Around Namche Bazar, Nepal
Friday 6th January 2006
Trek Day 4: Namche Bazar
After breakfast we went for a three hour walk along the edge of the valley to another stupa. Except for the climb out of the area around Namche this walk did not include much climbing. Along the way we passed through extensive rhododendron forests but they were not in flower, being the middle of winter.
Himalayan Monal – Nepal’s National Bird
We also had stunning views of the national bird of Nepal, the Himalayan Monal (also called Danphe’s Pheasant). These turkey sized birds feed on the ground using their beaks to search for their food in the leaves under trees. they also nest on the ground. I saw several gliding away below me, their iridescent feathers glowing in the sunlight, their coppery coloured wings stunningly beautiful. (For detailed information click here.) We also saw a group of Himalayan Thar, a large goat native to the area.
Sherpa Museum
After lunch we went for yet another walk up the pass, this time to the Sherpa Museum. The photographic display of Everest attempts was very interesting. After our return to the lodge I sorted out my clothes after receiving my laundry bag back. Except for what I am wearing, everything is now clean. At Rs200 ($4) it was worth it. I then went and had a shower which was most welcome, especially being able to wash my hair. Again, at a cost of Rs150 ($3) it was worth it. The system for hot showers her in the lodge is complicated. One has to book ahead for the water to be heated. It is then poured into the tank above the shower and so you need to move quickly before either the water gets too cold or you run out of hot water. I managed not to run out of water.
My suffering feet
My blisters on my toes and feet have been quite reasonable today. The one on my left heel has given me beans all day and I renewed the patch on it after my shower. Several of my little toes are quite bruised under the nail. They get bruised when walking downhill because they take the brunt of the pressure as the foot slides forward.
Highway to Tibet
Upstream from where we were this morning is a hydro-electric power system. This supplies Namche and a few other nearby villages. The track we walked on is the “highway†to Tibet. Over the centuries this has been a major trade route between Nepal and Tibet as well as China. From here it is a seven day walk to the next big town in Tibet.
Trekking from Lukla to Phakding part 2
Day 3: Tuesday 3rd January 2006
Birding in Nepal
Along the way I only observed three species of birds. There were House Sparrows at Lukla as well as Common Ravens all along the way. I identified Chestnut Thrush on a fence post just before we arrived at the lodge. This is another new species for me.
Yak Trains
Along the way we passed a number of yak trains. These animals were taking goods along the track. They are quite a bit smaller than I had anticipated with their heads not even coming up to my shoulder. We also passed many houses and lodges along the way as we passed through each small village on the route. The small farms near the villages grow a variety of fruits and vegetables, including potatoes, spinach, cabbage, silver beet, carrots and apples. Every small patch of earth is utilised to grow food. All cultivation is by hand.
Along the way I noticed a small nursery growing trees, each plastic tube holding a 5cm silver fir tree. There is no evidence to my eye of deforestation but it must be a problem keeping up with wood for heating and cooking. Tourism just adds to this pressure. The village we are staying in tonight actually has its own hydro-electric generator.
Suspension Bridges
During the walk today we crossed over two suspension bridges. One was about 30 metres long and the other was about 80 metres in length. There was plenty room to pass other people coming the other way. Passing a yak train on a bridge is not recommended, though I did get caught doing this once without any major hassle. Crossing the bridges did not cause me any hassles either. I thought I might have a problem. For me, the secret was to keep moving with the eyes firmly fixed ahead, not looking down too much.
Khao Yai National Park, Thailand
Friday 30th December 2005:
Bangkok to Khao Yai National Park
I went to bed early at 9pm. My internal clock was telling me that in South Australia it was about 2am. I slept soundly until 4:30am and then dozed until 5:30 when I arose, showered and dressed. I went down for breakfast at 6:10am. It was still quite dark. I had a large breakfast again to prepare for a long day, not knowing when I would eat next.
Big OOOPS time!
The minibus came for me at 7am. I was the last to get on. There were nine passengers plus the driver and a guide for the day. There was a couple from New Zealand, a couple from Brisbane and a Venezuelan girl studying in Sydney. Her sister, brother in law and nephew from Venezuela were also on board. About a half hour later as we were travelling through the outer suburbs of Bangkok the guide had explained what we were going to be doing for the day. The Venezuelans asked if we were going to visit Pattaya Beach. They were on the wrong bus! Major oops time. After some quick negotiations and phone calls to the Tour East office they agreed to continue on our tour, even though they were dressed for the beach and definitely not prepared for hiking through the rainforest. I had my hiking boots on; they had their bathers, towels and thongs. It seems that there was a misunderstanding between their travel agent and the Tour East Company.
Visit to a rice farm
Our first stop was at a fuel station after about an hour. This was for fuel, toilets, purchase of drinks and whatever. I needed the toilet (because one takes every opportunity to use a toilet when travelling) but didn’t need to buy anything. A little while later we stopped at a rice farm near the entrance to the national park. For the next half hour we were given a ride in a water buffalo cart through the rice fields. This traditional means of transport has all but died out due mechanisation. Our guide called them Japanese buffalo – tractors that use Japanese engines. Our guide had a delightful sense of humour and was full of witty sayings like that.
Unidentified Birds
For the first time I managed to see quite a few birds. We were travelling in quiet countryside at a slow walking pace. Unfortunately I was unable to identify many of them. During the ride in the cart we had to wear a traditional straw hat used by the locals. We also had to squat cross-legged in the car; my legs were really stiff for the next three days as a result.
Visit to a Country Market
The bus had travelled to our destination and another group of tourists had arrived ready to ride the carts back to the farm house where we had started. After another half hour in the bus we arrived at a genuine working country market. There were hundreds of stalls under plastic sheeting (to keep out the hot sun). These stalls sold an enormous range of foods – rice, vegetables, fruit of all kinds, fish, eels, cockroaches, frogs (still alive), all kinds of meat both cooked and raw, plus many things I didn’t recognise. Our guide was really good at explaining what things were and what they were called. We even got to taste some of the produce. He then bought a few items of fruit for our lunch.
Khao Yai National Park
Within the next hour we drove deep into the Khao Yai National Park. This was largely very thick rainforest. We saw many elephant droppings on the road but we did not sight a wild elephant. This would have been a worthy addition to the mammal list on my database! We also drove through a tiger zone but I was not surprised that we didn’t see one. There were also signs warning to watch out for wild buffalo and several species of deer. We saw none of these because it is a fairly busy road.
Spectacular Waterfalls
At one point we stopped for a toilet break and then went for a walk through the rainforest. After half an hour downhill we came to a spectacular waterfall. The last section was very steep, 180 wooden steps as steep as a step ladder. The climb back up was very challenging and good training for next week in the Himalaya. My tendency to sweat profusely was not helped by the high humidity. And it is the dry season here in Thailand. I’d hate to go walking here in the Wet.
Sumptuous Lunch
After another drive through the beautiful mountains we came to the Jungle Lodge. Here we had a sumptuous lunch of traditional Thai food, including more rice! I’ve eaten more rice in the last two days than I usually have in a year. After the soup and the main course we had a selection of fruit from the market.
Elephant Ride
After lunch we walked a short distance to where there were several elephants waiting to give us a ride through the rainforest. Fantastic! The ride was very peaceful. Our mahout took my camera, hopped off the elephant and proceeded to take about 20 photos of me and Vicky (the Venezuelan student) on the elephant. Vicky didn’t have a camera with her but I offered to send copies to her on my return home. She gave me her email address so I must remember to send them to her.
One delightful and amusing incident as we got into the seat. Vicky’s thong fell to the ground. The elephant nonchalantly reached down and retrieved it. It then handed it back to her. Should that be “trunked†it back to her? Elephants don’t have hands!
Feeding the Elephants
After the ride we were expected to buy our elephant a pineapple to eat. At 20 baht (about 70cents) it was a pleasure. Such gentle creatures; I stood right next to it and it gently took it from me, neatly bit off the leaves and politely chomped it up, dribbling just a little juice. I then tipped the mahout 40 baht. This also goes towards looking after the elephant.
On the ride through the rainforest I saw and heard many birds. I could not identify any of them as the experience was so overwhelming. I do remember seeing several parrots and a Blue Magpie, I think. The beauty of it all is that I get to ride another elephant at Chitwan National Park in Nepal.