11/1 - Pokhara and a break from the adventures

I was up well before our 6:30am wakeup call, hearing some chanting and singing from the town near our hotel. Our guide had mentioned that sometimes chanting and prayer starts early for buddhists, and today wasn't an exception. The early wakeup was for a leisurely breakfast before heading out to Pokhara; about a hundred mile journey that takes about 4 hours along the valleys hills of the Prithvi highway. On the way out of town, there was a local market and festival going on. Our guide looked a bit nervous about turning us loose in the crowd, but knew that it was part of the experience. As dusty and steamy as the Tarai area was, this festival was drenched in color, and was a glimpse into something more than just our well-worn tourist track. The rest of the drive was nerve-rattling and thrilling, as our driver jockeyed with buses and Tata trucks, and over single-track bridges, with Franz and I occassionally having him stop for photo-ops along the way. There's no shoulder to speak of, so a wide spot in the road has to do, usually in a straightaway so that others that need to pass don't get blindsided. Arriving close to Pokhara, some of the houses along the way began to look more solid and western in structure. Pokhara has an influx of money, both from the booming tourism, but also from the Gurkah legacy of soldiers that fought alongside the British in the first world war. Pensions and inheritance have had an influence on the suburban area. We had lunch at a pretty nice restaurant in the tourist area, then got to our Shangri-la Resort hotel, a western oasis in the valley. I feel like I can breathe a bit now. The towels are fluffy, there's CNN, and finally an internet connection in the lobby where I can post this. I have had a quick splash in the pool, a lie in the Nepalese sun, a few photos of the Annapurna himal swathed in clouds, and now it feels a bit more like vacation. Tonight we're playing things by ear, as we may decide to go to see the sunrise from atop one of the mountains, in addition to our mini-climb to the world peace pagoda atop the Phewa lake here. Franz has talked to our guide about arranging some hangliding as well; the pause at the resort may be a short one indeed!

10/31

Elephant day has finally arrived. Early wakeup for what was to be a 7am canoe ride, but the bulk of the tourists had boats booked for today, so we were up for the 8am elephant safari. We went through tall savannahs and dense brush, 15 feet up on our elephant. We spotted 2 rhinos in the reeds, as well as some deer and a mongoose scrambling to prevent getting under the elephants gait. After the safari, a short break, then 'elephant bathing' where the trainers bring their animals into the river at sunset point, and let tourists sit on the elephant's back as it goes about its business. I found one of my fears by the side of the river. I couldn't bring myself to want to get on this creature's back, whereas Franz went for a ride on it twice. Our canoe ride took place in the afternoon under crushing heat. We rode downstream for an hour looking at birds and seeing crocodiles on both banks, then had a 'jungle walk' where we were fortunate enough to see yet another rhino. (It did look suspiciously like both rhinos from the morning, though.) Our hike ended at the Elephant breeding center, where we were able to see and touch 2 elephant tykes running unchained in their paddocks; a real treat. In the evening we had a beer at sunset point, and now at 9:30pm I'm about ready for bed. Tomorrow its off to Pokara for 3 nights.

10/30

Monday was a drive from Kathmandu to Chitwan along the Prithvi Highway. 'Highway', however, is a generous term. Barely 2 lanes, not only is it arterial to the country, but it's the local path to school for children from town to town along its entire length. we'd pass kids in their school uniforms walking and riding, honking often to signal a pass or a narrow spot to all around. I'd never seen Indian/Nepalese truckers before, but their noisy and colorfully painted "Tata" frames were unforgettable as they whizzed by at 30 MPH. Tiny settlements were not much more than a row of 3-walled rooms facing the road, and a tap to the water main which was in a concrete pillar. Of the rooms, typically one was a tiny restaurant with a table in front, one a convenience store, and the rest were some sort of home or rest station. Driving by the water taps, a few times we'd see someone bathing, others washing dishes, but irregardless, it was the center of activity. Our hotel, the Rhino Residency, was four stars by Nepalese standards, but it doesn't hold up well against its brochure. Lunch was chinese, and was followed by an ox-cart ride through the town to the Tharu cultural museum. We were bumped and jostled, ancient style, by houses with their attached shelters for their cows, and children, ducks and chickens wandering about. The museum was unlocked for us by a nearby resident, and it was placed in a truly idyllic setting in fields being planted by hands, and women thrashing wheat by hand and sifting it out. Leaving the museum, we had a stop by the elephant paddocks of the park, and a walk to their 'sunset point' where we arrived to see the sun set on Chitwan, even as it was rising back home.

10/29

Whirlwind doesn't begin to describe our arrival and tourism of Kathmandu. The flight was good, and landing was dramatic. The airport was quiet, and Franz was amazed at how small it was. Provicial doesn't begin to describe the building and 3 bag claim belts. Our 777 seemed to overwhelm the arrivals hall, with people scrambling for their bags, and luggage falling off the belt as it got trapped in crevices. We were met by our tour guide, and probably 5 'assistants' wanting to lift our bags for a tip. My first impression was rather unsettled by both the squalor and the hard edge of really arriving in Nepal for the first time. The sun rained down, and our guides got us hustled into the van to the hotel without issue, but it was all rather overwhelming, and still is. The drive to the hotel was bumpy and loud and crowded, with vehicles coming from every direction, cows and goats on the side of the road, and a view of the rough side of town on the way to Durbar Square. To be honest, I haven't been anywhere like this before, and I still don't quite know how to react to it all. I'm enjoying the people and the sights, and as Franz reminded me, there's not a way to compare it to what I know from everywhere else I have travelled. Its a totally new frame of reference, to which I'll adjust quickly I'm sure. Once settled, we did a quick tour through Durbar square, and up to Swayambhu Stupa above the Kathmandu valley where the photo was taken. We've seen "Photo Baba's", the monkey's around the stupa, and saw the sun set from on top of the valley. The Kumari (goddess embodied) was a no-show today, so hopefully we'll see her next time. It's all rather amazing and intimidating at the same time, being in a place so different than I've been used to all this time.

10/29 - Breakfast and Baseball

The 6.5 hour flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was blissfully uneventful, even if I was crammed into a small seat in the middle of a herd of older japanese tourists. Their organizer came through a few times checking paperwork and generally pestering us every hour. The Japanese kind of clogged the immigration and baggage claim lines as well, but I was able to get out of their cluster quickly. Flying JAL was a lot of fun though - like Iberia's planes, during the takeoff and landing the main screen in the cabin showed a view of what the pilot's were seeing - during a night flight like that, the lights of the runway and taxiways are mesmorizing. Franz picked me up at the airport, and we stepped out into the sticky Thai air. It was truly oppressively tropical after being underway for 27 hours. The hotel in Bangkok was really comfy for a new hotel, and during the breakfast buffet, the world series was on TV. Pad Thai, salmon, rice, guava juice, and the Tigers and St. Louis. Detroit was up when we left the hotel. Checking out of the hotel and getting to the airport in the hazy morning was easy. The sun was up already when we were up at 6. Tropics and all. I think I'll enjoy coming back here after our time in Nepal. Having not seen anything beyond the airport, I have the feeling getting to the resort areas of Phuket will be quite amazing.

10/28 - 16:30 Japan Time.

Friday noon I jetted into the future. It's Saturday afternoon in Tokyo now, and I'm drinking a Kirin beer out of an amazing beer-pouring machine in the American Air lounge. I was fortunate in my transpacific leg, as I bought an upgrade to business class, and wound up with a decent seat on the aisle. I think I got at least 5 hours of sleep in between dozing and watching some of the onscreen entertainment. The food was pretty good - beef, some japanese noodles and nice salads, and not a bad red wine. I changed into my Quantas flying pajamas which made for a comfy ride as well. Landing in Tokyo was easy, and out the window, the reedy grasses bending in the wind alongside the runway, and the soft rosy evening light filtering through the low clouds certainly does feel like another part of the world. Going through security at Narita into the transit lounge was a classy experience. Women with matching red dresses and white gloves were in charge of screening people, and they were quite efficient and cordial; perhaps we were the only flight arriving, but there was no wait and things went quick. The beer pouring machine is pretty awesome. Once a glass is set, and the button pushed, a little stem drops down into the glass and starts pouring the beer, sliding up as the glass fills, until the last half an inch. Aerated beer comes out another valve in the dispensing stem, adding a little head to the glass. Another hour or so then I get on my 747 to head to Bangkok.