India and Nepal Wrap Up

We're now in Dubai.  I'm sitting in our hotel room which is on the 60th floor of the JW Marriott Marquis, one of the worlds tallest hotels.  In the distance I can see the Burg Al Arab Hotel.  This is the hotel that is shaped like a large sail.  Behind it is the Atlantis Hotel which is on the man made palm tree shaped island.  I'm thinking there is a little bit of money here.



The Burg Al Arab Hotel



The Atlantis Hotel and man made islands


To sum India and Nepal up in just one word I'd have to go with WOW!  We were fortunate enough to see and experience some amazing things in the time we were there.  Some great, such as the Taj Mahal, Varanasi (Ganges River), Mount Everest, the helicopter ride to Annapurna Base Camp and Chitwan National Park.  Some not so great such as the noise, pollution, cow poop landmines, traffic, bumpy roads full of cows, goats, pigs, camels, even an occasional elephant and the incredible poverty in many places.  The positive and negative assault on all senses played out everyday just as we had been told it would.  No matter where we were or what we were doing we'll always remember the people.  We were welcomed with friendly smiles everywhere we went by proud people who seemed genuinely honored that we were visiting their countries.  Both of these countries that are so rich in history face significant challenges to assure the health and wellbeing of their citizens  There are cultural, social and political issues making this an uphill battle.  The good news is they seem to be making progress.  I'm pulling for them
This wasn't a typical "Tucker Trip" which tends to move at a pretty relaxed pace in a comfortable environment.  It was fast paced and hectic from beginning to end but it was amazing.  We both agreed as we were taking off from Delhi that there were more "wow" moments in this adventure than in anything we've ever done before.................and we made it out without getting the famous GI crud known as "Delhi Belly"!
Mostly a day of Rest and Relaxation here at the hotel today.  Looking forward to exploring this unique part of the world starting tomorrow.

Chitwan National Park, Nepal

After our last night in Pokhara we said goodbye to eight members of our traveling party.  Irwin & Carmencita (Napa, Calif), Terry & Judy (Bend, Or), Chuck & Janet (Spokane, Wa) and Bob & Diana (Spokane, Wa).  They headed back to Kathmandu to start their long journey home.  Five of us Marsha (Kansas City), Dan and Steven (Boston) and Beth and I added on a visit to Chitwan National Park.  Having never done a "tour package" before we didn't know what to expect.  One thing is very clear now is that the group can make or break it.  We all bonded with each other instantly and had a great time together.  I'm pretty sure we'll be staying in touch some in the future as we go our separate ways.
We had a different guide for our Chitwan adventure.  A nice gentleman named Dep who along with serving as a guide is a professor at a university in Pokhara.  As we started our trip by bus he told us it was around 100 miles and that it would take approximately six hours.  He also said that we'd get a good massage/spinal realignment along the way.  He was right on all accounts.  We were cruising along and reached a rest stop that seemed well more than half way there in about two and a half hours.  At that point he said that down the road a short distance it was going to get "rough" for 36 kilometers because of road damage from the 2015 earthquake.  Well, he was right again.  We've been on some bumpy roads in our travels but nothing quite like this particular road.  We bounced, shook, rattled and rolled along at a snails pace.  We pulled into the Barahi Jungle Lodge pretty much right on schedule, six hours after leaving Pokhara.  I'm not sure if I would call it a relaxing massage or spinal realignment but we definitely got a little bit of both.
The lodge sits in a buffer zone along a river bank just outside the National Park.  It is only three years old and is amazing.  Outstanding food, great service, great individual cottages and absolute serenity.  It was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the major cities that we had been staying in along the way.
http://www.chitwannationalpark.gov.np
https://www.barahijunglelodge.com
We had several planned activities at the park.  They all related to the park itself or the culture of the Nepali people who live in this remote area.  The cultural show even included Steven and I on stage dancing.  No big surprise, he was a much better dancer than me.  There was a jeep safari where we saw a number of one horned rhino's.  These huge creatures are highly endangered and the park has the largest concentration of them anywhere in the world.  We also did a float down the river to a spot where two rivers merge for a sunset that featured a small barbeque.
The two highlights of Chitwan involved elephants.  We did an elephant safari which was about a two hour ride on the back of one of the four park elephants.  The way I had to sit on the elephant meant that I really didn't have any feeling in my legs for about the last 45 minutes of the ride. It was well worth it and circulation quickly returned when I stood up.  
We had a "National Geographic" moment along the way.  We came across a rhino that had been injured in an overnight fight with another rhino.  Our guide told us that mating season was coming up and that the males were fighting for dominance, territory and females.  This was an old rhino whose better days are behind him.  He had a large cut on his side and was so exhausted he could barely lift his head, much less stand up.  The good news was that the guide felt that after a few hours rest he'd be up and on his way.  He just won't have much status in the jungle anymore.  Between the elephant and jeep safari we saw more than a dozen rhinos, monkeys, crocodiles, wild boar, three types of deer and tons of native and migrating birds. We were hoping to see one of the more than 100 tigers in the park but they're real elusive and rarely seen.
The highlight of the adventures was bathing the elephants, or maybe it's more accurate to say bathing with the elephants.  We were given the opportunity to ride these huge creatures bareback into the river.  Once in the river they would fill their trunks with water, curl their trunks back and soak their backs and us with water.  Later on one of the handlers had his elephant lay down in the river for a massage by five travelers who couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces.
Our India and Nepal adventure is coming to an end.  We flew back to Kathmandu late yesterday where we were promptly greeted with a traffic jam (although not as bad as the last one).  It's now Saturday morning here.  Later today we fly to New Delhi, then on to Dubai for a week.  Dubai will obviously be quite different from India and Nepal.  This part of the journey has created some memories that will be at or near the top of our travel adventures.  We're looking forward to seeing what Dubai has to offer.

Beth and her new friend

I'm about a second away from getting soaked

He acted like he was going to charge the jeep.  Thankfully he didn't!

Sunset and barbeque on the river 

Old fella isn't the stud he once was but they said he would recover.  Notice the gash on his side.  I'm sure in his day he won a lot of these battles.



The rest of our gang on their elephant at the river.

Spotted Deer

What's that lady doing on my back?

There are adventures pretty much all day every day.  This is making it a challenge to keep current on the blog and creates another issue for me.  I have to try to remember everything that we've done and the order in which we did them.  So here we go again, stepping back in time a few days.
We were up early Monday morning for a short, pleasant flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara.  Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal.  It's population is about half that of Kathmandu but the city is spread out over a much wider area.  This makes traffic seem much less intense and getting around much easier.  The city has seven lakes but the one where we spent the most time was Phewa Lake.  This lake is about 4 miles long and a mile wide at it's widest place.  The lakefront area of Phewa Lake was filled with restaurants, hotels, bars and shops.  Many of the shops catered to hikers or "trekkers" as they are known around here.  The town is at the base of the Himalaya's and is the starting point for many of the treks/hikes into the mountains.
At the end of the day we enjoyed strolling along the lakeside area for a bit with a couple who were on our tour with us (Irwin and Carmencita).  After a little ice cream we ran across a spa that offered massages.  Beth took charge of the situation and lead us into the spa where we all enjoyed what was advertised as a foot massage.  It was great and it really did focus on the feet and lower legs until the end.  As my masseuse was finishing up I heard her climb up on the table.  At first she dug her elbows into my back like she was trying to remove my liver.  The next thing I know I feel four pressure points on my back. I quickly realize that not only is she digging in with her elbows but now her knees are in on the action.  It was torturous pleasure at no additional charge!  Come to find out everyone had gotten the same Grand Finale treatment...........so much for me getting a bonus treatment.
Tuesday started with a bang.  We did something that we had never done before as a couple.  We did a helicopter flight.  I had been on a helicopter before but it was Beth's first time.  We flew from the local airport to base camp on the deadliest mountain (for climbers) in the world.  While Everest is slightly higher, Annapurna Mountain is no slacker in size.  It has five peaks with the tallest being Annapurna 1 or Main at just over 26,000 feet.  The basecamp for Annapurna 1 was just over 13,500 feet above sea level.  Just as a reference, the Colorado Rocky Mountains brag about their mountain peaks that are over 14,000 feet high.  As far as deadly goes, it's not even close.  There have been just under two hundred summit attempts and 61 fatalities.  The fatality to summit ratio is 32 percent.  Not very good odds if you ask me. 
When we landed the helicopter at base camp we were surprised to be greeted by around 50 or so folks.  These weren't people who were attempting to summit the mountain.  Just trekkers passing through basecamp.  We talked to a few of them during our time on the ground (about 30 minutes).  Some had taken routes that had gotten them there in two days while others had taken longer routes and had been trekking for seven days.  I couldn't tell if they were amused or not when I told them that it was only a 15 minute helicopter ride.  The flight up and back as well as the views from base camp were out of this world.
We finished our time in Pokhara with a visit to a local village.  We had lunch at the house of a gentleman (Robbie) who is the leader of the village.  He's working hard to make sure the village survives and is introducing tourism into the area.  He's built not only his house but several houses into small airbnb type places.  Pretty rustic but they do seem to be working.  We also visited a local school that is fighting to survive as well.  It was a holiday but around a dozen of the children were there to greet us and show us around.  Beth had her a buddy from the start.  Her name was Nameela.  She had a great smile, grabbed Beth's hand and didn't hardly let go until we were leaving.  The school is growing, the kids are excited about learning English as well as other subjects.  One other thing the school is doing really well is making it a place for all the children.  Under the caste system the children of the three upper castes do not socialize with the children of the lower class (they actually call them "the untouchables".  It's hard to comprehend but this system has been in place throughout India as well as Nepal for a long time.  At the school there is no caste.  Just smiling faces learning and playing together.  Thanks to Robbie and the school the future of  this small village on the outskirts of Pokhara seems bright.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Nepal
I've got more exciting stories to tell but it's almost 9:00 here and getting past our bedtime.

A selfie at 13,500 feet!



Basecamp.  Not quite all the luxuries of home but shelter and a place to fix a warm meal.  It had gotten down to 20 degrees overnight and winter is still a while off.



The secret to getting to base camp in fifteen minutes

Sun coming up over the Annapurna Mountains

Robbie's Mother.  She's the one that prepared the meal as well as the necklaces that she gave all of us.  She's 67 years old.



Beth and her friend Nameela!  That's Robbie in the background.

Monkey Business and the Mother of All Traffic Jams

The Everest flightseeing was optional so after it was over we rejoined those in our group that chose not to do it.  We were then off to see the sights of this capital city.  First up was the "Monkey Temple" as it is commonly known.  As you might expect it's a temple and yep, it was covered with monkeys.  They were in the trees, on the side walks, zipping along the railings and rooftops of this large temple.  Fortunately they seemed to mind their own business although it certainly was a little strange being surrounded by wild monkeys from babies to adults.  Maybe someone has convinced them that humans are sacred just as the Hindu's believe that the monkeys are sacred?  The temple was located fairly high up so there was a little bit of climbing involved to get to the top.  Once we were up there we had a nice view of the city of Kathmandu which is packed into a fairly small area.  We didn't know it at the time but compactness of the city would lead to a little bit of a challenge later in the day.
One of the things we learned from our guide was that Hindu is a religion and Buddhism is a philosophy.  We also learned that on guided tours you're going to see your fair share of both Hindu Temples and Buddhist Stupas.  Throughout the day we saw plenty of both.  We also enjoyed a bit of time in the city of Patan.   Other than crossing a small bridge over a muddy river you wouldn't know you had left Kathmandu and were now in the city of Patan.  It did have an interesting Royal Palace area that had been converted into a museum that we roamed about for a while.  One of the most interesting things we learned about there was the annual animal sacrifice that still takes place.  I can't remember all the animals but it included Water Buffalo, Goats, Sheep, Chickens and Ducks. They are brought to the courtyard and sacrificed.  There was even a dried Water Buffalo's intestines hanging above a door to ward off the evil spirits.  I'm not sure what day of the year this event occurs.  I wouldn't want to be around on that day and I'll bet the animals aren't too excited about it either.
As the sun was setting we headed back to the hotel.  It was Sunday afternoon about 6:00 PM.  In Nepal the work week is Sunday through Friday so we were smack dab in the middle of the afternoon traffic rush which was actually no rush at all.  According to google maps the distance from Patan back to the hotel was a little less than five miles.  It took us around two and a half  hours to cover that distance.  I've been in heavy traffic at different times in different places but in my book this was the mother of all traffic jams.  The one thing that I'm extremely grateful for was the group we are traveling with on this adventure.  We were tired and getting a little antsy but we weren't going to let a little inconvenience ruin the day............real travelers and new found friends!

At the Monkey Temple

Kathmandu from the top of the Monkey Temple

Getting water to the top of the temple.......probably around 150 steps

A boy at a temple in Patan. He was chosen to live at the temple for a month.  He helps out and calls the locals to prayer everyday at 5:30 by walking the streets ringing a large bell.

Kathmandu

India is in the rearview mirror and we're now in Kathmandu, Nepal. 
In the short time that we've been here we've gotten quite a lesson in the history of the country as well as a complete immersion into the culture.  Nepal is much smaller in size than India and has a population of just over 29 million (compared to India's 1.3 billion).  Kathmandu is the capital and largest city with a little over two million people.
There have been two significant events in the countries recent history.  First, on June 1, 2001 the entire royal family was murdered at a family gathering.  The culprit was the King and Queens son who killed himself after the massacre.  The reason, he couldn't have his cake and eat it too.  It seems as if he had fallen in love with a young girl from India that was from a lower caste.  The King and Queen would only allow him to marry her if he gave up his right to be the future king.  I guess he didn't like the answer but his solution wasn't a good one.  The King's brother was out of the country at the time and was uninjured so he was appointed the new King.  However, he declared that there would be no more Royal Family in Nepal so the country is now a democracy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepalese_royal_massacre
In April, 2015 an 8.1 magnitude earthquake hit the country killing close to 9,000.  Many buildings in Kathmandu were damaged in the quake even though the epicenter was over 100 miles away and the quake was very deep.  The recovery is still going on today.  However, there are encouraging signs.  A new underground freshwater system is being installed throughout the city.  It's creating some bumpy roads right now but will hopefully ensure a brighter future for the citizens of the city.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_2015_Nepal_earthquake
It's Sunday morning around 9:00 AM local time but we've already had an amazing adventure today.  We were up before 5:00 and on our way to the airport at 5:45 for a flight out to get an up close view of Mount Everest.  Unbelievable!  We flew on a nineteen passenger prop plane operated by Buddha Air (really, that's the name of the airline).  The whole experience was something that we will never forget and we haven't been able to wipe the smiles off our faces.  We flew out of the domestic terminal at the Kathmandu airport.  We had to go through the usual security process although it wasn't too rigorous.  Once we were on the plane and near the mountain we were allowed to go up to the cockpit to get a "pilots eye" view of the Himalaya's and the big guy.  Wouldn't have really needed a weapon if we had been terrorists!
https://www.buddhaair.com/mountain-flight-nepal/information.html
The English translation of Himalaya is "Snow House" and the snow house is incredible to see up close.  We flew to within three miles of Everest.  We have a few pictures but they really don't do it justice and we spent most of the time simply soaking up the moment instead of trying to capture it.
What a way to start a Sunday in Nepal! 

Excited to fly Buddha Air and see the mountains

Before the big flight

Everest is the tall one on the left (taken from the cockpit)



Everest Beer.  Honoring Nima Gombu a Sherpa Guide who climbed Everest 12 times!

 

A closer view..............fair to say it's as close as we'll ever get to the summit

The Boudhanath (Buddhist Temple or Stupa).  We received a special blessing from the monks who live there.



 

Sex Temples and a surreal experience (but not at the same time)

We're back in Delhi now and have a better internet connection.  I've added some additional pictures to the last blog.
From Orchha it was on to Khajuraho.  In Khajuraho there was another temple complex.  These temples were older than the ones in Orchha.  They were built between 950 and 1050.  They had been abandoned, covered with trees, brush, etc. and were discovered by the British in 1838.  When they were discovered I can only imagine what those Brits must have been thinking.  These temples were in a remote location so they hadn't been destroyed by Muslim invaders as the majority of temples had been.  The carvings on the walls were in excellent shape.  Additionally many of the carvings were very erotic!  It seems as if the ruler of the day had two thoughts in mind.  One, erotic carvings lead to erotic events which lead to more children to protect the kingdom.  Secondly, he believed that the carvings represented what "heaven" was like.  Take a look at a few of the pictures below and see for yourself.  It might be a good way to increase church attendance.
Our last city to visit was Varanasi.  This city is located on the Ganges River.  This city and the river in particular are the holiest of sites for the Hindu's.  It would be similar to Mecca for Muslims, Bethlehem or Jerusalem for Christians or the Temple Mount for Jews.  Sunrise and sunset are especially interesting times to visit the river area.  At sunrise many come to bath in the river as well as to pray and meditate.  At sunset there is a ceremony that tells the story of the history of Varanasi and it's place of significance to the Hindu.  We were able to enjoy both sunrise and sunset from small boats in the river.  It was a surreal experience in and of itself but it was made even more surreal by what we witnessed in the evening.
Many Hindu's see Varanasi as such a holy site that they often move there later in life so they can die and be cremated along the banks of the river.  There is a large area set aside for cremations which happen there throughout the afternoon and evening.  As we approached the area by boat there were around 15-20 different fires burning.  Each of the fires was a cremation taking place.  Additionally there were several wrapped bodies along the riverbank that as our guide pointed out were "in the que".  We actually watched as one of the wrapped bodies was taken into the river for cleansing before being placed on a wooden pyre.  Additional wood is then placed on top of the body which is then lit by members of the family if they are present or by attendants if family are not there.  Once the cremation is complete the ashes are usually placed in the river. It was one of the most surreal things I have ever seen.  Not sad, not somber, not disgusting but a part of the culture of the Hindu's.
http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2014/08/07/the-pyres-of-varanasi-breaking-the-cycle-of-death-and-rebirth/  




We're leaving this amazing country tomorrow and heading for Nepal.  There have been so many interesting sites, scenes, sounds and smells all along the way.  Whoever told me that India is an assault on all your senses in both good and bad ways couldn't have said it any better.  It's impossible to accurately describe it.  We feel very fortunate to have been able to experience a very small part of it.

Khajuraho Temple Complex

Main Temple in the Khajuraho Complex

The three domes represent the three main faiths in India, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim.

Oh my!



Oh my again!

Khajuraho

Beth offering up a prayer candle on the Ganges River



.

Cremation pyres at night.  You are only allowed to take pictures from a distance

Along the Ganges at sunrise

Our group heading out at sunrise.  The two young men in front rowed the boat.

Morning bathing in the Ganges

Cremation site in the morning.  Notice the large piles of wood.

Sunrise on the river

You're always sharing the road!

Fruit and vegetable markets are everywhere

Holy Sh*t! There are a lot of cows here.

Beth and I have quickly learned that touring with a group is a whole different ballgame.  We tend to move at a pretty leisurely pace when we travel.  Also, we've never met a bench under a shade tree that we haven't liked.  There isn't much time for that in group travel.  So far on this trip the latest wakeup call that we've had has been 6:30.  That being said, this is the only way to see India and we're extremely pleased with our tour company, Friendly Planet.  The wake up call today was at 4:45 but it was well worth it, but that's for another blog later on.  I'm running a few days behind.  Unfortunately the wifi at our current hotel is very limited so I haven't been able to download pictures.  I'll try to catch up with the pictures when possible which may be a few days away.
It's Thursday morning now in India but I'm going to go back a few days and share with you some of the adventures from Tuesday and Wednesday.  We finished off our Tuesday in Agra (where the Taj Mahal is located) by having "High Tea" at the home of a very nice Indian couple.  She had prepared some delicious goodies and they shared with us stories of their marriage (arranged), their children (2-a girl who is a dentist and a boy who is studying engineering) and their country.  They were very proud of it all which was very understandable.
Wednesday was a doozy!  As usual we were up bright and early, and off to the Agra train station to catch a train for the next leg of the journey.  The train station was as crazy busy as any street.  There were even a few cows roaming around the train platform although I didn't see any actually board the train.
The train ride was about two and a half hours to the city of Jhansi.  We had an air conditioned coach complete with semi-comfortable seats.  The seats were actually a little wet and we were told it was because they had been cleaned the night before!  Many of the cars were not air conditioned and looked to offer only limited seating.  Of course if you really wanted to go the economical route I guess you could have ridden on the roof.  It was quite an experience and made me appreciate Amtrak and the metro in major US cities.
Once we arrived at Jhansi the real "Dance with Death" began.  It was a six hour bus ride to the city of Khajuraho.  We were now out in the "country" which simply meant narrower roads with equally as many motorized and self propelled vehicles and a heck of a lot more cows!
Beth did a little research and learned that there are over three hundred million cows in India.  Just to bring some perspective to that number it's pretty dang close to the population of the entire United States!  I'm sure somewhere in India there are cows that are living in nice pastures away from the roads but we haven't seen them yet.  It seems as if the favorite gathering place of this sacred animal is either on the side of the road or in the middle of the road.  We had a few nice stops along the way but as we were driving it was a constant dodging of men, women, children, cows, goats, donkeys, pigs, etc.  All while moving at a fairly high rate of speed.  Just for kicks I timed the number of times per minute that our bus driver blew the horn.  It looked like it was averaging between 5-6 times per minute.  It was an incredible orchestration of dexterity to watch.  Driving, swerving, shifting gears and blowing the horn while to the best of my knowledge never hitting anything.
We stopped to tour an amazing Hindu temple complex in the city of Orchha.  They were built in the 16th and 17th centuries.  While many of the surrounding temples were destroyed by invaders these were built as a fortress that survived the destruction and were amazing to see. 
At this time of the year there are many pilgrimages taking place throughout India.  There were large numbers of female Hindu women who had traveled to Orchha to pray.  A large group of them broke out in a traditional song much to the delight of their fair skinned visitors.
Back to the cows.  Our guide (Ki) has taught us a number of things about cows over the past week or so.  First of all he taught us to always be on the lookout for "landmines" aka cow poop.  Sharing the sidewalks with 300 million cows can quickly lead to some messy shoes if you're not careful.  So far Beth and I have managed to sidestep them pretty good but there is potential disaster with almost every step.
He also often refers to it as "Holy Sh*t".  Technically for a Hindu this is correct.  The cow is holy and the sh*t is sh*t!  Being that it's in good supply there are a number of practical uses for the stuff.  It's used as fertilizer for the numerous fruits and vegetables that are grown.  It is also dried in the sun and used as a "firewood" for cooking as well as heating, especially during the monsoon season.  Lastly, he said it can be used as a type of mortar for the construction of walls and roofs.  So there you go.  Hopefully the next time you see a big patty you'll have a new appreciation and if you step in it feel free to go ahead and let out a good .................HOLY SH*T.

Our "bullet train"

At the temple in Orchha

Hindu women on a pilgrimage to the temple.  They broke out in song for us shortly after this picture was made.




I've added some additional pictures from around and inside the temple complex in Orchha below: