October 20 – Pokhara & Kathmandu, Nepal

Our “home” in Pokhara was called The Sacred Valley Inn, run by a lovely man named Bishnu. As some of you already know, when you are away from your own home for a long time, finding a place that makes you feel comfortable and homey is…priceless. Fortunately for us, these places are not always pricey but instead offer character, clean rooms, good breakfast (Sacred Valley had the best we’ve had so far) and friendly management. Oh, and somewhere for us to hang out other than on our beds. Getting clean, doing laundry and Paragliding was at the top of our list while we stayed for 3 days in Pokhara post trekking.

We had heard the paragliding in Pokhara was excellent and the reasons why were obvious. With the Himalayas as a backdrop, the launching spot was high up on a mountain overlooking the valley and lake. We asked around and chose one of the two most established companies, Frontier. Sadie decided it wasn’t for her so Ron, Janet & Anna headed out. If was fabulous. All three of us commented on how peaceful it was and much less scary than we anticipated. Our tandem flight was about 30 minutes and the landing down by the lake was very gentle. OK, I will fess up. We took Gravol so perhaps some of our impressions were because we were a bit stoned on over the counter pharmaceuticals! Up to 50% (on a “bumpy” day) of clients suffer motion sickness. We had heard this before so instead of risking it, we decided to nip it in the bud. We didn’t get sick but none of us really liked trying to get the Gravol out of our system for the rest of the day!

Often it’s not as much what you do, but who you meet while doing it. Ron’s pilot, Brad is originally from Colorado and now holds the world record for altitude in paragliding. He spends the season in Pokhara and off season flying, self sufficient around Pakistan…yes, Pakistan. He carries equipment to eat and sleep and flies around remote alpine areas in Pakistan. I would love to see the look on a farmer’s face when Brad lands in the midst of his flock! His other favourite destination is Columbia. My pilot, Scott is a graphic designer by trade but a bird trainer by passion. He is now a pilot for Frontier and has trained the first ever “Parahawk” named Kevin who flies with them to find the best updrafts. He now has

about 5 other birds he has rescued from various predicaments (they are unable to return to the wild) he is training to work with Kevin. Anna’s pilot (and the heaviest to counter balance her slight weight for their flight), Adam, is the founder of Frontier. A displaced Brit, he started another company in town about 14 years ago and this new one, about 3 years ago. They are all passionate about paragliding and have found the most amazing niches to help keep it in their lives. Ron was our designated photographer (Janet would not have been able to let go of the straps!) and it is his feet in the photos to give artful “perspective”!

We lucked out by coinciding with the Diwali Festival of Light (Hindu) while in Pokhara and Kathmandu this 2nd time around. People celebrate Diwali a number of different ways. Children gather in groups and troop from place to place singing songs for Rupees they collect for a big picnic on the third day. It was smart to keep a bundle of 10 Rupee notes in our pockets to hand out as we sat on our guest house porch catching up on our math, reading and journals. Others drag around large speakers and lights to set up spontaneous dance and singing performances on the street – usually the music is blaring and distorted. Large crowds instantly gather causing major log jams in the sidewalks and roads. There are also candles lit at just about every store front, and beautiful designs on the sidewalk drawn out of brilliantly coloured flour. We even heard fireworks. All this vaguely made us think of our own October Halloween rituals we’d be missing this year.

We also rented bikes and rode down the road beside the lake. The riding is a little rugged and very hot but it felt great to get a bit of exercise and we found an awesome spot for lunch. One can rent a bike in Pokhara for a couple of dollars. I think it cost about $8 for all of us to have bikes for the day. We won’t say they were awesome machines, but they did the trick and the road had only a few hills.

Back in Kathmandu before leaving for Thailand was hectic. After the peace of Pokhara, Kathmandu seemed even more clogged and noisy. We finally made our way to the Swayambhunath Buddhist Temple or “Monkey Temple”. True to its name, the Monkey Temple hosts a large band of monkeys who provide infinite entertainment as you climb the zillion (very steep) stairs up the east side. The temple marks the location of a very important centre in the Kathmandu Valley dating from the 13th Century. Truthfully, once up there it felt a bit like a mall with too many people selling artifacts but there is a fabulous view and the monkeys made the trip worth it. We then headed out about 17 km by taxi to visit Bhaktapur, an ancient city dating from the 12th Century which was once THE most powerful centre in the valley from the 14-16th Century. Bhaktapur showcases unbelievable architecture, cobble stone streets, 172 temples, 77 water tanks or pools, 172 pilgrim centres and 152 wells. Most of all this is still housing residents and worshipers. We got lost walking through the narrow little streets and were treated to views of real life still residing and making a living. The city suffered defeat in 1768 and was then relegated to a market town. Remarkably well preserved and traffic free (reason in itself to go) it was an amazing stop. Although it was a tough slog to get there by taxi through Kathmandu’s crumbling streets and sprawling mess. Sorry for not sugar coating it, but we were so astounded and what a mess Kathmandu is. One of its most redeeming features was The Roadhouse Restaurant in Thamel. Not remotely local quisine, we feasted there twice washing down brick oven pizza with cold white South African wine and finishing with chocolate ice cream. Ahhhh.

October 15 - Trekking in Nepal

Phew, we made it. Ron and I had been going back and forth wondering if heading into the mountains for multiple days was going to be a good idea for the family. We tried asking Sadie and Anna but to be fair, 3 out of 4 of us really had no concept what to expect, let alone make any decision whether or not we could do it. Once we got the news of a break in the weather, and since we were so close to the lure of the Himalayas, we decided to go for it. We had come this far…as it turns out, it was one of our absolute top 3 trip adventures so far.

Our Route in the Annapurna Conservation Area;
Pokhara by taxi to Kande, start walking.
Kande to Landruk (1640 m), stay at the Tibetan Guest House
Landruk to Jhinu (1760 m), decide to visit hot springs then push on for the night at Chhomrong (2170 m) at the Himalaya View Guest House
Chhomrong to Tadapani (2630 m) at the Fishtail View Top Lodge
Tadapani to Ghorepani (2750 m) at the Hotel Hill Top
Poon Hill (3185 m) from Ghorepani for sunrise then on down to Tikhedhunga for one last night at Chandra Guest House
Tikhedhunga to Nayapul and taxi back to Pokhara.

We didn’t keep track of our elevation gains and losses, but we can tell you, nothing is a straight shot from A to B. We had many Grouse Grind like climbs and descents to conquer every day. And the girls were amazing. It didn’t start off very well. Unfortunately poor Anna got a stomach bug the last night in Kathmandu and was up all night barfing. She barely made it for the 6 hour (which was really 8.5 hours) bus ride to Pokhara and barely ate dinner the night before the trek. She was determined though and when we pondered the question whether or not to delay the trek by a day, she said “no way!”

The first hours were pretty grim. It was of course straight up and Ron ended up carrying a wilted version of Anna on his back. I think we were all wondering how we were ever going to make it. But sure enough, Anna rallied with a good lunch and a cup’a tea to face the afternoon with renewed energy. Phew. Oh and in the first 5 minutes we came upon a village Buffalo butchering session. Now we all know where meat comes. But somehow most of us still do separate the visual of cellophane wrapped portions in thegrocery store from the actual animal with head and hoofs still attached being sliced up by 6 men in a field. Life lesson number 465 since leaving Vancouver.

The magnificent views of Annapurna South (7219 m) and Maccapuchhre (6997 m) which we had seen from Pokhara were suddenly larger than life beckoning us to carry on. The trail took us through forests, farmers’ terraced fields, open slopes and right through countless villages where people live with no road access. The route allowed us to get a close glimpse of village life. Now I do know that that life has been irreversibly altered by the fact that we are walking through, buying things like tp and chocolate but it’s about as close as I’ve ever been to what resemble remote village life. The villagers were friendly and hospitable and offered amazing food. It really struck me how neat and tidy everything was. The farms were clearly well cared for, garbage was well taken care of and there was an overall sense of conservation. We made a pact to go without beer or pop and when possible and buy boiled water instead of plastic bottled mineral water. We had some iodine tablets as a back-up. We did not drink out of the streams but I don’t think we were high enough to do that. We walked over a LOT of animal dung en route, enough to make me very suspicious the water table had to be affected even though it looked sparkling clean.

New delicacies included Dal Bhat (lentil soup with curry and rice), Gurung Bread (a yummy thing lingering somewhere between a donut and a pancake), homemade soup with tons of ginger and garlic, Mo Mo’s (vegetable or meat dumplings) and apple rolls which are deep friend apple pastries. Needless to say, Janet wasn’t exactly shedding pounds she may have lost from so much walking. Accommodation ran at about $4 for all of us. The guest houses count on revenue from food, but even that, by our standards is very inexpensive. Various organizations have worked with the villages to help them offer good menus and even some water purification projects. Not many of the water projects are actually working though so you must rely on them boiling the water well and/or your own purification systems.

Every step along the trail offered breath taking views. The sun sets and sun rises (and we did try to see them all) were unbelievable, something we found hard to capture on film. And we also met “new best friends” every day. First Jan & Giovanni from Switzerland and Italy respectively. Jan had an incredible story. He is originally from the Czech Republic and was diagnosed in the 80’s with terminal leukemia. There was no hope for treatment at home so he managed to get permission to leave but was only able to leave with his wife and $50 in his pocket. He headed to the US where he had heard about bone marrow transfusions and began a 2 year journey to raise money and find a donor. He had been given 2 years to live and just before his time was up, he had finally raised the money and found one donor out of a possible 280,000. His fundraising techniques must have been incredible, raising $50 or $100 at a time and up to $1000 from famous Czechs like Ivana Trump who would listen to his story. He had met his friend Giovanni while Giovanni was travelling through Czech just a couple of months before Jan was diagnosed. Jan hosted Giovanni in his home at a time when Czechs were not allowed to host foreigners. When Giovanni heard of Jan’s predicament, he became a critical fundraiser through his work as a major event marketer and runner, creating fundraising events in Italy. They are life-long friends now and travel at least once or twice a year together finding new adventure. Jan lived in Seattle for 4 years after the transfusion until he was given a clean bill of health and his 3 daughters were born, and now he lives in Switzerland working also as a major event marketer. He approaches every day I think with the energy of someone who has been given a 2nd chance to live. We really enjoyed meeting him.

We also met a fabulous Israeli couple, newlyweds from San Francisco Bay area and a lovely semi-retired couple from Manchester. I can’t say we met one family en route but the girls proved to be very sociable and seemingly equally pleased sitting around with our feet at the fire socializing with new friends.

Somewhere in those mountains, plodding along taking a break from the view, navel gazing and listening to our family banter, I realized this trip has allowed us all to like each other again. Not love, family love is unconditional. But we are really enjoying each other, something that gets a bit lost for us in our busy life at home. I can only hope and strive to make it last once we return home.

A couple of tips if you ever plan on trekking in Nepal; take plastic bags so you can pick up garbage en route, take safety pins so you too can horrify your porters (if you have them) and dry your underwear off your pack while you hike, practice the rest step (something I’ll have to show you in person but it made a HUGE difference for climbing) and if you do plan on hiring a porter or guide, make sure you meet with them first and figure out they will mesh with you and provide the assistance you are hoping for. Our guides were great guys, Tej and Katchung but we were not able to communicate with them at all. Our load was pretty light, we packed very light but they were very inexperienced and unable to provide any guidance at all. We got pretty good at honing in on other guides to ask questions and after the first day, we took over control of the route and lodgings. Which was fine, as you recall my reference to control as being a major family trait.

Poon Hill on the 2nd last night was a highlight, climbing to 3185 m in the dark for sunrise. We had a full frontal view of at least 6 peaks including; Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Maccapuchhre. Other highlights along the trail include; cuddling a baby monkey, meeting countless dogs, donkey trains, endless beautiful slate and flagstone paths/steps that would make a landscape designer’s head spin, beautiful Nepali people, tasting herbs and vegetables grown at high altitude, and never ending wonder at how the porters carry the loads they do. Oh, and the chicken guys carrying at least a dozen chickens at a time in cages on their backs.

I can’t believe we almost didn’t do the Trek. We will never forget it as an accomplishment and awesome experience.

October 9 - Kathmandu, Nepal

Our first impression of Nepal was “Ahhhhh” - breathing cool mountain air, after sweltering in New Delhi. We eventually found out Kathmandu is actually pretty choked with population and pollution but the initial contrast was startling. Ron is returning to Nepal after about 23 years having backpacked through and trekked the Annapurna Circuit in 1986. He has very fond memories of Thamel, which is the tourist heart of Kathmandu and launching pad for the infinite trekking routes around the country. To him though, it was unrecognizable. Nepal is in deep trouble with crumbling political climate and infrastructure. It seems to be bursting at the seams with no plan. Thamel is so built up it has seemingly lost a lot of its charm. That being said, we still stayed for a full 3 days catching up on our “to do” list (can’t believe we still have one while traveling), relaxing and getting ready for our trek.

We were busy watching the weather as the long range forecast promised rain, rain and more rain. Reluctant to book a trek if the weather was not going to cooperate, we hung out in the rain with our new sporty $2 umbrellas, ate, emailed and researched trekking guides. Thanks to Christin, Beth, Mary and Sabina back in Vancouver, we found Tilak of Himaland Adventure. Tilak proved to be very flexible, offering us a relatively self sufficient trekking option with a suggested route, park permits, insurance and two porters. The weather finally promised to break, so we booked a bus ride to Pokhara on the 9th, starting a 6 day trek on the 10th in the Annapurna Conservation area.

While in Kathmandu, we visited the Shree Mangal DVIP or SMD School and School Director Shirley Blair. SMD School educates children from remote mountain regions who otherwise would not have a chance to attend school. When I say remote, I mean most of the children we met have to take a day long bus ride and then walk for up to one week to reach their home villages. Needless to say, they do not get home very much at all, some stay at the school for years with only a couple of visits to or from home. This concept had a great deal of impact on me. When I asked Shirley about how the children react to their separation from home, she said in a very kind and matter of fact way “most of them are glad to be eating once they get here.” Whoa, reality check for me. Even though we spent just one short afternoon at the school, we felt it is a very happy place providing infinite opportunity and peace for the students. SMD was founded by a Buddhist Monk who still runs it today. About 200 of the 600 plus students are monks. The classrooms are filled with colourful uniforms and monks’ robes. We had two lovely 13 year old girls (studying grade 5 level) give us a tour to every nook and cranny of the school. The children greeted us with smiles and laughter as we introduced ourselves and caught a glimpse into their life. A few students eventually earn scholarships to attend schools overseas; Mulgrave in West Van, BSS and Abbleby in Toronto etc. Given more time, we would have loved to stay in the nearby guest house and volunteered at the school.

After our tour, two students escorted us from the school towards the Bodhnath Stupa (nearby Buddhist Temple) to help us catch a cab. We were still smarting from our Delhi experience with drivers. We learned Shirley’s assistant was not able to come with us because he is Tibetan and the Maoists have been combing the streets, “arresting” Tibetans and putting them in jail. Another reality check. We also learned for safety, students normally do not leave the school at all, even on days off. Having the students with us was unusual and special. Buddhists themselves, they stayed with us to tour the Bodhnath Stupa and answer our questions. It was the first time I (and of course the girls) have seen Buddhist worshipers walking clockwise around a temple, praying and spinning the prayer wheels. It was fascinating and beautiful.

After three days and some serious shopping (look for our new down jackets on the mountain coming soon in January!) we were definitely ready to leave Kathmandu. We made great friends with a local street dog, one that actually invited contact because he had a collar and seemed to be pest free. We called him Scruffy and he greeted us every day as we wandered around. Other than that, we gorged ourselves on baking, good coffee, varied restaurant meals and oh, we also tucked into some serious math sessions for the first time. This was not easy. Some people are born teachers. I don’t think either Ron or I are. And teaching someone in your own family? Yikes. It was tough to get going and there were more than a few frustrated outbursts by all. One of the low points of the trip when we realized what we have ahead of us in order to help the girls have a seamless re entry at school. My hat goes off to all my friends I know who have home schooled and of course to all the teachers I know!

Leaving India and Random Thoughts

Janet here. After jotting down details about sites and events as we travelled through India, I realize I also have a plethora of random thoughts, impressions and observations I would like to capture. Some of it will perhaps be obvious or familiar to those who have travelled in India, but it was my first time so bear with me. It is such a vast and variable country. We only touched on a small part of it.

Although I am glad we visited India, it was for sure a tough go swirling around in the melting pot of contrasts it has to offer. Especially I think for a family. I would like to take a moment to say how proud we are of both Sadie & Anna for handling it as well as they did.

We made it without major incident like sickness or theft. Our money belt, cameras and at least one backpack has become another extension of our bodies, never left behind. It will be strange to walk around without them when back in Canada.

I found India incredibly romantic and full of heart. I will never forget the image of couples riding motorbikes, the wind whipping the women’s beautiful saris, hands delicately placed on her driver’s shoulder while perfectly balanced sidesaddle, weaving in and out of traffic. Couples stop randomly all over the city, taking a moment to talk closely together, perhaps the only opportunity they have to be “alone” together.

And once a family, those same couples continue to use the motorcycle as their main mode of transportation, everybody aboard at once racing from school to work to shopping to…
Flowers, colourful fabrics and perfumed smells are everywhere providing a stark contrast to the garbage, poverty and concrete. I’m reading a novel right now set in India. The author describes the smells as the best, worst smell around. How poignant. I was forever simultaneously grossed out and thrilled by things I saw and smelled.

Traffic. I will never forget finally finding ourselves on an actual divided highway, away from the horns and grid lock of the city…only to then see cars coming head on towards us in our lanes. When we tried to ask, it seemed the only reason was perhaps it was a shorter route. Lane driving? Non existent. Being a passenger (and I don’t think either of us would choose to drive ourselves around India) is not for the faint of heart or those overly concerned with following what we know as the rules of the road. Traffic lights? Speed limits? Crosswalks? Ha! I’m still not sure if driving in India has cured me of being the worst passenger in the world driving at home, we’ll see. Ron can only hope.

Speaking of Ron. I remember one evening as he sat at the head of our little table, his four women gathered around, drinking tea when it dawned on me full force…the guy is surrounded by women for six months. Yikes. He will definitely appreciate some quality time with the boys come January and we appreciate fully his patience hanging out with us 24/7. I’m sure it is a bit overwhelming at times.

We left India feeling like it was time to go. We are much more enriched for the experience and we will hopefully return some day to explore the areas we were not able to see. A little ragged around the edges, we turn our thoughts towards Nepal, apple pie in Kathmandu and mountain air.

Thank you India, it’s been a slice.

Oct 4 - New Delhi – yikes, what a farewell

We arrived next in Delhi feeling exhausted from the heat. The weather had been consistently unseasonable, at least 10 degrees more than the norm and much more humid. We had two days in Delhi and little idea of what to see. Our first day we headed out to explore the Metro, Delhi’s new, clean and efficient transit system. But first we had to take a rickshaw to get closer to the line. This is when the day began to go sideways. Our rickshaw drivers literally took us for a “ride” dropping us off at a travel agency where they hoped to make commission, and in the opposite direction from our metro station. Steaming mad, and it takes a lot to get Ron visibly angry, we found another guy who promised to drop us at the right location.

The Metro was easy and got us into Old Delhi without incident. Coming above ground, it was instantly apparent we had entered a whole new level of an Indian cultural experience. We fought our way through the teaming Saturday crowds and past a heaping garbage pile to find a bicycle rickshaw willing to take us to the Mosque. Riding was remotely better than walking but the traffic was grid locked so we eventually hopped off and walked the rest of the way. I laugh when I look back at my thoughts upon arriving to Mumbai, nothing was too “shocking” and I was feeling quite confident I would be able to handle all that India had to throw at me. Now in Old Delhi, the shouting, honking, pollution, poverty, garbage and stench seemed more intense than ever and was beating us all. We forged ahead. The Mosque was an interesting visit. Ron and Sadie decided to stay outside with our shoes; Sadie to take photos and Ron, to get his ears cleaned – yes, you read correctly. We came out to find Ron sitting on the Mosque steps with a little Indian man crouched beside him, elbow deep in his ears with a metal prong digging out…probably years (how many of us venture in that far?) of ear gunk. I’d like to say he listens to me more now, but the jury is still out.

Leaving the Mosque we decided travelling by foot back to the Metro would be quicker. It was a complete battle but we eventually found the Metro again only to find it a solid mass of people, outside of the token turnstiles. Now I took the Toronto Subway during rush hour every day to school and thought I had seen crowded underground trains, nothing compares to what we bumped into here. We did an about face and headed back out to find a taxi. After a 15 minute walk we climbed into a beater taxi after vicious haggling outside the nearby train station (the person you haggle with is never the actual driver and usually involves at least 15 men standing around you as you go through the process). By now, we were all starting to break, tears were welling up (I can’t believe the girls made it this far without cracking) and it was getting dark. Our hotel was so very far away and the traffic was even more dense. Everybody kept it together though and just as we were wondering if we should stick with the taxi and the solid traffic, the taxi broke down. Yes it did. So we paid part of our fare, hopped out and started walking again. We really had no idea where we were. Finally we found a bicycle rickshaw who took us to Connaught Place, a welcome refuge of nice shopping and restaurants, one of them being air conditioned serving ice cold coke and beer. We made it but still had to get “home”. By now we felt like locals (having explored just about every mode of transportation available) so we hopped on the Metro and then walked back to the hotel. It was, bar none, the toughest day we had had so far since leaving home. But we made it and like many tough experiences, it’s now just a good story and hopefully fodder for some good laughs.

We salvaged our impressions of Delhi the next day by hiring a car and driver to take us around to the sites. New Delhi is completely different than Old Delhi and offers some fabulous stops of interest, not to mention calm traffic and wider boulevards, a rarity in India! We saw the Ghandi Museum, the monument where Ghandi was assassinated and cremated, the India Gate, Nizam-ud-din’s Shrine, Humayun’s Tomb, found a fabulous restaurant for lunch in the Khan Market area and ended at the Dilli Haat Market where the girls finally got henna designs on their ankles. All the stops were interesting and full of history and the market left wishing we hadn’t already used up our shopping budget. The driving was easy and our driver was great at getting us from A to B and home without incident. Phew. We especially loved learning even more about Ghandi, his incredible life story and the huge impact he had on the history and people of India.

Good-bye Judy.
It was time to say good-bye to Judy. We were very sad. Our time together was so amazing. She was (and always is) such an amazing trooper; patient beyond belief, travelling with our family (granted it IS her family too) in such close proximity, living day to day with “group” decisions inevitably involving compromise and choices she most likely would not have made on her own. We can also now safely say she did not get sick and she is home safe. Phew. We love you Judy and are very thankful you were able to share this experience with us.