Right, so I finally got round to leaving Nepal. I have to say it was with some trepidation that I headed of to Kathmandu airport, having only heard nightmare tales of strikes and over enthusiastic security checks (not helped by the fact I knew I was carrying naughty Indian currency which you are not allowed to take into Nepal). So I got to the airport far too early as it only took me 5 minutes to check in and get to security, I was even allowed to take my open litre bottle of water (but then it was 38degrees). Thankfully the airport had a large telly and plenty of chairs, so I sat and watched 'Big Trouble in Little China' surrounded by some very confused looking Nepalese people. The airport T.V's seemed to be avoiding the usual News channels.
Got to Dehli on time, got checked to see if I had swine flu. This came as a bit of a shock, as we'd heard about it in Nepal but obviously other items had taken priority in the news. The checks seemed to involve asking if we'd had a fever or a cold in the past week, so I'm afraid to say that I lied on all accounts to the customs officals. Yes I'd had a fever (came with food poisoning) and I've pretty much had a cold since I've been on the Indian Subcontinent (so does pretty much every traveller here due to the huge levels of air pollution) but really not going to tell you that, so I just tried not too sneeze or blow my nose till I was out of the airport.
I have to say I quite liked Dehli (all reports before I got there were of how horrid it is), I stayed in Paraganj (backpacker central) which seemed like a good spot to see the rest of the city from. My first afternoon I pottered about, bought my train ticket to Mumbai, which I was informed about twenty times I wouldn't be able to get and would have to fly, so was pleasantly surprised when without any begging for an emergency ticket, I got booked onto the fast train in sleeper class.
After no sleep what so ever (there was aparty going on in the street next to my hotel), I got up nice and early and went to the red fort. What can I say? Its a big red fort, worth seeing but would be a lot better if you were actually allowed to walk on the walls of the fort rather than just look up at them. I was so smug when after I looked round leaving the fort I got to walk past all the queues of people waiting to get in. I walked round old Dehli for a bit, looking at the sights and completely failed to find the metro stand so caught a rickshaw back. It was my first rickshaw since being back in India, its fair to say I'd forgotten how terrifying they are.
Next day met avery nice man a breakfast, who like me was all a bit tired of sightseeing, so spent the showing me things in Dehli that weren't temples or forts in Dehli. I got lost in an underground market and ate dinner at a cowboy / cricket (in India that makes sense) themed bar which happens to be the funniest and surrealist place I've ever eaten.
Got the overnight train to Mumbai, where the train surpassed expectations by giving me three meals and more exciting Tea Packs, bliss. Unfortunatly I had to share a compartment with a young family whose children didn't seem to be house trained and I kept on having to avoid the wet patches on the floors and seats, thank goodness I'd booked the upper bunk so I didn't get dripped on in the night.
So I'm back in Mumbai, where it is very hot (its colder than Dehli but alot more humid, so feels hotter). Been to a couple of museums that I didn't go to last time I was here and had been getting my last fix of Bollywood before I leave (I'm getting worried it might turn in to an obsession). Also spent some time hanging around in Leopolds having a beer.
Looking forward to flying to Singapore tomorrow, I am quite relishing the idea of enthusiatic sightseeing again. Oh and I've finally relented, as I'm leaving India, I've started reading Shantoram.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Kathmandu Again.
Hello Folks.
So after being poorly at the beginning of the week and feeling very sorry for myself, I decided to have a slightly more productive weekend. I know, watching Bollywood is a perfectly justifiable use of ones time but I've decided when I can sing along to some of the songs, enough is enough.
So after spending all day on Monday and Tuesday in bed I went sight seeing on Wednesday and Thursday. I'd met a bloke who'd I'd met in Pokhara and spent the time sightseeing with him.
We first went to the Monkey temple, it has another local name but I can't remember what it is. The reason for the monkey temple name is I presume from the number of monkeys that live there. Its a beautiful place with extraordinary views of the Kathmandu valley (thankfully it was a clearish day with not much smog but no mountain views).
Next day we went to a Hindu temple complex on the river, so we got to see some cremations, which was just odd. Art managed to rip the crotch of his trousers (yes, I don't know how either) so I spent half an hour talking to some Hindu Holy men whilst sewing (bizarrly they carry a needle and thread around with them), I then got quite scared by a man dressed as the monkey God, he was a bit freaky.
From there we walked to Boudha (which is either the biggest Stupa in Nepal or the world I can't remember) where I got blessed by a monk, which seemed to involve me being hit over the head with a plank of wood. I got to play in a giant prayer bell and saw a midget monk moving a massive prayer wheel (which was awesome but perhaps shouldn't have made me giggle quite as much as it did).
All in all a fun couple of days, I've spent most of today getting ready for the journey back to India tomorrow (I'm spending a couple of days in Dehli). I'm looking forward to moving on to South East Asia and starting a new adventure.
So after being poorly at the beginning of the week and feeling very sorry for myself, I decided to have a slightly more productive weekend. I know, watching Bollywood is a perfectly justifiable use of ones time but I've decided when I can sing along to some of the songs, enough is enough.
So after spending all day on Monday and Tuesday in bed I went sight seeing on Wednesday and Thursday. I'd met a bloke who'd I'd met in Pokhara and spent the time sightseeing with him.
We first went to the Monkey temple, it has another local name but I can't remember what it is. The reason for the monkey temple name is I presume from the number of monkeys that live there. Its a beautiful place with extraordinary views of the Kathmandu valley (thankfully it was a clearish day with not much smog but no mountain views).
Next day we went to a Hindu temple complex on the river, so we got to see some cremations, which was just odd. Art managed to rip the crotch of his trousers (yes, I don't know how either) so I spent half an hour talking to some Hindu Holy men whilst sewing (bizarrly they carry a needle and thread around with them), I then got quite scared by a man dressed as the monkey God, he was a bit freaky.
From there we walked to Boudha (which is either the biggest Stupa in Nepal or the world I can't remember) where I got blessed by a monk, which seemed to involve me being hit over the head with a plank of wood. I got to play in a giant prayer bell and saw a midget monk moving a massive prayer wheel (which was awesome but perhaps shouldn't have made me giggle quite as much as it did).
All in all a fun couple of days, I've spent most of today getting ready for the journey back to India tomorrow (I'm spending a couple of days in Dehli). I'm looking forward to moving on to South East Asia and starting a new adventure.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sundance Music Festival Last Resort
So I traveled back from Pokhara at the end of last week. The coach was only an hour late! This was due the road being closed due to an accident (Nepalese people are very nosy whislt driving past wreckage - people were literally hanging out of the windows to get a better view). Got dropped of at a random bus stop in Kathmandu, was told it wasn't that far to walk and pointed in the right direction, so ignored taxi drivers insistence it was too far to walk (they always say that). About half an hour later got back to central Thamel, I was to discover that apparently people give you directions to be helpful even if they don't actually know. I went to the same bus stop to go to The Last Resort and it took five minutes.
Spent a day in Thamel ambling about, rented a sleeping bag, swapped books e.t.c. Then set of for The Last Resort and the Sundance Music festival. Got on the bus in Thamel even though some woman was moaning that she wouldn't get on because the bus was dangerous! My and Antoinette both decided that we'd rather be on a dangerous bus than listening to her moan for 3 hours. Found myself an Aussie on the bus that had no one else to share a tent with and established that he wasn't scared of spiders and doesn't snore (this was a lie) and agreed to share a tent with him, got to festival site and awaited a tent allocation (thankfully all the tents were numbered as they were all exactly the same and added bonus, they wrote your tent number on the back of you hand. Its like they knew I was going to get drunk or something).
Had lunch, started drinking and awaited with anticipation the music to start. It has to be said it didn't get of to the best starts, we couldn't work out whether people were soundchecking (no one - two - one - two here) or playing their actual set. All we knew was that they'd played the same song twice and it was getting quite irritating. It turned out that this was just the sound check and the music started proper. Low and behold we got to here the same song again. The groups were all alright, would have prefered it if there wasn't as much hanging about as they swapped over or adding yet more drums to the stage as it seemed to be. DJ came on (I was drunk by this point) seemed to play all of ABBA Gold and then some stuff I can remember dancing to but not what it was. A very mean Nepalese man for some reason I can't remember insisted he had a fitter arse than me and I spent a while asking all the men in the crowd if my arse was better than his!!! I went to bed soon after, I say I went to bed, I went to the toilet and never got past my tent on the way back. Got woken up in the early hours of the morning to listen to the funniest arguement / fight I have ever heard.
Next day whilst I was at a music festival, guess what it rained. It absolutely chucked it down. Some mean person told me that there were bacon sandwiches available (this would be unparralleled luxury), so out came the cagoule, I had a mission. The bacon sandwiches were a myth so I had to make do with a hard boiled egg and a cup of tea, whilst listening to a bloke do Johnny Cash covers.
Went back to bed till they kicked us out of the tent to put it down, so moved to a comfy seat in the bar where I could see and hear the music and waited for the bus back. Apparently whilst I was happily enjoying the music festival The Moaist part of the government had sacked the armed forces chief of staff, their opposition had quit the coalition government and people were protesting / rioting in Kathmandu. Yay for crazy parts of the world. After much discussions with people who live in Kathmandu, I discovered I was better of heading back to Kathmandu sooner rather than later, if I stayed at the last resort, there would be a good chance that in a few days the roads to Kathmandu will be closed by the police / army.
So I'm now back in Kathmandu. Thamel(area where I'm staying) seems to be largely unaffected at the moment, business as usual. There have been differences, my hotel has had both lots of huge security gates closed (first time I've seen any closed since I've been here) and there appears to be more UN vehicles in the car park. There are riots going on (the BBC tells me) so I'm avoiding going round the Durber square area.
I was going to make a descision today about when to travel back to India, but its finally happened I'm poorly, I have spent alot of the morning on the toilet and have decided to leave decision making until tomorrow.
Spent a day in Thamel ambling about, rented a sleeping bag, swapped books e.t.c. Then set of for The Last Resort and the Sundance Music festival. Got on the bus in Thamel even though some woman was moaning that she wouldn't get on because the bus was dangerous! My and Antoinette both decided that we'd rather be on a dangerous bus than listening to her moan for 3 hours. Found myself an Aussie on the bus that had no one else to share a tent with and established that he wasn't scared of spiders and doesn't snore (this was a lie) and agreed to share a tent with him, got to festival site and awaited a tent allocation (thankfully all the tents were numbered as they were all exactly the same and added bonus, they wrote your tent number on the back of you hand. Its like they knew I was going to get drunk or something).
Had lunch, started drinking and awaited with anticipation the music to start. It has to be said it didn't get of to the best starts, we couldn't work out whether people were soundchecking (no one - two - one - two here) or playing their actual set. All we knew was that they'd played the same song twice and it was getting quite irritating. It turned out that this was just the sound check and the music started proper. Low and behold we got to here the same song again. The groups were all alright, would have prefered it if there wasn't as much hanging about as they swapped over or adding yet more drums to the stage as it seemed to be. DJ came on (I was drunk by this point) seemed to play all of ABBA Gold and then some stuff I can remember dancing to but not what it was. A very mean Nepalese man for some reason I can't remember insisted he had a fitter arse than me and I spent a while asking all the men in the crowd if my arse was better than his!!! I went to bed soon after, I say I went to bed, I went to the toilet and never got past my tent on the way back. Got woken up in the early hours of the morning to listen to the funniest arguement / fight I have ever heard.
Next day whilst I was at a music festival, guess what it rained. It absolutely chucked it down. Some mean person told me that there were bacon sandwiches available (this would be unparralleled luxury), so out came the cagoule, I had a mission. The bacon sandwiches were a myth so I had to make do with a hard boiled egg and a cup of tea, whilst listening to a bloke do Johnny Cash covers.
Went back to bed till they kicked us out of the tent to put it down, so moved to a comfy seat in the bar where I could see and hear the music and waited for the bus back. Apparently whilst I was happily enjoying the music festival The Moaist part of the government had sacked the armed forces chief of staff, their opposition had quit the coalition government and people were protesting / rioting in Kathmandu. Yay for crazy parts of the world. After much discussions with people who live in Kathmandu, I discovered I was better of heading back to Kathmandu sooner rather than later, if I stayed at the last resort, there would be a good chance that in a few days the roads to Kathmandu will be closed by the police / army.
So I'm now back in Kathmandu. Thamel(area where I'm staying) seems to be largely unaffected at the moment, business as usual. There have been differences, my hotel has had both lots of huge security gates closed (first time I've seen any closed since I've been here) and there appears to be more UN vehicles in the car park. There are riots going on (the BBC tells me) so I'm avoiding going round the Durber square area.
I was going to make a descision today about when to travel back to India, but its finally happened I'm poorly, I have spent alot of the morning on the toilet and have decided to leave decision making until tomorrow.
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