5 DAYS TO GO

Well, I am not sure how you are all going to cope with the imminent closure of this travel blog - due to the overwhelming response we have had, we know that for some of you it will be leaving a gaping hole, but as they say, all average things must come to an end.

This has been our third trip of about a year, and its truly worrying how little we've learnt! This one has been different in a number of ways. Firstly, our budget has been a tad more generous, so we have bought ourselves out of the poor quality rooms, overnight buses, and traveller food of the previous two. Secondly and we have really felt it this time, was the age gap between ourselves and most other backpackers....so aptly summed up by one offensive young South African female who over lunch said, 'aaaarrrrm so prrraaaaaaaarrrrd', 'eh?' 'aaaaarrrrrrm so prrrrraaaaaaarrrrrd of you gaaarrrrs' 'eh?'...' 'aaaaarrrrrrm so prrrrraaaaaaarrrrrd of you gaaarrrrs at your age'. Third reason has been the vast improvement in connection qualities of phone and internet back to the UK. When we first travelled in 94-95, we gave friends and family an itinerary so they would write to us - about half a dozen stops during the year which saw us eagerly visit the 'poste restante' section of those chosen post office places to pick up a parcel or letter that would already be a month or two out of date. Regular calls back home on this trip and online sites have meant that we have never felt far away from home most of the time. La Petite Generale would like me to put in a paragrah about decreasing patience and tolerance levels that maybe come with age, but I would counter that by saying 'is it really too much to expect someone in a kitchen to know how to boil or fry an egg'? This had led to the aforementioned Generale's new stock phrase 'put Victor back in the box'.

Before we finish, we shall supply you with a selection of Top 5's, these will not be in order, and before you read them, we need to point out that on this trip and indeed on previous ones, visits from family and friends or visits to friends are at the top of the pile, and will therefore not be included in these lists.

So, big thanks then to Ell's sister Maria for arranging an outstanding fortnight in Langkawi where we brushed shoulders with Russian oligarchs and Gulf state oil tycoons - are you reading this Maria?!). Thanks to Sam & Andy in KL, Floundacious Matt Samuel and Molly for being such wonderful hosts and plying us with quality lamb and red wine in Singapore, Chitchat for everything and more (except the reflexology) also in Singapore, Tessa and Len for being so refreshingly English, Karan Adam and Mia for getting us out of a hole in HK, and Dave and Steve from legendary 80s boy band Mind the Gap whose efforts in getting to see us in Cambodia were really really appreciated. You have all been immense, and we love you for it dearly, you are all going into our travel Hall of Fame.

5 EXTRAORDINARY PLACES

JORKHANG TEMPLE, LHASA
Despite whats going on with the continued subsidized migration plan of Han chinese to Tibet by Beijing, this temple is 100% Tibetan, INTENSE.
TUOL SLENG SCHOOL/PRISON, PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA
School adapted to torture centre, all hideously photographed with pride by the Khmer Rouge, too chilling to describe
VANG VIENG, LAOS
Where the South East Asia on a G-String travellers/Trustafarians descend to get away from the pressures of being a student. Hedonistic capital of otherwise sleepy Laos, Western & La Petite Generale 25 years too old for this place...'if this is what you want, why dont you just go to Tenerife?'
BURIGANGA PIER, DHAKA, BANGLADESH
A city on a jetty, heaving mass of people boarding all types of river craft.
PANMUNJEOM, SOUTH KOREA
Where border guards from North & South, stare at each other with genuine fear. Coming from Chepstow, I could relate closely to this.

5 MAGIC MOMENTS
Unveiling the commissioned painting by Ahmed Hussein in Dhaka
Standing on top of the Thorung La pass in Nepal
Having a hot shower after the trek to dusty/dirty Upper Mustang, Nepal
The elderly women in the Chiefs house in Northern Laos, pinching and squeezing Ell
Just the 2 of us watching the Buddhist drummers of Haeinsa temple, South Korea

5 CITIES THAT DID IT FOR US THIS TRIP
Hanoi , Vietnam - opera, beer at 10p/pint, early morning communal exercises, stunning food...
Dhaka, very few of the above qualites, but an outstanding travel adventure
Lhasa, (Tibetan quarter) just another world, with a completely different set of beliefs
Singapore, often visited before, when you need a place that just WORKS
Kathmandu, is there a city in the world where the everyday and religeon are so connected, dont say Jerusalem?

5 GREAT MEALS
Spider crabs in Busan- the worlds largest fish market, South Korea
Roast goose pancakes in HK - move over duck, your days are numbered
'Chicken' fish in KL ( thanks Andy & Sam)
Lunch with the 'Easy Riders' in Vietnam, do they know how to crackle pork
Phu Quoc night market, Vietnam, spring rolls, squid, prawns & tamarind

5 OUTRAGEOUS LANDSCAPES
Upper Mustang/Nepal - wind erosion at its most dynamic, coupled with ancient Bon/Buddhist monasteries.
Gokyo Valley/Nepal - too epic for words
Halong Bay & Ninh Binh/Vietnam - Limestone karst scenery
Dhaka to Kulna, Bangladesh - on the Rocket paddle steamer, this country lives on the river
300m sand dunes of the Gobi desert, Outer Mongolia, how & why here?

5 THINGS WE WONT BE DOING AGAIN

Travel in peak season China

River raft in Nepal, Oct-Nov...chuffing fresh, especially if the whole raft capsizes

Eat dog

Drink fresh yak blood

Believe anything that comes out of the Xinhua Govt News Agency Beijing - (Xinhua is I think Mandarin for horseshit)

5 WORST SLEEPS

Ell being eaten alive by bed bugs in Vientienne, Laos

Being cornered by dogs in a hill tribe village after sneaking out for a midnight pee, Laos

Staying in a room with an attached bathroom that smelt like an Indian bus station toilet - Nepal

Treating ourselves to an a/c room in St Martins, Bangladesh as it was so hot, only to find out that every night, they turn the electric off at 10pm.

Being stuck in a Vietnamese village with French business students who wanted to party - grim.

5 OUTSTANDING TEMPLES

The temple complex of Angkor, Cambodia

Jorkhang temple, Lhasa, Tibet

Tashilhumpo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet

Haeinsa temple, South Korea

Wat Xieng Thing, Luang Prabang, Laos

5 TRIPS

The Rocket, Dhaka to Khulna, Bangladesh, 24 hours feeling like the Raj on an old paddle steamer

Lhasa to Lanzhou - 30 hours complete with great company courtesy of Jo & Mathilda

Any train in South Korea, more leg room than a stretch limo

Srimangal to Chittagong, Bangladesh, 8-10 hours of train snacking

Train up to the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bataar from Chinese border, filled to the rafters with black market goods.

5 THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO

safe tap water

'proper' cup of tea
knowing where everything is most of the time

not speaking pigeon english

sleeping in the same bed night after night

5 THINGS WE ARE NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO

Deadlines

Aggression levels

'News'

Expense

Job hunting

The enduring memories of this trip, will be the based around the hospitality and warmth greeted out by the people of all the countries we visited. From the Bangladeshis "what are you doing here?", to the extreme extreme politeness of the South Koreans, its been as ever truly refreshing and we return feeling like the world is once again a much better place than it feels when you're home surrounded by tidal waves of depressing news and negativity.....oh, thats just me feeling like that then is it, ooops!

GET READY FOR THE MOTHER OF ALL SLIDE SHOWS....

THE FINAL LEG

Well, I have to say, this is much needed. Western & the General have chosen very well in finishing their epic adventures in Koh Chang, the humidity so prevelent in Thailand for most of the year, is absent in November, and the sun though warm is not of the 'I'll take yer skin off variety'. 2 weeks of reflection, seafood and marvelling at the size of some of these Russians holidaymakers, will keep us entertained until Dec 1st, when we head home. Apart from the Russians, the Germans are also here in large numbers, and if you close your eyes, its hard not to think you're in the middle of some 70's blue movie.



The flight to Thailand, from Kathmandu was excellent, quality food and newspapers for the 2 hour trip, with the Bangkok Post warming us up for arrival in a very different country to Nepal, by featuring adds on the front page, not for another MFI or Carpetland sale, but for sex change operations, the prices were that competitive, that I might be returning with a bossom, certainly cheaper than a new wardrobe from MFI.



We had a couple of nights in Bangkok where there was the usual sight of handsome middle aged European men hanging out with very unattractive local women, who are overweight and of poor body shape and on the island of Ko Chang, there has been the usual petty bickering between the local massage women over who's going to get their mitts on some prime english tenderloin.



Ell enjoyed a fine birthday, featuring seafood and a few games of pool. She is sporting an uber trendy haircut and is delighted to have swapped her hiking boots for flip flops.

URUMQI RIOTING UPDATES

So, hundreds, ne thousands involved in racial rioting in Western China, not one han chinese arrested, and 9 Uighur executed...how strange is that? NZ gives the leader of the World Uighur Congress a platform, and China is appalled, doing its damnedest to stifle debate abroad now as efficiently as it does at home.

INTO THIN HAIR

Porters still paid by the kilo.......

ditto

Mission accomplished, arriving in Gokyo

La Petite Generale at Dole

A prayer flag for Elsa, with Thamserku behind, above Namche Bazaar

A stone blessing for Ells mum at Machermo

1am, not kidding, full moon light on Kangtega and Thamserku

Everest across the 20km long Nguzumpa glacial moraine

Described as a fat man in a room full of beautiful ladies, Everest looks bloody great to us

Sunrise on Cho Oyu, the worlds 6th highest peak

Maybe the most beautiful lady, Ama Dablam

Inquisitive yak

The Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar

Lukla airport, heading home ie downhill

2 weeks up into the spectacular Gokyo valley, with views of the world's 1st, 4th, 5th & 6th highest mountains - generally stayed healthy, though Western picked up a 24 hr stomach bug in the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar that saw him sprinting between bedroom and the scheissenhausen on no less than 15 occassions with a turn of pace that would have worried Usain Bolt. At one point he was considering moving the bed into the cubicle to save time...this truly was the Death Zone, at least for those unfortunates responsible for cleaning on the next day.

Considering this has to be one of the most beautiful areas in the world, the place is often filled with people whom appear unhappy to be here. We often wonder if they are travelling with 'Grim Tours....wiping the smile off your face, wherever you go'. To be fair, though we had fantastic weather with each of the 14 mornings displaying uninterrupted blue sky - the environment is still demanding - the height of 5345m - complete with its oxygen levels of 2/3rds sea level, is dangerous enough to cause severe problems and the afternoon winds are certainly on a par with Ebbw vale. We did meet a number of trekkers who had to turn back due to blinding headaches and volatile stomachs, but the low point of the trek was waking one morning to find that the 28 year old local porter/guide of a German couple, had died in the night. There were doctors present who'd run tests the previous afternoon but could find no evidence of altitude symptoms. Seeing the couple sat shell shocked the following morning over breakfast was too sad, they had almost certainly shared 2-3 weeks of exhilarating walking together, and bonds are made quickly in this part of the world.

One plus point of the bracing wind and generally cooler conditions over last years Annapurna region was that it derived the European alpinists of wearing their ghastly lycra leggings...this year, steamed momos were only found on the menu, much to the relief of Western but a major disappointment for La Petite Generale.

A word for 'Sir Edmund'. We all know of his exploits, but it is only on visiting the area that you can really appreciate what he and the Hilary Foundation have achieved here. He asked the sherpa people what they needed after his ascent with Tenzing Norgay, their response was they didn't feel we could offer them anything in terms of strength, and they did not envy our restless spirit, but they did need schools and hospitals. Pictures of him adorn many homes and lodges, he would appear to be held in god-like status.........a true great.

Namche Bazaar - the Sherpa capital - is a fantastic place, set on a sheltered horseshoe ridge, backed by glorious 6-7000m peaks, it offers treats and comfort just when you need it. We were lucky enough to be there when the Tibetan traders were there, they'd loaded up their yak trains and crossed the Nangpa La, a border crossing open for a month or 2 in the year, when they wont be shot at. They holed up in town, intensely camera shy and physically imposing, Western kept his camera well and truly in his bag. With them they brought a selection of low quality tat from the motherland, as well as some better quality rugs and carpets.

Flights in and out of Lukla - the trailhead for these treks - are both exhilirating and exasperating. The domestic terminal at Kathmandu has monitors that display incorrect flight info, and the Tannoy system is inaudible - think Charlie Brown's schoolteacher - consequently, the ground staff run around shouting out departure information - of course if you are sat on the other side of the hall, you'll miss out, so people move around in a large huddle following the staff. Unbelievably it works, and people end up on the right planes, and often, their luggage accompanies them as well. The planes are 16 seater Twin Otters or Dorniers, and being narrow, they wobble around in the turbulence both up and down and left to right. The runway at Lukla is uphill, and you spend most of the 45 minutes below the mountains. Navigation is I think by sight, and flights are postponed if there is cloud, as the clouds here have rocks in.

We had great views of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Pumori, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Kangtega, as well as the turquise lakes of Gokyo. We saw Tibetan snow cock, musk deer and porters carrying ludicrous loads off their foreheads. Ell placed a stone on top of the cairn above Machermo for her mums birthday, and we tied a prayer flag to the stupa above Namche for Elsa - our masala dosai mate, who enthused of her times in the Sherpa capital - who is much missed.

On returning to Kathmandu on tuesday, we treated ourselves to good coffee, hearty breakfasts, and comfortable non sleeping bag sleeps. had a minor run in with a complete nut bar in the bookshop (a Western woman) who was looking at all the men in the shop whilst muttering 'leach', she seemed to have saved the best for me though by saying 'you're every womans nightmare'!

On saturday, we return to Thailand for a bit of beach time before our final flight to Heathrow on Dec 1st. Last time we were in Bangkok airport, a message came over the tannoy, 'would a Miss Golden Showers make her way to arrival gate 3'....no kidding.