Category Archives: Travels

This Time I am Not a Tourist 

I say goodbye to my fellow travellers of the past three weeks, and the hotel calls a taxi for me which takes me to Patan Hospital for R300. Patan city does not have the character of Kathmandu or the serenity … Continue reading

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Tomorrow It Will Be 2059

13th April, 2002. We have an early start and there is a spirit of expectancy among the group as, illnesses forgotten, we gather for a ride to the airport. After a lengthy check-in at the Buddha Air desk we wait impatiently for … Continue reading

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Tonking Temple Bells and A Living Goddess

I am not looking forward to today as I dislike cities, and the sights of Kathmandu are on the agenda, but the time goes by surprisingly quickly.  Our Nepali guide, who tells and re-tells everything in different words, supplies us … Continue reading

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An Astonishing Mixture of Hit and Miss

A bone-shaking bus ride takes us from Chitwan, north to the Gorkha Hill Resort, then a swift afternoon thunderstorm clears the air. We are greeted the following morning by beautiful mountain views (too far away for my modest camera). We … Continue reading

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Squeals of Fun

We make an early start for Chitwan. The lowlands are richer and cleaner than the midlands near Pokhara and crops are more varied. We decant into an army lorry for entry to the National Park, where we move into basic … Continue reading

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Ten Crow-flying miles in Ten Hours

After the Panchase Temple, the tedious part begins. Down and down through thick forest, the stone stepped path winds in tortuous patterns in the dull late morning.  Those who charged in front are now suffering from sore knees and feet.  … Continue reading

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Great Rhododendron Trees Tower Over Us

3rd April, 2002. We break camp at 8.30 in the morning and walk 8.3 crow-flying miles up another 2,300 feet in 8 hours.  This is much steeper than yesterday, with even more ups and downs.  We leave the villages behind and … Continue reading

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A Strike Has Been Called

We learn at supper briefing in our Kathmandu Hotel that a strike has been called for four days, when no vehicles will be allowed on the roads. The Maoists are threatening the government. So our itinerary is changed, and we … Continue reading

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A Chapter of Near Accidents

April 2002. A chapter of near accidents has brought me to Kathmandu from Perth. We drive with grandkids and dogs north from Busselton and enjoy fish ‘n chips in Fremantle while watching colourful acts in the kid-friendly Buskers’ Festival.  Then I have … Continue reading

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42 Degrees Centigrade

The Stirling Range is a line of bush-covered, odd-shaped peaks sticking out of the south west Australian landscape on a roughly east-west alignment. I decide to climb the highest peak – Bluff Knoll (1094 m). It is a 6km return … Continue reading

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