Day 514: Wednesday 25th November - Pampering myself in Pokhara My time in Pokhara doesn’t get off to the best off starts. After spending my last few days on the trek looking forward to relaxing in this lakeside town with a pleasant climate, now I’m here I’m wishing I was in the relative peace and solitude on the Annapurna circuit. My main issue is with my accommodation. I selected it, or rather it selected me as I dragged my weary body down the central lakeside strip yesterday evening. As I am going to spend a week here relaxing post an arduous ten days of trekking my wish list includes hot (not lukewarm) water, a comfortable room in a quiet location and a lake view. Like most of the teahouses on the Annapurna circuit the promise of ... read more

Day 499: Tuesday 10th November - Solving the visa conundrum We are dropped off by the pick-up truck in the centre of Thamel, the traveller’s ghetto in Kathmandu. First objective is to get a roof over our heads. Angie parts in the direction of the rafting agency with whom she has a meeting with. The rest of us walk through Thamel to Nicky and Emma’s guesthouse which they have pre-booked. The rest of us (Bruno, Patricia and myself) have not had as much foresight to arrange accommodation. Patricia of course is thinking upmarket. I am thinking along the same lines of splashing out, only because the last few days of Tibet have been in some fairly scratchy guesthouses.....no hot water and cold rooms, and my next destination is to trek the Annapurna circuit where the accommodation ... read more

Day 489: Saturday 31st October - A Tibetan temple in Beijing and the Bird’s nest I arrive back in the capital at approaching 9am after my 10 hour overnight train journey from Hohhot. Every train journey I have taken in China has been on my own and I have been the only foreigner in my carriage on each occasion with all eyes fixed on me. Next time I’m on the train, in just 36 hours time it will be with two friends (one who I’ve still to meet) on my way to Tibet. That promises to be a very different experience. My first visit to Beijing had the sub-plot of arranging Tibet, my second is running the clock down until I depart for Tibet. I’ve seen all of Beijing’s major sights so this time if I ... read more

Day 482: Saturday 24th October - The Forbidden City I’m not exactly full of beans this morning and it takes me a while to get going. I soon get a bit of urgency to my day when a chat with an Israeli girl over breakfast reveals that the Forbidden City where I had planned to visit today will take a full afternoon at least to walk around. It is 11am when I leave the hostel and walk the 750 metres towards Tiananmen Square. As I enter Tiananmen Square a young girl approaches me and starts talking to me in English. She is very friendly but too friendly, I taste a scam in the air and sure enough after a few minutes she tries to lead me to a cultural event. Thanks but no thanks, leave me ... read more

Day 477: Monday 19th October - The bus breaks down I get up early to catch my 8am bus from Xian to Luoyang. There are plenty of buses that ply this route and they leave regularly so I didn’t need to get up so early but I wanted to so that when I arrive in Henan I still have time in the day to visit the Longmen Caves. It may seem rushed and I admit that I am travelling particularly quickly on this section of my trip but I’m in a hurry to get to Beijing. I want to get to Beijing by Friday to start the ball rolling with organising a Tibet tour. The ball is already rolling I guess after what has happened in Xian but it will be better to be in Beijing ... read more