So after our evening out with Nosang, Ana and I both pretty much just chilled out for the next 3 days in Pokhara. Lots of personal admin (washing and blogging - you lucky lot). We rented a boat on Phewa lake and put together a picnic and headed out for a 4 hour row around in the beautiful sun.
The scenery was amazing and it was a great day, however whilst picnic on the lake sounds lovely, the practicalities take the shine off it a little
"Can you pass me a sandwich"
"Sure let me just get the bag it's in"
"Don't rock the boat"
"I'm just moving to get the bag"
"we're going to fall in"
"I'll just pass it to you"
"Don't - just put it on the seat in the middle and I'll get it"
They never have these problems in the movies!
Also paddling for 4 hours (between us) is really hard work and in the height of the midday sun, it gets pretty intense, more like a workout - still, it was really nice and fun to drift around the banks of the lake watching life go by, locals fishing, tourists on the lake enjoying themselves and the wildlife on the banks and in the water. A very pleasant afternoon.
That evening we got in touch with Rob and Carla who had returned form their Annapurna adventure and went out to dinner to catch up on their tale after we got split up, they also had had an exciting time in the snow with plenty of drama including a night time retreat back down the trail in the snow...not something I would fancy attempting! A great evening of talking at each other about altitude, snow and people we had met - they were heading back to Aus soon, however we did agree to look them up for a beer when we get down under. Great to catch up with them again.
Rob has put together a great video of their time in Nepal so we thought we'd share it with you, unsure if you will need anything else to see it but here's the link -
https://vimeo.com/86261979
The following day Marianne (one of the people we met from our hotel) was preparing for her sister to arrive, she was joining her for the last 2 weeks of her 6 week stay in Nepal for a short trek. One of the things she had planned was a trek up to the Japanese world Peace Pagoda at the top of a hill on the banks of the lake. We tagged along for this journey as did 3 others to see the pagoda. The hill is best reached across the lake so we went down to the lake to get into 2 boats and paddled of again!
The walk was very pleasant, quite short but steep and we were glad of the rest at the top, the great views across the lake and to the mountains were worth the effort. Not to mention the pagoda itself of course.
We stopped for a coffee and a further view point on the way down and had a catch up with the gang and then rowed the boats back across. That evening we met up with them again at a local restaurant for our last meal before we moved on to Chitwan.
The restaurant had a local dance and singing / music night and we listened to and watched some interesting local music and dance - the culmination of which was to invite up the audience to join in. Ana and I both gave it a go of course, but I am not sure that our interpretation of the dance was quite right - there was a but of stamping and hand waving going on - but it just didn't feel like we quite got the gist!
Early start with our breakfast at Hotel Global Inn, toast only this morning - probably for the best as I think we may be developing egg poisoning after all the omelets we have eaten here (although they are pretty good).
Taxi to the bus station again, a bit of deja-vu from the start of our trekking journey and then a bus to Chitwan.
We made the obligatory stops on route whenever the driver decided it was lunch or tea time and we got a good dal bhat as a mid journey re-fuel, Ana scouted out some chai as we headed back to the bus - who should we bump into on the road to Chitwan no other than Andy and Lee form the trek - weird but great to catch up and share stories, these guys were leaving Nepal en route to Thailand where the music ensemble they had carried around the Annapurna circuit would come in handy to woo the ladies on the beaches.
At he next arbitrary stop we bumped into Rob and Carla who were also heading to Chitwan before heading back home. They were on a separate bus that had stopped at the same time. Again - a quick catch up and said our goodbyes before moving on.
Arrived in Chitwan that afternoon and got bussed to a resort. It was a little bit like the hi-di-hi holiday camp. The room was basic but clean-ish, just a bit tired, but the 3 day / 2 night 'safari' was very prescriptive with allotted times for food and being ferried around places when really a walk would have been quicker...still, it was enjoyable when we got into the stride of it a little. First thing to learn was to decline the western food that they were trying to force on you, stick to the Nepali Dal Bhat buffett - this was warm and well cooked and it all went together well, as opposed to the western meal we were presented with when we first arrived which was chicken curry, pasta, potato cakes, rice and boiled veg, I am all for fusion cuisine but even I struggled with this cold carb buffet! Stick to the Nepali and all is good!
So the first afternoon we headed out on a walk down to the river and saw a few cool birds and couple of cardial crocs! These are fish eaters only so nothing to be too worried about! The guy who took us out for the tour was pretty cool and would stick with us for the duration, we were together with a large Chinese family and a single Japanese tourist. The family were great fun - 3 generations with Grandmother and Grandfather telling off the younger kids but really getting into the walking and embracing the experience. They were great fun to be around and were pretty good at keeping up with the young'uns too!
After the river walk we headed back for an OK Nepali dinner buffet. Then off to the room to hide from the swarms of mosquitoes which whilst they weren't biting, they were still making a nuisance of themselves, and this is in the middle of winter - I suspect this place would be pretty bad for biting things in the summer months unless you are are drenched in DEET.
Next day, off to the elephant safari, this was a pretty cool experience, both Ana and I were a little uncertain about jumping on the back of these elephants to be taken around but they were well looked after and after after a while, the benefits of being on the back of a giant creature became clear, firstly they are very quiet and peaceful and move along with little noise, also it means that when you happen upon a group of Rhinos, you are able to stop and take some photos instead of trying to climb the nearest tree!
Later in the afternoon we took a canoe down the river and went for a jungle walk on foot and happened across a lone wild rhino, fortunately he was below a bank and heading away from us but still, he was close enough at points to make your heart beat just a little faster... Just ahead of him were some elephant drivers who'd been out to collect the food for the rest of the elephants in the park.
Great to be up close and personal with some of the wildlife and it really was just nice to be in the forest enjoying the atmosphere.
That evening we went to a cultural show in the local Tharou village, this was very holiday camp like - all of the lodges bus their clients into the centre of town at the hall which has been built specifically for this nightly show. Crammed in amongst the noisy crowd who wont shut up when the people introducing the people on stage making the atmosphere a little bit crummy. However the performances of dance an music themselves were really quite good, there is a traditional stick dance which made me think of ninja Morris dancers, they were very skilled and impressive. Then came the peacock dance. I was quite interested form the introduction to see what would happen - see for yourself, this is a short snippet of a long dance routine which I am ashamed to say had me in stitches, I am not sure exactly how traditional this particular dance is but I just could not keep a straight face!! See if you can - just for a couple of minutes, this went on for about 10 mins but I could no longer hold the camera steady...
After the show we headed back to the bus to take us the 2 min walk back down the road. Somehow in the 30 mins we had been watching the show, our guide had managed to get absolutely hammered and was hastily hidden in the front of the van away form us - where I could just see his head lolling form side to side on the journey back to the hotel.
Up early the next morning for a bird-watching tour with the drunkard. To his credit he managed the tour very well, I am pretty sure after that skinful, I would have called in sick. I was impressed with how together he was. Just a shame the animals (and all of us) could smell him coming! Not so impressed and a bit of a shame as he really is a good guide - just lacking a bit of professionalism when on duty apparently!
After the bird-watching we jumped on yet another Nepali bus on to Kathmandu. Not a bad journey 4-5 hours or so and we arrived at Florid Hotel.
I am not sure how we will cope when we have to do this on our own again! I am thinking we definitely fall into the flash-packer category instead of the hardened backpacker traveller, but I have reconciled myself to that!
More to come from Kathmandu but thats all for now - hope all is good back home, keep in touch all!
The scenery was amazing and it was a great day, however whilst picnic on the lake sounds lovely, the practicalities take the shine off it a little
"Can you pass me a sandwich"
"Sure let me just get the bag it's in"
"Don't rock the boat"
"I'm just moving to get the bag"
"we're going to fall in"
"I'll just pass it to you"
"Don't - just put it on the seat in the middle and I'll get it"
They never have these problems in the movies!
'Andy - don't you dare move!'
Taking a well deserved break from Ana's whinging and some tough rowing :)
Also paddling for 4 hours (between us) is really hard work and in the height of the midday sun, it gets pretty intense, more like a workout - still, it was really nice and fun to drift around the banks of the lake watching life go by, locals fishing, tourists on the lake enjoying themselves and the wildlife on the banks and in the water. A very pleasant afternoon.
Phewa lake
That evening we got in touch with Rob and Carla who had returned form their Annapurna adventure and went out to dinner to catch up on their tale after we got split up, they also had had an exciting time in the snow with plenty of drama including a night time retreat back down the trail in the snow...not something I would fancy attempting! A great evening of talking at each other about altitude, snow and people we had met - they were heading back to Aus soon, however we did agree to look them up for a beer when we get down under. Great to catch up with them again.
Rob has put together a great video of their time in Nepal so we thought we'd share it with you, unsure if you will need anything else to see it but here's the link -
https://vimeo.com/86261979
The following day Marianne (one of the people we met from our hotel) was preparing for her sister to arrive, she was joining her for the last 2 weeks of her 6 week stay in Nepal for a short trek. One of the things she had planned was a trek up to the Japanese world Peace Pagoda at the top of a hill on the banks of the lake. We tagged along for this journey as did 3 others to see the pagoda. The hill is best reached across the lake so we went down to the lake to get into 2 boats and paddled of again!
Ana and her 'team' across the lake, Andy stayed with the 2 ladies and beat us!
Japanese Peace Pagoda overlooking Phewa Lake - it's peaceful here
The walk was very pleasant, quite short but steep and we were glad of the rest at the top, the great views across the lake and to the mountains were worth the effort. Not to mention the pagoda itself of course.
Phewa from the top overlooking the Himalayas
We stopped for a coffee and a further view point on the way down and had a catch up with the gang and then rowed the boats back across. That evening we met up with them again at a local restaurant for our last meal before we moved on to Chitwan.
The restaurant had a local dance and singing / music night and we listened to and watched some interesting local music and dance - the culmination of which was to invite up the audience to join in. Ana and I both gave it a go of course, but I am not sure that our interpretation of the dance was quite right - there was a but of stamping and hand waving going on - but it just didn't feel like we quite got the gist!
Early start with our breakfast at Hotel Global Inn, toast only this morning - probably for the best as I think we may be developing egg poisoning after all the omelets we have eaten here (although they are pretty good).
Taxi to the bus station again, a bit of deja-vu from the start of our trekking journey and then a bus to Chitwan.
We made the obligatory stops on route whenever the driver decided it was lunch or tea time and we got a good dal bhat as a mid journey re-fuel, Ana scouted out some chai as we headed back to the bus - who should we bump into on the road to Chitwan no other than Andy and Lee form the trek - weird but great to catch up and share stories, these guys were leaving Nepal en route to Thailand where the music ensemble they had carried around the Annapurna circuit would come in handy to woo the ladies on the beaches.
At he next arbitrary stop we bumped into Rob and Carla who were also heading to Chitwan before heading back home. They were on a separate bus that had stopped at the same time. Again - a quick catch up and said our goodbyes before moving on.
Arrived in Chitwan that afternoon and got bussed to a resort. It was a little bit like the hi-di-hi holiday camp. The room was basic but clean-ish, just a bit tired, but the 3 day / 2 night 'safari' was very prescriptive with allotted times for food and being ferried around places when really a walk would have been quicker...still, it was enjoyable when we got into the stride of it a little. First thing to learn was to decline the western food that they were trying to force on you, stick to the Nepali Dal Bhat buffett - this was warm and well cooked and it all went together well, as opposed to the western meal we were presented with when we first arrived which was chicken curry, pasta, potato cakes, rice and boiled veg, I am all for fusion cuisine but even I struggled with this cold carb buffet! Stick to the Nepali and all is good!
So the first afternoon we headed out on a walk down to the river and saw a few cool birds and couple of cardial crocs! These are fish eaters only so nothing to be too worried about! The guy who took us out for the tour was pretty cool and would stick with us for the duration, we were together with a large Chinese family and a single Japanese tourist. The family were great fun - 3 generations with Grandmother and Grandfather telling off the younger kids but really getting into the walking and embracing the experience. They were great fun to be around and were pretty good at keeping up with the young'uns too!
Croc - not rocks, just look closely...
Definitely a croc!
Sunset
Next day, off to the elephant safari, this was a pretty cool experience, both Ana and I were a little uncertain about jumping on the back of these elephants to be taken around but they were well looked after and after after a while, the benefits of being on the back of a giant creature became clear, firstly they are very quiet and peaceful and move along with little noise, also it means that when you happen upon a group of Rhinos, you are able to stop and take some photos instead of trying to climb the nearest tree!
This was our ride for the safari, bit of a mixed reaction from us both but it was OK for the hour or so exploring the national park and provided a safe distance from the rhino!
Rhinos from the safety of the elephant ride
Making the most of our camera zoom, or was this the picture where Andy got off the elephant to take a closer look??
Later in the afternoon we took a canoe down the river and went for a jungle walk on foot and happened across a lone wild rhino, fortunately he was below a bank and heading away from us but still, he was close enough at points to make your heart beat just a little faster... Just ahead of him were some elephant drivers who'd been out to collect the food for the rest of the elephants in the park.
Our group in the canoe ready for the jungle exploration...
This time we're not on but next to the elephants!
Great to be up close and personal with some of the wildlife and it really was just nice to be in the forest enjoying the atmosphere.
Luke - you'll need to let us know what these are please!
Real peacock, not a human dressed in peacock outfit
That evening we went to a cultural show in the local Tharou village, this was very holiday camp like - all of the lodges bus their clients into the centre of town at the hall which has been built specifically for this nightly show. Crammed in amongst the noisy crowd who wont shut up when the people introducing the people on stage making the atmosphere a little bit crummy. However the performances of dance an music themselves were really quite good, there is a traditional stick dance which made me think of ninja Morris dancers, they were very skilled and impressive. Then came the peacock dance. I was quite interested form the introduction to see what would happen - see for yourself, this is a short snippet of a long dance routine which I am ashamed to say had me in stitches, I am not sure exactly how traditional this particular dance is but I just could not keep a straight face!! See if you can - just for a couple of minutes, this went on for about 10 mins but I could no longer hold the camera steady...
I hope this video works! Let me know if it doesn't!
After the show we headed back to the bus to take us the 2 min walk back down the road. Somehow in the 30 mins we had been watching the show, our guide had managed to get absolutely hammered and was hastily hidden in the front of the van away form us - where I could just see his head lolling form side to side on the journey back to the hotel.
Up early the next morning for a bird-watching tour with the drunkard. To his credit he managed the tour very well, I am pretty sure after that skinful, I would have called in sick. I was impressed with how together he was. Just a shame the animals (and all of us) could smell him coming! Not so impressed and a bit of a shame as he really is a good guide - just lacking a bit of professionalism when on duty apparently!
Great morning for birdwatching!!
After the bird-watching we jumped on yet another Nepali bus on to Kathmandu. Not a bad journey 4-5 hours or so and we arrived at Florid Hotel.
I am not sure how we will cope when we have to do this on our own again! I am thinking we definitely fall into the flash-packer category instead of the hardened backpacker traveller, but I have reconciled myself to that!
More to come from Kathmandu but thats all for now - hope all is good back home, keep in touch all!
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