We were advised today that the Chinese would not issue visas for Tibet for various nationalities because the Dalai Lama had been visiting Europe and the governments there had entertained him and promoted his cause and that of the Tibetan people. It is a pity really as the Chinese do not understand that the sort of people who want to go into Tibet will have no influence on the various governments (when have they ever listened to the ordinary person especially as only a few would be interested in Tibet) and all that happens is that the Chinese lose revenue from the charges levelled for visas, travel and accommodation from those who wish to see Tibet. I am lucky as I have been to Tibet before but wanted to go again, that being one of the reasons for coming on this trip.
The rest of the group seem to be quite happy with the change as the alternative, assuming that a visa for China can be obtained, is to fly to Beijing (at our own cost) then go by public transport to see the pandas at Chengdu, the Terracotta Warriors at Xian and the Great Wall of China. (I have seen them all before). They cannot understand that these places can be visited at any time, that Tibet is one of the last unknowns to the general public and well worth a visit. Once we get to Beijing all travelling will be by public transport until we arrive in Bali, quite different to what was expected. Instead of using the truck, with the convenience of two seats per person, stopping when required and being able to leave bags and possessions on the truck we will now be constrained in everything we do as public transport will not allow us to do the same things. Apart from the extra cost of the airfare from Kathmandu to Beijing there will be extra costs for meals as I expect that UKTOOZ (Madventure) will not cover all the extra costs involved. It would be interesting to find out what the legal aspects of this would be.
Travelling to Chitwan was to see the lush green of Nepal, especially the rice paddies. A lot of the rice had been harvested and was lying out to dry with some winnowing taking place. There was also new plants being planted in the paddies, these new plants being the lush deep green colour seen in some of the pictures.
At Chitwan we stayed in a good hotel, two to a room, electricity when available. The village itself was not the sort of place to walk around in the dark, it is safe, it was just that elephants leave large piles off dung on the street and it is a bit messy walking on one when it cannot be seen! While there some of the group went elephant riding in the forest with some seeing rhinoceros in the forest, elephant washing, to the elephant nursery and just walking.
Because we would not now need our camping equipment before Australia some of us washed everything knowing that it would have to be clean for entry into Australia, no dirt or grass seeds on anything, This may have been a waste of time as I subsequently found out that to freight the items to Darwin (our port of entry into Australia) would be very expensive and with the added cost of customs inspection there with the possibility that everything would be destroyed anyway.
This was supposed to be washing elephants but it looked more like people being washed by the elephants.
There were actually camels living in the hotel, they had their own accommodation, and brought in to please the tourists I was told as they are not indigenous to the region.
From Chitwan we travelled to Pokhara and stayed in the Hotel Pleasant Home which was not too far from the lake and main street where just about everything happens. While there it rained on and off most of the time, the same as the power supply as the whole country is on a load shedding system the same as in India. It was also cloudy so the the mountains around could not be seen.
Dal Bhat is a traditional Nepalese meal consisting of dal, bhat (rice), tarkari (vegetables), kukhurako (chicken), green salad, gundruk sandeko (dry pickles), achar (tomato pickle), sikrni (curd or yoghurt). There are regional variations on the ingredients but they all taste fantastic.
Leaving Pokhara on 29 June we headed for Kathmandu, an eight hour journey. I left the group there as we now have a two week break to organise visas for Beijing mainly. Others have stayed in Pokhara to go trekking and to do a yoga course; some will return to Chitwan to volunteer in an orphanage; others go river rafting and I will stay in Kathmandu sorting out my things to reduce what I will have to carry for the rest of the trip.
The rest of the group seem to be quite happy with the change as the alternative, assuming that a visa for China can be obtained, is to fly to Beijing (at our own cost) then go by public transport to see the pandas at Chengdu, the Terracotta Warriors at Xian and the Great Wall of China. (I have seen them all before). They cannot understand that these places can be visited at any time, that Tibet is one of the last unknowns to the general public and well worth a visit. Once we get to Beijing all travelling will be by public transport until we arrive in Bali, quite different to what was expected. Instead of using the truck, with the convenience of two seats per person, stopping when required and being able to leave bags and possessions on the truck we will now be constrained in everything we do as public transport will not allow us to do the same things. Apart from the extra cost of the airfare from Kathmandu to Beijing there will be extra costs for meals as I expect that UKTOOZ (Madventure) will not cover all the extra costs involved. It would be interesting to find out what the legal aspects of this would be.
Travelling to Chitwan was to see the lush green of Nepal, especially the rice paddies. A lot of the rice had been harvested and was lying out to dry with some winnowing taking place. There was also new plants being planted in the paddies, these new plants being the lush deep green colour seen in some of the pictures.
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| Various views of the countryside |
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Because we would not now need our camping equipment before Australia some of us washed everything knowing that it would have to be clean for entry into Australia, no dirt or grass seeds on anything, This may have been a waste of time as I subsequently found out that to freight the items to Darwin (our port of entry into Australia) would be very expensive and with the added cost of customs inspection there with the possibility that everything would be destroyed anyway.
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| Goodnight from me |
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| Goodnight from us |
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| Goodnight from Chitwan |
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| Yes my dear. They are staying in our hotel and not camping. Can you believe it! |
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| OUR hotel |
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Pokhara High Street (Lakeside) |
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| Phewa Lake |
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| Phewa Lake |
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| The local tailor repairing my trousers |
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| Dal Bhat |
Dal Bhat is a traditional Nepalese meal consisting of dal, bhat (rice), tarkari (vegetables), kukhurako (chicken), green salad, gundruk sandeko (dry pickles), achar (tomato pickle), sikrni (curd or yoghurt). There are regional variations on the ingredients but they all taste fantastic.
Leaving Pokhara on 29 June we headed for Kathmandu, an eight hour journey. I left the group there as we now have a two week break to organise visas for Beijing mainly. Others have stayed in Pokhara to go trekking and to do a yoga course; some will return to Chitwan to volunteer in an orphanage; others go river rafting and I will stay in Kathmandu sorting out my things to reduce what I will have to carry for the rest of the trip.
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| The joining of two rivers in flood |
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| A swinging bridge above the river, walking only. |
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| The highway above the river |
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| A local town we passed through |
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| Paddy fields |
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| A local village |
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| Me, first thing in the morning! Not really. |
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| Local transport cafes showing the clay ovens in the front |
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| Extreme farming |
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| Extreme farming I would say |
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| Today was the Popain Festival (Paddy Day) when the villagers planted rice hoping for a good harvest |
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| A village clinging to the mountain |
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| Looking back from whence we came |
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| The first sighting of the Kathmandu Valley |
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| The expansion of Kathmandu |
Nice post.. thanks alot for the photos from Chitwan.
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