Nepal

As we mentioned about our journey into and around Nepal, the Maoist rebel group has had quite an impact on the country and subsequently on tourism which dropped to extreme lows last year during a period of heightened civil violence. For the past 12 years or so the current government has been at loggerheads with the terrorist movement, the conflict costing more than 12 000 lives. The terrorism extended to the realm of tourism in a very interesting way.

With Nepal being one of the world's poorest countries, the Maoists quickly identified tourists as a lucrative source of financial support for their 'cause'. Conscious, however, of the fact that their pending new communist government order will continue to rely heavily on tourism for the desperately needed financial input, the money is expropriated most creatively. The movement has already designated 'republics' in certain high tourism areas which are also conveniently remote and easily defended. When entering these 'republics' all tourists eventually encounter a representative of the republic requiring certain tourist taxes based on the number of days to be spent in that area. The transaction is incredibly friendly and inviting (that is if you pay - else it can turn very ugly) and the paying tourist receives a receipt for monies received so that no extra payment can be required of them should they encounter a later representative.

We were fortunate enough to be present in Nepal during the political climax of this long drawn out conflict between the two parties - peace talks. They were on the go since about the time we entered the country and 3 days before we left the long awaited peace treaty was signed. The next day was a spontaneously declared public holiday and national jubilation was everywhere to be seen: the end of 12 years of civil unrest - a truly historical moment. On that note we left Nepal, not sure of how the new regime is going to transform a country previously so politically uneventful it was considered the Switzerland of the East.

The bus journey to Kathmandu was uneventful (a good thing for Nepal) except that we were dropped off really in the middle of nowhere. Our taxi dropped us off at our hotel and after Johan had bargained down the price for our very comfy room we hit the streets. While Thamel (the very touristy bit where we stayed) in Kathmandu does not compare to a place like Delhi, Johan predicted within two days we would be sick of the craziness - which we were.

One amazing thing about our stay here though was the ease with which we were able to get thing done - more so even than at home! Within moments of thinking to do it we had air tickets to India, Janine had been to an excellent dentist, we had shopped, mailed, claimed for the dentist from our travel insurance, blogged, backed up photos, printed photos, done laundry, posted a really big box of old gear and shopping home (!!), posted post cards and letters, eaten great food and did I mention shop?

We walked a bit around the old part of the city - it is a very quirky place. One interesting alley has a few dental practices which make for must-take photos. They are all closely situated to the toothache god - a bit of twisted wood with coins nailed to it. The city is peppered with artifacts - some incredibly old. There are shrines and temples and ancient buildings everywhere. Most of these are used by children as playthings, or to hang washing. While there are many weird and wonderful things to see in Kathmandu we did not do much more on the touristy side than the odd walk about. Today we head off to Varanasi, India and bid Nepal a fond farewell.

Culture shock: The local people are completely fascinated with the fact that we are married - once they know, they can't stop referring back to this fact. The people here are masters of upselling - everywhere we have been any person can offer you almost any service (eg the laundry guy wants to get us air tickets or a massage or send parcels home!).

Back in Sauraha (our base village at Chitwan) we got ourselves a hotel with a beautiful garden and a room with a bath tub - to Janine's delight. Again for half price. Washing went to the laundry and we went to eat out! The next day was for internet (the previous 3 nights in Sauraha left us disconnected because some bus had damaged a power pole and repair work had rendered the little town powerless for at least 3 days...) because we had a lot of mailing to catch up on.

Janine also finally managed to convince Johan (she had tried every day when we were previously in Sauraha) to hire a bicycle and go cycling with her. It was the beginning of the annual grass-cutting season in that area of the park and people cross the river into the park to cut grass used for building walls, roofs, making bedding and much more. We cruised around the village for an hour watching this activity amidst all the usual country life - chickens, ducks, goats, elephants, children, ploughing, etc. We had such a good time - Johan was very glad he went.

The next day Mayaram, our guide who took us into the park, invited us over for supper. We were thrilled. His family is amazing and the evening was one of the most special times we had during our travels. We chatted over all the humorous occurrences of the previous few days and Mayaram insisted that in his 27 years of guiding he had only ever once before seen a rhino as angry as the rhinos that stormed us. He was very sad that we did not see a tiger or a bear as he sees them on almost all his longer walking safaris.

We were quite emotional to leave the next morning. Mayaram's wife, Vicky accompanied us by horse cart to catch our bus to Kathmandu the next morning. This will not be the last time we see Sauraha.

Culture shocks: Nepal uses a differed calender than we in the West - 15/11/2006 in our calender is 1/8/2063 in theirs; elephants carrying people are a very common sight in the main road and part of everyday life.

We were so excited, we could burst - after 3 super relaxing nights in Sauraha the day had finally come for our 3 day jungle hike. After stocking up on some bakery goods, we crossed the Rapi River on a dugout canoe. It was just the two of us and Mayaram and his 19 year old son Nariam (spelling?).

Once we were in the park, Mayaram gave his now famous briefing - "The animals are not so dangerous - a tiger will never attack you. Rhinos and bears are a little bit more dangerous. If a rhino comes for you, you climb in a tree or stand behind a big tree. If there is no tree, or if a bear comes after you, we do not panic because we have sticks. We fight them." It was precious!

We had just started walking when Nariam said "I smell a tiger". We first thought he was joking, but a few meters further we found fresh tiger prints and fresh urine and dung from earlier that morning. Once you know what a tiger smells like, it is quite easy to pick up - it is a very distinctive smell and we were confronted with this smell many times during the following days. They always found most of the animals by just smelling and listening! Johan was outstandingly good at this - he could smell tiger (and even distinguish between tiger and bear) even before the guides would! Janine on the other hand was practically useless at smelling.

Most of the park consists of either grasslands, riverine forest or the tall trees of the sal forest. The days were spent walking, smelling and listening and waiting at specific spots. We spend the nights in remote villages outside the park as visitors are not allowed to overnight in the park. These nights with Mayaram and Nariam and the locals we were staying with were fantastic socializing times for us - precious memories we will never forget.

Early in the mornings with the mist still heavy all around, we would be back in the jungle. Often we would see bear tracks over our tracks or fresh tiger prints, but we were unfortunately not lucky enough to see either of these. The vegetation in the park is so dense at this time of the year that it is hardly the most ideal time to go searching. We did, however, see many species of monkey, many wild boars, many rhinos and spotted deer and barking deer.

Once Mayaram heard some rhinos about 100m away in the deep bush and we pressed closer through the undergrowth to get a better view. He instructed us to get high into a tree and then left to call the rhinos closer. His strategy worked very well. It actually almost worked too well. The rhinos were furious, more furious than anything we have ever seen! They made loud echoing warning noises (which sounded like a jack hammer) and stormed through the bush to right under our trees.

Their eyesight is poor, but their sense of smell is excellent. They stopped about 10m from Johan's low and dead tree and then turned around and ran straight for our bags at the bottom of Janine's tree - one sniff and their unhappiness echoed through the forest before they sped off again.

Janine really enjoyed this episode from her position of safety high up in a good solid tree (Mayaram was, incidentally, quite impressed with Janine's tree climbing skills) while Johan was severely shaken! His tree was much lower and exposed and the rhinos less than 1m below him. They were also much bigger than the ones we have previously seen!

The following 15 minutes was nerve-wrecking for Johan as we tried to find a way back to the main road. He was convinced that the rhinos would return with avengeance!

We eventually extended our 3 day jungle walk to 4 days. It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives - we also saw a few friendlier rhinos in the footpath and countless parakeets.

We are sure we will be back...

We left the great food of Pokhara behind as we climbed on a "tourist bus" with seats way too small for any westerner. We reached Sauraha, the base for jungle safaris into Chitwan National Park at the end of a 5 hour long ride along twisting roads with beautiful views. Upon arrival, we were met by a representative of our budget hotel who transferred us in a jeep to our hotel on the shore of the Rapi River, the northern boundary of the park.

Our accommodation had great views over the river and we were within walking distance of where the elephants were bathed everyday at 11am. We spend the next two days just doing nothing - walking around, washing elephants and also meeting up with the same guide Johan, his sister and her friend had trekked with 6 years ago when they visited the park.

Mayaram was very glad to see Johan again. We noticed a large red crossed painted in his office and he informed us that he and his family became Christians 4 years ago! We had a great time catching up and made a booking to go on a 3 day jungle walk so that we could have a good chance of spotting one of the 50 tigers in the park...

Pokhara is one of the most ideal places in the world to go paragliding. During the autumn and winter months, the weather is consistently ideal with great jump off spots and gentle thermals. Janine manged to convince Johan into doing the "no experienced required" 45 minute tandem glide.

There is really little fuss about the whole thing (except for Johan's nervousness) - just pay as you go - no forms to sign, no indemnities, no nothing. A jeep takes one to Sagarnakot at 1450m, about 700m higher than Pokhara. After a 2 minute briefing, you buckle up, run and then jump off a mountain!

One is in a sitting position which feels like being in a nice armchair - everything seemed so smooth and silent as one begins to ride the thermals to gain height and distance. Eagles joined us as we enjoyed the incredible scenery back dropped by the snow-covered Himalayas. On the way down Johan claimed that they were spiraling at such high G-forces that his face pulled to the side! Landing is as soft as stepping off a pavement, but watch out for traffic as you land on the tarred road next to the lake - Janine's landing had two local women duck out of the way and she also managed to evade the oncoming truck!

What a place to be. Everyday is perfect weather - at the lakeside where we are the streets are safe and colourful and jam-packed with great restaurants as well touristy souvenir and hiking gear shops. One can really find great food and the two of us have been living like kings - still. Janine is in her element with all the shopping and eating possibilities and there is almost no end to the activities that you can organize from this hub.

Yesterday morning Johan surprised Janine to a morning breakfast on the lake - paddling along in a hired boat! He packed in our reading material: bibles and other books (Janine: Helen Keller's 'story of my life' and Johan: Messners book entitled 'My quest for the Yeti' - both purchased in Pokhara), some food, and even the binocs. Stunning! It will be sad to go, but sometime we have to head on to Chitwan National Park so that Johan can see a tiger in the wild. But before that we first have to do a bit of flying...

The trek we decided to do is a loop that slowly climbs as it twists around the Himalayan region of the Annapurna mountains to reach a high point of 5416m above sea level. At this height one crosses over one of the highest passes in the world called Thorong La. The trail then continues, first abruptly and then gently down again until you are back at around 800m above sea level. It is called the Annapurna Circuit and it is considered to be one of the most famous and most beautiful trekking routes in the world.

We began trekking on the last day one could without guide or porter so we were the last independent trekkers these mountains will see until that policy is changed. We estimated about 3 weeks and completed the 200km plus hike in 19 days. One can do it in fewer days but Johan suffered a bit of congestion on the upward half of the trek and Janine the same on the descending stretch so we had to factor in an extra 3 days of resting to regain our health. We also took the recommended acclimatization day off in the village of Manang ( 3500m.a.s.l) and generally took our days in a leisurely manner - enjoying the views, village restaurants and hotels along the way.

The hike was simply spectacular. We were both in our element and to Janine's surprise the hiking was easy, the hotels comfortable and cute and the menus extensive! Mint and ginger tea featured a lot in our days as well as rice pudding, Tibetan bread, tomato soup, chicken sandwiches, pastas, barley porridge and chapatis. There were also 'German' bakeries along the way (we kid you not) where we could get great apple pie, cinnamon rolls and chocolate danishes. Besides the 3.5kg of sweets Janine carried up into the mountain (since Johan had insisted that it would be too expensive to purchase sweets in the mountains) we were able to buy chocolates en even a jar of chocolate spread along the way!

Where towns had not already been connected to a power grid there were often solar-powered showers along the way. We both thought we would go through the 3 icy weeks without a shower but we had many - and many of them hot! Johan insisted on on-suite rooms wherever we could find one and, in short, we lived like kings - and all this well within our budget.

There were technicalities to contend with. The cold (and the ice - especially over the pass) was a big one. There were moments when Johan sincerely believed that we would not make the night in our explorer 850 sleeping bags. With layers of clothing and extra blankets we always did though. The trains of pack-mules passing through that had to be side stepped on regular occasion - sometimes on very precarious stretches of mountain trail - was another that got a bit much sometimes. We estimate having passed about 750 mules at least on our trek! Descending the other side of the pass (where one drops from 5400masl to 3800masl in just over 3 hours) was the worst of the feats we had to execute - especially over the ice patches. Acute Mountains Sickness (caused by high altitude body fluid complications that can affect the brain and lungs and is often fatal) is a big problem in this region. We attended a lecture on the topic in Manang, took our diamox, drank lots of water and ascended slowly. No problems. Body odour is another slight problem as we had only one set of hiking clothes for the 19 days...

One thing that really boggles the mind is the culture of burden carrying in Nepal. More goods are transported by people than any other mode of transport. In the mountains one sees men (and women) carrying unbelievable loads by means of a strap over their foreheads - nothing else. They move, often barefoot, with the agility of mountain goats and at speeds that put all other hikers to shame. Another oddity was the lack of crowds. While this year was supposed to be better than the rock-bottom previous two years, there were often long stretches where we did not encounter other hikers at all. Hotel rooms were always easy to secure and there were even occasions where we were the only occupants.

The scenery changed with each day - warmer rice plantations to higher pine plantations, through a cloud forest belt and into sparser upper reaches - right up until there remained no plant life at all - just surroundings of enormous mountains - almost all over 7000masl and some over 8000masl! Most of the trail follows near the glacial rivers which never ceased to impress us.

We decided to take the most western route out of the circuit towards Beni and also caught a jeep and bus for the last stretch (saved us 6 hours of walking). Once in Beni we caught a taxi and about 2.5 hours later we were back in Pokhara - filthy once again and ready for our bath!!! We managed to find a huge more upmarket room (R140 per night) in a very central hotel (yes, for less than half price) with a bath. After a good clean we were ready for our post-trekking celebration meal. A truly blissful way to end one of the most amazing things that we have ever done. What a privilege and also to be able to do it independently and with your most favourite person in the whole world!

We had decided to chuck the 5 hour bus drive to the trekking start point and hire a taxi. As we loaded into our taxi at 09:00 the morning of the 20th, Janine noticed that the dogs we all wearing marigold necklaces and a red spot between the eyes. Our hotel owner told her that it was the Hindu dog festival - day 1 of 4 days of festivities to follow.

The 3 hour drive was very interesting. Local Hindu custom allows for locals from every single roadside village along the way to set up a road block and demand contributions towards their festivities! Very organized, licence plate numbers get recorded and sometimes receipts are even offered! Our poor taxi driver had to dish it out in excess of 20 times! Sometimes the road blocks were just a bunch of terrorist children exploiting the system. On arrival in Besisahar we climbed on the roof of a bus to take us the final 5km of gravel road to Khudi - and so we were finally set to begin our trekking around the Annapurna Ciruit.

We were in Bardia during a period of peace talks between the Maoists and the Nepali government. Nevertheless, bus strikes were leaving travellers and locals alike stranded without warning all over Nepal. We had planned to leave Bardia for Pokhara (from where we were to begin our trekking) on the 18th of October to begin trekking no later than the 20th as the new rules were to come into effect on the 21st. Strikes still hit on the 17th but on the morning of the 18th we were off for our 5 to 7 hour bus drive to a midway town where we would sleep and catch a morning bus the following day to take us the final 5 or 6 hours to Pokhara. Bus travel is notoriously dangerous in Nepal so we were advised not to take the overnight bus. The journey that followed was one of the closest encounters Janine had ever had with insanity...

We were loaded by our resort onto a local bus at 11:45 and Johan secured out baggage to the roof with our pack-safe cable. Johan walked around outside to try and escape the heat - Janine stayed inside the bus to try and escape the scorching sun. The bus left at 12:30 and stopped a few kilometers down the road for about 30 min. Then the bus was moving again - we drove about a km, drove around a circle and returned to the stop we had just departed from. Janine looked for a bathroom and bought some pomegranates. Johan walked around outside to try and escape the heat. We left again just after 15:00 and stopped at that same circle about a km away. Johan wanted to walk outside to try and escape the heat, but the bus looked like it was about to go any second. About 30 min later we were on the move again - by now we had a band playing one song on repeat in the already crowded bus - this went on for a long time. About 5 min later we stopped to fill up with petrol - the bus driver purchased two live chickens while we waited. We were moving again for about 15 minutes (the time was now around 16:00) and then stopped to load up some goats - all the male passengers on the bus jumped out to load as many goats as they could onto the roof of the bus.

When that space was full, the remaining goats were stuffed into all the other baggage compartments under the bus. Johan was outside walking around (trying to escape the heat) and managed to catch the action on camera. Meanwhile, back in the bus, Janine (who was guarding our hand luggage) was listening to the 15th repetition of the live band's song and she wondered if this is what the beginnings of insanity might feel like.

The rest of the the drive was executed in typical life-threatening driving style punctuated by many road blocks which meant we still stopped many many times that day. When our bus stopped at about 21:00 about an hour before our destination for our hour supper break, one of the locals told us that the bus was no longer going to our destination town as the bus driver had just heard that there was an industrial strike in that town. All the buses had to divert. Our only option was to drive another 5 or 6 hours on route now to Kathmandu to Mugling which was the only other connection to Pokhara. What made the bypass very interesting is that there is no road to support the maneuver. Locals helped by sending a motorbike ahead and a string of buses weaved through villages, rice paddies and even through a river to get around the town. This was at about 23:00.

At 03:00 the next morning, in the middle of nowhere, we were abruptly loaded off our bus and onto another bus already almost full. About 30 minutes later we were going again, bouncing along as the windows threatened to crash in and the electrical connections slowly filled the interior with smoke...

Just after 06:00 we arrived in Pokhara, filthy from the bus journey, hungry and tired. An friendly tout whisked us off to a very nice hotel with a bath(!!!) and we proceeded to scrub before enjoying a great breakfast in this fantastic town. We had 24 hours to gear ourselves up for our 3 week hike - all had worked out well!

Culture shocks: As in India, even though the twilight here is rather long in duration, only when the night is pitch black do the vehicle lights go on; apparently it is common practice for buses to be stuffed with goats ('mutton' as it appears on menus); in all our travels preceding Pokhara it was impossible to purchase toilet paper as the locals don't use it...

three hour bus journey covering 60km of tarred road brought us safely to a drop off point near Bardia National Park (previously Royal Bardia National Park but all the 'Royal' prefixes have since been removed due to national disillusionment with the royalty). We enjoyed a good chat to some locals while waiting for our jeep pick up and before we knew it we were settled into our cute little cottage at Forest Hideaway Resort.

Weather was balmy and the surroundings beautiful. We did a tiger trekking walk (but saw no tigers), lounged in the hammocks, did a stunning early morning elephant safari as well as a jeep safari. All the above were great but a highlight was going off to play with a gorgeous little orphan elephant - only 6 weeks old - who was found washed away in the monsoon floods and rescued. He was too gorgeous - especially when he can running to you accidentally stepping on his trunk as he came!

The elephant safari was magical too - just us on our elephant and a UK couple we met there on their elephant. We were following fresh tiger tracks and knew that we were very close as our elephant became very nervous and stamped his feet and snorted. He was not too happy about getting closer to a tiger. Our excitement grew. Unfortunately the tiger was lying low...

The afternoon walk, which takes you past a watch tower from where we watched monkeys swimming over the river, was also breathtaking. The afternoon climaxed as we moved from the open bush into tall grasslands. As the grasses got taller and taller one could not help getting caught up in the romance of it all - Johan lingered for photos and video and it was all one of those movie moments - until Johan had to face one of his worst nightmare... As soon as we were in a bit of a clearing he discovered that he was covered in leeches! - we all were. After a frantic leech removal episode (Johan had to be de-leeched first to stop the hysterics) Johan was bleeding so much it looked like he had been shot! Moving through the grasslands was a lot quicker after that.

A highlight of the jeep safari was to spot the rare Asian rhino - a one-horned rhino, much smaller than the African rhinos with weird scales like foldings of skin.

We were sad to leave after only two nights but the Annapurnas were calling and new regulations were about to come into effect. We were insistent to get there in time to still be able to trek alone.