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Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal

1 Comment »3rd January, 2006; Category: Himalayas, Kathmandu, Nepal, Trekking

Day 3: Tuesday 3rd January 2006

Flight to Lukla

Our early morning call was at 4:30am. We showered and dressed and went downstairs for breakfast at 5am. It was hard to eat adequately knowing the excitement building up within oneself. The anticipation of the flight into Lukla was also playing a little on my mind. I am also not used to eating at such an early hour. I had managed to get about five hours sleep but Rose said my snoring had kept her awake.

At 5:50am we were all ready to leave for the airport. The roads were much quieter but the drivers were just as crazy. The passage through the Domestic Airport was very smooth but we were all frisked three times. It is good that the local authorities are so thorough about security. We also had our bags searched.

Delay at Kathmandu Airport

We had about an hour’s wait for the airport at Lukla to clear of mist. The plane was small with 17 passengers and three crew members. The take off was smooth and the view from the window was spectacular all the way. It was a 40 minute flight to Lukla and I thought that it was quite reasonable except near the end when I was pleased that I had not eaten more than a light breakfast of fruit. On the other hand all of the other trekkers thought that the flight was very rough and were not looking forward to the return flight at the end of the trek.

Yeti Airlines

Yes – you read correctly. We flew Yeti Airlines to Lukla. The planes they use here in Nepal are small STOL (Short Take Off and Landing – for more information click here). Other planes cannot land on some of the air strips in Nepal as they need longer runways. They are cramped, noisy and not recommended for those with claustrophobic tendencies! The aisle is narrow, the seats seem only just big enough for the very thinnest of people and if you are tall, like James from our trekking group – be sure to get an aisle seat to stretch out your legs. Otherwise your knees end up around your ears.

The WOW Factor

At Lukla Airport

As I stepped out of the plane at Lukla my immediate response was “WOW!” The sight of the towering mountains on every side is almost overwhelming. Tears to the eyes stuff. Dreams come true! I’m here in the heart of the Himalayas.

Preparing for Trekking

No Comments »2nd January, 2006; Category: Kathmandu, Nepal, Trekking

Day 2: Monday January 2nd 2006

Birding in Kathmandu

We returned to the Shangri La Hotel for lunch. The three of us, including Kath, the trekker from Melbourne, had lunch in the beautiful hotel garden. During the lunch we enjoyed the sunshine while we waited and while we ate. It was about 18 degrees C and very pleasant. I was delighted to observe several Rose Ringed Parakeets flying overhead. I have also seen House Crows and Common Ravens around the streets of Kathmandu. I haven’t seen many birds on this trip so far. I hope this is about to change.

Dodgy power supplies

After lunch I went to the hotel Business Centre to send several emails home. The power went off briefly for a few seconds while I was there but I didn’t lose any of my email message. I guess the power here can be a little dodgy at times. Meanwhile Rose went to the street nearby to do some shopping.

Trekking group meeting

At 3pm we had a meeting with our guide Ananta and all of the other trekkers. The other six trekkers had recently arrived from Pokhara. They had all been on a six day trek of the Annapurna region near Pokhara. Only one other trekker is about my age; all the others are in their twenties or early thirties. My immediate impression is that they are all very pleasant.

Preparing for trekking

We received our duffle bags, a very warm parka and a sleeping bag, all on loan from Peregrine Travel, our travel agent. I realised immediately that I would have to trim down what I took on the trek to the barest minimum. I will have to balance this with making sure I have enough warm clothing with me. Before writing this I did a pre-trek pack and it is not as bad as I thought at first. I will be able to fit in everything I need without leaving behind any essentials. Being able to do some washing along the way will be handy. What we didn’t need for the trek we were able to leave locked away in our suitcases in a secure area in the hotel. I also left some items like cash, traveller’s cheques and passport in the hotel safe.

Some doubts

At the meeting I did have a few moments of “what am I about to do?” Will I cope with the walking, the climbing and the altitude? It is reassuring to have Rose here with me. It is also very good to have the entire organisation done for us, things like transport, fees, accommodation and food. Still, it will be a huge physical and mental challenge. It will be a genuine test of all that I have and all that I am. The dream of visiting this area, a dream of more than 25 years, is about to become reality.

Touring Kathmandu, Nepal

No Comments »2nd January, 2006; Category: Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 2: Monday 2nd January 2006.

Sightseeing in Kathmandu 

Both Rose and I had a reasonable night’s sleep but I am still waking up very early. I think I must be still working on South Australian time. After showering and dressing we went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. At nine o’clock we were picked up by our guide for the morning. We got in the mini-bus bus for the half hour journey through the city. I am constantly amazed that there are so few accidents. The traffic is barely organised chaos. We did see one policeman on point duty at one busy intersection. I have not yet seen any traffic lights. Our driver had to dodge pedestrians walking everywhere. Then there were bicycles, motor cycles, trucks, buses, all sorts of cars, taxis, dogs, cows, ducks but the monkeys seem to keep to the buildings and trees.

 Temple visits

We first visited a Hindu temple and monastery. We were able to witness a cremation on the opposite river bank. Our guide was very good at explaining everything. We then travelled to a Buddhist stupa. This was a magnificent structure made even more colourful by the thousands of prayer flags strung up from the edges to the top. Around the edge there were many prayer wheels. Pilgrims were circumventing the stupa turning the wheels as they went. We visited a temple nearby.

 Shopping in Kathmandu

We were also able to watch a group of Buddhist monks painting designs relevant to their faith. Each painting took three to four months to complete. We were free then to wander around and do some shopping in the bazaar around the perimeter of the stupa. Our guide invited us to visit her shop. Rose and I both bought some beautiful pashminas from her.

We also visited a carpet factory. Here we watched a group of Tibetan refugees making beautiful carpets varying in size from less than a square metre up to four by three metres. It was a shame that they were too big to bring home in a suitcase. The shop section can arrange for export to anywhere in the world, but I didn’t ask how much it would cost. The whole enterprise has Swiss financial backing.

 

Kathmandu, Nepal

3 Comments »1st January, 2006; Category: Kathmandu, Nepal, Trekking

Sunday 1st January 2006.

I am finally in Kathmandu.

I can hardly believe it.

Leaving Bangkok

This morning I had an early breakfast just after 6 o’clock. By seven I was packed and ready to leave Bangkok.I went down to check out and settle my account. I had to pay for the meals that I had booked up during my stay. My driver was waiting for me just as I finished the paperwork. There were no other passengers in the car with me. It being a holiday in Thailand there was very little traffic on the freeway to the airport, and so we made very good time. Check-in took only a few minutes and so did immigration. As a consequence I had two hours to fill in before my plane was due to leave.

Off to Kathmandu

I found a very cheap internet café and spent about 45 minutes writing emails home and also replying to emails sent to me. It was good to hear what was happening at home. I boarded the plane at just before 10:30am and only a few minutes later we were in flight. The three hour flight went well – except for the poor stewardess who tipped over a drinks trolley in the aisle. Drinks, glasses, bottles and ice went everywhere. She was so embarrassed. Apart from that the flight was very smooth, even over the ranges near Kathmandu.

Mt. Everest

I was very excited watching the Himalaya ranges getting closer and closer as we approached Kathmandu. I could clearly see the snow-capped mountains for about 45 minutes. The view from my seat was really fantastic with great views of Mt. Everest. The view disappeared as we landed. The pollution in the Kathmandu Valley is usually quite bad and there was no view of the surrounding hills, let alone the mountains further off.

Kathmandu Airport

Kathmandu airport is very third world. It is certainly not in the same league as Melbourne or Bangkok. As the plane taxis one is aware of the wrecks of planes and helicopters scattered along the perimeter. Then there was a five minute walk to the terminal. Customs and immigration was very quick taking only a few minutes. The big hold-up came when I went to collect my suitcase. This took nearly forty minutes to appear. Most other people had a similar wait. I also had no trouble seeing the driver who came to collect me. In fact, he saw me before I saw him.

Driving in Kathmandu

The drive to the Shangri La Hotel was very interesting. The mini-van was about 20 years old and had seen much better days. The roads we took would give goat tracks a bad name! And then there was the traffic – there seem to be no rules. Well, perhaps one rule: he who barges the most aggressively gets right of way. Dodge ‘em cars are positively sedate in comparison. And the chief driving aid used is the horn. I heard more toots in the first minute here than I did in the four days in Bangkok. The drivers here have to be very skilful, dodging cars, trucks, buses, tuk-tuks, bicycles, motor bikes, pedestrians, dogs, cows, ducks, more dogs and maybe even the occasional monkey. Despite the chaos we arrived safely. The only other passenger was Kath from Melbourne. She is also going on the trek.

I was quite surprised to see monkeys in the streets. I hadn’t anticipated seeing monkeys here. There were also large numbers of dogs wandering around everywhere, quite oblivious to the traffic all around. I saw a small flock of 8 – 10 ducks just standing in the middle of the road with the traffic veering all around them! The section of the city we drove through was very run down and slum like, nothing like life here in Australia.

Meeting Rose

It was great to see our daughter Rose at the hotel. It had been just over a year since we said farewell to her on Boxing Day 2004. She has been on a teaching exchange in the UK. We spent a few minutes filling in various forms for the hotel and Peregrine Travel, our trekking company. We also met Ananta, our guide for the trek. After that we went up to the room we were sharing. We spent the afternoon catching up. I did most of the talking. I had so much to share regarding my experiences in Thailand.

Visit to the River Kwai, Thailand

2 Comments »31st December, 2005; Category: Bangkok, Thailand

Saturday 31st December 2005

Bangkok to the River Kwai

I had an even earlier start this morning. I woke at 5am and showered. I was not fully dressed when my breakfast arrived in my room at 5:20am. The dining room only opens at 6am for breakfast. I had to be up early because my bus arrived at 6:15am. Several of us from the hotel were driven to a bus station and we then transferred to a large comfortable coach.

Great Tour Guide

The tour started at 7am. Our leader’s name was Chai Wat. He spoke for the next two hours as we headed north-west towards Myanmar (Burma). He spoke of the history of Thailand and especially the Death Railway. He is a walking encyclopaedia.Tomorrow is his 77th birthday. He was only a young lad when he witnessed terrible atrocities at the time of the railway construction. He related several terrible incidents that he has personally witnessed. We visited the official War Cemetery and this was a moving experience. This memorial was immaculately maintained with extensive, spacious lawn throughout. Each gravesite had a very clear plaque. Roses and other beautiful flowers were growing between each grave. The vast majority of soldiers buried here were Australian.

The Bridge over the River Kwai

A short time later we arrived at the bridge over the River Kwai. We were able to take a train trip over the bridge. It was not as I expected. The area adjacent was very commercialised with a large market place next to the bridge. We were given a half hour for shopping. I bought a very cheap T-shirt with a picture of a train going over the bridge. It cost me 100 baht (about $3.30).

Exhilarating Boat Ride on the River Kwai

Next we had an exhilarating long-boat ride on the river. These speed boats must do about 60-70 kph. After disembarking we had a tour of the JEATH War Museum. The name JEATH represents the five nations involved in the construction of the Death Railway; the first letters of Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and Holland.

War Museum

The museum was sadly run-down and in desperate need of restoration. It was also depressing to see the graphic paintings done by a prisoner at the time. He has realistically depicted the hardships they all went through. There were also many photographs and newspaper cuttings from the time and since. Interestingly, Weary Dunlop features prominently throughout. Our tour guide knew him personally. In fact, Weary would personally ask for Chai Wat to be the guide whenever he brought survivors back to visit.

Wild Monkeys

Back in the bus we headed off into the mountains near the Burmese border. Along the way we stopped briefly at a road-side stop to see some wild monkeys. They come here to be fed by passing tourists. Apparently they can turn quite nasty and aggressive, so we were warned not to approach too close to them. This road side stop was complete with several stalls selling fruit (for the monkeys) and things like drinks, chips and so on for the tourists.

Traditional Thai Lunch

Lunch was in a traditional country Thai restaurant in a small village. The food was excellent but I ate still more rice. Over lunch I sat with a couple from Adelaide. They have a unit in Adelaide but spend most weekends on their houseboat which is moored at the River Glen Marina in Murray Bridge. It is a small world.

Railway Viaduct

After a very relaxing lunch we visited a nearby railway viaduct section of the rail line making up part of the Death Railway. The weather today was mild, about 28 degrees and a little humid. I simply could not imagine working there on the railway construction at the height of summer when it would get to 40 degrees with 95% humidity and no water to drink throughout the day and limited food in the evening. How did anyone survive those conditions? Then add on top of that their poor physical state from malnutrition, illness and injury. The human body and spirit has an amazing capacity to survive against unbelievable odds.

Border Dispute

At this point we were merely 20km from the Burmese border. We couldn’t go any further as there have been recent security problems. There has been an on-going border dispute between Thailand and Myanmar for many years. There has also been some terrorist activity in that region in recent months.

A problem with Eucalypt Trees

We returned the way we came along the main highway and freeway back to Bangkok. It took us just over three hours which included a short stop for a toilet break. The country through which we travelled included vast acreages of sugar cane plantations. Many pineapples and other fruits are grown in this area. An interesting minor fact is that eucalypts are quickly becoming a pest species in this area. Many were planted some years ago for paper production but they have escaped the plantation areas.

New Year’s Eve Celebrations

I went to bed at 9pm after such a long day of eleven hours on the tour. I also have to be up early for the drive to the airport to fly to Kathmandu. I watched the New Year’s Eve fireworks from Sydney on television before going to sleep. I was briefly woken by a few fireworks at midnight. These were widespread throughout Bangkok and not focussed in one spot like in Sydney. They last all of two minutes and I was soon back asleep.

Kathmandu, here I come.

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