Bandhs, trekking and the elusive Kanchenjunga!

We've been trying to organise a few treks. Our first plan is to take a short trek up to Langtang (7-9 days depending on how well the kids cope and maybe do some day treks from base camp). This range is about a days journey north from Kathmandu. Thanks to Beej, we have met Carlos our guide and he has organised a porter and a landcruiser to take us to the trail head (the local bus is a hideously cramped 11 hr journey across steep rough terrain so we're giving it a miss).

Our big plan was to trek through the Kanchenjunga foothills but this is looking less likely now for this trip. I have to admit I am a little disappointed as I have wanted to see this mountain for many years now but the time is just not right. Kanchenjunga sits on the far east Nepal bordering with the Indian state of Sikkim. But to reach the trail head involves journeying through the Tarai region of Nepal. This state is fairly politically unstable just now with regular bandhs. A bandh is a full on strike. And this means no power, no traffic, no road access, no nothing. People get stuck for days on end because the road is blocked, sometimes up to a week. The trick would be to organise a trekking team then as soon as the bandh is called off, quickly get to the trail head by road. Once you're off the road, you're free to trek on. Flights to Taplejung, north of the road blocks as it's halfway up the trail, are cancelled with alarming regularity due to the weather, so that's not really an option. The other airport further south, Biritnagar, is in the Tarai so affected by regular bandhs, meaning getting stuck at a Tarai airport in 30 degrees for days on end is likely.

It's peak season for Sula Khumbu and flights to Lukla are booked out. I guess seeing Everest is something to look forward to on our next visit. Dolpo's a possibility but will incur much bigger expenses as requires two domestic flights to get to the trail head. But Mathiesson's The Snow Leopard is a favourite book and I have often dreamed of Phoksumdo lake. The other option is going to Pokhara and enjoying some day treks. Our friends Parina and Bijay may be able to come for a little holiday so that would be lovely. We could also go rafting on the way back to Kathmandu.

So tomorrow, we leave for Langtang and we all packed and feeling slightly in awe of the rucksack we have packed for the porter. This guys on a bonus for sure and we've not met him yet. Our guide Carlos is picking us up at 7.30am, aiming to reach a Tibetan settlement adjacent to the trail head by mid afternoon. We will stay here for one night and then set off on a 7-10 day trek. We may visit Gosainkund lake, if we are all coping with the altitude or we will spend a few days at Langtang base camp and explore some higher ridges on day treks.

Shanti shakti and a very happy and prosperous Nepali New Year to all (2066) x

Namaste brothers & sisters!

It's very difficult to get connected to the internet here in Nepal. Kathmandu is a city that is often without power and generators are limited to very high end places. In fact, this place is often without many things we take for granted. Electricity, clean water, decent sanitation, maintained roads... And that's just some of the more basic needs. It's an incredibly dusty smoggy place, which can best be viewed from a surrounding hill or even better, the rather beautiful Swayambhu temple. It looks like mist except it's more orangey brown. People cough and splutter just like the traffic. Twelve times the WHO recommendation on maximum levels of carcinogenic hydrocarbons and smog forming nitrous oxides! Apparently the petrol is cut with cheaper kerosene, with the Gov's Nepal Oil Corporation taking more than it's fair share of the deal, and in turn reaching the pockets of political pay offs. It's definitely starting to take it's toll on my lung capacity and together with the dust, irritates the eyes making the wearing of contact lenses a very painful experience. We now all wear masks (apart from Lee). Not this prevents being covered in a film of orange dust even on the shortest of excursions. Long term health outcomes are not favourable in this city. In the 1870s,a British surgeon in residence referred to Kathmandu's public health as “built on a dunghill in the middle of latrines”. Harsh yes, but multiply that population by more than a century of population growth and you can understand why sometimes it's very difficult to breathe in here.

So, back to the issue of corruption, since this is at the heart of so many problems that this country faces. Nepal has the honour of being the biggest foreign aid recipient per capita in the world, and yet very little of this money makes it to the intended end point. Despite huge foreign investments to develop irrigation and hydro electric power (the country has the capacity to produce enough energy from hydro electric power to support the British Isles) there has been limited success and Kathmandu has no power for huge portions of the day and night. As for the big aid agencies, name any of them.... UNICEF, UNIDOC, Save the Children, they all have an equally poor reputation here – might be something to do with living in huge secure mansions and driving about in their SUVs that seem to be essential to the aid workers (and diplomats) lifestyle here. Although the roads are shocking and it's probably one of the few places in the world where an SUV is really necessary if you want to go anywhere off the main highway.

Ask anyone here why that is and they will all give the same answer. There are many arteries bleeding money away from the people. Corruption is rife. In business and politics and foreign aid. Government and non-government organisations. Money is siphoned off here there and everywhere. This is a country that has moved from self sufficiency to cash crops that mean there is no longer enough food produced here to feed people and reliance on imports means the poor get poorer. The government made a deal with India and they take a big share of the water. Charitable work here is challenging and often corrupted too. We have been hanging out with our new local friends in Kathmandu and there are stories abound that would break your heart several times over. It is a hard life for many here, and the dignity and peaceful nature of people that shines through makes you question the very fabric of your own life and what we think is important.

It's certainly a big change from our rather luxurious holidaying in Sri Lanka and Maldives. But a good one and in all honesty, we did not feel so comfortable and as at home as we do here. This is mostly down to our wonderful new friends Parina (from the Tarai originally and now runs a drug treatment and rehab centre for women), Bijay (our mohawked friend from Pokhara, works as a tattoo artist and helps Parina at the centre) and Brooke (volunteer worker, originally from Oz and enroute to London to work as a teacher). We feel so lucky to have met Parina, Brooke and Beej. They have opened their hearts and home to us and made us feel so welcome and cared for. The children are really happy here and Tevo said he feels completely at home. Thanks to making local friends, we have rented a great apartment and have been escorted around this bonkers city, learning snippets of Nepali, dodging traffic, munching on momos and visiting amazing shrines and temples.

A small world moment. I'm wandering around the hugely impressive 130ft stupa at Boudhanath and I bump into friends from the Manchester Buddhist Centre! A totally unexpected but lovely surprise to be hugging a friend from Manchester next to one of the biggest stupas in the world. Unfortunately we didn't manage to meet up again but we will meet up again at home and I'm looking forward to hearing about their Buddhist pilgrimage across India and Nepal.

The temples of Kathmandu are very impressive. We climbed 304 steps up to Swayumbhunath, watched the world go by from atop. The cultural embrace of buddhist and hindu beliefs and worship is fascinating. For hindu, buddha is an incarnation of vishnu (one of the hindu holy trinity – kind of). However most hill tribes are actually buddhist, as many are mongol or tibetan descent. Before the enforced borders, most hill tribes were nomads wandering back and forth from the Tibetan plateau, down the mountains with their yak herds. Apparently it was the humble potato that led to their settlement. The sad fact is that now people cannot make their pilgrimages any longer, thus ending a thousand or more years of their freedom to roam.

A note on the photos

We are having a few probs uploading the pics and it appears the thumbnails are not working. However the link will take you to the Peterpan gallery where you can click on the individual thumbnails and when the details come up, click on the size in the top right of screen, to change to the full size. then you can see the photo. If any techie friends know why this might be happening - any advice welcome. Sawadee Songkran! xxxx

Goodbye Maldives, Hello Bangkok

Hoorah we are finally in Bangkok. We left Dhonakhuli island at 4am in a crazy monsoonal storm and on the flashiest speedboat I've ever been on. They had to take the high powered one as the sea was so rough. Sheet lightening and torrential monsoon rain. We were all wondering how on earth we would be able to fly from the tiny north island of Hanimaadhoo down to Male. We ended up sleeping on the boat (in rather luxurious cabins) as the plane that came to picl us up was too small to land in the storm and had to turn back. A slightly larger plane arrived about 2 hours later, dropping us as Male just 40 minutes before our connecting flight. Then back to Negombo for one night before flying out again very early to come here.

Just a note about using travel agents. This is the first (and last) time I have used an agency. We only did it as we anted to let someone else take care of booking the wedding and honeymoon week. Our vote is for independent travel every time. We were overcharged all along the way, especially at the hotel in Negombo, The Beach, which had rooms for $150 while were paying $330 crazy price huh! Meant to be 5*+ as last night of luxury on honeymoon. Hmmm. Hotel management were really helpful and in agreement that we had been ripped off by our agent and so gave us this last night with no bill since we had overpaid previously and they didn't even know we had paid deposits. They told us they were surprised the agent hadn't informed us of the discounted prices. We said we weren't in the slightest. Boutique Sri Lanka is one big rip off. They booked us the worst timed flights and I really wouldn't recommend Sri Lankan airways (their planes are a bit scabby, very uncomfortable and falling to bits). BSL said there were no connections to Nepal yet we could have gone from Male via Doha to Kathmandu using an airline they perhaps didn't make such commissions with.

Ho hum... no worries now as we are free to roam and in my favourite city in the world (with KL running a close second). Just LOVE this place with it's juxtaposition of the great, good, bad and ugly. But all with the biggest smiles and genuine feeling of joy for life.

Staying at the lovely Vieng Tai on Ranbutri rd behind Khao San, and a fabulous little indian cafe has just opened two doors away. Tevo got his favourite panner tikka and when Roisin's makhani dahl was served, she smiled and said, hello old friend it's been too long.

Next stop Kathmandu....

Not so dry tubes...

Unfortunately we had a little accident with our camera involving our not so dry, dry tube and a great big gust of wind. Roisin was having a windsurfing lesson and Lee, Tevo and I were powering up and down the lagoon in a catamaran having a great time. The rope for the main sail accidentally locked down as we made the turn and the huge wind took us over like a matchstick boat. Rather unnervingly as we clung onto our capsized vessel we started to drift at alarming speed since the upturned boat acted as another sail, taking us our across the outer reef edge into the main channel. Next stop Africa! Tried as we might we just couldn't right the boat. Fortunately we had been spotted and within a short while a speedboat was dispatched and he soon had us upright and heading back to shore. Rather exciting but the dry tube had filled itself with water and Tevo's new camera is now refusing to switch itself on. Perhaps we can rescue the pictures from the memory card. We are hoping so as it has all the pictures from the wedding although we were able to copy some from Palitha and Stephanie's computer (who we have since met up with again at their Negombo villa).

Hope to post some pictures soon.

Mosquitos, mantas and murky water....

Such is this paradise, and the fact that we hadn't seen a single mossie for days, when I left the villa and realised I had forgotten to put on repellant, I thought, oh I'll be fine. Thank goodness there is no malaria in Maldives. I've got about 70 bites on my lower legs. It may look like paradise but those little blighters are still lurking.

They say this atoll is a little sharky. I say that is a little under statement. Sitting on the beach little baby sharks about a foot or so in length, glide up and down the shallows. There are black tip reefs and nurse sharks (which look a peachy colour). In the evening, the bigger ones come to feed near the shore and last night there was pair of black tips, one was about 3 ½ ft and the other was over 5 ft. It's head was about a foot across. I can't stop watching them. They're incredibly beautiful, I think I'm being hypnotised. The biggest sharks in Maldives are the grey reefs and hammerheads but they tend to stay out in deep open water. Thank goodness!

Yesterday we were starting to feel the pressure of spending 24/7 with the children. The reality of children, away from the romanticised view, is that they can be demanding and that you rarely have much space for your own conversations and thoughts. By the time they go to bed, we are often equally exhausted and not far behind behind hitting the pillows. I have a friend who says that when they go on a family holiday, he is more exhausted by his children, with no school time to relieve the pressure and assist with the discipline. Disciplining children is exhausting and sibling fighting, which our twins have a tendency toward, is even more so. This was one of our biggest challenges when we travelled last time.

The children are also having to adjust to being in each other's company more than usual, and ours to I suspect. I had hoped the children's club here would offer us some respite but if I'm honest, it's a little disappointing. The sessions are often very short, mostly an hour or so, and to organise the kids (dry yourself off, wash that sand off, get some clothes on, brush your hair, etc) is starting to feel too much like being at home and then to only have an hour's break. Not really worth the hassle.

So in honeymoon terms, it's not scoring very highly. Even Habeeb could see that we needed some space, so we organised for him to take them to dinner alone. Apparently they were really well behaved and happily ordered their food and played cards. So it's just us they're giving the run around to! Meanwhile, Lee and I got to go and play pool, drink beer and go for a lovely meal at the asian speciality restaurant (with the great big sharks swimming underneath).

Snorkelling yesterday afternoon, the water was very cloudy, barely a few feet of visibility and there was a strange coral scum floating on the surface. It looks a lot like human waste, except I'm assured it's not. So as we paddled our way across the scummy looking cloudy water towards the reef drop off, I started to feel a little anxious (this may be a slight understatement). Just couldn't see anything but shadows and flickers. Then we spotted some people we met earlier, passing by on a sea kayak. There's manta ray feeding up here, they said. The mantas love this murky water, a soup of plankton loveliness apparently. So I gritted my teeth and swam out across the deep channel, away from the perceived safety of the reef and over the drop off.

For those of you not acquainted with the reef drop off, let me me introduce you. The shallows of the blue lagoon are the starting point for snorkelling from shore. It's easy to be distracted by the darting fish and flashes of colour as you start to approach the first coral; here that's mostly boulder like and what they call brain coral. Then there's smaller tree like coral, the kind that you might see as a cartoon drawing, bleached from the rising sea temperatures, but the new growth at the tips glows sky blue. Families of tiny black and white clown fish defend their coral tree shrub. The boulders start to get bigger but the water is barely 3 feet deep. There's trigger fish, fish that look like trumpets (pilot fish?) and iridescent parrot fish, and then a darting jack fish chasing a flashing fusilier that has broken away from it's shoal. The water starts to deepen and as you look ahead, there's a darkening from the translucent turquoise of the lagoon to a deeper azure. You can hear the sound of your own thumping heart beat, and darth vader like breathing through your snorkel. Then as the current draws you out over the shelf, it's like jumping off a cliff but then being suspended by this huge force of water. A rush of adrenaline flows through you and below, the reef drops away steeply. The wall is dense with shoals of fish, and huge varieties of coral; great big tables, giant brain boulders with caves and soft feathery corals waving in the current. Huge shoals of parrot fish munching at the coral with their beaky mouths; then there's the butterfly fish, every colour and size imaginable, sunbursts of yellow and orange and stripy everton mint. They swim against the current so it looks like they're just suspended in the same spot. An eagle ray swoops up against the lower part of the coral wall and then, faster than their manta cousins, flaps away into the distance. A sting ray passes by, feather tailed and spotty. Along the top of the reef wall, a reef shark glides past. You have to make as little movement as possible if you want them to stay around as they are easily spooked. As a family we are fairly experienced snorkellers and so have learnt the joys of skin diving (or free diving as it's also known). With strong fins, you power your way down the reef wall, some 20 to 30 feet depending on how well practised you get. Like divers, you have to equalise or it feels like your brain is about to implode. The best technique is simply to hold you nose and blow hard every metre or so, once reaching the depth you desire you can then swim freely alongside the deeper residing coral and fish. A spotty box fish gives his best pout and the googly eyed red snapper hide beneath the shelf as though they already know they are on the menu.

But today, I could see very little and the drop off looked like a dark murky crevasse with only the sound of my heavy breathing and pounding heart for company. I also heard the unmistakable clickety clicking and whistles of dolphins. I surfaced and Mark was pointing, look look and there gliding near the surface was a 6 or 7 ft manta ray, the tips of it's wings just flicking the surface as it prepared to dive again. I swam across and tried to dive but the murkiness was just too overwhelming, so I floated and drifted. The she started to surface again, swimming alongside and passing me to my left. I swam as hard as I could to try and keep up with this black ghost like creature with it's graceful wings. It was magnificent. Using our kayak based spotters, we swam across again to catch up with her. This time she was right underneath me and then passed under Lee. Both of us were simply exhilarated by the experience. As we paddled back to shore, a pod of about 6 or 7 dolphins surfaced just at the edge of the channel, splashing about before quickly disappearing.

If you're wondering where the kids were at this point, we had left them playing in the lagoon on the other side of the island, and Habeeb watching over them of course. While they played, a dolphin chased a fish almost beaching itself before flipping over back into water and darting away. It's simply jumping with life around this island. And worth every one of those mosquito bites!

Welcome to Paradise :o)

This is the most amazing place I have ever been in my life. It's like the best of all the islands and best marine parks I have ever seen (and that's quite a few) but with the poshest hotel with five star services to make you think you're inhabiting someone else's world for a while (sort of like The Grove but Maldivian stylie). Lee was worried it would be a bit too sanitised but this place is unbelievable. They have built the resort with as little encroachment on the natural environment as possible so the island is as beautiful as any I have seen (and that's quite a few). When people pay as much as they do to stay here, it means the best of everything in how it's been done from the extent of solar energy used to the pristine reefs. I almost don't know where to start.

We are snorkelling in an aquarium of tropical fish, with such a multitude of types it likes flashes of colours all around you; shoals of butterfly fish swimming against the current so they stay in the same place, big spotty box fish hiding uder the shelves, sleek baby sharks, lemon and black tip reef, gliding in the shadows. I try not to worry about where their parents might be! The coral is bleached from el nino, but none the less the fauna is thriving. We saw eagle rays and we're told there are mantas and turtles. We sea kayaked around the island and saw dolphins, in the evening watched reef sharks and sting rays circling under the bar & restaurant jetties. Totally mesmorizing!

At breakfast today, we watched the passing dolpins and turtles. It's like a nature wonderland set against a collection of every shade of blue that can be seen, so many shades of turquoise and aquamarine and azure that it dazzles you constantly. It's truly a place to marvel at. Will try to load some pictures up.

We're staying in a Jasmine Garden Villa at the Island Hideaway on Dhonakulu island in one of the most northernly and undeveloped atolls in Maldives. The island is shaped a bit like a whale's tail and Lee & I kayaked around it in about 40 minutes. The north side has a huge blue lagoon and the south side is fringed with a beautiful reef. The villa is stunning. We have our own pool, a roof terrace, two huge bedrooms and lots of little places to sit and stare, as well as our own bit of beach. We also have a lovely butler, Habeeb, who picks us up in a golf buggy and delivers us to anywhere we want to go; the several foodie heaven restaurants (although I cannot bring myself to eat reef fish catch of the day), the over water spa, tennis (bit too hot for that) or a multitude of watersports (today we may take out a catamaran). He's our very own fixer. Whatever we want, he can sort. He's the man who can, and he's getting on great with the kids. So much so that tonight he is taking them to dinner on their own, while Lee and I enjoy a romantic dinner for two at the island's pan asian restaurant.

Will definitely upload some pics when we reach Bangkok as this place has to be seen to be believed. I'm off for a snorkel now....

Lee & Jac get married!

Currently sitting in Male airport in the Maldives having left Sri Lanka insanely early this morning. The check in closes 2 hours prior to departure and you have to check in 3 hours prior in Colombo. So for a 7am flight, we were up at 3am – just what's needed to ensure everyone is as happy as can be!

The Serendip was a truly wonderful place to get married. Parliter and Stephanie have put an endless amount of love and care into creating an incredible retreat. The beautifully refurbished stone bungalow is set above the terraced gardens looking out across the river Mawellha. We had some wedding clothes made from a textile shop & tailors in Kandy. Roisin and I wore saris, and Lee and Tevo wore traditional Sri Lankan linen shirts and sarongs. Parliter had arranged for some singing girls and our names were scripted in Singhalese on a lush chocolate cake. Stephanie decorated the house with flowers. The registrar was a lovely man and we 'solemnly and sincerely' declared our vows. It was a simple but beautiful ceremony, followed by the immediate cutting of the cake and it is tradition for the bride and groom to cut and pass this out to all the guests. The children were well chuffed to be having chocolate cake for their first course! This was followed by a reception of traditional snacks and tea, which we shared with some of Parliter's family and friends. Later on, we had a massive traditional wedding banquet of numerous curries (aubergine, cashew, dahl, banana flower, soya, garlic, gourd & potato) followed by Tricomalee buffalo curd and honey. I shall be making the garlic curry for my friends when I get home as it was just delicious.

The food on this trip has been incredible. Rafter's Retreat fed us up with an array of traditional curries (although I'm still not digging the banana flower; but the gourd is growing on me). We had big indian veggie lunches in Kandy town at the trusty old Sri Ram's – known as the best veggie food place in town. At Serendip, they fed us until we could eat no more (they are also vegetarian). Lots of lovely food, and even home made pizza for a change.

We were quite sad to leave Stephanie, Parliter and their gorgeous baby Suraj; but I have a feeling we will meet again one day. I bought a fabulous orange sapphire from Parliter's good friend, a gem dealer and mine owner from the North. He showed his collection of gems which was really interesting. Roisin impressed him with her gem knowledge. She has one of those Guardian posters on her wall at home, and seems to have memorised it.

Horton hears a.... load of noisy school kids!

The time delay in uploading blogs is a result of our whirlwind and sometimes arduous journeying in Sri Lanka. As anyone who's ever visited will know, it takes flippin ages to get anywhere. Roads are busy, full of pot holes and once heading inland, as hilly and winding as can be.

We left Kitulgala at 7am to visit Horton Plains and the famous World's End; a sheer cliff that looks across to the SE and on a clear day, you can see the coast. Our day was not a clear day. In fact, it rained from about 10 minutes in to the 9km walk and didn't stop... for the rest of the day and night! We had followed the LP advice to wear walking shoes and fleeces as it can be chilly on the plains, they say. From our experience, if you're walking in monsoonal rain, the best thing to wear is walking sandals and the least clothing as possible without offending the locals. Thanks LP. All our trekking gear was soaked through. By the time we reached World's End, the clouds were rolling about around us, but they broke slightly to give us a bit of a view down the steep cliff to the forest below. We were also surrounded by hoards of noisy Sri Lankan school children so any eeriness of this high plateau walk in cloud forest was also lost. Very similar to Mount Kinabaloo in Sabah we thought, but maybe that was just the incessant heavy rain.

The rain made the roads to Kandy rather treacherous and even Prasana was looking exhausted and concerned. We were all well and truly exhausted by the time we reached our next destination, but were soon revived by an incredible reception at the wonderful Serendip, our guesthouse where we planned to stay for a few days and get married.

Everything went to plan in Kandy, which due to the approaching new year is as packed as anywher I've seen. I don't think there is any more room for any more people. We gave the Temple of the Tooth a miss as the crowds were overwhelming, and instead sought out some of the hindu and buddhist temples in the surrounding villages. Going in the evening was a good move. No tourists and evening puja with chanting monks. Just wonderful :o)