Up early this morning for our last breakfast before catching the dreaded bus back to Kathmandu. Our hosts at the Tiger Camp have really looked after us and have been understanding about our desire not to participate in all the activities. We have all relaxed and are satisfied with all the animals that we were lucky enough to have seen. Michelle gathered an extra couple of bruises on her legs from constantly hitting the wooden cage during the elephant safari. The cost of $US85 per person for all meals, activities and lodging for 3 days and 2 nights is still a good bargain. Just to finish off a good stay I was lucky enough during breakfast to see a rhino crossing the river upstream from the lodge.
Our tourist bus operated by Mountain Overland departed on time at 9:30am. The bus itself was quite new and comfortable and by the time we left the town of Chitwan there was a full load. The first section to Mugling went without incident and by midday had reached the lunch break restaurant. Lunch was included in our ticket and of course it was dal baht. The Nepali’s in our group loaded up their plates while we were content to have a more restrained portion.
The next section to Kathmandu is the make or break part of the journey. Today we were lucky and after another 4 hours of incident free driving and just before 5:00pm we reached the bus park in Kathmandu. Our total driving time not including rest breaks was around 7 hours for a journey of 200 km. Michelle heard from a friend that there had been a serious accident on the road to Pokhora and traffic was not getting through. Someone else's misfortune probably helped our journey. To add a different perspective to this it is about the same amount of time to fly from Brisbane to Singapore. When we stopped I knew we were somewhere near Thamel but I had no idea where we were. Michelle however soon had us in a taxi and within ten minutes we were at her hacienda. What a welcome respite it is after all that time on the bus.
It was back to Alice’s restaurant tonight for another fabulous dinner. I have been hanging out for a good salad and was not disappointed when a big plate of green stuff was placed in front of me. James opted for the steamed spinach momos filled with vegetables and they looked and tasted delicious. For mains James and I went for the spicy chicken wrap whilst Michelle went for the tamer barbeque version. By our second piece James and I were sweating and clearing our sinuses. Our mouths were on fire and I was trying to put it out by gulping down large quantities of beer. James was more sensible and ordered a chocolate milkshake to sooth his mouth. We soldiered on and managed to finish what was a deliciously hot wrap. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring as a result of that spice but my mouth had a warm glow long after we had finished eating. The atmosphere at this restaurant is so relaxed that we chatted for a long while after the meal had finished.
Sunday 20th October – Belinda’s Arrival
Woke up bright and early this morning and I don’t appear to be having any unwanted symptoms after last night’s meal. James has whipped up one of his special omelettes for breakfast which was once again delicious. Around midday we headed off to the airport to pick up James’ girlfriend Belinda who is due to land at 12:25. The flight was a little bit in front of schedule and it wasn’t long before she exited the terminal.
After Belinda had settled into the hacienda we all headed into Thamel. James and Belinda had to meet with their guide’s representative to put the finishing touches on their 17 day trek over the three passes to Everest Base Camp. I did a small amount of shopping while Michelle surfed the net at the Java cafe.
Dinner tonight was at the Buzz Bar which is located a short walk from Michelle’s. The ambiance was excellent and is a great place for a relaxing drink. The food however was not up to the same standard. The curry which was supposed to be medium spicy was bland and you needed a Seeing Eye dog to find the chicken. I ordered a medium rare pepper steak with vegetables and chips. The chips and the miniscule portion of vegetables were good but my piece of steak is best forgotten. It was a small piece that was cooked so long it might as well have been cremated. Luckily, I had a chainsaw that enabled me to saw through this piece of old leather. You cannot expect a great meal every time you eat out but at least the beer was cold and the company excellent.Monday 21st October – Thamel Shopping Day
James does not seem to be having any luck at the moment when it comes to food. It looks like he has picked up a mild dose of food poisoning from last night’s disastrous meal. He is certainly off colour and has taken some high level prescription tablets that can cure just about everything except the common cold.
Belinda and I gave him some quiet recuperation time by heading off into Thamel for some lunch and
James had certainly picked up considerably from this morning and was looking forward to an evening meal. We gave the Buzz Bar a miss and headed off to Alice’s where the staff are starting to recognise us. The food was much better but alas they also do not understand the concept of a medium rare steak. I’ll just have to go back to the Everest Steak House.
Tuesday 22nd October – All By Myself
James and Belinda were up bright and early as they are getting picked up at 7:30am. They are off to the domestic airport where they will catch a light plane to what many believe is the world’s most dangerous airport, Lukla. From there they will commence a 17 day trek over three high passes to Everest Base Camp.
After seeing them off I decided that I would walk into Thamel for a rooftop breakfast. After walking for 20 minutes I realised that I was going in circles. I gave up the idea of walking and grabbed a taxi which soon had me at my destination. With the sun warming my back I had a big breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee. With my trusty Kindle to keep me occupied I whiled away a couple of hours before hitting the shops. After yesterday’s shopping effort I have decided that I need a bigger bag and have headed back to my favourite shop Snowland. The owner always gives a fair price and will tell you where the knock off item is produced. He had a North Face bag but it was too small. He then invited me for a cup of tea and we sat down on some low stools for a good chin wag. After filling my backpack with all sorts of goodies it was time for lunch at you know where.
Arrived back at the hacienda a little after 4:00pm where I was greeted by Michelle’s Nepali helper Di Di. The new bag that I bought for 700 rupees can comfortably hold all of my purchases. I just hope that my bags do not exceed the airline limits. If they do then I will be wearing a lot more clothes onto the plane. When Michelle arrived home we sat down to some potato vegetarian wraps that Di Di had prepared earlier. The Spanish red wine that Michelle produced from the kitchen cupboard complemented what was a delicious meal.
Wednesday 23rd October – Toby is Airborne
My nephew Toby is off to Brisbane airport this morning for his first overseas trip. He is flying with Singapore airlines via Singapore to Bangkok. Hopefully all goes well until I catch up with him tomorrow evening.
Today I have organised a taxi for 9:30am for an all day road trip to Bhaktapur and Patan. I really enjoyed the taxi ride out to Patan especially when we had to weave our way through narrow streets bordered by old wooden buildings. Women were drying the seeds from rice on large mats on the side of the road while men pushing bicycles were hawking their wares.
shopping. After finally finding an ATM that would dispense 35000 rupees we took a luncheon break at the Pumpernickel Cafe. For a change I tried a hamburger which wasn’t too bad once I added the tomato sauce. Belinda is starting to get a feel for the street layout of Thamel and was a great help in assisting me to choose some pashminas for my lovely girls. After all this walking it was time for a treat so it was off to the bakery for a German chocolate truffle cake, chocolate doughnut and a custard Danish tart. They all tasted like mana from heaven. After negotiating my first taxi trip back to Balutar I was able to give the right directions to the hacienda.
the domestic airport where they will catch a light plane to what many believe is the world’s most dangerous airport, Lukla. From there they will commence a 17 day trek over three high passes to Everest Base Camp.
Next stop on my joyride was Bhaktapur which is undoubtedly the most impressive of the three Durbar Squares. Also World Heritage listed it has also been used as a site for movies such as the best forgotten “Golden Child” with Eddie Murphy, “Seven Years in Tibet” with Brad Pitt and “Little Buddha” with Keanu Reeves. There are four main squares in Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square, Dattatraya Square and Pottery Square. Durbar Square is a conglomeration of stone art, metal art, wood carving and terracotta art. The Golden Gate, statue of King Malla perching on the top of stone monoliths, the palace of 55 windows and the National Art Gallery are the major monuments of this ancient city. Most of the construction occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries. In Taumadhi Square the Nyatapola Temple with its multiple rooves over five stories is a fine example of engineering and architectural skills. Dattatraya Square is the oldest part of the city and you can observe various size and shaped windows carved from wood. The most impressive is the Peacock Window.
You can probably guess what is made in Pottery Square. There are still many potters working with their traditional wooden wheels molding the clay into earthen pots.
After walking around the City which could be up for a “Tidy Town” award because of the cleanliness I was ready for some lunch. I chose a rooftop restaurant which allowed me ample opportunity to people watch. In 2011 Japan and Nepal managed to build a two lane highway in each direction between the airport and Bhaktapur making it only a twenty minute drive between the two areas. As a result I would recommend that you arrange to stay your last night in Nepal at Bhaktapur to enjoy some peace and quiet in this world heritage town.
The dual highway looks like it will eventually go into the heart of Kathmandu City. The road width is there but the money appears to have dried up possibly through corruption as on each side of the current road there are great swathes of rutted earth. My driver who cost 2000 rupees for six hours dropped me back in Thamel for a late afternoon blended ice lemon drink at the Java cafe. I arrived back at the hacienda a round 5:30pm and found that the latch on the front gate had been closed. I pondered on how I would gain entry to this impregnable fortress. Eventually, I found a long stick and by leaning over the tall fence was able to dislodge the offending latch. When I told Michelle of my predicament she laughed and told me all I had to do was turn the knob on the front gate. Dur!
For dinner tonight Michelle has taken me to the Roadhouse (can’t help but think of the old Doors song Roadhouse Blues). I went with Michelle’s advice and had a delicious wood fired pizza which was better than my local Miltonios. I washed it down with a tall ice cold Tuborg which should help me gain a little more weight. It is my last night in Nepal and Michelle generously picked up the tab for dinner.
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