Making Tracks

We had heard rumours that the sleeper train to Chiang Mai wouldn't actually involve much sleeping. The route had a reputation for being a party train, so as we pulled out of Hualamphong Station we readied ourselves for a fun night. 

As it turned out, our train wasn't very lively at all. This became most apparent when a stern faced woman ssshhhed me as I tried to whisper to Nick across the carriage. Not exactly party central! Which was probably not a bad thing as it would take us about 16 hours to rattle our way some 400 hundred miles north to the ancient city of Chiang Mai.

We all had top bunks and slept surprisingly well considering the constant fear of falling on unsuspecting passers by. Ironically, I was woken by the woman who had ssshhhed me the night before. I resisted ssssshhhhing her and clambered ungainly down the ridiculously narrow ladder to find a window seat.

It was a while before the other two awoke, so I sat reading a book and watched the Thai landscape go by. The concrete jungle of busy Bangkok had been left behind and replaced by a real jungle.

We eventually pulled in to Chiang Mai just after lunchtime on Sunday. Our next task was to locate our hotel. In hindsight, Nick or I should've taken the lead and instructed our taxi where to go, but instead we sat and had a fit of giggles as Steve, who was suffering the affects of a chest infection and little sleep, did battle with a very shouty local lady. Steve persisted, even after the lady had asked where our hotel was for the forth or fifth time, but it soon became apparent that the lady, nor the henpecked driver had a clue where our homestay was. Rather than add a headache to Steve's list of ailments, we hopped off and let the over enthusiastic Thai lady shout at some bewildered French backpackers instead.

After a bit of food we were reinvigorated and found our lodgings: a small homestay run by a lovely Korean couple who informed us that we were their first booking.

That evening we joined the crowds at the Sunday market which filled the streets inside the old city walls with hundreds of stalls selling beautiful handicrafts and dodgy sunglasses. I'm not sure that if you asked Steve, he would have any recollection of the night - he was there in body, but not in spirit. In fact, as Nick and I drooled over local street food, Steve managed to slump on a table and fall to sleep.

We'd only caught a glimpse of Chiang Mai that day, but from what we had seen we knew we'd enjoy our time here.

Reinforcements Arrive

I was excited about getting to Thailand. Not just because it meant exploring a new country, but because for this leg of the journey we would be joined by a good friend of mine, Nick.

Nick had arrived an hour or so before us and came baring gifts of mosquito nets, hay fever medication and a hug from my mum.

Our plan was to get out of Bangkok as soon as possible, that way we would score some brownie points with our respective mothers for avoiding trouble. We even rented accommodation on the outskirts of the city so we weren't likely to be caught up in the political demonstrations. The downside to that, we discovered, was that although we were unlikely to get involved in any violent clashes, we also weren't likely to see anything of real interest. Unless, that is, concrete motorway flyovers are your thing. So, a few hot showers later and despite not sleeping for nearly 40 hours, we decided to catch the train into the city centre. 

As Bangkok's 'Sky Train' cut a line through the suburbs and headed towards the various skyscrapers that loomed out of the haze, we caught a first glimpse of the city. The towering glass fronted hotels and wide highways were in stark contrast to Kathmandu.

We spent the next two days exploring the madness of Bangkok, a city full of brightly coloured taxis, noisy tuk-tuks and venues offering trailored suits, etc.

We sampled the steet food, watched Rafa Nadal beat Roger Federer in the Australian open and got lost trying to find the river. At one point we even inadvertently stumbled into one of the protest sites. Except it didn't seem very protesty at the time. Thailand's answer to Britney Spears was wailing in front of some national flags to a smattering of locals enduring her best efforts. Perhaps an attempt to torture the government into submission.

I don't know if it was the exhaustion from travelling or the malaria tablets I was taking, but Bangkok passed by in a bit of a blur. We relaxed in our hotel's rooftop pool and I have vague recollections that we dressed up as Sherlock Holmes and solved a murder, but I was quite pleased when we boarded the sleeper train bound for Chiang Mai. And a slightly more authentic version of Thailand.

Flight Delays and Air Displays

Don't get me wrong, I like air displays as much as the next person. I remember, as a child, gazing up in awe as the Red Arrows passed within inches of each other and still smile at the memory of Conchorde flying low overhead. But as we arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon I wasn't so thrilled about them.

That morning, in Kathmandu, we had been informed that our flight would be leaving half-an-hour later than scheduled due to low cloud cover. No problem, we thought, as we had two hours to kill in Delhi before our flight to Thailand. However, we did notice on our arrival to the airport that conditions weren't exactly cloudy. 

Hmm. 

We settled in and enjoyed the delights of Kathmandu departure lounge (not up there in my top ten) and kept a hopeful eye on the flight board.

Two hours later, after the shortest bus journey I've ever been on (it must've driven us all of twenty metres to our waiting Air India jet!) and we were finally sat on the plane. Already resigned to missing our connecting flight we sat back and enjoyed more views of the top of the world. And watched Home Alone 2. 

It was only when we reached the transfer desk that we understood the real reason for our delay. Sitting watching some Indian passengers berate a downtrodden Air India official, we were told by a dejected Scotsman that lots of people were in the same position as us, not because of 'low cloud' but due to the Indian government practising an air display for their Republic day. This, understandably, had upset more than a few stranded passengers who were missing weddings and honeymoons.

To cut a long, and very boring story short - we found ourselves on a flight to Mumbai (I watched Home Alone 2 again as it was the only film in English) where we waited for a flight in Air India's first class lounge.

It was a minor blip in what has been a great few weeks. We'd still be getting to Thailand the next morning and at least once we were in Bangkok there wouldn't be any other complications.

That's when I picked up the latest edition of 'Wall Street Journal' and read the headline...

D'oh.

A message from Alan... (#2)

Hello Everyone at St. Helen's!

How are you? Have any of you made Resolutions for the New Year? How are they going? I'm pretty sure Mr Kent has broken all his already!

I thought I'd write a quick note to say how INCREDIBLE Nepal was. I have spent two and a bit weeks trekking, going on safaris and exploring ancient temples.

Nepal is a country that is squeezed in between two very different areas: the giant Himalayan mountains to the north and the rain forests of India to the south. 30 million people live in this country, most of them are Hindus or Buddhists.

Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, is in Nepal. It is 8,848 metres above sea level! Wow! Apparently it isn't the tallest mountain on earth though! Do you know what is?

Below is a selection of things we did and places we visited in Nepal: the lake in Pokhara - me at the giant Boudha Stupa - the ancient temples in Patan's Durbar square - a very cold Mr Kent, wrapped up in lots of layers on top of a mountain - me in Chitwan National Park - dal baht, the yummy food we ate lots of! - the top of Poon Hill - Mr Kent have a bath with an elephant - Mr Kent's blisters - me staring at Annapurna - Steve freezing after burning his sock by accident!

There have been so many things to remember from this trip, it would be hard to pick one, but reaching the top of Poon Hill and riding on an elephant were things Mr Kent and Steve won't forget in a hurry!

It was sad to see so much rubbish all over the country - even the mountains and temples had lots of plastic bottles and cans strewn all of them, but that was only a small thing compared to the beauty we saw everywhere else.

Maybe you might want to climb a mountain one day? Maybe you might even get to Nepal and see some of things we did?

I'll write again soon!

Love from,

Alan

X

PS Mr Kent is a silly billy and has lost his list of challenges! So, if you have any for him (that aren't too ridiculous!) - write them on here!

Sherpa Hospitality

Our last day in Nepal was spent with the man who organised our trek to Poon Hill, Phuri, a Sherpa who grew up in the shadow of Mount Everest. As we walked along the undulating ridge that made up the Nagarkot region, we learned more about this incredibly likeable man. 

After spending his childhood accompanying his dad on long mountain treks and then leading his own expeditions, Phuri eventually set up his own tour company, 'Himalayan Friends'. We had been put in contact with him through an old friend of Steve's and he had already made our time in Nepal a great deal more organised and stress free. 

Spending the day walking with Phuri was a great way to wind down from the chaos of Kathmandu. As I listened to his stories about other individuals who he'd taken trekking, I was struck by how important relationship was to him. He appeared to remember each of the people whom he had led on expeditions. We weren't paying him to come walking with us that day - he wanted to come and spend time with us.

One of my favourite moments of that day came when we had reached the end of our walk and were sat admiring the view. Steve spotted a little lad who grinned at us and waved postcards in our direction. As we ushered him over we soon realised that we were in the presence of Nepal's answer to Richard Branson. He was so charming that he made Steve part with 150 rupees - fifteen times as much as we'd paid for a card in Pokhara (but still only just over a pound!). Watch out for this face on a future episode of 'The Apprentice'...

Later that evening, Phuri invited us back to his place where Dendi (our guide from the trek) had prepared a local speciality, dal baht. The rice dish was accompanied by a dubious looking drink that was served in what can best be described a bucket with a straw. Tongba, which turned out to be a millet based wine, was actually quite nice! We sat chatting to Phuri and Dendi whilst our food and drinks were topped up every few minutes by other family members who treated us like royalty.

We left Phuri's a few hours later, and probably a few stone heavier. As we were on our way out Dendi presented us with scarves to wish us well on our onward travels. We tried to say goodbye to Phuri but he insisted he would pick us up and take us to the airport the next morning. Probably just to make sure we left the country.

So, if you ever consider trekking in Nepal - which you should - make sure you look up Phuri. You won't regret it.

www.hftreks.com

Kathmandu Part 2

On Sunday, we woke to a beautiful crisp morning. The rain the previous day had removed the low cloud and we were surprised to see that the jagged Annapurna range we had left behind in Pokhara, was clearly visible on the horizon. It was time to bid Chitwan farewell and head back to the bedlam of Kathmandu.

By now we were already getting used to the long bus journeys, but it is still alarming when you are in an old coach whose driver insists on trying to overtake other old coaches on a narrow road, half way up a mountain. So as Steve listened to a few podcasts, I distracted myself by reading the book I'd picked up in Pokhara: 'The Paradise Trail' a novel about travellers in India at the time of the India/Pakistan war.

I'd just finished the last page of my book as our bus reached its final destination. A short taxi ride in a rusty Suzuki later and we were at the friendly Tenki Hotel. Our lodgings for the next three nights lay in the heart of the Thamel district: a busy collection of narrow streets crammed with shops and tourist guides.

Steve and I spent the next couple of days exploring more of the temples and connected neighbourhoods of Kathmandu and the surrounding area. We wandered through the labyrinth of streets and alleyways that made up the ancient kingdom of Patan...

...and then climbed the steep steps to the top of another World Heritage site, Swayambhunath. From Swayambhunath, or the monkey temple as it's often referred to as, we had a great view over the city.

After a meal in an Israeli restaurant and trying to stay awake to watch Machester United v Chelsea, we finally succumbed to a deep sleep.

I woke the next morning to the sound of my alarm banging. As I instinctively reached out to press the 'snooze' button it occurred to me that my alarm doesn't make banging drum noises. Bleary-eyed, I checked the time. 4.30am. I rolled over and tried to sleep again, but now the banging was joined by the unmistakable sound of a brass band. At 4.30am. 

Now, on the plus side the band (at what we later learned to be an early morning wedding!) only knew one song. Unfortunately, they played this one song repeatedly for three hours. Three. Long. Sleepless. Hours.

The next day would be our last full day in Nepal and, as I lay dreaming of creative ways to throttle trumpet players, I was slightly worried that we might be a tad grumpy for it.

In search of Tigers

Spurred on by our encounter with Maduhkilly, the elephant, Steve and I decided to see if we could spot some more Nepalese wildlife and signed up for a safari.

Last Autumn I was lucky enough to go to Uganda and visit some of the incredible work done by Edukid. As part of our time their we had the privilege of visiting Murchison Falls and its surrounding safari park. That day we were saw giraffe, buffalo, elephants, Nile crocodile, hippos, leopards, hyenas and even a lion. So I was excited about another opportunity to go wildlife spotting, albeit in a very different environment.

Our Lonely Planet guidebook told us that a good approach to wildlife spotting in Chitwan was to treat it as you would fishing: "Sometimes you'll get lots of bites, others not a nibble. Irrespective, it's all about the thrill of the chase and being out and about in tiger and rhino country!" This was going to be fun.

An hour into the safari and I had remembered why I didn't really like fishing. Not a single bite.

The closest we had come to any wildlife was the tiger footprint our guide had pointed out to us as we got onto our jeep. This was quite a thrill until I realised there were no others to be seen. I had visions of an eager guide carefully drawing the footprint in the sand to fool naive tourists - either that or a one-legged tiger hopping around the National Park. But perhaps I should be less synical and it at least gave me hope we might lay eyes on the incredible creature.

In fact, I was sure on numerous occasions on our four hour journey that I had seen a stripy feline amongst the trees or 8m tall elephant grass. Each time those sightings turned out to be ferns or pieces of wood! It was like doing a 'Where's Wally?' book - except, instead of wearing the easy to spot red and white stripes, the animals were often brown or green. And everything else I could see was brown or green.

After a few hours they took pity on us and dropped us off at a gharial crocodile breeding centre.

Gharial are amongst the strangest looking animals I've seen: huge three or four metre long bodies with a long, slender mouth crammed full of ill fitting teeth. Perfectly evolved for catching fish.

To be fair, the second half of our safari was more successful - we saw more gharial and marsh mugger crocodiles alongside the lakes, an assortment of deer and a big python. Unfortunately, it was not our day to see tigers and rhino though.

That evening, we drowned our sorrows in a lovely restaurant in Sauraha. Steve had a delicious, perfectly cooked steak whilst I opted for the local Thali (a mix if curries and rice). We sat outside next to a fire pit and watched the sun go down over the beautiful gardens.

The next day, Saturday, was a bit of a wash out. We had planned a canoe trip down the crocodile infested river, followed by a jungle walk, but steady rain meant that both were cancelled.

We admitted defeat - we weren't going to set eyes upon the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger. This time, at least.

As I sat watching downfall creating patterns on our hotel window, I'm sure I saw a cat saunter past dodging the raindrops. That almost counts, doesn't it?!

Bath Time with a Difference

How was your shower this morning? In general, my showers in Nepal have consisted of me clinging to a bathroom wall and doing a strange shower dance - trying to avoid the ice cold water dribbling from the shower head. But this morning was slightly different.

As I mentioned in my last post, we are now in, or very near to, Chitwan National Park in a town called Sauraha. I read for a lot of the five hour journey down here, making sure I looked up periodically to appreciate another stunning mountain or fast flowing river.

On our arrival in Sauraha, we were met by a small van and bundled off to our accommodation for the next three nights: Eden Jungle Resort. 'Eden' perhaps conjures the wrong image of our lodging. Whilst the hammocks and beautiful flowers were great I'm not sure that Adam and Eve had to put up with hammers and band saws in their paradise garden! 

The noise aside though, we were pleased to be here and spent a lazy afternoon reading and catching up on sports news on internet.

The evening saw us wander through the village and end up by the river front to watch the sunset. It was a little underwhelming. I guess when you have been spoiled by years of viewing the sun create amazing light shows over Lundy, then sunsets have to be pretty special to compare.

The next morning, we explored our surroundings a little more - our early morning walks are usually in search of a coffee to wake Steve up. The big man from Somerset doesn't really function too well without a shot of caffeine and so it is in both our interests to find him a place to drink. This morning we settled on a little cafe next to the river.

As we sat trying to convince a stray dog we had nothing to eat, we noticed an elephant lumbering down to the riverside. We watched as the incredible animal continued into the shallow water and, under the instruction of its mahout (driver), lay down for a bath!

 

Now you wouldn't think it was possible to be snuck up on by an elephant, would you? But as I turned around to head back to my table I did well to stifle a girly scream as I was faced to face with a giant! Thankfully a gentle giant, who seem to enjoy my surprise.

Before I left I asked my class to write down some challenges for me to try and complete during my time away. Amongst things like 'Eat a poisonous snake' and 'Climb Mount Everest' was a challenge from a young lady who wanted me to ride an elephant. So this is for her...

Encouraged by the mahouts, first Steve and then I climbed on the back of this beautiful elephant, 'Maduhkilly', and sat there as she repeatedly sprayed us with water. 

As surreal experiences go, clinging to Maduhkilly as she and her prehistoric looking friends splashed around in the warm water is definitely up there with the best of them. Another bit of Nepal I won't forget in a hurry.

I don't think that showers will be quite as much fun for the rest of the trip!

A Whole New World (Please sing this Aladdin style!)

It has been good to spend a few days relaxing in Pokhara and not doing much. It's an easy thing to do here. I have bought a book at a local second hand book shop, written a few postcards (well, purchased them with the intention of writing them) and generally rested. 

At first I felt guilty about it. I kept thinking I should be making the most of every minute, but the truth is that we're travelling for seven months and if I tried to do something everyday I'd be suffering from exhaustion by the end of our time in Nepal - plus I'd be broke. So energy and money saving eased my conscience.

On Wednesday we hired a colourful boat and rowed out on Phewa Tal. I say 'rowed' but we only had one oar, so paddled in a strange zigzag fashion is probably more accurate!

It was great to be out on the water in our rather fetching life jackets and we enjoyed the chance to explore coves and eat our picnic (if a peanut butter sandwich and a biscuit counts as a picnic?!).

From the middle of the lake we could hear a Hindu wedding taking place on a small island nearby and see the mountains reflected in the glassy water. However, the tranquility was soon broken when Steve realised we only had 20 minutes to return the boat before being charged double by a very stern looking boatman. This would've been fine had we not travelled 40 minutes in the opposite direction!

Undeterred, we took turns paddling in a frustratingly unstraight line towards the shore. Like a pair of Olympic rowers we gave it everything and even cut up a worried looking Japanese family on a pedalo! We arrived, sweating and exhausted, one minute late. Thankfully the boatman was nowhere to be seen and we crawled off to recover and play Backgammon in a local restaurant.

On Thursday we said goodbye to Pokhara and the mountains and moved South East to a very different part of Nepal. So different that it's hard to believe that the Chitwan National Park is in the same country. Travel guides have tempted us here with promises of encounters with elephants and crocodiles - and maybe even the odd tiger.

Fingers crossed.

Blisters, Sore Muscles & Big Old 'Hills'

I'm not sure I could imagine a more idyllic setting to write a blog entry. I'm sitting Lakeside in Pokhara watching colourful boats paddle across the serene Phewa Tal. Above me to my left, perched on top of a steep hill on the other side of the lake, is the 'World Peace Pogoda' - built by Japanese Buddhists a few years ago. To my right I can watch the spiraling paragliders descend in the thermals from the hills high above the town. The quiet chatter of a steady stream of tourists, Tibetan salesman and stray dogs is not nearly loud enough to detract from the peace I feel.

And I am very grateful for it.

In truth, my body desperately needed a moment or two like this - it is a bit broken at the moment! Yesterday we returned from our trek into the Annapurna hills and everything is just a little bit painful. But it was worth it...

DAY ONE

Our first day, Friday started with a long bus journey to the little town of Neyapul. The bus, like most other vehicles I've seen, was adorned with colourful paintings inside and out and made a good platform to admire the scenery as we drove along the windy roads. At least that was what I tried to do rather than worry too much about the proximity of the cliff edge or take too much notice of the women behind us trying to sell me a broken mobile phone!

Once we had arrived in Nayapul, Dendi (our Sherpa guide) showed our trekking permits and off we went. Trekking in Nepal's winter meant that the trails weren't too busy; in the summer they can have hundreds of people every day - even so, there were a small number who, like us, were going to brave the cold nights and try to reach Poon Hill.

I have to say, I didn't really enjoy the first day. I had not slept brilliantly for a few nights and my hips were quite painful as we begun climbing to our first stop. Walking across narrow rope bridges which spanned the ice cold river beneath was a great distraction, but by the time we reached our little Tea House where we would sleep, I was wondering whether I would be cut out for the whole trek.

But as we put on our thermals and got out a pack of cards to play that evening, Dendi reassured me that tomorrow would only be a six or seven hour steep climb of 1,300 metres! Brilliant.

DAY TWO

Perhaps buoyed by winning a few card games or having eaten a good omelette, the next morning I was filled with a new optimism.

After strapping my foot heavily to protect the giant blister forming on my heel, we hobbled out of the small settlement of Hile and slowly climbed our way up the hundreds, if not thousands, of stone steps towards Ghorepani.

As we zigzagged our way slowly up the steep mountain side we met others doing the same: a couple of nurses from England and an older couple from Australia. Despite the fact that they enjoyed mocking the English cricket performance, I was hugely impressed at the determination that the Australian couple were showing. It reminded me of Mrs Batten's assemblies back at St Helen's, when she spoke of the importance of persevering even when it is tough.

Spurred on by that, we pushed on and the path eventually became less steep and slightly easier. As we neared our Tea House for the night, it began to snow but even though I was only in a t-shirt, I wasn't cold. I put that down to the sense of achievement I felt.

In hindsight, I should've seen the snow as a warning. I can honestly say that I haven't felt as cold as I did that night in Ghorepani. Our toilet water had frozen over and Steve's toes were so cold that he didn't even notice when his sock started burning on the fire. It was only when the strange smell filled the room and a kind Sherpa pointed it out that Steve realised his foot was smouldering!

DAY THREE

4.30AM is a difficult time to get up. It's even harder when you've been kept awake by a dog barking outside your window all night. So you'll understand why we were a little grumpy when Dendi knocked on our door at that ungodly hour. But Dendi doesn't just have an evil streak that means he enjoys waking Englishmen up at stupid o'clock - it was time for us to head up Poon Hill to watch the sunrise.

Poon Hill is a slightly misleading name. 'Hill' makes me think of the rolling green things we get back in Devon. However, this particular hill just happens to be 3,210 metres high - two and a half times the size of the tallest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis!

As we climbed the 300 metres or so to the summit in relative silence we were accompanied by a new companion - a dog. I was pretty sure it was the dog that had kept me awake the previous night so I gave him my best grumpy look - one I had perfected on my Class at St Helen's. It clearly didn't get the message as it stayed with us all day.

The top of the mountain was freezing, but as we sat trying to avoid frost bite, I took the chance to gaze up at the stars. I've never seen them shine so bright - not for the last time that day I was awestruck by the majesty of creation.

I use words like awesome and incredible too often - they should be reserved for times when their use is really justified. That said, even those words don't come close to describing the sight of the sun rising above the Annapurna mountain range. One by one the giants were illuminated. My photographs do not even begin to capture what an experience it was.

After spending an hour trying to take in the glorious views, we descended down to Ghorepani again and had breakfast.

If I thought the hard work was over, I was wrong. It turns out that going down hill is just a tiring as going up them! However, as we approached our final Tea House in Ghandruk after nearly twelve hours of walking, I felt really good.

DAY FOUR

That feeling didn't last. Monday morning arrived and I could barely move my limbs to get out of bed and down stairs for breakfast! Mind you waking up with a view like this certainly helps ease the aching limbs...

We dragged our weary bodies down the trail to a jeep which was waiting to take us back to Pokhara. 

We hadn't climbed Everest or done anything extraordinary, but Steve and I were just a little proud of our mini adventure. I've never enjoyed a bath as much as I did that night!

We were sad to say goodbye to Dendi - he had been such a wonderful guide and laughed at my jokes even when he didn't understand them. If you ever come to Nepal and need a Sherpa guide - this strange looking chap is your man!

Hope you're all okay :)

A Change of Scenery

Today we left behind the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu and travelled west to Pokhara.

The bus journey took seven hours along windy bumpy roads through the foothills and valleys. When I wasn't trying to sleep or beating Steve at Carcassonne, I just watched the world go by. It didn't look too bad...

Pokhara is a lot quieter and we are pleased to be breathing cleaner air! The fumes from the traffic in Kathmandu can be quite harsh on your throat.

We've been accompanied on our trip by a guide called Dendi. He is a Sherpa and will help us not to get lost on our trek! Dendi showed us around Pokharas lakeside this afternoon. I think we will enjoy it here - it's very peaceful as it is not in the season for hiking.

Tomorrow we start a four day trek to a place called Poon Hill. From there, if the weather is clear we should have an incredible view of some of the tallest mountain peaks on planet earth! I'm very excited but a little nervous too.

The 3 main religions of Nepal: Hinduism, Buddhism and Tourism

Today we visited two sacred sights to the people of Nepal. First of all, we travelled across Kathmandu to an temple called Pashupatinath an extremely important sight of the Hindu faith.

Monkeys clambered around the various shrines and idols that represent some of the 33 million Hindu gods. 

The most extraordinary things we observed were the funerals of believers along the riverside. In the short time we were there there must have been a good half a dozen cremations. Felt privileged to be there.

Twenty minutes walk away, was the busy but strangely peaceful Boudha Stupa. This huge monument is as equally important to Buddhists as the Pashupatinath is to Hindus. Many pilgrimage here to offer prayers and worship.

It was a great place to sit have a drink, eat some momo and do some people watching.

Early night tonight as we're off to Pokhara early tomorrow.

Namaste!

Hello, or as the locals say, "Namaste!" We've arrived in Nepal. We arrived yesterday after we travelled through the night via India. Steve and I didn't get any sleep and so after some food we slept for 14 hours!

We flew into the capital city, Kathmandu. It was an incredible view as we approached - I peered out of the airplane window and saw a sea of thick swirling white clouds, but as I looked closer I saw the peaks of the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas. It was a breathtaking sight.

We then descended through the foothills to Kathmandu. I was surprised at how large the city is. It is a big beautiful, sprawling mess of alleyways and temples surrounded by the mountains on all sides.

We spent today walking through the bustling streets, avoiding mopeds and visiting various Hindu and Buddhist shrines.

 The highlight of the day was visiting Durbar Square, a huge array of medieval temples and the old home of the Nepalese Royal family. The architecture was truly magnificent and only beaten by the view of the city from the top of the palace.

We even met a living goddess... Now that doesn't happen every Tuesday!

A message from Alan... (#1)

Dear Children at St Helen's,

I hope you're all really well?! I thought I'd write to say hello and tell you a little bit about our adventures so far.

Mr Kent, his cousin (Steve) and I (Alan) have had an amazing week in Doha. Doha is the capital city of Qatar, it's where the football World Cup will be held in 2022 and it is currently the home of Mr Kent's sister and her family.

About 2 million people live in Doha and most of them aren't even from Qatar! I wonder if you can find it on a map?

Steve's favourite moments of the week were eating brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel and watching Rafael Nadal win the Qatar Tennis Tournament.

Mr Kent loved spending time with his family. He misses them lots and loves spending time with his nephew and niece - Archie and Ella.

I liked meeting Archie and Ella's dog, Lucy and their cat, Ian. Chris and Tamsin have been so generous to us all - it has been a great start to our adventures.

Below is just a small selection of memories from our time in Doha - Tennis lessons with Steve - Lucy the dog - the view of the canal from the flat - night time on the Pearl - me (Alan) with Archie, Ella and Mr Kent - Tamsin and Steve at the Tennis Final - Chris and Ella at horse riding lessons - tennis: Nadal vs Monfils - football: Paris Saint Germain vs Real Madrid.

We fly to Nepal today, I can't wait to see the Himalayas, but I already miss Tamsin, Chris, Archie and Ella! Thanks for an awesome week, guys!

Hope you're all enjoying school! At least you don't have to put up with Mr Kent for a while!

Love from,

Alan

Rafael Nadal, Paddle Boarding and Annoying Cousins

Today I've been looking through lots of the photos from back home. It seems as though North Devon has taken a battering over the past few days. I hope you're all okay and that Westward Ho! is still standing when I return!

 We spent a few hours on slightly calmer waters this morning. Tamsin organised for us to hire some paddle boards and we soon mastered the art of paddling around the canals and beaches of The Pearl. I say 'mastered' but we were all a little wobbly at first, especially Steve who to my amusement fell in whilst trying to get me wet!

 It was an altogether harder task when Steve and I tried to paddle with two of us on one board - we both kept falling and sliding off the board! I even managed to cut my shin and foot in the process - they're only little cuts, so I hope they won't be a problem for me when I go walking in Nepal.

 This evening we went to watch the final of the Qatar Tennis Open. It was between a Frenchman called Gael Monfils and the best tennis player in the world right now - Rafael Nadal. Nadal won! Monfils was very good, but Nadal was extremely determined. We had a great time.

After that, we watched some football game between Arsenal and Tottenham, but I don't want to talk about that...

Last day in Qatar tomorrow :( Will be sad to leave.

The Real Deal

So, 2014 continues in great style. Today we took a ride around the Pearl on a water taxi. It was really relaxing and Archie and Ella enjoyed spotting fish. 

Talking of boats - I recently found out why left is called port and right is called starboard on a boat. Do you know why?

This evening, Chris, Steve and I went to watch a football match between Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid. Sadly, Gareth Bale wasn't playing but I got to see players like Ibrahimovic, Ramos, Cavani and even Cristiano Ronaldo!

Real Madrid won 1-0. The whole match there was a man in front of us who had at least three different cameras that he was using to take photos of himself and his family! He spent so much time photographing and videoing himself that I'm not sure he even saw the goal! It made me think about how important it is to make sure I'm not too busy with technology during this adventure, otherwise I might miss out on the amazing things around me.

That said, it was a pretty dull game and here's a few photos I took too!....

Happy New Year!

Started 2014 in pretty incredible style! Tamsin and Chris treated Steve and me to 'Brunch' at a very posh hotel called the Four Seasons.

The children in my class have challenged me to eat lots of strange things on my way round the world, but to be honest today I just ate lots of very lovely things. Amogst other incredible foods I had lobster, sushi and even tandoori barracuda!

After our very long meal, Archie, Tamsin, Steve and I played a game of beach volleyball, whilst Ella made sand angels. 

I am still trying to get the sand out of my ears, but I don't think I'll need to eat for another week!

P.S. I think I noticed that Tottenham beat a little team called Manchester United today... That was nice, too.