wendy's wanderings

Cynthia

2010-07-11T10:33:00.000+04:00

Here is Cynthia looking super cute drinking (or not drinking) her milk. Cynthia came to the orphanage having been abandoned by her mother, she was extremely malnourished and had problems with her legs. After lots of hardwork and love from the staff, you can see, she's doing really well!

Just after I left Cynthia was burnt quite badly, thank goodness she is apparently recovering well.

Tea time

2010-07-10T10:24:00.000+04:00

Everyday at 10 and 4 all the family, volunteers and some of the staff of the farm get together and have tea, or juice. I only drank tea if the fans were on! A bit hot for that sort of caper. Sometimes there are a few extras sharing...

Skip-Bo

2010-07-09T10:20:00.000+04:00

I took my game of Skip-Bo along and the small boys really loved playing and beating me usually. Not how I usually play.. Not a wine in sight!

Year 10 girls

2010-07-08T10:09:00.000+04:00

Even though it was school holidays, the girls were keen to get a kick start on their Year 10 studies. Their English is excellent but the Business Studies text book is quite a challenge, so we spent every afternoon reading and learning about business in India.

Looking after baby

2010-07-07T10:00:00.000+04:00

So everyone that is able takes turns in looking after the babies over night to take the pressure off. They usually sleep seperately as they fuss and wake each other up. For some unknown reason I volunteered my, ermm, services...

Here I am set up ready to go... With Saloni thinking 'I hope this woman knows what she is doing!!!' Anyways, all went fine. Saloni slept fine but i barely slept cause I felt bad about putting my earplugs in (lots of girls sleeping nearby). I looked after Shivani over night later on, slapped my plugs in and slept like a baby, mostly!

Bookworm - Just too cute

2010-07-06T09:53:00.002+04:00

Mangos

2010-07-04T12:05:00.001+04:00

There are many, many mango trees on the farm. I think it's something like 30 trees with 12 different varieties (may have made that up...) Lucky me I arrived just as mango season started! I ate a lot of delicious, juicy mangos fallen straight from the tree. Here are the Nursery kids enjoying their daily dose. They are wearing their 'swimsuits' and are about to go in the pool, someone thought that one through!!!!

Bada rongadonga badaronggadong

2010-07-03T09:05:00.005+04:00

This tractor...

Should not really have bothered carrrying this warning...

When 9 of us.....

Gladly hitched a lift back to the farm from the jungle plot.

My heart is beating like a jungle drum...

2010-07-02T08:56:00.000+04:00

As I have mentioned, the orphanage is on a farm, which provides some of the vast amount of food that is consumed by about 150 people every day. The farm backs on to jungle. At the moment the mission is leasing a 'jungle plot' where they have been growing extra crops. It's not quite jungle as i expected but they do often see elephants and not so often tigers on and near the plot. We set out one Sunday afternoon to see what we could see.
Lorraine bravely strides into the jungle....

The jungle plot... Looks a bit dismal at the moment as all the crops have been harvested and they were wiaitng for the monsoon before planting could begin (I believe the monsoon has since arrived).

The only wildlife we saw...

Not that suprising as there were about 15 of us making a terrible racket and we ended up leaving before twilight!

DVD room

2010-07-01T08:48:00.003+04:00

So if the power manages to stay on for long enough the kids love watching DVDs. It was summer holidays during my stay so if the chores are done and the chorus of 'lights came on' rings out everyone heads for the tv room. Here are the Nursery kids and some of the girls watching. Anything goes, cartoons (english or dubbed in Hindi), and the older girls love romantic comedys and Hindi movies. everything is watched 100 times, some of the girls know all the lines to their favourites (and all the dance routines aswell!)

Living it up in Banbassa

2010-06-30T11:11:00.003+04:00

Gail (on the left), Lorraine and I headed into the nearby town of Banbassa to do some 'shopping'. Gail is one of the older girls on the farm and one of the girls I studied with (pics to come). Lorraine is another volunteer at the farm as part of her Media degree. Lorriane is Indian born but grew up in Dubai! I travelled with Lorraine to Delhi at the end of my trip.

I didn't take any pics in the town for some reason! You'll just have to imagine... Lots of small shops selling just the neccessities really! And the occasional cow mooching about. It was super hot so we rickshawed back. Gail squeezed on as well can you believe. Poor guy earned his 60 cents/2 dhs.

Kevin'n'Raymond

2010-06-29T17:42:00.002+04:00

Here are my friends Kevin and his little brother Raymond. Such super cute little boys. Kevin takes a while to get warmed up but we were good mates in no time. I did ask him if he'd like to come home and live with me but he said a most definite NO! (as did someone else when I suggested it LOL). The bottom photo cracks me up, they honestly smile like this all the time. I'm sure you'll see those cheeky grin again!

Cots... India style

2010-06-28T13:56:00.000+04:00

I laughed when I first saw the girls cots, but they actually work really well keeping the flies and mosquitoes away but the breeze coming through... If there is any breeze that is!

Shivani and Saloni

2010-06-27T17:44:00.005+04:00

Just about a month before I arrived on the farm Shivani and Solani moved in. They were originally very unwell and malnourished but despite a few small set backs the girls are looking healthy and happy. The twins must be about 3 months old in these pics.

Pool time!

2010-06-26T12:36:00.003+04:00

Here I am swimming in my pyjama shorts (dress is VERY conservative in this part of India). The pool has been purpose built and uses the farms irrigation system to fill. It was so hot while I was in India, around 40 degrees and often there was no electricity so what a relief to leap into the cool water and have a splash.

Put this shot in cause you can see the cow shed behind. The mily is all boiled and then the milk and cream used every day on the farm.

Shucking

2010-06-25T18:00:00.000+04:00

So here are the small boys and I having a shucking competition... The small boys are 10 yo +. Such lovely boys and lots of fun. In this pic there is Kamal, Diridge, Jacki and Clifford.

Here are the real workers.... Chris in the background who was the driving force behind the operation, Clifton in the foreground lending a hand, and a variety of other small boys and hostel boys (the older boys). The pile you see in front is of course, all my work....

India

2010-06-24T17:46:00.003+04:00

Well... Let's put Australia on hold for a bit. I feel like I'm falling behind as I haven't even mentioned our 4 days in Istanbul last month, but there's only so much I can write about! I am back from India and just about rocovered from the bout of Delhi Belly that thankfully did not hit untill I was back in Dubai... Despite me eating every type of street food I saw and doing rash things like brushing my teeth with tap water. So think I am going to give you a photo a day type thing of India. My Dad wont be happy, but he'll just have to put up with it!

Lots of kid pictures from India! You might get sick of them!!! Here are 3 of the small boys shucking corn. Dirage (sp?) Clifford and Jacki. The corn has been grown on the farm, there was more than we could eat so they are drying the excess to try and make corn flour (I think... Farming, not my strong point....)

Here is the link to the orphanage's website, I'll link on the side when I remember how to do it!!!

Cataract Gorge ~ Launceston

2010-06-17T11:03:00.000+04:00

One of my favoutite places, we spent a lot of time here when we were teenagers.

My faves...

Zadok and I were married just near here and had photos just here.

Swan River and Rottnest Island

2010-06-13T09:49:00.001+04:00

Day 3 saw us cruising the Swan River, out past Fremantle and over to Rottnest Island, just off the WA coast. It was a public holiday so it was pretty busy. We hired bikes and snorkles and set off in the 40 degree heat... Was lovely on the coast but super hot when we took a wrong turn and found ourselves cycling up this huge hill!

No pics of me on the way back as I looked a right state having cycled 20kms and snorkelled in the sea! We cruised back up the river and got into Perth just in time for a sundowner. Perfect!

That was it for our whirlwind stay, hopped on the plain the next morning to fly to Tassie via Melbourne. Would definately go back, hopefully with a little bit more time to see Margaret River and those things a little further away!

Kings Park

2010-06-09T09:31:00.001+04:00

Up on the hill looking out over the lovely Swan River and over the city of Perth, Kings Park is a must see in Perth. We took the free bus which dropped us at teh BOTTOM of the hill... Leaving us to climb who knows how many steps to the top, much more slowly than some of the locals who were out for their morning run! I am trying not to look cranky in that first one, lol! We met Auntie Phil and Auntie And up here for a picnic, but I didn't take any snaps!

Perth

2010-06-05T09:08:00.001+04:00

Zadok and I were lucky enough to spend March in Australia. As neither of us had been to Perth before, we planned a 3 day stop over before heading back to Tasmania. After landing in the wee hours we dragged ourselves from our bed and headed down to Fremantle. We took a tour of Fremantle Prison and then meandered through the markets and along the coast. Fish and chips is a must do (for me anyway....) Then we headed back to Subiaco on the train and watched the West Coast Eagles play very badly in an AFL match... Still fun to watch though!

India

2010-05-30T06:37:00.004+04:00

Today I am flying to India. Driving from Delhi up north to an orphanage run by a friend, check it out here... So another gap in posts! Hopefully not 2 years long like the last one.

Having said that, blogger is driving me mad with uploading photos, if I try and format differently the pictures/text never does what I want! Grrrr...

Camel burger..

2010-05-29T09:12:00.000+04:00

Forgot to say... I ate a camel burger in Muscat... Yum yum!

Muscat

2010-05-28T08:47:00.001+04:00

Since I have stopped working I have managed to have 3 holidays... With another (sort of) coming up! In Feburary I popped over to Muscat in Oman to visit my good friend Muriel. Muscat is so beautiful, it's nestled into the mountains and they have rules about how tall buildings can be built (not very). It's much more laid back and casual than frantic Dubai. Charlie is super cute, he must be heaps bigger now and about to get a little brother!

Our new neighbourhood

2010-05-25T08:28:00.005+04:00

We finally moved into our new apartment at the end of January. We are waiting on the pool and gym to be finished, and the metro station (soon soon I hope). There is another station about 20 mins walk from here but it's pretty much too hot to walk there now. A few weeks ago we snapped these pics on our way out to the pub. The station is in Downtown Duabi and it services The Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. The first pic is of our apartment, there are 12 towers altogetner I think, all with about 40 floors, give or take. Joined in with the tourists taking pics of the Burj for the second one!

So...

2009-06-11T21:20:00.001+04:00

I'm thi king of blogging again. Should I stick toFB? Is blogging still nice? Not sure...

No more pics

2008-10-08T06:32:00.002+04:00

My school is preparing for a whole school inspection. I dont have time to blog. Sorry.

Free Shoes? Where?

2008-09-27T07:13:00.000+04:00

This is at the entry to the Hindu temple (starts with a P....) It tickled my fancy (the sign, not the temple).

Stupa

2008-09-26T07:04:00.001+04:00

This is the huge stupa at Boudnath. It really is quite a sight, especially with the blue sky as a backdrop. Of course every bit of the Stupa signifies something, but just now I cant remember any of it!

Monks at work

2008-09-25T07:01:00.000+04:00

There is a large Gompa at Boudnath, which is where the monks live and work. Here we were able to sit inside and watch them chant. Now I always thought this would be a rather serious affair, but these guys were really mucking round, showing off and generally having a laugh!

Boudnath

2008-09-24T06:43:00.000+04:00

It's inevitable... Go to Nepal, you're going to see a lot of temples! Here we are at Boudnath, another famous Buddhist temple. Or are we in Venice???

Monkey Temple (AKA Suwambathyu?)

2008-09-23T06:38:00.000+04:00

The Monkey Temple is one of the most famous buddhist temples in Kathmandu. It's perched up on a hill and you can see it from lots of places in the valley. This was my second visit as Zadok and I had come here on our stopover tour.

A trip to the butcher

2008-09-22T06:35:00.001+04:00

For some reson I quickly started telling locals that I was vegeterian on the rare occasion that the opportunity to eat meat arose. This is a butchers by the side of the road. Often there would be a headless goat on the bench then 2 or 3 goats waiting their turn, tied to the side of the stall. It didn't seem to phase them!

Cow

2008-09-21T15:42:00.000+04:00

Hindus consider cows to be sacred and they are left to roam freely wherever they fancy, particularly in Kathmandu. This one was happily moseying

along the road we were walking on.

Prayer Wheels

2008-09-20T15:37:00.000+04:00

Every temple has heaps of prayer wheels, although not all as big as this one! There are mantras written on scrolls inside them. The buddhists believe that when you spin the wheel the prayers are spun out over the world.

Buddha

2008-09-19T15:35:00.001+04:00

This tiny temple was my favourite, up on a hill with no tourists around it has a great view of Kathmandu. The priest was very friendly although noone could understand a word he was saying!

Gerge (gorge)

2008-09-18T15:27:00.001+04:00

The first week was spent in a hostel in a suburb of Kathmandu, learning Nepalese. We did 2 day trips, one to this gorge at the edge of the valley. The water was filthy and with rubbish everywhere it wasn't my favourite spot off the trip!

It was very hot, wet and muggy... The whole trip!

?????

2008-09-17T07:12:00.002+04:00

Keep on hand in case things get out of hand at an inappropriate moment....

Around Kathmandu

2008-09-16T07:08:00.000+04:00

A safe way to travel? When I got out of Kathmandu I actually saw a number of buses that had crashed off the side of the buses and fallen some way down the side of the road. I guess the ones that had fallen a long way I didn't see. Doesn't seem to deter the Nepalese!

Setting off for Nepal

2008-09-15T07:04:00.002+04:00

I've finally started with the photos!

Here I am wondering why I am travelling without my muscly husband to assist in the bag carrying. In fact, the bag situation only got worse when I adopted a thin matress to supplement the wooden boards I was having to sleep on!

Back in Dubai, Back at Work.

2008-09-08T06:30:00.002+04:00

I have been back in Dubai for 2 weeks now would you believe! Nepal certainly was an interesting experience, I'm not quite sure what to say when people ask me about my summer! i haven't started blogging any photos yet, trying to work up some momentum to start.

I am back at work, I've hd a week with no children and a day with the children. They all seem quite nice. I have a big class of 27 and one little girl with special needs but she is a sweety and comes with her own assisstant so that should be ok.

Dubai is a bit of a drag this month, it's hot hot hot, so not much to do outside, it's also Ramadan so no eating or drinking in public during the day, and restuarants and bars are quieter in the evening. The only thing that is not quieter is our neighbourhood, we live amoungst lots of locals and due to the fasting in the day, they are up late at night... Having all sorts of gatherings.

LAST ONE!

2008-09-05T09:31:00.001+04:00

Appropriately, the day we left it poured with rain. We had left the KL Manara tower till the end, so we didn't get the best view! We could still see the city so it was OK. Here are the Petronas Towers, although the KL tower is shorter the viewing deck is much higher so the view is better.

We had the best holiday and would strongly reccomend Malaysia to anyone who was thinking of going. The people were friendly and helpful, the country was beautiful and the food was delicious, what more could you want!

As write this I am in an internet cafe in Thamel, Kathmandu. By the time it posts it's self I will be back at work. I have hundreds of photos from Nepal. I am thinking about photo a daying them as well. We'll have to see!

A special dedication...

2008-09-04T09:28:00.001+04:00

Here is a special picture just for my favourite Ibis. What more could anyone want? A SCARLET IBIS playing in the sun!

Back in KL

2008-09-03T09:26:00.001+04:00

We went back to KL and stayed again in Hotel Maya (they gave us a double upgrade). I'm nearly finished now... Just a few shots of the birds in the bird park. Here is the Horn Bill getting his lunch from the Horn Bill cafe.

Sleeping?

2008-09-02T09:20:00.000+04:00

So we both got beds one above the other. Our back packs stayed in the aisle and small bags near pillows. We got on the train at about 7.30pm, off at about 7.30am. I managed to sleep/nap for about 8 hours.

Getting around

2008-09-01T09:16:00.002+04:00

Someone suggested taking the train back to KL. Neither of us had been on a sleeper train so we booked tickets in the 2nd class sleeper cabin (first class was full, you get your own little cabin). This is the station at Alor Setar. I had just finished a book by Amitav Ghosh that was set in this area and he wrote about this station! It was as lovely as he described. Exciting!

Ferry

2008-08-31T09:14:00.002+04:00

There were heaps of things to do on Langkawi, we could have stayed longer, but the train ticket was booked and we had to move on. We took another ferry, this time to Alor Setar which took an hour and a half.

Stunning Views

2008-08-30T09:09:00.002+04:00

Langkawi Chairlift

2008-08-29T09:06:00.002+04:00

This was a highlight of the trip, the chairlift was so steep and the mountain it went up fell away to the sea on the other side. There are 99 islands (I think) in the Langkawi area.

Breakfast

2008-08-28T09:03:00.003+04:00

Here it is.... Zadok's favourite pass time, breakfast, the paper and a quiet wife.

Sunset Resort

2008-08-27T09:01:00.002+04:00

.
The Sunset Resort was basic but nice. The location was fantastic and the 2 women who worked there were the loveliest people (possibly just charmed by Zadok mind you).

We ate breakfast on the porch behind Zadok's chair.

Pantai Cenang

2008-08-26T08:57:00.001+04:00

We stayed our second 2 nights on Langkawi in the Sunset Resort. A different vibe to Bon Ton! This shot is taken about 37 seconds walk from our room. The next day the weather was perfect and the waves big, we had a fantastic swim (even Zadok was convinced to put up with the sand for a little bit!)

Cute as Pie

2008-08-25T08:55:00.001+04:00

I was trying to cut back on photos to hurry up and finish Malaysia, as it's gone on forever, but who can resist this cute face?

Tanjung Rhu

2008-08-24T08:51:00.002+04:00

Here I am on the North side of Langkawi, on the Tanjung Rhu beach. It was beautiful. This is the resort area, much quieter than Pantai Cenang.

Back to Bon Ton

2008-08-23T07:40:00.005+04:00

We popped back to Bon Ton for lunch even though we weren't staying there anymore. You can see why! Paradise!

Hop!

2008-08-22T07:34:00.001+04:00

After that it was off to another Island (I've not got the name with me, I've written the last 10 posts or so in Pokhara). I did swim here, it was lovely.

The Lake

2008-08-21T07:32:00.002+04:00

We hired a little solar powered boat to enjoy the lake, the solar power was not very efficient in the cloudy weather and we had to resort to muscle power instead!

Monkey!

2008-08-20T07:28:00.000+04:00

There are thousands of mokeys in the jungle in Malaysia (and in Nepal actually, but that's another story!) These little guys are not shy and no wonder with tourists coming and going all the time and often feeding them.

I steared clear due to not being keen on catching rabies or monkey pox (apparently there is a disease called monkey pox).

Notes on Nepal #4

2008-08-19T09:25:00.003+04:00

Talk about saving the 'best' till last....

I have been in my orphanage for nearly a week now. There is no running water, all the water is drawn from a well (it's not a pretty well with a top on so get that picture out of your head) using a leaky bucket. We have electricity but it goes off some evenings as there is not enough to service the whole of Kathmandu. Despite being less than 5 km from Thamel, the major tourist area I have not seen a white face.

The orphanage is on the ground floor of a typical concrete house. It's very basic. It has squat toilets which of course do not flush. The children sleep 2 to a bed, which are home made bunk type things. The kitchen has a gas cooker and of course, there is no sink or anything, all the washing is done out by the well.

There are 2 women who work at the orphanage, one is the cook and the other the 'chairman' as the children call her. Yesterday I forgot my western politeness and just asked about the women (they don't speak English). The cook is 26, her 4yo daughter lives with her in the orphanage. She is a victim of domestic violence, apparently her husband drinks a lot and hits her so she came to live and work in the orphanage. The other woman no one is sure about.

The kids are lovely. They are quite needy, demanding and rough, I guess because they are always together mucking around. The young ones have limited English, the oldest is 15 and he is doing most of the translating for me which is good.

I was really ill (for the first time) the night before last which is not good when you only have a squat toilet and you have to get your water from the well. All better now, thank goodness!

This time next week I will be home in Dubai. Feels quite strange!

Lake of the Pregnant Maiden

2008-08-19T07:26:00.000+04:00

The first stop was The Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. It is an island with a huge lake in the middle. Apparently the water is great for women trying to conceive. i was not thirsty! This is on the dock , we had to walk a short way to the lake.

Island Hopping

2008-08-18T07:23:00.003+04:00

We just did one organised tour on Langkawi, we went out in a little boat and they took us to 2 different islands and to see eagles being fed. Here is Zadok making preparations! Also note the sunshine which unfortunately didn't hang around the whole morning.

Telaga Tujuh #2

2008-08-17T07:15:00.000+04:00

Here I am swimming in the 7 wells at the top of the falls. Our trusty companion, The Lonely Planet, suggested sliding down between wells, but one trip to the Doctor is quite enough thanks!

Telaga Tujuh

2008-08-16T07:00:00.002+04:00

Now we had wheels it was lovely to explore the island as we pleased. Here I am at Telaga Tujuh (7 wells). This is the waterfall below the wells. I syudied Indonesian at school, Bahasa Indonesian and Bahasa Malay are very similar. My Bahasa is now terrible but it was nice to be able to translate a few signs etc. by myself!

The Mighty Mouse Deer

2008-08-15T07:11:00.003+04:00

The second day in Langkawi we hired a car. We were really wondering why the company was called 'Mouse Deer Rentals'. Later in the trip it became apparent that the car we hired, a Kancil, is named after the Mouse Deer, a tine deer native to Malaysia. Here is Zadok once again driving a hair dressers car, but at about $18 a dayall in, who can complain?

Animals

2008-08-14T07:16:00.003+04:00

Some of the profits from Bon Ton go towards running an animal shelter. Zadok loves animals and was very happy to spend some of his vacation entertaing the dogs, and this cat (I think he's called skippy due to a dodgy leg) was happy to take up residence on out little balcony or in the room if he could get past me.

Bon Ton Resort

2008-08-13T07:07:00.005+04:00

Bon Ton is about 5 minutes drive off the main strip of Pantai (beach) Cenang. It's not on the beach but on a private lagoon and has this small but lovely pool. You can just see Yellow Orchid nestled behind Zadok's head. Most of the stilt houses have outside bathrooms with these gorgeous wooden tubs. Bliss!

Off to Langkawi

2008-08-12T06:52:00.006+04:00

We headed to Langkawi by ferry, I thought I was feeling much better (turned out I wasn't but a trip to the Doctor the next day had that sorted). Now here the photo a day gets difficult I have hundreds of beautiful photos from Langkawi and I don't want to leave any out!

We stayed the first 2 nights in the absolutely delightful Bon Ton Resort. if you find yourself in Langkawi go and stay here! The resort consists of about 8 traditional Malay stilt houses carefully renovated and scattered amoungst peceful gardens. Here is the 'Yellow Orchid' for the second night we moved to 'Blue Ginger' (I had booked only days before, even in low season they were just about fully booked).

Penang

2008-08-11T15:51:00.000+04:00

I have 2 photos from Penang, and they are both rubbish. I spent 2 night making use of the hotel bathroom. We did wander round and had a look at a few different areas, but in reality we weren't that keen on this island. I thought that could have been because I wasn't well, but a number of other travelers made similar comments so I didn't feel so bad! I did buy my first 2 pairs of shoes for the holiday here. They are nice... But I haven't worn them yet. Nepal is definitely not a high heel country!

Wendy's Word on the Weather

2008-08-11T10:34:00.001+04:00

Here we go Dad! Reporting from Pokhara so it's not an exact wether report but you'll get the picture!

Pokhara: Mix of cloudy and sunny, warm but not awful, maybe mid 20s but just a bit too humid to be really comfortable. Fan in the hotel room makes it very pleasant. Hopefully the sun comes out for a trip to the pool this afternoon. Pokhara is meant to be the wetest part of Nepal and this was proven 2 nights ago with the most rain I have ever seen fall in 1 hour. Ro and I had to wade from the restaurant back to the hotel with our shoes in our hands.

Rampoor/Chitwan: I may live in the desert but at least those people have heard of airconditioning. Temperatures reach the mid 30s at the moment and humidity is high during the day. I have never sweated so much in my life and took to wearing a bandana round my neck when gardening (what is happening to me?!) The electricity cutting out up to 8 times a day does not help with the whole fan situation.

Kathmandu: I thought it was uncomfortable here but now I have been to Chitwan I am not going to complain. High 20s I imagine (I am largely guessing) with moderate humidity some days.

Overall it's probably rained some every second day, it's meant to be nearing the end of the monsson but it's been a 'drought' year so they say. I just recieved this email from Zadok which makes me feel better....

'Was 51 ground tem yesterday in shade with 90% humidity. People working
outside in MIS were allowed to go home if they wished to.'

Travelling about

2008-08-10T15:43:00.000+04:00

We left the Cameron Highlands by bus, planning on heading on to Ipoh then Penang. This was the only time we had any difficulty with on ground transport. We'd bought a ticket to Ipoh, then all the buses for the day were booked out for Penang! Luckily we hired a private taxi, and although it was significantly more expensive I have paid more for a 30 minute cab ride in Melbourne than we paid for more than 2 hours. I think his speedo was broken by the way!

Notes on Nepal #3

2008-08-09T15:23:00.002+04:00

3 weeks in...
This week I have been staying with a Nepali farming family in the tiny town of Rampoor (? never saw it written anywhere.) I have been working in the community Nursery which has mostly involved weeding and preparing hundreds of pots with soil for the planting season in September. I ate Dhal Baat (rice with lentils) twice a day every day I was there (Nepalis eat at about 10am and 7.30pm and that is it, and they eat the same thing twice a day every day, day in, day out.)

Last night we (Bronte and myself) stayed in a stilt house in the Chitwan National Park. We didn't see any big animals unfortunately but it was still great fun!

Today I diverted from my planned itinerary (again) and have come to Pokhara to be a tourist for a few days. It's lovely and peaceful here. I have photos of everything of course but you'll have to wait!

Steam Boat

2008-08-06T17:20:00.002+04:00

In Tanah Rata, the town in Cameron Highlands that we stayed in, we decided to have a 'Steam Boat' for dinner. They put this pot on a gas burner on your table, then put Tom Yum soup or some such broth in it. Then they bring you raw meats, fish and noodles that you cook yourself.

It was a good laugh. Andrea and I asked for tips from the staff and they told us just to shove the lot in. Now I am more experienced I think I'd go a little slower next time! Zadok wasn't so impressed. He ordered another meal when we got back home!

Big Beers

2008-08-05T17:17:00.002+04:00

All through Malaysia they served beer in longneck bottles. So when there are three of you and you think we'll just have a quick beer, it turns into a lot of beer!

Father's Guesthouse

2008-08-04T17:09:00.004+04:00

Back to the backpackers for a few hours of sitting in the sun before dinner, the staff here couldn't believe the weather, it rains nearly every day of the year in the Cameron Highlands. This is just about th view we had out over the garden through the sweeping 'french doors' of the 'executive suite' I mentioned earlier. Also note I am once again drinking beer rather than wine. Weird.

Fancy a cuppa?

2008-08-03T16:58:00.001+04:00

Here I am sipping my cup of BOH tea. BOH stands for Best of the Highlands. It was good I have to say. Zadok was convinced to try an cup and was less than convinced. Should have had a coffee!

BOH Tea Factory

2008-08-02T16:48:00.001+04:00

After the Mossy Forest we headed back down the mountain to the Boh tea factory and tea rooms. I don't drink a lot of tea but after walking through this factory I was craving a cup! They do all the drying and sorting here, and then store the tea for however long, depending on which type of tea they are making.

Fly Yeti... Pay less, fly less.

2008-08-01T16:10:00.002+04:00

Now just as we were deciding that Malaysia would be good for a holiday, Air Arabia, a low cost carrier that flies out of Sharjah, announced that they were opening up flights from Sharjah, through Nepal to KL. We laughed about this because I had just booked to go to Nepal in the second part of the holiday and it seemed random that we would be there together just days before on out return from KL. I went ahead and booked the flights, which were half the price of Malaysian Airline. When I booked it became apparent that the Kathmandu KL leg was operated by Fly Yeti, a Nepalese airline recently taken over by Air Arabia. We laughed at this too.... Maybe we'll get fed yeti steaks, maybe the yeti hangs his arms out and flaps them due to a lack of wings, you know, funny stuff.

We went ahead with the booking, then about 2 weeks before we flew I got sent a strange flight plan that had us flying on the 2nd leg of our return journey, before we had flown the 1st. 5 phone calls later with me slightly annoyed, I'd sorted out this 1st, relatively small issue.

Our first flight went off without a hitch, we flew Sharjah Kathmandu, spent the day in Kathmandu which was crazy and a mess (and had me mildly concerned about heading back there for 5 weeks). We then headed back to the airport to catch our ongoing flight. Sorry, it's been postponed until the morning! We opted to wait and try out the airline provided hotel, back into Kathmandu, we spent the night at Hotel Prime which was actually ok I suppose by Nepali standards. We were then entertained by some traditional Nepali dancers, which was quite hilarious (I'll share a picture of the yak one day). By the time we got back to the airport early the next morning it had actually been a bit of a laugh, we met a couple of nice people and had had a good time.

Then we had a great holiday, on the second to last day we thought we'd better confirm our return flights. Then we found that during our holiday Air Yeti has folded and we can get a refund for the half of our flight that they would've operated. We hopped down to their KL office and are told bad luck, take the money. After a heated discussion and a few tears they agreed to fit us on a Royal Nepal Airlines flight that was leaving in time to make our connection.

We got that flight and it was fine, the flight was full of workers and we were upgraded to business class. All was well till we were landing in Kathmandu, nearly on the tarmac when the pilot pulled up due to low visibility. He had another go 15 minutes later, no luck, then would you believe we were told we had to divert to New Dehli due to low fuel.

So we landed in New Dehli, sat on the tarmac for about 2 hours, then flew back to Kathmandu in time to miss our connecting flight! Royal Nepal Airlines agreed to put us up for the night, air arabia told us bad luck you missed your flight. Another heated discussion ensued (with another few tears, I was quite weary by then) and finally the Air Yeti office put us on the next days flight despite the fact that it was already full. Back into Kathmandu, same hotel (they must have a deal with the airlines). We actually had a really pleasant evening, the city had been cleaned up and we arrived much earlier, had a delicious dinner in a very laid back bar (leaving me feeling much better about spending the next 5 weeks there). We got to the airport about 4 hours before our flight the next day not willing to risk getting bumped because the flight was over booked. So, a day late, we arrived back in the UAE, no worse off financially but a little weary and a little more knowledgeable about airline offices and their workings, I can certainly say I have never been so glad to be in Sharjah in my whole life!

Mossy Forest

2008-07-31T15:35:00.005+04:00

Next stop on our little tour was the Mossy Forest. Our knowledgable guide Bob took us into what he called 'the luxury forest' which he said had no spiders, snakes or leaches. Right. Anyhow, despite being ankle deep in mud with totally inappropriate shoes on we enjoyed this bit of a bush bash. The jungle is truly amazing with it's mooshy floor giving the best suspension. It's so thick we kept thinking about all the books we've read about people bashing their way through jungle, it must take hours to go a kilometer and it's so disorintating, and we were on a tourist path!

Guning ?

2008-07-30T15:26:00.002+04:00

Here we are on the top of a tall mountain in the Cameron Highlands. I've forgoton it's name and cant find it anywhere just now. The view was excellent all over the surrounding areas. Behind us we could see the sea (only just) along the west coast.

Boh Tea Estate

2008-07-29T15:20:00.003+04:00

On the tour we headed higher into the mountains, stopping here at the BOH tea eatate to be educated on the finer points (?) of tea plantations by Kumar. I wonder that he hasn't just made up his lecture over the years... I'm sure there was fact in their somewhere! It was entertaining anyway. We also met Andrea, a teacher from Cologne, who we adopted for the next few days.

Cameron Highlands

2008-07-28T15:15:00.004+04:00

The trip up in the bus was amazing, wish I'd taken photos. The first half was fine, regular highway, then we started climbing into the highlands on this tiny road, it was raining like I'd never seen before in my life and there were spots on the road where landslides were obviously a problem! At one stage we passed a massive rock in the middle of the road, recently fallen from the steep cliff! We headed off on a tour the next morning, here I am in shock over the temperature, must have been about 18 degrees.

Notes on Nepal #2

2008-07-28T07:57:00.002+04:00

So I have been in Nepal for more than a week now, it's been an interesting time. How to sum it up in just a few short paragraphs! We have finished our lanuguage course and I suprised myself doing quite well in the test yesterday, not quite fluent yet mind you! There was a group of about 10 of us taking part so we had some good laughs. Today we are splitting up, with some people off to their placements.

A group of us are going to Lamatar village today. It's a small village on the outskirts of the Kathmandu valley. There we will stay with a Nepali family for 4 nights, eating their food, using their bathroom (apparently thats quite an experience) and getting involved with village and family life.

After that we head to Chitwan national park, where we will do some whitewater rafting, and elephant safari and jungle treking.

I have changed my placement slightly, I will be staying in Chitwan for an extra week, taking part in some conservation work, planting trees and searching for seedlings (?) After that I will be heading back to Kathmandu to do a 2 week placement in the Balaju orphanage. Friends of mine have headed there today so they are going to email me what it is like! I'm quite excited now because there are so many different things coming up!

Back Packing in the Cameron Highlands

2008-07-27T15:07:00.002+04:00

When we decided to travel to Malaysia we thought we'd do a bit of the back packing bit and stay in some nice places as well. This was the closest we got to backpacking I think (other than the packs we carried!). We did catch the bus to get up to the Cameron Highlands, but the bus was hardly roughing it with massive seats like business class. This was the 'Executive Suite' at Father's Hostel. We had a great time here, everything was so well organised and everyone was very friendly.

Poser

2008-07-26T15:02:00.001+04:00

Here I am at the end of the show. I think the guy next to me is meant to be a head hunter from Malaysian Borneo. There were all kinds of different dances from the different areas. They ended with that 'Visit Malaysia' promotional song from last year, 'Malaysia truly Asia'. I had it stuck in my head for the whole trip.

Traditional Malay Dance

2008-07-25T14:57:00.001+04:00

On our second night in KL we headed just over the road to have dinner and watch a performance of some traditional Malay dances. The food was delicious and the dances were entertaining. I ate a whole lot of Satay. This was the ONLY time I drank wine on the whole trip... Those of you who know me well will realise how unusual this is!

One more...

2008-07-23T15:10:00.001+04:00

The hydrotherapy pool was bliss after a humid day of sightseeing, eating and shopping!

Swimming Pool

2008-07-22T15:07:00.000+04:00

Here's Zadok at the pool, which had an inside/outside type of thing going on.

Notes on Nepal

2008-07-22T14:11:00.003+04:00

Here I am, sitting in a dodgy internet cafe in Kalanki, Kathmandu. I'll give you a bulleted run down on my last few days...

1 calm, quiet flight with no airlines going bust or flights being resheduled.
4 language lessons, taught OLD STYLE .
1 thin hard bed in a dubious state of cleanliness (thankgoodness for my Lulu slepping bag)
No coffee since Sunday morning.
No Meat for the last 3 days (and none on the horizon as far as I can see).
No alcohol for the last 3 days (and none on the horizon as far as I can see).
Lots of really friendly, nice people.
A lot of good laughs, mostly about the toilet/shower.

Anyway, so everything is going well, we are mostly in the hostel doing the language bit but on Friday we start sightseeing and on Monday we go away to a village and Chitwan National Park. I'm getting used to the meals and the facilities, I just have a feeling it will be worse in the orphanage!

Hotel Maya

2008-07-21T15:02:00.001+04:00

Our first hotel was the only thing we booked before we left Dubai, and it was lovely. Being low season they upgraded us, we had a lovely room massive bath etc. etc. it's a hard life!

Shark!

2008-07-20T15:00:00.001+04:00

Nothing special about my photo taking skills but I thought this was a good one! Remember creatures are 30% bigger than they appear!

Backpacked and ready to go!

2008-07-20T12:34:00.002+04:00

So once again I'm in the airport, my 4th in about the same amount of days. Heading to Nepal for 5 weeks. I woke up this morning thinking I was crazy not to be on my usual path of travel at this time of year, heading to Australia for a month of doing very little, seeing family and friends, but I feel a bit better now. Let's see how I feel this time next week! Still posting Malaysia pics, I've got a few more scheduled then we'll have to see what happens when I am in Nepal.

KLCC Aquarium

2008-07-19T14:57:00.000+04:00

Zadok hadn't been to an Aquarium before so off we went to see the fishies. We had great fun petting the Bamboo sharks and watching the fish. Here is Zadok looking a lighter shade of pale in the tunnel!

The view from on top

2008-07-18T14:54:00.000+04:00

Actually, it's not on top at all, the Sky Bridge is about halfway up and is as high as the general public are permitted to go. It's still a good view round the city mind you. You can see our hotel, Hotel Maya, it's the big white building in the middle.

Up the towers

2008-07-17T14:47:00.001+04:00

It's free to go up to the Sky Bridge, about halfway up the towers. You have to line up early because only a certain amount of tickets are available. Here we are enjoying the Petronas video with our stylish 3D glasses, then all the buttons in the lift. The towers are no longer the tallest in the world, I think they are nearly 500m tall. Burj is headed for 800m... Imagine the buttons on that lift!

The Petronas Twin Towers

2008-07-16T14:34:00.005+04:00

By day, and by night. First photo taken from the KLCC park, the second outside our hotel. We had this view from our hotel room when we were in KL at the end of our holiday. Impressive!

Pork!

2008-07-15T14:29:00.001+04:00

Zadok was quite impressed that pork was fairly readily available, despite Islam being the official religion. 1 sweet and sour pork, 1 mee goreng, 1.5 l of beer, 40 ringget (40 dhs, about $13) magic.

Chinatown

2008-07-14T14:22:00.003+04:00

Hi all,
Still in Malaysia, leaving early tomorrow (fingers crossed) despite the fact that our airline has collapsed since we arrived... I'll post the whole story when I get home if i have time.

I'm going to try a photo a day type effort for my pics, we'll see what happens. If photo a day annoys you you'll have to just wait and check back in a week or something.

we spent a couple of evenings in Chinatown KL, eating good food and drinking good beer. And buying handbags.

Malaysia

2008-07-04T11:55:00.002+04:00

So we are in Malaysia. We have been away for about 5 days now and are having such a great time! What a beautiful country full of friendly people and delicious food. I've got heaps of photos of course and stories to tell... But they will have to wait! We have been in KL and I am posting from the Cameron Highlands. Off to Penang tomorrow, followed by Langkawi then back to KL. Stay tuned for pics!

Winter wollies warm freezing statues.

2008-06-22T06:50:00.003+04:00

I loved this snap that I found in the Tasmanian newspaper, the Mercury. Apparently the winter festival has just started, and it coincided with 'Knit in public day'. Some thoughtful person had adorned all the 'Heading South' statues with their own winter warmers. Hand knitted and then stitched on to the statues. Reminds me of a time underwear was strung across the Gorge right before the duck race, however this is probably a lot more tasteful! You can read the story here.

Just 5 school days to go!

Hatta Fort Hotel

2008-06-15T09:46:00.005+04:00

We popped up to Hatta in the mountains last weekend for some R and R.

DIdn't take too many photos actually, I was far too busy as you can see!

It was a lovely weekend. Cant wait to get busy doing some more of this over the next few weeks, just 5 days of school to go!