From Here To There

Sorry its been so long, we've been pretty busy.

So after Pokhara, me and Ellie headed back to Kathmandu, where we 'were good tourists' for a few days, saw lots of temples, 1 cremation ( at Pashupatti, a sacred Hindu burial site on the river), and a palace.
We did a cookery course, so now we can make you all a delicious Nepali meal when we get back, and on the 2nd last day we took a 3 hour coach to 'the last resort' to, for some reason, do Asia highest bungee jump. I have to admit i was unbelievably scared when it was my turn to walk slowly to the edge of the little wire bridge, with nothing below me but emptiness, and 160m below that a rocky river, but the rush was incredible, and the landing ( being caught dangling by your ankles with a long bamboo pole) was pleasingly Nepalese.

And then, so soon, it was time to say goodbye to Ellie, and say goodbye to Nepal, and off I went to India to meet Harry.

Delhi was a shock. But a really good one, because i'd been told so many bad things about the Indian capital - touts, dirt, poverty, that when i arrived in the bustling modern streets i was incredibly relieved. Immediately i could see a vast difference between India and Nepal - Nepal really as built on poverty, but India, although of course it has a huge working and sub-working class, also has its own skyscrapers and glamor, its own wide streets and railways. In other words India is much more in the 21st century.

The following three weeks were really a huge blur of travel and sight seeing all across Rajastan and then Bombay and Goa, much too much to write about here, but i'll list a few highlights.

Climbing one of the minarets at the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India's biggest mosque, with views across all of old Delhi and beyond was one of my favorite things in Delhi.

Of course, the Taj Mahal, which exceeded all my expectations- when it first comes into view everyone was speechless, the whole complex is undeniably beautiful, and Harry and I enjoyed a romantic sunset there.

Udaipur, named as India's most romantic city, is perched on the edge a huge lake in the mountains, with a floating palace and a welcoming calm. Its quiet and arty and it was here we did a painting course and had a bit too much to drink.

Camel trekking in Pushkar, one of India's holiest cities, where we rode into the Thar Desert for dinner then raced back after sunset - my camel, 'the black cobra' won hands down.

From Rajastan in the north we traveled by overnight train to Bombay, now called Mumbai, and from there down to the white beaches and warm seas of Goa in the south, where we've been relaxing for almost a week now.
We fly to bangkok on Tuesday morning,

xxxxx

Its Wednesday today, and its been three days since we finished our week long trek to Annapurna Base camp, the starting point for experienced climbers who are ready to face the challenge of climbing Annapurna 1- the 10th highest mountain in the world, with the highest climber mortality rate of any mountain- around 56%.

On the first day, after an hour of walking up steps we came upon a sign that said ' Only 4500 steps to go!, 3 hours' but other than that it was nice- , and stayed in these little guest houses along the way. Within a day we had moved from humid sub tropical jungle to snowy mountain ridges, where the weather changes in minutes and where the views are spectacular, especially in the early morning sun. The peak of our trip was breathtaking, with views of the whole Annapurna range and the towering Annapurna 1, 4000m higher than our final stop.
On the way back we went to these hot springs which were so welcome after a week of not washing, but they were situated next to a village which wasn't quite right- we saw a lady with a lazy eye, a man with only one eye, a deaf man, and a man with one arm, and bare in mind the population of the village was probably no more than 100- incest?...

The weather is pleasantly hot, i think i may have a tan- however it does rain a little most days in the afternoon- nobody's complaining though.

The food is delicious- Nepal seems to have a national dish called Dahl Baht, which is boiled rice, a bit of potatoey vegetable curry and a lentil broth, which is really nice, but there isn't a huge amount of other nepalese food, especially where we are in the tourist hippy bit, but Banana porridge is about 60p so its very cheap - we eat out for every meal. we might do a cookery course in Kathmandu so I can cook you all some when i return.
Namaste is the ubiquitous greeting. a word i have heard more than any other since getting here. And danyabad means thank you.
On Friday we'll be returning to Kathmandu to see some sights, and from there its off to India in 8 days.

Love Bill xx

My flight from London to Delhi was mostly uneventful, apart from a sari'd lady proudly wearing her big red and highly conspicuous fight socks in the seat next to mine.
The transfer to Kathmandu was surprisingly easy and i emerged from Kathmandu international Airport in good spirits. After a hectic bu not unpleasant taxi ride I settled in my hotel in the Thamel district, which is the more touristy part of the city, and slept for 10 hours.
I awoke early to catch the bus to Pokhara, a 7 hour journey through the spectacular Himalayan foothills. It was on the bus i caught my first glimpse of Pokhara, a relatively large city perched on the edge of an enormous lake, curtained my lushly covered misty mountains.
Pokhara is entirely idyllic, calm and welcoming, in comparison to Kathmandu's unfriendly bustle.
I visited the monastery where Ellie has been teaching English today; a half built school house accommodating 50 boys and a few teachers. The principle took me, Ellie and 2 of the other volunteerism for a cup of Nepali Tea, and then we returned to the city for a wonder around the hundreds of shops.
Our 8 day trek to Anipurna base camp begins on Monday.
Hope everyone is well.x xxxxxxx