Rest of Nepal and into India

More updates from our travels... though sorry no pictures cos the computer keeps losing internet connection when we try and upload them!
The rest of the time in the Kathmandu area we spent looking at more temples/culture etc, this time in Patan (just south of Kathmandu itself). The Durbar Square here, though similar in terms of style of architecture etc, was so much calmer, more organised and you got far less hassled by people trying to sell you stuff that it seemed a hundred times more enjoyable! Unfortunately it wasn't as sunny (apparently it's permanantly misty for all of December in the Kathmandu Valley!) but didn't detract from the atmosphere. Back at the Hotel everything had gone christmassy - fairy lights and mince pies for breakfast!! Were invited to Raj's house for dinner and to meet his family...was brilliant - as soon as we walked through the door we were plied with beer and copious amounts of really tasty home-cooked food that seemd to keep on coming for hours! Learnt to play a new game with his kids, think it was called "cannonball" - involded flicking pucks around a table to try and get them in holes in the corners - a strange cross of pool and ice hockey! - quite good fun though! Then we went off to stalk some wildlife in Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal. Staying on an island within the park which had three wild tigers living on it - sadly we didn't see them!!! just scratch marks, footprints and pooh to prove they really did exist somewhere! did get to see rhinos, 2 sorts of crocodiles, monkeys, deer, civet, lots of parakeets, cranes and a multitude of weird and wonderful bugs from walks, boat rides and elephant safaris - yep, we rode an elephant!!!! Had a bit of time to get to know the elephants one afternoon, learning about how they were trained, looked after etc....Kerry got to feed them and get spat at as thanks (the elephant was just upset she didn't have any more food for her!) and Ben got to experience getting on top of an elephant Mahoot-style - holding it's ears and being lifted up by it's trunk!! Muchos fun - if a bit wobbly trying to turn round to sit on it's shoulders!
After an early morning xmas eve jungle walk where we woke up a rhino, it was time for a three hour bus ride to the India border. A couple of things to note about travelling on Nepal's roads...
- horns are the most important thing cars can have - whoever's is most tuneful wins on the roads!
- they dress up their lorries in bright colours and designs - even give them afro's!
Then into India...
Possibly the most laid back immigration ever - 2 casual-clothed men sat at a wooden desk by the side of the road, one sleeping, one doing a sudoku! but they let us in so we won't complain!
Met up with a Dutch couple to get a taxi to Gorakhpur (the nearest place on the main train line), finally sorted out a ticket to Delhi, but had to put up with Indian "queueing" - elbows had to be employed, even against old women, to avoid being trampled and bundled out of the way! Thankfully the train was on time, well, only half an hour late (instead of the 6 hours late that many trains were!), cos Gorakhpur really didbn't seem the most exciting of places to spend much time...The train was great though, clean and comfortable, good food...good job when we were on it for 22 hours!! Got there 4 and a half hours late, which meant we didn't have time to see anything that day before leaving early the next morning to come to Agra.
Arrived here (Agra) yesterday and spent the afternoon at the fort - a collection of very impressive red sandstone and white marble palaces, fortresses and mosques, with monkeys running around and views over to the Taj Mahal. Which is where we've been today! So much more impressive than you imagine from the pictures! Intricate carvings and delicate inlays of semi-precious stones everywhere you look, and not unbearably crowded early in the morning. Think we should set up a business though - apparently blonde and ginger English people make very good subjects for Indian tourists' photos...we must have been asked to be in tens of them these last couple of days!
Heading back to Delhi tonight for a whistle-stop tour of the sights tomorrow, then we're flying to Hanoi in Vietnam...will update you on that soon!

Kathmandu, after trekking

Ok so here is our first update since we've been away. Apparently we could have used the internet in a few villages along the way, but couldn't be bothered to guess when the power cuts were going to happen each day!

First couple of days in Kathmandu, being tourists and dealing with the crowds (mainly of guides wanting to take you trekking or people wanting to sell us hash!) Met our guide, Raj, at the airport, saved us having to negociate the mass of taxi drivers trying to rip you off, then had a couple of days to ourselves round the sights of the city...big culture shock, huge traffic jams of pedestrians, rickshaws, bikes, cars, goats and cows accompanied by LOTS of horn honking! Visited Durbar Square among other places in the city centre, large collection of temples etc, again with people selling you everything under the sun.

So, we've completed the Annapurna Circuit, 21days (well half days...we only walked after lunch on 3 days...v. relaxing and not too stressful, that's not to say easy, especially on the legs and lungs as we got higher!) of beautiful weather and the most amazing scenery. Didn't quite realise how high the Himalayas were...

We started off from around 790m (Besi-Sahar a "large town" at the end of a very long bumpy road, only partly surfaced) climbing gradually up the Marshyangdi Valley from lush rice terraces through pine woodland to high glacial moraines, with views of huge waterfalls and the Manaslu and Annapurna ranges. So few tourists along the way it almost seemed like we had the whole area to ourselves, apart from all the donkey caravans taking supplies up and down to the villages.

Had good sightings of wildlife, including Langur monkeys and Macaques, eagles and vultures and big lizards, unfortunately no good photos!

Had an acclimatisation day in Manang (3500m - day 8) where we were both ill, don't know what it was we ate, but immodium proved very useful! Then carried on to climb higher, with Kerry looking like a German in her bandana and sunglasses, all she needed was a pair of walking poles!

The altitude brought on no adverse effects, apart from making us far more puffed, really noticing the thin air over 4000m, this did however bring new wildlife like yaks and musk deer, unfortunately no snow leopards though. It got much chillier, especially at night, where yak poo fuelled fires were much sought after...hot shit! Good job we weren't ill up there as toilets were unusable as they were frozen!

Stayed at 4800m on the last night before crossing the highest part of the trek, Thorong La pass (5416m), with a pretty chilly start at 6.45 am! Made it to the pass at about 9am and celebrated the feat with photos, no drink 'cos of frozen water, half a Mars Bar and two Italian blokes, before starting the v. steep 1600m descent. Big change to the landscape, with Tibet-like barren desert over the other side.

Had to have beer that night to celebrate, Everest Beer naturally... no-one warned us that at this altitude it explodes when opened and you lose half the bottle...like a champagne bottle in cartoons! swiftly moved on to Tuborg, seemed to be much better behaved!

Descended down the Kali Gandaki Valley, which turns into the deepest valley in the world, between Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri, two 8000-ers, with the valley floor down to 2200m. This side of the trek was far busier as many people come to do shorter treks due to "roads" and and airport! We actually had to share our guest houses with others...although the company was generally good!

Passed through the "Delightful Apple Capital of Nepal", otherwise known as Marpha, providing us with amazing cider, beautiful apple crumble (for breakfast!) and rather whiskey-like apple brandy...good night as a bottle was only 200 rupees (Less than 2 quid). The apple theme continued down the valley from here, with other places serving PURE apple juice...literally pureed apple...gorgeous, no need for the vitamin tablets we'd brought in case we were lacking! Also had more apple crumble this time spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom...yummy! Oh yeah and dried apple!

Had a day off in Tatopani (1300m) (means "hot water") where there are really hot hot springs, hotter than a bath...and never gets cold, and only 30 rupees for the day! Then the rest of the day was spent with cards, beer and tasty masala roasted soya bean mix. On the way here we were lucky (?) enough to pass by a sacrificing ceremony of two sheep because it was the day of a full moon!!! Actually heads being chopped off with a rather large knife next to the path, even the locals passing by stopped to watch...no photos of this for obvious reasons!

Then it was time to climb back up again, though only to 3210m this time, to the top of Poon Hill, just above Ghorapani, the compulsory tourist thing to do - witnessing sunrise and sunset over the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges. Incredible sights, even if we did have to set off at 6am and cope with about 30 other tourists...busy!!!

The way back down was through huge rhodedendron forest/jungle, then back into rice terraces at the bottom. Arrived in Pokhara, Nepal's second largest city, to end the trek and have a day of relaxation by Lake Phewa and eating meat!! Lots and lots of meat, with no carbohydrates in sight, apart from beer! Really good change from near vegetarianism over the last three weeks!

The trek was made so much better by the insight and organisation of our now friend Raj, who meant we didn't have to look after anything...big changes to come!!

Now we are back in Kathmandu, we're off for more sightseeing before going to Raj's house for a goodbye meal and then on to Chitwan National Park for wildlife spotting!

Hope this finds everone well, will update again soon. And if we don't get round to it in time, Merry Christmas!