Author: rr_admin

Our time in Nepal comes to an end. It’s been a good trip.

We arrive at Delhi airport and wait for our friend Dagmar to arrive on a flight from Canada. We accompany her on a Tea and Tigers itinerary.

Our passports are nearly full. We arrange to pick up new ones at the Canadian embassy here.

This plaque at the embassy has had the union jack on our coat of arms vandalized. No doubt due to the pathological hatred of the British inculcated by the modern Indian state.

Some sightseeing is in order after taking care of business (including the purchase of a new laptop). Like a visit to the Red Fort.

Meanwhile, I remain at our hotel trying out our new laptop.

Delhi is undergoing record-breaking bad air recently.

Next day, we fly to Jaipur. From there, we hire a car and driver to take us to Sawai Madhopur.

Our goal is Ranthambore National Park. We’re here to see tigers.

Tigers are rare in India these days, and getting rarer.

The scenery in the park is nice.

This rufous treepie is not afraid of a little human interaction.

I sit next to a toddler who keeps clutching at my arm with his clammy little mitts.

We cross paths with other tour vehicles.

Even without spotting a tiger, it’s a pleasant drive through the park.

We go on another excursion early the next morning.

The open touring buses can be quite crowded.

The sun finally warms things up a bit. It’s a far cry from the 45-degree Celsius temperatures that we experienced when we first got here.

You have to be very lucky to see a tiger here. We catch a brief glimpse of one, which creates a lot of excitement. But not as much as this event a few days ago.

There are herds of spotted deer everywhere.

And langurs. One enterprising langur raids a woman’s purse for a snack bar.

Then it’s back to town.

Next, we fly to Siliguri – via Delhi – on our way to Darjeeling.

Before driving to Darjeeling, Pete, Dagmar, and Maria visit the Salugara monastery.

There are many Tibetan refugees in India.

On the list is a Krishna temple. Also known as Sri Sri Radha Madhav Sundar Mandir, one of the biggest Krishna centres in the North-Eastern region of India.

It’s run by ISKON, which apparently is still a thing.

Lots of pink buildings.

Sight or Insight of the Day

Garbage is a problem in India. It’s everywhere. Nobody notices or thinks it’s unusual.

When we have a car and driver to take us to Jim Corbett park later in the trip, we pass the infamous Ghazipur dumping yard.

This is a mountain of fetid garbage on the eastern outskirts of Delhi that’s nearly as high as the Taj Mahal.

As mentioned in the previous post, our laptop packed it in, with its treasure of photos and documents. So it goes.

On our few days in Katmandu before heading off to Pokhara to begin our trek, we hire a cabs to whisk us to distant parts of Katmandu and back.

Such as Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur has a ‘durbar‘, which in Nepal means a square with many temples and stuff.

The same day, we visit another one, Patan Durbar, in Lalitpur.

The next day, we visit the cremation ghats at the Pashupatinath Temple.

Then we head for the Tibetan side of town. We visit Boudhanath, a neighbourhood made up mostly of Tibetan refugees.

We take a bus to Pokhara. From there, we begin our uphill trek to Australian Camp.

On the way, we see people carrying just about everything on their backs.

We pass through a few small hamlets along the trail.

They make swings out of giant bamboo here.

The first day is uphill most of the time.

This is Australian Camp. It’s the goal of day number one.

Many people gather to see the sun rise over the Himalayas first thing in the morning.

Pete and Maria here, greeting the morning sun.

Here’s a view of the mountains from the front yard of our accommodation.

Our key-holders are shaped like Ghurka khukuris. Pete wears his with panache.

On our way out of town, I befriend the village cat.

The beginning of the day starts on a pleasant downhill track.

We come off the trail and start down a busy roadway. We think this is temporary, but it turns out to be our route for the day.

We flag down a taxi to take us to Sarangkot.

Back in Pokhara, we visit the Gurkha Museum.

Sight or Insight of the Day

We come across a village where the local women are dancing to celebrate some sort of local holiday.

So of course, Maria has to join in.

The ladies are impressed with Maria’s Terpischorean prowess.

Faithful readers – a minor tragedy has occurred: our laptop has given up the ghost!

Yes, our MS Surface Pro 4 that has up to now performed yeoman service for chronicling our random rambles was turned off and was never able to be turned on again. Desperate Google searches came up zilch, successful-solutions-wise.

This is sad in itself, but the late, lamented MS Surface Pro 4 ALSO contained all of our photos and many important documents.

It may take a few days before we are up to speed.

We are now back in New Delhi – again! – where we purchase a brand new MS Surface Pro 6. We plan to send our non-functioning unit back to Canada with our friends – maybe its SS disc drive can be salvaged. We live in hope.

See you in another life, MS Surface Pro 4.

‘… And your strange, bewildering time
Will hold me down…’ – Cat Stevens

We arrive in Katmandu after an overnight flight from Sri Lanka.

(There are several ways to spell ‘Katmandu’. We go with the one that has the least letters.)

Like many developing countries, there is often a tangle of wires overhead.

There’s a lot of commerce going on. Mostly souvenirs and trekking equipment.

It’s a long way from the hippy days of the 60s and 70s. Still, we see cute elderly Western couples who look like they may be revisiting the venues of their dope-smoking youth.

Among the wares are textiles and fabrics of all kinds. Some are even authentic.

Also available: an army of Buddhas and other aids to elevated consciousness.

There’s always something going on in the traffic-thronged streets.

Our first morning: a flight to view the Himalayas is on the cards.

Notwithstanding the plane engine right in my face, the view is pretty spectacular.

The flight takes about an hour.

Some people would know the names of these peaks by heart. I do not. But the cabin crew give details.

‘ The mountains are known as the Himālaya in Nepali and Hindi (both written हिमालय), the Himalaya (ཧི་མ་ལ་ཡ་) or ‘The Land of Snow’ (གངས་ཅན་ལྗོངས་) in Tibetan, the Himāliyah Mountain Range (Urdu: سلسلہ کوہ ہمالیہ‎) in Urdu and the Ximalaya Mountain Range (Chinese: 喜马拉雅山脉; pinyin: Xǐmǎlāyǎ Shānmài) in Chinese.’ Thanks, Wikipedia

Surprisingly in this age of anxiety, we are allowed to enter the cockpit one by one for a pilot’s-eye view.

Sight or Insight of the Day

We stumble across the Garden of Dreams. Another real people place.

It’s a peaceful oasis of tranquility in the centre of cacophonous Katmandu.

Another example of how everything’s connected: one of the pavilions has a quote from the ‘Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam‘ engraved in marble.

A little over a month ago, we visited the tomb of Omar Khayyam in Nishapur, Iran.

We learn in Iran that Omar is better-known as a scientist than as a poet. Who knew?

From Mirissa, we head back up the coast to Galle.

It’s about an hour by tuk-tuk. We order a special ‘large’ tuk-tuk to accommodate three people and their luggage.

A good morning for a journey up the coast.

Some salt fish lie out to dry in the sun.

We arrive in Galle. Galle is above all a fortress town.

We stay within the fortress walls and walk around the ramparts.

The Black Fort was the original fortification built by the Portuguese.

Many of the buildings have a Dutch look.

Giant trees are everywhere, too.

You can smell the sea form anywhere in town.

This is Sri Lanka’s oldest light station, dating back to 1848, but the original lighthouse built by the British was located about 100 metres from the current site. It was destroyed by fire in 1934. The existing lighthouse was erected here in 1939.

Galle is a very walkable place.

Another view of the lighthouse. (Our hotel is on Lighthouse Street.)

Some of the centuries-old buildings are looking their age.

We visit the Maritime Archaeology Museum. So do half the schoolkids in town.

There’s an old Dutch Reformed Church in the middle of town.

These signs are everywhere. Usually found where workmen are welding with no goggles or angle-grinding steel in their flip-flops.

The Galle clock tower is a familiar landmark.

According to Wikipedia:

‘The Galle fort is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.‘

We belatedly realize that there are no photos of any of us in this entry. I’ll remediate that with a shot of Maria at the gates of our hotel in Galle.

Sight or Insight of the Day

We take the train back to Colombo, and then another to Negombo.

Negombo is where our Sri Lanka trip began. We celebrate by going out for one last seafood feast at the same restaurant we ate at the first evening we were here.

Then we depart in the middle of the night for our flight to Nepal.

We go from Colombo to the beach town of Mirissa, in the south.

First, we catch the train to Matara. It’s late.

Not only is the train late – this train is supposed to begin at Fort station, ensuring that we get a seat (the entire train is unreserved). As it turns out, it begins one station before, so it’s packed by the time we board.

We squish three to a seat. It’s better than standing.

The day is overcast. By the time we arrive, there is thunder, lightning, and torrential rain.

We pass many small stations along the way.

If you like, you can hang out of the door for thrilling action shots.

The next day dawns bright and sunny in Mirissa.

The firstborn daughter of our good friends in Ottawa was named after this beach. She is now a beautiful 22-year-old.

There’s plenty of fresh fish to be had.

This is what it looks like before it’s on the plate.

Fishing is how people make a living around here.

An older gentleman does it old school.

The local seabirds eat well, too.

Fishermen use unusually-narrow, stand-up outrigger fishing boats.

Actually, we stay in Bandaramulla, about a half kilometre past Mirissa town.

The main village of Mirissa is a bit overdeveloped these days. Where we are, we enjoy a small private beach and lots of peace and quiet.

We develop a routine of sorts: breakfast, time at the beach.

Afternoons of leisure. Some more time at the beach.

Palm trees galore.

We try to see the sunset most evenings.

Sight or Insight of the Day

We don’t really have one for this entry. It’s a pretty lackadaisical few days on the south coast.

We find a local cafe where we have lunch and a cool drink at noon.

Then it’s back up the coast to the fortress town of Galle.

I really admire Colombo. He’s so resourceful. And I love his ‘…just one more thing‘ shtick.

Oh, wait. That’s Columbo.

We’re talking about Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Where we wind up a few days after leaving Polonnaruwa.

Close to Polonnaruwa, we stop to have a look at some prehistoric tombs.

Our destination is Ridi Viharaya. This is off the beaten track, so we pass through lonely coconut plantations and green hills.

The cave temples at Ridi Viharaya have Buddhas of different shapes and sizes.

We are the only visitors. It’s very peaceful.

The doors have very elaborately-worked handles.

Overnight is spent in Kurunegala. We stay at the colonial-era Hotel Viveka,

Preparing to leave the next day. In the middle is Viraj, our driver. (And all-round bodyguard.)

At the Millennium Elephant Foundation, we see elephants in the river being scrubbed with a coconut husk.

Some elephants get a treat, like this squash.

At last, we’re in Colombo, staying in the area of Galle Road.

Back in the neighbourhood of Colombo Fort Station, where our journey began.

The hubbub of Colombo makes a great change from the quieter parts of the island.

The port of Colombo is undergoing modernization by the Chinese.

Before returning to the hotel, we watch the sun go down in the Arabian Sea…

…just as a train passes on the tracks that hug the shoreline.

Next day, we visit the National Museum. It’s well-preserved, with well-curated exhibits. Nice grounds, too.

It’s interesting to see displays about many of the places we’ve seen here.

You know the giant stupas we describe from time to time? This is what’s buried in the centre – a modest teacup-sized reliquary and a few tutelary figurines.

In the afternoon, we go to the elegant Galle Face Hotel to enjoy a drink in front of the ocean. Also to celebrate early for Judith’s upcoming birthday, since we are going to miss it.

And lastly, to celebrate the end of our journey as a quartet: Judith flies home in the wee hours of the morning. She must return to w&#k. We Shanghai Pete for a further few weeks.

Sight or Insight of the Day

We track down the house of Arthur C. Clarke.

This takes a bit of detective work, as it’s not officially open to the public. Once we make our way there, however, the caretakers are amenable to letting us have a look around.

Clarke lived in Sri Lanka from 1956 until his death in 2008. Even though he passed away over 10 years ago, the house looks as if he just stepped out for a minute.

It’s full of awards and memorabilia, as well as signed photos given by everyone from Tom Hanks to Buzz Aldrin.

This looks like a very Clarkian invention – a solar-powered pith helmet.

There’s something about visiting the homes of artists – fascinating to see where the magic happens.

Arthur C. Clarke in February 1965, on one of the sets of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

See you in another life, Arthur.

‘Trinco’ is a common contraction for ‘Trincomalee’. ‘Polly’, however, is not a common contraction for ‘Polonnaruwa’ – we just have a hard time remembering the name of that town.

Our hotel in Trinco is on Uppaveli Beach, a few kilometres north of town.

The beach is nice and clean.

Those who like to swim take advantage of a calm morning.

Here, Pete and Judith take a refreshing dip in the sea.

This is a view of our hotel from the water.

It’s Diwali in Trincomalee. The weather is mostly grey and rainy at this time of year, but we enjoy some sunny patches.

First stop of the day is the Koneswaram Temple, chiefly devoted to the worship of Shiva.

These wooden frames, we are told, are placed here by people wishing for babies.

A Diwali tradition is to wear one’s best clothes and jewellery. These lovely young ladies are knocking it out of the park.

People whisper into the ear of Nandi for their wishes to come true. (At least that’s what it looks like.)

A view down an alleyway gives a glimpse of the sea.

Around the harbour are some traditional boats.

Back in the market for supplies of fresh fruit.

Through rain that never seems to stop, we drive to Polonnaruwa. This is another ancient capital of a Sri Lankan kingdom, from about a thousand years ago.

Ruins of the Palace of King Parakramabahu I (1153 – 1186). It was once seven storeys tall and had 50 rooms.

King Parakramabahu was quite an overachiever. He was a great builder, reformer, and warrior. We didn’t know who this was when we took the photo below.

This is building is known as the Vatadage. The Sacred Tooth – now in Kandy – once resided here.

It sometimes stops raining long enough to fold our umbrellas.

A guardian stone. In the background is the Satmahal Prasada, the only stepped pyramid in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka gets a lot of visitors from Southeast Asia here to see the Buddhist sights.

A family of langurs laze in a nearby tree. We agree they’re much more serene than the frantic macaques that infest most places in Sri Lanka.

This enormous, 26-ton slab of stone was transported to Polonnaruwa from Minhale, 50 KMs away. It details the exploits of King Nissanka Malla (ruled 1187-1196).

At Gal Vihara, there are four giant Buddha statues.

The standing one has an unearthly attitude of casual cool. Almost Fonz-like.

Next morning, we visit the newly-opened Ancient Technology Museum in Polonnaruwa.

Sight or Insight of the Day

It’s all about the elephants. We’ve been eager to see more since we saw that pair in the field a while ago.

We organize an safari in Kaudulla National Park.

We’re not disappointed. We get much closer than we did on our initial encounter.

Besides elephants, we see other wildlife. Such as this jackal chasing another jackal.

Or these two peacocks. There are lots of wild peacocks in Sri Lanka.

In a dramatic moment, we are charged by a female elephant.

Following a few warning signs, she decides she’s had enough of our potential threat to the young ones and makes a determined beeline for our (very open) vehicle. We make a hasty getaway.

After traveling by train up to now, we rent a chauffeured van. Our driver, Viraj, picks us up in Ella. Then it’s back to Kandy, this time by road.

We stop for lunch in Nuwara Eliya, also known as ‘Little England’.

With the rain of the past few days, the rivers are swollen. We pass several dramatic waterfalls.

Back in Kandy for a single night. Next morning, we set out for Sirigiya.

Most signs in Sri Lanka are in Sinhalese, Tamil, and English.

We visit a spice garden. This is what nutmeg looks like before it’s ground up and sold in a little bottle.

Lunch means stopping for Sri Lankan fast food.

Our destination is the cave temple of Dambulla. Bare legs are not allowed, so Pete and I don some makeshift sarongs.

This temple complex dates back to the first century BC.

I make friends with the temple cat. Buddha taught that all sentient beings, including those in the animal realm, possess Buddha nature and therefore can attain enlightenment.

There is a calm tranquility about this place. Maybe because it’s not peak tourist season.

The caves contain amazing murals on the walls and ceilings.

We spend the night at the Nature Park Villas near Sigiriya. It’s nice.

First thing the next morning, we drive to Sigiriya.

A sign reminds would-be vandals and looters what awaits them in graphic detail.

There is no escalator. Just lots and lots of steps.

You get a great view from the top.

We try to spot our van in the parking lot far below.

Eventually, we make our way down.

The dandu lena, or grizzled giant squirrel, is considered by many Sinhalese to be the national animal of Sri Lanka. But it’s not official.

The next stop is Anuradhapura. This was the capital city of the first established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka, founded in the fourth century BC.

The sights in Anuradhapura are quite widespread. Good thing we have Viraj to chauffeur us around. First we go to the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple.

This contains a tree supposedly grown from a cutting of the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment.

This temple has an intricately-carved ‘moonstone’, or sandakada pahana.

From a different angle.

Many people bring offerings.

There are many langurs around. Judith sees a young one sneak up to a sleeping dog and pull its ears before racing away, proud of its mischief.

Maria takes a surreptitious photo of some praying ladies…

The massive stupa of Ruwanwelisaya is undergoing restoration.

A monk walks away from the enormous Jethawanaramaya stupa. It’s surrounded by a red sash because a part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.

While wandering around, we are fortunate to see two hornbills land in a tree.

An example of early water management.

A mystery – we come across a pair of concrete blocks, each containing 20 squat-type toilets. The toilets are uncomfortably close together, even by Asian standards. Whatever can it all mean?

Sight or Insight of the Day

Now and then, we see electric fencing by the roadside, meant to keep elephants off the road. We imagine how great it would be to see some. (Elephants, that is.)

Sure enough, as we drive towards Trincomalee at dusk, we see a few vehicles pulled over. Out in the field, two elephants leisurely graze.

Seeing wild elephants is always like being present at the dawn of time.

We take the train from Kandy to Ella. We almost don’t make it – we are issued tickets for the wrong date. In the end, Maria saves the day.

It’s a five or six hour journey.

The cars are comfortable enough.

We journey through Sri Lanka’s hilly tea country.

Sri Lanka Railways has been serving the country since 1864.

It’s a rainy day in these hills.

We arrive in Ella. Our hotel looks out on the mountains.

A short hike brings us to the Nine Arch Bridge.

The bridge soon comes into view.

We look down into the valley.

This bridge attracts all types of locals and visitors.

Maria does her ‘Damsel in Distress’ imitation.

A coconut vendor offers refreshment.

Next we hike to Little Adam’s Peak.

Also surrounded by tea estates.

More tea-pickers at work.

Sight or Insight of the Day

Maria, Pete, and Judith attend a Sri Lankan cooking class in town.

The raw ingredients.

The instructor promises to reveal a useful website for further Sri Lankan recipes. They’re all ears. ‘Now take this down – w-w-w-dot-g-o-o-g-l…’

He has a sense of humour.