23 October 2019 Today is another travel day as we make our way to the next part of our adventure in Bhutan. We meet the group for the last time for breakfast and Andrew gives a lovely thank you speech to Kishor. Anne then has to leave for her flight. I am taking the first of my antibiotics this morning and decide that it would be best to spend the time resting before those of us heading to Bhutan need to go to the airport. At 11.00 Andrew, Doreen, Dennis and I farewell Kishor (and Jan and … [Read more...]
Day 11: Chitwan to Kathmandu
22 October 2019 We are coming to the end of the Nepal section of our journey and have to head back to Kathmandu today. It is another early start with a 7.30 am departure from the lodge as we have an hour’s drive to take us to the airport. Kishor has checked and was assured that flights are on time. We have to be there at around 8.30 for a 9.40 flight. We check in and are waiting for our flight to be called - only to discover there is a 30 minute delay. It is very hot inside so we … [Read more...]
Day 10: Chitwan National Park
21 October 2019 We meet our naturalist guide Gobinda at 6.30 this morning for quick cup of tea or coffee before heading out for an early morning trip down the Rapti River in a dugout canoe. It is very misty so the light is not good for taking photos of birds and animals but it has a peaceful, mystical feel. We all load into one canoe to be paddled downstream knowing that we might not see anything but hopeful that we will be lucky today. Early on in our trip our wishes come true … [Read more...]
Day 9: Lumbini to Chitwan National Park
20 October 2019 Another early start today as we need to be on the road by 7.30am. We are heading east now towards Chitwan National Park. As we drive we see school children all very neatly dressed in their school uniforms, some waiting for the bus and others cycling. We also notice that as well as rice people are growing lots of other vegetables as well here and we see trucks and tractor trailers full of sacks of potatoes. We are very near the Indian border here so … [Read more...]
Day 8: Lumbini, Birthplace of Buddha
19 October 2019 Because it is so hot and humid, we have an early breakfast and set off at 7.30 for our first visit of the day - the palace where Buddha is said to have grown up. It is a good half hour’s drive away and it is a great opportunity for us to see rural life down in the Terai (or plains area). As we saw yesterday, the countryside is now very flat with more room and wider roads but they are no better maintained. It is Saturday morning so the kids aren’t in school. We see everyone … [Read more...]
Day 7: Tansen to Lumbini
18 October 2019 Life begins early in the morning in Tansen. Pre-dawn I wake and open my curtains looking down into the valley but it was very cloudy so I jump back into bed and listen to the town coming alive. About 5.45 bells start ringing in the village and I wonder if it signifies sunrise, so I look out onto my little verandah and get a lovely view of sunrise over Srinagar Hill. After breakfast we load our bags in the bus before walking down into the town. Tansen was the … [Read more...]
Day 6: Pokhara to Tansen
17 October 2019 Today we have a more relaxed start before setting off on a long drive. This gives us lots of time to enjoy the beautiful gardens of the hotel with the snow-capped mountains in the background. We are heading to the town of Tansen - formerly the capital of the Magyar kingdom Tanahun - in the Palpa District located in the "hills" of western part of Nepal. We drive through spectacular countryside with high steep hills towering above the valleys. Traditionally … [Read more...]
Day 5: Pokhara & Annapurna Base Camp
16 October 2019 Today 5 of us decide to experience an unexpected treat: we have the opportunity to take a helicopter flight in to Annapurna base camp. It is fairly expensive but another once in a lifetime opportunity. We have an early breakfast and then transport back to the airport. It is somewhat hazy on the ground but we can pick out the odd peak here and there. We are reassured that they are in contact with base camp and won’t take us up there if we can’t see anything. We walk … [Read more...]
Day 4: Nagarkot to Pokhara (via Kathmandu)
15 October 2019 We were up at 5.00 for breakfast at 5.30 to enable us to see the sunrise and then depart by 6.30. We were promised panoramic views of the Himalayas and a spectacular sunrise but what got delivered was pea-soup clouds so thick we could hardly see the end of the verandah. At least we got a second cup of tea before getting back on the bus. Jenny and Dennis had come up here at dawn the previous day on a photography trip without realising they would be repeating the journey - … [Read more...]
Day 3: Bhaktapur & Nagarkot
14 October 2019 Today we have a leisurely start before heading out of Kathmandu headed to Bhaktapur, one of the 3 major ancient kingdoms that existed in the Kathmandu valley. We really notice the difference in the traffic now that all the locals that had left the city to go home to visit their families for the Dashain festival (estimated 2m of them) have now come back. We have about an hour and a half’s drive to our first stop and Kishor tells us about some of the political … [Read more...]