hgsilk

It is exactly as I remember.... read more

Hello folks. I'm back and in one piece. I completed all three of the high passes. The weather was very clear, but bitterly cold when we were high up. It was so cold that in the morning there was ice inside the tent and the water bottles froze. It was as low as - 15 on one night when we were camping above 5,000 metres. We had some snow, but just enough for good photos, not so much that it slowed progress. My progress at the higher altitude was slow enough anyway, puffing away like a stream train. I managed to climb to the top of Kala Patar for the sunset views of Everest (over 5,500 metres). Our leader, Serena, was the twelfth British woman to climb Everest. She shared her experiences of what it was ... read more

In Nepal - my last (and probably my favourite) country! There will be no blogs while I am on the trek 18 days. I will give a quick summary when I am back.... read more

The walk to the historical area took me over the railway line and across the river by boat. I had the odd glimpse of a temple in the distance from almost everywhere. The sheer number of temples gave some idea of what a thriving and important place Ayattuya was. According to my audio guide it was a very hierarchical society with the majority, slaves and freemen being very low. I visited two temples with Khmer style architecture (the same as Ankor Wat in Cambodia). The main prang (tower) of Wat Ratchaburana still has stucco decorations. Inside the prang you can climb down steep steps to the crypt. There was an excavation here in the 1950s and the finds are now displayed at the museum. The next door Wat Maha That, built around 1380s is similar in ... read more

After returning from the trek there was time to make a tuk tuk excursion to a temple situated on a hill some way outside Chiang Mai. This is the "must see" temple in the city. The legend associated with the temple is that a white elephant carried a Buddha relic to the top of the hill and then died. This was treated as a sign and a temple was built on the spot. In this temple around the back were some amusing plastic figures displaying perhaps the Thai sentimentality and sense of humour, for example the monk with glasses (photo). In the evening the monks chant at 6 p.m. And we stayed and listened for a short time. From the viewpoint I saw the square shape of the old city of Chaing Mai surrounded by a ... read more

The night train from Bangkok was far too cold because of fierce air conditioning. Next time I will use my down sleeping bag! On the plus side we arrived not too late and were able to book a biking trip. Our biking guide gave clear instruction and the mountain bikes were good. There was a small amount off road on mud and grass, but it wasn't a difficult ride because it was all flat. Before luride we stopped at a modern temple. I side it had paintings including local scenes showing a serious flood in the area over one hundred years ago. We also rode through a pleasant area with small houses and some larger buildings. This was formerly an area for the treatment of people who had leprosy. The buildings are no longer used for ... read more

I could feel the power of the sun on my walk to the golden mount. This is a nineteenth century gold stupa with a view down over the city. It has more of a "Thai" feel; this means little statues of animals or people often laughing or smiling arranged very neatly in amongst the flowers and greenery and a set of bells. The street on the approach to the golden mount was full of woodworkshops especially door making shops. I was amused to see the football doors featuring Liverpool and Chelsea. Afterthe golden mount I followed a wide street that featured a Thai boxing stadium and several government departments all the way to the Dusit palace. The buildings here looked European in style. They are late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. This palace had tight ... read more

First thing in the morning I had a smooth visit to the post office. This will be my last post back to the UK. The national museum is in parts dilapidated and old fashioned, but with patience there are many treasures to be found. It is not a big tourist attraction. I didn't see any large groups.It also has a good and cheap cafe for lunch. I knew very little about the history of Thailand and the first gallery in the museum was very helpful to give the context for the art. I was particularly interested in Ayatthuya because I will be going there soon. There were lots of important battles between Ayatthuya and Mayanmar, many fought on elephant back. The exhibits in the museum were quite difficult to photograph because of the poor lighting and ... read more