NEPAL AFTER EVEREST

Jiri to Kathmandu.

Monday 9 April.

We were up at 4:30 am and packed ready at 5 am. The hotel owner didn't get up as promised to take us to the bus, we staggered there over bumps and potholes in the dark with Brin. I was sure that something would still go wrong but when we got to the bus we were installed in seats and weren't going to move. Brin got the tickets, Rs 1500, so we saved about Rs 750 by walking to Jiri. By the time the bus left, 10 minutes late, it was full with people standing all the way up the middle aisle. There were standing on top of sacks of meal or flour that a guy had loaded earlier. A lot of the ones standing were students going to a college not far from Jiri, so when they got off there was more room. It didn't last long and people kept getting on and off all the time. The worst was the people standing next to my seat, they kept pushing In and would have ended up sitting on my knee if I hadn't told them to politely to push off.

It was the same torturous journey as coming out, though this time we hadn't the ordeal of the rough mountain road to Shavalaya. It was chilly in the early morning when we started out but soon the sun was well up and it became stifling on board. We had the windows open as wide as possible to get a breath of cool air. At first the roads were quiet and he made good time, though not in any stretch of the imagination fast, on the single track twisting mountain roads. Later as it became busy with trucks and other buses there were the inevitable hold-ups as they manoeuvred to pass one another. Another bus going the same way, the Kathmandu Express, kept just in front of us the whole way, so it wasn't very express. It was loaded with people on the roof and they also hauled a couple of goats up on top as well.

It was difficult to tell where we were at any time. This is due to the difficulty finding out the name of the villages we pass through and only when reaching a major town do you get a clue what it was called and work out where we were from the description of the route in our guide book. The bus stopped at Lamosangu for lunch. It was where we stopped coming out and the food didn't look any more attractive. They were digging the rice and noodles out of the pots with their hands to dish on to the plates. Probably they do this all the time but in the lodges and restaurants we didn't have to witness it. Instead we bought a packet of crisps, some biscuits and cool drinks from a stall, it seemed safer.

When we got going again the road was much better, a double track, the Chinese road. The serious mountains were behind us and he was able to pick up a bit more speed. It had taken 6.5 hours to get to Lamosangu and I estimated that there was still 80 kms to go. With his improved speed I was hoping it would only take a couple of more hours but it ended up nearly 4 hours before we eventually arrived in Kathmandu. Coming into the city it looked like the rush hour and for some reason the driver decided he needed a rest and handed over the wheel to one of the guys who thump the side of the bus to tell if there is enough clearance when squeezing past another vehicle on the narrow stretches. He was very young and seemed like a learner, and drove like a learner. It was hair-raising in the congested city centre and a relief when we eventually got off. 

We didn't go as far as the bus station, Brin had us off early near a taxi stance. We loaded into the taxi and it soon had us at the Tenki hotel in Thamel. Our booking there was in order and we collected our stored luggage. Before going to our room we gave Brin his tip, we had our differences but he did most of what we expected, carried our bag, arranged accommodation and dealt with permits etc. He wasn't much of a guide and his English was limited but he did all right. Once in our room the first thing was a shower and clean clothes, we now felt alive again after the ordeal of the bus ride.

We went out for dinner about 7 pm to the Northfield restaurant a short distance down the road. We both had garlic steak and chips, it came on a hot metal plate and was sizzling. It was a nice meal but they overdid the garlic a bit. The Internet in the Tenki wasn't as good as before but at the restaurant their signal was much better.

When we got back to the hotel it was straight to bed. We were both very tired after our early start and the tiring journey so got to bed right away. There was the usual noise of doors slamming and a pump or generator running in the middle of the night but we both managed a reasonable night's sleep.

As a postscript to the last couple of days of our expedition, the experiences we had walking around Jiri, the horrendous bus trip, and how people here live, I was reminded of the final paragraph in Andrew Marr's book, A History of Modern Britain :

In global terms, to be born British remains a wonderful stroke of luck. 

Kathmandu

Tuesday 9 April.

Breakfast was included in the tariff for the room. We had fruit, cereal, eggs and toast washed down with nice coffee. Kathmandu still has power problems and the electricity was off most of the morning. I worked on updating my blog, getting it ready for posting now we have some sort of Internet connection. When power was restored Moira got on to the Internet using the hotel computers and looked into changing our flights and getting home earlier. It turned out to be either impossible or far too expensive. Instead we decided to go to the Chitwan National Park in the south of Nepal and went to see an agent to price a trip there. After one try and had an idea of the price, Moira went out on her own and got what appeared to be a better deal for 3 nights there. After that we planned to take the bus from Chitwan to Pokara and spend a few days there before returning to Kathmandu and the flight to Delhi. 

While we were out we picked up a baguette at a bakery, cheese and some beer. Back at the hotel that was our lunch, it made a change from soup or Dahl Baht. In the afternoon I continued with my blog and managed to get it up to date ready for posting tomorrow. In the evening we went to a burger restaurant, Moira had a chicken type and I had the plain hamburger. Not the MacDonald's standard but tasty enough. On the way back we called at an artist's studio and bought a painting of yaks and trekkers crossing a bridge with Ama Dablam in the background. It will probably cost more to frame when we get home.

Back at the hotel we got to bed and read for a couple of hours before getting to sleep. There wasn't a lot of noise tonight and we both slept very well.

Kathmandu.

Wednesday 10 April.

After a good big breakfast I sat in the lounge and edited my blog for an hour. At 10 am we walked to the agency that Moira went to yesterday to book the trip to the Chitwan National Park. When we found the place the guy she had spoken to wasn't there, just a boy who was clueless and I wasn't too sure whether he actually worked there. We couldn't get any sense out of him about where the owner was or when he would return so we went to another agency that was close by. I think they are all much the same, offering the same services and activities in the Park. The only difference is the standard and cost of the hotel. We settled on the Eden Jungle Resort, a two night package with an extra night's stay before going on to Pokhara. We leave tomorrow morning at 7 am and the agent is going to pick us up at 6:15 am to take us to the bus. We are assured that this is a tourist bus, of a much higher class than the one we used to and from Jiri.

On the way back to the hotel we called at the trekking gear shop where I bought my small ruckpack that I used on our hike and Moira bought one the same. She had loaded mine last night with what we would carry for the Camino in the autumn and it held it comfortably, so she settled on getting one as well. At the supermarket we loaded it up with beer for our trip to the Park and got another baguette for lunch.

In the afternoon I tried to put photographs into my blog but the system has changed and I couldn't manage it. I also had trouble posting the blog, it kept coming up with an error warning. We thought the signal at the hotel was too weak so we went to the restaurant down the road with free WiFi. The error still came up even there but when I checked the actual blog it was all posted. While we were at the restaurant we had a cup of real coffee, it tasted much better than what we have been drinking lately.

Back at the hotel we relaxed with a beer until it was time to head out for dinner. Before leaving we settled the bill for our stay so that we would get away in the morning without any hassle or delays. The place where we went to for coffee this afternoon and a steak the other day was all right but the service was very slow. Instead we tried another one nearby that we had used the last time we were in Kathmandu. We had an ordinary chicken curry and a chicken tikka masala which we shared between us along with a portion of rice and naan bread. It was absolutely delicious, the best curries we have had in a long time. We wiped everything clean with the naan bread it was so good.

When we got to our room I tried the TV and found a sport's channel. It was cricket, the highlights of the test between Pakistan and SA. Pakistan were following on and SA bowled them out without having to bat again. Once it finished I turned out the light and we got to sleep. It is to be an early start in the morning.

To Chitwan National Park

Thursday 11 April.

We were ready and packed by 6 am and went down to put our bags in storage and then to the restaurant to see if we could get something for breakfast. The guy arrived as arranged at 6:15 am to take us to the bus. We managed some coffee and toast before leaving. I thought he was driving us to the bus station but we walked. It wasn't very far, just at the edge of Thamel, and we arrived in plenty of time. I don't know why we had to get there so early, there would have been lots of time to finish a good breakfast and still catch the bus.

The tourist bus was a vast improvement on the local type that we had from Jiri. There was lots of room, no people standing, no sacks of flour in the alley way and no goats. The only problem was that later in the morning it was stifling hot and we couldn't get the fans to work. Eventually the driver's assistant switched them on from the cabin and it was a bit more endurable. The initial route out of Kathmandu was a climb out of the valley and down the other side. The road was narrow and there was a lot of traffic in both directions, towards us trucks one after the other bringing imports from India. All it needed was an accident or a breakdown to cause a total grid lock. It did happen a few times with broken down trucks and we were held up waiting for a clearance before getting through. 

Once we were over the other side of the hill the route followed the ??? Khola all the way to the National Park. As the river made its way through a gorge with the road running on the contour line on the hill side far above. It was a lovely drive and it was a lot better not having the bus packed and people leaning all over us. The section through the outskirts of Kathmandu again was strange, all the houses look like slums and there is no indication of where the middle classes or rich might live. The town and all the villages have rubbish and old building materials littering the sides of the streets, nobody seems to bother about living in this squaller. There was an amazing contrast when we got to the countryside. The farms using any available land to plant their crops were all very neat and well tended, there was no rubbish or old farming equipment lying about, that is at times evident even in the UK.

The bus took 6 hours exactly to reach Chitwan, even with a half hour stop for coffee and all the traffic hold ups. Our room there wasn't anything special, it had a toilet and shower, en suite, but not a great deal better than some of the places we stayed during the trek. They said that lunch would be ready right away and after dumping our bags we went to the dining room. The meal was a set meal with no choice. It started with a watery type of soup that we couldn't eat and I demanded the menu. I ordered veggie fried rice and Moira had spaghetti and tomato sauce. I don't know whether we have to pay extra but we are not eating the muck that they decide we should have.

About 2 pm it was arranged to go on the first activity of the package. We left in an open truck which drove us to a little village. The guide Laxman got a row for leaving a few of the guests stranded at the resort and we had to wait for them. The village termed as typical Nepali, wasn't a great deal different from the ones we encountered on our Everest trek and wasn't particularly interesting. After the others, who had been left behind, caught up we proceeded along the river bank. The guide pointed out holes in the walls of the bank that he said were the nests of kingfishers but we didn't see any of the birds. He kept asking if we had any questions and eventually I got fed up and asked when we would see the elephants that the trip was to be about. He didn't answer but took us on a rickety bridge across the river and at last got to the elephant breeding station.

There were lots of elephants there of all shapes and sizes, one little baby only one month old. No sooner had we got in there than the guide wanted us to leave to see the sunset from a view point. Everyone ignored him and we spent a long time viewing the big beasts. The little baby eventually got away from its mother and was running around the fence getting patted by everyone. It was very good and the highlight of the walk. When the truck took us back to the resort it was too late for the sunset, but we have seen plenty of these anyway, though its not every day that we see elephants. 

As soo as we got back we were told to report for dinner right away, it was like being in school. When we did go over it was the same rubbish they served for lunch, we refused and had fried chicken and chips instead. It wasn't great but edible. We sat with an American couple from Boston who were good company, Paul and Deborah. It was off to bed at 8:30 pm and I was soon asleep but got wakened by people drinking and making a noise over at the dining area. I got up and complained but it didn't do any good and the talking and laughing continued until 1 am. I finally got to sleep again but was restless most of the night.

Eden Jungle Resort, Chitwan.

Friday 12 April.

We went for breakfast at 7 am and they tried to give us some prepared meal, instead I ordered porridge and eggs while Moira had toast. At least the coffee and tea are on a help yourself basis and they can't mess that up. After breakfast the truck drove us to the elephant ride centre. We spent about half an hour hanging about waiting for some reason, who guide doesn't bother to tell us what's happening. Eventually I got fed up and asked when we were getting on the elephant ride and suddenly things started to happen. Moira thought that after all the waiting it was only a 5 minute ride around the field but it was to be more than that. There was room for 4 of us and the driver on the elephant's back and it was a 90 minute ride along the river then through the jungle. It wasn't very comfortable but quite good fun. We saw a little crocodile by the river and some small deer in among the trees but not much more wildlife, except the rhino. It was one big rhinoceros but I think it is all prearranged and it is always there for the tourists to photograph.

After the ride we went down to the river to watch the elephants bathing. We could have paid Rs100 to ride on its back into the water and let it hose water over you with its trunk but we declined. Instead we stood on the bank and watched them spray water over their backs and wallow in the water to get clean. Some people did go in with them for the pleasure of getting soaked by water from the elephant's trunk. After that it was back to the resort for lunch.

On the way back we bought crisps at a stall and I had them for lunch with a beer. Moira ordered toast and spread banana on it for her lunch. In the afternoon we walked into the village and boarded a dugout canoe for a trip down the river. The guy stood at the back with a pole and pushed us down river, like riding a Venetian gondola. There wasn't much to see, the guide pointed out a couple of crocodiles and some birds but the place certainly isn't teaming with wildlife. When we left the canoe it was a walk all the way back through the jungle. When I say jungle it's not like in the Tarzan films, its just woodland much as we have walked through in he UK. Before starting the guide gave us instructions and warnings about what to do if we come across a tiger or rhino, but I thought that the chances of encountering any of these was next to nil. It was a pleasant walk and we saw a couple of deer and plenty of bird life. The guide is fairly knowledgable concerning birds and has a book to show pictures of the ones he points out in the trees. A couple of times we stopped and climbed into watch towers where we sat for 10 minutes, but it was a waste of time, you couldn't see anything among the thick bush below. When we got back to the village we were on the wrong side of the river and had to wait for a canoe to come over and collect us. When we landed the guide wanted us to hang about to watch the sunset, but looking at the sun there was still half an hour to go. Instead we left them and walked along the road to the resort.

At the corner there was a stall selling ice cold beer. We bought a couple and on the stoop outside our room sat and drank them, they went down very well. The guy from the restaurant has taken to coming over with the menu and asking what we want for dinner. Tonight we settled on chicken burgers and chips. They turned out to be very tasty. The rest of the people were going out after dinner to a cultural evening in the village but we decided to give it a miss. We were both tired after a sleepless night last night, and after reading for an hour got to bed. If there was any noise tonight I didn't hear it and had a good night's sleep.

Eden Jungle Resort, Chitwan.

Saturday 13 April.

It was the last of our activities at the park this morning and one of the best. It was an hour's bird watching before breakfast. The guide Laxman showed his good knowledge of the local birdlife again and was able to spot and point out the various types and varieties as we strolled through the woods. Before entering the trees we went through an encampment where they had working elephants and these all had long ivory tusks. Some the birds we saw included, the red whiskered bulbol, the hornbill, plenty of Indian mynas, wagtails, a black donga, lots of egrets, and a bright blue kingfisher sitting on a Old tree stump. When we reached the river he pointed out a crocodile on the bank. I viewed it trough the binoculars and thought it was only a big log, until it moved and slid into the water, it was huge.

When we got back it was time for breakfast and we said our goodbyes to the ones that were leaving today, Paul and Deborah, and Carlos from Cuba who had taken photographs when we were on the elephant's back. Once showered we sat on the stoop outside our room and read for a couple of hours. At 11 am we walked onto the village and found a restaurant beside the river that had nice comfortable loungers under a thatch covering for shade. We sat there all afternoon, had lunch there and read our books. There was a National scout jamboree taking part in the park and there were hundreds of scouts and guides wandering about along the riverside. It was extremely warm again and we had to keep moving our loungers around as the sun moved. It was a nice relaxing day for a change.

In the evening we went to a restaurant in the village that the Lonely Planet guide said was up-market. It did look a bit better than some of the places we have eaten recently but nothing special. Moira had roast chicken which they brought on a hot plate, the whole thing sizzling. It was far too hot to eat and she had to get another plate to transfer it to before she could eat any. I had a chicken tikka masala, it wasn't bad, a little bit on the sweet side. After our meal the sun had gone down, we missed the sunset again, but it was still light enough to find our way along the lane to our resort.

We read for an hour on the stoop before getting to bed. The site was very busy, we met Laxman when we came back and he said he had a party of 20 to take out this afternoon. Surprisingly it was quiet even with all these people and I had another good night's sleep.

Chitwan to Pokhara.

Sunday 14 April.

There was lots of Nepalis in the restaurant when we went for breakfast. It turned out to be the Nepali New Year and they must have been all having a holiday in the park for their celebrations. With the number of people dining they had a sort of buffet, I had a couple of eggs and toast but Moira just had toast. I thought we would have to pay extra because we didn't have the set meals and ordered from the menu but nobody was interested in charging us any more and the manager drove us to the tourist bus stance and got us seated in the bus in plenty of time. There were lots of buses there, going to Kathmandu and to Pokhara with people continuously arriving in trucks from the various resorts to get transport. We were happy having claimed our seats and we weren't moving for anyone. The bus wasnt as good as the one we came to the park in, but still much better then the local variety, again there was no standing, no goats or other animals and no bags of grain blocking the alleyway.

The route followed the way we had come out initially. Once on the main road it followed the river for the first half of the journey. This section was very busy with,trucks and other buses causing it to be slow going. At one point there was a traffic jam and we weren't moving for about 15 minutes, at first I thought we were going to be there all day. When we got moving and reached the cause of the hold-up it was two lorries that had collided head on coming round a bend. Luckily traffic doesn't go very fast here on the narrow twisting roads and there was no serious injuries, just a few bashes to the body work and a long tail back of vehicles.

After about 2.5 hours we reached the crossing across the river and there headed towards Pokhara rather than Kathmandu. The road seemed a bit wider or maybe it was just less traffic but the driver picked up speed and we were moving along quite nicely. After half an hour he stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant. We didn't want anything from the menu as we thought the bus would be ready to go before our meal arrived, knowing how long it usually took to serve. Instead we went to the stall and were going to get crisps and cool drink when we discovered that they were charging double the normal price. We had a Mars bar we had left in the daypack with some water, that would do until we reached Pokhara.

It didn't take long after the stop, about an hour to reach the outskirts of Pokhara. The road was good and for change the bus was moving along quickly. We didn't recognise this part of the city and it was another dirty place with rubble and litter all over the place. When we got to the bus terminus there were lots of touts waiting with supposedly the best offers of accommodation. We picked one, in Lakeside, and he said he would take us to his hotel, but it was a con as he just put us in a taxi that took us there and charged us Rs 200 for the pleasure. It turned out that the lodge was alright, Hotel Celesty, reasonable at $20 per night including breakfast. The mattress was nice and thick, the toilet shower was clean and nicely tiled. It was as good as and better than a lot of the lodges we have been in so settled there.

After relaxing for an hour we went out for a walk along the Main Street. It was a line of restaurants, money exchangers, travel and trekking agencies, clothing and equipment stores and souvenir shops. We found a nice restaurant and ordered two varieties of chicken curry, one mild and sweet, the other hot and spicy which we shared. It was another very nice meal and we mopped up the thick curry sauce  with tasty naan bread. When we arrived it was very hazy and overcast with cloud, now when we came out of the restaurant it turned to rain. Luckily we weren't far from the hotel and got back without getting too wet.

We got to bed early and I was soon sleeping but got wakened an hour later by music and loud noises coming from the lake area. We assumed it was their New Year celebrations. Luckily it finished at about 10 pm and it was quiet after that. Unfortunately I couldn't get back to sleep, the pillow was too big and hard, my neck and head were aching. Moira got me a pain killer and I stuffed the pillow case with some cloths to make it lower and more comfortable. Eventually I managed to drop off to sleep.

Pokhara.

Monday 15 April.

The shower was piping hot but we had to have it in a bathroom with no electricity. Pokhara, like Kathmandu, is subject to power cuts every day. What we found surprising was a speech on TV by the Napali finance minister saying that they were continuing to export all their excess electrical power to India, how come the power cuts?

The breakfast we had sitting outside. It was pleasant in the early morning sunshine and the breakfast was very good. We spent an hour in our room reading afterwards before getting ready to go out for a walk. We walked through the town and over to the quieter part of Lakeside where we stayed last time we were here. On the way there was the barber who trimmed my beard and cut my hair six years ago, he was the one who continued with a head and body massage and wanted extra for it. I think he may have recognised me as he tried to usher us in when he saw my long beard. We found the lodge where we stayed last time and I went in to have a look and enquire about their prices. It was a nice place and they wanted Rs700 for a double room with shower. We are paying $20 per night where we are but it does include breakfast. Before leaving this morning I requested softer pillows, if we don't get them then we will move here. Our next stop was the Green Line tourist coach office and we bought tickets for our return to Kathmandu on Thursday.

We were now opposite the main gate into the park beside the lake. There was a nice path down passed a Buddhist temple to the lakeside. It carried on past the boating hire offices, which rented out canoes to paddle on the lake. When the path reached the wall surrounding the old Royal Palace we had to cut up to the road again to get round it. At the end of the wall the road lead down to the water's edge again and we bought some cool drinks at a stall. We sat on a bench and watched in the distance paragliders drifting down on the air currents from the top of a high hill above the bottom end of the lake. A guy sitting beside us said he was a pilot for the paragliders and told us a 4x4 took you up to the top of the high hill where you took off. It cost $20 for a half hour ride before descending to the edge of the lake. We planned to go up this hill, Sarangkot, tomorrow morning for hopefully a better view of the Annapurna range than we were getting from the lakeside, it was very hazy and misty again today. We will be able to watch the paragliders taking off as well.

We continued along the path after our break and spotted a nice looking restaurant with the tables and chairs placed among beautiful gardens. It was a spot to come to later. Further on there was netted areas in the lake which appeared to be fish farms, lots of the restaurants were advertising fish fresh from the lake, so it must be from here. What was a bit off-putting was the sewage works that was situated close by which discharged into the lake.The path eventually met the road at the far end of the town and we followed it back to our hotel. On the way we bought some rolls at a bakery and had them with cheese and beer in our room for lunch.

We spent most of the afternoon relaxing and reading in our room. Later, about 4 pm, we went out and headed along the lake path to the nice restaurant with the gardens we had noticed earlier. We sat with a beer and watched the sun go down over the lake. We didn't wait until sunset, the pace looked a lot better from a distance and was actually a bit shabby, we didn't fancy staying there for dinner. Instead we made our way to town and found a restaurant that had steaks at a very reasonable price. They turned out quite big as well and tasted very nice. It had started to rain again while we were in the restaurant and it was a dash back to the hotel just as it was getting heavy.

We order breakfast for 7 am, so that we could get an early start to climb Sarangkot. The manager of the hotel suggested another view point that was easier to reach, meaning he thought that Sarangkot might be too much for us oldies. Moira told him we had just been to EBC and this little hill was nothing to us. In our room we read for an hour before getting to sleep. This afternoon with a lot of effort and searching they did manage to find some smaller softer pillows so we slept a lot better tonight, also there wasn't any noise, New Year must be over.

Pokhara.

Tuesday 16 April.

We had our breakfast at 7 am as arranged and were on our way for our walk and climb half an hour later. We walked through the bottom and poorer part of the town and along the side of the lake to where the dirt road turned off to climb uphill to Sarangkot. It was well signposted and just before we turned into the forest trail it said 1.5 hours to the top. It was climbing all the way but we had the various bird sounds to distract us from the relentless ascent. I kept stopping to scanning the trees for the birds but I couldn't see anything and only the sounds indicating their presence. It was the usual sort of hill with lots of false summits but eventually we reached a road and could see the top still a fair climb away. There were a lot of people making there way up to the view point and temple at the top, they must have come up by taxi or bus, they certainly weren't on the trail we were on. Just before the final climb a truck came past us and deposited bags containing the paragliders on take-off site, but everyone just sat about and nothing was happening. We continued up the hill and stopped at a tea house, for refreshments. With a good view, we saw the people below were still sitting about and hadn't even unpacked their gear while on the other side of the hill they were taking off in their hundreds. The sky was full of different coloured parachutes and they hovered above us before dropping down to the valley and lakeside.

After about half an hour watching the aeronautical display we continued to the top. We had to pay Rs50 each to go to the top, there was a small temple and a lot of communications equipment at the summit and a view point. Unfortunately the haze was so bad we couldn't get much of a view of anything, certainly not the Annapurna mountains. By this time the launching of the paragliders had finished and we spoke to a guy who worked for one of the companies. He said that they flew three times a day, 9:30, 11:30 and 1:30. After each launch and  landing at the lakeside, they then had to take the gear all the way up to Sarangkot again for the next group of fliers.we made our way down from the top to the launch site on the other side of the hill in time for them arriving with the people for the 11:30 am take off.

We spent about an hour watching as they jumped off and soared into the sky one after the other. The attendants would first of all lay out the parachute on the ground and make sure all the lines weren't tangled and in a knot. The pilot would at the same time rig out the nervous flier in safety helmet and harness, all the time giving instructions on take-off and landing. The next thing was to hook them both together and attach the lines from the chute to their harness. Once ready the lines were pulled taut, the parachute billowed out and lifted, a few running strides to the edge of the sharp drop in the hill and they were away. They immediately lifted on the current of air and were soon high overhead. Looking up the sky was now full of brightly coloured floating cresents of nylon with people dangling and waving happily, obviously their initial fear gone but probably to return prior to landing. What amazed us was that there wasn't any collisions with so many in the air at the same time and drifting so close to each other.

Soon it was time to begin heading down but first we found a little restaurant for some lunch. We both ordered the vegetable noodle soup. It was very spicy and Moira couldn't finish hers but I enjoyed it. We thought of going down by the road but it was around the hill to Pokhara that way, the hill path was more direct, so we kept to that. Although it had been very steep coming up it wasn't bad going down and we made good time. It would have helped if we had taken our hiking poles with us. The descent took less than an hour to get to the road and we took the lakeside path into the town rather than the busy road.

We bought a couple of beers and had them when we got to our room. We lay on our beds and relaxed for an hour or so and read. Later it was another restaurant for dinner. Tonight it was chicken curry again and a different flavour, not so hot but with a nice creamy sauce. This sauce was mopped up with thick hot naan bread. We are certainly enjoying the curries here. After dinner it was back to our hotel and an early night after reading for an hour.

Pokhara.

Wednesday 17 April.

I decided to go out for a walk early this morning hoping that it would be clear and I could get a view of the Annapurna range. Moira wanted a long lie in and I left her sleeping as I slipped out. The conditions hadn't improved even in the early morning air, it was still misty and hazy, but I had a walk anyway. I went down to the lakeside and walked all the way along to the old Royal Palace. Continuing round the walls I then headed back to the lakeside path and there all the way to the Buddhist temple and the large park. I cut up from there to the road and back through the town to the hotel. Moira was up, showered and feeling livelier than when I left. We headed down for breakfast at 7:30 am. I had asked them to boil my eggs a minute shorter this morning and they ended up too running, otherwise the breakfast was all right.

We spent an hour reading in our room and at 9 am went out to the International Mountain Museum. It was on the other side of the airport and about a two hour walk. We had a street map of Pokhara but it was difficult to follow at times as the street names were all in Napali script. I did ask a policeman the way to the museum and showed him the map, he looked at it mystified, he couldn't even indicate on the map where we were at that point in time. Fortunately when we walked on a bit we recognised the tourist bus station where we had arrived in Pokhara and after locating it on the map were able to navigate from there. The section of road before getting to the museum had first of all enclosed complexes of town houses and then further on very big expensive looking villas. We had at last discovered where the middle and upper classes of Nepali society live.

We recognised the museum as soon as we got there from our previous visit. There was nearly three hours glorious wandering about enthralled by the many displays and exhibits. The start concerned the different tribes and ethnic groups found in the various regions of Nepal. They had mannequins of the men and women in traditional dress and the implements for farming, hunting and cooking. But the part that interested us the most was the mountaineering section. The histories of the ascents of all the 8000 metres+ mountains was fascinating and some of the photographs outstanding. There were displays of all the equipment used over the years and how it had changed and improved. Finally there was the part on the flora and fauna of the region and we were able to put names to some of the flowers and birds we have seen over the last few weeks. It was a thoroughly enjoyable visit and one of the best exhibitions we have been to.

After a quick snack of a packet of crisps and a cool drink at the museum cafe, we headed now for the Peace Pagoda. This was on the top of the hill on the opposite side of the lake to the town and can be seen from our hotel sitting on the crest of the hill. We were fairly successful this time with the map and got to the start of the trail to the Pagoda in about an hour. There was a rickety bridge that took us over the river that feeds into the lake then a wide path that wound round the bottom of the hill. We weren't sure where we were going and asked a small boy the direction to the monument. He said we could continue along the path we were on but it was a long way, better to head straight up the hill and we would pick up a wide path in about 6 minutes, follow it to the top. His directions were very good and we found the wide track in about the advised time. It was still a long way as the path only climb gradually and there was no sign of the Pagoda. When we eventually came out of the trees the path turned sharply and I asked some people how far to go , 25 minutes. Fortunately they were wrong and we saw the Pagoda after a few minutes at the top of a long winding flight of strairs. It was a very magnificent building but you had to take your shoes off to walk round the gallery outside, we made do with walking around the perimeter path below. We also got some remarkable views of the lake far below and Pokhara, but still the haze prevented any sighting of Annapurna mountains.

There was a path that led down from the Pagoda to the lakeside and a signpost saying 25 minutes to the bottom and then to arrange for a boat to take you to town. We decided to take this path and it took us slightly over the recommended time to negotiate the steep descent. At the bottom there was a restaurant with lots of canoes outside. They arranged the transfer to the other side at Rs 370 for the trip. It was an experience and a sail on the lake. It took about 20 minutes to get to the other side.

Once in the town our first stop was a money changer, we had to get rupees to pay our hotel bill. The exchange rate had dropped from yesterday, now at Rs 83.72 to the US $, the lowest yet. When we got back to the hotel it was a hot shower, relax for an hour then go out for dinner. It was starting to rain when we went out so the restaurant on the corner was our choice. We had the fish tonight, Moira had hers grilled while I had the English fish 'n' chips variety. It was very good, I think the fish was plaice, a flat fish anyway. When we got back to the hotel we paid our bill so that there wouldn't be any delay in the morning when we have to catch the bus for Kathmandu. He tried to add on 10% to the $20 rate for the room, I told him the price agreed was $20 and that was all I was paying. His next trick was to use a rate of 88 to convert the $ to Rupees. I told him the rate was 83.72, that we got earlier. He tried to argue and show me the rate in the newspaper, I said to come with me and I would show him the rate that all the money men in town were giving. In the end I won and resulted in a saving of Rs 1000. I think we were probably still being overcharged as he gave in too easily.

During the night, at 1 am, we got wakened by someone banking continuously on a door. Moira thought it was somebody who had come back late and was locked out.  It went on for about 15 minutes and eventually they were let in. In the morning we discovered that it was people who had gone on to the roof earlier in the evening and the door had got locked on the inside and they couldn't get down again to their room.

Pokhara to Kathmandu.

Thursday 18 April.

We had breakfast at 6:30 am and a taxi was all ready waiting to take us to the bus station when we finished. The weather was nice today and the haze had cleared. On the taxi ride we could now see the snow capped Annapurna range of mountains, this should have been the time to climb Sarangkot for the view. The panorama was even better as the bus took us out of Pokhara and it was as we remembered it all of six years ago. Our favourite mountain, Machhapuchhre or Fishtail, dominated the scene with its high pointed pinnacle of ice covered rock. Soon the haze and mist was starting to form again and these wonderful mountains faded from view.

The bus was very comfortable and left exactly on time. We are now getting familiar with the route and know roughly where we are on the journey and how much further to go. We had two stops on the way, the first after only 2 hours at a roadside restaurant. We didn't bother to have anything as we just had a big breakfast, but I had bought a couple of bottles of Fanta and some apples earlier that we had on the bus. The second stop was for lunch and this was included in the bus fare. It was a buffet, and we helped ourselves to rice, noodles, veggie curry and chicken curry. It was all right.

The highlight of the bus trip was the final climb over into the Kathmandu valley. This was the road going out where there was a traffic jam caused by a broken down truck. Going down we didn't realise how steep and winding the road was but now as we looked down from the top we could see traffic on the twisting track all the way down. It had been a 12 km ascent and I thought that it would be a nice tough hill to run up, if I was fit.

When we arrived in Kathmandu it wasn't where we caught the bus and we didn't know exactly where we were. The instruction we got was turn right at the end of the road and you are in Thamel. We were pleasantly surprised when we turned at the end of the rad to find the hotel Tenki just in front of us. The hotel was nearly full and our room this time was on the fourth floor and there are no lifts. 

We have decided to forget about our trip to Shimla in India and stay here in Kathmandu. This requires changing our flight to Delhi from the 20th to the 24th of April. We got an email from the airline saying that we could change but we had to be quick as there weren't many seats left on the 24th. This involved finding the IndiGo offices on Durbur Marg. The guy in reception said it was 10 minutes away and gave us directions on a map. It was chaotic in the now Kathmandu rush hour but somehow we found it quite easily. Now we have the new flight we can relax here and enjoy Kathmandu.

On the way back to the hotel we noted a pizza restaurant that we were told was the best in Kathmandu. We had a look at the menu and decided to come back later for dinner. When we went there at 7 pm we were lucky to get a table, shortly after we started eating there was a queue waiting to get seated. So it was a popular place and justifiably so, the pizza was lovely. The most surprising thing was the speed we were served with our meal, about 5 minutes after ordering and the place was full. We have been in restaurants where we were the only customers and had to wait more than half an hour for them to prepare our order.

We got to bed as soon as we got back and I turned on the TV and checked out the sports channel. There was a cricket test match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. It wasn't very exciting and I fell asleep while watching it. 

A WEEK ON THE HIGH VELDT

BOKSBURG, GAUTENG. FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 5

Whereas the South Coast of KZN was a bit laid back and the economy stagnant this area is thriving. The drive along the motorway from the airport to where Alex lives in Boksburg is bustling with new small industry and the houses are being built on any available piece of land and some places we are talking of huge luxury mansions. With the UK struggling under a recession and austerity measures being legislated Gauteng appears to be rolling in money and things are definitely growing and expanding.

We spent the week we were here visiting my old running friends and former workmates in African Products. We walked over to see Tom on our first morning here and Lynne phoned while we heading round Homestead Dam. She arranged an outing at a local Italian restaurant on the Thursday. At Tom's it was mostly discussions about Afprod and the changes they are proposing to make to the pension scheme. He said it is more or less cut and dried, waiting for Government approval of the transfer of the funds and administration to the insurance company, Old Mutual. There was area that is still under dispute, the Company is taking R350M out of the pension fund to boast profits and there is an action group taking the issue to court. This group has the least likely militant in Willem Hazywindus, the personnel director when I was with the Company and I thought him a buffoon. We got a invite from Tom to join him and Rita for a braai on Sunday.

Alex is back working three days a week at his old Company, he is training a new guy to do his job. The person that took over when Alex retired had left. He seems to be doing quite well out of the deal and has negotiated himself a good package. He is still mad about cars, he had built an extension to his garage to accommodate, three MGs, a Lancia, his old Sani 4x4 and the BMW that he has given us to use. He goes to rallies organised by MG and at the weekend is going to Kimberley on one. One of his MGs, the MGA he has stripped down and rebuilt and the bodywork powder coated, it looks like new. He is also playing golf regularly and visiting game parks, he had some wonderful photographs of a leopard that he spotted. He seems to be very active and having a good life, but I wouldn't fancy the three days of work each week, I'm glad to be retired.

On Thursday evening we went for dinner at the Italian, along with Lynne and Donnie there was also Neville and his wife Cheryl, Neville is also an another old running mate. Lynne's lad, Jaryd, also came along. I don't think he is a lad now, more a man and very well built from all his swimming compared with the little skinny boy we used to know. It was an evening of pizza and beer and reminiscing about races we and run and other runners we knew. The people missing were Ivan and Hanamie, it appears that Neville has fallen out with them and not speaking. I got their phone numbers from Lynne to contact them. After a lot of engaged lines and not available signals I eventually got through to them. We had coffee with Ivan a few days later and it was more talk about runners and running. He didn't know what he had done to upset Neville and when we visited Hanamie on Saturday she appeared clueless as well. The visit to Hanamie didn't involve much discussion about running it was all about Suzanne and Margaret's weddings and viewing the photographs and video of her son's nuptials. 

On Friday evening we went to McGinty's bar at Northmead Mall for a drink with Tom. Allan my boss when I worked a Germiston Mill was there and we had a pleasant chat about old times. He is looking very well and fit but his wife Cath is suffering from dizzy spells and balance problems that the doctors can't diagnose or cure. She has resorted to a hypnotherapist for treatment and it is looking promising.

I am still apprehensive about my Achilles and haven't tried running. I don't want to seriously injure it before our trip to the Himalayas. I wanted to do the park run in Benoni while here, but instead of running both Moira and I walked it. It is held at Rynfield Dam where they used to run the time trial, the Dam Dash, years ago. This was another example of the prosperity of the the region, the houses now built on the one side of the dam are unbelievable in their size and opulence. They have also a new golf course laid out there. Some old running acquaintances were there but like me were now reduced to walking the course. I was happy to break 50 minutes walking the 5 km route, helped along the way by a former Benoni Harriers friend, Dannie Ooshuizen. That afternoon Moira visited a couple of her friends, Marlene and Sandra while I stayed in and watched football on the TV.

The braai at Tom's on Sunday was a pleasant surprise when the other guests were Jan and Carol former colleagues at Afprod. They were both married to other people when I knew them but divorced and married each other four or five years ago. It was good making contact with them again and we had to go through all the things we had done and places we had been to since retiring. Karen and Jenny, Tom and Rita's daughters both called in to see us. They are both runners now and Karen has run three Comrades Marathons. She ran her qualifier marathon for this year's Comrades and Two Oceans Marathon that morning at the Vaal. We talked for half an hour about running and I gave her the benefit of my experience, I hope it helps. Jenny has just started running and is having problems with pains in her knees. We advised her to see a podiatrist and get orthotics as she is pronating badly.

My last visit was to Meyerton Mill where I worked for the last 6 years before retiring. On the drive down it was another example of industry sprouting all over the place. There is a big new Amstel brewery just off the highway close to the other big Afprod mill at Kliprivier which is supplying it with maltose syrup. After driving down this road every day nearly for 6 years one would think I would know the way but I took the wrong junction from the highway for Meyerton and had to think for a minute or two where I was, but I realised I was all right when I spotted the large maize silos of the plant at the edge of town.  I spent most of the time with Vivian who is now the production manager but old faces kept popping into his office to say hello. There was Mariska his secretary, Shabeer, the Operations manager, Shaheer who worked with me and is still with the projects department, Nicki, the nursing sister and Andrea who is still looking after the quality, safety and environment in order to meet the different ISO requirements. Gert Ferreira and Chris Woolmerans who had both retired were back as consultants. It was good meeting them all again and to talk over old times.

Our last outing was to take Alex out for dinner at a nice Indian restaurant. The curries were excellent and it was a good practice for the next six weeks in India and Nepal. The next day, today, it was packing and we are now waiting to set off for the airport as I post this blog.

 

 

STAYING ON THE SOUTH COAST OF KZN

UMTENTWENI: December, January and February

The weather over this period hasn't been great. There was a lot of rain and when the skies cleared it became extremely hot and humid. At night we slept with no covers on the bed and the overhead fan spinning at top speed. We did have a relief from this uncomfortable climate when we spent a week in the Drakensbergs at the Royal Natal National Park. There it was pleasantly warm during the day and cool in the night.

We were expecting to have to do a lot of work around the house after three years in the hands of tenants. Surprisingly it was in good condition and only a few jobs that required to be done. The outside needed painting, it hadn't been done for about five years and it was looking a little marked and shabby in places. We arranged to have someone to do it, I painted it myself last time but didn't fancy the high bits that are only accessible from a high ladder or by climbing up on the roof, I may be fairly fit but age is taking its toll and I'm not as agile as I used to be. The complex is 'ruled' by a Body Corporate that is supposed to decide on all aspects of the upkeep and expenses incurred in maintaining the complex. Unfortunately they have trouble making decisions. We went as observers to one of their meetings and it was proposed that the colour of the houses be changed from white to a darker colour that didn't show the ravages of the weather. We thought we would delay the painting of our house and see if there was a change in the rules about the colour. We didn't think about it for long when we realised that there would be just arguments about the proposed change and no decision would be forthcoming. We had the house painted white as originally planned, it is looking very nice.

There were several minor jobs about the house, like jamming doors, which we had a local tradesmen to rectify. The paintwork inside was in good condition, only a small section in the hall where the paint was flaking needed to be attended to and I did that myself. The only major project that took me a while to complete was painting the inside of the garage. The walls were badly marked and some paint was also flaking along the bottom of the walls. There was plenty of paint left over from the work on the outside and I used that for the garage walls.

We went to the Umtentweni Bowling club for a game of bowls.  We were able to play as visitors the first time but were told we would have to join the district bowling association if wanted to play any more.There would be a years subscription to pay, about R1000, and we were only here for three months. It wasn't the cost that was a concern but the petty rules they were imposing. It was made worse by the fact that they were closing for the whole of December for annual maintenance of the green. We tried the bowling club at Southport about ten minutes further up the coast and they were more realistic and a lot friendlier, they said ignore the association just pay the visitors fee and we could play at all the social bowls but not any competitions, which suited us nicely. We have been playing there every Wednesday and Saturday, weather permitting. Bowls seems to be like riding a bike you don't forget, we may not be champion material but we were playing well right from the start.

I had joined the gym, for three months, in Port Shepstone and have been going most mornings, ensuring I get my money's worth. I usually go in early, about 6:30am, when it is relatively cool. I have an hour working out with weights then go to the spinning class. I haven't been running much, the injury I picked up during the cruise to my calf muscle has cleared up but I have now developed a persistent injury to the Achilles' tendon on my right foot. It seems to clear up after a few days rest but as soon as I run again the the pain comes back. I have had to make do with the spinning, cycle aerobics, for my cardiovascular workout. There were a lot of faces at the gym that I recognised from five years ago when I trained here and a lot of the personal trainers are still the same.

We made contact with Carol and Ray who we played bowls with when last here. They came for dinner a couple of times and we had a meal with them after Christmas. They are still playing bowls but are having problems with officialdom at Port Shepstone Country Club where they play now. I think that all the bowling clubs are the same with people getting into position where they can abuse the power they like to assume. They are also a bit disillusioned with the area and found that there isn't much to do other than bowls and the beach. They have put their house on the market and looking at moving to Cape Town. Unfortunately the housing market in is area is depressed and it is difficult to sell any house at the moment. Their house is beautiful and if we were just arriving here and looking to buy, I would jump at their house at the price they are asking.

We also had Donnie and Lynn for a meal during the Christmas period. They were down from Benoni staying at their holiday home in Margate.  They are both still running and I said we would go out for a run when we come up to the High Veldt at the end of February, depending on my injuries. I said that after our stay in Cape Town I was tempted to train and run the Two Oceans Marathon, probably in 2014 or 15. They thought it was a good idea and are happy to consider doing it as well.

Our week in the Drakensbergs was very enjoyable and the weather more pleasant and endurable. The resort we were in, the Mont-aux-Sources hotel, was all right. The unit was clean and comfortable but a bit old and run down in places. We went for plenty of walks in the hills. The long walk up the gorge to the source of the Tugela river and a couple of climbs to some beautiful waterfalls. At a place called the Cascades the mountain waters poured over a series of rocky rapids finishing in a crystal clear pool at the bottom. I thought the water was going to be ice cold as I ventured in for a swim but it was pleasantly cool in the hot mid-day sun. When we went through Durban to the Drakensbergs we called in at the Indian Consulate to apply for visas required for our forthcoming trip to the sub-continent. On the way back home we went to the Consulate again to collect them. Now we are all ready for our next adventure.

We decided not to relet the house and to just leave it empty. We plan to come out again in a year and being in the complex it is quite secure, and there isn't a lot to steal there anyway. Moira made a good job of running down our food supply and the larder was bear on the last day. Fortunately Carol and Ray invited us for lunch and we had a lovely traditional English meal of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. The following morning we had the two hour drive back to King Shaka airport where we dropped off the car and flew to Jo'burg where Alex picked us up, we were staying with him for a week before heading for India. Moira had made a mistake when booking the Jo'burg flight and we ended up at Lanseria airport north of the city, this didn't please Alex who instead of a five minute drive to Oliver Tambo airport he had an hour's trip.

NATAL and UMTENTWENI November 2012

Monday 26 November

Everything went very smoothly until we reached Durban and had problems with hiring the car from Hertz. It wasn't their fault but our credit card was blocked by Santander, and you cannot hire a car with out a credit card. Hertz were very good and allowed us to use their phone to contact the bank in Scotland. We were on the line for over half an hour and they didn't bother about the cost. The problem was that we should have told the bank that we were going overseas and after we used the credit card last week for the rental in Cape Town they immediately blocked any further transactions. This was why we had difficulties when trying to book the flights online. The main difficulty was proving who I was to the bank's security. When they asked me when we had made the last payment to the card and for how much I started to ask Moira. I was told in no uncertain terms that it was a breach of security to ask my wife. These people are from another planet and are completely divorced from reality. Eventually we satisfied them on my identity and they reinstated the card after giving us a dressing down for not abiding by the rules and not informing them when we were leaving the UK. The Hertz girl waited patiently while we got it all sorted out and I think she found it quite amusing. At the end of it all we were given an upgrade of car and it was a brand new Toyota Etios.

We left the flat in Cape Town at 8:00 and the drive to the airport was quiet with very little traffic on the roads. It turned out to be a fair distance and took over half an hour to get there. We then had to drive through the drop off zone and out again to get petrol to top up the car before returning it to Hertz. We had two hours to wait for take off and we had a flask of coffee with us for refreshment. The airline was Mango, a budget outfit but they didn't have all the baggage restrictions like Ryan Air and we put most of our gear in the hold at no extra cost. It took ninety minutes to get to Durban, the new King Shaka airport a good distance north of the city. The flight was uneventful all the excitement was after we landed.

Once on our way south the drive was easy, straight on to the N2 motorway all the way to Hbberdene. We stopped there to stock up with some food before continuing to Umtentweni and home. We got the keys from Alison and were soon in the house. The garage door was broken and wouldn't move meaning we had to leave the car in the communal parking area. The house itself was all right, needs some painting and some tiles are cracked but not much to do. I got bedding from the loft along with cooking and eating utensils. Moira made a nice chicken curry and we got to bed early after going through a mountain of mail that was waiting for us.

Tuesday 27 November

What a difference the service is here than in the UK. First thing this morning we phoned a company that installed and repaired automated garage doors. They said somebody would be out late in the afternoon but if it had been an emergency and we couldn't get the car out they would have had a mechanic out immediately. They arrived, a little bit late, and repaired the door. I expected the story that such and such was broken and we would need a new part, delivery sometime. But no, although he said the size of door should have a bigger spring he did the job and the automation is working perfectly. He said they would send a bill, it was just a call out according to him and a few rivets as parts, a couple of hundred Rand, a bargain.

Another pleasure was purchasing a fridge freezer. Our old one we knew was kaput. We went to the furnishers in Port Shepstone and selected the one we wanted, delivery that day. Only an hour after we returned home it arrived, great service. 

The bank wasn't so successful an experience. We were to collect the credit and garage card I order last week from Cape Town. As usual there was a long queue at the enquires counter. Why have banks not realise that most everyday banking is now done on the Internet and they don't need so many tellers. People only now go to banks when they have a problem or something that can't be dealt with on the web, more bank employees are needed at the enquiries desk. It's not just a SA problem but also happens in the UK. We got our garage card for petrol purchases but no credit card, because the old one had expired so long ago we have to re-apply. I don't know why they couldn't have told me this when I phoned them last week.

The weather wasn't very good today, there was rain when we got up this morning and it was cloudy and dull all day. It didn't really matter as most of the day was spent getting more of our stuff down from the loft and getting settled with all our bits and pieces around us. We got the TV down and found a video recorder. We were able to play an old video after dinner, it was from the BBC 'Waking the Dead' series. Unfortunately it was a two part episode and we don't seem to have recorded the second part.

Wednesday 28 November 

We were up early and after a cup of tea got a few more boxes and bags of our stuff down from the loft. After breakfast we drove into Port Shepstone where Moira dropped me off at the gym before doing more shopping. I had rejoined the gym here yesterday, it only cost R720 for three months, very reasonable. I spent an hour working out and was pleasantly surprised at all the equipment available, a lot more than when I trained here previously. Moira picked me up after I had tired out my upper body with lots of heavy weights and we headed for the Spar supermarket for more shopping.

When we arrived home it was a quick cup of coffee then out for a walk. It was a nice day today and very warm. We headed down to the bowling green but there was nobody there, the weekly social games were this afternoon. From the club we made for the beach, only a few fishermen about and the wind coming from the sea was quite chilly. On the way home we stopped off at the library, renewed our membership and picked up a couple of books and magazines. 

The afternoon I spent relaxing and reading, even nodding off to sleep on occasions. Moira went to the TV company in town and renewed our satellite TV account. When she got back and set up the box it wouldn't work, probably a problem with the dish or LNB receiver, more expense tomorrow. 

Another expensive job is painting the outside of the house. Moira phoned a guy who advertised in the local paper and he turned up late afternoon. He will email his quote to us this evening. We asked him about repairing some cracked floor tiles and others that are sounding hollow underneath. He said we had a big problem there and that the tiles had probably been laid before the concrete below had matured and settled properly. He told us that he had to redo all Pat's, the old dear in the house at the bottom, when her tiles started popping up one after the other. It would be a big job and a huge inconvenience to us while the work was in progress. He said that trying to lift one or two tiles that were damaged or hollow below might create more trouble when it disturbed the adjacent ones.

When he left we went down to see Pat. She confirmed whet we said; all of a sudden her tiles just began lift and popping up with a bang. She said the same thing happened with Kubus next door to her. They tried to claim from the builders insurance and guarantee but were told the tiling wasn't covered. The guy had told us that the cost was in the region of R5500 not including the tiles. We decided to just leave it as it is, and completely retile if it becomes necessary.

After dinner and the washing up completed I sat down to read one of the books from the library. I couldn't keep my eyes open and was dropping off to sleep. I went to bed where it is more comfortable and was soon asleep, it was only 8:00. Either getting up early in the morning or the tropical air is making us tired as Moira was exhausted as well. 

Thursday 29 November 

I'm quickly getting back into the South African time routine of up early and to bed early. I was at the gym this morning at 6:15 am exercising my legs while Moira, not quite in the same time frame, was still in bed. She was up when I returned and had the breakfast ready for me when I finished showering.

The TV is now working, the dish and LNB were all right it was the DSTV box that was faulty. A new one cost R600, our costs keep mounting up. Another expense was getting the front door repaired where it had swollen and was catching on the floor and jamming. I managed to get the telephone number of a guy who did work for us before, and he did the job in the afternoon. The door is opening and closing now without jamming but the door is in bad shape along the bottom and we may need a new one eventually.

We went for a walk around the block before lunch. Nothing much has changed since we were last here, it all looks the same. The weather wasn't very good, it had been raining earlier in the morning and now it was arm humid and clammy, typical for this time of year.

The boxes and bags from the loft are getting emptied and stored on the wardrobes. The place is beginning to look respectable and tidy again. We were able to relax and listen to the audio and watch some TV. On satellite there is the BBC Entertainment channel but they seem to put the rubbish on it. Plus rubbish for other UK channels, like 'Deal or No Deal' and 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and you have to suffer adverts.

The good news today from the bank was that they are issuing me with a new credit card. I had expected to have hassles and an argument there.

Friday 30 November

I was out early again this morning to the gym. The weather wasn't looking too good and it began to rain as I headed along road into Port Shepstone. I had an hour's session working on my arms and shoulders before heading back for a showers and breakfast. It was now raining quite heavily.

Moira went into town mid-morning to pay the rates at the Municipality office and arrange further payments to be taken by standing order from the bank. I stayed in and watched the end of the Australia v SA cricket test match from Perth. SA didn't do very well and were all out for 225, but the Aussies were worse and at close were just over 100 for 6 wickets. 

The rain continued for most of the day, we had planned to go for a walk after lunch but it was too wet. I repaired the cupboard doors on two of the kitchen units where the hinges had come adrift. It looks much better now.

After dinner I spent the time reading and listening to Classic FM on the radio. I went to bed early but Moira stayed up and watched a film on the TV.

A WEEK IN CAPE TOWN

Wednesday 21 November

The weather was looking much better today, the sky was a cloudless blue when we got up and had breakfast. We went out just after 8am and the woman in reception told us where to find a Nedbank branch, it wasn't far from where we walked to yesterday evening. We drove there and parked the car, a guy in a uniform told us that it was paid parking, R7/hour and he had an electronic gadget to record the time we started and how much we paid. This was different from the unofficial guys that used to offer to watch your car in car parks. He also informed us that the bank which was very close didn't open until 9:00. We went for a walk and returned just as it opened.

The bank seemed to be a lot more friendly and obliging than their counterparts in the UK. Moira got the cash card sorted out, the old one had expired and they issued a new card, with the SA flag on front, there and then. The woman also came with us to the bank telephone and put us in touch with the credit card division, this saved us using the cell phone and using up our money waiting for a call centre to answer. Eventually the credit card situation was corrected and a new will be sent to the Port Shepstone branch for collection when we get there next week.

With our financial situation in hand we set off for a drive and view the coastal scenery. We drove south along the front to Hout Bay. This took us passed the Twelve Apostles mountain range that runs parallel to the coast. At Hout Bay we parked at a shopping mall and tried the new cash card out at an ATM, it worked and we have plenty of ready cash now. We had a walk round the bay and into Mariner's Wharf where there are plenty of restaurants, fresh fish outlets and sailing trips out to view the seals at Seal Island. The price of the sailing trips in glass bottomed boats was very reasonable at R50 each. We may do it before we leave but at the moment we have had enough of cruising and the sea. There was a beautiful big harbour and marina with lots of fishing vessels and yachts. The bay is beautifully surrounded by mountains, at one side the end of the Apostles range while on the other is Chapman's Peak.

From Hout Bay we picked up the reverse of the Two Ocean's running route which I'm very familiar with and drove over Chapman's Peak drive. A lot of work has been done over the last few years on the drive which had been damaged by rock slides. The rock faces had been shored up and supported in places but a lot of work is still taking place causing hold-ups in places with traffic lights. To pay for all this they have made the drive over the peak a toll road, it cost R35 to drive over it, well worth it for the magnificent views. We parked near the top and I took a number of photographs of Hout Bay and the mountains, this is the wonderful panorama, especially on a clear sunny day like today. We had a cup of coffee from our flask with a rusk to dip in, we haven't had a muesli rusk since we were here last. At the bottom on the other side we found another parking spot and admired the beach at Noordhoek. This was where on our first visit to Cape Town I went in for a swim with Suzy and Margaret, the water was freezing. This is the Atlantic Ocean and the currents are coming up all the way from the Antarctic, if you travel the short distance across the peninsula to the other coast on the Indian Ocean at Muizenburg the sea is lovely and warm.

From the foot of Chapman's we took the Ou Kaapse Weg into the city. This is the old Cape road and winds it way up over the mountains then down the other side. We could have quickly made our way into the city by the motorway but chose the normal roads instead. This took us through the suburbs of Tokai, Constantia, Wynburg, Claremont, Newlands, that are all part of the familiar Two Oceans marathon route. We negotiated our way through the city centre with me navigating and Moira avoiding the reckless stopping starting of taxis. We reached Signal Hill and found a parking spot below the Lion's Head to have our picnic lunch. 

After our meal we started off climbing the Lion's Head. It was a spiral route that wound its way round the free standing conical peak. The going was fairly easy until we reached a plateau just below the rough rocky scramble to the summit. There was a German woman tourist sitting on a rock who said that there wasn't a recognised route from there and you just made your own way, her husband was making his way up but she let him go on his own. Moira decided to do the same and sat down with her and chatted. I began to scramble up the rocks and the woman shouted that it wasn't the way. Eventually I found the route she suggested and it turned out to be a well defined path which, though a lot of hands and knees scrambling was required in places, it was fairly straight forward. There was lots of people on the route and we shouldn't listen to advise from those who give up, because Moira missed the reward of a most spectacular view. It was a complete circular panorama of Signal Hill at the other end of the Lion's Rump, the bay, Table Mountain, the City far below and to the south the Twelve Apostles. The only downside was the couple who appeared to think it was a good idea to sit and relax to pop music blaring out from their smart phone. It was a bit more difficult going down with my stiff old knee joints but I was soon back with Moira then together down the rest of the way to the car.

We drove on the road along the Rump to Signal Hill and got a good view of the docks where we arrived yesterday. We found a path and followed it to see if it led down to Sea Point but there wasn't any signs or people on the route were just strolling about from Signal Hill like us and didn't know. At the car park on the hill we saw a motorhome from Germany. He had stickers from countries all over South America and now it looked like he was touring Africa, we still have a lot to do in ours to catch up!

Before returning home we drove over to the cable car station at Table Mountain. The cable car wasn't running today, they said it was due to high winds but I didn't notice anything more than as light breeze on the Lion's Head. He said that it might run tomorrow but Friday would be better for us, they give pensioners a concession on that day. At the tourist info office there we got the way to the start of the route to Signal Hill from Sea Point and will try that tomorrow. Going back we intend to take Kloof Road down the other side of Signal Hill to Sea Point but took a wrong turning and ended up in the Camps Bay area before reaching the coast road back, a long detour.

Back at the flat we tried the TV but the offerings for entertainment here are pathetic. After dinner Moira tried to book flights for Durban online but the site wouldn't accept our UK credit card or the debit card we got today at the bank. Moira thinks she might have to phone Alec and get him to book the flights for us. It had been another active day and we were both very tired, we were in bed by 9pm.

Thursday 22 November

It was another beautiful day again and we were out just before 9am. Moira drove in towards the city centre and today we picked up the motorway south to Muizenberg. From there we followed the coast road to Fish Hoek and Simonstown. Shortly after the naval base at Simonstown we arrived at the Boulders, a rocky cove that was the home of the African penguins. 

From the car park there was a boardwalk all the way to the beach at the far end of the cove. There was a visitors centre where it was R45 entry and at the other end it was also R45 to get on the beach to swim. We had hoped to see some penguins without having to pay but were out of luck and had to part with our money. It was well i suppose reasonably priced and the centre was nicely laid out with boardwalks going round the cove in either direction. There were lots of information boards about the life cycle of the penguin and on the beach about a hundred of the little creatures were standing about. A lot were moulting and this process takes 21 days when the fluffy brown coating comes off and the shiny black and white coat appears. Until the final waterproof coat develops they can't swim and forage the seas for food, they just stand about doing nothing. Along the other boardwalk we spotted lots of penguins under the trees and bushes sheltering from the now hot sun, there were also individual plastic shelters that had been built for them to live and breed in. It was a very good excursion and it was very busy with everybody madly clicking away on their digital cameras. 

We continued driving down the coast intending to make for Cape Point but at the entrance gate to the National Park they wanted R90 each. We decided not to bother and took the road over to the Atlantic coast and parked at Scarborough beach for our picnic lunch. There were plenty of large breakers and there were a few surfers and windsurfers braving the cold waters in their wet suits. We took a walk along the hard packed silver sands to a rocky promontory to watch the pounding surf.

From Scarborough we head up the coast to Kommetjie. From there we had the option of spending another R35 to go over Chapman's Peak or take the Ou Kaapse Weg over the mountains. We chose the cheaper later route then picked up the motorway again back to the flat. We had a cup of coffee first then set out to find the route to Signal Hill from the flat.

It wasn't far up the road from Inverness to pick up the track. It was a fairly easy walk as the trail only climbed gradually across the face of the slope. It was very pleasant and we had beautiful views all the way of Sea Point and the beach below and the Lion's Head towering in front of us. The track came out at the road near the Hindu temple on the rump. We thought about taking the road down the other side of the mountain to the coast but decided it was too long and just returned by the track. 

Moira had got in touch with Alec to book flights for us to Durban on Monday. He could have done it successfully with his credit card but unfortunately this credit card has to be shown when checking in. Moira tried phoning the airline and things appeared promising until they tried our UK credit card, it was again rejected for some reason.  They last option was to try booking at the supermarket Checkers which Alec told us was an agent for the airline. Moira walked to the local branch and everything went well and she paid with her new Nedbank debit card, the price was even lower than on the Internet and we saved R600. Now our transport arrangements were settled we both felt more relaxed.

It had been another tiring day with the heat and our walking, so it was another evening for taking it easy. Nothing worth watching on TV but Moira had picked up the new Weekly Telegraph that came out today so we had something to read and caught up with the UK news.

Friday 23 November

This morning we were out early and ready to start climbing to the top of Table Mountain. It was a lovely day again and no wind so the cable cars were running. The road up to the cable car station was lined with cars, people were out early as well to get to the top the easier way. Moira parked about a kilometre on the other side of the station and at the beginning of the Platteklip Gorge route to the summit. It was direct route to the top with just a series of zig zags to reduce the steepness. We were surprised at the number of people out on the trail of all nationalities. It was very warm even just after 9:00 and our backs were quickly soaked in sweat. Moira was back to her normal when climbing steep mountains, a stop every few steps for a rest or to gossip to other relaxing climbers. It was another case of magnificent views all the way, the main vista being the city, harbour and bay that stretched out below us.

It took 90 minutes to reach the top and this mountain is good that you can see the top and not what you imagine to be the summit, only to find another climb when you reach that target. There was a map of the summit as we came out of the gorge and showed different walks over the flat top. We picked the route to Eden valley and it was only a short distance to a point where the track dropped down past a series of reservoirs to Constantia Nek. We sat on a rock and admired the view all the way over the Nek to Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak. After a refreshing cup of coffee from our flask we made our way back to the top of the gorge and chose another walk on the top, this one to MacLair's Beacon. This was fairly long, 45 minutes, to a large cairn, going through the fynbos vegetation of the Cape province with lots of bushes with the protea flowers developing. We had lunch at the beacon, it was 3500 ft. high, so would be classified as a 'Munro' in Scotland. There was an alternative route back, not recommended in misty or windy weather, that we took.  It ran in places close to the edge but the weather was calm and fine so there wasn't any danger and we were rewarded with more outstanding views.

At the top of the gorge again we made our way now to the top cable station. This was very busy with the crowds who had come up in the cable car. There was an easy route round this section of the flat summit and a paved pathway with information boards at different intervals pointing out the views and giving details of the vegetation and the wildlife. We were disappointed that we didn't see any dassies or rock rabbits. The last time we were on the top there were hundreds of the little creatures, we asked about them and were told they must be sleeping.

We took the cable car down, today was pensioners day and we were allowed the concession of R50 each for the ride. It only took about five minutes but it was good. The floor of the cab revolved so we had a complete circular view as we descended. I got lots of photographs. At the bottom we had the kilometre to walk down to the car and it was a relief to get finished, we were very tired having been on the go for about seven hours.

When we arrived back at the flat a woman told us that we had missed out on a complimentary breakfast and would we like to go tomorrow. It was at a nearby hotel and we arranged for 9am in the morning. We didn't do much more tonight, we were both slightly burnt on the face and neck by the sun and that had also exhausted us. It want long after dinner that we were in bed and sound asleep.

Saturday 24 November

The breakfast at the Protea hotel was very nice but as the saying goes 'there are no free lunches'. We didn't have to pay but wasted a lot of time having to fend off the sales pitch for us to purchase more time share. We have endured this sort of thing before and should have been more aware of what was coming. Anyway we didn't buy anything. 

We had walked to the hotel so returned to get the car then headed for Hout Bay for the sail to Seal Island. It had been raining when we woke  this morning but the sun was out when we walked to the hotel but it came on again as we drove down the coast. The rain became heavy and the wind was strong churning up the sea and producing big surf. Under these conditions it didn't seem likely that the boats would be sailing and it wouldn't be enjoyable anyway. Instead we parked near the shore and watched the waves and read our books which we had brought along.

We had a picnic lunch with us and had it here; the rain was off now and the sun shining again. The decision was to head back, park the car at the flat and walk to the V&A Waterfront. It was a nice walk along the esplanade but now the wind was really strong and gusting from the sea. At the Waterfront we had a stroll through the large shopping Mall. The shops there were very classy places and their prices reflected this, but nobody was shopping in them. I think most people just go to these places window shopping not buying. The marina was full of big leisure cruisers offering trips around the harbour and bay, there was even one that was rigged like a pirate ship. There were lots of restaurants and a big wheel - the Cape Town Eye? We just did window shopping as well and soon we were on the track beside the Green Point soccer stadium towards home.

We called in at a bistro near the flat and had a drink before heading back for dinner. After the washing up was completed we watched a 'Harry Potter' film on TV. It wasn't very good and disrupted at very short intervals with adverts. Hopefully the wind will have dropped tomorrow and it will be dry for our sail to see the seals.

Sunday 25 November

We managed to the sail from Hout Bay this morning. The weather was lovely, sunny, blue sky and very little wind. So it was surprising when they told us the boat wasn't going to the island as the water was very choppy beyond the point, they said like a washing machine around the island. They said they would take us out off the bay to see the view of the mountains from there and would then go to a spot in the bay to see the seals. We decided to go out anyway. After sailing out of the harbour the SA equivalent of the RNLI rescue service roared up along side in a fast speed boat and a rubber dinghy. Trainee lifesavers then fell in the water from the speed boat and our craft threw a line for them to be pulled aboard. Any that didn't manage to catch the line were picked up by the 'rubber duck'. This went on all the way out from the bay with two or three repeats by one guy who couldn't catch the rescue line.

Once clear of the shelter and the calm waters of the bay the sea did get quite rough but not so bad to prevent us proceeding further. There were a couple of guys in canoes paddling happily over the waves,totally unconcerned. The views from out at sea looking back towards the high mountains surrounding Hout Bay were magnificent. It wasn't long before we were turning and heading back to the harbour. There was another session with the lifesavers on the return and it was annoying that we paid money to see the seals but instead being, supposedly, compensated with people falling off boats. We did see seals eventually in the harbour, about twenty resting on an old boat tied up at a quay and others at the end of a jetty. We could have seen all we saw from the boat by just walking around the harbour which we intended doing anyway once we docked. These cruises are certainly a very good earner for the owners, the boat had two bus loads of Japanese tourists and a lot of passing trade like ourselves, all at R60 each for a  forty minutes sail. I also wondered if they ever did go anywhere near seal island or if it was just a con.

We did take a walk around the harbour and out along the jetties. We reached the spot where the seals were lazing about on the old boat. We were able to spent a lot longer watching them and taking close-up photographs. On the way back to the car we took another detour out another jetty where all the fishing vessels were tied up. We were also rewarded by the same outstanding mountain scenery we had from the boat. I had the daypack on my back with the picnic lunch so we sat at the end of the pier and had a cup of coffee from the flask while soaking up the sun and admiring the vista.

From Hout Bay we drove to Constantia Nek and parked at the start of the hiking trail there. We had lunch and read the 'Sunday Times' before heading out for a walk. The route was the part of the Puffer race along the middle of the peninsula from Cape Point to the Waterfront. It leads up to the top of Table Mountain and when I ran the race I fell coming down the other side and broke a bone in my hand and had to bale. The route was called the jeep track on the notice board and came out at the reservoirs, below the top, that we spotted when up there on Friday. It was a steady steep climb and I don't remember having to run up anything as hard, after already being  three quarters of the way through the race. When we reached the reservoirs it flattened out and it was a pleasant walk to where the flat summit of Table Mountain could be seen. At that point we turned back, we had been climbing for nearly two hours. It was a bit cool at the reservoirs but warmed up as we began to descend. The views from here were over the Cape flats to Muizenburg and False Bay. It had been a lovely walk and there seems to be walking trails all over the Cape, it has been very enjoyable break and certainly worth a return and longer visit.

We drove back along Rhodes Drive, the route of the Two Oceans Marathon, another thing I would like to come back to do again. When clear of the mountains we picked up the motorway around the north of the city to Sea Point. We were back at the flat in time to watch the Brazilian Grand Prix on TV. It was quite good with lots of thrills and spills in the wet rainy conditions there. It was another early to bed night, we head for the airport in the morning for the plane to Durban and home to Umtentweni. 

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