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.

Border Running

Tuesday 7^th April 2015

Today we were up early at 6.40am as we had to do a round trip to the boarder to get some new tax for the bike. By the time we set off it was close to 7.30am all we had with us was a few things in case it got dark and we had to spend the night somewhere. We cruised through the empty streets which were awash with police in riot gear. I’m not sure exactly what was going on but it seemed there was a nationwide strike and everything seemed to be shut most worrying was that the petrol stations were closed and armed by policemen in full riot regalia.

We drove through town for a bit and found a petrol station where the gate was open we drove in and pleaded with the young guy there that we needed to get to the boarder he kindly filled up the tank for us and wished us well.

There are two roads to the boarder one is 70km and the other 120km both over the mountains. Mark had been chatting to some people who said the 70km road was good (he had come in on the 120km road so knew it was good) we trusted what they said and headed for the shorter road. It soon became clear that it was more of a hiking trail than a road, it wasn’t paved (except for a short section about four metres long) and in patches was bogged down with slippery mud, the incline was ridiculous and more than once the bike got stuck on rocks where I had to jump off.

We hadn’t gone far when it became evident the road wasn’t going to improve and so we sacked off that idea and turned around. If I thought going up was scary going down was a whole new nightmare along with the terrifying incline the road was riddled with hairpin bends and we were already pretty high up to begin with.

Back on the main road we headed towards the 120km road but had wasted precious daylight by the time we turned off onto the mountain pass it was already 9.30am. The drive was absolutely stunning we were soon on level with the clouds looking down over terraced fields, houses and lush greenery. For a while the road wound round and round the mountain before finally starting to go up higher and higher in a series of hairpin bends.

Thankfully (probably due to the strike) the roads were empty and all day the only traffic we encountered was one truck and a few motorbikes. We seemed to climb upwards forever before dropping down for a short while before going up again. On the top we passed a viewpoint where in the distance we could see the snowy peaks of Mount Everest.

Despite being beautiful the road was scary as we were so high up but it was in pretty good condition with only a few pot holes here and there. The only other thing we had to worry about was the freaky mountain dogs who chased the bike in packs a few times I thought we were sure to hit one as they snapped at the wheels and our legs.

The way down was much longer as the border sits at a lower altitude than Kathmandu. At one point we whipped around a corner and were nearly decapitated by a wire strung across the road it looked as though a power line or something had fallen. Thankfully it had been moved by the time we headed back.

Around 12.30pm we stopped in Hetauda a town about an hour away from the border like Kathmandu everything appeared closed but we found a little restaurant and got veg curry and roti for the bargain price of 125 rupees for both of us (less than NZD $2)

We continued on to Birgunj which is where the border is it took about an hour and we were able to get some speed up since we were out of the mountains and it was a relatively straight (if not bumpy) road. We pulled up to the customs house where we pulled a bit of a swifty pretending the bike had just been dropped at the border and that we needed to tax it. The customs agent made a song and dance about it all the while filling in the form he knew it was a lie we knew he knew it was a lie but really he was always going to give us the paperwork so he could receive his commission.

At one stage a very official looking man started to ask me questions but I pretended I didn’t speak English and when his phone rang I walked away and hid.

Once the bit of paper was in our hands we got out of there as quickly as possible before anyone could change their minds. It was time to start the long journey back over the mountain to Kathmandu all the while chasing daylight.

It had taken us three hours to get over the mountain and a further hour to get to the boarder we figured going back would take longer as we had come down pretty quickly but there was no way we would be able to drive up at that speed.

On the way back our arses were beginning to get quite sore and my thigh was already bruised as every time we hit a bump I came down on the luggage rack. With so many corners to contend with I was forced to hold on for once which merely stopped me from falling off I was still thrown around a fair bit and more than once my foot dragged along the ground as we rounded a steep hairpin bend.

We stopped for a break just after we started making the decent on the far side of the mountain feeling like we were making good time but from there downwards the road started to feel never ending. We hit a plateau and drove on reasonably flat ground for a while and then we started down again but again it seemed to plateau and we were just going round and round the mountain without really seeming to be going down.

By this stage my butt was well and truly over the day and it was starting to get dark. Add to this that the strike seemed to be over as for the first time all day the road started to fill up with trucks and it was all becoming a bit of a nightmare. There were three guys all on a motorbike with no helmets wearing jandals who seemed to be intent on killing themselves or others weaving in and out of trucks and pulling some dick moves but luckily we lost them along the way.

We reached the main road just as darkness was really falling which was a relief as it was a much wider smoother road but the drop was still terrifying and it was hugely busy with trucks and buses in both directions from here it was about 20km until we reached the city and just when I had given up hope of ever getting there we rounded a corner and could see the lights of the city spread out before us.

We made it back to the guesthouse where I could barely get off the bike my hips were absolutely ruined from trying to hold on all day coupled with all the bruises and the general arse ache I could hardly make it up the stairs to our room.

We washed away he grime of the day (which was much less than usual thanks to the helmet and my buff which covered most of my face) and headed out for food we perked up a bit after eating but still crashed out petty early.

Although it was a nightmare that we wasted two hours and scared ourselves shitless on the first crappy road I defiantly think everything happens for a reason and that we had to go that way in order for us to reach the boarder to be served by the customs agent who cared more about his commission than really following the rules. Had we gone on the smooth road first I think we would have encountered a stickler for the rules and been sent back with no tax. So although it was an annoyance I’m thankful for it.

My magic eight ball helmet

Getting to Nepal

Monday 6^th April 2015

There’s something about having to wake up ridiculously early that just stops me sleeping. I went to bed last night and knew I only had four hours until I needed to get up but I just couldn’t switch off. That and I was being assaulted by mosquitos. When finally my alarm went off at 1.45am I rolled out of bed and dragged my stuff out of the room. (Since I was in a hostel I figured it was the less intrusive way of getting up in the middle of the night)

It wasn’t long before I was ready to go and waiting for my taxi, and waiting, and waiting when it was 15minutes late I decided to wake up the girl who runs the guesthouse. She tried calling the company but with no success. In the end I had to flag down a rickshaw on the street. I asked him how long it would take to get to the airport and he said 90mins which wouldn’t really leave me enough time to check in. I told him to drive as fast as he could.

He obviously enjoyed the challenge and drove like a man possessed we made it to the airport in less than an hour (and that was including getting stuck at a million red lights, being pulled over by the cops and stopping for petrol along the way.)

I went in and cruised straight up to the desk to check in and actually ended up with time to kill so despite it being 4am I had a huge vegetarian breakfast and read my book in an airport café.

By the time I was finished and had sauntered along to my gate I practically walked straight onto the plane. There was a big tour group who had no manners and just pushed and shoved their way through several of them refusing to put their handbags on the scanner I just stood back and watched amused. The greatest entertainment though was the girl who effused to take off her shoes insisting that if she had to then she should be given slippers (to walk the two steps through the beepy machine) when eventually it was made very clear she either came through with no shoes or left she tip toed her way through practically in tears (personally I would rather walk on the floor than wear someone else’s minging slippers!)

I got onto the plane being pushed from all angles as it appeared the large tour group had no concept of personal space and a deeply ingrained fear that unless they got to their seats as fast as they could the plane might actually take off while they were still standing.

I got to my seat which was occupied by one of the said tour group her seat was the window which I happily took instead. I was happily settling in when a fat man sat next to me. I don’t mean to sound mean but this guy probably should have had two seats he spent the entire flight spilling over into my seat and his arm on the arm rest sat right across my tits each time I asked him to move it he would squeeze his arms in but inevitably it would slide back there so I sat sideways with my back against the window (I don’t even think he was trying to cope a feel I think he was just so fat that’s where his arms were) he also sat with his legs ridiculously wide encroaching my space there as well (come on fat man we all know your junk aint that big there’s no need to sit like that) he also sleep burped the entire flight and at points I thought there might be follow through.

Despite the uncomfortable situation I managed to sleep for most of the flight waking up properly only to eat. Before I knew it we had touched down in Mumbai. The plane hadn’t even come to a stop when the previously mentioned ill-mannered tour group started scrambling for their bags ignoring the commands of the cabin crew over the PA to sit down. I waited until they (and the fat man) had dispersed before disembarking.

Once off the plane I had to go to the international transfer’s desk where I was given my boarding gate and I proceeded through security and upstairs to the gates. I had a wander around but most of the shops were designer and that shit doesn’t float my boat so I found a comfy bench and chilled out. Annoyingly the flight from Colombo to Mumbai was 30 minutes early and the flight from Mumbai to Kathmandu was delayed 15 minutes giving me even more time to kill.

Eventually I boarded the plane I had waited for most people to get on before me as it seemed that no one understood when they announced certain rows to come forward and everyone just pushed in a mad rush I sat back preferring to read my book an get aboard once the crush was done.

I found my seat next to the emergency exit as such I had to put my bag in the overhead locker which for reasons unknown I loathe doing. As I’m short the advantage of the extra leg room was wasted on me. (perhaps long hall it might be nice) before take-off I had a lesson in how to open the emergency door and spent the entire flight looking away from it and fighting the urge to pull it open (I have a thing about buttons and handles)

The flight was only a few hours so I watched a movie ate and chilled out and before I knew it was touching down in Kathmandu. The airport was rustic and I immediately felt at home in the shabby terminal. In the arrivals hall all the foreigners were standing around looking lost as there was no clear signage about where to go for visas I on the other hand had read a sign as I breezed in talking about completing VOA on computers so I walked straight up scanned my passport and followed the prompts in a matter of minutes the machine had spat out a receipt I took that to the counter paid and then took the receipt to another counter where another dude stuck my visa into my passport and welcomed me to Nepal.

I went downstairs to the baggage claim where three flights were all waiting for luggage on the same belt (despite the fact that there were three belts) annoyingly I was one of the first people at the belt but my bag was one of the last.

I went through customs without a pause as I had nothing to declare and got straight in a prepaid taxi. I didn’t have any Nepal rupees but the dude let me pay in Indian rupees although I’m sure I got ripped off since I had no idea what the exchange rate was.

The traffic driving in was quite hectic and I was reminded of Indian roads quite different from Sri Lanka where although they speed constantly at least they understand and follow most other traffic rules (including how lanes work a concept yet to catch on in India and also here apparently)

It didn’t take long to get to Durbar square which is where the guesthouse I was meeting Mark was in I arrived and sat down feeling pretty exhausted for all of 10 minutes before we headed out on a mission to find me a jacket and a helmet. The shopping was a success after getting some cash out we walked to Thamel and checked out a few outdoor shops I settled on a plain black jacket (all the better to see me on the bike!) and then went to a few bike shops where I got a dark grey helmet with a number eight on the side so my head resembles and magic eight ball when I wear it.

Shopping down we treated ourselves to a mango shisha and chilled in the bar until a band started their sound check and killed all possibility of conversation. Back at the guest house I had a hot shower and we headed to a local Indian restaurant for a cheap dinner. By this stage I was falling asleep in my curry and we headed back so I could crash.

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.