Nepal

Nepal is a wonderful country and our time here has been very enjoyable. The Nepalese people are so friendly, peaceful, and full of fun. The country is sandwiched between the two powerhouses of India and China and both seem to be jockeying for influence on this independent country.

We heard from a UK national that has lived in Pokhara, Nepal for 9 years that Nepal is one of the 10 most corrupt and poor nations. It came as a surprise as the country seems more developed than India. I guess as tourists we are shielded from the corruption. We've seen a small taste but nothing of substance.

The roads are similar to India, but the drivers seem to be on the same page with each other and use their horns substantially less than India. Similar to India, many shipping trucks are painted with colorful murals and messages of peace. In Nepal it is a frequent site to see up to 30 people riding on the roof of packed buses.

The Nepali landscape is majestic; the Himalayan mountain range is absolutely spectacular and it continues for hundreds of miles. Pictures can't do it justice.

The flight by Everest and other mountain peaks was stunning - 19 peaks over 20,000 feet, including 7 over 25,000 feet, and Everest at 29,028 feet. Pictures don't do it justice.

Our short stay in Kathmandu was enjoyable. We then spent 2 days in this cute lake town, Pokhara. There we heard a Nepalese cover band sing Sweet Home Alabama, songs from Sublime, the Doors, etc; they were pretty good and the Nepalese youth take their music very seriously. Tara and I also went paragliding. The clouds had rolled in that day so we could not see the various peaks of the Anapurna Himalayan range while airborne, but the lake and surrounding mountain landscape with its' forest and farming fields on the side of the mountain made it an exhilarating ride.

We just left Chitwan National Park where we spent the past 2 days. We went on a 2 hour elephant ride forging our way through the brush with tree branches flying all around our faces and bodies. We all ended up with spider webs on us and I got one smack in my face. We saw rhinos, crocodiles, spotted deer, and monkeys.

Sitting around the bonfire two nights ago, we talked about how much fun it would be to grill some meat. The next morning, one of the guys in our group, nicknamed Beastie (from London), secured some of the local delicacy, goat. We purchased 5 kilos of the shoulder, leg, ribs, and liver. After some negotiation, we had to pay off the manager to use the fire pit even though they told us earlier that morning that we could use it. Beastie and I spent the afternoon marinating the goat, building the fire, and slow roasting it. It smelled fantastic and 8 of the 15 people ate the feast. The meat was good but chewy.

The weather has been a surprise. Since it is mid-November, we thought it would be chilly. Just the opposite, it's been hot and their monsoon season ended only a few weeks ago. The landscape is green and lush and the Himalayans are of course covered in snow and ice.

Nepal has been one of the main highlights of the trip so far.

It's a few days away... I'm wishing a good race and good luck to Kevin, Andy, Mike, and JJ at MiamiMan.

Tivon

Kathmandoooooo

Kathmandu is awesome. I wish we had more than 24 hours here. We have a flight around Everest in the AM. Nepal is a beautiful country.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner at Spice Route in the Imperial Hotel for Tara's birthday last night in Delhi.

Tivon

South India

I wrote this yesterday afternoon, but then lost reception. Luckily I typed it out on email so I didn't lose it all!! :)

We are coming to the end of our tour through southern India and have had an action-packed two weeks. We have been extremely fortunate to have a great group and an exceptional tour leader.

We started our journey in Fort Cochin, our first taste of real India, as Tivon mentioned in his last post. Cochin is home of India's largest Jewish synagogue and Jewish quarter. We took a cooking class there, which introduced us to southern cooking and properly eating with our hands (the standard way to eat every meal).

Next we made our way by boat to the backwaters of Kerala. We stayed with a local family and had a room overlooking the river. It was a beautiful and a peaceful setting, minus the mosquitoes buzzing around! We walked around the village, chatted with the locals, took a sunset boat ride home, and had a homemade meal awaiting our return!

We spent a couple days in Periyar National Park, a place known for Ayurvedic therapy, aka Indian-style massages. We each had what seemed like a gallon of Indian-smelling yellowish oil rubbed on our bodies. It took me days to get rid of the aroma in my hair. Needless to say, it was our first and last!

We spent the next several days exploring temples, shrines, museums (Ghandi), palaces, markets and ashrams. Most of the sights revolved around Hinduism and the various forms of the gods and goddesses. I'm glad I only have to focus on one!! :)

The highlight of our trip has definitely been the jungle retreat. We took jeeps through the jungle, spotting wild animals and learning about the elephant refuge camp. Mostly we relaxed and enjoyed the pollution-free cool air.

Our last stop was in the mountains of the Nilgiri hills. The weather was quite cool and good preparation for our upcoming trip to Nepal.

We are now making our way back to Fort Cochin for our farewell dinner. Tomorrow we fly to Delhi and on Saturday Tivon's parents arrive. Early Sunday morning we will be flying high above the Himalayas and starting our next tour: Nepal and Northern India.