birthday and Xmas in religious places and no baby Jesus!

Here's some pictures from our alternative festive season so far. Firstly, there was my birthday on the 21st. We found out that Bodanath Buddhist Stupa, one of the KTM valley's World Heritage Sites, was always lit by butter lamps every full moon. Evidently, this is an auspicious date within the Himalayan Buddhist calendar. Turns out this coincided with my birthday, so we joined the march of pilgrims and the faithful in a number of clockwise circumnavigations. What an interesting people watching day this was. The usual tourists like us, Buddhist monks in their long maroon robes, including some Western monks too, Tibetan refugees with their hair in plaits coiled up on their heads and red wool woven through it. Some faithful even made their way around the stupa by making full prostrations on the ground. Everyone chanting mantras to themselves and swinging inscence too. Definitely a birthday to remember and very different to the previous 46! We ate nice food too and had a beer (third time in 3 months).

Christmas was a treat. We booked into the Newar Chen Hotel in Patan http://www.newachen.com/ Do check it out if you are ever in town. It's right off Durbur Square too.
This is a small boutique hotel made from a renovated Newar house. This is the local clan/tribal group of the KTM valley famous for the ornate window carvings. Oh what bliss, we didn't want to leave as this place was so lush and so comfortable and clean compared to our 500 rupees option back in Paknanjol! Here's a picture of Greg and I having breakfast on Xmas morning. Note down jackets - it does get chilly at night (about 2C) although not as cold as Blighty at the mo I know. More to follow on various adventures and activities before we leave Nepal on the 4th January for a night sleeping in Mumbai airport mmmmmm.

Bits and bobs

The Wise Man of the Himalaya

We'd been up Island Peak and had been in the hills for 4 weeks. We wanted out to warmth and green things and I wanted steak and beer. Heading to Lukla we stopped late in the day and I walked into a rather attractive lodge. I asked if they had rooms and the guy said yes but I couldn't afford to stay there. A bit offended as we still has a decent stash of cash I asked how much it was.
He replied matter of factly it was $150 a night.
I clapped him on the shoulder and advised he was very wise as I backed out the door into the cold dark night. We stayed next door for $2 and a guy called Sonam served us breakfast the next day. Over coffee and a chat we discovered he had been with Stu Peacock as a Sherpa on his Everest summit. If anyone speaks to him pass on Sonam's regards!

Insider Information

When we arrived in Lukla the airport had been closed for a week due to bad weather. Tickets were being re-confirmed and cancelled quicker than a bottle of wine disappears on a Friday night. Town was packed full of stressed out trekkers. Me and Liz arrived with no tickets or reservations but with some insider knowledge. The clouds cleared and the first flight left at 7 am the next morning. We were on the second flight at 7:10 am. Back in Kathmandu in 40 minutes. It had taken us 9 days to walk in that far. We left behind lots of angry and frustrated faces who had sat there for a week. Still my steak and beer tasted great.

Rest and recuperation

We headed to lakeside at Pokhara and stayed as the first and only guests in a new hotel. The owners spoke French and Nepali but no English. Communication was pantomime and pointing. I sat on the balcony for a week indulging in the local delicacies and Liz got restless. We headed up to Annapurna Base Camp a "quick" 8 day trip by our new standards. Base Camp is incredible perhaps more so than anything on the previous trek. An amphitheatre of mountains after you emerge out of bamboo forests. We played lots of poker with Bilbao Basques and Korean trekkers and walked up and down the thousands of stone steps that make up the trail. I do feel a bit trekked out now.

Annapurna Sanctuary

Set off on this trek on December 1st by taking a taxi to the trail start at Phedi. How not the Khumbu this is and I am so enjoying the contrast. So warm as well - about 25C. Yip yip yip! The trail started with steep zig-zags up between fields and meets a ridge top at Deorli about an hour and a half later. Then the pair of doughnuts that we are, followed a brilliantly made, paved trail through the rest of the village downhill and through more fields. Lots of people busy in their day to day chores, ploughing fields, thrashing and drying millet, chopping (pruning?) trees. Then, after not seeing a single other walker or bhatti (local tea shack) we decided to consult the map. Wrong way - so after me having a hissy fit as it was obviously Greg's fault (I have an ML after all), we made our way back up hill (in silence).

The real trail followed a ridge and then up through woodland. Two village strays (dogs) decided to accompany us in between trying to bite off each other's ears, and then we heard a right old commotion in the valley that definitely involved something bovine. Anyhow, it all went silent so we carried on. A few minutes later, two guys were coming towards us in the opposite direction. "Did you hear all that noise?" "Yes, a tiger has attacked a cow" No way was I going to believe this, but we kept the dogs with us so that they could get eaten first. Oh yes, and Greg and I were friends again by then so I couldn't really push him in front either!

The next three days involved really gradual climbing up the Modi Khosa (river) valley and going through some really picturesque villages. This time the local were from the Gurung tribe (related to Tibetan people), but not as much Buddhist in your face as the Khumbu as there were few stupas, prayer flags and gompas (oh yeah and no yaks too - too low and warm - see previous post to explain).

Nights are starting to get get quite cold now (December after all) and once the sun went in it was quite cold. How grateful we were to our massive 4 season bags and down jackets. I reckon at Annapurna BC it was about -10C outside during the night is not more.

Instead of having a yak burning stove as we had been used to, the lodges on this trek put kerosene gas burners under the table (often in a small pit). The table has heavy matting as a sort of skirt, under which your legs are warmed up draught free. I thought my manmade fibre soft shell pants would melt, nevermind being overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning! Noisy and smelly it was, but it worked. Flippin 100 rupees each though for the pleasure..hmm.

Well, I've seen some mountain panoramas in my time, but the Annapurna Sanctuary is amazing. 360 degrees of 7000 and 8000m giants. Annapurna South, 1, 2 & 3, Machupuchre (Fishtail), Annapurna itself...... Quite awestruck actually. We have a lovely video of this, but uploading is still a problem, so it will just have to wait.I would really reccomend this trek as a first time Himalaya taster.

No altitude problems which was good, and I learnt how to play poker with our new pals from Bilbao and Korea. I also saw my first wild monkeys in the bamboo and birch forest on the way down. A small family group were divided by the trail and were making a big noise calling to each other. One half eventually decided that they were going across, so they literally swang across the branches over our heads leaving the baby behind! Baby didn't like this and made very wimpery sort of noises as being the shortie of the family he just couldn't keep up with the big guys. Poor parenting I say! Liz Kay cute attack!

Got back to Pokhara and our friendly Yesmi guesthouse on December 8th via public bus from Naya Pul and have noticed even Pokhara is now colder...brrrrrr.

Island Peak, yaks and people

In my attempt of trying to round things off a bit so I can keep the blog more in real time, I thought I would try and write a little about all of the below as all three impressed us greatly. I will also get Greg to recount his stories about looking too poor to aford a certain lodge in Pangboche, and how to buy air tickets when there's a five day wait!

Island Peak (Imja Tse) 6189m

The highest point so far in our relationship (groan)! At about 8.30am on the morning of November 14th, Greg and I heaved ourselves up onto the snowy summit of Island Peak. Originally climbed in the 50s by Eric Shipton as a warm up for an Everest expedition, he re-named Imja Tse thus, because it does indeed stand out as an island in it's own bit of space surrounded by 8000m giants of Lhotse, Nuptse, Everest, Makalu etc. We set off at 1am in the morning and trudged our way up a morraine track and then a scramble (looked well dodgy in the light of descent), up onto the glacier for the final headwall and summit ridge. It was all a bit strange on these sections as we would normally have roped up and climbed these bits alpine stylee, but no complaints as this was tough and slow work due to the lack of oxygen. So, like all the climbers there we jumared our way up and followed the other couple of groups ahead of us. Oh how slow we felt, our climbing sherpa, Kar Jong Dorjee was hopping and skipping his way up, and I know I felt like some kind of geriatric patient with my carer in tow. Anyhow, we got there, and back (despite a dodgy tum) and were sitting supping tea with Pemba (our cook) and Kumar (kitchen boy) back at base camp (@4900m) at around 1pm the same day.

Not the most technical of climbs I have ever subjected myself to, but definitely one of the hardest days of effort ever in terms of stamina.

Pictures above show approaching the summit ridge, looking back down the ridge from the top, Greg and Kar Jong and one of us both on the summit.

I do have some video footage of us on the top and will post it, if you, dear readers pertiton for a showing. However, it contains scatalogical expletives (Greg) so I don't want to upset anyone. Let me know if you want to see it and I'll add it when next on line. The views are great. In the meantime, I will post a panoramic view from the top of Chukhung Ri (about 5500m) used as a warm up for Island Peak.

Thanks go to Tim Mosedale our Mr. Fix-it, who we sorted out climbing logistics for Island peak months before we left UK. Check out his website and B&B in Keswick.

Yaks

Yaks are cool! Or rather I should write, yaks really like the cool and if you bring them down lower than about 3500m they start to overheat, pant and might collapse. All this was explained to us by a yak herder from Khumjung on our way down to Namache. Evidently, dzos (half yak/cow infertile cross) are much more versitile as they can withstand cold (althought I don't know how as they're defo not so woolly) and they can go lower as well - bargin. However, a good yak will set you back for about 3000 pounds, and you might have to pay as much as 26,000 pounds for a dzo. So, next time you are considering a new second hand car, think, you can only afford a yak!

Yaks have very very broad foreheads (sort of cute), very hairy legs, and the occassional one looks like it would gladly flip you off the path with it's horns. Always pass a yak on it's uphill side as there is a history of dead trekkers being accidently barged off the path into the ravine below by trying to squeeze through on the downhill (I kid not). What else, yak babies seem to live in Phortse and they are definitely very cute.

Yaks are made to wear bells and sound like cows in Alpine Meadows. White yaks are considered very special and go for a wing and a (Buddhist) prayer.

Oh yes, and a female yak is called a nak and therefore there is no such thing as yak cheese - get it?

Apologies as yak video downloaded onto it's side. Please adjust your screens.

People



Our William (nephew aged 5) asked a really good question the other day. He asked me on our Skype connection, whether we had made any new friends - which I thought was a very good question.



The answe is yes we have. We met loads of interesting people on the Jiri to NB stretch. mostly independant trekkers like ourselves. Reassuringly, we have also met quite a few other couples who were doing exactly a similar sort of thing to us in taking some time out from work, renting (and even letting go of) their homes and squandering their savings! So hi to all you guys out there. Let's keep in touch! Only thing is, most of them are about 15 - 20 years younger than us, so I guess it's more of a pre-kids sort of thing. Quite right too, you should have a history with someone before making babies otherwise there would be no stories to tell them at bedtime etc.



We have also met some interesting locals. Whilst staying at the Panorama Lodge, Chukhung, they were having their annual lodge Puja. A Puja is a Buddhist ceremony of cleansing and purification/blessing ie it is done every morning in each household and in the monastery at Tengboche it takes about 3 hrs every morning and 3hrs every evening. So, in-situ in the dining room for two whole days running were two monks (Lama) from the monastery surrounded by all their paraphanalia (drums, symbols, scriptures, insence burners). Buddhist prayer involves a lot os chanting whuch might sound like mumbling, but it can also be quite soothing. Whulst all this was going on, normal lodge life carried on with people coming in and out, chatting, cups of tea in comfort breaks etc. Whuch gets me to the point, in those comfort breaks, we got the chance to talk to one of the monks, Thelea Sherpa. We asked him what they were doing, how do the symbols help and just general questions about his faith. It's really complicated and I couldn't possibly pretend to understand it all, but on the whole it's all really sound stuff. they are praying for every sentient being alive, spend years before they are competent to know all the prayers sufficiently to be accomplished, spend hours in meditation or group prayer and provide a service for the local community. There seemed to be a lot of isolated meditation going on, which I do have some problems with in terms of how beneficial it all is, but the deep respect for live and peaceful resolution is something we can only aspire to. The monks left really early after their two days, so I didn't get the chance to say thankyou for our conversation, so it was nice when we bumped into Thelea on our way down to NB, as he was huffing and puffing on his way up to Pangboche for some scripture study.



Two other cool dudes we met were Tsewang Paljon Sherpa (3 yrs) and his kid brother, Tsering Wangchup Sherpa (2 years) see above. These kids were so bright. We spent hours looking at animal pictures in a copy of National Geographic as they were trying to teach me the Sherpa (not Nepali) word and I was teaching the English. Their pronouncination was excellent. I really want to keep in touch with their family as they were really good people and we enjoyed our time in their company.




Mrs Tashi Sherpa - an old pal of Tim Mosedale. Tashi and her husband own the Ama Dablam Lodge in Kenjoma. Rick and I stayed there 6 years ago, but my how business has boomed. Anyhow, Tashi warmly welcomed us with lemon teas, excellent dal bhatt and scrumy cake as we were passing on our way down. I'm certain Tashi looks younger than 6 years ago, and pulled her leg about cosmetic surgery when she's in the States each year. She looks great. Probably the best shower in the Khumbu also.


Nepalis still can't close doors though!

November 30th - where are we right now?

Yes, this blog is admitidly a bit all over the place as I'm now writing about where we are now, yet still catching up on pictures and stories from our Island Peak/Passes trek & climb.

Well, dear Reader, we are now in a town called Pokhara. It's west of KTM, about 4oom above sea level, near a big lake and, bliss, it's actually quite warm, being a lower altitude to KTM which was quite chilly even during the day last week.

Greg's been here before and insisted we get ourselves to the north end of Lakeside (tourist area). It's amazing for him as the town has expanded so much since he was here 15 years ago, he was finding it difficult to locate himself. After much searching for a quiet place off the road, we have secured ourselves an amazing room on the first floor of a new lodge owned by a French/Nepali couple. It's amazing how often on this trip I have had to speak French to get by, and it's the same again here as neither of them are good at English. So "hurrah" for O-level French (even if it is 30 years old by now). So new is our lodge, we are the very first people they have had staying. But, oh, what bliss, to stand in your own hot shower and soak and soak and soak. It's amazing how you really come to value some of these everyday norms once they've been denied you for some times. Never underestimate the healing powers of warm water I say!

This is a totally different version of Nepal to me. No yaks jingling jangling, mountains only visible on a clear day, different looking people (other Nepali tribal groups) and lots of motorbikes. Saying all this, the menus haven't really changed from the mountain lodges and we are both suffering from lack of appetite. One can only eat so many fried eggs or veg fried rice. I'm even going off the milk tea a bit. The other "tourists" here are different too. From a plethora or trekkers and climbers, we are now in the realm of "travellers". I have never seen so many dreadlocks and ethnic baggy pants walking down the road at the same time. They seem to come from Spain and Israel mostly. I think there is also some substance smoking which is obviously an attraction for a certain type of tourist, many of whom don't look like they could move further on than the junction down the road, never mind actual travel! Ahem - saying that there are a lot of yoga opportunities (everything but ashtanga), incence burning and ayaverdic massage.

We're planning on another small trek into the Annapurna and will set off tomorrow for about 10 days into the Annapurna Sancturary. On our return back here, I'm tempted on going off rafting, but Greg's not too keen so we might do separate stuff for a few days. Maybe, just before Xmas we will gop to the Chitwan National Park to ride elephants, and then back to KTM for a few days before our flight out in early January.

Here's a picture of the lodge we're staying in (note blue travel towel) and a pic of the road we're staying off just to give an idea of location.

Liz x

Bodily functions (do not read if of sensitive disposition)

3 pounds for a hot shower is way too much for one G McEwan, even if this means not washing for 2/3 weeks. 'Boy heaven!' When you only have 2 pairs of undies (bought by loving g/friend) and 2 pairs of socks, and it's about -7C in the bedroom when you wake up, then washing does not even register as a social norm! It's funny how the body responds in this cold and how not washing affects you. For a start it's that constant tap dripping nose, so that even when not afflicted with infection, you need to carry tissue on you. Another reason for this tissue is that strange things happen to your insides. What I mean it, you think you're going for a no.1, but it actually ends up being a no.2. So always be prepared for the unexpected!
Another strange thing is that one never removes one's base layers (apart from to change underwear - Liz only). However, when one does you realise how much dead skin you have produced. I guess this stuff just comes off in the usual daily shower, but I was getting body dandruff all over - yuk not attractive. What else? Yeah, we used one 50ml bottle of liquid wash for bodies and clothes over the 6 weeks and one very small tube of toothpaste. It felt like a post-war rationing thing (I think but wasn't actually born then).
Occassionally we had a rough night's sleep. This is quite common as you are acclimitising. Greg had the odd bout of Cheyes Stokes breathing which freaked him a bit. This is when you breather very shallowly and then suddenly gasp (subconsciously) for air as ir suffocating. He was perplexed by needing to roll himslef up in his sleeping bag, yet fighting the feeling of imaginging it smothering him. I buried myself into it with only my nose sticking out. Need a snorkel next time with a built in air warmer device.
What else doe altitude do? It expands the gas inside you and you (Greg) need to fart and burp a lot! Strangely this didn't happen to me which will amaze my family I know with all that veggie food!
Finally, any libido you might have vaguely held onto is completely erradicated (no matter how attractive your partner is). You don't actually stink, but everything is so much effort, it's just easier to order another cup of milk tea (and probably better for you any way - retaining body fluids).

If I wear a Berghaus synthetic layer for 3 weeks and then wash it the smell comes back real quick.
Smartwool is warmer and smells less.
Alp Kit sleeping bag was goood. A four season bag only could twice on nights I was ill and it was very cold. Stuffsack is rubbish I've sown it up twice.
Rab Primaloft is warm, light and makes a good pillow.
Rab Down very good.
Meindl Boots very good.
Patagonia "wicky" underpants very good.
65L Lowe Alpine rucsac very good. Old and simple.
Lowe Alpine Sun Hat, wide brim worn every day. Found it and now lost it.
Leggings- synthetic old and worn a lot.
Gloves thick and thin pairs worn a lot.

Steri Pen for water best buy. Pays for itself and massively reduces plastic pollution.
Free Loader solar panel good for charging gizmos.
Alp Kit headtorch-good.
Rab Silk liner-good.
Dry bags inside rucsac for all gear. Needed as very dusty and it rained and snowed.
Lekki Trekking Pole-good.
Craghopper Trekking Pole-good but now falling apart.
Anti -Bac handwash-good.
Money-lots of it as we had no way of geeting it above Namche Bizar. Cash is King.

Lots of anti-biotics and bandages, headache stuff and Diamox.
Took Diamox for a few days before Island Peak but didn't notice much differance as we'd been up there long enough I think.
Empty bottle-there's no en-suite and its a long cold walk to the bathroom.

Cost was pretty low for us as we had no guide and no porter.
We probably spent about 20 pound a day, bit cheaper lower down and a bit more expensive higher up.
The rooms and meals are all a similar price and it would be impossibe to go up there luxury style at the moment.
Hot showers were about 3 pound and optional. I had cold showers till they ran out and after a while everyone smells anyway.

Thanks to Tim Mosedale for sorting out everything to do with Island Peak. Google him to find out more.
Himalayan Guides and Pemba and Kumar base camp guys and Mr Dorjee our guide for Island Peak.

Summary of last 6 weeks

I thought it would be interesting to try and find a map showing where we have been over the past 6 weeks or so.

10 - 19 October - Jiri to Namache Bazzaar (NB)

21 - 1st Nov - NB to Cho La pass to Gokyo - Renjo La pass - NB

4 - 29 Nov - NB to Chukhung (via Phortse and Sherpa steps)- Island peak - NB - Luckla (flight to KTM on 21st Nov)

We were a little delayed flying out of Luckla due to poor weather and a 5 day hold up that we didn't really want to get involved with, so we took it slowly on our way down and chilled out in NB for an extra day. This was great because the Tibetan Nomad market came to town and it was yak train after yak train (pics to follow). A couple of days in KTM shopping (Liz) and eating (Greg) and we bused it to pokhara from I am now writing this post. More to follow in the next few days on some of our best stories (not all involving toilets, yaks, money and dripping nose syndrome).
Liz x

map showing Jiri to Namache and then on into the Khumbu

Manu Rimdu at Tengboche Monastery October 2010

On our way up tp the Cho La Pass we needed to take things more slowly and acclimitise. This meant we stayed in Tengboche for two nights back in October. What luck - our stay coincided with the famous Manu Rimdu Festival. Here is a short video clip of the first day of dancing. It's unfortunally without the masks as it was a rehearsal. More to come in the next few days, but I'm having difficulties downloading and keep losing everything. Be patient dear Reader. We're leaving KTM for Pokhara tomorrow so hopefully more in the next few days. Liz xxx

Khumbu trip part 2 completed

Well, we're back in NB resting again after massive haul hogging trip over 5300m passes. It's all been so busy and we have now spent the past 3 weeks trekking, i thought I'd put together a summary of the story so far and some reflections dear Reader.
Part 1 - Jiri to Namache Bazzar Sat 9th to Thurs 19th (1 rest day in Junbesi)
Bus ride from hell.10 hours of torture. I am never getting on that bus again. Took me 46 years to discover I too can have motion sickness. Sitting on the back wheel switchbacks, pot holes and vomit!
Trek - Beautiful. Up up up and down down down to only go up again!
Rest - Junbesi - go for next holiday - reccomended
Interesting people - Met some cool folks. Arthur and Danya from Moscow who are practiving Buddhists living in Thailand!Philipe the euphoric Parisian, countless Catalans, Spanish and Basques (not to be mixed up), Greman women working on community development project.
Yoga - practice on rest days
Lots of bhattis (rest stops for locals
Contrast in wealth between farmers and lodge owners (who tend to be Sherpa stock)
No Maoists asking for donations!(as was popular in this region when I last visited)

Part 2. Namache Bazaar to Cho La to Gokyo to Renjo La to NB.
Thurs 21st to Mon 1st Nov.
As I'm not the best acclimitiser and Greg hasn't even really tested himself above 4000m, we decided to take our time on the first part of the trek as I hate banging headaches and feeling crap (who doesn't).
Good news was that we would arrive in Tengboche a the begining of the Manu Rimdu Festival at the monastery. The place was really busy, but we did manage to see the first day of the rehearsal dancing (witout masks unfortunally).
Anyhow, here are a few thoughts on this section of the trek.
Prices - have gone up dramatically.
People - too many of them (us included) and too many groups ("You can't sit there as we are in a group and are altogether" - often N European and Germanic
Too much ambition. Too many want to reach rubble field called EBC. Road rage on the trekking highway!
Italian Pyramid above Lobuche - glass science station - sci fi
Headaches at Lobuche - drugs (diamox mum) and sleep
Cho la the opp way to last time. Hurrah peace and quiet again (Hello to Nickie and Phil on similar trip to ourselves and carrying all own stuff. Go Guys!)
Gokyo - simply beautiful and Greg's first proper sighting of Cholomunga (Everest)at sunset. Would be romantic if it wasn't so bloody cold!
Renjo La - Something new for me. Tough at the end and then snow snow snow!
Porters - great laughs. "Where do you come from?"
Steripen - drinking 3 litres H2O a day. That's 126 plastic bottles not used says Greg! Reccomended.
More later on toilets, food, more on people, the ref;ective brain (as not in work), more on water and ambition!

Here in Namache Bazar

Sat in Namche Bazar after 10 days trekking from Jiri to arrive here. Rest day today after sfuffing my face with donoughts and buffalo steak with chips last night. For the factual peeps 7080m of ascent to get here and 5470m of descent. It rained for 3 days and everything was wet but has kept the planes from arriving at Lukla so it's pretty quiet here. Saw a goat have his head chopped off before breakfast a few days ago but our appetites are huge so still ate all my breakfast you'll be pleased to know. Have come up through lush tropical lowlands and now feel we are entering into the mountains proper as we can see high snowy peaks. Feels like stage 1 of this bit of the trip has been successful and my knees appear to stll be working so heres hoping. Greg

KTM traffic

KTM

Hurrah just bought lots of really cheap drugs.
All from the chemist, a hospitals worth of anti-biotics and Diamox for six pound. Head to the hills on Friday via a 12 hour chicken bus which will be nice.

Arrival in KTM

My main memory of the journey to KTM was watching the boys cleaning the windows inside the Delhi Airport Terminal. We left Liverpool at 10.48am on Monday morning and caught the train to London. Problem was we found out there was also a tube strike planned the same day. Greg no happy at this point and Liz concerned that Greg no happy. You see my main rucksac was huge and I had managed to get everything in it including plastic boots and walking boots (20kg worth). Anyhow, we made a bit of a dog leg and succeeded on getting onto some express thing which we has to pay extra on 'cos we had wrong tickets. Doh!
Checked in and chilled out. Take off at 5.40pm and arrived at Delhi at about 6.30am Indian time (5.5hrs ahead). As we were in transit to another plane we didn't get Indian visas. This is when it started to get a bit confusing as we couldn't follow the rest of the passengers to baggage collection. We simply had to wait it out until our airline staff came on duty. Will we ever see our bags again - well at least I had a toothbrush and spare knickers ready for the occassion! A couple of hours wait and we were called through. Our bags had were to go to the plane and we would see them in KTM. Great. We are now really knackered and hence the memory of the window cleaners. I'm lying on a seat in and out of concsiousness looking out the window at my first view of India, when a really young boy (about 14-15)in a full body climbing harness walks past me with a green bucket. He pulls himself up to a metal horizontal piece of window frame and then reaches up to the next and clips two lanyards with industrial size karabiners together from the one above. The distance between each horizontal is about2.5m. He steps into a loop of his rope and continues to a height of about 60m above us with his bucket to start cleaning the windows. Flippin heck where's the H&S Manager? In between unclipping from one section in order to clip into the one above he is unprotected and standing above me with a load of glass. below him. Oh yeah....his bucket is not clipped in too. Wouldn't want that landing on my head! Pics to follow as he was joined eventually by three others. We were under the impression Delhi Airport was entering the Cleanest Airport Terminal FinalS. We were surrounded by the Housekeeping Team (with dusters), the Maitenance Team (with spanners) and the Green Team (yes, they dust the plants)! Hope it's not all fur coat and no knickers!
Anyhow, luck found us guided towards our First Class seat (complimentary drinks and everything) on Kingfisher Airlines and landing in KTM at about 3.30pm Nepal time (+5.75hrs). Showers, food and sleeps followed in a variety of orders.

Pictures by Jasmine age 3 and a half

This is Aunty Lizzy and Greg on the aeroplane (with some ther people too)

OMG it's the day before we leave!

Time has been speeding up over the last few days and I don't think the realisation of what we're doing actually hit me until I woke up on Wednesday morning and didn't have to go to work!
It's been an absolutely brilliant social whirl over the past week. I feel really humbled and delighted at the kind wishes and number of friends, colleagues and family who turned out to share a goodbye meal out with us. Made me feel like a very lucky lucky person.Love 'ya all xxx
I think the packing is now complete. Here's a list for nerds like me who always wonder what people have in their rucksacs.
New 65L rucksac
4 season sleeping bag, silk liner and travel pillow
washkit and travel towel
First aid stuff, painkillers, compeeds etc
plastic boots (to be portered in)
trekking boots
Crocs
soft shell pants
fleecy pants
long johns
lightweight trekking trousers
smartwool T shirt and polyprop one
smartwool baselayer
smartwool midlayer
primaloft jacket
3x trekking socks
1x super thick mountain socks for plastics
loads of foot and hand warmers
camera
freeloader and camera battery charger
ipod
mobile phone
guidebooks and reading books
notebook and pen
glacier glases
normal sunglasses
compass
2 x thin gloves
1x thick gloves
down mitts (to be portered in)
Thick winter Buff
balaclava
trekking poles
platypus bottle
nalgene bottle (Greg has the Steripen)
down jacket
fleece mid layer
5 pairs of underwear
1x smartwool underwear (Aunty Lizzy's wooly knickers - family joke)
sportsbra
normal bra!

...and stuff for later on the trip
lightweight quick dry shirt
bikini/takini
trainers
really lightweight baggy pants
cotton long sleeve top and 1 T-shirt

Bet I've forgot something.
In total my check in weight should be 20Kg with a little fold-away day sack on my front just for hand luggage bits.

The itinery starts with a flight to Delhi and then taking a connection to Kathmandu. Sometime in January we will be going to SE Asia, then Australia, New Zealand, Chile (Peru, Bolivia). The later parts of the trip are not really worked out in detail yet.
In Nepal we plan to do the 3 Passes Trek and then we will attempt to climb island Peak. We're meeting our climbing crew on November 12th, so there's still time to get fit.
Next post should be from Nepal!
Liz x

September - the clock is ticking

August

August was an expensive month. Vaccinations @£300, new rucksac £120, Rentakil £200, car tax...., landlord innsurance.....and just living and going to work as per usual to top it all. Does it really cost this much just to be able to let go? We spent most of the weekends this month crawling around the loft poking wire wool in holes, digging up the drains and occassionaly sorting stuff out to go to friends. I definitely did not like the "disintergration" of my home. Don't think I'm a good mover. Greg is much more sorted on this. Big nods of thanks to our parents, Liz & Nick, Jan & Phil, Sharon and Bruce for storing our stuff. Super big thanks to our Hil who came over and helped out with the clear out and ticking me off as a hoarder! Loads of stuff to Oxfam and the tip resulted.
Best thing was meeting Isabella my new niece!

Reflective, rodents, harranged, homeless and anticipative

Yes I know, neither of us has written anything in this blog since it was set up. The reason was just down to being plain old busy carting everything out of the house, becoming parenoid re: field mice invasion (begining of August), moving out of Sherwell,in with our parents and vague attempts at trying to test the gear and our fittness (Greg is better at this bit than me - Liz).
July was quite a relective month really. I started rambling on at everybody about "how short life is, but please don't let this depress you"!I became quite an amateur philospher really talking about unleashing the shackles of modern materialsm in this post "never had it so good" society blah blah. Quite pretentious really but I do actually mean it. I guess the pretension is in the delivery . Anyhow, Rosie C thinks it will be the ultimate challenge not having hair straighteners and a selection of different outfits to choose from each day. (This is when I told her Greg was taking 3 undies, 1 T shirt, 1 long trousers etc and expected the same of me).I'm actually not too worried about this. For me it's a relative need. I don't mind being a bit smelly and grubby when everyone else is, but as soon as we step off the plane somewhere back in the developed world (eg Sydney)I'm going to feel like a right anorak and Greg will have to physically force me back when passing shops selling nice things!
Here's a nice poem written for me in The Egg Cafe.(20/7/10) It cost me a fiver, so it's not getting wasted!Grammar is dodgy and it's not quite rhyming couplets.

Change is Progress.
To embrace with purpose and place - judge upon your return each success - step out- lookin' - Time to begin -
Again - In one situation no longer remain - in yourself believe
The inner voice your choice- don't deceive
For a life well lived is a life well loved
Challenge yourself - a character of wealth
Be sensitive, yet strong -fof it's now time to right a wrong.
Tony Chestnut - The People's Poet of Liverpool

Blog vs Facebook

It's now the 1st September and tomorrow I hand over the keys to the estate agents. The month of August has been fraught, and although I do not believe in something else out there I really do feel "tested" in terms of my commitment to the big plan. One main problem was me. I obviously do not like moving out! Didn't like it years ago when I moved from my flat and don't like it now. I wish I could just go on our trip, lock th edoor when we leave and return a year later back to an intact house with the mortgage paid. But, alas, the reality is that we can't. Then, after living in the house for nine years

houses and stuff that goes in them

I'm going to write more in the near future about why we're off on this trip and the background to how we organised it. However, for the now, I'll write a bit about what's been happening in the past week.
Firstly, we have had the woman from the estate agents come to have a look at the house. Looks like we're going to go for a full management package (far a fee of course). I reckon I'll only just about clear my mortgage and other costs. We've been reccomended to clear the house of furniture, and I must admit I have been really worried about this. Most of the family lack the space and some even go as far even as having new babies to fill the little bit of space they've got!
Into the breach steps Bruce who will take the sofas which are my main concern. I am so grateful and have slept better since that conversation - so thanks Bruce. Most of my furniture is quite new and I have this terrible fear that I wil never be earning enough again to kit myself out to the same standard of living conditions.
So, there you go. We're now starting to box stuff up and the little boxes are starting to go to their new homes.
More to come for those with an interest in extreme packing....
Liz

We are now bloggers

Yes, it's official. This is my first test page of the blog spot I hope to use to document our forthcoming trip. Hopefully it will be a really good way to keep in touch with everyone and the pictures should keep our mums happy and prove we are still eating!
Might even persuade Greg to contribute.
More to come........Liz