India to Nepal

Ok time for a quick update on what's been going on. Last post we were just about to leave Jaipur for Varanasi. We spent a little longer there than originally planned due to a strain of food poisoning that only India can provide! It turns out the doctors in India are more than happy to provide hotel visits via motorbike, with nurse riding side saddle, through a maze of tiny alleyways often blocked by passing cows and goats. You wont find many English doctors with such dedication! Insult was added to injury when I had to bear my bum to both doctor and nurse (both male) for a cocktail of drugs that knocked me out for the following two days. Gemma was of course amazing and played the nurse role perfectly. Bloody good job Varanasi was by far our favourite place in India. Our hotel overlooked the Ghats on the Gangees, with holy men wandering all over the place on too happy to have their photo taken for a small fee and some good humoured bartering. We absolutely loved walking through the back streets of Godowlia and enjoying all the little shops and cafes.

After a very interesting bus ride, local style, where we got extremely up close and personal with our fellow passengers, we got to Nepal. Passports successfully stamped we took what we thought was the safe tourist bus to Chitwan National Park. The concept of 'safe' is somewhat different in Nepal. Not even Jenson Button could have got us there any quicker! So many occasions we nearly drove head on into other buses and lorries on mountain passes. Our bus driver, no older than 23, took corners so fast that its a miracle we didn't go over the edge. At least death would have been quick! Having become rather more accustomed to near death experiences we thought a two day jungle safari trek was in order. We came to within 10m of a grazing Rhino, and even closer to a sleeping one. Our guides Lashmi and Rumu were more than a little worried, even though they were safely up a tree whilst the poor tourist were left dithering on the ground completely unaware of the looming danger. Saw numerous crocodiles, some more interested in us than others, deers, dive bombing monkeys, a tiger (well only one of our group actually saw it, the rest of us had to be satisfied with a fresh footprint!), and most exciting and dangerous of all jungle creatures, the fearsome and deadly jungle chicken!

We are now in Thamel Katmandu which the guide book describes as a bustling noisey and crazy. In contrast to what we have become accustomed to, we are finding it absolute bliss and love it. Two very happy travellers! We can see the Himalayas from our hotel room, our tour is booked and can't wait to get stuck in.