The Top of the World!

It's kind of hard to believe but in just a little over 36 hours the overseas part of this adventure will be over.  From the zaniness of practically all things India, the serenity of Chitwan National Park in Nepal to the "over the top" of Dubai, it's been a blast.  When we leave Dubai we'll be heading to New York (14 hour flight) where we'll spend a week before heading to Texas to visit Ben for Thanksgiving.  I'm anxious to see how New York stacks up.  It's always seemed so hectic, busy and tall but it may seem like a more relaxed place and not quite so tall now.
Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a population of close to three million.  Historically speaking the region where Dubai is located dates back to the seventh century but in reality it's pretty much a city that has sprung up in the last 20-30 years.  Oil was discovered in the area in the 60's which got the ball rolling, but the real growth started in the 90's.  It would be easy to compare Dubai to Las Vegas.  They both were built in the desert and they both are very over the top, but that's probably where the comparisons end.  Vegas is built around the gaming industry while Dubai is much more diverse.  There is a focus on tourism, trade and oil and with the money they have here everything they do is done in a big way.
http://www.condohotelsdubai.com/articles/dubai-incredible.html
We're staying at the world's tallest hotel.  This morning we were pretty much on top of the world when we went to the observation deck of the Burj Khaliaf, the worlds tallest building.  The tallest building is attached to the world's largest mall.  You can get there by taking the world's first driverless metro...........I think you get the picture.  Over here it's go big or go home.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_hotels
http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/index.aspx
In addition to checking out Dubai we also did a tour of Abu Dhabi yesterday.  Adu Dhabi is the second largest city in the UAE and also serves as the capital.  Unlike Dubai, there is construction taking place but it's actually at a much more normal pace.  Adu Dhabi was modern, clean and calm.  The palaces and government buildings were immaculate.  The Corniche (beachfront promenade) was spectacular but the most impressive site was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.  The mosque will accommodate over 40,000 worshippers under it's 82 domes, over 1000 columns and massive chandeliers.  It was an amazing site to see both from the outside and inside. 
https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/see.and.do/attractions.and.landmarks/family.attractions/abu.dhabi.corniche.aspx
https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/see.and.do/attractions.and.landmarks/family.attractions/sheikh.zayed.grand.mosque.aspx
We've got a few more adventures before heading out.  Tonight is a desert safari which includes a dune bashing jeep ride, camel ride, sand dune surfing, dinner and belly dancing (trained professionals, not me) and more.  Tomorrow we do a little bit more of a tour of the city and a dinner cruise before heading to the airport for our 2:45 AM flight.  36+ hours is plenty of time for some more fun!

Outside the Zayed Grand Mosque

Main dome of the mosque taken through a gateway

Hallway around the outside of the mosque

Main Prayer Room-There were three huge 24 carrot gold chandeliers inside.

Part of the Royal Palace Complex

Ferrari World-  An amusement park with the worlds fastest roller coaster............no, we're too old!

From the 124th observation deck of the Burj Khalifa

Dubai at sunset

Oman! I can almost see Iran from here.

Yesterday was Beth's birthday.  We celebrated by checking off another country.  This time it was Oman which is a relatively small country located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.  Our destination was the town of Dibba which was a little over two hours by bus from Dubai.  We actually didn't touch the ground in Oman for more than 200 yards total.  After the border crossing we hopped off the bus and walked a short distance to our awaiting boat.  When we returned later in the day we walked the short distance back to the bus and headed back to Dubai.  It wasn't too much "land time" but we did cross the border and set foot in the country.
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Dibba_(Musandam_Peninsula) 
Although we didn't enjoy much by land we did enjoy time in the Oman coastal waters in the Gulf of Oman.  Our Dhow (Arabian Boat) with about 30-40 passengers from all over the world sailed along the coast's pristine waters with treeless mountains serving as a backdrop.  On two separate occasions the boat anchored for about an hour each time to allow us to swim.  The water was nice and warm as well as crystal clear.  Although it wasn't as salty as the Dead Sea the salt content in the water must have been pretty high.  I could easily do something that I usually can't do, even in salt water, and that's float.
In addition to the sightseeing and swimming we had lunch on the boat.  The meal included beef curry, chicken, fish, rice, vegetables and fruit.  We also got to try fishing by hand line for a bit although the fish weren't biting too good.  In the time we fished there were only two small fish and one decent sized barracuda (around two feet) caught.
It was kind of strange knowing that from where we were swimming that Iran was less than 60 miles across the way.  Not wanting to be the "Ugly American" I didn't make any obscene gestures their way................................. although it was tempting.

Cruising the Oman coast



Limestone Cave

What a Dhow looks like

Two hand lines and still no action

An old person diving off the boat

Surrounded by Women!

We rested up most of yesterday at the hotel.  Late in the day we did venture out a bit.  The hotel offers a free shuttle to the Dubai Mall and we're all about "free things".  The Dubai Mall isn't an ordinary mall.  Size wise it's the largest mall in the world (internal sq. foot area is 5.9 million).  As best as I can recall this was the first time we've stepped inside a mall in a couple of years.  So I guess it was appropriate to go big.  It had many stores and restaurants that you'd see in any decent size mall in the US.  But it also had a bunch of the "closed door" type of stores such as Tiffany, Cartier, Rolex, Armani and Coach to name a few.  I call them "closed door" because the doors are closed and you have to be let in.  I guess it keeps the riff raff like me out. Like I'd really want to go in there anyway! 
Two other unique things about it.  First of all right at the front door there was a secure parking area for some of the folks who shop in the closed door stores.  There was a Lamborghini, Ferrari, and a Bugatti parked in there.  They were being watched by a fairly large, mean looking human being keeping a close eye on them.  Too bad I didn't have the 2005 Honda Accord to whip in there with them.  Second, outside of the mall there is a water feature area that has a fountain show similar to the one at Bellagio in Las Vegas.  The show was only about five minutes long but was quite impressive, especially with the sunset and the Burg Khalifa (worlds tallest building) serving as a backdrop.
 https://thedubaimall.com
http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/index.aspx
We got to the mall about 5:30.  Roamed through for a short while until we found the fountain area.  Caught the first show of the evening at 6:00.  Roamed back towards the front and caught the 6:30 shuttle back to the hotel no poorer than we were when we entered.  We've never been much on shopping!  Who needs a bunch of stuff when there are adventures out there?
Rested and ready to take on Dubai we set out this morning for the Marina area.  One thing that is quickly obvious is that although Dubai has grown tremendously in recent history they just keep building.  It would be appropriate to put "entering a construction zone" sign as you enter the city.  At the present time Dubai has around 1 percent of all the construction cranes in the world.  The actual number according to what I read is just over 1000 and the second place city is Sydney with 220 cranes.  Maybe the hotel should issue hardhats to those venturing out?
The Marina area had a real "beach" feel to it.  Probably because there is a beach there (JBR Beach)  along with the marina.  The water was crystal clear and felt warm according to Beth who stuck her hand in it.  The beach wasn't very wide and was packed with what looked to be tourists.
Even though it was a little bit hot we enjoyed getting a decent, uninterrupted  walk in for the first time in a couple of weeks.  Around the Dubai Marina area there was water, shade and plenty of benches.  What more do you need to make for a great day?
Now about all those women......  We took the Metro to the marina area.  When we got on the train at the local station I quickly noticed that although the train was packed I was the only male in that particular section.  I also noticed that I was getting what would normally be an ego flattering number of women staring at me.  However their looks were more of distain than "who's the hot looking old guy".  Thankfully I realized this before the doors shut and we quickly hopped off to do a reassessment of the situation.  There are separate areas for women and men.  Riding in the wrong area can be a one hundred AED fine (around $30).  The irony of it is that there is a line on the floor that separates the designated areas.  So we rode the five or so miles to the marina area with Beth on one side of the line with the ladies and me on the other side with the gentlemen.

The Burj Khalifa from the Dubai Mall

Fountain show outside the Dubai Mall.  Note the constructions cranes on top of the buildings in the background. 

Waterfall inside the Dubai Mall.  It's four stories high and looked to be around 100 yards wide.

JBR Beach in the Dubai Marina Area-Note the construction cranes

Beth demonstrating what we do best.  A bench in the shade along the waterfront.  Note the construction cranes in the background.

Along the Marina Walk.  Note the construction cranes

Burg Al Arab Hotel in the background.  It's known as the World's Most Luxurious Hotel.  No construction cranes in site! 


https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/burj-al-arab/

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.