Day 15 - Bandipur to Pokhara

A blanket of fog covered the valleys around Bandipur this morning. Even though the town is only 1000m high, it felt like we were a long way above the fog. 

In the distance, we could see the peaks in the distance as the sun hit their eastern side. It's such a pretty sight, and a shame that we haven't been able to capture in photos.

We stopped a couple of times along the way from Bandipur to Pokhara to take photos of the mountains. The Annapurna Range is only about 50km away, so seems to be visible from everywhere.

According to our guide, Padma, Fishtail Mountain in the picture below is one of the only mountains that has not been climbed in the region.

In the foreground, the locals are farming rice. This area achieves 2 crops per year, so is one of the more affluent.

Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal. It's on the edge of a large lake, and has fantastic views of some of the highest peaks. In other parts of Nepal, these are hidden by lower peaks.

It's hard to believe it's winter as we headed out on the lake to see a small Hindu temple where locals and tourists were making offerings on an island in the centre.

These little pedal boats were ferrying people all over. I think our pedallar would have been very pleased to have only 5 people on his boat!

December 30 is a public holiday in this part of Nepal, as the Gurung Community celebrates Tama Lhosar. Along the drive this morning we saw small street parades, and many community areas decorated with colourful flags. Men, women and children were dressed in local costumes and marched along the main highway, inches from the buses and trucks!

Meanwhile, the streets of Pokhara are blocked off for the celebrations which will also flow into New Year's Eve tomorrow. , The hotels are packed, and all the restaurants have brought their chefs into the main street to contribute to the food festival.  They're also selling cans of beer and vodka from trestle tables on the kerbside - quite strange to see. 

The Boomerang Restaurant was an interesting sight... not sure if they serve something resembling kangaroo, but it would be a fascinating combo with the Nepali cultural show!

Tomorrow we head into the hills for our 2 day trek - can't wait! This means that it will be 2017 before I post the next blog, so enjoy you new year celebrations. It will definitely be a quiet one for us!

Love theBunch x

Day 14 - Nuwakot to Bandipur

Out the door at 5:30am... almost sounds like we're home! We had the option to head to the top of the hills in Nuwakot to see the sunrise - Andrew and I took it, Emma and Alex opted to remain in their cosy little room at the farm.

The 2 hills in Nuwakot, Malika and Kalika, are just behind the farm, and provided he perfect vantage point for a pre-dawn walk. It was great to watch the local people start their day, with kids and adults hauling water up the hills.

As the sun rose, we could see a blanket of fog far below us, with more hills in the distance.

 The temple that we visited yesterday was just above the fog and, creating a very pretty scene...

Back to the farmhouse for breakfast. The team do an amazing job of of looking after their guests, particularly considering this place is well off the beaten track. The kitchen is completely open and tiny, but pumped out some fabulous food.

Leaving Nuwakot, we had no choice but to return down the hairy road (precipice) from yesterday. There's nothing nice about a bus sliding down a hill... thankfully we are all here to tell he tale!

We followed the Trisuli river West to Bandipur. The Trisuli River runs from the Langtang Range, and its name comes from the stories of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva's weapon is a trident, known as a 'Trisul'. When he came to the Himalayas the demons had created enough poison to destroy the region, so Shiva drank the poison to destroy the demons. He hit the Langtang Range with his trident to get water, and this formed Gosainkunda Lake, which then overflowed into what is now known as the Trisuli river.

We left the Trisuli River at the intersection of the Marsyangdi River, which flows from the Annapurna Range. The current bridge is an old suspension bridge that would be well past its use-by date in Australia. A new bridge is under construction, and judging by the construction we've seen so far could take a while to complete!

Bandipur is a hilltop settlement, about 150km west of Kathmandu. About 15000 people live in the region, and it's clear that they have worked hard to attract tourists to the area. The main street is lined with guest houses and coffee shops selling pastries and offering free wifi!

We're staying in a sister property to the Farm from last night, and again, it's a beautifully renovated old building.

For the next 3 nights the town is celebrating the new year with a food festival. It's decked out with bunting and music, and you can tell they're all geared up for a bug few days!

Climbing the hill on the edge of town gives a great vantage point of the town and surrounding villages. This is a pretty part of the country.

From here we also had better views of the peaks of the Himalayas. They are so majestic.

We could see the Manaslu Range pretty clearly, and then Annapurna further West, and Langtang to the East. It's hard to fathom that this is the 8th highest mountain in the world, at 8163m. The peaks look like they are floating in the distance...

So, it feels like we are getting warmer in terms of proximity to the mountains, but it's definitely getting cooler! 

Another great day in Nepal!

Love theBunch x

Day 13 - Into the hills

The Nepal part of our trip is a small group tour of the hills, valleys and mountains to the West of Kathmandu, and then rafting through the Chitwan National Park to the South.

Our morning started with a trip to the Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple), high above the Kathmandu Valley.  It's a great way to get a sense of how far this city stretches.

According to legend, the Kathmandu valley was once a lake, and the site of the temple rose spontaneously - hence the name swayambhu, meaning 'self-arisen'. 

Swayambhunath Stupa is a striking Buddhist temple, with a huge white dome symbolising the universe, topped by a gilded spire. The eyes of Buddha appear on each side of the stupa, and symbolise compassion, while the nose symbolises unity. 

Buddhist prayer flags feature throughout the site, and hundreds of Chiatya (tombs) surround the stupa. These are the resting place for monks and the most senior royals.

People file around the stupa in a clockwise direction to spin the prayer wheels and make an offering. Nearby, people make offerings at the temple of Harati Ma.  Buddhist legend says that Harati Ma (meaning mother) originally kidnapped children, but when her own children were kidnapped she sought help from Buddha. Buddha highlighted that this was a lesson for her, and made her the protector of all children.

It's not hard to see why this is nicknamed the Monkey Temple... they're everywhere. They might look cute and cuddly, however we were under strict instructions not to eat around them, and not to make eye contact. They're vicious!

We started the drive out of the Kathmandu Valley, and were quickly surrounded by beautiful hills and countryside. The rivers snake through the valleys and eventually end up at the Ganges. The length and height of this bridge gives an idea of how high the water can get after the monsoon.

This area of Nepal was felt the full impact of the earthquake in April 2015, so many of the buildings are in the process of being rebuilt. The new houses all have steel reinforced pillars, and while the lower storeys are inhabited, the building continues above.

The road to Nuwakot is one lane, steep, winding - pretty hairy at the best of times! It proved to be quite a challenge for our bus as we tried to pass muddy roadworks. The locals are putting a lot of work into retaining walls to ensure that the road doesn't fall away,

A couple of times we opted to get out and walk while the bus driver tried to get out of a boggy patch. Slipping and sliding along the side of a precipice was more of an adventure than we bargained for! 

The trip was worth it, as we reached the Nuwakot Famous Farm. Perched on the side of the hill, this gorgeous little renovated guest house is filled with quaint rooms with low doors as the Nepalese are not tall people. The food and hospitality is homely, and exceptional.

Nuwakot Palace was built in the 18th century by a King from Ghorka.  When the King from Ghorka  arrived in the area there was an existing King, but he wanted to create one great Nepal, so he dressed as a farmer to gain access to the area without conflict. The King from Ghorka went on to marry the local King's daughter, so the two lands were united.

Again, this Palace and town suffered extensive damage in the earthquake.  The people are steadily rebuilding, and while it will take time, they are making good progress with the support of the government, and commitment of the community.

From the palace we watched the sun set over the hills. We aren't anywhere near high peaks yet, but the mountain scenery is still magnificent...

Love theBunch x

Day 12 - Hello Kathmandu

We made it to Katmandu at around midnight, after a very long day in airports and on flights. 

We're not sure if it was exposure to thousands of people, airline food, or just Delhi making its mark, but we were all taken out by some kind of bug. Not the best way to spend the day, but today I was grateful for a clean hotel, western toilets, and a day without any formal plans!

We ventured out for a short time in the afternoon to grab some warm clothes. Everyone had told us that Kathmandu is a haven for trekking gear, and they were right... every second shop sells piles of 'North Face' jackets and bags. In between, shops sell cashmere and silk wraps, but I didn't dare pull out a lighter to confirm the quality.

Kathmandu was busy with cars, bikes, and hikers, and we enjoyed the relatively fresh air and calm. I managed to capture these couple of pics with hills in the distance, but the will be nothing compared to our views for the coming days.

You know it must have been bad when the sum total of all the photos we took for the day make it into the blog, and both were taken by me - there wasn't even a GFP! Instead, I'll use this GFP from Hanoi on Christmas Day 2012. How cute are those two little girls in the middle!?!?

Love theBunch x

PS... 24 hours later, and we're all improving. We have set off on our Kathmandu tour, and wifi is pretty sketchy, so don't worry if it's a while between posts!

Day 11 - Reflections on India, and looking to Nepal

Today we shift gears from India to Nepal, it's a transit day, so it's an opportunity to reflect on the last 10 days in India. 

The highlights...

There have been many highlights, but a couple stand out. Seeing the Taj Mahal was special, and now we realise that seeing it on a beautiful day was an absolute privilege. It's a beautiful building and is so loved by all Indians. It's amazing that it has stood and been maintained for so long, and I hope they can continue to protect this global treasure.

The architecture and detail thoughout the red sandstone palaces and forts is stunning. In some cases, rendered walls have been intricately painted to give a 3D effect, while in others the detail in massive areas of stonework has blown us away. The variety of the stone screens has been beautiful, particularly as the shafts of sunlight stream through.

Christmas Day on the Ganges will be remembered for a long time. The faith of the Indian people is so strong, and you can see how it can enhance a society. It highlights how commercial our religious festivals have become, and how the true meaning has been lost. 

Things that have surprised us...

We've been surprised to see that everywhere is a step back in time. We haven't seen any modern areas, and this county is yet to embrace the Westfield style shopping mall. This means that people support the local community and the guy who just wants to make a living day to day to feed his family.

We've embraced vegetarian meals easily, and have enjoyed Indian food for all meals. Most food hasn't been ridiculously spicy, and we've even started to use our fingers much more!

The amount of animals of every kind on the streets has been amazing. Dogs, cats, cows, camels, goats, pigs, and people happily co-exist, and don't seem to end up in conflict!

Things that have shocked us...

The march of progress, destroying everything in its path has probably been the biggest shock. This was mist evident as we arrived in Varanasi and saw houses without their facade. The masses of people on the ground seem so far removed from the politicians and power brokers. There may be a vision for a bigger and better India, but at what price for the guy who is just trying to survive?

The pollution, dust and traffic is like nothing we have ever seen, and makes me realise how much we take clean, well maintained infrastructure for granted. The traffic reminds me of rocks in a stream... all different sizes come together, and sometimes trickles of water make it through, but every so often a dam forms, and no one is going anywhere! 

Our final shock is the impact of demonetisation... Here's a poor cash society that is simultaneously trying to stamp out black money, and shift to a digital economy. Many people here still have passbooks (if they have an account at all) and online banking, eft machines, and ATMs are so foreign and unreliable. Transactions are in 10, 50, and 100 rupee notes, so the sudden proliferation of the 2000 rupee notes has created big problems all round. Yet people stand patiently in the ATM queues. I didn't realise how much we take access to funds for granted.

Ultimately, this country is dealing with similar issues to Australia, but from such a different starting point and perspective, and with a billion people to consider.

So it's been quite an adventure, but I feel like we've barely scratched the surface. Did it meet my expectations? Yes, and more. This is a country that I want to learn a lot more about, because I think Australia will be hearing a whole lot more from them!

Looking to Nepal, and thinking about my expectations for the next 10 days... I'm expecting mind-blowing scenery, cool fresh air, and immersion in a new faith - Buddhism. I'm looking forward to getting active, and having my fear of heights challenged. Bring on a whole collection of new experiences!

Love theBunch x