Sad day

Hearing of Robin Williams but just as sad that another young girl from Barrett has suicided. It is in our face and we need a government that doesn't close down facilities that help these people whether they be famous or not. There is no facility in place to help adolscents with chronic mental health issues long term in Queensland.  We need to give them an apportunity for good choices

Vellano where we are staying is one of ten hill towns in the valley. We can see six of these from our kitchen window and in the morning they are bathed in gentle light. On Sunday we drove to four of these little villages and wandered around each of them. We had lunch beside a babbling brook at one of the family run restaurants in the valley.  Everyone says that there is no bad restaurant in the area.  We have found that so far.

We spent the day yesterday in Lucca. It is an "unbombed" City and it's walls are perfectly intact.  We had heard a lot about Lucca and we both were keen to go.  It was lovely wandering around the streets (with our ever present Rick Steves guide in hand).  We hired bikes and cycled around the ramparts which was delightful.  Can you tell that reluctantly we weren't as impressed as we thought we would be.  Not to say it wasn't wonderful.  Last night we had been invited to a dinner for some of the Residents of the area who are trying to build community spirit and awareness.  It was great and we got to meet some of the locals, both Italian and expats.

We have not, before this been great fans of Italian food in Italy but this time we are relishing it.  Food is very cheap and to eat out for lunch, say, with wine and a couple of dishes is never more than about ten euro. We are enjoying a great variety of pasta, pizza, fruit, local produce and wine.  Not bad at all.

Our new home for three weeks is here in the hill town of Vellano

We both burst into laughter when we looked up and saw the town/village of Vellano as we were driving down a lush valley.. It was picture perfect and on our arrival here we were met by our hosts Peter and Anna and shown around our new little townhouse.  It is only 800 years old but refurbished. Out the kitchen window we can see right down the valley and about four neighbouring hill towns. It is extremely comfortable and if I ever work out how to put a picture on here on my ipad it is up near the tree.  We had a glorious meal last night at the local bistro - pizza, pasta, local porcini, and beer, wine, Campari and limoncello on a verandah with a view.

We started off this glorious day in Orvieto after a very long catch up sleep. The breakfast at our little hotel was extremely bonnisimo with at least ten sweet cakes, croissants, bread, salamis and cheeses, yoghurt and coffee. From Orvieto we drove to Lake Tarismeno as John wanted to see some historical sites there. It was a very scenic drive and we visited the towns of Castaglioni del Lago and Tuoro. We read that there was a market day at the nearby town of Cortona so we went there as well. Did some wine tasting and had a leisurely stroll around this beautiful town. For the first time then we hit the autostrada to head north, past Florence, to the town of Pescia where, joy of joys, we visited a great Italian supermarket.  We spent some time here getting groceries and ooh and aahing at the quality and variety of Italian yummies.

We are about to head off to church. Better go and get dressed. An easy day for us today.  Got to learn how to our photos up on an ipad. 

Hill town glory

I always say about travel that it adds such richness to your day and our days since we left Australia are evidence of this. Had a wonderful day in KL not doing anything spectacular but enjoying the culture of Brickfields the Indian quarter of KL and taking in a movie and eating wonderful food.

The long flight to Rome was interrupted by a short stop in Doha Qatar. For the first time on a plane I heard people audibly anxious when flying through turbulence. A general nervousness to a degree I had not noticed before. We arrived in Rome about 6.30 this morning, picked up our Fiat 500 and headed north. What a beautiful drive. We stopped at a small town called Nepi to have some lunch. The sky was blue, the bread and salami were delicious and the peaches juicy.  Nepi was not a place mentioned in any of the reading we had done but what a wonderful little town.  We walked around it and was stunned that it doesn't make it on the tourist travail. Another place we went a by was Caprinca. Beautifully set into the side of the cliff. Our first major stop was Civita de Bagmaregio. Wow. A medieval village set out on a pinnacle connected to the new town by a pedestrian bridge. We had a coffee in an Etruscan cave and loved wandering in the sunshine through this Italian picture.

We then drove on to Orvieto and have just got back from walking this town known for its position, its  duomo and its ceramics.   The duomo was astonishing and took our breath away. It is striped on its side walls by virtue of the stone work colouring. But the facade made the most beautiful cathedral externally I have ever seen.  We sat and had gelati looking at this masterpiece.

We have hit a bit of a wall now. No wonder but might go out later.  Giovanni is asleep beside me and I am heading this way. Ciao for now. 

One more sleep

What a fantastic few days we have had. We had an uneventful flight over and thank heavens for that cause as we landed we all voiced our concerns that IAEA the plAne had gone down our whole family would have been gone.   Picked up our cars and drove to the Queen Kapolani Hotel to check in. After an interesting brekky at Lulus we had the obligatory walk along Waikiki Beach and was entranced by the beach culture and relaxed. Atmosphere. The sun was shining and the water was warm and sparkling. Think we all hit a wall at about the same time so headed back to the hotel for a shower and a nap. 

One more sleep

Tomorrow we leave Brisbane - 10 of us leave Brisbane - and head for Honolulu.  Patrick and Abbey, John and I, Caitie, Lanie and Ben, Lynda and Bob and Marlene Crawley (Abbey's parents) board the plane at 6.35 pm to start a holiday we have all looked forward to for a long time now.

Paddy and Abbey's wedding will be on Tuesday November 26 at 4.30 pm (sunset) at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu.  They will be married on the headland and the reception will be at the beach restaurant.

This is very exciting for the Mill family as we all head off together.

Nearly home

Our final days in Rajasthan were spent in the blue city of Jodhpur.  Once again, the heat was a killer often up to 48 degrees.  Jodhpur is a wonderful city, and we spent a very interesting morning at the Fort overlooking the city.  It was amazing.  I also did a cooking class and now can make a mean biryani, raita and lassi.  The bazaars were so interesting but we were limited in the amount of time we coud spend outside.

We flew back to Delhi on Saturday afternoon and spent an interesting morning on Sunday at a big market to the south of Delhi.  We both thoroughly enjoyed Delhi.  It was interesting.  The mad driving, the food, the wide tree lined streets of New Delhi make it easy.  Old Delhi is obviously more challenging but still fascinating.

We overnighted on Malaysia Airlines and have spent the last two days in KL.  We love it here and have just relaxed and shopped and movie-ed and ate.

So we are back tomorrow night.  We are looking forward to coming home now.  Asia, especially the countries we have been in, has not been kind to our health this time.  It has been a challenging trip but one with such highlights of our travelling that it has definitely been worth it. 

Our next trip is to Hawaii to see our son, Patrick marry his fiance and the whole family will be there.  Can't wait for that one.

Thanks for reading.

Deb and John

Rajasthan



Indians never do it by halves



Doesn't that word conjure up millions of pictures in your mind.  We have only been here four days and have a wonderful time the only drawback being the scorching heat - often over 45 degrees.  Obviously the highlight of our trip here has been seeing the First wonder of the modern world - the Taj Mahal.  We got up at 5 in the morning on Tuesday and our driver took us to the West Gate where with surprisingly few people we entered the Taj and watched the sun rise and make those jewels sparkle.  It was an experience not to forget.  What a perfect and stunningly beautiful monument.  John is already making plans to knock the fish and chips shop down and build me a fitting tomb over the road.  Come to think of it, I think he'd rather have the fish and chips shop and maybe that will be a fitting monument to me.




The Indian government has put in place many plans to clean up pollution in Agra to keep the Taj in tip top condition but it remains a dirty conjested city so we set off to Jaipur that morning.  Stopping at Fathepur Sikri, a palace built in the 16th century and only used for a short period of time due to water shortages, was a real eyeopener and we really enjoyed looking around and taking in the striking Indian architecture.  We arrived in Jaipur about 4.  It had been so hot we just went to the hotel and chilled in the air con for a few hours.  Each night, our driver, Mohan, takes us to a local restaurant where we can have great Indian food very cheaply.  He is a real gem.  He always keeps cold water, cokes and beer in his ice box for us and never makes us go into shops or factories if we don't want to.  Absolutely no pressure and he is constantly alert to show us "special" scenes along the road. 



Yesteray we went out to the Amber Fort which we also really enjoyed and were totally surprised at.  Particularly beautiful was the mirrored palace.  Mohan drove us around to the other highlights of Jaipur and then gave us time to wander the bazaars.  We haven't bought a lot here but we did buy a beautiful carpet in Agra so figure we have a lovely reminder of our Rajasthani trip.  We said goodbye to Mohan last night when we caught the overnight train to Jodhpur.  Arrived here about 4.30 am and as we were walking along the platform a guy came up to John with his mobile phone and had my name on it.  He was there to pick us up and bring us straight to the guesthouse.  Always a nice surprise.  We have just had breakfast on the rooftop where we had an uniterrupted view of the Fort guarding this blue city.  Today we are walking into the old city and looking at the bazaar.  Hoping to book up a cooking class for tomorrow.




John at the Red Fort, Delhi





The place where Gandhi was assassinated











At the Taj Mahal

Fatephur Sikri

What I saw on the road today

when we were driving from Delhi to Agra ...

A few good bookshops at the Khan Market in Delhi which was our first stop on our road trip
A scooter with three adults and three kids and luggage on it.  One of the kids was asleep on the front and one of the women was breastfeeding her baby as they went along.
A bus on fire.
A tractor with a load as wide as two lanes.  A huge load of wheat chaff which had split and spilt across the highway.
A horse and cart.
A buffalo and cart.
A cow and cart.
A milkman - the guy on the scooter with about 20 stainless steel jugs hanging off him.
Cars, buses, scooters going the wrong way up the highway.
At the end of a lane, the magnificent Taj Mahal.  We were the only ones there watching the sun set on the Taj across the river.

India is an assault on the senses - all the senses.  It is hard sometimes to cope and be patient but is worth it.  We arrived here on Saturday from kathmandu and had a wonderful day doing some of the big sights in Delhi in a tuk tuk.  When we realised that we couldn't get on the train to Agra, we booked a car and driver through our hotel and are really glad we did.  We have had a wonderful day.  Considering the fact that is is at least 45 degrees here travelling has the potential to be nightmarish but with our very considerate driver we have thoroughly enjoyed a lazy drive down from Delhi to Agra.  Tomorrow morning we are going to the Taj for sunrise and are really looking forward to that. 

We are both feeling much better after quite a rocky time in Nepal.  Even John is enjoying the Indian food though we are not eating too much and giving our stomachs a chance to recover.

Hope all is well at home.  Missing everyone.

Long bus trips are for young virile backpackers

who can't afford anything else and do not have yearning for cleanliness.  We have done a lot of long hot dirty bus trips in our travels and when the taxi driver accidentally took us to the airport this morning instead of the bus station, I nearly sprinted to the terminal to book our 22 minute flight but stupidly contained myself and laughingly told him, "Oh no not the airport, we are going on the bus!!!  You know the bus that takes seven or eight hours - always closer to the eight - and nearly goes over the edge on every corner of the high passes.  Yes, that one!!!" 

So after three very relaxing days in Pokhara, we headed back for Kathmandu on a bloody bus!!!!  Pokhara was the place where we were going to do a trek but after finding out that we needed at least five days and we had three we were left with rather a gap in our itinerary.  We did enjoy going to the Gurka Museum and strolling along the beautiful lake but other than that there was not a lot to do especially as the Annapurna Ranges were under cloud for the majority of the time. 

It was a good rest though and I think you need that when travelling in Asia.  It is so much more demanding than Europe.  So we made the most of it and we are now back in Kathmandu.  We have a few things we still want to see here.  We also have to sort out our luggage which has grown considerably before we fly out for India on June 1. 

Our friends the Glindemans leave for Poland soon and we wish them a happy and safe journey.  Make the most of it guys and look forward to catching up when you return.  Also for Ron, hope you have an exciting time in Holland making your big purchase.

Cheers.

Pokhara, place of rest!!!

Yesterday was a day of ups and downs as we travelled to Pokhara.  Set off at 6.20 am from Kathmandu on the Tourist Bus.  Had great seats on the bus up front with the driver and really enjoyed the leaving of Kathmandu and then the beautiful scenery heading west.  After about four hours he let us off and we met with a guy from a rafting company where we donned lifejackets and helmets and set off on the mountain river and a three hour white water rafting trip.  It was great - a beautiful scenic river flowing through a steep gorge and just strong enough rapids to keep it interesting for us.  On one of the level four rapids, a big wave came over the boat and out went me (Deb) and one of the guides.  After I realised I had to hold my lifejacket down a bit so I could breathe through the waves, I was fine and we finally made our way through that particular rapid and were rescued by the main guide and John.  A bit of excitement for the day!!!!  We really enjoyed this and was a welcome relief from the bumpy bus ride. 

We eventually boarded our next bus and four very very bumpy hours later we arrived in beautiful Pokhara absolutely worn out.  A shower and a bit of a walk and lots of English channels on TV which we haven't had for a few weeks - TV that is and we were happy to relax for the night.  Pokhara is a lovely town set on a lake and from our window we have the occasional view of the Anapurnas - it would be a permanent view if the clouds would lift.  This morning we spent walking around the town and determining what we will do over the next three days.  We would love to do a trek but have been assured both in Kathmandu and here that three days is not enough.  We have both loved Nepal and so have determined we will come back and do the trekking at a future date.  Also we are assured the weather is a bit flukey at the moment to make trekking a pleasurable experience. 

Have just found the Lleyton Hewitt v Giles Simon game on TV - French Open.  Yeh.  See you soon.

Komfy Khaotic Krazy Kathmandu!!!

We are, for reasons unknown to us, at the moment packing a few clothes into a little bag to take with us tmorrow when we leave Kathmandu for Pokhara.  We are so completely at home here.  We eat well, sleep well, there are loads of exotic and interesting places to explore, the people are friendly, the accommodation great, the prices are cheap.  All in all a great place to be. 

For the last four days, we have been literally wandering around some of the sights of Kathmandu but it is one of those cities that you just soak up.  There are not a lot of major attractions but just being here is a complete hoot.  It is busy, it is crowded, traffic is constant, honking and chaotic, but it is so interesting walking around the streets and exploring little dark alleyways.  We have visited an area to the south called Patan, gone to Durbar Square, been overwhelmed by the colours and enjoyed the food.

Tomorrow we are going white water rafting for three hours on our way to Pokhara, a smaller town to the west of Kathmandu which is situated on a lake with views of the Anapurna ranges.  We were going to trek but our host here assures us you would need five days and we haven't got that much time.  So we are thinking we will come back one day and do some trekking here.  As long as it's not at altitude, we would love it.  We are both thriving here and really enjoying relaxing and being in one place.

Cheers everyone.  In case people don't know, if you want to email us please do so on debranoeline@hotmail.com.au as our email account corrupted as soon as we left Australia and I haven't been able to fix it.

On the top of the world!!!!

You really can’t underestimate the excitement of travelling the world whether it be in Australia or overseas. Sometimes it is hard slog and long days of waiting and being hungry and using dirty toilets but then you have days like we have just had and all those things become so insignificant because you have had such a high (literally for us) that it just doesn’t matter about small inconveniences.


When you wake up in the morning and walk outside your little Tibetan tent where you have slept soundly by a stove fuelled by yak dung and with the pots bubbling away on top, and there, close enough to touch, framed against a brilliant blue sky without a cloud in it, is the highest mountain in the world, you just immediately laugh and cry at the same time. What a beauty!!!! We overnighted in Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side after a long and rough drive in. After leaving a little town called Shegar at six in the morning to get to the top of a high pass to get our first glimpse of Everest we found it was covered in cloud. However, we stood in the minus five temps waiting for the cloud to lift for probably an hour and a half. Our driver and guide were devastated for us but hey, northing they can do. So off we headed across the barren and stark Tibetan countryside, through little villages and yak herds, over mountain streams, along a road that was bearly recognisable as a road even though it lead to EBC.

Finally our guide turned around and just looked at us and said :There she is!!! And there framed by the high brown and treeless mountains was Everest with only a small amount of cloud coming off her but the summit in full view and absolutely amazing. We were beside ourselves. This was the main reason for our trip and of course it is is flukey as to whether you see her or not but there she was!!! She got clearer and clearer as we headed towards and finally arrived at EBC where we walked along the road to get closer and closer. You can drive to EBC in Tibet. It is at five thousand three hundred metres and then take a bus another six kilometres further on to a military camp where they have a small stone sign announcing that you are at Mt Quolomongo Base Camp. We sat in the rocky pass near the mountain river roaring down the slope and just watched for a long time.



Sunrise at EBC - there she is!!!



We slept that night in a Tibetan tent where the Tibetan lady cooked for us and we drank some Lhasa beer with our guide and driver. The high altitudes had not been kind to us and we each suffered from headaches and nausea controlled occasionally bysome Chinese high altitude tablets which they don’t recommend to take very often. However the tent was warm and cosy and we all slept soundly and our Tibetan host even came round and tucked us in under doonas and warm blankets.



The next morning when we got up it was to perfectly clear skies and the sun just rising and casting its light on the mountain. We were jumping around like school kids and it was perfect. We couldn’t have scripted it better. Everest here is at the end of a valley of high treeless mountains looking like moraine. It is the only mountain in sight with snow. It is close, it is majestic, it was glorious on this clear May morning.



Obviously I could go on and on about this highlight of our travelling, but we finally left this basic EBC with a view and headed to the Nepalese border. The roads in and out of EBC are almost impossible to find they are so basic. Rough and across extensive rocky plains. Once we got onto the Friendship Highway again we headed south and had views of the vistas of the Himalayans. It was glorious. Finally we headed to the border town of Zhangmu which hangs on the wall of an amazing gorge which we drove along for hours.

Yesterday we crossed the Chinese border into Nepal and shared a six hour taxi drive with two Hungarian girls into Kathmandu. As is our habit we threw the bags in, had a shower and out we went







Grubby sign for base camp



. It is wonderful not to have to worry about the altitude and feel like you can walk more than six steps without being breathless. We immediately loved this place and spent yesterday wandering our local area. It is full of book shops, map shops, knife shops, carpet shops and wonderful restaurants – so guess who is happy!!!! And it is so cheap.

We loved Tibet. It is a glorious country and the scenery is beyond beautiful. This will be much easier though being in Nepal. There is so much to say but the last few days have been a wonderful experience for us both and we are grateful that we were given the perfect weather and the oopportunity to be on top of the world!!!!

On the road in Tibet

We very reluctantly left Lhasa yesterday.  We enjoyed our stay there immensely and now do not have the tiny amount of luggage we started off with.  We were picked up in a 4WD with a driver and a guide and headed off to the south west township of Gyantse.  The drive blew us away with the scenery so magnificent.  Towering treeless mountains and wide plainlands presented at every turn.  We went up through two passes over the mountains at four and half thousand metres.  One of the passes presented the view of Yamdrok Lake, a turquoise shimmering huge body of water which we drove along for many kilometres - not the water, the road that ran by the water.  It was a spectacular day and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  The mountains, which our guide calls hills, were often snow capped and one of our stops was at the Karola glacier, picturecard white against a brilliant blue sky.

We stayed overnight in Gyantse, a town inhabited mainly by Tibetans and not Chinese.  We were very impressed by a walled mountain temple perched on a huge sheer rock outcrop and the necessary abundance of photos were taken.  Were not impressed however by the cold shower in the hotel room as the temperatures here at night drop quite low.  However the days are blue and warm and set off the scenery perfectly.   

Today we have come on only a short trip to Shigatse.  On the way I actually helped a Tibetan farmer plough a field behind two galloping yaks.  Quite an experience!!!  We are jacking up about just seeing monasteries and have told our guide enough is enough - and for us enough was a while ago.   

Tomorrow we head for Shegar which is at the entrance to Everest Base Camp where we hope to spend a night and two whole days.  I am sure, like you Jimmy Seaha, a tear or two will be shed looking at that big mountain and we are hoping for a continuation of the wonderful weather we have been having. 

Internet is a big scarce here so can't post photos but will do that when we are in Kathmandu. 

Cheers everyone!!!