We spent a couple of days hanging out in Bangkok enjoying the food before heading south to the beach for some real relaxation.  The bus ride was fun - another 12 hour journey, but this time the seats were comfortable, the bus air conditioned and we even stopped (at 1 in the morning) for some complimentary dinner!!

We're in Krabi province, at a beach called Klong Maung.  We're here because we're gatecrashing a honeymoon!!  Haha.  We met up with Christine & Mike and have been lazing on the beach, and taking longtail boats to the islands, snorkelling and not much else. 

Happy New Year!

We're in Thailand for Christmas. Yay!! The food is amazing. The weather - so much warmer than Kathmandu!
We're both suffering a little from post trekking coughs & colds. I cannot stop coughing and Michael has a sinus headache that is making him sick.
But, we're warm and we can sleep without sleeping bags cinched up around our noses. I love Bangkok!

Oh my. It was so easy to fly in, but those Nepalis, they don't make it easy to leave do they...
We stuffed the surfboards and the rest of our luggage (which is nothing when compared to the sheer scale of that surfboard bag - and in case you were wondering there are 4, yes 4, surfboards inside it) into the tiny little van that the guesthouse had provided. And off we went. The roads were normal for Kathmandu - congested, dusty and so much exhaust. Traffic started getting a little heavier as we neared our destination, and when we were within meters of the exit the driver pulled over to the side of the road and said "OK, you walk now"..... Ummmm, OK, I don't mind walking - I mean I just walked the Himalayas - but I'd really prefer it if you could drop me at the door... Especially as we have this ridiculously huge bag to contend with. But no, there was a demonstration blocking the entrance to the airport. Great.
We took a few minutes to get organized and strapped in - backpacks are a pain in the ass, then started walking towards our destination. There was a blockade accross the road making it impossible for any traffic to enter the airport, and on top of that people were sitting in the street. There were lots of banners (couldn't read them) and lots of megaphones shouting (couldn't understand them)!
We found our way to the entry 'path' - on the pavement to the right of the road, got the surfboard bag lined up, and headed in. It was all going so well, when one of the protesters at the front started to get agitated. Then, before we knew it he was shouting at us "Go away from here", "No Airplanes today", "No flying", "Get away from here, I tell you, GET AWAY FROM HERE" Hands were grabbing at Michael's shirt, all yelling the same thing.
We were 5 meters from the entrance to the airport. Holy crap, just let us through!
Michael grabbed one of the hands that was on his shirt and said "Do not touch me. Take your hands off me." Over and over again. I was yelling "Don't touch me, Don't touch me" (no-one was!!!)
With a little shoving, and some yelling we made it to the gate where the military let us inside. Thanks, I think.

Yesterday was a wee bit surreal. We got up as usual and headed into town for some breakfast - but everything was closed.
Turns out the Maoists weren't happy with some recent appointments that the government had made, so they were staging protests across the city. There were no cars on the roads, schools were closed and businesses were shut. Kathmandu without road traffic is a sight to behold.

We spent the day poking around the Ghats on the river - looking at the Hindu & Bhuddist statues. It's pretty disgusting along the river bank - lots of rubbish, dirt and general decay, but the old ceremonial cremation and ritual bathing sites still exist. I don't think anyone is bathing in the river these days.

We're back in Kathmandu. The trek was absolutely amazing. Words can't decribe the experience. I am exhausted, overwhelmed and very tired. Being back in the city makes the whole thing seem so far away - I have to keep looking at my photos to remind me that we were really there.

It is a wonderful thing to be able to use the loo without having to go outside! When it's freezing and there is ice on the windows, the last thing you want to do is leave the comfort of your sleeping bag and brave the snow.

That's Everest on the left and Lhotse on the right....

It's hard to know what to write about the days trekking activities. It's easier to sum it up - in an 'average' day. So here goes:
5am - Wake up. Need to pee. It's cold outside the sleeping bag. Stay inside it. Can see my breath. Doze for a while.
6.45am - Decide to brave the cold. Grab my clothes and bring them into the sleeping bag - to warm up. Get dressed as quickly as possible.
7am - Pack the backpack. Wash (yeah right!) and go down for breakfast.
7.30 - Eat porridge or banana pancakes for breakfast.
8am - Start walking.
9am - Still walking. Up.
10am - More walking. Down.
11am - Up again. Keep going up.
12pm - Lunch. Dahl Bhat - rice and lentils with curry. So good.
1pm - Walking again.
4pm - Arrive at lodge. Take off boots. Drink lemon tea.
6pm - Eat dinner.
8pm - Get into sleeping bag.
8.30pm - Asleep...

I can't describe how much walking up and down we've done over the last few days. On one day alone we climbed 1900m (that's 6200ft) and then descended another 400m (1300ft). The rivers run North South, and we are walking East. This means we cross every valley on a bridge over the river, and then climb the valley side until we cross the mountain pass at the top. Only to have to descend to the valley below.

The scenery is amazing. Pine trees, rhododendrons, glacial rivers, blue skies, clouds below us......
My feet are killing me, but no blisters......

Ha ha ha! Who ever described the bus ride to Jiri as 'Hell on Earth' wasn't far wrong...
By the time we made it to the bus station in Kathmandu it was 10 past 6 in the morning. The bus was due to leave at 6am. We did a couple of laps of the station at speed and finally found our bus - driving around honking it's horn picking up passengers. We jumped on board and found ourselves in the very back row - a spot where no normal human being, with legs, could possibly fit. The seats were so close together that my knees were by my ears. Michael looked like some kind of new pretzel.
The bus pulled out of the station at 6.15 and we were off! After bouncing along for a few hours we pulled over for lunch at 9.30 in the morning - not feeling like eating that early Michael and I waited for the journey to resume. The side of the bus was covered in vomit - from every window!! I think we were the only ones who didn't suffer from car sickness. But the sound of the retching was almost more than I could bear!!
Michael got up on top of the bus, with the luggage, for the rest of the trip. Which left me with space for 1 of my knees, and half a thigh. We arrived in Jiri at 12.30 where the bus then took a dirt track towards our destination - Bhandar. The switchbacks are insane and the road is dirt and potholes. We crossed a river just by driving through the water - no bridge yet.
As we climbed higher and higher the road got narrower and narrower and the turns more life threatening. Every time we hit a pothole I bounced out of my seat. The bus rounded a corner and then the wheels started spinning in the mud. We stopped 4 times - everyone out of the bus to push, throwing gravel under the wheels. After about 5 hours the bus driver decided to turn back. We found out that a bus has NEVER made it to Bhandar.
We got out at the nearest town, and walked to our destination for the night, arriving at 6pm - 12 hours after we had departed from Kathmandu.

We're off to Everest tomorrow.... Yikes!.

We're getting on the bus to Jiri at 5.30am - it will take us about 8 hours to get to our destination. Then we start to walk. All in all we're planning on about 18 days. Walking East from Jiri towards the Dudh Kosi river should take 5/6 days, and then we head North and follow the valley towards Everest.

I'm very excited. That's all there is to say!!

We spend the day organizing ourselves for the trek. We had planned to do it on our own, but the Nepalese government has changed the requirements and now everyone trekking in the Everest region must hire a porter or a guide.
We just have a few more things to pull together - bus tickets, trekking permit... But other than that we're ready to go!!

We've arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. The flight was great. We flew Qatar Airways (via Doha) - so much better than Virgin Atlantic. We had legroom, good food & wine. What more do you need??

It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

, originally uploaded by ladyhedda.

Are we ready? Ummm. Maybe. We leave in 5 hours and Michael is out surfing and I haven't packed a thing. I guess I'd better start, but instead I'm here at the computer reading, writing and procrastinating.
How many pairs of knickers do I really need? What about t-shirts?
Shall I bring my knitting? Am I going to be painting my toes? Because if I am, then I'm going to need nail polish and nail polish remover.
What about books? Books are heavy. Maybe I'll stick with the knitting, at least it's light.
Must. Pack. Now.

So, did you know that October 29th was Thanksgiving? No? Well it was.
We had turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, gravy, brussels sprouts, pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie and so much more.
The dogs were having their own party upstairs – Shackleton is so happy when Peanut is in town. Now he’s whooped. And snoring. And he smells like Peanut lick. And he wants to get up onto the bed. Uh, NO…. So many ways to say NO, YOU MAY NOT GET ON THE BED.

, originally uploaded by ladyhedda.

Yay! We saw a van today that is just perfect. So perfect that we’re going to buy it. Tomorrow we’re getting on the train (surfboards n all) and heading out to a tiny village just outside of Bath to pickup our new home. I am so excited , we’re finally off. Not sure yet where we’re going….. But we’ll figure it out when we get there.

Well, we’ve driven the length and breath of the country looking for a VW van and it’s not looking good. We saw 3 vans week. The first we found on ebay – it sounded perfect. The mileage was low, one careful owner. But yikes, the whole van had been painted by hand. Now I don’t know about you, but I will not be seen driving around in a van that looks like it was painted by a two yr old. The inside was a custom install - by Grandad. The second van was in a pretty desperate state. And, no – I was not interested in the portapotty that came with it. I swear it hadn’t been cleaned this century. The last one was just way too expensive. I mean, I get that it’s an automatic and all, but come on - I could buy a new car for not much more.
More searching will commence…

We arrived safely in at London Heathrow this afternoon. Dad was there to pick us up – I think he nearly fell over when he saw the TWO surfboard bags we were manhandling onto a trolley. All in all there were a total of NINE surfboards. Yes, nine.
We made it back to my ‘Home Town’ in one piece. I’m happy to say the sun is shining and it’s balmy outside.