We arrived in Koh Samui early in December for a month of fun and relaxation. We found the most wonderful cabaña’s to rent for a month on the North West side of the island, not far from Big Buddha. We were the only people staying in the little cabaña’s having our own swimming pool, beach and Thai family to look after us. We rented a motorbike to take us around the island for the next month much to Chloe's delight. The island is full of charm, especially in the south. There are waves to ride on one side of the island and tranquil lapping waters on the other. The fishermen (and women) wade up to their knees to get their daily catch. The food is out of this world, fresh fish and fruit in abundance. Big ... read more

Out of Nepal, and back to India. We spent two days, not without delays, to get to Singapore. Our travels took us back to Delhi, then onto Bombay for a night, then to Singapore. We were looking forward to seeing Egil, Mette, Josephina, and Mille Sofie, the family we met in Pokhara, Nepal who were kind enough to put us up in Singapore. Singapore is a vibrant city, very expensive. We were a bit culture shocked when we arrived as we had only been to not so developed contries for the past two months. Even more strange was seeing the multitude of Christmas decorations lining the street and the reminder that the festive season was soon to be here. A special thank you to our wonderful hosts who not only put us up but also let ... read more

Finally we arrived in Kathmandu, even though we had been in Nepal for two weeks we had only seen the Airport. Kathmandu is a thriving city with lots and lots of people, shops and restaurants just like any major city. It is in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounded by the Himalaya's. We spent the next two days here relaxing and enjoying the hospitality of Gobardhan of Trek Nepal. I have know Gobs for quite a few years and have not seen him for over 10 years. Anyone who goes to Nepal should speak to Gobs before they go as he has a tailor made trip for everyone. A special thank you to all at Trek Nepal especially Laxman and Gobs; and everyone who we met along the way.... read more

We drove from the River up into the Mountains and headed for Kathmandu. From here we did a day trip to Bhaktapur and Patan (to be added to another Blog entry). Bhaktapur is an ancient Newar town in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It is located in Bhaktapur District in the Bagmati Zone. It is the third largest city in Kathmandu valley and was once the capital of Nepal during the great Malla Kingdom until the second half of the 15th century. It is a beautiful city with amazing architecture. ... read more

We left the wonderful world of the mountains and headed southeast to Chitwan. Laxman still in tow with us which made the journey fun and more interesting as we had our friend and guide to show us this perfect Nepal. We went to villages on a cart and ox, the everyday life of the Nepalese was a pleasure to feel apart of here. We watched traditional dancing with fire. We had a bath with the elephants, went to an elephant reserve and school - where we saw one of only 3 set of baby elephant twins in the world. Saw crocodiles from a boat dug out from one tree - scary, one of the croc's was very rare which has a long snout. We went on an elephant safari which got us so close to the ... read more