their finery and celebrating right up until the last minute. On the train it was like a party and food kept going round and they weren't satisfied until I had eaten everything they off http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-242281.html I'm sat in a tiny internet cafe waiting for my next sleeper train that will finally get me to Varanasi. Last night I met up with a couple called Bill and Natalie can't remember whether i included them in the last blog or not. We had dinner together as they didn't want my last night in Udaipur to spent alone and we had all got on really well. Arrived at the train station with plenty of time it http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Rajasthan/Jaipur/blog-241667.html Well the travel plan has officially been thrown ceremoniously out the windowDeciding that I was far too relaxed in Pushkar to even attempt the evil streets of Agra everyone i meet has warned me off there and says it is best just to do a day trip from Delhi I decided to have one more day in Pushkar before heading further south and into Rajastan to Udaipur. Last day in Pushkar was amazing but ti http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Rajasthan/Udaipur/blog-240639.html NamasteSorry everyone for giving you a bit of a scare thinking that i had been carried away by the kite flyers and eaten with a few roti's. I'm absolutely fine and have ended up in Pushkar with quite a little posse.Decided against meeting up with the kite flyers as had had a great time with them and didn't want to ruin that memory. Also i had arranged to meet Dom and Chris that same morning in http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-239599.html Last night finished off the evening by going to The German Bakery confused as to the name there was not so much as a shnitzel on the menu but I did have the largest slice of chocolate cake I have ever seen. Sat with a very concerned looking French couple who had only just got to India. Apparently the girls luggage had got lost with no idea when it would be returned to her meaning they were s http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Rajasthan/Jaipur/blog-238392.html I'll pick up from where i left off...That evening went to Paharganj busy busy busy Although the centre for backpackers to head to it is supprisingly empty of tourists this is definietly where they all are but still you only bump into one or two when walking down the street. Little bit intimidating but only in the sense that it is a bit run down and we weren't used to being there yet.Please not http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-238005.html