Kathmandu do do do jump up and down and shake yr arse ....

April 2010
Kathmandu / Nagarcot

Expensive. Shoppers Paradise. Polluted, River a bit of everything but a river. cleaner than India and the streets are not public lavs, which is nice. Poverty sits beside luxy. Glue Sniffing kids (under 10), lying in piles on the street beside the Garden of Dreams (160 rupees to enter) that's one pound 60p..... ?? how ?? I went and its not v. big but it is a haven in noisy touristy Thamel (tourist district of Kathmandu). Bottle of mineral water 80 rupees - not joking - I didnt buy it. And Europeans snogging - disgusting in public in UK - but in Nepal??? have they not read the guide books ??? Underdressed tourists, pink tourists, greedy tourists lie around on - mats and pillows provided in the park - the best part.

A little bit about budget hotels. I'm staying in the cheapest room I found with my own bathroom (i did find a place with a bigger room (two beds) but the bathroom just for me was down the corridor - it did have a tub in it and was super clean ) but just didnt fancy having to lock the room in the middle of the night and lose the key and fumble about in the dark all for a pee. So took the 300 rupee room.

And now I know why its 300 rupees only. mam
Normally in budget I can hear the people snoring in the room next door. Here its like sleeping in the hallway. When the tourists come home at 2am and ring the door bell. They have no idea they dont just wake up the poor guy who works about 20 hrs a day but most of the hotel hears the bell ringing 4 or 5 times. The metal shutter comes rattling up, a converstion is inevitable. then the heavy loud footsteps, door key, closing bang. Shutter down. ok peace. Until 5.30am and the radio goes on FULL BLAST... not even a hindu temple song - some crap western pop song. This morning I had to open my door and somehow (god knows how) very sweetly I asked if they would mind to turn the music off. The Nepali's are sooooooooo sweet and friendly - i felt bad asking - in the morning - they're all smiles and said - music good to wake us up.... fake laugh from me... mmmmmmmmm Maybe i'll put in a request for Om Mani Padme tomorrow at 5.30am?

It worked OMManiPadmi gentle woke me up.

Am I the worst traveller - I packed my bags and guitar and caught a bus to Panauti (about 1 1/2 hr away). Off to the green green hills. Saw the Shiva Statue high on a hilll. Saw the red brick buildings - classic Newari style -v. bautiful. Got to Panauti and saw the one Panauti HOtel and cafe and decided It wasnt forme so I got on the bus and came straight back to Katmandu with luggage... Didnt even get to the NomoBuddah sanctuary.. .It was v. hot. Shdv'd left my bags in Kathmandu and just taken overnight stuff. eh ho..

The next budget hotel - after checking about 20 I found Eco Hotel - great, nice room 2nd floor, two large windows. clean - bit smelly bed cover but that's ok Went off for early supper and at 7pm when I returned my room was like it was in the middle of the noisiest dance club . Two sides I had clubs. Luckily I was dead tired to managed to sleep - and was only woken when the nosie stopped. ha.

Katmandu do do

Nagargot
Having unsuccessfully managed to see Panauti or NamoBuddah - I left my bags and guitar at the Eco Hotel and caught a bus to Bhaktapur (750 rupees if you want to look around). And then found the bus to Nagarcot - it takes about 2hrs i think.

Only tourist on the bus and everyone wants to sit near me - why? in the end i Get the old smokey geezer in traditional dress and another sitting on my feet. The one next to me is either drunk or v. tired or both as he's leaning on me and i'm not so happy about this. But I keep chanting to distract me from the sweatiness.

Nagarcot is a ridge with some nice, some ugly hotels perched on the rim. I'm sure the guide book said it was over built and full of tourists - this is not the case -unlike Darjeeling - Its beautiful - still green - too up and down for me to want to walk but just sitting in the fresh scented spring pine forrests after the scent of exhaust fumes was perfect. I found a small brick and corrugated iron roofed shed with eagles to watch and stayed put til after breakfast. Not too many tourists. very hot but cool at night. Oh yeah and some flying buzzing insects - ah get me back to the city.

Next day 6.30am I am walking with my backpack on .. wahey - like a real back packer ninja and I walked 20 mins to the bus to take me to Pokara.

when a monk falls asleep on your shoulder - Nepal

Darjeeling to Siliguri - 3 hrs (shared jeep)
Siliguri to Kakarbatti (nepal border) - 1 hr (shared jeep)

2100 rupees for one month visa - took 3 mins over the counter.
(took longer and had to fill in more forms to Leave India)

Kakarbatti to Kathmandu - local bus - 17 hrs and the reclining seats do not recline.
5pm depart - 9/10am arrive. Blinding lighting electic storm and wild rain -made the journey a little more exciting. As did the 6 turned over cars, vans, lorries between dawn and arriving - some people were still crawling out of the cars. A warning to our super speedy driver ? ignored - but we did get there in one piece without a scrape.

Few stops for nepali Tali / pee / drop of the mountainous load of vegetables on the roof at market.

Inevitable 3 hr walk around looking for a hotel. Nicest one is Ganesh Himal - it was full. Thamel lots of less pricey places Freak Street - cheaper but also darker.



It was a day for people around me to fall asleep on my shoulder or be sick. euuuh

First impressions - Nepal is beautiful - way more countryside than buildings - very nice to see - same same but very differnt to India... No too much harassment. Super friendly and genuinely lovely pepole - especially the gate men at hotel Ganesh Himal for some reason..

Nepal to Tibet - is 900 dollars for 8 days - sooooooooooo would like to go but just dont have that sort a money.. Imagine Base Camp Everest also pricey - but I dont want to trek for 8 days anyway.

Sikkim West

4 hrs by shared jeep from Darjeeling to the border and onto Pelling, West Sikkim.

Permit - free in Darjeeling - from Sikkim Tourist office opposite Gleanery's bakery cafe. Need one photo and copy of passport and visa.

Shared Taxi costs about 100 rupees or little more. Two people sit in the driving seat. two more in the front row also. So 4 front. 4 middle and as many as possible in the back. Sometimes 4 5 or 6 on the roof with the luggage also. Indian style.

Pelling - small - mainly hotels, safe to walk alone to monasteries, villages.
I met people in Kabur hotel and Garuda hotel and we formed a 5some and walked from Pelling to Pechupari Lake (2hrs down 2000m and 4hrs up 2000m) It was beautiful through the forrests, to the river, wild orchids hanging from the trees, few birds and lots of ferns, villlaages etc. Find the shortcuts otherwise its a long crawl up the road. My shaky legs after the first 5 minutes managed the further 6 hours Just.

I was just about crawling when I arrived at the sacred lake. Momos and a cuppa helped get me up the final hill to a Homestay - very very simple sheds on top of a building. Shared bathroom. Chalet style dinner for all - vegetarian luckily and then straigt to bed. Too many moths somehow winged their way into my room attracted to the light bulb.

Next day potatoes and chapati breakfast filled us up before the 5 hrs hike to Yuksom. again down up, across, down, up up up up ahhhhh the stiffness, the legs - how will i ever make it - but somehow we arrived in Yuksom. Shared some noodles and crisps before finding the main part of the village and settleing in for full blown 2 / 3 hr feast. About 6pm we thought we ought to start looking for accommodation.
Again simple but clean 200 rupees per room - more expensive available also. Saw some working Yaks (but these were cross between Waterbuffalo and Yak's me thinks).

Walks worth it - same same so no need to keep walking - Jeep back will be fine for me.

Pelling - Porridge and Paratha 70 rupees
Haircut and Facial 300 ruppees only
Lost hotel key - tired legs walked up and down to look for it - eventually found it hanging in my hotel room door. Oopse.

Pelling to Gangtok - about 4 or 5 hours - Not worth it..
Trekking in North Sikkim I imagine would be amazing but its minimum cost is 1600 per day per person for min. 3 days ....

This is to not upset the Chinese.... Who's running Sikkim? Tibet is no longer marked on maps now either - it just says CHINA. in huge big capitals.

Back to Darjeeling to take the Steam Train.
Took bus to Ghum and the train was waiting at the station - what timing... I jumped on, sat down, got comfortable and then a ticket inspector - very smiling - asked what I was doing.. That every seat was booked in Darjeeling except one - guess that one was set aside for me. 120 Rupees only for 20 mins on steam train.

Off to Nepal

Brr-jeeling

27 hrs from Delhi to Siliguri
3 hrs mad jeep ride up to Darjeeling

end of March 2010

Not worth it - Mists, cold wild winds, no trees left - just concrete buildings, roads, pollution enormous, cold hotels, bit grotty... But at least no mosquitos. Cant say if bed bugs yet..But if you have money its probably worth staying in the pricey hotels with gardens. Some hotels have fires in the bedrooms for extra rupees.


The tibetan Momo's and soups are delicious and although the cheap accommodation is grotty the streets and hills are relatively lacking rubbish. No Indians pissing in the streets and remarkable millions fewer people spitting.

I haev no interest in Tea or Coffee and there's very little herbal tea here - a few organics white and Green are the only options. and only in certain tea shops for the same price as in the UK. Also if you've seen enough Tibetan Temples and dont need to hike around looking at these there's not much else to do but shop - in upper Darjeeling the market is more expensive than the lower Chowk, shops are hard to bargain with and there are loads of fake mountaineering things.

Dong Cheng Ding Dong mountain only showed a centimeter of twin peaks once in the whole week I was there - tho through very hazy mist.

Decided to head to Sikkim before I turned into a momo.

Brindavin

Brindavin is everything... I feel like im in the capitl spiritual city. everyone greets you with Hari Krishner, Hari Bol, Radhe Radhe - shopkeepers, beggers alike. -
Its like a tiny version of Varanasi but cleaner and less people - but there are very smelly areas - sadly along the road by the yamuna , which has been excavated - badly for a bridge - which is being fought by thelocals - if they kept the noisy cars and vehicals away it would be a really special place. There are over 4000 temples here not sure if all worship Krisna but I guess so. There are thousands of monkeys - you cant wear sunglasses or walk around with a plastic bag as they'll swip them. constantly see them with a sandal or a hat...

Revenge for the humans stealing their jungle.

So i'm staying in a very beauiful ashram / temple opposite the Yamuna - its like a palace but its freezing cold inside. i'm going to stay until Thursday when i meet the Pope of Krishna consciousnesss (he's 90) - Guru Dev.


I eat in the ashram but i'm permanently starving - breakfast is sweet so have to go without -andthere are no cafes near by - only street carts with deep fried goodies - but not good for my stomach. Its super hot outside and so many flies. and everyone wears sarees including the westerners - I cant believe I bought so many sarees in Mysore and didnt keep one whole one..

You cant wear sunglasses, hats or carry plastic bags around (let alone food) - the monkeys steal it - Its like being initiated into Brindavin - which I feel I now have been as I was stolen from by a naughty monkey who mustve been watching me buy my lotus snack - he followed me two steps out of the shop then snatched my carrier bag. Now i hide my goodies, get blinded by the sun and wear a scarf over my head for the heat. Ysteray I saw two people have their glasses taken by the monkeys - they have to buy biscuits or fruit and throw it to the monkeys who run around so excited - eventually they throw the glasses back.. its v funny but not ifyou cant see to get yr glasses back. !

THere was a time when the really handsome men all turned gay - now they're Bramacharyas - basically Krishna Monks. Travelling around the world preaching as single men (they're not all handsome but one or two are but it writes better that way).

Also now the next development in India to beat Terrorism is that you have to have ID to use the internet in a cafe!. what next.

I'm doing my divine service at the ashram today I assisted in the kitchen - which is great - cooking with the indians - we made parathas (stuffed chapatis with potato) but so many things were being cooked i've not quite got the recipe - few more times will be great. and i you dont have to wash up if you do the prep. we even have naughty monkeys sneaking into the shram and creating havoc - one walked up to us eating lunch on the floor and stole a paratha off someone's dish...

I was walking around the streets yesterday after going to the ATM (took 3 days to get some cash as they were always empty) I must have asked so many people the way and they all gave a different direction sending me round and round in cirles . 3x i walked past the same woman sitting outside her house. Eventually i had to ask Krishna to guide me and finally i walked down the right road - i was only 2 mins away from where I needed to be ! pah.

Today March 11th is Ekadasi - a fasting day - no grains, no green leafs -who makes up these silly Krishna diets had no dietary experience but anyway I tried to follow to see if i could do it apparently meditation is deeper if we dont eat so heavy foods!... so a few almonds for breakfast (and a few lotus puffs). potato stew for lunch. with buckwheat for pudding sweetened - but i decided to eat it - i was ravenous after a few potatoes - we were in an ashram in Goverdam - seeing the 90 year old Self-Realised being Guru Dev . He's a very special man - more divine that the Pope will ever be. evening meal was - ah for my hungry tummy -not until 8pm and it was yeah more potatoes but fried this time - i must have eaten a whole pan full and peanuts - not for me. i ate a tangerine and a few figs after - fruit is allowed.

Today lunch was a feast to make up for it. and I bought a long skirt - the first one ever.. i hope i wear it I think its quite cool and itll be ok in a cold place too.

Throat lurgy clearing up but defo need to move to a room with hot water.

36 hrs in a Tin Can

Mysore - Bangalore - 3 1/2 hrs by train (2 nights and a whole day day)
Bangalore - Delhi - 36 hrs by train
Delhi - Mathura - 3 Hrs by train

(Could 've done the journey Mysore - Mathura - one train less time but train was full) you cant be spontaneous in India - unless you fly.

But My 3AC train journey was not too cold. Included breakfast, lunch adn dinner and afternoon tea (the worst meal of all). 3 adults 2 babies, one child, one young indian couple and a journalist (in my 8 berth area). And lena from Sweden at the other end of the carriage... We got the dog end seats by the doors to the loos - I wont go into too much detail about the stench at certain times of the day...

So glad i didnt travel ordinary Sleeper.

You dont get the beggars and peddlars of everything you can every imagine not needing to buy going up and down the carriage in AC.

Arrived after 2 days feeling fine - surprisingly. But Mathura is the first place i felt completely harrassed by the rickshaw men - every person i passed approached me... Luckily i found a bus and hopped on. too much of an assult at 9am after 2 days on a train..

Then Where's Krishna when you need him - Iskon guest house full (mind you just as well at 600 rs per night) MVT 750 per night (What)... Other places more and more or grimy or full , full, full..... what is this?? Decided if i'm going to have to pay a lot i'll stay at MVT - its v. colonial - with beautiful gardens, very peacful and the room is dark wood marble and blue and white bed linen.

QUick shower and into a rickshaw for quick tour. Bump into Sarva - gives me a tour of Iskon temple and I sit for Hari Krishna bhajans (singing chanting) in the glitsy v. expensive white marble temple - ALl of a sudden a very famous bhajana arrives and the place gets exctatic. All the Indian women dancing. everyone's clapping and singing - it was great to be in it.

Dinner at MVT is all chips n spagetti - but I did get some steamed vegetables so not complaining hurray... bed - the best night sleep i've had since i've been here 8 hrs sleep.

Brindavin reminds me of Varanasi (by the river with the tiny lanes - much cleaner and no people). but round Iskon temple its chaos.

There are no roads here - sandy, muddy sandy tracks and bumps - cycle rickshaws - disturb the colon too much for me so better off walking.

off room hunting again.
I know how joseph and Mary must have felt.


Hari Bol
Radhe Radhe
Jai Sita Ram

Road Trip to SravanaBelagola

Got invited to join a couple of people riding to SravanaBelagola - one of the tallest statues in the world (questionable). Maybe from the bottom of the hill to the top of the statue but the statue wasnt so big itself.

I hired a scooter and slightly embarassedly drove the 3hrs behind the best Enfield Bullet - such a cool bike - i wish they'd make one for the ladies. Anyway it was sunny, light breeze, westly wind (joke). once we got off the main roads we had the country lanes to ourselves and the drive through the farming villages was unspoilt.

Arriving in the town we parked at a hotel - got a room - 3 sharing - all beds right next to each other - to save money - but it was ok for one night. We went for awalk - i think it was about 2pm - hot hot hot - sun high and we're walking 2kms back to a lake - it was worth it - not a sound (save a man on a microphone full blaste talking talking talking about what /???? a wedding perhaps ?). At about 4pm we start walking back through the swampy , bouldery, overgrown land to get back to the road and we decided to go back a slightly different way through the bushes. We ended up blocked in with a thorny bush to cross as the only way out - so we laid our rucksacks over the thorns n climbed over - me first - A woman was yelling and screaming at us so i was trying to go fast and i got an inch long thorn stuck in my leg - i was trying to balance on one leg and pull out the thorn in the end it ripped my leg and blood was gushing... Dan (driver of the bullet) had some white powder (arsenic. no i mean, something like iron cant remember what but the blood stopped immed). They hopped over the fence and the woman by this time had caught up with us. no idea what she was so upset about.

We walk round the side of the house we've just scrambled into and theres a slum and 4 rabbid seriously not alive dogs and kids n woman and a whole community staring at us... mmmmm what to do. We wave and walk on up to the road - as you do. My leg is a little sore but ok. Dan stood on a thorn which we tried to pull out of his foot but he thinks a little bit got stuck in .

We start the 600 step climb to the Sravana statue of Gomateshwara (some saint of something but i cant remember what sorry folks). Good climb. and good view of flat lands. We see the statue, and then sit on the top of the hill to watch the sunset.
Its full moon also so we walk around the other side of the hill to see the full moon and discover that we 've been locked in . There's a 10 foot high wall all around and the gates are metal -no way out. We scour the wall for a good place to try and climb up and see how far down it is on the otherside - its a hill sloping down. Anyway we find a place to climb up and clambour down the other side - bit scary for scraping the elbows n knees but we all made it - then we have to walk 'off piste' like to the stair case for the 600 steps down. It was like walking on the moon but no Police. ha ha... get to the steps and its got a metal banister all the way down so we all slide down the bannister - it was so much fun and made the decent quicker and easier...

Dinner - Hysterical. Dan had been here before and said he knew a restaurant with a roof terrace or garden at least. He prepared us to not expect anything smart. And we walked in through the front entrance - same as any typical road side masala dosa type place and out the side we ended up in a part of thebuilding not yet built / finished - or like the side alley - with plastic tables n chairs - wooden scaffolinding holding up the ceiling above us and corrugated iron wall in front shielding us from the road - it was great. 3 veg fried rice. and a masala dosa. mmmmmmmmmmm the food was very good. Bed i was looking forward to as i was super tired - but i didnt sleep a wink.

When riding bikes in India there are a few things good to know. 1. Dont stop if police try and stop you. 2. Definitely dont give them the keys to your bike. 3. Dont pay the fine - or only pay 100 rupees anything more you are being ripped off.

Driving back into Mysore / Gokulum - we didnt have helmets on and there was a police roadblock. Dan ahead of me drove straight through as he was asked to stop - so i increased me throttle and followed - i had to swerve hard onto the grass as a huge police man tried to grab me - hah! he couldnt catch me although he did whack me on the arm but I managed to drive past. Triumphant . We raced back the last 5 mins - luckily they didnt chase us... They just wanted our rupees.. How exciting is that!