Saturday, 30th October …..

Saturday, 31st October …..

What a place is Jomsom! We flew in here this morning in a Twin Otter which runs a shuttle service between Pokhara and this mountain town. Flying between the mountains was awe-inspiring and we could see Daulaghiri, the 8th highest mountain in the world, over to our left. The air was clear and we had wonderful views of the villages below us. Coming into Jomsom airport was heart-in-the-mouth stuff. The runway is just long enough with nothing to spare.

As we stepped out of the plane, we were dumbstruck by the sight of Nilgiri, almost 7000m tall which towers over the town. Our resort is a short distance out of the town and we were transported by the resort’s limousine, a blue wagon on the back of a tractor.

The resort is extraordinary. It is constructed of stone with huge windows looking out on Nilgiri. Our room is also constructed of stone, like something out of the Flintstones. It’s hard to heat, of course, but our rooms are cosy and we will be given hot water bottles to take to bed.


Today might be the highlight of our trip because we are going to walk a section of the Annapurna Circuit. Trekking on this part of the globe has always been a dream and it’s hard to believe that it is coming to fruition at long last. Our route will take us through the towns of Syang and Marpha and give us a taste of what a major trek might be like.

Our party consists of Steve and Ann, the tour leaders, Dippy, our Nepali guide, Beth, Trish, Martin and Sue, and me. The others have opted for a day at the resort.

We are walking on a dirt road, which is very dusty and covered with large stones. There are occasional trucks, buses and motorbikes so we have to be watchful. There are also occasional flocks of goats and sheep being moved from one village to another.

We stop at Syang to look at a Trekking Lodge, one of many which offer cheap accommodation to trekkers. It’s a nice little town and here we see the first of the many apple trees which make this area famous as the apple capital of Nepal. The trekking lodge has apple rings strung on lengths of bamboo and hung in the window to dry. The ladies want to use the toilet at the lodge so Ann buys a couple of bags of dried apples to say thank-you,.

When the next town, Marpha, is in sight, Beth loses the sole of one of her boots. A quick running repair with a boot lace gets her into Marpha where Dippy astounds us by saying there is a shoe repairer here. Off he goes with the boot and within half an hour he is back having had the sole glued and stitched back in place. Total cost 200 rupees, less than $3.


We have a great lunch at a lovely restaurant – mushroom soup, toasted tomato, yak cheese and onion sandwich and a slice of their famous apple crumble. It’s taken us three hours to get here but we aim to cut that time on the way back. We go by a slightly different route, following a track along the river. In this riverbed, the locals look for ammonite fossils which they sell to the passing trekkers. We had a look as we wandered along but weren’t lucky. Anyway Lonely Planet recommends that foreigners don’t buy any natural treasures like fossils, and we all want to be good global citizens.

In fact, we do the return trip in just 2 ½ hours, tired but very satisfied with our day out.

Friday, 29th October …..

An early start this morning as we had a long drive to Pokhara which is in the Annapurna region. Most of the way is mountainous and the roads are narrow and carry a constant stream of trucks. Our driver, Raj, seemed particularly competent which was a relief as there are very few safety barriers and the truck drivers are all madmen. At lunchtime, we stopped at the River Springs Resort for lunch. We come back here in a few days time to spend the night. It’s a beautiful place and it will be good to come back.

We arrived at Pokhara mid-afternoon. Steve and Ann were a little worried about our hotel. It’s brand new and they had no previous experience of what to expect. In fact, it’s not yet finished. The whole front area of the hotel is a building site with piles of material everywhere and a group of 3 or 4 people sat in the garden washing second-hand roof tiles. However, we were happy with our room which was very comfortable. Unfortunately, one or two of the other members of our party were not happy and had to be moved to another room.

We only have one night here as we fly to Jomsom tomorrow for a couple of nights.

Thursday, 28th October …..

Full of anticipation, we boarded the bus for our sightseeing trip around Kathmandu. In many ways, it’s a typical Asian city – narrow streets, colourful clothes, crowds of people, hawkers, peddlers, and so on.

Our hotel is set among hundreds of little shops and restaurants and you’re always in danger of being run over by a motor bike or taxi if you venture out into the street. Our first stop on our city tour was the Swayambhunath Stupa or Monkey Temple. It was crowded with locals going about their religious duties, tourists and beggars. We were told what to expect but the poverty of this beautiful country is tragic. Too many people have to make their living by begging and it is very confronting for tourists to have to try and ignore the constant pleas for a coin or two. There are also dozens of stalls trying to get their share of the tourist dollar. We all bought hats and prayer flags and one or two of our party bought other mementos.

Durbar Square, the site of the original royal palace, was our next port of call. It is a magnet for tourists and is infested with hawkers trying to sell you everything from a flute to a genuine Ghurka knife Some of the items are beautiful but you have to keep your hands in your pockets as everything has to be brought back to Australia. The tourist police try to shoo the sellers away but they are very persistent and ignore every attempt to move them on.

Self-appointed holy men, or Sadhus, frequent Durbar Square and, for 20 rupees, will condescend to have their picture taken with you. They wear yellow robes and elaborate makeup. There is the occasional female but that is unusual.

We were taken to the house of Kumari, considered to be the current reincarnation of the goddess Taleju. This little girl was selected at 2 ½ years of age and now lives in isolation, carrying out religious duties and making occasional appearances at an upstairs window in the house. She appeared while we were there and we dutifully put 20 rupees in the box to show our gratitude.

Off, then to Pashupatinath This is an extraordinary place, where cremations take place along the banks of the sacred Bagmati River which eventually flows into the Ganges.

We watched as several bodies were prepared for cremation, eventually being placed on the fire and ignited. The pall of thick black smoke must be avoided as it gets into your hair and clothes and hangs about for days. When the cremation is complete, everything is pushed into the river. Small boys sift through the silt at the bottom of the river hoping to find coins or jewellery. This was not a pleasant place to visit.

It was a relief to get back to the bus and head back for lunch. Another rooftop restaurant, and a terrific meal for not many dollars.

We had the afternoon to relax and look at the shops. I bought a few CDs and Marilyn bought a beautiful Nepali shirt. There are a number of shops which sell outdoor gear bearing the badge of North Face. They are very cheap so clearly are knock-offs and sadly nothing comes in my size.

Diane and Rhonda went off on their own this evening to have dinner at the most elegant hotel in Kathmandu while the rest of us found another local restaurant. Marilyn suggested that we all wear Nepali hats so we were a colourful sight as we wandered through the streets. We ate well and were entertained by a Nepali band and a couple of customers who couldn’t resist the music and jumped up to dance. We ended up buying a CD which the band had produced to help a charity.

Marilyn’s new shirt so impressed the other women that we had to stop at the shop on the way home so that they could all buy something similar. Marilyn has shown herself to be a pretty good haggler and knocked the price down by 200 rupees, which is only about $2.80 but it is the principle which counts.

Wednesday, October 27th …..

We arrived in Singapore last night at about 11.35, half an hour early. By midnight, we were booking into the Transit Hotel, ready for a good night’s sleep. It’s now 6.15am and we’re feeling refreshed and ready for the next leg of our journey, to Kathmandu.

Session 2 - Well, the shower, shave and shampoo are out of the way, breakfast is completed and we are now on Silkair Flight MI 412 to Kathmandu. The last ninety minutes might have been the longest part of our holiday. The security check took forever, then we had to fill out a form for entry to Nepal, then line up to board. Everything seemed to take an age. It’s a full plane and everybody has taken the carry-on option. My backpack is under the seat in front but, luckily, we have a spare seat in our row.

Unfortunately, we are on the left side of the plane (or port, if you’re a purist) so we won’t have the possibility of seeing Everest as we cross into Nepal in about four hours time. One of the other members of our party is going to have an extra camera to deal with if the weather is clear. I’ve already taken a couple of pictures off the port side as we left Singapore but the cloud cover is pretty thick and there’s not much to see. The flight path is up the east coast of Malaysia but the weather is expected to be pretty cloudy most of the way. Forecast for Kathmandu is warm and sunny. Beaut!

We’ve now met up with the group leaders, Ann and Steve from Perth, as well as Sue and Martin from Canberra, Trish from Wollongong (would you believe), Beth from Queensland and Dianne and Rhonda. The last two are from Canberra as well but are traveling via Thailand and will meet up with us in Kathmandu.

Everything seems to be on track and anticipation is growing.

Session 3 - We’ve been flying about three hours now and seem to be crossing over Myanmar. There’s evidence of pretty serious flooding and I’ve tried to get a photograph or two. I noticed in today’s Straits Times that Singapore has offered $25000 to help neighbouring countries deal with the effects of the rains which were brought by recent typhoons. It doesn’t seem like a lot when you see the magnitude of the disaster. These countries are struggling to get their economies together and the regular natural calamities certainly don’t help.

Since we were served lunch, there’s been a constant stream of people waiting to use one of the two toilets. Clearly many of them haven’t flown before because they forget (or don’t know how) to lock the door and then can’t work out how to get out again. I waited for a lull but, when I saw some people coming for their second visit, I thought I had better take my place.

The stream of people back and forth gives you a chance to check them out. There’s the usual mix you see on Asian planes but this time also there are two Buddhist nuns riding down the back – red/orange clothing and closely cropped hair seems to be a giveaway.
Marilyn has just pointed out a fellow whose T-shirt says: ‘Eat Well, Get Fit, Die Anyway!’ Not a bad philosophy.

We’re only an hour away from our ETA and the cloud has cleared quite a lot. With a bit of luck, we’ll see the spectacular Himalayas.

The pilot has just announced that we’re just passing over Bangladesh and will be starting our descent to Kathmandu. Looking down, I’m surprised at the neat and orderly arrangement of fields. We get the impression from media reports that Bagladersh lives in perpetual crisis but the rural areas look pretty good. The snow caps of the Himalayas are starting to appear and Marilyn has given our camera to Martin who is sitting on the right side of the plane and a few rows in front of us. Unfortunately, he is sitting over the wing so any shots will be obscured. Still, Photoshop will help to remedy any problems.

Session 4 – The views of the mountains were spectacular as expected but the approach to Kathmandu was even more fantastic. I wish I had my camera when we came in low over rice fields with the Himalayas on our left. I’m hoping to get some shots when we fly out on November 10th and I won’t give my camera to anyone.

Tonight, we’re having dinner at a rooftop restaurant which are very common in Kathmandu. The weather is mild and the atmosphere is great, marred only by the persistent honking car and motorbike horns. It’s encouraged here. I even saw one truck with a sign on the back: ‘Please honk’.

Can’t wait until tomorrow.

Saturday, 23rd October .....

We’ve come to Spencer on the Hawkesbury River to visit our friends, Karen and Tony, who are in the process of moving in, having sold their big house in Baranduda, near Albury. This house is much smaller but is quirky and has wonderful views of the river.

Spencer is a funny little village. Most of the houses are small and shabby. It seems to be still a place for fishermen. There is one general store which sells liquor which the locals drink at the 'Dunkirk Hotel', a collection of tables under a tree across from the shop.


The story of how Karen and Tony came to buy this house is typical of the way their lives unfold. Tony happened to be in a boat on the river, as part of a group scattering the ashes of a deceased musician friend. He rang Karen to say he had forgotten how beautiful it was and they should look at ways of spending more time here. From where he was floating, he could see a sign, advertising a house for sale. He gave Karen the name of the agent and the telephone number and, within a couple of days, they had signed the contract.



It is not a house for older people to live. The land is very steep, and there are many steps. The trees overhang everything so dropping leaves are an issue. However, it is a beautiful, peaceful site and the views are priceless. The builders are in at the moment, extending and renovating to make it more suitable for Karen and Tony’s needs.

There are a number of other interesting houses in the area which started off as a place for weekend ‘shacks’ but is now more likely to have full-time residents.


Unfortunately, Tony is not here this weekend and Samara is away at University. However, there are two other interesting people visiting. Karin is an Austrian woman who spent an exchange year with Karen and Tony when they lived at Bundanoon. She is now about 30 and married to Christoph.
They are a delightful young couple and Christoph, especially, has a wonderful sense of humour. They’ve left this afternoon to drive to Sydney for a party and have taken Montana to drop her off near Gosford to visit some of her friends. Their luggage is still in Paris having, somehow, missed the flight. The airline has promised it will arrive in Sydney on Tuesday and will be forwarded to their hotel in Adelaide, where they expect to be by that time. In the meantime they have been given $120 each to buy ‘essentials’. Christoph has bought a checked shirt with a hood, and Karin has bought a new wallet!

It’s great to have just the three of us in the house to talk about old times. The weather is coming in and there is already the sound of thunder in the distance. It looks like being a stormy night.

Friday, 22nd October …..

It’s been good to see Marilyn’s father looking so well. It is almost as if he has gained a new lease on life now that he has been relieved of the responsibility of his wife who passed away in July. He has re-started his daily physiotherapy to strengthen his muscles and has re-gained his normal cheerful, optimistic manner. The nursing home has found an electric wheelchair for him and that makes him more independent.

Like many older people, he reflects on the past and reminisces on happy times. He has led an interesting life and his stories are fascinating. Marilyn decided we would buy a little voice recorder so that these memories would not be lost. She thought that we would just surreptitiously put it on the table beside him rather than draw attention to it and, perhaps, inhibit his conversation.

He noticed it at once. ‘What’s that?’ he asked. ‘Just my new phone,’ says Marilyn, and it does look a bit like a small mobile phone. Nothing else was said until later when he remembered a name he wanted to tell us about.

‘You can tell that thing that’s not a phone that the man’s name was Bone.’ He might be 90 years old but not much slips by.

Bill’s father, Hilary, was the oldest son of an English family and trained as a Quantity Surveyor. A younger brother was Hugh Lofting who wrote the Dr Dolittle books. Hilary was also literary and worked as a journalist and author when he came to Australia. The family’s lifestyle was very bohemian and Bill, also christened Hilary, left home at 14 to work as a jackeroo. Many of his stories are of this period of his life. He tells Marilyn he would like to write a book which he wants to call, Making a Quid in the Depression. His nom de plume would be Larry Lofting which is the name he was known by at that time.

He met Iris during World War II and they married in 1942. His life changed dramatically when he was absorbed into Iris’s family, who looked askance at his bohemian background and encouraged him to become a sound, conservative citizen and pillar of the church.

Bill’s life story has so many elements of the changes that took place in Australia in the 20th century. His family knew the great artists and authors of the time: Norman Lindsay, Marcus Clarke, and so on. He lived through the depression and WWII and has seen his daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren make their way in the world.

Monday, 18th October .....

We’ve been here before. Marilyn and I are sitting in a hotel in Lithgow, having traveled up from Sydney by train, and having a meal before we catch the bus which will take us to Mudgee. It’s the same hotel we sat in on our last trip up this way and I think we ordered the same dishes from the menu; Marilyn has a prawn and mushroom pasta, and I have a smoky bacon and mushroom. Both pastas are swimming in cream and fill the plate to overflowing.

Just after we arrived a young fellow came in, jeans hanging down past his bum and with a young boy in tow – about four years old, with red hair. We know that his name is Ronald because we offered to keep an eye on him when the young man needed to go outside for a cigarette. They ordered some chips and the young fellow had to dig around in his wallet to make sure he had enough for a bowl of gravy to go with them. Marilyn’s having a chat with them at the moment so I’ll know all about them when she comes back to our table.

It seems they’ve come up from Campbelltown near Sydney to visit Ronald’s grandparents. The young man has been with Ronald’s mother since they were both 14. Something came over Marilyn earlier and she had a bit of a flutter on the poker machines in the next room. Her luck was in and she celebrated by giving Ronald a handful of dollar coins for pocket money.

I thought I would start this blog while we are waiting but I will have to leave it as it’s nearly time for our bus. Anne and Alan will pick us up in Mudgee at about 9.50, so there will be no more written tonight.