Pokhara to Chitwan

The roads are narrow, the mountains steep, and the busses old

The drive to Chitwan from Pokhara was accomplished with a mid-size tourist bus that was guided by a water nymph painted on the front and the words "speed control" painted on the bumper to remind the driver not to drive too crazily. For some reason this driver seemed to obey the bumper because he wasn’t pretending to be a race car driver and he also didn’t see the point of passing the slower vehicles and chancing a head on collision with the oncoming traffic.

We were lucky to arrive at Chitwan during Elephant Race time

 Arriving safely in Chitwan, we were driven to our hotel to get settled in for our three day, two night stay. We could hear something happening down the street so we walked along the river to arrive at an empty elephant race track. We just missed the last race and the elephants were leaving for the night. We snapped a few photos of these precious animals lumbering on and away down the streets. And then we headed back to our hotel.

After receiving our itinerary from our gracious hosts we gobbled up some delicious food and went to bed because we were going to be waking up at 6am for our jungle adventure.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BARK, BARK, BARK! Was the symphony we fell asleep to. 6am came quickly and after lots of yawning and stretching and a delicious breakfast we set off to explore the national park with our guide Santa.

Elephant labour laws are not enforced in Nepal.

The first of about 15 crocs we saw sunning themselves on the bank

All the other tourists were taking elephant rides but we told Santa that we didn’t feel right doing this because the riding apparatus hurts the elephant’s back. It is also not good for them to carry so many people at one time every day for their entire lives. Poor elephants! So Santa put us on a canoe ride and then showed us the elephant breeding farm where they breed more elephants to carry heavy tourists around. After the breeding centre we went on a fun jungle walk where Katt insisted on lagging behind to take photos until she was almost eaten by an invisible, imaginary, and frightening tiger. I kept on telling her to hurry up because our guide was walking really fast ahead of us but she wanted to take a picture of every single butterfly and flower that she saw.

Canoeing along

We then went back to the hotel and had a tasty lunch; after lunch it was time for our jungle jeep adventure! At first we sat nicely on the seats like good tourists as our jungle jeep adventure guide stood on the bumper watching for tigers, but eventually the bumping made our butts sore and we wanted to watch for tigers too, so we stood up. The jungle jeep adventure trail consists of a dry mud track, very rutted and rocky, with lots of log bridges to cross, and the jungle jeep was made without any shock absorbers, so it was a bumpy ride.

Jungle Adventure Jeeps

Mmmmm, leaves..... munch munch munch munch..... munch.

 After about two hours of holding on for dear life in the open back of the jeep, the door being held closed by a piece of twine and some telephone wire for additional safety, we finally spotted our first jungle creature – an asian rhino! He (or she) was huge and just standing by the trail munching on some delicious green leaves. He did not seem to care that there was a jeep full of tourists snapping photos of him and he continued his lunch unperturbed until we finally had to leave. We also saw some of the 1500 armed guards that protect the park and the animals from poachers from India and other opportunistic scum. There were monkeys in the trees and lots of pretty birds but we were not lucky enough to see a tiger, an elephant, or a yeti.

Mountain Museum

Hope these post cards make it!

The outskirts of Pokhara

Today we went to the mountain museum. It was a pretty long walk and we met a lot of cows, goats, chickens, ducks, and Nepalis along the way. We also found a post box and sent a couple of post cards to Canada.

Looking out of the Mountain Museum

The museum taught us a lot about the mountains of Nepal, how high they are, who has climbed them, and the people who live in them. We also learned about the flora, fauna, and geography of the Himalayas. Closest yet to seeing a yeti, there was an exhibit dedicated to them! The upper floor of the museum has a fantastic view of the Annapurna range.


When we got back to Pokhara we did a little shopping and had delicious momos and fried bananas, yum!

Befriending a cute goat

Manakamana to Pokhara

Nepal is unlike any other country we’ve visited or read about. The link between the people and their various religious beliefs pulsates, almost as if alive. Daily observances of pilgrims and like-minded people visiting their holy shrines coupled with a rich tradition of belief in peace and calmness makes the nation of Nepal a fun and enlightening place to visit. The real world examples of people just living to get by while enjoying life can often outnumber any sadness or grief we have seen on this journey.

At the bottom of Manakamana cable car, waiting for a bus

We awoke in Manakamana, relieved that there were not any more pigeons roosting in our room, groggy and tired we got dressed, brushed our teeth and crept downstairs to see what was on the menu for breakfast. Well, remember how we said that Manakamana is very remote and hard to get to? The remoteness does tend to have an impact on the food that is available. Knowing this we decided to order simple items. We then enjoyed a lovely breakfast together before cleaning up our room and heading back down via cable-car to catch a bus to Pokhara.

Half way through the loading of the potatoes

Since there is only one road leading from Kathmandu to Pokhara, the choice of transportation from Manakamana is somewhat limited; this was evident when we got on to a small local bus that was decorated with bright and beautiful colours and had loud Nepali music blasting away at our eardrums for the entire trip. They threw our bags on the roof without even tying them down and then proceeded to hurtle through the twisting and turning roads that were often on the edge of a great precipice. We stopped to pick up passengers, twenty four large sacks of potatoes, and for a bathroom break. After riding on this bus I am no longer afraid of anything and I can say with confidence that our driver should become a race car driver, he was just that good.


By some miracle we made it to Pokhara intact, with our bags still in our possession, and avoided the onslaught of hotel and taxi touts trying to get a few rupees for leading us to a certain taxi or hotel. We walked a few blocks from the bus “station” (a random spot on the highway where a bunch of colourful small busses were pulled over) and got a taxi for Lakeside, where there is a long string of hostels, hotels, shops, and restaurants facing the lake, with the Annapurna mountain range overlooking. We chose the first hostel we looked at, Lakeview Resort, which offered free wi-fi, hot showers, and cosy rooms with nightly Nepali entertainment.


After a long and frightening bus ride, we were happy for a chance to enjoy a delicious dinner and walk the calm lakeside street shopping for souvenirs and gifts. After some skilful bargaining with shopkeepers we decided that it was time for some sleep. We fell asleep only to dream of tigers and kittens.

The Peace Pagoda (23 December)


We started our day with a wonderful hot shower! Nepal is a fairly cold place with no heating, and so far we have not had much luck with showers or hot water in our hostels. All clean, we headed out to find a scenic route to our destination for today, the World Peace Pagoda, built 1100 meters up and overlooking the lake and Pokhara city, by a devout Japanese Buddhist who wanted to spread a message of peace across the world by building a hundred of these pagodas.

The Buddha when he reached enlightenment

We found a route that sounded nice in our Lonely Planet Guidebook, but after detouring to pet some moo-cows and stopping for delicious fresh juices, we forgot the way and got lost in a small farming village. Some very kind little boys decided to help us get to the Peace Pagoda and guided us up a dirt path through a peaceful forest. Along the way we met some village women collecting firewood and saw some farmers tending their goats, but we did not see any more tourists or hikers. Finally we were within view of the shining white and gold pagoda. At the top of the path there was a small shop selling snacks and drinks, and we bought our little guides each a Coke and gave them a few rupees for their help. We met a local teen who chatted with us about the problems with Nepali schools and told us that he was attending a boarding college so that he could do all his lessons in English, in the hopes of some day attending Oxford and immigrating to Canada.

The view of Pokhara from World Peace Pagoda

From the Pagoda there is an amazing view of the farms and villages down one side of the mountain and the lake and Pokhara down the other side, with the Annapurna range in the background. The pagoda is decorated with golden statues of the Buddha in his four important locations. A local gentlemen told us about the Buddha’s life, as pictured in the golden scenes on the pagoda. The pagoda and the views were breathtaking and totally worth the two-hour hike.

The old man rowing the boat and Katt enjoying the leisurely ride

We came down the fast path and got a rowboat with an old man rowing (he told us he was an old man of 62) to take us back to Pokhara. We found ourselves not far from the hotel and made our way back, stopping at the same restaurant as the evening before for another delicious meal and delicious masala tea, yum! We are going to buy a LOT of masala tea to take back to Qatar with us.





- P.S. – We were hoping to see a Yeti in the hillsides of Nepal but to no avail. We will keep trying! We thought we were on the trail of one today but it might have also been a moo cow! :)

Manakamana – 21 December

Heading down to the Manakamana cable-car

Next day, day four of our journey, we got up extra-super early (not really, compared to school days, but early for vacation days!) and got on a bus for Manakamana to take Asia’s longest cable-car to the Manakamana temple. The cable-car is half way to Pokara, and it took about four hours of careening and honking up and down narrow mountain roads, competing with dozens of other “tourist” busses and loaded freight trucks. We saw step farms and rock factories as we gripped each other’s hands around each narrow-ledged turn.

The cable-car was terrifying. It was newer than everything else we’ve seen in the country, but swooshed up the side of the mountain, wobbling every time it went over the cable guides that were on each and every tower.

There is a village of stairs at the top of the cable-car, and after climbing a maze of alleyways lined with shops selling plastic toys and various offerings, we found the small but crowded temple. Apparently this is where newlywed couples go to sacrifice a goat, hoping for healthy baby boys. There was also a line of elderly shamans putting red spots on pilgrims' foreheads in exchange for small donations.

We checked into a hostel and explored the village. After the excitement died down at the temple, we met a group of little local children and we bought them each a Kit Kat bar. They were so friendly and cute, and we could tell that meeting us and getting chocolate was the highlight of their week. We then walked around the village to find a pharmacy that was surprisingly well-stocked, considering the remoteness of Manakamana. 

When we got back to our hostel we were greeted by an unexpected guest: there was a pigeon in the corner of our room roosting for the night. Katt donned her hiking gloves to prevent any bird flu from getting on her fingers and she put him safely on the ledge. He didn’t even wake up. Tomorrow we are going to hike for three hours (15km) through the mountains to Gorkha to see what else these mountain villages have to offer the trekking tolleys.

The Monkey Temple – December 20



Our latest addition to our growing masks-of-the-world collection





From our Hostel, this temple was only a hop, skip and a few turns away. During our trip we really were able to see what everyday life is like in Kathmandu for the children and adults alike. Most children were are all dressed in their school uniforms and were on their way to and from school, other children helped out with the stores that their parents owned, and some children just ran around the streets playing and laughing like children ought to do in a place like this. It is this way because the kids tend to inherit their parents' jobs and they will probably play the same role in society that their parents once did. 



On the way up to Swayambhunath



Kathmandu is a developing city so there was bound to be garbage along the river’s edge; these piles of garbage are home to families of pigs, cows, and dogs that will enjoy a nice meal of scraps together whenever they are hungry. We also watched some children playing badminton on top of piles of garbage and they were happy to smile and wave to us when they saw that we were snapping photos of their rubbish playground.

After crossing the river it was all uphill to the monkey temple. The houses are nestled in and around tightly winding alley ways that are haphazardly joined together to form the roadway. Taxis, cattle, pilgrims, tuk tuks, and herds of goats being led by goat farmers all travel along these roads to get where they want to go.



A widdle cute monkee



After reaching the base of the temple we were soon greeted by vendors, hawkers, beggars and MONKEYS! The monkeys were very comfortable living all over the temple while being in constant contact with people and other animals. They were cheeky because they would try and steal offerings of food that were meant for Buddha and they would also slap one another in the face and run off.



A loving mama



We snuck up the side stairway, or as Vince put it, the Monkey Kingdom, to enter the temple complex from the side. This site is called Swayambhunath because it apparently rose from the lake that once covered the Kathmandu valley, and Swayambhu means self-risen. There is a big gold and white central stupa, covered in monkeys and pigeons, and surrounded with all kinds of buddhas, stone statues, temples, a museum, a monastery, and zillions of shops selling handicrafts. We saw statues of the animals of the Tibetan calendar and various buddhas. Inside the monastery the monks were playing drums and chanting, while thousands of butter candles shimmered. In the forests on the hillside there were hundreds of eagles flying and roosting in the trees.

We got bracelets made with our names on them and also one for Pookie. Then we walked back to our hostel and saw a bunch of crows sitting on a garbage-cow along the way. 

Swayambhunath

Kathmandu Walking Tour

In our new hats with our new CD

We awoke to the sun shining on us in our hostel room and  the sounds of birds chirping and children laughing. It was going to be a great day. We got dressed, brushed our teeth with the water you absolutely cannot drink and headed upstairs to the roof top patio to enjoy a wonderful and tasty breakfast that consisted of banana porridge, scrambled eggs, smoked toast, and tea. Our hosts gave us a map of Kathmandu and we planned out a walking tour of all of the different temples in the area. Some of these temples date back to the 9^th century and have withstood war, famine, natural disasters, and disease. It is no wonder that the traditions and beliefs here are so powerful and present in the day to day lives of the people. There is an alter on almost every corner where offerings of flowers, milk, and honey are made to the various deities that are part of the Buddhist and Hindu religions.

Happy children

                    While walking around the narrow streets we really got a feeling of closeness and togetherness from the Nepali people. Walking beside them and seeing their bright and happy faces despite the constant struggles that someone living here is bound to face really made the two of us happy and appreciative of the things that we have back home. Everyone that we encountered on our trek was very helpful, especially when we hopped out of a tuk tuk cab to get off and go shopping and discovered that we did not know our left from our right. The streets here are very confusing and it is helpful to have a strong sense of direction and to check your map often.

Drubgon Jangchep Choeling Monastery

Vince with his new drum

The temples are beautifully designed and were made by the hands of skilled craftsmen and craftswomen. Every one that we saw was unique and a treat for the eyes to behold. Golden statues, coupled with wooden scenery depicting great stories and traditional tiered designs with tiled roofs transported us back hundreds of years to a time where superstition won over science and technology. You really forget who you are in these moments because you are in awe of something greater than yourself. It feels like every building surrounding the temples and every tile on the well traveled roads are centuries old.

We set ourselves a budget for the day and then proceeded to completely blow it on souvenirs and gifts. There are so many beautiful handicrafts and there are streets and streets of shops in Thamel, where we're staying, and around Durbar Square, where we ended our walking tour. We couldn't help buying one cool thing after another! Our decor and wardrobes are going to be heavily on the Nepali handicraft side now. 

One of the many street moo-cows we have seen

P.S - We have still not seen a Yeti. Off to search for one at the Monkey Temple.

First Impressions of Kathmandu

The Himalayas out the airplane window

We knew we were nearly there when we looked out the window and saw the Himalayas!   

Baker helps us pack

Our first impression of Kathmandu was presented to us by the old fashioned redbrick airport with a runway that was chipped, cracked and in dire need of some repair. It felt as if we were transported back to the 1950s and this feeling grew even stronger when Katt and I watched someone light up a cigarette at the luggage carousel. While waiting for our luggage it dawned upon me that there was a high possibility that my luggage was not on board the airplane because in Doha our luggage went onto the plane together and in Kathmandu Katt’s luggage was first off the luggage truck and mine was dead last. It worried me enough to jump up and down for joy when I saw the familiar “T” for Tolley taped onto the bottom of my blue bag appear from underneath the hanging strips of rubber.

Next it was through the security-less baggage check and onto the money exchange. Considering the exchange ratio is 80:1 we ended up with a huge wad of rupee notes; 60,000 rupees to be exact. We felt like a very rich couple up until the point we went to catch a taxi and it was 500 rupees for a taxi trip to our hostel.

During the taxi ride we saw what Kathmandu had to offer. Busy and narrow side streets, no traffic lights, people arc welding with sparks flying everywhere and people hovering around little fires on street corners, store front shops everywhere, herds of cows eating garbage and lots of people riding bicycles and motorbikes everywhere.

First sight of Kathmandu

We really lucked out with our taxi driver because this guy knows everybody that there is to know in Kathmandu apparently. The taxi driver was very friendly but also very pushy when it came to wanting to introduce us to all of his business associates. For example, he kept on asking us to drop out of our pre arranged hostel and stay at a hotel that he is supposedly the executive director of. He also showed us a nice restaurant where we had very yummy food but were interrupted by him bringing one of his business associates to talk to us about packaged tours. In the end we decided to stay at the hostel we had already arranged and were thankful for his kind hospitality. We might just take his friend up on his offer to go on a couple of tours. We’ll see. Stay tuned ;)

-P.S. We have not yet seen a Yeti.

Umm Salal Mohammed Fort and Barzan Tower

We went in search of a 19th-century fort and tower, guided by the vague directions and promise in our guidebook. When we thought we had reached Umm Salal Mohammed, we drove around the streets searching vainly for any sign of a tower, but all the buildings looked new. We finally decided to stop and ask directions.

We found a bakery and had a delightful deli lunch, and then got directions: to Umm Salal Mohammed... we hadn't gone far enough. We backtracked to the highway and followed the signs, this time all the way into town, where we did indeed find some old, crumbling buildings, including a tower.

The base of the tower had signs of a family living in it. We asked a passer-by if he knew where the Barzan Tower was, in English and Arabic, but he did not.
We drove the rest of the way through the town until we were sure it was over, but no sign of a fort, so we doubled back on the highway. Finally we saw what appeared to be a couple of towers back in the direction we had just passed. We went and checked it out, and glory be, it appeared to be a fort, or the carefully re-constructed remains of a fort, at any rate.

We climbed up every stairwell and peeked through every door.
At sunset, we headed back, realizing that since there was no other sign of a tower anywhere around, the first one must have been the one we were looking for. Not much of a tourist attraction, since the local didn't even know that he was standing right in front of it.

Run, Camel, Run!

Today we went to the camel races in Al Shahariya, in the very middle of the peninsula. Since the Qatar peninsula is not very big, it took about 20 minutes to get there.

First we drove around asking people where to park and where to view the races. They waved us along. We found a road next to the race track, so we thought if we followed it we might find the parking lot or the viewing area.
Then the camel race found us. We saw up ahead, rounding the bend in the track, what appeared to be a mob of vehicles and camels speeding toward us.
Vince pulled over onto the shoulder and we jumped out of the car and ran to the edge of the racetrack just in time to see the lead camels galloping along at top speed. Behind us drove their owners, urging them along by honking their horns and whipping them by remote control. Each race-camel has a small mechanical box mounted on his rump with a small whip hanging from it, which the owner can cause to spin at the push of a button from his vehicle, so that it thwacks the beast on his hindquarter – thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack – as many times as seems necessary to get him to pull into the lead.

Meanwhile, on the inner track, trios of training camels paced the race. Each consisted of an adult camel with a young one on each side, and a camel jockey driving.
The whole pack disappeared, and we got back into our car and drove around to see if we could catch up with them. We took a fast spin around the racetrack, but got back to our starting point without seeing the racers again.

We decided to park and visit with the animals and their trainers near the gates, perhaps waiting for the next race.

Finally, the race went by again; presumably they had switched to another portion of the track for the second part. This time we saw the trainers bring some of the panting, sweaty racers, still wearing their auto-whippers, in for a rest.

After we left the races, we spotted a tree-filled castle wall, so we decided to stop and check it out. On his way out was the owner, in his Land Cruiser. He said we were welcome to go into his farm and take some photos. We asked him what kind of farm it was, but he said he didn’t speak English so we would have to go see for ourselves.

We drove through the gate and parked the car and started walking around in the farm. We saw that it was filled with rows of date palms, so we thought it must be a date farm. Then we saw an emu walking along the dirt path, so we thought it must be an emu farm. Then a worker said we had to leave. On our way out, we saw a little gazelle, so we decided it must be an emu and gazelle farm.