KATHMANDU (we're still here!)
Namaste. We've spent the last few days toggling between religious/cultural experiences and mass consumerism (the tchatchkeys and jewelrey are soo great!). Yesterday we walked to the most important Hindu Temple (there were several cremations happening right near the river that runs through the temple complex) and Buddhist Stupa (Bodhnath). Mandy particularly loved the |Bodnath Stupa- there were masses of Tibetan ladies and monks walking the circumference of the stupa in a typical late day prayer session of three or more circles. The site was pretty awe-inspiring.
This morning we treated ourselves to a Budda Air flight above the Solu Khimbu area of the high Himalayas that borders Tibet. This is the area where Mt. Everest sits and we had perfect views of Everest and all of the other amazing peaks in that region. We were laughing about the certificate we were handed when we deplaned, "I didn't climb Everest but touched it with my heart"- we have the "official" certificate to prove it! We went back to Boudha (the neighborhood where Bodhnath stands) again and think we'll visit at least once more before we go- it is just awesome. On New Road- the commerce area of town- Clay found some cheap funky glasses for cheap ($8 per pair- anyone need glasses??) and we also bought a new digital camera (ouch) so we'll be able to document the rest of our trip. We plan to head to Bhaktapur and the Kopan Monastery and also check out a Bollywood flick or two before we split town for Thailand on Monday. We send our love (especially to the new parents in Burlingame!) and we'll write again from Bangkok where we plan to down some pad thai and get our trips to Vietnam, Cambodia,etc. organized on the famous "Khoa San Road". Love to all. xoxo
- posted by Mandy and @ 5:35 AM

 
Kathmandu- Besisahar - Annapurna Himalayas - Jomsom - Pokhara - Kathmandu

Hello to friends and fam. Mandy and I are safe and sound back in Kathmandu after an amazing 2 weeks in the Himalayas trekking through the Annapurna range.

I'll try to summarize the experience without the usual hyperbole, but expect i'll fail. Mandy may add more later, but for now this will give you a flavor of our past few weeks....

After two days getting settled in Kathmandu, which is both busier and somehow more manageable that either of us expected (at least in Thamel, the main hikers/trekkers/travellers district), we got our trek booked and organized through a local agency to head off to the mountains. Verna and Josh, huge thanks for hooking us up with a warm welcome from the gang at the Kathmandu Guest House -- the place is great, and they connected us with the trekking company which worked out super. thanks.

We set off on the 8-hour bus ride to Besisahar, on the south-east corner of the Annapurna range, from Kathmandu with our trekking guide, Ram, and our porter, Vinod. Mandy and I decided to go with a guide and porter (we combined our gear into one bag - we thought we were travelling light until we saw what the guides and porters bring for 2 weeks in the high Himilayas: a small daypack with about 3 additional pieces of clothing in it and a toothbrush. Outside magazine should write a "fast and light hiking" feature profiling these guys...). We figured, since we're 30 and not 20 why not have someone dealing with our teahouse bookings and helping us appreciate the beauty of the mountains with us. It was a good investment -- we were in the minority, I'd say, having both a porter and a guide, but we got along great with both of them and the added expense was worth it in the long-run for the help they gave with finding "suitable" (as Ram called them) guest houses along the trek to stay and eat in. We recommend spending the extra two bills on a quality guide and porter from a reputable trekking company to all considering a walk through the HImalayas!

A beautiful windy trip through central Nepal to the start of the trek was only marred by having our digital camera picked out of my daypack while en route at a bus stop. Oh well, that's travelling...if that's the worst that befalls us, then that's not bad. We already realized value from Ram when he negotiated the purchase of a replacement camera - film type - in the thriving little town of Besisahar for us upon our arrival. It was $10. It is approximately the dimensions and weight of a brick. It is, as the front of our new camera proclaims, "focus free" (like this is an asset, rather than a liability, for a camera...). Despite our concerns, it did an admirable job of capturing our 2 weeks in the mountains with only a few out-of-focus splotches here and there... as we confirmed happily yesterday when we picked up our developed film here in Kathmandu. And we still had the card full of our Zambia pics and Lisa has great photos from the rest of our Africa travels as well, so no big deal. We are going dig cam shopping in Kathmandu tomorrow, however....

What is there to say about 2 weeks in the highest mountains in the world? Lots, but I will *try* to attempt not to say it all. We walked ~120 km's through almost every type of terrain imaginable -- steep gorges (including the largest river gorge in the world, the Kali Gandaki valley that seperates the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountains in the Mustang region of Nepal), green forests, high alpine above-treeline mountains, glacier fields, and finally the high arid plains of the Tibetan/Nepali border. The distance of the trek was just right for us in the end - long enough to feel really far afield, but not so long that we got bored or tired of hiking. The elevation gain was significant -- more than either of us expected (we didn't really read up on how challenging a trek the Annapurna Circuit was before we set off -- we figured, "it's the most popular trek in the world, it can't be that hard..." - but it is pretty serious business for the last few days of it, as we learned). The lowest point on the trek was the start, at about 850 meters. The highest was "the Pass", Thorung La Pass at about day 10 of the trek if you start in Besisahar as we did, which was over 5,400 meters. As the sign reminded us in our oxygen-deprived, huffing-and-puffing state when we crested the pass, that's about 17,500 feet up. No Everest, to be sure, but it is about equivalent with Everest base camp over 200 km's east of where we were -- and at least 3,000 feet higher than either of us had ever been before. Even with a slow acclimitization process that had us only gaining about 400-500 meters per day over 5 days or so to get there, we were still struggling a bit on the climb up the last 1000 meters to the pass and really sucking wind. Luckily, neither of us had any symptoms of altitude mountain sickness, which is what all trekkers to this area and Everest as well get lectured on endlessly. This is for good reason, as apparently plenty of folks get it, and it's not fun (headaches, nausea, etc. etc. - only cure is to go down, and when down is 8-10 days back the other direction rather than 2-3 days to the end of the trek, it's kind of unappealing). Again, luckily neither me nor Mandy had A.M.S., but neither of us felt too great on the day we headed up 1000 meters from Thorung Phedi and over the Thorung La pass and back down to the relatively oxygen-rich (but still quite high) cityof Muktinath on our 9th day or so of the trek. Mandy did some deep breathing about 2/3 of the way up, and my legs were a bit rubbery, but we made it after 4 hours or so of slogging away on the last uphill portion of the trek. it's pretty humbling and kind of emotional when we made it -- and it reminded us that there are lots of lots of fit people in the world if it was that challenging and it's still the most popular trek, with 12000+ people doing it each year!

The Annapurna trail is quite crowded/busy, so much so that teams of donkeys are lead but Tibetan Nepalis through the mountains with supplies to stock the tea houses along the route with beer, fanta, rice, etc. By consequence, the trail is often full of donkey crap. We therefore renamed it, on day 3 or so, the "Annapoopna Circuit". We weren't expecting blissful mountain solitude, and we didn't get it (except occassionally late in the day on our walks, due to our slow pace! :)... but we didn't mind it, since some of the trek is so remote that it's nice knowing there are plenty of other hikers out there in front and behind you. Plus, we made some friends who were trekking our pace, too...

Views of Annapurna I, IV, II and the other 7,500 t0 8,000 meter peaks we were hiking at the base of greeted us from different angles each day. Nice smiling Nepali people greeted us at the villages/tea house stops we made each night. Our guide and porter couldn't have been nicer and more accomodating. We met 6-8 other travelers trekking on our same pace, and made a few new friends from Canada, US, Spain, and elsewhere whom we shared meals of the local staple/specialty "dal baht" (rice, lentils, and curry) and stories of the day's walk through the mountains each night at the tea house stops. We saw and visited Buddhist stupas, a monastery with a resident lama (who blessed me with good health and luck for my journey over the Thorung La Pass and onward throughout Nepal), and the beautiful Hindu pilgrimmage site of the Muktinath Temple at 3,900 meters in the high Mustang region of Nepal that borders Tibet. Mandy earned a few new blisters, and we both lived to regret my bad decision to leave my deodorant behind in Kathmandu for reasons of pack weight. Thank goodness for the hot showers and fast/cheap laundry services of Kathmandu, which we've now taken advantage of since returning to the hustle and bustle of the capital city of 8 million two nights ago.

Memorable, challenging, wonderful, cold!, fun, pretty, and higher than we expected. We loved it.

The last few days entailed a leisurely relaxation day in Pokhara (where we flew into from Jomsom, having been advised to just do the northern 2/3 of the "classic" Annapurna Circuit in the interests of time, so that we could return to Kathmandu in time for the annual Tihar festival of lights and colors which started 3 days ago and continues for 1 more day here...). Pokhara sits on the southern side of the Annapurnas, just across the mountains from the northern side where we trekked. Pokhara has a lovely lake where we paddle-boated out to watch the pink sunset on the Annapurna peaks - deeeelightful. As was a cold beer and being able to watch Real Madrid soccer on the tube + catch up on what was going on in the world (and world series).
After a brief mix-up with losing our guide, and an 11-hour bus ride back over the hills on white-knuckle roads (we now know what it's like to be on a bus, passing a bus, with a bus coming at us, on a two-lane road climbing up a hillside with blind turns... not once, but maybe twenty times... what a hoot.), we rolled back into Kathmandu in time to enjoy Tihar -- the second biggest festival in Nepal of the year. Incredibly, our guide and porter had actually arrived back in Kathmandu ahead of us, despite having left Pokhara later, and in one of those "how does this happen in a city of 8 million?" moments, they showed up beside our bus at a random intersection in the city and made sure we made it back to our guest house with no problems to cap off the whole experience. For this, as well as innumerable favors during the prior two weeks, we are forever in Ram and Vinod's debt!

Kathmandu is in the midst of the Tihar/ Deepwali festival --- which we'd hoped we would make it back here in time to enjoy, and did (barely). Last night, lights were everywhere on the porches and windows as Hindus throughout Nepal light candles to welcome Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, into their homes for another year of good fortune. People string up lights throughout the streets from building to building, and flower salesmen make a mint selling strings of bright orange marigolds to everyone --- who use them to adorn doorways, windows, and even the holy animal cows. Kids wander through the city singing songs in doorways in traditional pleas for money. it's quite a sight with cows walking all around throughout the city, in and out of traffic and yards and sometimes buildings (this is quite commonplace and normal), but on this one day with garlands of marigolds around their necks as a sign of honor and yellow and red powdered tikkas on their heads administered by devout Hindus who pass them. it was crazy-colorful and a bit chaotic, esp. after 2 weeks hiking in the mountains, and a cool contrast to the quiet mani walls and stupas of the primarily buddhist northern himalayas up closer to Tibet. Throughout all of our walking here, Mandy and I have remarked several times how striking, and notable, and cool, it is to see a whole country and culture observing two different religions (buddhism and hinduism) peacefully and in total happy co-existence. it's wonderful -- there's even a great deal of "borrowing" and cross-referencing between Hinduism and Buddhism here in Nepal -- the buddha shows up in Hindu temples, Hindu gods turn up adorning Buddhist stupas and prayer shrines, temples such as the one at Muktinath serve as pilgrimmage and worship sights for both Hindus and Buddhists alike, and no one sees any big issues or conflicts with the religions inter-mingling and co-existing side by side throughout this region. It's so very nice, inspiring, and reassuring.

We had a treat yesterday of having a special, personally-made dal baht lunch made for us and served to us by Ram in his small, one-room apartment with his brother Shiva yesterday. Ram did this out of pride that his dal baht could top those that we had eaten prepared by the tea houses along the trail throughout our trek ---- such a nice, fun gesture and experience. It was indeed the tastiest dal baht we've eaten yet...

OK, that's enough. Our pics are pretty good and though a bit fuzzy in places thanks to the Mikona camera, certainly adequate for us to remember the trek by later... For those with the fortitude to have made it this far on my rambling blog posting (if any of you are left after this typically overly-long post, thank you! and sorry for all the details!...) about our time in the mountains, we'll share pictures gladly when we return.

We'll be in kathmandu for another week or so. Verna, Josh, Phoebe, and others have given us wonderful suggestions on food, drink, accom, and sights to keep us busy for at least that long. Stupas, temples, a new camera, some tasty meals, and more wandering among Patan and Bhaktipur are ahead. We're trying to figure out how to get to Tibet, we;ll see if time and expenses allow it. If so, we're interested most to see Lhasa. If not, we'll be content to have met and enjoyed speaking with so many native Tibetans living over the Nepal border in the high mountains in traditional Tibetan buddhist villages throughout our trek. We'll see....

Whatever the case, we think we'll still be on track to be in Thailand by 10 days or so from now. With every day, we feel so so lucky to be able to see these new places together... thanks to all of you who have read this far for the emails and news from home. We send our love and will keep letting you know we are safe and sound, esp family whom we know is tracking our globe-trotting.....

Much love and "namaste".
xo CM and ML

- posted by Mandy and @ 3:06 AM

 
Zanzibar-Dar Es Salaam- Dubai-Bangkok-Kathmandu

Hello from Kathmandu, Nepal

We’re in a internet café in the busy streets of Kathmandu! We had a long journey here from Zanzibar and we’re glad to stay off planes for a few weeks.
This is Mandy writing and I have to say, I am experiencing the strangest kind of culture shock. I am homesick but not for Seattle, instead for Africa. It is hard to explain but the change we’ve experienced in cultures over the past 24 hours is somewhat unbelievable.

Zanzibar was an incredible, beautiful, rich experience and we are now hungry to know the rest of Tanzania. We recommend any beach/diving/snorkeling/fresh fruit lovers head to Zanzibar and in the money you’ll spend on airfare, your hotel/food costs will be low enough to head to Africa rather than any island near the states. We all (Lisa included) considered extending our time in Zanzibar but instead declared that we must return and bring lots of friends! It was just lovely and picturesque and tranquil. We bid farewell to the amazing Lisa Chick (who schlepped a full suitcase home for us!!) and headed out of Africa.

We had a one night stop over in Bangkok where Jack Kneeland graciously hosted us and gave us a good Thai meal and sleep before we headed to Nepal. We hope to see Jack back in Bangkok in late November. He is embarking on a new adventuring- leaving Bangkok after 5 years with USAID and starting a 1 year masters in DC at Johns Hopkins.

Now we’re in Nepal (Royal Nepal Airlines was only about 6 hours delayed in getting us here!). I am so happy to where two of my best friends, Verna and Phoebe, fell head over heels for this culture, people, and country. We had another “soft landing” due to Vern and Phoeb’s reputation at the Kathmandu Guest House- we’re considered “special guests” thanks to the girls! We spent today wandering around town- talk about a sensory overload. Every possible color and sound and smell reached our senses today! More to come when we’ve taken it all in and can make sense of it in words. We ate momos and then tuk (at Dechenling) and then had a drink at Maya --- hats off to Verna and Phoeb! We’re thinking of you.

We leave for a 15 day trek on the Annapurna Circuit on Saturday- I personally have never hiked for more than a few days and I wonder how my little legs will deal…but as you can all suspect my dear husband is so pumped for this part of our trip! We hear the Himalayas are so gorgeous and the villagers gracious and we’re very anxious to get started! We plan to be back in Kathmandu on Oct 25 just in time for the Depawali festival.

- posted by Mandy and @ 10:05 AM

 
Namibia - South Africa - Lesotho - Tanzania - Zanzibar

Hello to all, we are happy and safe and well. So much has happened in the past week. Tonight we are writing from an internet cafe on the "spice island" of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania just east of Dar Es Salaam, where we arrived about 4 hours ago. We're still getting our feet under us, its strange to be in such a wildly different place after the past week...

A week ago, we were still in a rental Toyota exploring the desert in Namibia. Barely anyone anywhere, we were drivign for hours at a time on dirt roads among 500 meter sand dunes and rocky hills in central Namibia, after having spent 2 days on the Atlantic coast near Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. There it was 50 degrees and foggy all day, apparently a commn featuer of weather there. We sand-boarded (I did at least!), which si snowboarding on dunes. Hard, but fun. Then we kayaked among pink flamingos and the largest collection of Cape seals you can imagine = at least 5000 all playing in the water around us, hopping over the front fo our kayaks... then we paddled a while with dolphins (porpoises? you know what we mean!) swimming right with us at every stroke. so amazing.

Then we drove through aforementioned desert to Sossusvlei, the sand dune desert in central Namibia. Again, stunning and amazing. Thanks to Pat and Dick for hooking us up big time with a lovely free night at the wonderful/luxe Kulala Lodge in Sossusvlei =-= delightful! Hiked to the top of the dunes all alone one evening, took in the beauty of the harshest environment for vegetation in the world (or one of them apparently - i guess the sahara woudl be worse), then bounded down the steep dune sides and filled our boots with sand all the way...

After a bumpy and gravelly drive back to Windhoek (miracle we didn't get a flat tire, or "puncture" in local terms, in the rent=a=toyota) and flew off to Jo'burg. As for Jo'burg, don't believe that it's a dark and dangerous place. it is indeed dark and huge at night, but with some city smarts and good directions one is A-OK. We met our friend from Africare, Dorothy, for a wonderful meal at a super-cool and funky restaurant rigth downtown -- I had ostrich steaks for a pittance. Mandy had some fish curry that was unbelieveable. Delectable. Dorothy and her husband Poopsie (yes, they are as sweet as their names sound) were so kind to put us up at their home for the night, where we met their two youngest children -- Kobi, an articulate and kind 4 year old boy with unique fashion sense, and Sister, a 2 1/2 year old sweetheart that behaves the way you want your own children to behave someday. Mandy and Lisa stayed up until 2:30 a.m. chatting with Dorothy and playing with the kids, until they finally pooped out. We were so appreciative fo the Nairne family's generosity, story-telling, restaurant choices, hospitality.... and we hope we can pay them back some day stateside. (We again benefitted from their kindness briefly last night, on our 10-hour stopover back through J'burg before our early mornign flight today to here, Tanzania, from Jo'burg thsi morning. More laughs, playing with adorable kids, and a tasty meal ensued. what a treat!)

OK< that takes us to Lesotho. How did Lisa, Mandy and I choose to go to Lesotho? We are not sure =- we hatched the plan 6 days ago in a guest house over dinner in Namibia. 4 days ago we were renting the car in Jo'burg. And then\, after a 5-hour drive through Booooooring South Africa farmland, we arrived to the towering amazingness fo the "Kingdom in the Sky", Lesotho. Words cannot describe how beautiful this tiny country (all of it si above 1000 meters/3500 feet elevation, which is saying a LOT in southern Africa...) is, or how nice its Basotho people are. Briefly, we spent two days and nights at the amazing Malealea Lodge (http://www.malealea.co.ls/) - , which is the closest we've ever seen to a real community-friendly, communit-involved eco=tourism setup. And it was dirt cheap, with good food, nice people, and all the ancillary services like hiking guides, crafts, etc. all provided by local villagers, so it really benefits the people where its located. Awesome place - anyone considering a trip to South Africa should absolutely spend 3-4 days in Lesotho hills hiking the green mountains and talking with the friendly and kind Basotho villagers. Each village is essentially a cooperative group of communal farmers and herders.... and each one we hiked through over the course of 2 days met us with smiles and handshakes and warm "How ARE you?" greetings.

Back across the border into South Africa again after 3 days in Lesotho, the last punctuated by a comic telephone experience (ask us later = lets just say Lesotho telecommunications national infrastructure is a little less solid than other spots we've visited!). Also a wonderful visit to a women's mohair wool weaving cooperative, which is doing amazing things otu fo their own initiative and with teh help over the last year from a Peace Corps worker. You can see their stuff, online!, at www.africancraft.com. We were particularly impressed with their weaving looms workshop, on the outskirts of "T Y" city north of Maseru, whcih appeared to be built entirely out of aluminum cans which they had stacked one atop the other, in adjoining columns, to form unique recycled "walls" for their building. So so cool to see community businesses run by strong, smart women among the remote green hills of Lesotho. One of the proprieters is flying to Washington, DC, in two days time (first airplane flight ever, first trip away ever) to show their wares at a big craft show there -- we assured her, despite her fears to the contrary, that she would be able to get mealie-meal "pap" (corn meal porridge, staple fo southern african meals) during her tiem in the states...

Anyway, crossed the border in our rental car (this time a sky blue Nissan - yes, it was as smooth as it sounds) and stayed the night in Clarens, South Africa, in the equally stunning and beautiful Drakenberg mountains that form the northern and eastern border of Lesotho with South Africa. this area is the self-proclaiemd "adventure capital of south africa", owing to the sheer mountains and ribbony sandstone cliffs that are all around there =- perfect for rock-climbing, hiking, etc. Also perfect, as I learned, for little run-off streams which hold rainbow and brown trout that were stocked all throughout central and south-eastern South Africa 50 years ago. Although it's been a dry spring this year, and therefore water levels on the rivers were so low that they were all still closed to fly-fishing, I did at least talk to the local trout-outfitter in Clarens (which we took to calling, in typical crass americanese, "Clarence") and learn that there are plenty fo fishable rivers and lakes stocked with trout throughout the Drakenberg Mountains. Perhaps a future exotic flyfishing trip for me, Ty, Ralph, dad, others someday?... We'll see. I couldn't get on the river, but I did at least pick up a few of the hand-tied flies produced right tehre in Clarens, South Africa by the Caledon Flies fly-tying factory (I met the manager, a mellow guy named Wiseman who learned to guide on the Clarens rivers as part of another community development home-grown initiative by a local businessman/sportsman named Paul -- check his program out at www.riverrangers.com) for presents. Ralph, dad, and Ty, you'll have to wait until I get somewhere I can mail stuff to receive your direct-from-Africa flies (Ty, I took particular care selecting a cinnamon ant pattern for you, perfect for - hopefully - some epic ant hatch back on the Fork together next year.... it would be too great if an African ant pattern eventually tricked a wily Fork pig someday...). Anyway, oru brief time in Clarens was a fun chance to talk trout and play "what if" on a future trip to fish a new continent sometiem down the road. We quickly returned to Jo'burg -- just last night, hard to believe == and enjoyed another nice night and tasty meal with Dorothy (until last night I had never tasted mango-chilli sorbet, which is as wild as it sounds...).
Had a quick snooze, woke up early this a.m., braved the crazy Jo'burg rush-hour traffic in the rent-a-nissan, and boarded the plane fro Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. SO here we are....

After a quick hopper flight from Dar to Zanzibar, we now are lodged in a delightfully decrepit hotel among the narrow crumbling streets of Stone Town, Unjuga ISland, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Lisa, Mandy, and I will be here 4 days, probably a mix of taking a "Spice Island" tour (this place is legendary growing fields of all the pungent spices of Africa, we'll learn more when we get out tehre with a guide...), learning about the history of this primarily Muslim island , and probably chilling on the northern beaches with some other backpackers for a couple days too. We'll get it sorted tomorrow - tonight we chomped super-cheap seafood and fried plantains cooked outside by a crazy mix of characters under the stars next to the water side, we're catching up on emails and reviewing the state of affairs in Nepal (our planned next destination, if all still goes according to plane tickets...). Zanzibar is a tangle of thin thin streets, barely wide enough to allow bicycles and mopeds through, with people everywhere and everyone, as in the rest of southern africa, is nice nice nice and quite enterprising. All new environment, all new sights and sounds, all new flavors and foods, all new people, wild wild and so different to be at sea level in hot humid weather just 2 days from the green, cold, lush hills of elevated Lesotho. Our eyes are filling up everyday, as are our journals.

OK, enough - wanted to let all (esp family) know we are well and safe, and where we are now. Lisa is due to return to states Oct 7, Mandy and I leaving via Dar the day before, so until then we'll be here...
Love to all, send us news via our shared address, congratulations to Cyn and Drew on their great new arrival (thanks for the news J&V!), happy birthday to those family members of mine with early October b-days (you know who you are!@), and all our best....
XOXOXO


- posted by Mandy and @ 10:48 AM