No worries in WA
20 November - 9 December 2009
As we were approaching the end of our long travels we decided to have one last road trip in Western Australia or WA (pronounce: double-u-aae) as the Aussies like to call it. After a 4 hour flight from Sydney we finally arrived in Perth, the most remote metropolis on earth.
As Brock, a Perthite we met months before in the Himalayas, had told us Perth itself is not really a good place to stay, we headed straight to Freemantle, a pleasant harbor & beachside town where Perthites spent the weekend to have some fun. After a surprisingly cold night, the next morning we decided to go to a store to buy some warm blankets and pillows and other essentials to make our stay a bit more comfortable as our Wicked campervan turned out to be a little bit less comfortable and luxurious as our Happy Crab in NZ.
The Saturday afternoon we spent in Little Creatures, a trendy harbor side bar with their own brewery. As almost all tables were taken, we sat down with an Australian couple and soon we started a conversation which turned out to be the start of yet another adventure.
In Sydney Sharda desperately wanted to see a concert of Seal. However, she could not get me enthusiastic for it and we didn't go. Guess what? The couple we met raved about Seal's performance last night in Perth and it turned out that Paul was even the Australia tour manager of the singer. You should have seen Sharda looking angrily at me! A few pale ales later Paul & Amanda invited us to join them to the Nickelback concert in Perth later that evening, to make up for missing the Seal concert. Furthermore they said we could crash at their lounge in the VIP area of the Hyatt since they felt sorry for our first freezing night in our Wicked campervan. In return we offered them a free ride in our van into the city. We parked it in front of the fancy hotel and went to their room to change, have some drinks and wait for the limo picking us up. As the concert had already started Paul had called a colleague, the driver of the Nickelback lead singer to bring us to the venue. Although we missed the first half of the show we had a lot of fun. Especially as we noticed that Perthites are not as outgoing as we would have expected at a rock concert and kept sitting in their seats if it were a classical concert. Top offset this dull crowd 'crazy' Amanda soon went nuts and we joined her, which soon led the way for others to stand up and go crazy! After the concert we headed back to the Hyatt and made it a great night in their en-suite room with a mix of cool eighties & nineties music, expensive wines, bubbles, vodka and some of the things which made the whole world visiting Amsterdam. The following morning we enjoyed a copious breakfast in the VIP area (unfortunately we missed Nickelback itself) and we returned from living the rock star's life to our wicked camping life and hit the road.
To give you an impression of how big and remote the state of WA is: it is bigger than the whole of Europe, but only 2 million people live in it (of which 1.5 million in Perth). So you have to be self-contained. Meaning we had to take some 50 liters of water and plenty of food with us as stores or gas stations are only available every 100-200km or so. Many times when we thought we entered a township as it was displayed on the map, it turned out to be a gas station or roadhouse as they call it, where you can buy some food and fuel (mostly at pretty high prices).
During the many hours on the road you'll easily get bored as the roads are endless and go straight through a barren and red dry semi desert, with the occasional kangaroo carcass on or on the side of the road. Although you do not meet many people on the road most of the time we were greeted with a tip of the point finger or a bit more enthusiastically by people honking or making the Wicked 'W' sign with their hands. Another cool phenomenon we are not accustomed to in Europe is the road train, a large truck with three or four trailers behind it and almost making you blow of the road.
Although we only visited a 'relatively small' part of WA, from Perth 1300km north along the Coral Coast up to Exmouth, we really liked the warm weather (35-40*C), the wind, the beautiful pristine white beaches with their turquoise waters, the abundant and colorful marine life on the reef and the red dusty rocks and gorges in the national parks. The only annoying things were the many flies, which tried to crawl into your mouth, nose, ears and eyes in many places and the lack of cool drinks in our esky. The first time we visited the Kalbarri National Park we were actually scared away by them. But for every nasty thing is a solution: so we bought mosquito nets to cover our heads and many bags of ice to cool our wine and beers.
Also in Kalbarri, Sharda had her first encounter with a living kangaroo. While walking back from a nocturnal toilet visit she decided to turn on her headlight to avoid walking into a venomous snake or spider. Instead, when she looked up she saw a man high kangaroo staring at her only 2 meters away. A high and very loud scream though woke me and probably most people on the campground, but also scared the animal off. In Exmouth we saw many emu (an Australian relative of the ostrich) strolling through town as if they were planning to do some shopping.
On the beach of Coral Bay, a small township, picturesquely located on the turquoise waters of the Ningaloo Reef we met a very friendly Dutch couple named Jacky and Mike (formerly known in Holland as Michel and Jacqueline) that left NL 19 years ago to explore Australia and never returned. They had seen about every corner of this huge country by working a few months or years in a place and then moving on to travel for a while before settling somewhere else. They immediately invited us for some drinks, which ended up in two nights of interesting conversations with these very friendly and open people, who just had a different lifestyle than many of us in NL, but seemed to enjoy it for the max. The first night they taught us some Aussie basics: when you are invited for drinks or dinner you normally Bring Your Own food and drinks. This BYO concept is also widely applicable throughout Australia in many restaurants that have no liquor license. So the second night we brought some drinks and snacks with us, although they still treated us with some good pizza. Thanks a lot for the great time we had with you, Jacky and Mike.
Back in Perth we had an awesome experience swimming with dolphins on a tour and enjoyed the beach life city style on Cottlesloe beach. Our last two days we spent on Rotto, as the locals call it, a.k.a. Rottnest Island, which was first discovered by Dutch VOC explorers and called 'Rattennest' island due to a very special and funny creature that only lives on this island. Its name is the quokka and it is a mixture of a rat (the long tail) and a kangaroo.
A month before in NZ we met Frances, a Canadian girl that lived and worked on Rotto. We decided to give her a call and luckily she had a day off from work and turned out to be a fantastic host, showing us the island by bike. We snorkeled from two beautiful deserted beaches and even swam with three seals. On our return from snorkeling we discovered that some bold seagulls had gotten into Frances' daypack and had opened and eaten a closed and sealed box of cookies. An even bigger surprise was the 40cm cucumber resembling lizard that was hiding in her pack! At night Frances and her boyfriend Dean treated us with two nice freshly cooked lobsters, which they had caught themselves the day before. This time we knew the Aussie habits and brought some beers and salad to accompany the seafood with. On our way to the youth hostel we almost biked over some quokka's and drunk teenagers, the both of them seemed to be in abundance on this island due to lack of natural predators (read: snakes and parents).
As we had to return our van the day before we were about to fly out from Perth to Sydney as the company had limited opening hours, we spent the last night of our 'summer holiday' in WA in our van just in front of the Wicked office. How romantic!
Love!
Jordi & Sharda
New Zealand part three: North Island
24 October - 10 November 2009
After a beautiful three hour long ferry through the Marlborough Sounds and after crossing Cook Strait we arrived in Windy Wellington, our first destination on the North Island.
As it was a Saturday and many people had convinced us the North Island would be warmer than the South Island, we sat down on a terrace to have a drink. Maybe Kiwis are a bit tougher than we are but after our first drink we decided to go to a warmer place inside! An article in the newspaper mentioning an ultra right wing nationalist gathering that was to be held on a camp ground we almost had decided to go to opened up a good conversation with two friendly Wellingtonians and ended up from a few beers around beer time to a night out in a funky club. The next day, still a bit shaky, we hang out in one of the many nice cafes reading and chilling, a typical Sunday!
On Monday we visited the impressive Te Papa museum and bought a lot of backcountry food as we were planning to do a four day hike in Tongariro National Park. However when we arrived in Ohakune in the park, not uncommon, the weather had other plans and forced us to change our plans. It happened to be that the only ski area in NZ that was still open was just 15km from our door. We decided to wait one more day to see if the weather would change.
And it did! So the next morning we suddenly had to terminate a skype call with Sharda's brother Frank as the skies had turned clear and blue, which meant we were about to go for some volcano skiing! After a half hour drive through dense rainforest we saw the first snow on Mount Ruapehu, with 2800m the highest volcano on the North Island. Although only two lifts were open, we enjoyed the skiing in great spring snow conditions. Especially after we met a jovial local outdoor guide named Colin, who showed us around some great off-piste runs. Although not equipped with the best skiing technique this bold Kiwi was fast and furious and we had to push hard to keep up with him.
At the end of the day, on his advice, we decided to climb the last part of the volcano all the way up to the edge of the crater. This turned out to be rather tough. It's about a 1.5 hour steep climb from the top of the upper ski lift at 2300m with your ski boots on and carrying your skis on your shoulder. Unfortunately Sharda had to stop after an hour as the skis were a bit too heavy and painful on her shoulder. For the few people that climbed the Schwarzkogel in Kirchberg (Michiel & Peter) it's even a bit longer and tougher than that one. After I saw her wedeling down into the depth gracefully I pushed on for another half hour until I finally reached the edge where I could look into the crater, which was partly filled by a frozen lake. After some quick pictures I skied down as several clouds were coming in fast that have could limited my visibility and orientation and a safe route back down. I can tell you, nothing is better than skiing down a beautiful steep and virgin off-piste slope after a tough climb. The last part just before the car park I had to slalom the pumice stone as the snow was melting pretty fast down there.
The next days we spent near Taupo and Rotorua, a region characterized by thermal activity. We enjoyed the nice and warm thermal hot pools and visited the Craters of the Moon and The Hidden Valley of Orakei Korako to see geysers, mineral pools, steaming earth and other beautiful things made possible by nature. Sometimes we had to keep our thumb and point finger on our nose as the farts of Mother Nature smelt like rotten eggs.
On Omata beach on the Coromandel peninsula we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on a deserted beach with a cold beer in our hand and together with a few cow we were camping on a farm across the dunes. The next morning by accident we participated in a big cycle race and for two hours had to maneuver between 2000 semi professional cyclists. It was a tough race and at moments pretty exciting (especially when the guys were trying to overtake us downhill), but in the end we were able to beat even the fastest Lance Armstrong wannabee and proudly finished first. As a two time Amstel Gold Race participant and recreational cyclist I was stunned by the politeness of the Kiwi cyclists as they not even cursed once when we blocked them or provided them with some nasty diesel gasses while going uphill. We decided to celebrate this victory with some delicious cakes and cappuccino before the second part of our (day) Tour de NZ was about to begin; the climb of the Pinnacles, which I already told you about in the 'Tramping in NZ' story.
Our last week in Aotearoa we spent in the beautiful Bay of Islands and in Northland, the most northern part of NZ. In Tutukaka (yes indeed, they have a lot of strange Maori names up there) we decided to go scuba diving (Sharda) and snorkeling (myself) on the Poor Knights Islands, by the late Jacques Cousteau named as one of the top 10 diving spots in the world. And we can agree with that! Although pretty cold (water temperature of 14*C) we saw incredible beautiful schools of fish swimming between the snorkelers on the surface and the divers at the bottom of an impressive natural 8m deep arch.
Up north we decided to chill for a few days at lovely Spirits Bay, where we camped just a stone's throw away from a beautiful and windy beach. Here I even dared to take a dip into the lake (the sea was still a bit too cold and rough for me).
And then we finally arrived in Auckland after two months and nearly 6500km of travelling together it was time to say goodbye to our beloved Happy Crab. Although warned by tourists and Kiwis alike that one day in Auckland is one too many, we stayed here for three nights and actually really liked it. We booked a room in a hostel in the bit posh suburb of Parnell, where after some drinks and a copious dinner we had one of those strange coincidences you'll never believe.
A couple of days before Sharda told me she knew that the brother of a girlfriend of a very good Irish girlfriend (are you still with me?) now lived in Auckland and that it might be a good idea to try to contact him for some inside do's and don'ts of Auckland. However we forgot to send an email and moved on without thinking any further of it. Although she had only seen the guy once about 10 years ago in Ireland, here on the streets of Parnell Sharda asked an in my opinion complete stranger suddenly 'Can I ask you something?'. The guy said 'Yeah sure' (with Irish accent). Sharda hesitated a moment out of embarrassment but did ask him 'Are you Evelyn's brother?'. Now the guy (Tim) seemed to be stunned and a bit shocked and mumbled 'Yes I am'. It's a small world after all! Unfortunately Tim was too busy to join us but he gave us some good tips for drinks and dinner.
The next day we just strolled down the yacht harbor when we saw a large yacht for hire (including mobile Jacuzzi). Sharda wanted to know what the rental price was for the day as it looked like a perfect bachelor party for our Sydnian friend Adrian and asked the guys on deck. Before we knew we were invited on the yacht and were offered spicy sausages with Turkish bread from the BBQ and some cold beers by the friendly and funny manager of the yacht named George, a Lebanese Greek.
Later that day we headed for Ponsonby, another nice suburb, where we had some drinks on a terrace and later a lovely dinner at SPQR, a great restaurant recommended by Tim. And so a fantastic road trip in NZ came to an end, but we finished it in style with a glass of champagne, a dozen oysters on ice and nice paella.
Jordi & Sharda
New Zealand part two; Tramping!
Tramping, as the Kiwis call it, is not exactly the same as what we would call trekking! Why, you will find out during this story.
We had planned our first real tramp near Mount Cook, New Zealand highest mountain. This was however not meant to be as both the weather (storm & snow) and the mountain (a rock avalanche had blocked the path) prevented us from undertaking this journey. Instead we visited the Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, full of interesting stories and a movie on the one real icon of New Zealand, the man who first set foot on the highest mountain of our planet, Mount Everest.
On Stewart island, a remote island just south of South Island in the middle of the always dangerous waters of the Roaring Forties we accomplished our first multiday hike. And not a regular one! From Invercargill on the Mainland (as South Island Kiwis like to call their South Island) we (the pilot and just the two of us) left in a small 4-person Cessna to fly to Stewart island and land on the beach of Mason Bay, 15km of deserted beach. After a test landing (to see whether we could land safely), which scared the shit out of Sharda (excuse me for my foul mouth, must have become a bit like a Kiwi), we landed on the beach very smoothly. After dumping our backpacks in a deserted hunter's hut (where the pilot said we could sleep if no hunters were present) we spent the day exploring this wonderful beach.
Just before dawn, when we were enjoying the sunset on a large sand dune, and we really felt we were on a deserted island, like Robinson Crusoe, we were rudely interrupted by the noise of a helicopter. The heli landed just 50 meters from our sand dune on the beach, to drop off four hunters, equipment and two dogs. Gone was our romantic evening! Instead we had to walk two hours along the coast to another hut as we had to make place for these by government appointed possum hunters.
In the other hut we were not alone, but we met some nice (and typical South Island Kiwi) people over there. What is a typical South Island Kiwi, I can hear you think? I'll tell you. In the hut we met Grant & Sofie, father and daughter. Grant was a bit rough around the edges and wore a grey beard. He had taken his 14 year old adolescent daughter Sofie for a week of tramping in the bush. As he explained to us what that meant we noticed him ending every sentence with 'aaaei'. Later we would hear many other men and women doing this. A week in the bush means sleeping in one cold bunk room with your fellow trampers (who often snore like hell after a long day of walking), eating dried trekkers food and no shower until back home. Tramping on Stewart Island is even worse, it means walking long days through the mud. And when a Kiwi says mud, you'd better take it seriously, because this can involve being up to your waist into it! I don't think this looks like a trip fathers back home would make with their 14 year old daughters, but Sofie enjoyed it, although she was a bit shy and possibly ashamed, when her father kept on talking and joking in a loud manner. Later when Grant had left the room she started talking with us immediately (especially with Sharda) and asked us many things.
Luckily it hadn't rained that much the prior days so the next morning we only had to tramp through some knee deep mud. After being picked up by a water taxi in the middle of nowhere, we enjoyed a hot shower and some really delicious crayfish in Oban, the only village on the island. The following day we spent on beautiful Ulva island. This is a bird sanctuary, where all possums and other non indigenous animals have been removed and therefore birdlife is abundant.
After having undertaken some nice day walks to Rob Roy glacier in the Mount Aspiring National Park and along the coast in Kaikoura and the Otago peninsula near Dunedin, our next great walk was in the Abel Tasman National Park, named after our fellow country man who first discovered NZ in 1643. After a day of kayaking along the coast and between some lovely seals, we spent the night in Anchorage hut, but not before visiting a small cave full of glowworms. Throughout the country you will find nice walking treks and huts, which taken care of by the Department of Conservation (or DOC, in Dutch we would call it 'Staatsbosbeheer'). These huts are mostly scarcely decorated with some basic wooden tables and benches, an outside long drop toilet and potable water. Cooking utensils, sleeping bags, a stove and food you will have to bring yourself. The Abel Tasman Coastal Trek wanders along the beautiful coast and we came across many marvelous beaches, where we stopped to have a picnic until being sent away by the sandflies. Furthermore we had to be very careful when crossing some of the beaches or inlets as some can only be crossed during low tide or just before and after. Although crossable, we still had to wade through knee deep streams.
After two days of seven hour tramping we were quite keen to return to our Happy Crab to take a hot shower and enjoy a real meal (and a glass of beer or wine or two). Just when we were on our way back in a water taxi to the starting point of our trek the captain got a call over the mar phone that an orca family had been spotted one bay away. The captain did not hesitate for a moment and went there, leaving some other trampers waiting on the beach. This was one of the most amazing sights I ever witnessed; two orca babies and a mother coming really close to our boat. A few minutes later we saw two giant fins (1.5m high) above the water and speeding in our direction. Those were the fathers protecting their family. An incredible experience. Later the captain told us he only saw them a couple of times a year. For the rest of the day we had a big smile on our faces, especially when some angry and cold Germans came on the boat, which had been waiting for us on the cold beach, while we were watching the orcas.
It turned out to be a very lucky day as after three failed attempts to watch Northface (a German movie on the ascent of the Eiger Northface in the Swiss Alps) in the cinema, we finally got to see this good movie. The 2nd time when we were trying to see the movie in Nelson, a black-out occurred in town and we had to leave the cinema empty handed. But not before we met two fellow Northface cinema goers, who after a talk about trekking and mountaineering gave us their business cards. One of the guys turned out to be the main publisher of trekking books in NZ and the next day gave us two great tramping books to make up for the bad weather we had so far NZ. What an awesome hospitality! Later on the North Island we would use these books for doing the Pinnacles and Cape Brett treks.
At first we were planning to do the Coromandel Coastal Walk on the North Island, but to get to the start of that walk you have to drive 40km on gravel roads. That was no problem; however we discovered that this road was one of only few that we were not allowed to drive due to insurance reasons. So instead we decided to do the Pinnacles Walk. A tough seven hour trek climbing up from about sea level through dense rainforest and over many , many stairs to the summit of the Pinnacles at some 760m. The last part was particularly steep and we had to use both hand and feet to conquer it. On the way up we ran into a group of 14 year old school girls. Many of them turned out to be surprisingly fit and even overtook us. A bit embarrassing when you think you are in good shape....
Our last great tramp was the two day trek to Cape Brett in the beautiful Bay of Islands. Although our book rated it as medium in terms of difficulty, it was actually a very hard 6-7 hour (one way)trek, which I would only recommend to experienced and above average trekkers. We walked up and down through dense forests with occasionally mighty views of the Bay of Islands and after a long day we finally arrived at Cape Brett, which is located at the very end of a 20km long and uninhabited peninsula. At the end of the peninsula just past the beautiful lighthouse we were happy to see the hut. To our (and their) surprise we found five DOC workers renovating the hut. Their foreman told us the hut was actually closed for the week, but luckily let us in to stay there for the night. They turned out to be very nice company. A bit later a small group of outdoor students and their tutors joined as well and we all had a great meal as both the workers and the students had caught a lot of fish that day and invited us to join them. So instead of eating our terrible dried backcountry food we had a feast with red snapper, in a curry, cooked Paua, raw sea urchin, fried snapper, giant mussels in coconut gravy and some nice salad as well. The next day we headed back the same way to pick up our campervan in the front garden of a Maori lady, who for a minor fee had been watching over our Happy Crab during our absence.
And as Sharda had spotted an oyster farm on our way back, we finished the day in style on a nice campground overlooking the Bay of Islands with some fresh, gigantic oysters accompanied by a fine Chardonnay from Hawkes Bay. It may seem like a hard life, but somebody has got to live it!
Jordi & Sharda
New Zealand part one: South Island
15 September - 24 October 2009
After a long flight from Hong Kong we finally arrived in Auckland, NZ. This was however not our final destination for the day as we had to wait another seven hours for our 'ongoing' flight to Christchurch on the South Island before our adventure in NZ was really about to start.
Our first task was to find a campervan to rent, because as a tourist (but also many Kiwis), whether young or old, rich or poor, you travel through this beautiful country by campervan or at least something that vaguely resembles this. However, picking one that suited our purpose (and budget) was not as easy as it sounds, as there are dozens of rental agencies. What made our choice easier was that the average male Kiwi measures about 1.70m and therefore most campervan beds are only 1.80m long. Not really comfortable when you're 1.92m, like me. After two days of intense searching we decided to go for a 2-berth Backpacker. Although it looked a bit like an aquarium, it was the best one that best suited our needs. As Sharda was 'not completely happy' having to live in an aquarium for two months (and as you might well know she can be very persuasive if she really wants something) on the day of pick-up we asked whether it was still possible to supersize (yes, that's how they call it) our 2-berth for a larger 4-berth motor home. Although really busy due to the Kiwi and Aussie spring holidays, fortunately they had one available. You should have seen her face, I have never seen her happier!
After a shaky start I managed to control the 6m long and 3.2m high vehicle and got it on the right (which is the left) side of the road off to explore Aotearoa (Maori name for NZ). I will not bore you with all the details and geographical facts of our two month trip, but instead will try to give you an impression of how we experienced this lovely country. If not completely satisfied or if you're curious and want to know more, we are happy to share the x-thousand pictures and many hours of stories with you when we're back home in Amsterdam.
One of the things really typical for Nz's spring is the incredibly fast change in weather. One moment the sun is shining brightly, half an hour later you can be surprised by heavy rainfall or even a snowstorm. NZ is also a country of beautiful skies (whether it's night or daytime) with the clouds always moving fast pretty low above the land.
The main reason for the both of us to arrive here already during spring was (no surprise) skiing. Although the ski areas are not as big as in the Alps (most resorts just have 2 or 3 lifts), the mountains are pretty steep and there are great off-piste slopes for even expert skiers with names such as Powder Bowl, Virgin Mile Ridge and Morning Glory. We can recommend both Treble Cone (TC for insiders) and Mount Hutt for a day or two of skiing. The ultimate experience in skiing is however heli-skiing. And although we were often tempted to do something different in this adventure crazy country (you can go heli mountain biking, heli glacier walking, heli whale or dolphin watching and even heli rafting) we decided to keep our adventure within the boundaries of what we know and like best: skiing! After an amazing day with seven runs in the Harris Mountains just north of Wanaka, we celebrated this perfect day with 'a few' brewski's (the local beer) in the Green Toad ski rental shop of Johnny, the dude that joined us during this wicked day, and ended up in a cool dance bar. BTW: if you are ever to visit Wanaka (please do, it is worth it every dime) make sure you won't miss a visit to the local cinema, which shows art house movies and is a cool and relaxing place with comfortable couches and a beetle (the car) to sit on (or in) and with tasteful pizzas during the break.
South Island is all about nature: you can see beautiful turquoise lakes surrounded by steep and snowcapped mountains, Kermit green meadows with heaps and heaps of sheep (fact: South Island has 1 million human inhabitants compared to 35 million sheep), rough seas with steep overhanging cliffs (and courageous Kiwis trying to surf 8m waves in these ice cold waters) the beautiful fiords of Doubtful and Milford Sound and the amazingly green rainforest full of ferns all within one island. I can go on but it's better to watch the pictures.
Although there are not a lot of people around (or maybe because there are not many around) South Island, the ones we met were usually very friendly and open. In the countryside village of Geraldine (just after our first three days on the road) we stopped to buy some organic (just about everything is organic here) fresh fruit and vegetables and ended up in a small cottage style shop, where we bought some souvenirs. The lovely older lady gave us a discount before even asking for one and additionally we even got a nice present for free. Can you imagine we were a bit shocked after Nepal and India, where we had to bargain for every cent?
Another day, when driving along the southern coast we stopped at Cosy Nook Fishing Village. A village however was a bit too much honor for the three shets overlooking the rough seas of Foveaux Street. For a while we enjoyed the stunning scenery and just as we were about to move on we walked into Mark and Jude, a couple in their fifties living there. They immediately invited us in their love nest at the sea. We ended up having some interesting discussions on life and its meaning with these at first sight strange but very warm and open people. After a couple of hours we said goodbye but not before leaving without some beautiful gemstones and Paua shells as presents.
This day turned out to be a day full of nice encounters as just before dawn, when looking for a place to sleep, we walked into the local information centre annex café in Fortrose in the Catlins. After having told us which places to see and what to do, Nigel, the owner invited us and Mark, a Queenstownian staying the weekend for some fishing, for a drink. After a few drinks Mark told us he was not here just for some ordinary fishing, but to catch whitebait. Between September and November many Kiwis go out on the rivers to catch these baby eels, to later cook and fry them omelet style. Surprisingly they taste a bit like sole. They do not only eat these themselves but also sell it as it is an expensive delicacy (c. NZ$20 per 100 gram). Nigel and Mark also explained us that NZ was the centre of the world, which after some laughter from our side, was supported by showing us a political map of the world with NZ exact in the middle. Later Mark proved Kiwis are definitely full of humor when he told us we tourist in the campervans are called 'road maggots' by the locals as we are slow and irritating white creatures on the road. Just before we left Nigel showed us a good wild camping spot to hide for the emerging storm, while Mark was so generous to give us his full whitebait catch of the day (which was about half a kg) so we could have that for dinner.
NZ is also a perfect place to eat fresh food and drink some good wines. During our trip we visited several vineyards and (I am a bit embarrassed to say) almost every meal was accompanied by a fruity Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or a tasteful Central Otago Pinot Noir. Along the road there are many farmers selling fresh and homemade fruit, vegetables and dairy products. Often there is no one around and you just grap the food and put the money in a box. Along the coast we enjoyed some lovely oysters and mussels (giants compared to their European cousins), crayfish (=lobster), sea urchin, Paua and lots of other delicious seafood. However, probably a bit too much influenced by their British ancestors, they tend to fry all these delicacies, even the oysters! Luckily they provided us with some fresh and raw oysters, although they found us overseas people a bit weird. Also the meat (beef, deer or lamb) tastes better than at home (and costs half) and can compete with the famous Argentinean steaks.
As we allowed ourselves only one restaurant dinner per week, Sharda prepared all these meals in our own campervan 'the happy crab'. And I can tell you I am a lucky guy as she is a damn fine cook! Maybe it looks a bit old-fashioned to you but soon we had divided our daily household tasks: Sharda did the cooking, cleaning and navigation, while I was driving, doing the dishes, filling the water and taking care of the dirty jobs such as disposing of the waste water and emptying the chemical toilet.
Although initially Sharda wasn't really into the camping thing (especially not the big camping grounds with campervans standing close to each other like in car parks), she really started to enjoy it more and more, in particular the wild camping or campings in remote areas with beautiful views and few people. However, the weather made us often return to the more equipped campsites as these had powered sites so we could use our heater. Later on the North Island temperature rose so we could enjoy the remote spots more frequently.
During our trip through this wonderful country we had many encounters with the local wildlife. I told you already about the sheep (we even saw the birth of a lamb next to the road). NZ is also full of possums, which were imported from Australia about a century ago and now are a real plague to the indigenous wildlife. We saw many dead possums on the road and many traps for them near walking trails, but never one still alive. In the mountains we were often visited by the curious and bold Kea, a large cousin of the parrot. You have to be careful with these rascals as they will make a mess of your campervan or steal things from your bags if you are that stupid to not paying attention to them. From a lookout shelter on the rocks in the Catlins we saw the rare and very shy yellow-crested penguin coming ashore during one of many spring storms. A half hour later followed by his partner. In Kaikoura along the pacific coast we decided to go on a whale watching trip. While I was enjoying the sight of two huge sperm whales, Sharda spent this 2.5 hour trip in rough seas examining the bottom of a couple of paper bags.
On various occasions we ran into seals. While the elderly were sunbathing on the rocks, the adolescents were playfully fighting or posing for us human visitors. The coolest encounter with these wonderful animals however was in the Abel Tasman National park, up north on the South Island. As part of a three-day trip we spent a full day exploring the beautiful blue coastal waters of the park by kayak. We paddled to the small Tonga island, which was inhabited by a seal colony. Here we watched the young seals play and swim from up close. One youngster started playing with my paddle and we could even rub his belly. You could see he definitely liked it. The only specie we did not see was the most famous and national animal of NZ, the Kiwi bird. We have searched for it on both South and North Islands but except for a few footsteps on a beach and some sounds in a forest we only saw the road signs warning people for this rare and shy animal. I think they just made him up, like the Monster of Loch Ness.
I can go on and on but will not do that. After reading this story (and watching the pictures) you will wonder why we ever left this place full of wonderful friendly and hospitable people, incredible and diverse nature and awesome wildlife. I will tell you: Not because of the weather, but because of one of the smallest but definitely most irritating animals alive, the notorious sandfly! Along the coast you will find them or if not, they will find you and suck the blood out of you where ever and whenever they can. Although at first the bites do not hurt a lot and don't seem that nasty, it is only after a day or two that they begin to itch and irritate the hell out of you. Oh yeah, the second reason is that is a long long way from home where you guys all are!
Soon we will write you on the North Island and our tramping adventures
X
Jordi and Sharda
ps Pictures will follow later this week
.... in the city
11 - 14 September 2009
Oh yeah, you would have liked to read or (even better) look into this kind of pictures. But no, those are private!
After a short night on the plane from Delhi (we departed at 23.30h) we arrived in Hong Kong early morning. I think everyone visiting Hong Kong for the first (or me for the 2nd) time is impressed by its stunning skyline of tall skyscrapers filled with neon ads on both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island divided by the sea. You definitely feel you are in a big and modern city, where it's happening!
Tipped by our Dutch friends Rosalie and Michiel from Shanghai we had chosen the Bishop Lei International House as our base from where to explore this vibrant city. Although the room was small (one double bed just fitted in) it was a very modern complex with even an outdoor swimming pool (and that only for 40 euro) and superbly located on top of the Escalator in Soho, one of the coolest areas in town. But most important it had sparkling clean white bed sheets ditto towels and a great shower the things you are really starting to miss after travelling for a while.
Hong Kong is difficult to compare to other cities, it is a cosmopolitan mix of China with a subtle but very present British colonial atmosphere. And it is rich! Or at least a lot of people are! We were surprised by the amount of luxury cars, ultra modern high quality shopping malls, Prada, Louis Vutton and Gucci stores. But again in between you also saw some alleys with its small Chinese food markets and other mini stores.
After three months on the road (mainly in less fortunate places), while walking in Soho we looked astonished at the abundance of nice and hip cafes, bars and restaurants! It didn't take us long to enter one and so we started with some drinks in Staunton's (full of English) followed by dinner at Soho Spice (a delicious Thai restaurant) to top it of with some late night cocktails in the very lively Lan Kwai Fong area.
The next morning (with a bit of a headache) we went shopping for a laptop so we could have a bit more often and in a more pleasant way contact with our family and friends and write you all these stories from in our cozy campervan ‘ Happy Crab' here in New Zealand. We are not sure if you are aware of this but a (mini)laptop is the number one backpackersgadget nowadays, no matter what budget you are travelling at.
After we succeeded we took the ferry to Kowloon (the mainland), had some dim sum and visited one of the tacky tourist attractions, the Hall of Fame of Hong Kong, with celebrities such as Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan! After a long day we treated ourselves a bit and finished the day in style with some drinks on the roof terrace of the IFC building overlooking the harbor and Kowloon.
We decided to do the Sunday Hong Kong Style by taking the boat to Lamma Island, where we enjoyed an abundant Chinese style seafood platter (including baby lobster, St Jacobs scallops, squid and gamba accompanied by a bottle of white wine of course) for lunch in a small fishing village. After such an extraordinary lunch we decided to go for a liquid dinner with some cocktails in one of the bars in our neighborhood, where a dumb deaf person managed to sell us some illegal (but very good copies) DVDs.
Again a bit blurry in the head we woke up on our last day. I had to visit the hairdresser as after 3 months of travelling my hair was a bit too much resembling that of Bassie (for the non-Dutch he is a clown). Luckily it turned out to be quite fine so my next cut will probably only be in Australia.
In the morning we saw a worrying message on a screen of a television in a window: A typhoon was approaching Hong Kong quickly. Not very good news when you have to catch a plane the same night. During the day we noticed everyone taking precautions: terraces closed and all chairs and tables were strapped together and people were in a hurry to get home. The HK government had even decided to send all their personnel home early! A bit worried we checked whether our flight was still to depart but we couldn't get an answer on that one so we decided to take the airport express anyway and see what was about to happen. In the meantime it had started to rain heavily and also the wind was getting stronger by the hour.
At the HK train station we discovered a novelty (at least for us). We could check-in our luggage already at the train station so we did not have to carry it ourselves all the way to and in the airport. On our arrival there we heard our plane was departing on time... so we had to go for it. But a pleasant first hour it was not. From take-off the plane was shaking heavily and during the first 30 minutes it was really quiet in the plane. Luckily after an hour this rollercoaster trip was over and we could wipe the sweat of our faces, watch a movie and go to bed, to wake up the next morning almost above New Zealand, our next destination.
Bye!
Jordi & Sharda
Mountain fever
Ladakh
28 August - 4 September 2009
The day before we would leave for the 8-day Stok Kangri trek we had to make some preparations. After our bad experience with dirty and smelly sleeping bags in Nepal we wanted to buy some 'real fake' new ones. However the sellers were not in a good mood and not prepared to give us some good bargains. So instead we decided to rent two sleeping bags again! This time Sharda personally checked the sleeping bags by opening and sniffing them. We were told these sleeping bags used to belong to the Indian Army. At first the thought of a dirty Indian soldier wearing this sleeping bag was not so pleasant but the selling point that the army used them on glaciers convinced us and in the end they turned out to be quite comfortable and warm.
At 6pm we had a last briefing with our guide in which Sharda mentioned that she had an eye infection and that we would like to consult a doctor before heading into the mountains. No problem said the guide and within half an hour we went to a place to see one (during the day we had unsuccessfully tried to contact a doctor or pharmacist ourselves). The place turned out to be a hotel and first we received a nice cup of tea. 10 minutes later the doctor arrived (he actually owned the hotel) and he took us into one of the hotel rooms where he checked Sharda's eye and prescribed her a medicine. On my question 'what do we owe you' the doctor replied ' This is a hotel, or does this look like a clinic? So you don't have to pay'. After thanking him we went back to our guesthouse in the hills to dream of our adventure that was about to start.
I told you already that we had hired the best agency in town to hopefully prevent a 'disaster' like in Nepal. This meant we had almost a full expedition team to assist us:
- Sherpa Pemba from Darjeeling, our guide
- Karma from Nepal, our 'chef the cuisine' aka 'lady killer' (every time we stopped at a teahouse you could see him flirting with the lady of the house)
- Tsjetup Lama from Nepal, our assistant cook and lunch Sherpa, aka 'the monk' as every second of free time he spent reading Buddhist prayers
- Champa from Nepal, our kitchen boy
- Rigzin, the only local, our pony man
- Six horses to carry the loads (don't know why Rigzin was called PONYman!)
- A dining tent, cooking tent, sleeping tent and toilet tent (YES indeed a toilet tent)
- Bags and boxes full of food, cooking utensils, gas bottles etc.
The first real obstacle after a two hour drive from Leh through the stunning Indus and Zanskar valleys was the crossing of the mighty Zanskar river by means of a small trolley. First the guys and luggage were transported across the river to follow by the two clients, Jordi & Sharda. Unfortunately when we were crossing the river something went wrong, the ropes got entangled and we were hanging 15 meters above a rumbling white river. Only after 20 minutes we managed to get out of our uncomfortable (that's an understatement) situation, when Sharda was able to disentangle and pull the ropes and get us safely across (what a man am I he?).
Two hours later we arrived at a teahouse to have lunch. A house however is a bit too much honor for this in a tent converted parachute. Our guide told us that in winter many villages are supplied by army helicopters dropping food by parachutes as these villages cannot be reached on foot due to heavy snowfall and avalanches.
The first two days we walked up from 3400m to some 4300m through bloody warm (35C) and very sandy and dry canyons. Each morning we got a wake-up call from Tsjetup saying 'Allo Allo' and serving us a hot cup of tea, while we were still comfortably in our warm sleeping bags. Afterwards we would get some hot water to wash and freshen up and then it was time for breakfast: ranging from muesli, omelet, bread rolls, croissant to rice pudding! Then we left with Pemba, while the others went packing and loading the horses. Somewhere on the way Tsjetup did catch up with us and a bit later we would have lunch, which he had been carrying with him. At our destination for the night we again received tea or hot lemon with cookies and at 7pm it was dinner time. We were surprised by Karma, our head chef, who was able to prepare the most delicious meals (or were we just really hungry after a day of walking?) while seated and cooking on the floor: pizza, momos, pasta with fresh salad, spaghetti Bolognese, pies, pancakes cinnamon rolls.....he cooked it all with a smile (and a cigarette when Pemba was not around)! One night he even gave cooking lessons and showed Sharda how to cook momos (a Tibetan delicacy). I am desperately waiting for her to cook them for me back in Amsterdam!
Day 3 the weather changed and instead of the clear blue skies of the previous days we woke up on a cloudy, windy and cold morning to climb the Ganda La (La means pass) at almost 5000m. We were a bit surprised by the weather change as Ladakh is well known for its 360 days of sunshine throughout the year. While I struggled a bit that day and felt pretty weak and feverish, Sharda, after a slow start, was getting stronger by the day. As we were not able to see many mountains due to the clouds, several mountain marmots decided to entertain us with their funny whistling.
On day 4 it was still cold and it started to rain, which turned out to be an omen of bad news. After dinner our pony man who went to collect his horses for the night, returned with the sad news that one of his horses, the old white, had died. The happy and energetic spirit of the team in the prior days immediately disappeared and we all felt sorry for our sympathetic pony man. Just before dinner that night he had told us that it would possibly be the last trek for the old horse as it had already difficulties to keep up with the rest of the group.
The next morning we saw the dead horse on the mountain while we were ascending the Stok La (just over 4900m). Although steep, a bit slippery and cold and you could feel the altitude, it was nice to climb without the dust of the prior days. We both felt very strong this day.
Day 6, another cloudy day. After a relatively easy ascent and our first close-ups of Stok Kangri (6120m and our ultimate aim of this trip) we arrived at base camp at almost 5000m. During our afternoon acclimatization climb to 5300m we were caught by surprise in a snow storm, although we managed to return to our tents safely. Just before dinner two rafting guides of our trekking agency (who were to join our group to the summit) arrived together with the climbing Sherpa (a one- time Everest climber), who was especially flown in (not literally) to guide us high up the mountain the next morning.
Day 7....SUMMIT DAY. At 1am we wake up after a short night in which we cannot sleep very well due to the altitude and the excitement. After breakfast at 2am we (climbing Sherpa, Pemba, the 2 rafting guys and us) leave with our Petzls (head lights) on into the dark and snowy night. Sharda feels a bit sick (probably the food) the first hours but manages to continue and recover later onwards. Tara, one of the rafting guys, however, is coughing very badly and after he has vomited blood, a serious sign of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) Pemba decides to descent with him. A few other climbing groups have then already decided to return to base camp.
Still in the dark, we continue climbing slowly...step by step...while heavy snowfall and an increasing wind are trying to prevent us from doing so. After crossing a glacier without too many crevasses (or maybe we didn't see them because of the darkness and fresh snow) we arrive at the foot of a steep and rocky gully that goes all the way up to the summit ridge. After having climbed ¾ of the gully at an altitude of 5808m we decide to stop for a while and decide what to do. Sharda feels a bit insecure after our guide left and she does not have full confidence in our climbing Sherpa (he did not speak any English). Also climbing the very slippery snow and ice covered rocks is getting more and more difficult and the climbing guide tells us that the wind on the very narrow summit ridge will probably be very dangerous. When we see that the two other remaining groups on the mountain, that have just reached the ridge leading to the summit, some 100 meters above us, also decide to return we are completely convinced. Although it was a tough decision to return also because we were physically still in good shape, we know we made the right one! Better fail and return safely than go on and maybe end up in a life threatening situation higher up on the mountain in very bad weather. On the way back we decide to rope up to prevent us from falling off the icy rocks. At 9am (7 hours after our departure) we, looking more like a couple of snow men, return happily into a white base camp and we are welcomed with a cup of hot tea by Pemba and Tara, who has recovered from his AMS at this 'lower' altitude. The next day we walk from base camp to the warm and even a bit sunny village of Stok down in the valley.
In retrospect I think we were just a bit unlucky with the weather during our attempt to climb Stok Kangri. In good conditions we could have made it. But that doesn't count. Winter had started unusually early this year we were told. In the end we had a wonderful trip with a pleasant and fun team. The mountain will wait for us as we are keen to return one day as beautiful Ladakh and its people have stolen our hearts!
Jordi & Sharda
A journey into higher places…
Delhi, Punjab and Ladakh
15 August - 10 September
And then it was time to leave Delhi. Early Sunday morning at 7am we arrived at the New Delhi train station to catch our train, the Shatabdi Express, to Amritsar. As you think (like we did) that on a Sunday morning it would be quiet at the station, you are wrong! The place was a total chaos! We were happy we weren't there on a Monday morning. The train however was on the platform 1 and pretty modern (or at least our cabin, as we booked 1st class).
After a 5 hour journey we arrived in Amritsar, which is located in the Punjab state and very close to the Pakistani border. It is however mainly famous for the Golden Temple, the main place of worship of the Sikhs. As I knew these people only as ferocious killers from thrillers, I was a bit afraid at first! However they turned out to be very friendly people that were willing to explain about their culture (some still looked frightening though). If you want to know the difference between a Taliban and a Sikh, the Sikh do wear a moustache, as the Taliban do not! So don't be afraid the next time you see a Sikh on an aircraft. Later a kind person told us that Sikh are the only people in the world that are allowed to wear a knife on board of a plane, as a Sikh is carrying a dagger as a symbol to remind him or her of its responsibility to act when injustice is done to someone (not by using the knife though). The dagger is one of the symbols of a Sikh (for men at least) as well as the turban, the uncut body hair, long underpants and a silver bracelet. This person also told us that in all Sikh temples food and accommodation is offered freely to any person. In the Golden Temple volunteers prepare 30,000 meals and do 30,000 dishes every day. So we ate on the floor together with hundreds of people and afterwards did some volunteer work by doing a few of these 30,000 dishes!
Next day we went to the Indian - Pakistani border to watch the closing of the border ceremony. Every day at sunset the border is closed in a spectacular way, which attracts thousands of visitors at both sides. Both Indian and Pakistani crowds show their nationalism by yelling and singing, while fierce (and very tall) soldiers of both countries march to the gate in a manner that most resembles Monty Python's ministry of silly walks!
Later we headed for Dharamsala, a small hill station in the foothills of the Himalayas and well-known for being the home of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Government in exile and many Tibetan refugees. We there visited the temple of the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately he was not at home, but as so often, on the road for giving teachings, this time of the year in Ladakh. We watched the monks that were debating in a fascinating way: they strengthen their arguments by clapping their hands enthusiastically. Furthermore we visited the buildings of the Tibetan Government in exile, where we had a long and interesting conversation with one of the secretaries of the government. He explained us many Tibetans still flee across the Himalayas to escape the suppression of the Chinese regime and that the government in exile is now only seeking for cultural independence from China since they have unfortunately given up hope for total independence. We even met one of the refugees when we were having coffee in our favorite café. It was the young waiter of the café (somewhere in his twenties) that escaped from Tibet 2 years ago as he could not live freely there.
Many people had warned us that you either love OR hate India and that for every day you meet one nice person you would also meet one asshole so to say (excuse me for my language). We think that is about right. On our way to Dharamsala we hired a cab accompanied by an asshole Indian taxi driver, as he turned out to be as he (off course?) wanted more money than originally agreed upon for his terrible driving skills. A few days later however on our way from Dharamsala to Manali our driver was very friendly and cooperative and maybe even more important a much more competent one with a reliable car.
In Manali, a small hippie village in the green mountains of Himachal Pradesh, we stayed only one night as we were in a hurry to catch the last of the teachings of the Dalai Lama in Leh, Ladakh. But in order to get there we had a tough 2-day jeep journey ahead of us over steep gravel roads and across the 2nd highest motorable pass in the world (almost 5400m high). This turned out to be a fantastic trip with magnificent scenery changing almost every hour from the green alpine meadows around Manali to wide deserts and moonlike landscapes with dry yellow red rocks similar to the Grand Canyon. During the very cold night had to sleep in tents at an altitude of 4300m, so we were well acclimatized for our stay in Leh (3500m). Luckily together with a German hippie couple in their fifties travelling by truck from Germany to India in two years, we were the only people there so they had some spare blankets left for us.
On our arrival in Ladakh we were astonished by the wonderful snowcapped mountains, the beautiful green Indus river valley, the lovely and picturesque Ladakhi style homes and the monasteries on top of the hills. Ladakh, also known as Little Tibet, is part of Kashmir, a region in the northwest of India bordering Tibet and Pakistan. Although the situation in the remainder of Kashmir remains a bit unstable due to tension between the countries, Ladakh itself and its mainly Buddhist inhabitants (only a small percentage is Muslim) are very peaceful and quiet and it didn't feel like we were in India at all. The only thing that reminds you of the situation is the omnipresence of the Indian armed forces.
Together with a very friendly Italian Buddhist lawyer from Rome, called Generoso (what's in a name) we headed for the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The venue was at a large green field just outside the town, where thousands of Ladakhi had gathered to witness and listen to what his Holiness had to say to them! We lucky tourists were given nice spots close to the central podium and where provided with a big loudspeaker transmitting the translation of the speech of his Holiness from Tibetan into English. It was fascinating to see how all Ladakhi had dressed up in their finest clothes and very interesting to hear the Dalai Lama speak on Buddhism in general and how to achieve happiness, but also on local topics such as the problems with some of the young monks in Ladakh, that are getting a bit too modern these days (some wearing baseball caps and have cell phones and are even hiding western girls!).
After our negative experience with our 'guide' in Nepal we decided to go for the best trekking agency in town to arrange an 8-day trek through part of the Markha valley and ending with the ascent of Stok Kangri, a 6120m high peak, towering above the valley. In a separate story, which we will post later, we will write you of our adventures during this trek!
After the trek we spent some days visiting a few of the splendid Buddhist monasteries in the region and our very last night we actually spent the night in the Thiksey monastery, nicely located on top of a hill in the beautiful Indus valley. Here we slept in a basic room with very hard mattresses (and with separate beds of course!).
After a marvelous flight over part of the Himalayas we returned to Delhi, where we were warmly welcomed by my cousin Mischa, her husband Paul and their daughters Roos and Bloem. It was good to see some familiar (and family) faces again and to relax a bit after a wonderful but tiring trip.
We really enjoyed playing in the pool with the girls, the family road trip through parts of Delhi and visiting the international school of Roos. Together with Mischa we did some good clothing and souvenir shopping and the three of us became a mean bargaining machine as we could tell from some of the frustrated faces of the salesmen. While Sharda and Mischa had some girl talk, Paul took me for 18 holes of golf at a nearby beautiful golf club. Although I had an excellent caddy, in the end I was badly beaten by Paul. But no worries, a cold beer was waiting for the loser as well! After some 'interesting' dining experiences in China, Nepal and India Mischa & Paul now took us to a very nice and trendy garden restaurant where we enjoyed fine wines and some terrific food. The morning before we would leave Delhi we had a little surprise in our guesthouse in the garden of Mischa & Paul. When Sharda woke up and got out of bed she suddenly started screaming! What had happened? During the night and early morning it had been raining so heavily that the draining system could not handle it anymore, which resulted in our guesthouse being flooded with some 15cm's of water. Unfortunately we had put almost all our freshly washed clothes on piles on the floor. So you can imagine how we felt.....So that day we spent cleaning, washing and drying our stuff again instead of relaxing in the swimming pool, before we had to say goodbye to them to leave for Hong Kong that night.
Mischa & Paul, thanks a lot for your great hospitality! It was really nice to see you all again and to see your city in a way that is very different from some of the terrible stories people had told us upfront.
XXX
Jordi & Sharda
From Nepal to India
3-15August 2009
Yes... we are still alive!
Here in our campervan far away on the South island of New Zealand we have finally found some time to give you all an update on our adventures.
Where were we?
After Bhutan we spent some more time in Nepal. From Kathmandu we took the bus to Pokhara, a city in the west of Nepal, picturesquely situated at a lake in the foothills of the Himalayas. At first we were a bit disappointed as the Lakeside area looked a bit similar to the touristy area of Kathmandu, Thamel! But soon we discovered a nice café, where we met an American girl making a documentary in the region, that showed us a nice place to stay, situated on the other side of the lake. The only way to reach it was by a 45 minute boat ride....paddling! Luckily for us we were picked up by a strong native with only one paddle, so we just sat down and enjoyed the trip.
We were welcomed by a funny Japanese woman that had run into a friendly local back in the sixties to settle here in the bush of Nepal. The friendly local (her husband) told us (and showed us the pics) proudly that until recently they threw great techno parties at this place! (Un)luckily they did not anymore while we stayed there and we just relaxed some days reading books, eating, sleeping and enjoying the great views.
Our last days in Nepal we spent in Bhaktapur, a lovely small town in the Kathmandu valley with many beautiful old temples, houses and squares. In the week we were visiting the local people were celebrating Gai Yatra, a festival in which they remember the people that had passed away during the year. That this was not only a serious and sorrow occasion but also one of jokes and laughter we noticed when a group of young men passed by singing and dancing with wooden sticks, while carrying a big statue with the face of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson!
Just before leaving the country I again had a typical Nepali experience! At the airport I had to bribe a customs official with 60 rupees (c. 1 USD, he asked 10 USD at first) as he insisted, when checking my hand luggage, that I could not take the prayer wheel I had bought in Bhutan on the plane to Delhi! Very annoying but maybe a bit more understandable when you find out these poor folks only earn 2000 rupees a month (€20)!
And then we were in Delhi, back into civilization!.......Hmmmm I hear you think .... Delhi - civilization? Yes indeed, as we were picked up by the driver of my cousin Mischa, who together with her husband Paul and their two little girls Roos and Bloem live in New Delhi. Unfortunately they were still on holiday in Europe, but were so generous to let us stay in their beautiful villa! For 3 days we did nothing but sleep, (in nice and clean beds), swim in their pool and write the Bhutan story for our website, while their friendly staff cooked us food and cleaned our very dirty clothes!
Day 4 we left for a 3-day trip to Agra and Jaipur, together with Delhi forming the Golden Triangle. Accompanied by Kashmira, the driver, we visited Agra's Red fort, the Jama Mashid (a mosque) and off course...the Taj Mahal. On the first evening we headed off in a tuk-tuk (that was a little culture shock after our convenient drive in the family's air-conditioned Ford Endeavour) to see the Taj Mahal during sun set. As you can see on some of the pics traffic in India is very hectic and sometimes you run into very interesting fellow travelers on the roads (and I do not only mean the barefoot hippie style Europeans with their dreadlocks and baggy trousers). On our return to the hotel the gentle tuk-tuk driver suggested to visit some genuine handicraft workers in the old town (read: souvenir shops). As it was already getting late and we were a bit hungry and tired we said we just wanted to go to the hotel. When he kept on insisting we had to go there, we got a bit angry and he finally told us he would get a 100 rupee commission from the shop owner just bringing us to the shop. After negotiations and paying the driver a bit extra we were finally brought to the hotel directly.
The next morning we rose early (5am) to see the sunrise on the Taj. And although it was a bit cloudy, but already really warm as you can tell from one of the pics, and we were not alone (you never seem to be in IndiaJ)we did enjoy the sights of this marvelous palace, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
After the visit of one of the seven world wonders we headed off for Jaipur, while on the way visiting Fatehpur Sikri, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was built by yet another great Mughal Emperor named Akbar.
After our arrival in the Pink City, Jaipur, we wanted to eat something and thus we had a look in the book of books of all travelers...the Lonely Planet. We found a nice recommended place and went there. However, on our arrival we discovered two restaurants right beside each other with the same name both mentioning they were recommended by the LP! Typically the Indian way!
The next morning we visited the Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple, where a dozen of Indian ladies were dancing to celebrate Krishna, a Hindu god. When we arrived, Sharda in her Indian dress immediately had the attention of the ladies and was invited to dance with them. After a moment of hesitation she took the challenge and danced enthusiastically hand in hand in a circle with the delighted ladies, while we men were watching them!
We did some more sightseeing in Jaipur later that morning (the Maharadja's palace and museum, the Hawa Mahal) and on our way back home to Delhi visited the Jaighar and Amber forts.
On 15 August, Indian Independence Day, back in Mischa and Paul's home in Delhi we prepared for our next adventure by train to Amritsar, and then on to Dharamsala, Manali to finally reach Leh, Ladakh in the north of India. Soon you will see more of that, but first we have to do some great spring skiing tomorrow here in NZ as the weather forecast promises us some sun!