[Eric's journal] Today we walked to the Golden Triangle. It is the area with the high-rises, nicer hotels, malls and restaurants. Many of the malls were very nice. We wandered through the Manchester United store, Nike store, and watched part of the Super Bowl in Chilis. We looked up a lot of info on the Maldives in a huge bookstore. We wandered around the Petronus Towers, they don't seem that tall but I think it has to do with the architecture: it is staggered in many sections and I think the towers make up a large chunk of the height. We found out you need to get your pass to go up to the walkway on the 42d floor. Since we couldn't do that, we wandered over to the Telecoms Tower, the fourth tallest in the world. It is built on a 90m hill in a forest preserve. The observation deck is at 300m and has a stunning 360 degree view. They also have a good audio guide explaining what you are seeing. They also have a 15 minute video in the lobby covering the building of the tower. It is interesting how many of the buildings here intentionally have Islamic features designed into them. All this makes the Telecoms building a much better choice to go up than the Petronus Towers. You also get a tremendous view of the Towers from the Telecoms Tower.
[Emma's journal] Our last day in KL. Today we headed out to the Golden Triangle which is the newer part of KL. You could tell straightaway. It looked a lot like Singapore with the mirrored high rises and malls but somehow had more character. Maybe it was the Manchester United shop! We also visited the Petronus Towers. They didn't seem like they were the tallest buildings in the world. We though that maybe is was because they were tapered in as they got taller. We could not go up to the bridge that joins them as you needed to get a pass at 0830- way too early for us. ( Actually we didn't find that out until it was too late.) It would have been interesting to see what, if any, security measures they had implemented since 11 September 2001. I wonder in they do not worry since they are in a Muslim country.
That was another interesting thing about KL, although the Muslim women wear headscarves, there were not many who wore the more traditional dress. A lot had on western clothes, including sleeveless and short-sleeved shirts. They also walk hand-in-hand with their husbands/boyfriends- something I haven't even seen in London or Edward Street.
Friday, 28 August 2009
Sunday, 23 August 2009
26 Jan 2003 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] We arrived yesterday on the bus from Malacca. Another smooth trip; walked to the bus station, got tickets on the bus leaving in 15 minutes, another comfy air-conditioned bus. We had traffic coming into Kuala Lumpur (KL), you could see the Petronus Towers in the background. We wandered around Chinatown and had a good Chinese. For the Saturday market they close off the streets.
Today we wandered through the colonial district. Very funky old train station, looks like a mosque with all its towers and minarets. We went through the Islamic Arts Center. Very impressive architecture, large glass windows, domes, all white floors and walls, the brightness blinds you. good views across the street to the National Mosque. The center had a great display on different tents used by Muslims around the world throughout history. There was also a good exhibit of models of mosques from around the world. Very worthwhile to see. The mosque where the two rivers meet ( the city gets it name Kuala Lumpur, "muddy confluence") is picturesque with all the palm trees and the Petronus Towers and other skyscrapers in the distance.
You didn't see many Muslim women in Malacca with the head scarves. Here in KL they are all over. It is very different from the middle east as the scarves do not cover their face, just hair, ears, and chin. There are also lots of Muslim women working; in stores and behind the counters at McDonalds ( not that we would eat at McDonalds!). You see them with their arms around their husbands, or walking and talking with other men.
This reminds me of our flight on Qatar Airways. They have the screens on the TV monitors where they show the map of where the plane is, show the altitude, airspeed, miles to destination, time to destination, then they have another screen where they show a picture of the plane and which direction Mecca is and how many miles away it is.
Malaysia is a Muslim country yet you can get beer anywhere and we had good sweet and sour pork for dinner. It really appears that the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoist, and Christians all seem to get along and live intermingled amongst each other, each respecting the other's customs and lifestyle.
[Emma's journal] Onto KL. We caught the bus from Malacca to KL- again a fantastic coach; more legroom than you could even hope for. The trip took us 2.5 hours and only cost $2 each. The traffic coming into the city was horrendous. It's amazing that just about anywhere you go in the world there is traffic!
My first impression of KL was- blah! We did a walking tour of Chinatown and it just seemed hot, sticky and noisy without too much character. I guess when it is your fourth Chinatown in less than two weeks it has to be something very special to beat the previous three. Maybe if it had been the first one then I would have had the same opinion of one of the others. We had a great Chinese dinner sitting outside a restaurant on one of the main streets and then played a game of chess with a beer on the hostel's rooftop beer garden. It's amazing when dinner costs the same price as your room. The hostel is fine- once again the shower head comes straight of the wall in between the sink and the toilet- this is starting to feel normal!
On Sunday morning we walked to the Islamic Arts Museum. The Lonely Planet mentions that KL is not the easiest city to walk around since it is sliced up by lots of freeways. We confirmed this today when what looked like a simple walk turned into a bit of an adventure trying to find our way across the roads; but we made it without any injuries. The museum was great. The building was very impressive and had only been completed in 1998. They had an interesting display on the different types of tents used by nomads in Islamic countries. They had life-size models and explained how they were made and used.
After the museum we did what the Lonely Planet labelled "The Colonial Walk". This took in some older buildings including the "Padang" where the English use to play cricket ( there was a similar thing in Singapore; but there they still do play cricket) and the Supreme Court. We then continued on up into Little India which was much bigger than any of the others we have seen so far or at least seemed so. It may have been that we were walking around on a Sunday afternoon and therefore there were just a lot more people. Had another great dinner in Chinatown.
Today we wandered through the colonial district. Very funky old train station, looks like a mosque with all its towers and minarets. We went through the Islamic Arts Center. Very impressive architecture, large glass windows, domes, all white floors and walls, the brightness blinds you. good views across the street to the National Mosque. The center had a great display on different tents used by Muslims around the world throughout history. There was also a good exhibit of models of mosques from around the world. Very worthwhile to see. The mosque where the two rivers meet ( the city gets it name Kuala Lumpur, "muddy confluence") is picturesque with all the palm trees and the Petronus Towers and other skyscrapers in the distance.
You didn't see many Muslim women in Malacca with the head scarves. Here in KL they are all over. It is very different from the middle east as the scarves do not cover their face, just hair, ears, and chin. There are also lots of Muslim women working; in stores and behind the counters at McDonalds ( not that we would eat at McDonalds!). You see them with their arms around their husbands, or walking and talking with other men.
This reminds me of our flight on Qatar Airways. They have the screens on the TV monitors where they show the map of where the plane is, show the altitude, airspeed, miles to destination, time to destination, then they have another screen where they show a picture of the plane and which direction Mecca is and how many miles away it is.
Malaysia is a Muslim country yet you can get beer anywhere and we had good sweet and sour pork for dinner. It really appears that the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoist, and Christians all seem to get along and live intermingled amongst each other, each respecting the other's customs and lifestyle.
[Emma's journal] Onto KL. We caught the bus from Malacca to KL- again a fantastic coach; more legroom than you could even hope for. The trip took us 2.5 hours and only cost $2 each. The traffic coming into the city was horrendous. It's amazing that just about anywhere you go in the world there is traffic!
My first impression of KL was- blah! We did a walking tour of Chinatown and it just seemed hot, sticky and noisy without too much character. I guess when it is your fourth Chinatown in less than two weeks it has to be something very special to beat the previous three. Maybe if it had been the first one then I would have had the same opinion of one of the others. We had a great Chinese dinner sitting outside a restaurant on one of the main streets and then played a game of chess with a beer on the hostel's rooftop beer garden. It's amazing when dinner costs the same price as your room. The hostel is fine- once again the shower head comes straight of the wall in between the sink and the toilet- this is starting to feel normal!
On Sunday morning we walked to the Islamic Arts Museum. The Lonely Planet mentions that KL is not the easiest city to walk around since it is sliced up by lots of freeways. We confirmed this today when what looked like a simple walk turned into a bit of an adventure trying to find our way across the roads; but we made it without any injuries. The museum was great. The building was very impressive and had only been completed in 1998. They had an interesting display on the different types of tents used by nomads in Islamic countries. They had life-size models and explained how they were made and used.
After the museum we did what the Lonely Planet labelled "The Colonial Walk". This took in some older buildings including the "Padang" where the English use to play cricket ( there was a similar thing in Singapore; but there they still do play cricket) and the Supreme Court. We then continued on up into Little India which was much bigger than any of the others we have seen so far or at least seemed so. It may have been that we were walking around on a Sunday afternoon and therefore there were just a lot more people. Had another great dinner in Chinatown.
Saturday, 22 August 2009
24 Jan 2003 Malacca, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] We had a good day seeing the sights in Malacca. We took a boat tour up the river. The guide was very funny, reminded me of the jungle cruise at Disneyland. He pointed out that several scenes from the movie "Entrapment" were actually filmed on this river, including one where you see the Petronus Towers of Kuala Lumpur as the camera pans out. Apparently the government wasn't too happy about that. Saw lots of large monitor lizards swimming in the river and lounging on the rocks on the side. Had lunch at the Geographer Cafe then took a tour through the Nonya and Baba house. It was fascinating to see the inside of the house and how these Malay born Chinese lived. We wandered up the hill past St Paul's church (where St Francis Xavier was interned for many months upon his death) and the remains of the original Portuguese fort from the 16th century. Then we wandered in the cultural museum which is a replica of the original sultan's palace. This town is a fascinating mix of colonial Portuguese, Dutch, and English along with the cultural mix of Malay, Indian, Chinese and Islam. I still haven't learned the background of the windmill along the river across from Christ Church and the Stadthuys. it obviously was never operational and is only 10-15 feet tall. It looks very tacky. The last notable Malacca trait is the bike rickshaws which the drivers have lavishly decorated with plastic flowers, tinsel and any other shiny and ornate trinkets you can imagine.
Tonight we went back to the Geographer Cafe for dinner. On the weekends, the main road in Chinatown is shut down to traffic. All the restaurants put tables out in the street and there are lots of food vendors and any other kind of vendor. It is like a county fair. There are magicians, craft people who will put your name on a shell key chain or fashion it out of copper. Any kind of nick knack you can imagine is for sale. The street is covered by Chinese lanterns.
As we wandered around we heard "Tennessee Waltz" coming out of one of the Chinese Association buildings. We looked in and they were line dancing. There were men and women, old and young, all wearing matching red-collared shirts ( guessing it is the association shirt). After a pause, "Achy Breaky Heart" started up and they started again with a different line dance, clapping and spinning, one woman had her hands stuck in the top of her jeans, just as you see Americans do when they are line dancing.
Further down the street there was an even unfriendlier sound than country music, the bad Chinese of a man doing karaoke was coming out of a different association building. There were rows of chairs set up and the machine was up front. The chairs were filled with people enjoying (?) the karaoke. Several different people got up to do numbers before we had to move on. It is one thing when it is background noise in a bar but who would want to go just for entertainment?
As we continued on you could hear the call to prayer from the mosque the next street over float over the hustle and bustle of the Chinatown market.
[Emma's journal] Today we spent the day wandering around the town- it has quite a lot of historical buildings but in some ways they have ruined it slightly by adding too many touristy things- mainly the illuminated sign for the Stadthuys ( looks more like it belonged in Vegas) also the imitation windmill!
We took the river cruise which was very entertaining, the guide was quite funny. He pointed out a number of large monitor lizards along the banks; he had given them all names of movie stars. He also told us that the river and some of the shanty buildings along the river had been used in the movie "Entrapment".
We had lunch in the Geographer Cafe- very nice spot in Chinatown- so good we went back there for dinner. We visited an old typical house of the area which has been turned into a museum. it was very interesting and well worth the visit. The lady told us that they have different colour dishes for different occasions- those blue and white ones which mum has are only used when someone has died!
I think the funniest thing we saw in Malacca was when we walked through Chinatown- there were about 40 Chinese people doing line dancing in a Chinese temple to "Achy Breaky Heart"! We couldn't help but laugh! Our hotel in Malacca was really nice. It was an old typical style house which had been converted.
Tonight we went back to the Geographer Cafe for dinner. On the weekends, the main road in Chinatown is shut down to traffic. All the restaurants put tables out in the street and there are lots of food vendors and any other kind of vendor. It is like a county fair. There are magicians, craft people who will put your name on a shell key chain or fashion it out of copper. Any kind of nick knack you can imagine is for sale. The street is covered by Chinese lanterns.
As we wandered around we heard "Tennessee Waltz" coming out of one of the Chinese Association buildings. We looked in and they were line dancing. There were men and women, old and young, all wearing matching red-collared shirts ( guessing it is the association shirt). After a pause, "Achy Breaky Heart" started up and they started again with a different line dance, clapping and spinning, one woman had her hands stuck in the top of her jeans, just as you see Americans do when they are line dancing.
Further down the street there was an even unfriendlier sound than country music, the bad Chinese of a man doing karaoke was coming out of a different association building. There were rows of chairs set up and the machine was up front. The chairs were filled with people enjoying (?) the karaoke. Several different people got up to do numbers before we had to move on. It is one thing when it is background noise in a bar but who would want to go just for entertainment?
As we continued on you could hear the call to prayer from the mosque the next street over float over the hustle and bustle of the Chinatown market.
[Emma's journal] Today we spent the day wandering around the town- it has quite a lot of historical buildings but in some ways they have ruined it slightly by adding too many touristy things- mainly the illuminated sign for the Stadthuys ( looks more like it belonged in Vegas) also the imitation windmill!
We took the river cruise which was very entertaining, the guide was quite funny. He pointed out a number of large monitor lizards along the banks; he had given them all names of movie stars. He also told us that the river and some of the shanty buildings along the river had been used in the movie "Entrapment".
We had lunch in the Geographer Cafe- very nice spot in Chinatown- so good we went back there for dinner. We visited an old typical house of the area which has been turned into a museum. it was very interesting and well worth the visit. The lady told us that they have different colour dishes for different occasions- those blue and white ones which mum has are only used when someone has died!
I think the funniest thing we saw in Malacca was when we walked through Chinatown- there were about 40 Chinese people doing line dancing in a Chinese temple to "Achy Breaky Heart"! We couldn't help but laugh! Our hotel in Malacca was really nice. It was an old typical style house which had been converted.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
23 Jan 2003 Malacca, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] We had an uneventful journey from Kathmandu to Singapore. The only excitement was the cab ride to the airport. It was only 0600 and still dark. In an attempt to save gas, the cab drivers turn their lights off whenever they think they don't need them. ( How they know when to turn them on again I don't know.) Our flight on Royal Nepal to Bangkok was on time, the food was not very appetizing. The Bangkok airport is really nice and our Finn Air flight was early into Singapore and the food was quite good.
We caught the hotel taxi ( only S$7 each) to the hotel and all was well. The hotel is in Little India and when you walk out the door you can smell all the food and spices. We spent Tuesday wandering Orchard Road, Little India, Chinatown, and the CBD (Central Business District). They have added some restaurant areas along the river (Boat Quay and Clark Quay which has a Hooters even.) We checked with several travel agents on flights to Sumatra or Sabah and they were all a little more than we wanted to pay.
We met Peter Clark for drinks at Harry's Bar at Boat Quay. ( Gorgeous views of the river and parliament across the river.) Apparently this is where the rogue trader who brought one of the big banks down, used to drink. A friend of Peter's who he works with was visiting from Melbourne, so he came along with a native who is one of their suppliers, Ian also. After many beers we went next door and had a fabulous Indian dinner. Ian, the supplier, treated for everything, including an old Indian woman who read our palms. All good news and I am going to live to 94 and Emma to 96 and we were going to another country soon. ( By the way we were dressed we were obviously not expats but backpackers, none of whom stay in Singapore long.) Earlier in the day the Raffles Hotel wouldn't let us walk in the front door since we were in shorts and sandals.
After talking with Peter and native Ian, we decided to start up the west coast due to the monsoon season. The next day we bought bus tickets to Malacca, on the Malaysian south-west coast. The next night we went to Peter's apartment for dinner. The same gang came along and we got to meet Peter's wife Leonnie and two sons. They have a fabulously large four bedroom, eighth floor apartment with great breezes and views. They had a fabulous BBQ then we enjoyed the wonderful evening on the balcony. It is great being able to sit outside at night in shorts and t-shirt and be very comfortable.
This morning we took the bus to Malacca. The bus was air-conditioned and had huge amounts of legroom. They left right on time. At the Singapore end you have to get out to clear immigration, get back on, drive north across the causeway, then get out on the Malay side with all your luggage and clear customs and immigration. We made a short stop for lunch then pulled in right on time after a four-and-a-half hour trip.
We randomly picked the Eastern Heritage Guest House out of the Lonely Planet based on its recommended character. It is only $5.50 a night. It is in a beautiful old Melaka building built in 1918. The rooms are basic bed and fan, but very clean. We have both decided we don't really like the airconditioning as it dries you out. There is even a little soaking pool on the ground floor, about the size of a hot tub, but cool.
For dinner we went to Capitol Satay, where you cook your own satay in a pot at your table fondue style. Each stick was only 10 cents. It was very good as you just picked out whatever you wanted and cooked it. When you are done, they count the sticks and that's it. We had a huge dinner for $4.
[Emma's journal] We caught the bus from Singapore to Malacca. The trip took around four-and-a-half hours. Malacca is a strange place. It seems like an old sleepy town but there is so much traffic! I can only imagine that all these people have to drive through the town to get somewhere else, as there doesn't seem to be many people around.
We had a yummy dinner at a place where you choose your Satay sticks and then built into the table is a recess with a pot of satay mix and you cook them yourself. I never realised that was how Satay was cooked- I always thought that the meat was marinated and then the meat grilled. We had our whole meal for 15 ringets ($4).
We caught the hotel taxi ( only S$7 each) to the hotel and all was well. The hotel is in Little India and when you walk out the door you can smell all the food and spices. We spent Tuesday wandering Orchard Road, Little India, Chinatown, and the CBD (Central Business District). They have added some restaurant areas along the river (Boat Quay and Clark Quay which has a Hooters even.) We checked with several travel agents on flights to Sumatra or Sabah and they were all a little more than we wanted to pay.
We met Peter Clark for drinks at Harry's Bar at Boat Quay. ( Gorgeous views of the river and parliament across the river.) Apparently this is where the rogue trader who brought one of the big banks down, used to drink. A friend of Peter's who he works with was visiting from Melbourne, so he came along with a native who is one of their suppliers, Ian also. After many beers we went next door and had a fabulous Indian dinner. Ian, the supplier, treated for everything, including an old Indian woman who read our palms. All good news and I am going to live to 94 and Emma to 96 and we were going to another country soon. ( By the way we were dressed we were obviously not expats but backpackers, none of whom stay in Singapore long.) Earlier in the day the Raffles Hotel wouldn't let us walk in the front door since we were in shorts and sandals.
After talking with Peter and native Ian, we decided to start up the west coast due to the monsoon season. The next day we bought bus tickets to Malacca, on the Malaysian south-west coast. The next night we went to Peter's apartment for dinner. The same gang came along and we got to meet Peter's wife Leonnie and two sons. They have a fabulously large four bedroom, eighth floor apartment with great breezes and views. They had a fabulous BBQ then we enjoyed the wonderful evening on the balcony. It is great being able to sit outside at night in shorts and t-shirt and be very comfortable.
This morning we took the bus to Malacca. The bus was air-conditioned and had huge amounts of legroom. They left right on time. At the Singapore end you have to get out to clear immigration, get back on, drive north across the causeway, then get out on the Malay side with all your luggage and clear customs and immigration. We made a short stop for lunch then pulled in right on time after a four-and-a-half hour trip.
We randomly picked the Eastern Heritage Guest House out of the Lonely Planet based on its recommended character. It is only $5.50 a night. It is in a beautiful old Melaka building built in 1918. The rooms are basic bed and fan, but very clean. We have both decided we don't really like the airconditioning as it dries you out. There is even a little soaking pool on the ground floor, about the size of a hot tub, but cool.
For dinner we went to Capitol Satay, where you cook your own satay in a pot at your table fondue style. Each stick was only 10 cents. It was very good as you just picked out whatever you wanted and cooked it. When you are done, they count the sticks and that's it. We had a huge dinner for $4.
[Emma's journal] We caught the bus from Singapore to Malacca. The trip took around four-and-a-half hours. Malacca is a strange place. It seems like an old sleepy town but there is so much traffic! I can only imagine that all these people have to drive through the town to get somewhere else, as there doesn't seem to be many people around.
We had a yummy dinner at a place where you choose your Satay sticks and then built into the table is a recess with a pot of satay mix and you cook them yourself. I never realised that was how Satay was cooked- I always thought that the meat was marinated and then the meat grilled. We had our whole meal for 15 ringets ($4).
Thursday, 6 August 2009
22 Jan 2003 Singapore
[Emma's Journal] OK, so I completely failed with keeping my diary up to date for Nepal. Luckily we shall be back there in April so I can write then. We left Nepal early on Monday morning (20 Jan)-a cab (well what they call a cab) picked us up at 6:00 am. He kept intermittently switching his lights on and off. I think he thought he was saving petrol! Our next big shock of the morning was that Nepal charges 1100 Rupees ($13) to leave the country! That's after you pay $30 for an entry visa. That doesn't seem like much, but when a whole meal for two costs around $7 and our room was $6- it seemed pretty steep.
The flight was fine- we lucked out with the first row of seats. There were only a few westerners on the plane and I think we were the tallest by far!
We arrived at our hotel in Singapore early in the evening. The first thing that hit you was the typical Singaporean "order"; even in Little India where we were staying. This was exacerbated by the fact that we had just spent six days in chaos! We both had to laugh when we got in the minibus from the airport and the driver instructed us to wear our seat-belts.
Singapore did not seem to have changed too much since the last time I was there with mom and dad 11 years ago ( maybe it was 12). Although they have built two new buildings which look like the eyes of a fly. Apparently they are the new "arts venue".
We met up with Jona's (our brother-in-law) friend Peter. We sat outside Harry's Barwhich is famous as it was the place that Nick Leeson used to drink at before he brought down Barings. I am not surprised he had to fiddle the accounts, the prices were obscene! Peter also brought a couple of friends along- both Ians. One was an Aussie who played basketball for Australia and who's brother was CEO of the ICC (International Cricket Council) (apparently he was a solicitor for 15 years- there may be hope yet!) The other Ian was a Singaporean- a very interesting guy. Harry's reminded me of all the yuppie pubs in London with all the "suits" there- just 30 degrees warmer. The next night we went out to Peter and Leonie's apartment. What a great place with a fantastic view of the bay. We had a great evening.
The flight was fine- we lucked out with the first row of seats. There were only a few westerners on the plane and I think we were the tallest by far!
We arrived at our hotel in Singapore early in the evening. The first thing that hit you was the typical Singaporean "order"; even in Little India where we were staying. This was exacerbated by the fact that we had just spent six days in chaos! We both had to laugh when we got in the minibus from the airport and the driver instructed us to wear our seat-belts.
Singapore did not seem to have changed too much since the last time I was there with mom and dad 11 years ago ( maybe it was 12). Although they have built two new buildings which look like the eyes of a fly. Apparently they are the new "arts venue".
We met up with Jona's (our brother-in-law) friend Peter. We sat outside Harry's Barwhich is famous as it was the place that Nick Leeson used to drink at before he brought down Barings. I am not surprised he had to fiddle the accounts, the prices were obscene! Peter also brought a couple of friends along- both Ians. One was an Aussie who played basketball for Australia and who's brother was CEO of the ICC (International Cricket Council) (apparently he was a solicitor for 15 years- there may be hope yet!) The other Ian was a Singaporean- a very interesting guy. Harry's reminded me of all the yuppie pubs in London with all the "suits" there- just 30 degrees warmer. The next night we went out to Peter and Leonie's apartment. What a great place with a fantastic view of the bay. We had a great evening.
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Greetings from the roof of the world!
[20 Jan email sent to friends and family from Kathmandu]
We would like to thank everyone for all the responses to our emails. We love getting responses but since we have limited email access we can't get back with everyone.
We had a great time here in Kathmandu. We had a smooth trip over flying through Qatar. The weather has been gorgeous, sunny and warm during the day. We have mostly been relaxing and seeing the sites in town. We walked to Patan, just south of Kathmandu for a day and took the bus to Bhaktapur for a day, and have spent the rest seeing the sites in Kathmandu. We have visited the Durbar Squares in all three towns ( the main square around the old palace). All three are world heritage sites. They are filled with Hindu and Buddhist temples that are hundreds of years old and covered with intricate carvings.
One day we walked out to the monkey temple, a huge Buddhist temple just outside Kathmandu. It is on a large hill with spectacular views of the whole valley and the Himalayas to the north. We had to walk up some very long and steep steps to get to the top. There are monkeys running all over the temple and they like to show off. The temple is covered in colored prayer flags all blowing in the wind.
Everything is very cheap and we are getting lots of great food for cheap. ( Steak dinner with all the trimmings for $3) There is tons of shopping but we are holding out for now as we will be back in April to go trekking. We have enjoyed wandering the back alleys and seeing local life. Kathmandu is a very energetic, chaotic and exotic city. All around the city are Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Tomorrow we fly to Singapore. We only plan on staying for a couple days as we have both been before and want to avoid the cities and spend more time in the countryside. Sorry this one is so short but our connection is very slow and we will be back to see lots more of the country in April.
Love Eric and Emma
We would like to thank everyone for all the responses to our emails. We love getting responses but since we have limited email access we can't get back with everyone.
We had a great time here in Kathmandu. We had a smooth trip over flying through Qatar. The weather has been gorgeous, sunny and warm during the day. We have mostly been relaxing and seeing the sites in town. We walked to Patan, just south of Kathmandu for a day and took the bus to Bhaktapur for a day, and have spent the rest seeing the sites in Kathmandu. We have visited the Durbar Squares in all three towns ( the main square around the old palace). All three are world heritage sites. They are filled with Hindu and Buddhist temples that are hundreds of years old and covered with intricate carvings.
One day we walked out to the monkey temple, a huge Buddhist temple just outside Kathmandu. It is on a large hill with spectacular views of the whole valley and the Himalayas to the north. We had to walk up some very long and steep steps to get to the top. There are monkeys running all over the temple and they like to show off. The temple is covered in colored prayer flags all blowing in the wind.
Everything is very cheap and we are getting lots of great food for cheap. ( Steak dinner with all the trimmings for $3) There is tons of shopping but we are holding out for now as we will be back in April to go trekking. We have enjoyed wandering the back alleys and seeing local life. Kathmandu is a very energetic, chaotic and exotic city. All around the city are Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Tomorrow we fly to Singapore. We only plan on staying for a couple days as we have both been before and want to avoid the cities and spend more time in the countryside. Sorry this one is so short but our connection is very slow and we will be back to see lots more of the country in April.
Love Eric and Emma
19 Jan 2003 Kathmandu, Nepal
Another relaxing day; lunch basking in the sun on a terrace, then a walk into Durbar Square. We hired a guide to the square, Rama. He was very informative and we saw quite a few things that we had missed when wandering on our own. We learned more about the similarities of Hinduism and Buddhism and how they have merged in Nepal, much like the people have merged: the Mongol Buddhist from the north and the Indian Hindus from the south.
Most amusing of all was how he pointed out the graphic carvings of the kama sutra sex positions in the wooden struts under the pagoda roof. He explained that all temples right before the entrance to the palace had these carvings to distract angry people who had come to the palace with complaints and calm them down. This is not just in Durbar Square Kathmandu, but in all Durbar Squares. He also said that these carvings were also used for sex education. The people could come to see the carvings and learn about sex.
We paid for our hotel tonight and with tax it came to $6 per night!
Most amusing of all was how he pointed out the graphic carvings of the kama sutra sex positions in the wooden struts under the pagoda roof. He explained that all temples right before the entrance to the palace had these carvings to distract angry people who had come to the palace with complaints and calm them down. This is not just in Durbar Square Kathmandu, but in all Durbar Squares. He also said that these carvings were also used for sex education. The people could come to see the carvings and learn about sex.
We paid for our hotel tonight and with tax it came to $6 per night!
Saturday, 1 August 2009
18 Jan 2003 Kathmandu, Nepal
Today we made our first foray into the bus system. We were heading to
the town of Bhaktapur. We walked to where the trolley buses were
supposed to originate. None originated there, but after asking some questions we found the bus. They are definitely not designed for average height westerners. We could barely fit in the seats and even then only by sticking our feet in the aisle. They pack them in the bus and it makes lots of stops, wherever anyone waves them down. The conductor must have been only 15. He hangs out the door yelling to get customers, then runs up and down the aisle ( more like he squeezes by) collecting the fare. It cost us 8 Rupees (Rs) each (about 10 cents) so I guess you can't complain. It wasn't obvious when to get off (the conductor didn't speak any English). Luckily I noticed the tourist ticket office since this was not the one we were looking for and it was on the far side of town.
Bhaktapur is a gorgeous town and vehicle traffic is very restricted so you can wander around looking up and not worry about getting run over. It is also much more peaceful. Durbar Square is just as impressive as the other two. We had lunch in a converted pagoda in the middle of the nearby square. It was fun sitting on the top floor and watching life go by. We wandered into Potter's Square where they were hard at work turning out rows and rows of pots. The old men were spinning the pottery wheels with big sticks to get them going, then shaped the clay as it spun. The kids were busy pounding the clay into shape.
We then roamed to the original spot we were supposed to get off the bus to catch the bus back. It was a small corner that was chaos, with buses pulling in and out as we tried to figure out which bus was headed to Kathmandu. As we tried to stay out of the way. a bus honked at us and the conductor from our trip out jumped off and we were saved, and headed back to Kathmandu.
Traffic on the roads is quite an experience. There are a wide variety of vehicles on the road and traffic regulations appear to be only guidelines. There are hordes of bikes, not as many as China, but sometimes the bike packs prevent you from being able to see and cars behind them. There are the bike rickshaws (mostly around Thamel to Durbar Square). Next in quantity are the motorbikes, many with full loads or women passengers riding sidesaddle in their saris. Then there are the little three wheel taxis that can carry maybe two or three. Then there are a proliferation of cars and taxis. Most of the cars are small, old, and look rundown, but then there are brand new SUVs in the mix, usually Mitsubishis. Then there are the minibuses. These each have two rows of seats in back that run lengthwise. Probably eight people should fit but you see them driving around with up to 14 or 15. There are dozens of sizes of buses and trucks that go into the mix. Throw all these onto roads with almost no traffic signals or markings on the road, narrow roads filled with potholes and other hazards, and you have quite a thrill ride if you dare open your eyes.
We left home with our backpack fit for our six month journey. Like any modern adventurer, we have a short wave radio, the latest Lonely Planet (LP) guidebooks, clothes made from the latest fabrics, minidisc player with our favorite tunes, a water filter so we can filter our water so we don't have to but bottles (environmentally friendly as most places don't recycle the plastic bottles), pacsafes (a wire mesh net you can put over your backpack to keep it from getting broken into or stolen), mosquito netting, malaria pills, Cipro (for traveller's diarrhea) along with a few other toys and essentials.
the town of Bhaktapur. We walked to where the trolley buses were
supposed to originate. None originated there, but after asking some questions we found the bus. They are definitely not designed for average height westerners. We could barely fit in the seats and even then only by sticking our feet in the aisle. They pack them in the bus and it makes lots of stops, wherever anyone waves them down. The conductor must have been only 15. He hangs out the door yelling to get customers, then runs up and down the aisle ( more like he squeezes by) collecting the fare. It cost us 8 Rupees (Rs) each (about 10 cents) so I guess you can't complain. It wasn't obvious when to get off (the conductor didn't speak any English). Luckily I noticed the tourist ticket office since this was not the one we were looking for and it was on the far side of town.
Bhaktapur is a gorgeous town and vehicle traffic is very restricted so you can wander around looking up and not worry about getting run over. It is also much more peaceful. Durbar Square is just as impressive as the other two. We had lunch in a converted pagoda in the middle of the nearby square. It was fun sitting on the top floor and watching life go by. We wandered into Potter's Square where they were hard at work turning out rows and rows of pots. The old men were spinning the pottery wheels with big sticks to get them going, then shaped the clay as it spun. The kids were busy pounding the clay into shape.
We then roamed to the original spot we were supposed to get off the bus to catch the bus back. It was a small corner that was chaos, with buses pulling in and out as we tried to figure out which bus was headed to Kathmandu. As we tried to stay out of the way. a bus honked at us and the conductor from our trip out jumped off and we were saved, and headed back to Kathmandu.
Traffic on the roads is quite an experience. There are a wide variety of vehicles on the road and traffic regulations appear to be only guidelines. There are hordes of bikes, not as many as China, but sometimes the bike packs prevent you from being able to see and cars behind them. There are the bike rickshaws (mostly around Thamel to Durbar Square). Next in quantity are the motorbikes, many with full loads or women passengers riding sidesaddle in their saris. Then there are the little three wheel taxis that can carry maybe two or three. Then there are a proliferation of cars and taxis. Most of the cars are small, old, and look rundown, but then there are brand new SUVs in the mix, usually Mitsubishis. Then there are the minibuses. These each have two rows of seats in back that run lengthwise. Probably eight people should fit but you see them driving around with up to 14 or 15. There are dozens of sizes of buses and trucks that go into the mix. Throw all these onto roads with almost no traffic signals or markings on the road, narrow roads filled with potholes and other hazards, and you have quite a thrill ride if you dare open your eyes.
We left home with our backpack fit for our six month journey. Like any modern adventurer, we have a short wave radio, the latest Lonely Planet (LP) guidebooks, clothes made from the latest fabrics, minidisc player with our favorite tunes, a water filter so we can filter our water so we don't have to but bottles (environmentally friendly as most places don't recycle the plastic bottles), pacsafes (a wire mesh net you can put over your backpack to keep it from getting broken into or stolen), mosquito netting, malaria pills, Cipro (for traveller's diarrhea) along with a few other toys and essentials.
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