Posts/Entries
All posts/entries, for now, from over two decades of global travel. And a few colourful tags, too.
A ‘Special’ Train In India || Riding The Rails
Taking the train in India is one of those quintessential Indian travel experiences & in a country so damn big it’s an integral part of a visit to the country for most travellers. It - riding the rails in India - is sometimes sweaty, sometimes attritional, but...
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India (2008)
Varanasi, the Hindu holy city by the sacred River Ganges. This place is the centre of the Hindu world (it was said to have been founded by the Hindu God Shiva) and one of the oldest cities on earth, having a religious history stretching back to the 6th century BC....
India – The Return (2008)
We finally made it to Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Getting here from Sunauli, the border town with Nepal some 260 kilometres north of here, wasn't hard. It just took time. Lots of time. We've spent the last two days on buses and to make that...
Sunauli, Nepal
We were standing on the side of the road in central Kathmandu at 7:20 a.m. this morning thinking we had missed the 7 a.m. bus we had reservations for, the bus to a town called Sunauli on the Nepal/India boarder. "Lad, if we don't get this bus we won't make it to...
Poon Hill Trek, Nepal (Day 3)
Thank you God. Thank you Allah. Thank you Vishnu. Thank you Buddha. Thank you whatever god, or gods, have reign over this part of the world. We now know somebody listened to our prayers last night, prayers that asked for clear mountain views this morning. Someone...
Poon Hill Trek, Nepal (Day 2)
I had a rather unusual alarm call this morning. "Dave! I see a mountain" were the first words I heard as I was awoken from my slumber at 7 a.m. by an excited Pat. He was like child on Christmas morning. "Make that two mountains... two big mountains," he continued,...
Poon Hill Trek, Nepal (Day 1)
We were told by every agent in Pokhara that we sauntered into that the Poon Hill Trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area of western Nepal was typically a 5 to 7 day affair. We were skeptical, more than skeptical, & when querying this we were told that it could be...
Pokhara, Nepal
Taking a road journey in Nepal is quite the adventure, and always a long one. We left Kathmandu yesterday morning for the trekking mecca of Pokhara in central Nepal. We got the €4 `tourist´ bus for the 206 kilometres, 7 hour trip - you can easily spot a tourist bus as...
Kathmandu, Nepal
Before I start to bore you all, I'll allow Lonely Planet to best describe what it's like to walk the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city: In the winding alleyways and hidden courtyards scattered with temples and shrines, traders and holy...
Friendship Highway, Tibet (Day 4)
An 800 km Scenic Route Traversing The Tibetan Plateau, a.k.a. The Roof of the World Day 4 || March 3, 2008 Location || Kathmandu, Nepal () Altitude || 1,337 metres (4,400 ft) Day 4 Hours Driving || 10 Day 4 Highs ||The Lalung La Pass & our welcome to Nepal Day 4...
Friendship Highway, Tibet (Day 3)
Recapping a 4-day trip on the Friendship Highway, the 800 km scenic route traversing the Himalayas connecting Lhasa, Tibet, to the border with Nepal.
Friendship Highway, Tibet (Day 2)
An 800 km Scenic Route Traversing The Tibetan Plateau, a.k.a. The Roof of the World Day 2 || March 1, 2008 Location || Shigatse, Tibet () Altitude || 3,892 metres (12,845 ft) Day 2 Hours Driving || 1 Day 2 Highs || The view from Gyantse Fort & a hotel with heating...
Friendship Highway, Tibet (Day 1)
Recapping a 4-day trip on the Friendship Highway, the 800 km scenic route traversing the Himalayas connecting Lhasa, Tibet, to the border with Nepal.
Lhasa, Tibet
The Roof of the World. We're seeing that slogan a lot since we got here to Lhasa, Tibet, off the Qinghai–Tibet Railway. That was Sunday evening. It's now Tuesday morning and yesterday was our first full day of acclimatising and taking in the sights and smells of what...