Transfixed by the Taj ...

Day 286 - Friday 24 October 2008

I know it's misty but that's part of the thrill ...



















The Taj Mahal is, as everyone describes it, better than you'd imagined. Easily. Especially, post-dawn when the sun has just hit it's eastern side and the River Yamuna's mist hovers around it's immaculate gardens like a cloak around the shoulders of the Mughal Emperor that built it. Having dashed through Taj Ganj's awakening back streets, trying to find a gate that was open, I felt like a messenger returning to my Emperor with important news from afar. Because the Taj is eerily familiar. You've it so many times and it dominates it's Mahal like no structure I've experienced before. Mahal is Arabic for 'village' and the white marble building we all know as the Taj Mahal is actually the mausoleum on a site (or village) consisting of about 7 impressive structures (including a mosque and resting house for travellers).



















You probably already know that the Taj Mahal was built for love. The love of the Mughal Emperor Shah-Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. I saw an Indian miniature painting of her and it reminded me that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She was a nice looking lady but she was no Princess Di who you'll remember was immortalised for many when she was snapped here in a very 1980s outfit and hairstyle. May she still be among us if she's been re-born as a fairy which is highly possible in the Hindu belief system (well, the re-born not the fairy bit.)

http://www.taj-mahal.net/augEng/textMM/seatengN.htm

























Although this is not somewhere built by a Hindu for the Emperor Shah-Jahan (as you'll know if you read the Wikipedia link) was a Muslim whose descendants entered India from Persia and the Indus Valley in the north-west of the country (modern day Iran). Hence the fact that there's domes and minarets pervading this incredible piece of architecture (as well as inlaid inscriptions from the Quran). And yet it wasn't lived in, wasn't used much and just covered a dead body. I find that hard to accept and as a man of the 21st Century I'm chuffed to bits that he did it and I enjoyed it's majesty immensely yesterday. But if I lived in the 17th Century (the mausoleum structure was completed in 1643) and my Emperor told me to give him a load more taxes I'd question the reasoning. 'So my Lord what are these extra taxes doing for us? More clean water? Better roads?' Improves sanitation?'/'No my good man they're for a massive white marble building that I can grieve in once a week'. You get my point!

























For it's height is what impressed me the most. Something that hit me the first time I saw it and impressed me even more when I got up very close. When you pay the expensive entry fee (it's 750 IRs which is just under 10 GBPs and I'm eating big meals in Taj Ganj overlooking the Mahal for 2 GBPs) you get a free water and soft overshoes to help buff the marble. Which is exactly what you do when you get up on the raised platform that holds the mausoleum and slide around looking virtually backwards at the top and taking shots in awe!

But it's a difficult thing to photograph. For there's a weird thing going on. I think it's either sinking or sunk a fraction on one side. For unless my eyes were playing early morning tricks I found it difficult to get level. It always looks like it's sloping a bit up or a bit down. The surrounding area of Agra is very dry and dusty and the soil doesn't feel all that stable. I can imagine all that weight moving the ground it sits on!

























And what weight. The main structure is all white marble. But not the white we normally know. For if you spend long enough there (I'm very glad I've been in Agra for three days and had the full Taj experience) it changes it's whiteness before your eyes. Early morning it's got that orange tint tint and is duller than the middle of the day when it's painful to walk around on it without your sunnies covering your eyes. And that's the time to head for the shade and just stare for a while. Probably at it's incredible symmetry. For it has two identical halves in every respect apart from the gates (there's no North one because that's where the river flows by so serenely). If there's an elaborately inlaid flower design on one half of the building. There's an identical one on the other side. I applaud them for such mastery of their craft in the pre-computer days. Currently, calculating computers make this sort of stuff a cinch. In the 17th Century it's almost unbelievable.

























And the Taj transfixes you. It pulls your eyes towards it again and again and again. I stayed for about 6 hours and tried to leave at least twice. But each time I thought 'just one more look' and strolled the Mughal gardens some more (inside the Taj is a haven of peace and tranquility away from all of India's hassles).

























Although you have to find the shady corners for it's the busiest attraction of it's type that I've visited on this adventure. The flow of people is constant. It must be 100-200 in every 5 minutes at peak times including many foreigners paying top money (Indian's pay significantly less). And it has made me realise that India is like nowhere else on earth for it's contrast of the 'haves' and 'have-nots'. This is a country that has abject poverty (there are terrible literacy rates in some places) and yet the Taj is raking it in for the government and they've just launched their first mission to the moon. That's desperately wrong in my opinion. Many people here need that 'moon money'. I love the idea of space travel but it needs to take a back seat when I have a kid in terrible health begging me for money on a New Delhi street corner. Get it sorted India! Look at all these people. They must easily outweigh the conservation costs. So where's the rest going?!



















The Taj is also the besieged by students. Some of architecture. Like this lot who I had along discussion with inside the mausoleum about whether Shah-Jahan would be happy that he was laid to rest next to his wife and in doing so destroyed the symmetry of his masterpiece. You can't take photographs inside but believe me when I tell you that Mumtaz Mahal was placed bang in the middle. He's 'awkwardly' tucked in next to her. But then his son who placed him there (Aurangzeb) also imprisoned him when he acceded the role of Emperor and Shah-Jahan lived out his final years locked (in luxury!) in Agra Fort further up the Yamuna River overlooking the Taj Mahal and his dead wife. Disney couldn't write a more heart breaking story!











And how do I know all this?! Well, the day before the Taj Mahal I went to Agra Fort having employed a top auto-rickshaw driver called Aslam. For Agra was a previous capital here in northern India and it has many sites of historical significance tucked away. Firstly I should mention the Mehtab Bagh. This garden is laid out in the Mughal style and gives you the much talked about back/riverside view of the Taj Mahal. It was pretty hazy and the height of the river didn't give me the full reflection shot. But on a positive note it was a great warm up glimpse of the Taj and a bird did fly into the bottom left corner to add a bit of spice to this shot!




















And that's the Taj Mahal. The reason I'm in India. Is it worth the challenges of Indian travel? Probably. I had an ace day and I'm very glad to have seen it. The way it kept drawing my eye was remarkable. And it's so accessible you can do it in a day trip from New Delhi on a very comfortable first class train. But because of that it feels very touristy and a bit like Buckingham Palace. I'm more of a crumbling ruins man so I await Egypt and Jordan with my breath held for the adventuring!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal

Agra Fort was way better than New Delhi's. Much tighter and more intact. The moat still has water in it (though sadly the crocodiles that guarded it have long gone!) and the sandstone blocks are of a ridiculous size (a bit like Sacsayhuaman in Cuzco, Peru).











Inside there's a wonderful combination of red sandstone and white marble including this ornately symmetrical garden that was home to the Emperor's harem. If only! Imagine having 5000 women attending to your Emperor-ial needs. Though that's got to be a bit made up I reckon (the 5000 figure not my last word!!!). A few fanciful historians who've been spending a bit too long in the library and not enough time talking to girls?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harem
















Although this gentleman was sat in the harem's courtyard I don't think he belonged to it! He was cutting white marble for the restoration work and his tasche is very Emperor-esque so maybe he's a descendant?! Now that's a photograph-able face ...














Aslam also plied the back streets of Agra to Itmad-Ud-Daulah. This place is nicknamed the 'Baby Taj' because it's close by up the Yamuna, sits right on said river and has many design characteristics similar to the Taj Mahal (that was constructed after it). Completed in 1628 this other mausoleum holds the body of Mirza Ghiyas Beg who had been given the title of Itmad-Ud-Daulah (Pillar of the State). Mirza Ghiyas Beg is the grandfather of the Taj Mahal's Mumtaz Mahal. A very cool place for Indian families to hang out in the late afternoon sun (every single day is hot and sunny and it's the end of October!).
















Finally on the Agra sites list (it's a bit like Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor all over again?!) was the minimally frequented Chini Ka Roza. The most memorable thing about this mausoleum of Mulla Shukrullah Shirazi (the Prime Minister of Emperor Shah-Jahan) was the look on the face of the man who helped me into more floor protecting shoes when I could only give him a few rupees tip. Well it was the end of the day and I was all out of small notes. The sun set wasn't bad mind you!
















And wow! What an iconic day or two. It's another early morning on the train tomorrow (they all seem to leave at either 6:15AM or 10:00PM!) and it's Jaipur in Rajasthan next. The Pink City. If you've ever seen that National Geographic channel TV show about rampaging monkeys in a city. That's Jaipur. They're mischievously aggressive those rhesus macacques. Just more of Incredible India!

By the way I've now uploaded photographs to my first Indian post if you missed it and them. Move your mouse up and right and head there now!

Dusty New Delhi!

Day 283 - Tuesday 21 October 2008

(Photographs to follow when the USB port isn't covered in New Delhi dust - only a thin layer of Agra dust today so it's sorted!)

Of all the countries, in all the world, you don't want to have to unduly organise stuff in, I'd put India right at the top of the list! It's manic. Here's the main drag in backpacker-y Paharganj (New Dehi) showing Bangkok's Khao San Road how to do edgy ...



















For 'Incredible India' (as all the government backed advertising calls it) is just that, only they're talking about it's wondrous sights and colourful people, while I'm talking about it's endlessly long queues and heavy bureaucracy. Because I almost got caught out and have learned my lesson about Indian visas. They don't have a 'valid from' period but a start date and an end date. An end date that ran out for me last Saturday and necessitated a dash to both the Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreign Division) and the Foreign Regional Representatives Office. Well spotted the elderly Sikh gentleman who refused my train ticket application (yes there's a form for that as well) because of the rapidly approaching expiry date. And bless the beautifully spoken young government official who could see that it was a genuine error, I'd only been in the country two days and someone who wasn't going to force me out of the country before I'd got a picture of me in front of the Taj Mahal. Anyway, it's all behind me now and it was a very interesting way to see daily life in New Delhi. Right in amongst the crowds and the paperwork across most of the southern side of the city.

I labour this point a little because I'm fascinated by India. And not necessarily in a 'fascinating' way but in a 'surprising way'. In the traveller's world you're surrounded by international media like Time Magazine and BBC World News. Who've been repeatedly telling us all for a few months that China and India are the world's new superpowers. Well, in my opinion, India still has a long way to go. For I've seen a lot of it now and I believe the world's way more developed than having a superpower whose government officers add up the day's visa fees using a calculator, make corrections to their calculations using Tippex and blow the dust off the only computer in the room when one of their other colleagues isn't sharing it. Maybe it's The Economist I should be reading ...

So it's been a frenetic start to my Indian odyssey that's already a week down, has just two to go and is proving to be the world leader in hassles for travellers! For it's incessant. Everyone told me this would be the case. But I kind of brushed it off because I've been in the developing world since Hanoi almost 3 months ago to the day and thought it would be more of the same. But it feels very different here. Maybe it's because I'm 10 months in now and the end of my adventure's in sight. But there's a unique feel to India. You kind of live on your nerves a little bit. For example, in swanky coffee shops you're often approached by smart young guys who say they're training or working in IT (all those BT Broadband Call Centres - that are superb! - are based south in Bangalore) and are programmers (when actually they'll switch to offering to take you to a relative's store from where they'll earn commission). I loved the response I got from one yesterday as his cover melted and I decided to politely thank him and leave. I asked him 'In what programming language are you trained?' expecting the answer to be C++ or similar. His response was 'English'!). This is the Major League of travel and I'd thoroughly recommend travelling in other developing countries before you take this on!

But for all of that it's cool to have a fresh impetus after a long time in Nepal. Is New Delhi one of the world's great cities? I'd have to say no. It's got some interesting stuff that I'll go on to explain but there's not a multitude of it and it's snarly. Snarly like nowhere else I've been. Lonely Planet beautifully described India as a 'crush of humanity' and that's perfect. There's an enormous number of people, who all happen to be in the same place as you, at the same time. Everything takes an age here and you have to allow for that in your daily life. You want to catch a pre-paid auto-rickshaw (read 'tuk-tuk')? Well, barge your way through that line and you'll get one about 20 minutes later! You want to buy a train ticket? Well, fill out that application form and join the end of that queue of 20 people! But that's enough about the troubles of just 'getting by' each day. For when you've got used to that (just hang around long enough and it'll happen) there's treasures here amongst the surprisingly leafy, green, but dusty city (the monsoon has ended and it seems like the dust gets thicker each day).

I spent the first day in India in the quieter places of New Delhi so that I didn't suffer meltdown. They have a very long, very impressive central esplanade in New Delhi (Rajpath) that rises up a small hill and ends in the official residence of the President of India (the Rashtrapati Bhavan). The whole area reminded me of Washington DC. But British. For the entire area was designed by the Raj-appointed English architect Edwin Lutyens. The governmental officers even have old British cars lining up to run them around administrating India from New Delhi's offices. See (and that's the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the background).




















Then it was onto the National Museum was fascinating, huge and, like most places, very security conscious. You get checked all the time here (which adds to the delays). A consequence of the ongoing disputes with nearby Pakistan which, if you know your history, you'll remember is Muslim while India is predominantly Hindu. These two countries came about in 1953 with India's independence from Great Britain. A divide Mahatma Gandhi vehemently opposed and ultimately led to his death (assassinated by a Hindu zealot).

The National Museum had some amazing Indian miniature painting (they're famous for that here and have fab scenes of Maharajah's parading on elephants/fighting tigers), some cool stuff about the start of civilisation up in the Indus valley around current Pakistan (look up Mohenjadaro woman), ornately curving Rajasthani armoury (the best daggers I've seen, anywhere, ever) and large, silicon sized and shaped boobs on the ancient sculptures of goddesses!

To calm down (I've been away too long!) I headed to Gandhi Smriti which is actually a beautiful old, white washed building called Birla House. Gandhi Smriti is a National Memorial to Mahatma Gandhi and is where he spent the final 144 days of his life (in the corner of a simple room surrounded by his worldly possessions that were pretty much a mattress, writing desk, glasses and cane). On the early evening of 30 January 1948 he left his room to walk down to a prayer meeting in the beautiful grounds of Birla House and was shot 3 times at point blank range. he pretty much died where he fell and Gandhi Smriti has preserved his final steps in stone. Where he fell there's a typically, but un-suitably small stone monument.
















Read all about the 'Great Soul' here (what would I do without Wiki!) and watch Sir Dickie Attenborough's Gandhi again (Ben Kingsley at his brilliant best).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi











And for those of the University boys who would wake up in the bowels of San Antonio, Ibiza, totally dehydrated after a night on the flagons and declare 'I've got a mouth on me like Gandhi's flip flops' ...














How dis-respectful! But a good lesson in living and learning. I hugely admire Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and what he achieved by it (despite my hockey tackles I'm really a 'lover not a fighter'!).

Now that my visa issues are sorted I'm off tomorrow into Rajasthan (via Uttar Pradesh and the Taj Mahal) to see some Mughal forts and palaces. But I got my first taste here at the Red Fort in the capital. They're certainly HUGE, indicative of India's size/power and the red sandstone is a hue I've not seen before on my journey (although the temple of Banteay Srei in Cambodia was close). Sadly, the white marble palaces that lurk inside the forts and played host to Emperors and their entourages have been pillaged many times (this part of northern India has swayed between invading Muslim forces and the British!) and now they're just shells. Albeit, intricately carved shells that are open on all sides to keep the inhabitants cool. But you're not even allowed to get inside them sadly ('come on India, the precious stones went long ago, what am I going to do, nick a two ton slab of marble!').




















After the Red Fort I slunk around the back streets of Old Delhi amid the masses (Saturday wasn't the quietest choice) and ate piping hot jalebis. Now, jalebis are worth the visa hassles alone. Take sugar, cover it in batter and deep fry it. I kid you not! For a sweet tooth like me they're heaven/nirvana. And a quintessential Indian experience. See!




















And then I realised how far around the world I've come (eastern Asia's Buddhism has been slowly disappearing as I've headed west through Hinduism) when I visited my first mosque of this adventure (and maybe ever but surely not?!). An interesting experience and immediately a reminder that, taken in the worng context, CNN could warp your world view. I was warmly welcomed by the Islamic community (as I expected) and strolled amongst the worshippers on a lazy, sunny afternoon. There were many, many men sleeping in the shade of the incredible feat of architecture by Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan not only built this Jama Masjid but his opus was the Taj Mahal!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Jahan



















I immediately noticed that Islam joined the world of Buddhism and Christianity in needing a 'donation' to enjoy it's treasures. A concept that I dislike and creates a few conflicting thoughts for me. But that's for another time. At Jama Masjid it's openly free to enter (which is cool) BUT it was 200 Indian rupees just to take my camera in (even though I wanted to stick it in it's case and take no pictures!), then 50 Indian rupees to climb the famous minaret in the corner (that, to be fair, gave me the only high views of New Delhi and was well worth it), then 20 Indian rupees tip to the tower guide/student and 10 Indian rupees to get my sandals back! So it was an expensive form of worship if I just wanted to pray don't you think? I jest really. I do understand that I was there as a visitor to admire the architecture and for that I'm happy to pay a fee. But I wonder what the situation would be if I'd converted to Islam and genuinely wanted to worship at the Jama Masjid? Anyway, there's much to admire in this shot from the top of the minaret. Me hanging on (there's a huge drop down a tight stairwell in front of me and it's busy up there), hence the guy staring weirdly on my right!, it's 14:27, that light won't be seen from way down in New Delhi's streets and I'm sporting the previously hinted at d'Artagnan/Mughal Emperor tasche and beard!
















The last bit of ND'ing I've done is checking out the Jantar Mantar. A celestial observatory built in 1725 by Maharajah Jai Singh II. It sits weirdly and stylishly alongside New Delhi's Connaught Place (the circular downtown area) and was full of cavorting teenagers cheekily saying hello to me at every opportunity when they weren't trying to catch each other's attention!











And so New Delhi I've done apart from leaving 'go to a Bollywood movie' on my list for my return here in a couple of weeks prior to flying to Cairo. In a twist to the usual protocol I want to share with you my New Delhi/Indian observations (I start those lists the day I enter a new country when your senses are at their most alert and stuff hits you like a truck. Especially in India!).

They've clearly inherited British bureaucracy
They've got lovely Limca (fizzy, lemon drink)
They've got McDelivery (how lazy can fast food get!)
The hustlers walk alongside you and are experts at falling into step and conversation (it's kind of fun sometimes!)
The Indian food (of the north) is AMAZING (simpler, not as spicy hot or as sweetened as in England's Indian restaurants)
You get aniseed as a breath freshener post-Indian meals
In pop-culture TV (Indian Idol!) there's a mixture of Hindu and English language in sentences
The kids here have 'mamas' and 'papas'
There's a v strong Nepali link
Homosexuality is illegal
The holy cows that walk the city streets are MASSIVE (as tall as me!)
The Indian's are cracking authors (latest Booker Prize winner)
Women just had their own festival where they all got mehndi'd (intricate, ace henna on their hands and arms!)
They're cricket crazy and there's a ton of cricket dedicated TV channels
The men dye their hair regularly - ORANGE!
There's a profusion of hippy travellers (so this is where they all are!)
They've got stripey squirrels and all-gold wasps!
You're a constant source of fascination to Indians and get stared at - A LOT!
They love loud firecrackers especially when Sachin Tendulkar becomes the world's highest ever runs scorer!
The customer service is regularly the worst in the whole world (I accept this is possibly inaccurate 'cos I should really speak Hindu to judge it properly)
They speak English everywhere but often with a very thick Indian accent that makes it often very difficult to understand (see above - it's my fault for not speaking Hindu)




















So there you go, India! Hang on a minute, not quite! You've immediately got a flavour of what New Delhi's all about but this country is vast and there's lots I won't see. So I'll head off tomorrow (on the famed Indian rail system) around some of the Golden Triangle (nothing to do with the Kama Sutra) and show you more. India here I come. It's time to test my legendary patience!

(And here's a bonus shot from the most amazing sight I've ever had from an aeroplane window. The Annapurna range of the Himalaya from their southern side on a Jet Lite flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi. I love the curvature of the earth and now I know where SKY blue comes from! Enlarge it, go back to the post about Pokhara and see what you can spot in a horizontal line half way up the shot!). Man, I miss Nepal.

Crazy Nepal's been just a treat (and this post's not for the sensitive!)

Day 276 - Tuesday 14 October 2008

Our top guide Ashok holding the yeti footprint that we produced and is now hanging near Sir Ed Hillary in Rum Doodle's Bar and Restaurant in deepest Kathmandu (that's him on the left side of the foot - Sir Ed - not Ashok!) - Rum Doodle's is an institution in Nepal and gives free food to Everest summiteers for life - it's like a who's who of mountaineering and all the greats have their signatures all over the walls (Sir Ed, Reinhold Messner, Rob Hall, Gary Hall, etc - sadly many of these legends are dead - mostly killed by mountains) - but if you're in Kathmandu - give our yeti footprint a kiss!
















I feel really privileged to have been in Kathmandu for so long (no fewer than four separate stays at the Kathmandu Guest House which is my favourite accommodation in the world now - having taken over from the Hostelling International New York on the Upper West side) - I know the backstreets well - and the eateries of Thamel amazingly well - so I thought it was fitting to show the beard again (before it got 'shaped'!) and me sedately enjoying a garden cafe breakfast in the final days of the Intrepid gang's stay ...











And what a few days of hanging out - you remember the Indra Jatra festival that I attended - well in Nepal there's always another one waiting round the corner - last week it was their biggest (in terms of public holidays and partying) called Dasain

Dasain celebrates the Hindu goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahisasura (already intriguing huh?) and to worship Durga they hold special events in sacred places - THE most important event is probably in Kot Square in Kathmandu's Durbar Square - Kot Square is closed for most of the year and was the place where Jung Bahadur Rana arranged the famous 1846 massacre of all the high ranking civil officials, making himself Prime Minister and ushering in the period of Rana rule - as we were weirdly ushered forwards (Nepalis were being moved on) I turned the corner and saw a strange sight - a large calf noosed to a stake and a nearby Gurkha soldier, gleaming khukuri sword raised and biceps bulging - a single blow later, the calf's head was off and it's carcass was being dragged round the stake in a clockwise circle by it's hooves ...



















And there begun the sacrificing of what seemed like an endless procession of calves and goats at 6 focal points of Kot Square (we literally arrived at blow 1) - it's immensely important to Nepalis and sacrifices were going on at temples across the country - it was one of the strangest experiences of my adventure and I feel very fortunate to have watched - or been allowed to watch I should say - the place looked closely guarded and we were met by Major 'Liaison' who I assumed was in charge of public relations

The calves and goats were initially calm - but as the sacrifices went on - you could tell they knew something was up - this clearly wasn't your average day trip to a capital city - I'm not passionate enough about to animals to feel disgusted at what I saw and I'm not bloodthirsty enough to hang around longer than 20 minutes after the first calf was disposed - I respect the Nepalis and their culture - and only hope that the loss of these animals brings them the good fortune they believe it will - but I'm not sure ...
















http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasain

Away from the animal slaying I used some of my final days in Nepal to get out of Kathmandu and take a look at the Himalaya from the other end of the range - the western end - Pokhara is perfect for doing just that and takes a day on the bus from Kathmandu through valleys of gushing gorges flanked by crumbling stone hillsides - the ride itself was spectacular - especially on the way back to Kathmandu when they didn't have my reservation and I had to ride in the front cabin with the driver - unspoiled views and air conditioning of the gods - they're always some of the best days when you're travelling - we even got a slap up lunch!

Pokhara sits just south of the Annapurnas and feels a bit like a beach resort - it's right on Phewa Tal (Fewa Lake) and people go for two reasons - to chill by the lake and look at the views - or to use it as a base for treks in the Annapurnas - me - I did the former having accomplished my trekking goals - and a fine assortment of coffee shops, internet cafes and places to read Lonely Planet India I found - the Punjabi Restaurant served amazing food at the cheapest prices in Nepal yet - and really got me in the spirit of India early

And as for those Pokhara views - well - if you ever head this way the Annapurnas do what the Khumbu Region did - invariably cover themselves up in cloud from about 9am - but at 6am - well, they're simply stunning ...




















You've probably seen a picture of Machhapuchhare in your life - it's name means 'Fish Tail' in Nepali because it has twin peaks shaped like that - but you have to go another 20KM west of Pokhara to see the other one and I've already assigned my fave mountains - but Fish Tail is the sharply, triangular peaked mountain in the middle of the shots - it looks the highest but actually it's far from it at just under 7000M - the Annapurnas behind are around 8000M - but they look smaller 'cos Machhapuchhare is closer to Pokhara - forced perspective that always keeps you on your toes with your map out when you're in the Himalaya - and notice the cloud in the shot below - it was taken just one hour after the shot above - going, going, gone!

























Pokhara is also home to the International Mountain Museum which is full of superb mountaineering photographs - notably from the first successful summit of Everest (what else!) and the Japanese Alpine Club - it also comes to the same conclusion as Reinhold Messner (and now me) that the yeti is all based around a chemo (bear-like creature found in the Himalaya) - but this photograph that was on display is still very, very, very, strange ...




















And then - just as I thought my final views of the mountains were behind me - the clouds lifted and I had the clearest mountain sunset of all my days in Nepal - it really is quite incredible to see the Nepali sun go down and slowly turn white, snowy mountains orange/red/black - so I dashed back down to Phewa Tal and made an amazing photographic discovery - sometimes you sit in a spot with your camera aimed at the obvious - you then look over your shoulder and you get lucky ...




















So that's country number 12 - and here's Swifty's fave - the Nepali observations (that I made outside the mountains) ...

It's another spitting culture (like China) - only in China they're trying to stop it using a poster campaign - here it's just a part of life - you get used to it!

This is the third poorest country in the world and it's noticeable - there's only really 2 roads out of the Kathmandu Valley (one heading west to Pokhara and one heading north-west to Tibet) - the muddy main streets in the capital really make you hope the country develops - mind you - the Nepali's don't seem that bothered - until you get them on tarmac ...

The Kathmandu-Pokhara Greenline bus driver would give Michael Schumacher a race - the first man to test my new 'un-travel sickable' traveller's constitution - but I have to own up and say I cheated by grabbing the 'tourist bus' because the LP suggested that travel by local bus in Nepal is v dangerous - and looking at the rammed, OLD, creaky buses the Nepalis use I'd agree - I'll shut up about bus prices in the UK - it's a great service - and I hope all Nepalis get lucky and travel safe

If you want a souvenir t-shirt here in Nepal you'll get one that's hand stitched on an old Singer sewing machine by a guy in his shop -the whole country's a wonderfully McD's free zone but that doesn't stop them being satirical ... (don't blame me - I'm just the observer!)











Be switched on - there's a 13% government tax and 10% service charge on all accommodation and food - not good 'budget' news towards the end of a year on the road

Although there's no real set price for ANYTHING (except food and drink) - everything's fair game for bargaining - especially accommodation! - 30% off the first quoted price is about right - they offer you a price - you halve it - and then both meet somewhere around the middle

I think I mentioned this before but the Kathmandu roof tops have, maybe, the best views across a city in the world - and it wasn't even that clear for me - there's snowy mountains behind those Himalayan foothills that are incredible in themselves - it's worth coming to Nepal just to sit on top of Helena's Restaurant sipping coffee!

It's a 7 days a week culture here - a bit like Vietnam - you can get anything, anytime, anywhere - providing it's not night time (v early to bed, v early to rise in Nepal) - or during one of the many, many wonderful, religious festivals!

Kathmandu has the closest international airport to a capital city in the world (in my experience) - just 5KM and, if you time it right, just 15 minutes - too easy as GB would say!

The cow is sacred here in Hindu dominant Nepal and so they're hugely respected - so respected that they're allowed to wander wherever they wish - often down the busy streets of Kathmandu during rush hour - where they're often given the right of way!

Men hold hands and put their arms round each other while walking down the street as a sign of friendship - it's not connected in any way to sex and is awesomely refreshing - the Nepalis are so right here and it's superb that they've not succumbed to the macho stuff that predominates our culture

On it's 'Exchange Rates' board The Himalayan Bank still shows the price of gold bullion! - I guess a throwback to the old trade route over the Himalaya that started just north of Kathmandu's Durbar Square - now if only I had a suitcase full to go and sell!

Some travellers really go for the Buddhism thing and shave their head (women) or go for the Indian traveller look of full beard (not women)

Nepali masala tea is sweet, milky, clovey and was my drink of choice at any pause in Nepal adventuring!

Kathmandu and Pokhara have the finest selection of mountain related bookshops you could ever wish to see - they even stock old, special edition National Geographic magazines that featured the Himalayas - it's so easy to lose hours in them - and spend a fortune!

Pokhara is the jump off point for trekking in the Annapurna region - a snap observation would say that it all feels a bit twee and easy - it's peaceful, green and a short bus journey to trails full of guest houses providing fresh water and hot showers - the hard core stuff jumps out of Kathmandu on the Lukla flight (it's still unreal mind you and I need to come back some time and trek Annapurna to really qualify this fun observation!)

Sitting in Pokhara feels very alpine!

The older gents here wear a cool topi - a multi-coloured, fabric hat that sits atop the head and balances there by forces un-natural!

A beer will double your cafe/restaurant meal bill/check - I succumbed for a few days in Kathmandu and can highly recommend the Everest or Nepal Ice - the Gurkha was loved by the Intrepid lads (hey Edd?!) but not me

Kathmandu looks totally different once you've been trekking - far more cosmopolitan, far more swanky and far more chic - sipping an icy cold Everest and smoking a cocktail flavoured shisha (to quote DJ 'it's a bit like smoking bubble gum') never felt so comforting (who needs the trappings of the western world!)

So that's it - and just 4 countries left to summarise - how will I ever replace Nepal - me and my fave mountain (Cholatse), a final scene from the bewildering Kathmandu Valley (the, 'I'm not sure I should watch burning people', sacred Hindu temple at Pashupatinath) and 'Hindi Britney' (found in a Phakding snooker hall!) - see you in the land of a BILLION people!

How do I ever explain that ...

Day 270 - Wednesday 8 October 2008




















It seems really over-whelming to recall for you the JOURNEY of the last few weeks as I sit back here in Kathmandu having just sipped a strong coffee and washed my hair twice in 12 hours

For the only people who will ever truly understand the sense of accomplishment and achievement following our trek in the Khumbu Region of Nepal's Himalaya's are those who were there - a group of people I'd now proudly describe as friends - but then I wouldn't be any type of budding author if I didn't give it a go ...

The thing that sticks in my mind the most is the company - it truly was an incredible group of people with a very like mind - and for that I am so grateful - one other trekking group we came across really hit that home - my trekking partners were cool, laid back, open minded and, most importantly, using every bit of their abilities to get over four high points in the Himalaya and only then kick back and celebrate - it's therefore no surprise that with a bit of support in a variety of directions we all achieved that goal set out by Ashok (100%) just under an hour after meeting up!

I said JOURNEY earlier and it really felt like that - I get what Frodo was struggling with for all those days and days now - for it was long, repetitive and a mental and physical battle - not often - but frequent enough for me to mention it here - at first it all felt fun and jovial, then in the early middle you really hit your stride and got used to the daily routine, then in the late middle the height and the distances started to add up and the legs and lungs felt tired, and then in the end it was a downhill sprint of clear skies and 'jouss'ing (cheers in Nepali!)

I hope I'm not making it sound tooooo hard - 'cos it wasn't - at no real point did I feel I wouldn't make it - in fact my health in the mountains was superb - yes, for one of the first times in life I found my almost 37 years telling in a physical challenge on the final peak of Kala Patthar when I abandoned all trekking techniques just to get to the top - but on reflection I still had more left - I've been saying summits and peaks on IIJCDI but really they were pinnacles and passes - I've quietly set my sights on some 'trekking peaks' either back here or maybe, to warm up, in the European Alps - any takers Mr Swift?!

For mountain health it was all relatively straightforward - just follow the tried and tested LOCAL advice and learn from the experts - namely, the guides and inhabitants of those incredible high lands - so it was all eat local (stuff they can grow up there - potatoes and vegetables - don't try meat - it's got a long way to travel uphill and won't be very fresh by the time it reaches a few thousand metres - the veggie diet suited me but it won't become full time!) - and drink plenty of water - and when you feel saturated, drink some more - so my bursting at the seams First Aid kit remained relatively untouched - for the record I only suffered one headache and used just 2 Paracetamol, 4 Ibuprofen, 4 Strepsils and a dab of Tiger Balm - I didn't even get a blister - that glacial mountain water is bloody good for you I reckon - although it does taste weird having been treated pre-consumption with Chlorine tablets - the whole trek's like slowly draining the Beijing Olympic swimming pool!

And the accommodation and washing facilities - well - they're simple - just as they should be - within a minute of being 'on the trail' you soon realise how anything gets anywhere in the Khumbu Region where there are no roads - it's carried - often by men either young enough to be just out of school (child labour's a thing of the past thankfully) or old enough to be your Dad (the new multi-party government is still working on pensions) - so if you want to park your backside on a bit of porcelain to go to the loo ... some poor bugger has to carry something very heavy on their back/head a long way up a steep hill - 'save yourself my friend - a squat toilet's second nature to me now' - and there's a reason the tea houses (mostly called 'The Himalayan Lodge') are made of plywood walls - it's light - still carried in massive sheets strapped together mind you - and power - well it's a commodity up high - that costs a lot - so you might get a hot shower if it's been sunny (solar powered) - but you'll be charged the cost of your accommodation again for it - 'no worries my kind host - I've not really washed for a week so why change the habit?!'

The washing scores for a few weeks in the Khumbu Region of Nepal =
Hair - Once (freezing water/day in Namche Bazaar on the way up)
Armpits/Upper Body - Twice (See above and Dingboche in the warm sun on the way down)
Feet - Once (The Ding, Phakding, in a bucket on the way down and only right at the end!)
Groin - ummmmm!
Clothes - Never (the socks were a little interesting by the end!)
But did I smell - not really - you just don't sweat much when it's around zero all the time, the tea house has limited heating (the lounge yak dung burners did the business and were ace - sometimes!) and you're stood on a glacier!

So how do I sum it all up to give you a flavour of the route - well - the most important thing to mention is the lucky choice - if Rousey Son could thank his mate Paul from St Kilda in Melbourne for the tip off of Everest Base Camp VIA GOKYO that'd be ace (Paul did it just this year) - the Gokyo bit turns a straightforward up and back march along heavily trodden routes into a round trip where you rarely see the same scenery twice - it also gets you off the beaten track into proper, remote Yeti country that's mystically misty and quiet - the second thing to mention is the time of year - we were one of the first trekking groups to head out post-monsoon season and were actually just pre-trekking season - consequently, we enjoyed good weather and a peace on the Himalayan trails that enabled us to appreciate a rugged wilderness that must have been difficult for the lines/queues of trekkers we passed every few metres on our way down - for it really is that - rugged and wild - and boy did we see some wildlife - many, many spottings of vultures and eagles swooping above us on thermals under a blue sky (for those big predatory raptors you've got me Gars!) alongside Himalayan deer and goats chewing the grass and looking out down the valleys from rocky outcrops - and that's not even mentioning the yaks who can't survive at low altitude but have developed their bodies to thrive on the thin air above 3000 metres and are my third fave animal in the world (remember - kangaroos at 1 and water buffalo at 2!) - but don't confuse them with the lower altitude jodpes (a kind of cow that is yak-ish!) - and get out of it's way when you're walking along the edge of Himalayan cliff tops!

And a word on Mount Everest - for it's size it's an elusive bugger - from this southern, Nepali side it hides - blushing in the early morning sun behind it's massive neighbours of Lhotse (8516) and Nuptse (7864) - even from the Everest Base Camp you can't see the summit - as the highest point on the planet it's the most vulnerable to cloud flooding up the Khumbu Valley from Namche Bazaar and covering it's peak from prying eyes - did I see it - yes I did - in fact I stared in awe a few times at the summit and marvelled at the bravery of the early pioneers who stood on it in lambswool sweaters and duck down jackets - but it's a long way down my list of favourite mountains in the Himalaya - for it's shape is just a bit dull - too rounded for my tastes - I'm more of a pointy mountain man where glaciers, snow build up and seracs (look it up!) are poised ready to fall thousands of feet in a defeaning crescendo at any minute - and for that it's a faves list of 1 = Cholatse 6335 (never summited 'cos it's so steep!) 2 = Kantega 6783 3 = Ama Dablam 6814 - so I ended up coming to the Himalaya not for one mountain but for the Himalaya as a whole - a mass of tectonic plates that crashed together farther back in time than us mere mortals can possibly comprehend - my eyes just melted at their combined beauty ...

Here's a 'for the record' shot of me, Mount Everest (the summit licked by cloud) and beard ...




















So a quick day by day breakdown including heights above sea level (the summit of Chomolongma or Mount Everest is 8500 MASL and Ben Nevis in Scotland is 1344 MASL) and highlights of the day (there'll also be the odd lowlight of the day!)

(These may or may not get a photo each at some point depending on internet connections - this post could well be a work in progress! - no - it's gripped - aren't I good to us all!)

Day 1 - 18/09/2008 - Lukla (2840) to Phakding (2610)

HotD = the Indiana Jones 'Yeti Airlines' (really!) flight from Kathmandu to Lukla on a twin engine plane/bus with an open cockpit where you can see the pilots FLYING the plane (no autopilot on those bad boys and they need to see where they're going!) - truly dicey and brilliant - but tragically dicey as well - one of the exact same flights crashed just a few days after we were back in Kathmandu killing all the trekkers/pilots on board - my thoughts are with them ...





















Day 2 - 19/09/2008 - Phakding (2610) to Namche Bazaar (3440)

HotD = the 100m high suspension bridge over the milky white Manje Khole River and steep gorges flanked by impossibly steep cliffs bearing thick pine forests - a lot like the Evergreen Forest from The Raccoons (80s cartoon - check it out!)
















Day 3 - 20/09/2008 - Namche Bazaar (3440) - Acclimatisation Day

HotD = first v early morning for our first glimpse of the Everest Himalayan Range (and Everest itself) in the dawning light - and - strolling the streets of the Sherpa capital alongside yaks carrying expedition gear, stocking up on Chinese knock off trekking gear from over the Himalaya and listening to Tibetan refugees endlessly chanting 'Om Mani Padme Hum' (hail to the jewel in the lotus) - sadly on CD not in real life











Day 4 - 21/09/2008 - Namche Bazaar (3440) to Dhole (4110)

HotD = the contrast from going higher in the Himalaya (hot/sunny in the AM and cold/misty in the PM) necessitating the first real yak dung fire to huddle around!





























Day 5 - 22/09/2008 - Dhole (4110) to Machherma (4470)

HotD = nipping out for a middle-of-the-night pee to the outhouse 50M from the front door of the tea house - I tried to forget that Maccherma is the site of the most convincing yeti evidence ever - two yaks found dead with broken backs and a missing girl in 1974 ...











Day 6 - 23/09/2008 - Machherma (4470) to Gokyo (4790)

HotD = the bluest/greenest/holiest lakes in the world at Gokyo - and - adjacent sharp peaks when the clouds cleared for, literally, a second




















Day 7 - 24/09/2008 - Gokyo (4790) to Gokyo Ri (5357) to Gokyo (4790)
HotD = pre-dawn (4 ... AM!) start and v, v, v, early morning view of 1KM wide Ngozumba Glacier



































Day 8 - 25/09/2008 - Gokyo (4790) to Thangnag Kharka (4700)
HotD = snowy walk across the living, melting, moving Ngozumba Glacier - 'so this is what the moon looks like!' - truly remarkable
LotD = arriving in Thangnag Kharka while a dead body from an Indian party was brought back to the village and 'stored' in a nearby cave - the man died just an hour away up the Cho La Pass - our destination for the next day - a sharp reminder that you're not in charge up there - the mountains are - and they'll decide your fate ...
















Day 9 - 26/09/2008 - Thangnag Kharka (4700) to Dzonglha (4830) - Via Cho La Pass (5368)
HotD = another pre-dawn/nervy start and the mountains decided to smile on us with the clearest weather of our trek - vast vistas, the bluest sky I've ever seen, brilliant deep/fresh snow, a safe climb up the Cho La Pass, a heart racing descent down the other side ... - need I say more - the best day of my whole adventure?!

















































Day 10 - 27/09/2008 - Dzonglha (4830) to Lobuche (4910)
HotD1 = waking really early to more clear skies, jumping out of bed and turning into my ace Dad - just me, the dawning sun, frosty ground, massive Himalayan peaks and my CAMERA - I was literally the only person up and felt like I'd landed in heaven or nirvana?!
HotD2 = repeating the above in the late afternoon from the rocky outcrop looking straight up the Khumbu Glacier (see the photo in the post 'Too incredible for words ...' and the 'map' version here!)












































Day 11 - 28/09/2008 - Lobuche (4910) to Gorak Shep (5140) - Return Trip To Khumbu Glacier/Everest Base Camp (5364)
HotD = slipping and sliding over the 15KM long Khumbu Glacier, soaking up the sight of the incredible 15M high ice pinnacles, safely reaching our goal of Everest Base Camp and watching avalanches crashing down on the way back to Gorak Shep!
LotD = being on my chin strap for the final few KMs ...






















































Day 12 - 29/09/2008 - Return Trip To Kala Patthar (5550) - Gorak Shep (5140) to Dingboche (4410)
LotD = pushing myself to the top of Kala Patthar and missing ace views of the Himalaya 'cos of cloud!
HotD = tabbing hard for 12KM down to Dingboche in inclement weather with barely a break and sipping the sweetest Nepali masala tea on arrival - and - memorial cairns in the mist to those who've died on Everest


























Day 13 - 30/09/2008 - Dingboche (4410) to Ama Dablam Base Camp (4800) to Dingboche (4410)
HotD = a repeat of Day 10's HotD (only a new range of mountains to gaze at in awe!) - and - a surprisingly steep climb up to Ama Dablam Base Camp and the place that would have been an even better Kingdom of Rohan (LotR) if Nepal was a feasible place for Hollywood!












































Day 14 - 01/10/2008 - Dingboche (4410) to Tengboche (3860)
HotD1 = strolling around the incredibly placed Tengboche, snapping shots of Everest and visiting the Tengboche Monastery where they 'supposedly' had a yeti scalp for many years - it got nicked!
HotD2 = cleaning my teeth in a pre-bedtime blackout and looking upwards to see soooo many stars with the Milky Way emanating out of the top of Mount Everest - and then being distracted by monks chanting and one dashing up the Tengboche Monastery steps by hiking his robes up to his knees to search for candles - magical























Day 15 - 02/10/2008 - Tengboche (3860) to Namche Bazaar (3440)
HotD = I should really say the wildlife but it was sipping a half decent cup of coffee for the first time in a while and buying stitch on badges celebrating our four 'summits'!
















Day 16 - 03/10/2008 - Namche Bazaar (3440) to Phakding (2610)
HotD = listening to Maoist activists walking the street with a mega-phone to publicise their pressures on Tengboche tea house owners to lower food prices for Nepali porters (currently, outrageously, the same as for trekkers) - and - snapping in admiration for the final time the incredible strength of Sherpas




















Day 17 - 04/10/2008 - Phakding (2610) to Lukla (2840)
HotD = celebrating our 100% successful journey by feasting, drinking and dancing the night away with our guide, assistant guides and porters - by eating yak meat, swigging Kukhuri rum straight from the passed-around bottle and dancing to Nepali folk music - life doesn't get much better than that!
















Can you believe it?! A trip to Nepal and a Himalayan trek are the perfect antidote to a stale few years in a country like the UK - it'll test you (physically and mentally), make you give up every day desires (like a clean toilet and washing!), provide you with the best food (simple, very/very local and tasty), make you go 'wow!' more times than you can remember and, above all, make you want to come back ...

Here's my Himalayan observations ...

The mornings are the clearest part of the day and the cloud, generally, builds up throughout the day

The network of tea houses is sometimes cold, sometimes cosy, has more expensive food than I expected and fueled by yak dung patties (ace green work Nepal!)

Yaks are long haired and jodpes are short haired!

Drinking more water than you can handle will make your pee crystal clear - and frequent!

There's no mirrors anywhere so you won't be able to see how rough you look - and who cares anyway?!

Peaks higher than 5500 MASL are covered in lovely white snow all year

The porters are tough as NAILS and make hockey players look soft Growbag (even me and you!) - believe me - I tried it for 1KM!




















The Sherpas are great quarriers and stone workers - they get it fitting so finely in houses there's no need for mortar

The mountains are totally in control and teach you patience - if it's cloudy, it's cloudy and it'll clear up when it's ready - so don't worry about it - 'control the control-ables!'

The air is so clear it's almost tasty - although it's a bit thin in O2 - we were regularly getting only 50% of sea levels!

Sagarmatha National Park where we trekked has zero raods - how many other National Parks in the world can say that - but sadly - it does have rubbish - this is beauty with that frustrating, developing world tinge - come on everyone (you, me, the First, Second and Third Worlds)

Guides and porters keep going thanks to rakshi (rice/wheat alcohol and pretty tasty!)

There's a dominating, snowy mountain around every corner

It has a majestic size that makes it, arguably, the most beautiful place on earth (right in the mix with New Zealand and probably better!!!) - views stretch for 15KM across chasming valleys!

The local people are great but very used to trekkers and the tourism industry so I didn't feel the magic ...

So I didn't really photograph them as a result - but the landscape's so unreal you're too busy pointing your camera skywards anyway!

Beards grow beautifully un-itchy in the mountain air - and are a post-trekking must!

During Chairman Mao's Great Leap Forwards (!!!) in the 1950s and the start of the Chinese occupation of Tibet, Tibetan monks fled over the Himalayas and their presence dots the landscape in prayer flags of various colours representing the 5 essential elements of earth, wind, fire, water and iron (the romantics say the weird last one is love - I'll go for that!)

It's a guess (deserts?) but I'd say the densest collection of stars in the world can be seen in the Himalayas

Tibetan momos dipped in sauce!

Places like Namche Bazaar and Kathmandu that feel basic the first time you visit feel chic and cosmopolitan after a few weeks in the high Himalaya

OK - that's it - just leave many of my other suggestions for another time 'cos you owe it to yourself to trek in the Himalayas ...



















See - it was all so amazing - I've totally forgotten that I broke part of my tooth off (apple pie!) and had to visit a Nepali dentist the day before we jumped on our flight to Lukla - thank anyone for those topper USA Embassies - I found a USA standard clinic that was set up for Embassy staff and got a new filling/ace advice about my teeth that I've never had in the UK - when you're on the road there's a story round every corner!

And finally - I love this post which is why it's massive - please tell everyone you know to check it out!