Snap back to reality

Saturday 29^th August 2015

This morning I left Vietnam! I woke up early and checked out. Annoyingly the breakfast wasn’t ready even though it was supposed to start at 6.30am so all I got was bananas.

I shared a taxi to the airport with another girl and checked in straight in and walked about the airport where I bumped into a guy I met in Cambodia we caught up for a while then I went and boarded my plane.

I slept most of the three hour flight but woke up to a swollen throbbing arm I had to wait for everyone to get off the plane as everyone was in a rush to get moving.

I got out of the airport and got on the bus into kl Sentral along the way we stopped a few times to watch the Bersih protest at the station I got the LRT (train) to Pasar Seni and came out in the midst of the protest and had to navigate my way to the hostel.

I checked in and was upset to find I had been allocated a top bunk and also that there was 6% GST on the cost as well making it more expensive. So I had to go out for more cash.

I found some food and chilled in the common area for a bit before going to bed to watch a movie.

Sunday 30^th August 2015

Today was a really lazy day I woke up and waited for ages hoping someone else would wake up so that I could get down from the top bunk without smashing my face. Unfortunately no one got up so I had to brave it and successfully landed on my feet.

I got ready for the day and then went down for breakfast and ended up chatting to a girl for several hours. Eventually I had to go back upstairs to move beds and ended up having a nap for a while when I came down I went out to get some food but it was a struggle to find anything vegetarian.

On the way back to the hostel I picked up some cookies and sat drinking tea and munching all evening whilst watching big hero six.

At about 10.30pm I went out and got some food and watched the end of the Bersih protest and the countdown to Merdeka which was an amazing experience it was like a carnival atmosphere which was really interesting. We spent some time talking to a really lovely family who explained everything and translated things the crowd was chanting etc.

By the time we got back I was exhausted and fell into bed tired.

Monday 31^st August 2015

This morning I woke up needing the bathroom and thinking it was the middle of the night so was surprised when I came out and it was really light and it was actually 8am so I got up.

I had a shower and had some breakfast and then around 10am went to the Merdeka (Independence Day) parade but it was mostly over which was a shame but we saw some huge balloons and lots of people cheering.

I walked through the central market to the train station and got a train to KLCC where I walked around and killed a few hours having a picnic for one in the park.

Back at the hostel I sorted the last of my Vietnam photos and chilled out for a while in the evening I went for dinner in Chinatown then watched a movie in the hostel.

Tuesday 1^st September 2015

I had a last lazy morning sitting around watching CNN news but began to feel a little depressed by all of the stupidity and doom and gloom of the media so headed out.

I got the train to KL Sentral with another girl and we had amazing pancakes at a place in the mall before walking to little India.

We spent the late afternoon strolling along looking in the many shops and chatting to people who stopped me to comment on my tattoo (and take loads of photos)

We weren’t really hungry but a really nice woman recommended a vegetarian Indian restaurant so we had an early dinner before continuing on our way. While we were eating it started to rain heavily and was still drizzling as we walked back to the train station.

Back at the hostel we sat about for a bit then walked to Chinatown to get some fruit then chilled out till it was time to seep.

Wednesday 2^nd September 2015

For some unknown reason I booked a haircut for 11am so had to actually get up and moving. I had a shower and some breakfast then got the train to KL Sentral and found the salon. The result wasn’t exactly what I had in mind but hopefully after a wash I can fix it how I want as currently it’s very sleek.

After the cut I walked around the mall a bit and then went back to the hostel to watch a movie. I sat in the common area and streamed a couple of movies interspersed with occasional conversation with other people hanging about.

In the evening a friend and I went to the mall at KL Sentral to get some food we ended up at a burger bar right next to Celebrity Fitness and stuffed our faces whilst watching spin and Zumba. I’m not sure I’d be happy to exercise while people stared through the windows some people were even filming the Zumba class on their phones…

We felt pretty stuffed so when we got back we took a walk around Chinatown arriving back at the hostel just in time to farewell another friend. I watched a bit of a movie on the TV in the common room and then retreated to bed.

Thursday 3^rd September 2015

So today was my last full day travelling and I spent it doing nothing so spectacular. This girl in my room woke up around 5am and spent an age rummaging around her bag and going in and out of the room only to finally take a shower and go back to bed! It was hugely annoying and I couldn’t really get back to sleep.

Eventually I got up and had a long breakfast before sorting through and packing my bags. Once that was done I sat about waiting for things to charge so I would have movies and books for the plane.

Around 2pm I went for a walk just to get some fresh air and ended up walking to Bukit Bintang which is s huge shopping area. The pavilion mall there is huge and I got lost in there searching for something to eat. I ate and then had to search for my way back out and walk back to the hostel. Along the way I encountered (yet another) literal wanker calming jerking himself off on a bench.

I got back to the hostel and chilled out in the cool ac before getting an early dinner the food was pretty good but overpriced and the place lacked atmosphere so we didn’t stick around long.

We walked through Chinatown and picked up some sacks as we were still a bit hungry and then went back to the hostel and spent the evening watching movies.

Friday 4^th September 2015

Last night it was a bit hard to sleep as I knew that today I would be getting on a plane back to the UK. I got up and dressed and went to meet my old KL flatties for breakfast. We were supposed to meet at 9am but due to traffic there was a bit of a hold up.

Emily and I had breakfast and then walked about ten minutes to the bookshop where she works (as she had to be back at work) and we met the others there. Mic arrived with a friend who is staying with her and a bit later Sidney arrived as well.

We walked to another café close by and I had tea while the others ate and we caught up on the last two years! Around 11.30am I had to leave to get back to the hostel in time to pack and check out. I checked out and then had a shower and got all my things together ready to go.

I spent my last few hours willing time to move a bit quicker and drinking endless cups of tea in preparation for England.

Now I have less than an hour before I leave or the airport! The last 291 days (yip that’s how long I’ve been on the road!) have been amazing! Huge thanks to everyone who has been a part of the journey I hope that our paths will cross again somewhere someday! See you all on the other side (of the world!!!) Peace and Love xxxx

Beachlife!!!

Sunday 2^nd August 2015 

I woke up this morning at 5.57am just three minutes before my alarm was about to go off! I had to be up early to get the bus to Mui Ne the first stop on my journey north through Vietnam. I checked out and headed across the road to where the bus was leaving from. I had to be there at 6.45am for a 7.15am start but the bus was late and we didn’t leave until about 7.45am which was a pain as I would have enjoyed the extra sleep but it didn’t matter too much as I slept on the bus.

There was just one stop along the way during the five hour journey which was good as I just wanted to get there. The bus was supposed to drop me off outside my hotel but missed it. I was glad I looked at the map on my phone when I did otherwise I might have ended up in the next town over! As it was I just had to walk 3km back to the hotel and I tried to think about it as good exercise.

Once I got there and checked in I went through my bag quickly to sort out my laundry which I took to the wash shop and then hit the beach. I spent the next three hours enjoying the sunshine moving every time the shade of the coconut trees caught up with me until the sun went behind some clouds.

I sat a while longer before walking the length of the beach and back taking in all the huge resorts with their deck chairs on the sand. By the time I got back to the hostel it was pushing on for 6pm and I was feeling pretty hungry but I needed to sort out my bus ticket for my onward journey in a few days. I was lucky to get a cheap motorbike taxi there and back as I couldn’t be bothered walking.

Once that was sorted I could relax so went for some dinner and then a walk along the shops to see what is about before returning to the hostel to wash the sand off and head to bed.

Monday 3^rd August 2015

Last night was a butt ache of a sleep it seems everyone in the dorm forgot to behave like decent people first off there were three girls talking loudly until late, next two guys arrived back at 3am talking and switching on the light and finally the same three girls got up at 4am to watch the sunrise and were talking and put the light on and then a guy who wasn’t even in our room came and yelled at a girl to get up as their bus was leaving. The sunrise girls came back at 7am to pack for their bus and were making so much noise that it was game over.

I got up and went for a run along the beach. I only got a short distance before I had to stop obviously I need to get back into running! I stopped and did some yoga for about an hour before walking back along the beach. I had a shower as I was covered in sand and then picked up my laundry and then got some breakfast by the pool.

I was going to have a swim and lounge there for a while but it was super busy so I just headed to the beach. I forgot my book so read the news and slept all day. Around 3.30pm when it had clouded over I headed back to the pool to get some guacamole and have a swim but it seemed the universe didn’t want me in the pool as it started to rain pretty heavily. I took shelter and when it eased off went and had a shower and got rid of all the sand in my ears.

the view from my prime sun worshiping position

I chilled out for a bit putting my laundry away and sorting out my bag before going to dinner at an Indian restaurant. The food wasn’t terrible but it also wasn’t great. I left feeling pretty heavy so took a long walk along the shop fronts and found an organic soap shop where the sales assistant followed me around I never intended to buy anything and her sticking to me like glue made me even more reluctant to buy. She was clearly disappointed when I left.

Back at the hostel there was no one else in the room which was nice I could relax and upload some pictures and what not before getting an early night

Tuesday 4^th August 2015

This morning was my last little stint on the beach for a while I got up around 8am and went for a run along the beach I ran the same distance as yesterday but where yesterday was a struggle today was a dream. Muscle memory is an amazing thing! After running I did a bit of yoga and then walked back along the beach where I sat and enjoyed the sunshine for a good wee while.

Around 10.30am I headed back to the hostel to shower and pack up annoyingly there was no power and no generator so I had to shower in the dark and then try and find all my stuff mostly using the light coming from the door which was a pain.

I checked out and then went to eat by the pool annoyingly most of the options were unavailable due to the power outage (although the pool bit had a generator so what’s that about???) I ate and then headed to the end of the little lane to wait for the bus to Da Lat.

breakfast views

It was a bit of a wait and when the bus came the guy only had room numbers rather than names but was only picking up four people but we all came out of the dorm room which was a hassle. I knew I was meant to be on that bus as I knew what company was travelling with but others weren’t so sure and it took a few minutes to work out.

Once we got on the road I tuned out to the world and watched the countryside flash past the windows there were quite a few awesome photo ops but I missed them all or power lines got in the way. The road was pretty decent with construction going on here and there but for the most part although it was winding up the mountains it was pretty chilled out and our driver was good and drove sensibly not like some of the other idiots who flew past us.

We pulled into Da Lat and it was about a ten minute walk to the hostel where I was staying. The place is really quiet and chilled out and at the moment pretty empty which made a nice change from the packed dorm rooms at the last few places. The hostel staff put on a “family dinner” for all the guests which was really tasty and it was eat as much as you want which we all did.

After eating we sat about talking and organised a day trip for tomorrow before heading to bed.

Pokhara

Monday 13^th April 2015

I woke up early this morning after sleeping badly, there was a mozzie in the room that kept getting my toes. Since sleep was no longer an option I read my book for a while until Mark woke up and we went and got food.

Depressingly when we looked at the weather for the day it said it wouldn’t rain until 3pm really we should have just looked out of the window and we would have seen for ourselves that the weather man had gotten it wrong but we didn’t and so we ended up walking around in the rain with no coats in a somewhat fruitless search for an ATM that actually wanted to distribute money.

Eventually we had some rupees in our hot little hands and so off we went for breakfast. We found a little Indian place that was reasonably priced and got a huge plate of parathas each. Feeling satisfied we ventured back out into the rain to the guesthouse to enquire about trekking.

We sat and discussed it with the guy at the guesthouse and he showed us several routes before we went up to our room to have a think about it and research other options. Unfortunately the internet was working at a snail’s pace and it was more frustrating than anything else.

After sitting around for a while we decided to get active, since it was still raining we thought the Gurkha museum would be a good choice. We drove through the drizzle to get there and parked up in the empty parking lot where the security guard was exceptionally happy to see us.

We seemed to be the only ones there apart from two girls who upon learning that the museum cost 200 NPR (less than NZD $2) left. We got our tickets and headed inside. In the entrance way there was a display of all the Gurkha souvenir items you could buy at just a fraction of the cost they see the knifes for in the street it was a steal but I have no need for a massive knife and didn’t get one.

The museum is three floors of photographs, memorabilia and history it’s pretty well put together but the museum itself is a tad on the cold and dark side. We spent a few hours wandering about looking at the different bits and pieces and reading the many personal stories of soldiers before heading back out into the day.

 When we got outside it was raining we headed back to the guesthouse to drop off the bike and then went and had a late lunch back at the Indian place. We got idly much to an Indian patrons delight the coconut chutney was especially good as it was made from fresh coconut!

After eating we walked along the lake it was Nepali New Year and the celebrations were beginning with crowds everywhere extra street vendors and a huge carnival by the lake. We walked a bit people watching and taking in the atmosphere. The weather had cleared a little and we were able to see the snow-capped mountains that surround Pokhara.

Back at the accommodation we chilled out until we got hungry again and then went out and ate at a place overlooking the lake. The food was good and the place was crowded with people celebrating. We on the other hand were feeling rather old fogyish and headed back to the guesthouse to watch a movie.

Just before midnight we decided to check out what was going on we walked along the lake watching the fireworks in the sky competing with the hordes of bats for the most impressive air show. Most places seemed to be closing up and as we walked along the streets became more and fuller of drunken party goers stumbling in the street and shouting happy New Year. For the most part the crowd was happy and full of merriment but there were a few angry exchanges and bottles being smashed around us.

Since it all seemed to be winding down we headed back and within minutes I was fast asleep.

Tuesday 14^th April 2014

After our “big night” last night I felt groggy when I woke up so it was no surprise that it was midday before we had finished breakfast and were ready for the day. We ate pretty much next door to the guesthouse and so it was just a short walk back to get the bike and head out exploring for the day.

Our first stop was Davis Falls so called because is 1960 (or there about reports all seem to differ on the facts) a Swiss tourist (or a diplomats wife depending on your source) was taking a bath in the lake and was swept down the falls to his/her death subsequently the falls were named after him/her. The local name for the falls is Patale Chango meaning underworld waterfall perhaps so called because of the rock formation. The waterfall flows through a tunnel naturally carved into the rock.

We had to pay 30 NPR to get in and although it’s a tiny sum it was a bit insulting when inside was strewn with garbage (including in the river and waterfall) there was even a pair of pants stuck to a rock in the water which made all photos a bit shit. The crowd was also ridiculous with people constantly pushing and shoving for a better view.

We came out of the falls enclosure and went across the road to Mahadev Cave signposted as the “best and most wonderful cave I South East Asia” in my opinion it really didn’t live up to its name (either that or all other caves in SE Asia must be spectacularly shit!) we got our tickets and walked down the weird concrete spiral staircase. Alongside the stairs are bizarre concrete carvings such as elephant heads with creepy men sitting on top and tree people groping young girls.

We reached the cave entrance and ended up in line to see a weird cow sculpture that had water coming out of the teats that devotees seemed to want to drink. Once in the line there was no way out as it snaked slowly down and around a manmade single file loop of fake cave ending at the cow.

Once we were out of that claustrophobic nightmare we continued downwards past a very wet temple and further into the cave which seemed to be more man made than anything with concrete staircases and big steel and rock walls.

When we eventually reached the cavern itself it was full of pushy people jostling about for the little space there was. We didn’t bother going all the way down as the line to get onto the stairs was a huge ball of people pushing each other that didn’t look like something we wanted to join in.

We didn’t stay in the stuffy cave long instead heading back up to the fresh air of the surface. We headed back to the bike avoiding all the touts trying to palm off their crappy wares and headed back to town for some food.

We dropped into the Indian and had some samosas and a chill out before getting back on the bike and driving the other direction to Sarangkot which is a lookout way up on a hill overlooking the entire area. It sits at an altitude of 1600m (but seems much higher) and overlooks Pokhara lake on the northwest and the Annapurna range on the western side (we could only see the tops of the mountains because of the clouds)

Most of the way up the road was pretty great but it deteriated for a freaky few kilometres of bumpy hell before getting nice again. We could drive most of the way up before having to park up and walk the last wee bit. Annoyingly its 30 NPR to look at the view but according to the sign the money goes to the local school and health care centre which is obviously a good thing.

We sat looking out at the snow covered mountains for a while watching the clouds clear a little bit before heading back down and back to town (with Mark playing silly buggers and driving with no hands part of the way)

By the time we got back it was close to 6pm so we relaxed until dinnertime. We headed to the Indian place for a lateish dinner and chilled out for the evening.

Wednesday 15^th April 2015

This morning as usual lingered over breakfast chilling in the sunshine and reading our books. We planned to walk around Fewa Lake. We set off at about midday leaving behind the shops and touts and walking along a pedestrian way right on the water’s edge. There were people advertising boat trips and a few restaurants but the atmosphere was very laid back.

Pretty soon though the path ended and we had to continue along the road making sure to keep out of the way of honing trucks and vans the road wound through pretty little villages past water buffalos swimming in the marshy lake edges and ponies grazing in the lush green fields.

We managed to walk the length of the river before admitting defeat the options being get a boat across or keep walking quite a bit further to another town where we could cross the river that feeds the lake. We sat at this point watching a ton of paragliders land and laughing at the ones screaming in terror as the hit the landing point surrounded by the water of the lake.

We walked back to town in search of some food feeling like the day had been a success the walk was about three and a half hours which was good for us since we have become a bit used to driving everywhere!

Back in town we found a restaurant with lake views and sat and ate and chilled out before heading back to the guesthouse to wash off the stink of the day.

In the evening we weren’t really hungry but went out for food anyway and had a drawn out meal before heading back to relax.

Thursday 16^th April 2015

Today was a pretty chilled day we had a long breakfast as is becoming our morning custom and then headed back to the guesthouse to do a ton of laundry taking advantage of the sunny weather. Once that was done we organised some trekking and then relaxed for a while.

We had a late lunch at the local Indian place and then went back to our accommodation to pick up the bike and headed to Begnas Lake. Google maps told us it was an hour’s drive away it took us almost that long but only because we got lost twice and ended up on some pretty dodgy roads.

At the lake we sat and took some photos making friends with a stray dog (who I called Stanley) and a local family who wanted about a million photos with us in one the mum made me wear her husband’s ray bans which was a tad peculiar.

Stanley was quite boisterous and at one point jumped up on me (covering me with mud) and licked my face the small Nepali girl was horrified and informed me it was a “very naughty dirty dog” we didn’t stay too long at the lake just soaked in some atmosphere and then battled the traffic heading back into town.

It wasn’t long before we were hungry and so headed out for food when we came back several hours later I pulled the curtains closed and was met by a humungous spider just chilling it was about the size of my face! The guesthouse man said it was a harmless spider but then proceeded to beat it with a broom much to my distress I didn’t Want it in the room but I certainly didn’t want it dead and I feel like I took on the bad karma of its death.

The rest of the evening was spent freaking each other out that there was a huge spider about to jump on our faces and eat us.

Friday 17^th April 2015

Today was forecast to be wet and miserable but when we woke up the sun was shining and the skies were blue.

We had our typical long breakfast and enjoyed the sunshine while we read our books before heading back to the guesthouse to pack up a bit and get our things ready for trekking tomorrow.

We ended up spending ages trying to sort my laptop out and by the time we were done and I was well and truly grumpy thunder was rolling lightening was flashing and the skies had turned black.

We used the crappy weather as an excuse to sit inside and watch TV for a while until our bellies began to rumble and we decided to go and get some lunch and then cake and tea.

Once we were fed and watered we returned to the guesthouse for an evening of lounging around before trekking bright and early tomorrow.

Kathmandu - Nepal

Wednesday 8^th April 2015

We got woken up this morning by a dude in the bathroom next-door hacking up his lungs and snoting into the sink it was rather unpleasant and went on long enough to disrupt sleep permanently.

We got up and chucked clothes on and made it across the road where we had huge breakfasts and abused the Wi-Fi for several hours of chill time. I had woken up feeling as though I had been hit by a truck so the inactivity made for a beautiful morning.

When we finally got moving we walked through Durbar Square to a shop so Mark could get a part for the bike and then headed to the Dharahara Tower originally built in 1825 but destroyed by an earthquake in 1934 and rebuilt in 1936 the tower has 213 steps and a viewing platform allowing 360 degree views of the city.

Durbar Square

We paid for our tickets and headed in there is no sort of control or regulation for how many people are in the tower at once or any sort of curtesy walking up or down instead everyone just sort of pushes in a mad scramble in either direction.

We walked right up to the top where there is a Siva Lingam we had a brief look before heading back to the platform and making a circuit of it and taking a few pictures along the way. The way down was as much of a squeeze as coming up and it was a relief to be back out on the street in the fresh air.

View from the tower

We walked to Thamel and got falafel wraps for lunch and then checked out a few stores as I wanted some new trousers but didn’t find any that really called my name. We walked back to the guesthouse where I read my book while Mark worked on the bike.

In the evening we walked back to Thamel to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner. All the tables were low so we sat on the floor. The food was pretty spectacular but the whole meal I was struggling to stay awake as lack of sleep caught up with me.

Thursday 9^th April 2015

Today was a pretty blah day. Mark went off early to drop his passport off at the Indian immigration office while I continued to sleep. We had planned a few things but after breakfast and then a coffee we stopped back at the guesthouse for a bit and I never left.

We came back to put some books on my e-reader and by the time it was done I was ready to take a nap and not do anything for the rest of the day as I felt all tired and grumpy.

In the evening we went to a place down the road and had burgers for dinner before spending the evening watching movies.

Friday 10^th April 2015

Today was another lazy-ish day we had a late breakfast and then dropped off our laundry (as its only 50 NPR per kg it made way more sense to just get it all done rather than toil about washing it in a bucket) with the washing sorted we walked to Thamel and got new trousers, we had already looked at some the other day and so just went back and got them.

We then walked a little bit further to the Garden of dreams. We had to pay 200 NPR to get in but it was worth it for the peace and quiet of the gardens. Built way back in the 1920s the garden was originally a private garden for Field Marshal Kaiser Sumsher Rana sadly in when he died in 1960 the garden fell into ruin until recently when I was restored to its former glory and restored to its glory it has been, although it is now only half of its original size.

The gardens are small but feature several ponds, fountains, decorative garden furniture, and verandas and pergolas. We headed down some stairs to a terraced grassy slope where there were plenty of mats and cushions to lounge on. The sun was shining and so we retired under a tree and spent the afternoon contently reading (and trying to avoid being pooped on by the crows that insisted in perching in the tree above us)

A few pics of people lounging in the Garden of Dreams

Unfortunately in the late afternoon we had to leave to head to the visa office for Mark to pick up his passport. Along the way we stopped off at the supermarket and got a snack then continued on to the passport office where we waited outside until they opened the gate then headed in once inside the process went quickly and we were soon on our way out.

We went and got a coffee to kill time and ended up staying in the café for dinner just getting a few things we could munch on while chatting and reading.

Saturday 11^th April 2015

After a long breakfast this morning we were going to head climbing but realised we didn’t really have enough time as we needed to pick up our washing at 2pm and couldn’t miss them as the shops closed on Sundays and we planned to leave then. This meant we had a couple of hours that we needed to kill so we headed back to the room and packed up a bit and then I sat about reading my book while Mark entertained himself with various activities.

Eventually it was 2pm and with the washing collected we headed to the Nayayanhiti Palace Museum. We ended up walking right past It and had to double back on ourselves we made it back just in time for the last ticket sales of the day.

The construction of the palace was completed in 1969 and in its heyday I’m sure it was a marvel of modern architecture but now it just looked tired and a bit tacky. (Although extremely interesting) I was expecting it to be reminiscent of an old English manor house but instead was like walking through somebodies tasteless grandma’s house. The palace had 52 rooms of which 19 are open to the public. It makes for some fascinating viewing to see all the old photos on the walls and the old artwork on the walls.

The royal family lived in the palace up until they were massacred by the crown prince (for not approving his marriage choice…ummm spoilt much?) after they were all murdered (and he then topped himself in 2001) the crown fell to some other dude but the Nepali people spoke and they were done with royalty and so after a vote in 2008 the new king was given 15 days to vacate the palace and become a commoner. The palace opened as a museum in 2009.

Unfortunately photography in the palace is strictly prohibited because the whole place is great full of old tacky dusty furniture, old portraits of royals, photographs of dignitaries, outdated TV’s, radios and telephones and a whole zoo of stuffed animals including at least six tigers, various leopards a polar bear, an alligator and several stools and umbrella stands made from elephant and rhino feet as well as all sorts of heads mounted on the wall.

Behind the palace is the ruins of a smaller building in which the royal massacre took place after which it was torn down. It’s also where the gardens are which are overgrown with weeds and unruly plants growing all over empty fountains and crumbling lawn furniture and a children’s play set.

The whole place while hugely fascinating feels stagnant and full of the many deaths that took place there and I was quite glad to be back out in the sunshine and on our way.

We stopped and had lunch in a trendy café before having a mammoth walk across the city to see a Stupa. We never made it to the famous one we set out to see instead settling on one we stumbled across. The courtyard was full of a mix of people praying, kids playing and young guys just hanging out. The mood was happy and the prayer flags that were fluttering in the wind were bright and cheerful. We walked clock wise around the stupa and then headed back into the city as the sun went down.

Hazy sunset in Kathmandu

We ate at the local Indian place and then got an early night before our road trip to Pokhara.

Sunday 12^th April 2015

Today we drove from Kathmandu to Pokhara. As is often the case everyone told us how nice the road was and that it would only take about six hours to get there. For once they were correct. Most of the way the road was in excellent condition with just a few potholes and bumps here and there.

We got up planning to leave round 8.30am but true to our normal fashion of not being able to get going it was 9.30am before we were on the road. We got up went and had breakfast and then packed up the remainder of our things. Once we had everything ready to go it didn’t take long to load up the bike and hit the road.

Even though it was a Sunday morning traffic in the city was heavy and it was a bit stop start until we reached the city limits and even then we constantly got stuck behind trucks or buses but about an hour or so into the journey the road opened up a bit and we started making decent progress.

The drive was beautiful as we went through small villages and towns all perched up on the side of the mountain. For the most past we followed a river which was beautiful although very polluted looking. In stretches the water was a thick brown colour (it was in one of these brown patches that we saw a bunch of people rafting and I hoped for their sakes they didn’t fall out)

We stopped a few times to stretch our legs but these breaks were also a hazard as the road was very populated and as soon as we stopped a dozen trucks belching out black smoke would careen by choking us where we stood.

The last 15km or so began to feel a bit endless as the road was boring and straight but lined with traffic eventually we reached the turn off for the lake and stopped at the first restaurant we came to for some veg chow mein.

Feeling fuelled up we went in search of a guesthouse, as its Nepali new year all the places in town are a bit more expensive than normal but we managed to find a place right opposite the lake that seemed pretty decent.

We dumped our gear and went in search of a cup of tea. We found a nice restaurant and chilled there until it was an appropriate dinner time then had a long drawn out meal as the rain poured down outside. When finally we were ready to leave it had calmed down enough that we didn’t get too drenched on the short walk back.

Thankfully there was hot water and after a nice warm bucket shower the world looked a better place.

Jaffna - the last few days of my Sri Lankan adventure

Thursday 2^nd April 2015

I woke up early today and fannyed around for a bit packing and double checking train times. I read on trip advisor that it was best to book ahead for Jaffna but since booking.com and the rest charge a fee (and then here the hotels add an extra tax and service charge if you use a website) I decided to wing it.

I got to the train station early as I wanted to chill out and get some food and relax but the ticked counter didn’t actually open until 10am meaning I had to stand in line with all my bags until it did. When I got my ticket I had about 15mins to spare so went and grabbed a couple of samosas and some water and chilled out on the platform.

A train was called but it was to Colombo 10.25am came and went without a train so I asked what was up, the train was delayed by 40mins. I read my book and kept an ear out as I didn’t even know what platform it was coming in on (neither did anyone else staff included)

The train came and was pretty empty I found a seat and settled into my book but was soon nodding off so I gave up and put my music in and went to sleep. When I woke up the carriage was empty except for the seats in front of me behind me and across the aisle from me all occupied by men watching me sleep.

I tried to ignore them and looked out the window. The train ended up arriving in about four hours late after continuously breaking down and sitting between stations for long stretches of time.

I got out to the front of the station (which was beautiful and new) and had a look at the lonely planet for places to stay my search this morning had indicated that a lot of the top picks (also the cheapies) were actually rubbish according to reviews so I was a bit lost.

I ended up going with a driver to see a place it sounded really good and was within my price range but when we arrived it was fully booked. This was the point the lying started tomorrow is a Poya day and apparently the whole town is full because of it. I asked my driver to take me to a few places but he just did his own thing taking me to places that were out of my price range or cheap but really shit and full of shirtless fat smelly men.

In the end I caved and agreed to pay more than was fair the rickshaw driver tried to get more money out of me but I told him we had agreed a total price and I wasn’t paying more.

I went up to my room to chill out for a while and the guesthouse owner kept turning off the wife “to save power” in the end I got so mad at him he put the router in my room.

About 530pm I walked down the road to try and find some food it was a lot further than the 200m the guesthouse man told me but it was Indian (even if they were only serving Dosa) I sat and tried to enjoy the delicious food but was being annihilated by mozzies.

Back at the guesthouse I read my book and watched a movie and kept the door locked after people kept coming to check on me. Quite late there was a knock at the door followed by the door handle being turned. Thank fuck I always lock myself in. it was late and I was barely dressed and the guy wanted me to come have a pot of tea. I declined by yelling through the door and made sure everything was locked and dead bolted

Friday 3^rd April 2015

At a little after 6.30am this morning there was a knock on my door followed by the door handle turning followed by furious pounding on the door when the person realised it was locked. I called out to the person and the same as last night they wanted to know if I wanted tea (it was free as if that made a difference) I wasn’t sure what the time was an thought maybe I had slept late but when far too early to be drinking tea.

Alas once I was awake I could fall back asleep despite being hugely tired. I went back to bed and read a bit but was up and ready for the day far earlier than I had planned to be or needed to be. When I went downstairs I asked if they had a map of the city as I was told yesterday they would get me one however the manager hadn’t arrived for work yet and was going to be at least another 30mins and I was ready for action so I decided to just wing it.

My first stop was Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil Temple it’s the biggest Hindu temple in town and really is quite spectacular. The grounds are huge with lots of Bodhi trees here and there. When you get close there are huge signs saying photography is prohibited but of course that didn’t apply to the two busloads of foreign tourists snapping away completely oblivious to all the angry stares they were receiving.

I went inside and was happy that by chance I had arrived in time for the morning Puja. As I wondered about the huge complex prayers and music rang out through the huge speakers. The inside walls are painted with fabulous murals including one beautiful wall of Shiva repeated over and over in different poses.

I spent some time in the temple before walking through the grounds and back out onto the street where a perfectly healthy well-dressed man stopped me and asked me for money his exact words being “give me money for something to eat” while pointing at a closed restaurant. I did not give him money. Not having a map was a bit of an annoyance so I asked someone which way to Jaffna Fort and he pointed down the road and said to just follow the road. After a while I came to a bunch of rickshaw drivers and asked them they told me it was 7km away and that I couldn’t walk that far but I knew it was only 2km from the guesthouse then they changed it to 4km I asked if I was going the right way and they said yes. A little while further I asked someone in a shop and they said 1km. along this road I saw several ruins I went in and had a poke about since the gate was open but there were no signs so I didn’t know what the building was I later learned it was Manthri Manai which was the ministers quarters of the royal palace. I kept walking but as I was heading out into the countryside not into town I felt I was going the wrong way so I flagged down another rickshaw driver who told me I was going the wrong way every single person since the temple had put me wrong! The rickshaw driver was very friendly and understood that I didn’t want to go with him and put me on a bus heading to Jaffna town from there it was a short walk to the Fort.

I got off the bus and wondered into a shop to pick up a veggie roti I also got a samosa they were probably the best food I’ve had since arriving in Sri Lanka both spicy and full of flavour and not cold for once! I ate them walking along the road towards the fort I could see it but not how to get in and on my wander I passed a vehicle testing site where learner drivers where weaving in and out of cones (all quite badly) I also passed a cricket stadium which had seen better days although I wasn’t sure if it was war damage or under renovation.

A bit further along the road I came to the public library which was one of the first building to be built after the 2002 cease fire. It’s a really impressive building with a beautiful statue of Sarawaswati out the front. Unfortunately it was closed as its Good Friday (I think it’s also a Poya day despite the full moon actually being tomorrow) the security guard at the library pointed me to the fort entrance and I walked there getting glimpses of the sea as I went.

The Fort is pretty cool and even though there are multimillion dollar restoration projects in place it is free to enter. The Fort sustained a lot of damage during the war when the LTTE forced out the government troops who were using it as an encampment during a 107 day siege. It’s also very old (in its present form it’s been there since 1792, but there has been a fort on this spot since 1680)

I went in and had a look through the display at the start which shows agrological excavation and talks about the history of the Fort after which I walked through into the main courtyard and sat under a tree for 30mins or so to rest from the sun for a while and read my book. Unfortunately I didn’t get much peace as a young guy started peppering me with questions I told him its rude to ask if a girl is married and how old she is he laughed it off and stared asking me if I liked kissing and what did I like doing with a man (this last question was asked with a wink) at that point I decided to move on and explore.

The Fort is mostly empty and after the creepy guy asking creepy questions I kept looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was following me but the only people I bumped into were couples getting it on in the ruins. I walked around the perimeter of the walls and then back out to the road.

After almost a month of using it I figured out how to zoom in on the maps on my e-book version of the lonely planet and mapped out a little tour for the rest of the day. I started walking along the main street every now and then I would see the sea but I couldn’t get close as there was razor wire fence blocking it off.

I walked along and interestingly stumbled across the town’s prison a grisly looking affair topped with barbed wire and armed by a huge military presence. Across the road from the prison was St James School for girls…

Further along the road I came to St Marys Cathedral a pretty impressive affair with a corrugated iron roof. I stopped inside for a rest in the shade the place was huge and there was a small congregation saying Good Friday prayers. Along this street were man churches, a convent, a retirement home for priests and several catholic schools despite the pre-war population of Christians being as low as 12% and nowadays being much lower.

After the churches I went to see the ruins of the former kachcheri which was the administrate office before the war I’m not sure if the building I saw was the one I was looking for but either way it saw some trouble in the war as told by the pockmarks of bullets.

As I was close-ish I decided to head into the train station and enquire about trains back to Colombo on Sunday when I was just around the corner the rickshaw driver from yesterday went past on his motorbike and insisted he take me there. Once there I was no clearer as when the trains would be as what the guy told me differed to what the board said and to what it says online. All three say there is a6.30am train so it sounds like that one is defiantly a goer.

I came out of the station and the rickshaw dude had replaced the motorbike with his rickshaw and insisted he take me where I wanted to go to for free I said no and he followed me along the road until I went with him so he wasn’t following me. Stupid idea. I told him I wanted to go to the archaeological museum but he wanted to take me to the beach finally after I got angry and he had pointed out several temples I had already seen walking about this morning and last night he declared we were going for ice-cream, again I tried to protest but he pulled in and short of running away there wasn’t much else I could do but have an ice-cream (which was actually pretty fucking fantastic!)

We came out and I told him I was going to the museum on foot but he wouldn’t let me walk. We got there and it was closed because it was Good Friday. At this point he kept asking me to dinner and telling me he would take me to the beach tomorrow I was very firm and told him I wanted to be left alone to spend some time by myself eventually it sunk in and he left me to do my thing.

Back at the guesthouse all I wanted to do was have a shower and read my book for a while before dinner but there was no water and since I have a thing about being clean in bed I sat on the floor and read for a bit.

When I got hungry I headed out to a local Indian place I didn’t have high hopes since most of the Indian restaurants here have just been Sri Lankan curries with Indian names. I walked there which took about 15mins the restaurant is part of a hotel and when I walked through the hotel bit to get to the food out the back I had to walk through a room that went silent as all the men stared at me I almost walked out but was glad I didn’t as the atmosphere in the restaurant was a lot less hostile and the food was to die for. I was still the only woman about but the guys that worked there were friendly and everyone who was eating seemed to be doing their own thing. I ordered a veg curry and a naan bread and got just what I wanted the food was spicy the naan bread huge and I was in a cosy corner reading my book. It was a perfect evening of solitude.

The walk back to the guesthouse was a bit hairy, the street lights were all off and other than the occasional shop front being lit up or the headlights hurtling towards or past me the road was in darkness. There were also a lot of dogs about but thankfully they all just did their thing. I almost missed the turn off to the guesthouse the road was so dark I was worried about falling in a pothole and never been see again.

Back indoors I cranked the aircon and had a shower (thankfully the water was back!) and chilled watching a movie which I fell asleep watching.

Dogs sleeping in Jaffna Fort

Ruins of Jaffna Fort

St Marys Cathedral

War Ruins in Jaffna Town

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil Temple

Ruins of the royal Palace

Two Beautiful boys i met by the water front

Saturday 4th April 2015

Today I was going to take a bus and see the Jaffna peninsula but it was ridiculously hot (37 degrees!) and I didn’t feel up to being groped on the bus so I skipped that idea. I mooched about in the morning and then walked towards the fort which took about 40mins I decided to go and see the library since I missed it yesterday but when I got there was told foreign visitors are only allowed to visit between 4.30pm and 6pm the security guard tried to make it out that no one could visit except during these times but his argument was proved a lie when time and time again he had to let people past to go in or out (with books I might add!) another ridiculous rule of Asian bureaucracy I also had to purchase a ticket when I returned at 4.30pm (worded as a mandatory donation) I decided that I wasn’t worth waiting around all day and I didn’t have the energy to walk back and forth so I gave up on that idea.

Feeling a little lost I walked along the waterfront and took a look at the causeway that joins some of the islands to the mainland it’s a thin stretch of road that just seems to disappear into the water. Along here I found a shady spot and rested and read my book for a while before continuing on my way.

I was going to check out the museum but decided that actually I couldn’t be bothered and that all I wanted to do with the rest of the day was eat and relax so I walked back to my guesthouse and past it to a pure veg restaurant and had a thali for lunch. I lingered their reading my book and having a cold drink before heading back to the guesthouse via the supermarket for some supplies.

I spent the afternoon sorting out my photos of Sri Lanka and sorting out my bag and final travel arrangements for my last two days in Sri Lanka and then relaxed to finish off my book and watch a movie.

While chilling out this evening the guesthouse owner once again tried to gain access to my room I defiantly won’t miss Jaffna.


Sunday 5th April 2015

This morning I woke up early and packed up the last of my things ready to leave. I somehow managed to knock something off a high shelf and slice my thumb open which was not a great start to the day. I was ready to leave but there was no one to give the keys to, I was about to just leave when the guy showed up trying to get me to go with him in his rickshaw but I decided since I had time I would walk.

The train schedule for trains to Colombo is messed up the 6.30am train arrives at 3pm the 9.10am train arrives at 6.20pm and the 10.10am train arrives at 4.35pm. I opted for the 10am one and turned up to the station I had already asked about trains and had been told I could get a second class ticket on the day but when I showed up they said it was all sold out and I had to get third class.

Next I tried to get some breakfast I asked for two vegetable rotis went into the station and sat down on the platform to eat, I took a bite and the thing was full of chicken despite me asking repeatedly for NO MEAT! I took them back and the guy tried to tell me the meat was egg… eventually after much yelling he gave me back my money and put my half eaten roll back into the cabinet.

I went to the shop next door and got some freshly made roti. Back at the station I got chatting to a German girl and we spent the train ride chatting. Unsurprisingly the train moved ridiculously slow and got in two hours late. From the station I got a bus to the hostel and once I had checked in and organised a rickshaw to the airport I grabbed some food and chilled out for the evening.