1 Up in the dark again today and it was worth every minute! A short drive and then a climb, all in the dark and finding our spot to watch the sunrise but first the full moon had to set behind the hill. The sun rising over this range of mountains was so incredibly beautiful. Just look at the photos.
The full moon setting over the hill
Sunrise beginning over the Annapurnas
The beauty of sunrise
Layers of foothills beginning to appear
Sunlight just reaching the peaks
Sunrise
2 We’ve been lucky enough to be in Nepal during a very special festival, Dashain, a festival of Prosperity, Happiness and Belongingness. I think that is so beautiful! We have been greeted many times with the tika, the red mark on the forehead and I was lucky enough to be given one of the special ones when we crossed the bridge the other day.Have a look here.
Another feature of the festival is the constrution of huge bamboo and coconut rope swings. We’ve seen them in every village that we’ve driven through in Nepal. It is considered good luck to get both feet off the ground during this festival. “There is a tradition to swing at least once in this festival. People say if you leave the ground swinging in Dashain, the swing will take away ill feelings and replace it with newness and rejuvenation inside oneself.” You can find out more here
Bamboo swing
3 Being rowed across Lake Phewa with the snow topped mountains towering above was yet another wonderful experience. I can’t quite believe we’ve been doing all this!
Lake Phewa
Some of our group on the lake
Nepali family enjoying a day out
The dragonfly is the same colour as our boat!
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Tags: Annapurna range, Festival of Dashane, Lake Phewa, moon set, mountains, nepal, Postaday, postaday2012, sunrise, tika
1. Long and bumpy ride to Pokhara with views of the fascinating countryside. Many of the houses are painted beautifully and corn can be seen drying under the eaves. Women have been up early doing the washing which is hanging colourfully on the balconies to dry.
These photos are all taken from the moving coach.
2. This vehicle caught our interest, they’re used to transport all manner of things including bamboo poles which were being accidentally sharpened as they were dragged along the road. People carry enormous loads in these baskets. Gurkha soldiers in training carry the baskets full of rocks at speed up a mountainside!
Bamboo poles being transported
Poles being sharpened!
3. It was lovely to find a super bookshop and to talk to the family in a clothes shop. The people here are so lovely – welcoming and wanting to know all about our visit.
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Tags: bookshop, Gurkha soldiers, nepal, Pokhara, Postaday, postaday2012, Shopping, street scenes
1. Up before dawn again and up onto the back of an elephant, through mist covered fields and spiders’ webs to the jungle – a magical experience, the dawn sunlight catching the trees and some spotted deer, some hug deer, peacocks in the trees, a jackal and then…..
2. A rhinoceros and so close!
3. There are some beautiful flowers at Chitwan. I don’t know their names.
Just look at how beautiful the ear of my elephant is.
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Tags: Chitwan National Park, elephant, elephant safari, nepal, Nepalese flowers, Postaday, postaday2012, rhinoceros, wildlife
1. There were two of these magnificent sculptures outside our hotel.
Outside our hotel
2 I summoned up some courage and went across the suspension bridge. In fact it felt safe and I had a lovely time! Over the bridge there were three beautiful young women who were putting red marks, tikas, on those who wanted it. For the festival this is made of red colour, rice grains and yogurt and is put there for good health and happiness so, of course, I had one done! Everyone around has one, children, women and men because this is day 8 of the festival.
This beautiful young woman offered to give me a tika
Me with a tika
3. I so love elephants and to be so close was magic! I fed one one of their sweet treats then they said Namaste by curling their trunks up. I am in heaven!
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Tags: elephant, nepal, Postaday, postaday2012
1. The flight was only 40 mins from Varanasi to Kathmandu but we were at the airport very early and on arrival in Nepal were two hours in the queue for our visas so we arrived too late for any sightseeing today. The good thing about this was that we all talked to each other in the queue and had lots of laughs! Our first sight of Kathmandu and the mountains from the plane was beautiful indeed.
2. Our welcome in the hotel was lovely as it had been in India. There were bowls of flowers throughout the lobby.
3. After such a long day which was tiring despite doing nothing, we opted for room service which we have never done before. Our very simple meal was so beautifully presented on a trolley which became our dining table. Tomorrow we get up at 4.30 am to have our flight over Everest! I can’t quite believe we are really doing this trip!
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Tags: Everest, holiday, Kathmandu, nepal, Postaday, postaday2012, room service, sightseeing, trip of a lifetime, Varanasi
1 Met a lovely man this morning whose daughter saw my ad for the brass sheets on Network Cornwall. He’s taken lots of the brass and is going to make me a weather vane. Even better, he mends instruments for Camborne Brass band so the material will be used in the way it used to be. That will please Charlie.
2 Sallie Grayson of People and Places, through whom we did our Voluntouring in Mapoch, South Africa, sent me this article about the over 50s volunteering and they used my photo!
http://www.fabafterfifty.co.uk/2012/02/21/how-do-you-go-about-volunteering-overseas-things-you-need-to-know/
The children watching the video of them dancing
3 Lucy is due to reach Everest Base Camp today. We should hear from her in a couple of days as they get back down to Namche Bazaar.
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Tags: Base Camp, Camborne Brass Band, Everest, everest base camp, FabafterFifty, Lucy, Mapoch, Namche Bazaar, nepal, People and Places, Sallie Grayson, South Africa, Voluntouring, weather vane
1 I see these two wacky bits of art several times a day and they make me smile every time! The embroidered one, ‘a list of reasons to head for the sea’ kept me going when I lived out of Cornwall. The driftwood one is by Susan R Evans and we bought them both in the Art gallery below Leeds Museum many years ago.
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Driftwood boat
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‘a list of reasons to head for the sea’
2 I’ve done lots of short practises today. Below is my keyboard and another beautiful piece of art, one of my favourites, ‘ The Rock Pool’ by Sasha Harding. It’s lovely to look up at when I’m stuck on a piece.
My keyboard and 'The Rock Pool' by Sasha Harding
3 Lucy and fellow trekkers have reached Tyamboche at 12,687ft today. I don’t think we’ll hear from her for another whole week!
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Tags: art, driftwood, nepal, painting, Sasha Harding, Susan R Evans, The Rock Pool, Tyamboche
1. Tracked all of Lucy’s trek on Google maps. Today the real trek has started as they go from Lukla to Phakding.
Following Lucy's trek
2. Another bitterly cold day here so stayed in and started knitting a shrug for Tabitha. Caught up on several episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ while knitting – a real treat.
3. Exchanged several emails with my lovely brother-in-law about his visit in September. We think it’s cold here. It’s -17 in Poland and colder still in Nepal!
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Tags: google maps, Grey's Anatomy, knitting, Lucy, Lukla to Phakding, nepal, Poland, shrug, Tabitha.
Sisters, brothers and Mum with Pill Creek, Feock behind
1 This is my sister and my brothers with our Mum in the garden at Creek Vean, our first home in Cornwall. I was reminded of this photo after yesterday’s conversation about sisters. It was the day of her christening.
2 My older brother sent a delightful email which made me smile.
3 Lucy, our youngest daughter, has been packing all day for her adventure trekking in Nepal. She has also booked her tickets for Senegal to be at Daniel and Ami’s wedding.
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Tags: adventure trekking in nepal, Ami, brother, cornwall, Daniel, email, Feock, Lucy, Mum, nepal, Senegal, sister, wedding
1 My lovely sister, Deborah, in Hawaii sent me this delightful photo of a Tibetan child laughing,designed to make anyone smile.
Laughing Tibetan child
2 Lucy walked for 6 hours today as part of her training for her trek in Nepal. We drove down to Porthtowan and walked a short way with her.
3 We Skyped with Ami, Daniel’s fiance, in Senegal this afternoon. Her English is getting better, I’m doing better with my French and Daniel, online from Barcelona, taught us a bit of Wolof! Since we haven’t met Ami yet, Skype is brilliant for helping us all get to know each other before we really meet in April. We are so looking forward to it and Ami is going to help Lucy and me buy appropriate outfits for the celebrations!
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Tags: Ami, Barcelona, Daniel, Deborah, French, Hawaii, Lucy, nepal, Senegal, trek in nepal, Wolof
