South Asia – Done and Done

Sunset over the Betwa River in Orchha, India

We've just wrapped-up the 86^th day of our honeymoon with flights out of South Asia to Europe. So far we’ve traveled about 34000 kilometers (21000 miles) on our honeymoon. Much of the distance has been covered in the air but quite a bit in busses, trains, cars and countless tuk-tuks and rickshaws. We’ve spent the last 41 days in South Asia and have made some awesome memories and friends along the way.  Nepal, Maldives and India were all really good to us but we’re excited to move on to our next adventures.  The below is a brief summary of our last 6 weeks and a quick update on budget and health.

Nepal
We spent the majority of our time in Nepal and are definitely thankful for it. While in Nepal we trekked, rafted, jungle walked and relaxed; all the while trying to immerse ourselves in the culture and customs of the local Nepali people. Our second day in Kathmandu brought us to a Hindu temple where we witnessed cremation ceremonies on a river that flows to the Ganges, this was a bit of a culture shock but definitely very interesting and something that shouldn’t be missed.

Trekking in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas was one of the highlights of the trip so far and possibly one of the highlights of my life, at least so far. Unsurpassed beauty, decades old trails, welcoming villagers and amazing company are just some of the memories we’ll take from our trekking. Seeing how the local villagers lived in the mountain villages was really a source of inspiration. We passed so many kids on the trails who had to walk a long while to school each day, most with smiles on their faces. Spending some time in the Himalayas caused me to appreciate my own life and all of things we’re blessed with on a daily basis. This was the case for all of Nepal though. We really enjoyed our stay there and would definitely go back.

Maldives
There’s not much more I can say about the Maldives that I didn’t say in our Paradise articles one and two. We had an awesome time and want to go back sooner than later, preferably today if possible. Next time we’re going to shoot for an island farther away from the main islands as we want to fly on the floatplane. This was the “official” portion of our honeymoon and it was well worth it.

Wishing I was back here

India
You don’t just visit India, you smell, taste, touch, hear and feel the subcontinent. It really is an assault on your senses (some not all good) but a place not to be missed. We spent 16 days in India, managed to see a wild tiger, saw quite a bit of temples, palaces, forts and ate some very good food.

Our overall time in India was great but we did have some rather unpleasant experiences. From the few unpleasant experiences we’ve learned quite a bit for next time. We’ve learned that India train travel is probably not for us. We’ve learned that tourist police are not to be trusted as one stole some money from us, the only theft we’ve had on our entire trip. We’ve learned to stay away from the corn flakes in small hotels. We’ve learned to try and be a little more patient and understanding of individuals despite leering, rude comments, hygiene and just overall nastyness of some people. Of course unpleasant experiences are to be expected with any long –term travel and we try to take them in stride.

Our Tiger Crew at the Jehangir Palace in Orchha, India
From left to right, Pamela, Dave, Carol, Linda, Steph, Liz, Yaddu

The food here was great in India and we had many-many good and big meals. Had you told me that I was going to gain weight here in India I probably wouldn’t have believed you. We didn’t eat much western style food while in India but we sure pigged out on the local cuisine. I’m going to miss the daily curries and naan. We also didn’t get any type of food borne illnesses, no case of the Delhi Belly or anything resembling…I know that’s a bit too much information but hey.

Pamela having a big jump in front of the Taj

What’s Next
Europe and the Middle East is next on our agenda. We’ll be making some short stops in Athens and Paris before heading to Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and the U.A.E.  In between all the sightseeing we’ve booked ourselves a week at a Dead Sea resort in Jordan for some rest and relaxation.  We have quite a bit on our agenda in the Middle East and will probably be exhausted by the time we board our plane for Los Angeles a few days before Christmas.

Budget and Health
We’re still pretty much on track with our budget. Booking the extra days at the Dead Sea resort put us a couple dollars above our daily average target but we think it will be worth it. Otherwise we did really well in the Maldives, considering it was the Maldives and didn’t spend too much on souvenirs in India.

As for health, we are both doing well considering we’ve been on the road for a while.  Unfortunately I (DW) have some small eye infection, supposedly caused by dust, which I have to use eye drops for the next two weeks and can’t wear my contact lenses. Nothing to be concerned about though.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy! Stay tuned…

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave

Our Nepal Trekking Adventure

Waking up to sun-drenched Himalayan Peaks

Magical. That is probably the best word I can use to describe our four day trekking adventure here in Nepal. I’d have to say the trekking has been my favorite part of the Honeymoon so far and I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Nepal for more. Hopefully next time we’ll go for longer and higher treks, preferably a peak or two. In the future I’m sure we’ll write more about our experience but I wanted to get the overview down.

Day One
We departed Pokhara on the 22^nd of September for a two-hour bus ride to the village of Naya Phul where we commenced our four day trek. Day one had us trekking up through the foothills for approximately six hours until we reached the village of Ghandruk. During the day we followed a stone and dirt trail with many-many steps.  Per our guide the trail system was built approximately 100 years ago and in our opinion has held up very well. This first day we also experienced some monsoonal rain for an hour or so which soaked us, thankfully we had our waterproof jackets and rain cover for our backpack. The whole day trekking on day one was spent in overcast or foggy skies which really limited our views of the mountains.

Pamela crossing a bridge along the trail in the rain.

Day Two
Day two arrived with the gift of clear skies and incredible views of the mountains called Annapurna South, Hiunchili and Machhapuchare (Fishtail). The site of these snow capped, sun drenched peaks brought us to a standstill. Never in my life have I been so awestruck and blown away by a natural view. I instantly knew what draws people back to these mountains year after year.

Early AM views of Annapura South from the village of Ghandruk

The clouds move in fast and by 7:00am the mountains were a memory. Following this we went to a Ghurka museum and had some breakfast before starting our trek. This day’s trek had us descending one side of a steep valley and ascending the other side where the trail flattened out. All in all we trekked about 5 hours on day two. We stopped for lunch in a village called Landruk, then trekked on to Tolka and stayed overnight in a lodge.

View of the terraced rice paddies which are very common along these parts of the trail.

Day Three
Another early wake-up call (5:45am) greeting us with more awe-inspiring views of the mountains. We took a bunch of pictures, ate some breakfast and were on our way. Day three’s trek was pretty easy with some climbing up to our lunch stop at the village of Pothana ( which also was the highest point on our trek at 2100 meters) and continuing on another hour to the Paradise View Lodge in the village of Dhampas. Our four hour trek on day three was pretty easy, the hardest part was the slippery rocks and the leeches. Both Pamela and I were visited by the little buggers on this day.

Pamela crossing a suspension bridge along the trail.

The night of day three we had a big party to thank our porters and sherpas who helped us along the trek. We all had a Nepali set meal of Dal Bhat, tipped our porters and sherpas then danced to some traditional Nepali music. I (DW) was thankful there were other “rhythm challenged” people around so I didn’t look that dumb trying to dance. Pamela on the other hand picked-up the dancing style right away. Some people are just born with it I think J It poured rain for hours and hours that night and we fell asleep listening to the rain and thunder.

She loved her baby goat

Day Four
Unfortunately we didn’t get those tremendous views the morning of day four as the skies were still grey from the thunderstorms. We trekked about two hours downhill that morning to the village of Phedi where we were met by a bus to take us back to Pokhara. Unfortunately this was the end of our short trek. Back in Pokhara we ate some good food, did some laundry and were off to our next adventure.

Every few minutes you'd come across sights like this.

Looking Back
Trekking in Nepal was much-much easier logistically than we initially thought. There are small villages full of hotels and restaurants along many of the trails which really make it easy to stop and rest , maps are easy to come by and the trails seem to be well signposted and even if you did get lost there are locals who can point you in the right direction.

The mountain trails are how the locals get around. They are to them as our  highways, streets and sidewalks are to us.

While walking along the tracks we passed many children going to school, many farm animals, adults going to work, and porters carrying everything from food to mattresses on their backs. Instead of highways, these mountain trail networks are how many Nepali people transport their goods and get from place to place. I will try to keep that in mind the next time I’m whining about being stuck in traffic.

Porters carrying gear up the trail.

All the photos (more like the best 25%) from our trek can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/TrekkingInNepal?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave