Tom Canyoning down a waterfall

Marty showing us how its done

Ready and geared up to go rafting

Our first train trip at midnight

The most amazing sunrise looking over the Ganges in Varanasi

Oh My Golly Gosh

Oh my golly gosh the Dobbe’s experience their first taste of India. It is crazy, mad,cows everywhere,rubbish,people,an explosion of your senses in every way. Kids being offered hashish at every corner and spotting dead bodies in the Ganga (Ganges)

We are in Varanasi – It took us 24 hours to get here from Kathmandu – Left at 6.30 am and had a day of firsts for us. Caught a small taxi, and 2 buses to the boarder. Walked across the 200m strip of chaos to reach India. The kids still smiling and loved having one foot in Nepal and one in India. Another very local bus for 3 hours to a city called Goraktapur. That was entertaining. Georgie, me and one other women and the rest were staring men. The bus was exploding with them down the aisles. They had a small TV screen at the front with a terrible Bollywood movie on and LOUD screeching music. Within 10 mins I had been spat on – They chew this tobacco/spice mixture called Betel juice that is red and rots their teeth (It really looks bad!!!)They spit it out when they have had enough and this time it was on my leg running down to pool between my toes. I screamed and the man got his filthy cloth out to wipe it up. Max need to have a pee so luckily had an empty Pepsi bottle that was put to good use. We were cracking up. Arrived in the dark and found the train station. Just ioo’s of people lying outside as well as inside. We were all tired and it was pretty chaotic.

We lat on the dirty marble floor by the platform with everyone else and Marty found omelets from a hot plate on wheels that was wrapped up in newspaper (it was delicious) and our first taste of chai (a hot milky, sweet tea). We all brushed our teeth and spat onto the train tracks and clambered onto the train around 1015 pm.( we were lucky to get on the train as had sat there wondering if it was our train and had asked plenty of people – got the head wobble response- for ½ hour) We were travelling on 2 AC. A step down from first class and we were given a couple of sheets, pillow and a woolly blanket. You fold down the seat and can pull the curtain so have your own little cubicle. We were spread out throughout the carriage and good ole Mum and Dad found some more reserve and made sure the babies were all tucked up and OK before cuddling up ourselves around midnight. The lull of the gentle train movement had us asleep in minutes. We were woken at 5am by the conductor and within 5 mins were staggering back onto a platform this time in Varanasi. Not one complaint from the kids this whole time which was amazing. I think their eyes were so wide open with amazement. A tuk tuk a ride to a guest house, the biggest dump Marty and Tom found (I must say I sat on my bottom in the tuk tuk with the others total knacked and not moving!!!) The room was sort of clean, the toilet water was running out the bottom of the toilet onto the floor, at the door was a huge pile of smelling rubbish, it was down a smelly narrow alley way and called Elvis. We dropped our bags and with a mammoth effort walked through some alley ways and out onto the Ghats just as the sun came up above the Ganga. It was a red ball and we all just went WOW. Jumped on a little row boat and spent 2 hours spell bound. Rowed down passed all the ghats seeing people bathing in the dirty water, lighting blessing candles surrounded by marigolds, passing the burning Ghats with dead bodies about to be burnt and being burnt, buffalos bathing, monkeys scampering, dogs scavenging and  the daily rituals of Varanasi life.

Spent 3 days here wandering the narrow alleys, making friends with the locals (they all know us) and trying out the Indian food. Found this great local place and to our amazement the kids tucking into spicy Thali’s (the local meal here similar to Nepal but more dishes and chapattis) and Masala Dosa’s. It’s hot here and no jerseys needed. We have all loved it  and the kids have totally taken it in their stride. We changed places to stay within a couple of hours. I couldn’t bear it. Max, Georgie, Marty and I are sitting on the balcony (6.30am) overlooking the main Ghats with the best view ever. Max snuggled in his blanket still and I am struggling to concentrate on the computer as always something to see or hear. Heading off this afternoon to Agra on the train- a 13 hour trip. We are laughing as this time have booked sleeper class. No luxury of sheets, curtains or separate beds. It will be interesting to see how many locals we will be sharing the beds with!!! Today we will catch our first cycle rickshaws to find some buffalos swimming and walk back up the Ghats.

We think this place is amazing!!!!! And what a cool experience it is for us all.

Our time in Nepal

I am back on line. The connections are incredibly dodgy and hard to keep for a period of time and also you get so absorbed in the everyday life that getting on a computer is not a priority!!!!

Our trekking was just the best. We walked for 24 days and by the last 6 days were all dreaming of showers, clean hair ( Georgie and I had not washed ours for 14 days as it was just too cold), and all sorts of food we could imagine. We ate Chapattis and omelets or porridge for breakfast, noodle veggie soup or Dahl baht (a huge plate of lentals, curried veggies and rice. A bonus a you can go ask for more for the same price. Tom and Ben held the record of 3 times. Our teenagers are always hungry!!!) And dinner was usually potatoes with fried egg and yak cheese on top.

Jiri to Namache (11 days) was unbelievably beautiful, hot and lovely local people who always invited us into their homes and meals were around their kitchen fire (mud stoves with holes on the top- I loved them) we spent a day with a Tibetan Doctor who studies. Teaches and treats Tibetan people with herbal medicines from plants, roots and bark. He sat us all down individually (between the Tibetan people) and looked at our tongues and took our pulses and as Max said – knew everything about us. We were all laughing so much. He took us to the monastery and ended up down in the kitchen where the ladies feed 300 monks/nuns all day. (The pots and piles of potatoes were unreal) They loved the kids and kept dragging them off to see things or be given things. The evening in the village was with lovely family where Ed Hillary had stayed 10 years ago. Once I mentioned how beautiful their daughter was he pulled out the bottle of his home made rasik (apple brandy) and insisted we drink. They were not fazed when I said Tom was only 14 yrs old!!!

We would start our day walking generally at 7am and at 5.30pm max and Georgie’s heads would be resting on the kitchen table and stomachs rumbling. Bed by 6.30pm for us all!!! The sky was always clear in the mornings and we had an hour of walking before the sun hit us. We had a treat for two days and found a couple of porters who carried our packs as had to cross a huge pass. Georgie and max were skipping and we all had verbal diarrhoea. Ben said it was the best rupees we’ve ever spent. This part of the walk had HUGE hills that just seemed to get bigger. One day was unbelievable – A huge 1500m decent down to the bottom of the valley and across a swing bridge above the Dudh Kosi and then up (steep stairs for miles )for a 1000m. Lots of I spy and 20 questions to keep us going.

We met so many people the day before Namac he.. They all fly into Lukla and trek to Everest base camp. Georgie counted around 30 planes one day. We felt very scruffy watching these keen walkers – clean, no whiskers, new boots, shinny hair and amazing outfits.

We did a round circle from Namache that took us 13 days. Namache is at 3440m the lowest point!!! Spent 2 days here to acclimatize and even found the most amazing pizza amongst the narrow streets. Headed up a valley to Gokyo. Short days and porters with us for this part so apart from the puffing from the 2 oldies found it a lot easier. The kids even had the energy and enough puff to pull out the soccer ball every night and give the locals a game – they had the altitude benefit and were also great at dodging the yaks and the yak poo!!!. Gokyo was spectacular and the views just unreal.  Our timing perfect with Tom’s birthday. All he wanted was food and had carried 3 dehydrated bacon, eggs and hash browns given to us by the Kelly’s with him They were beaming and the locals were impressed with the taste.

Our pass climb was impressive. The kids amazed me. Ben had to have a poo, Georgie and Ben amazingly could have a discussion about something they didn’t agree with, Tom and max made tracks in this snow that no one had walked in (i.e. up/down huge hills) and Marty was a machine all at 5480m’s!!!! It snowed for 2 hours. Max told me we puffed so much and walked so slowly like being on the moon. They were so proud of themselves.

Our sweepstakes were spot on and Ben was really the only one that got sick. He had a huge vomit and wanted to go home. Thank goodness by lunchtime the next that had his smile back. We scored with the transport from Lukla back to Kathmandu – a Russian helicopter wow and so luck as friends had been waiting for 4 days because of the weather.

We all found the return to Kathmandu wonderful and it felt like coming home. Tom even remarked that the guesthouse was 5 star after calling it a shit hole when we arrived. Had 3 days up at the last resort. An idyllic spot near the Tibetan boarder with no horns, cars and barking dogs. Spent a morning canyoning down 7 waterfalls and then on the way home we all rafted down the Bhodi Kosi much too Marty’s delight having us all in a raft together.

No one keen to leave Nepal and all wanting to come back as loved it so much. All nervous about India – Every traveler has stories to tell us uggggg

Trekking!!!



Tom and Ben holding on for dear life
Huge rocks carved with Tibetin writting



The trekkers nearly at Gokyo





Gokyo - From Georgie and Martys honeymoon suite
The sun is shinning on the pass that we crossed
4800 meters



Our amazing view from the fifth lake
above Gokyo
A hard slog and plenty of moro bars needed to get here
4900 meters

WOW!!!
Sagarmatha (Everest) view from the fifth lake

BIRTHDAY BOY
What a way to have a 15th birthday
On top of the Renjo La pass
5480 meters

Do we look stuffed or what?
Becs finally stopped talking in the
last 100 meter climb
So very very high
Renjo La
5480 meters

A MORO moment for the crew
On our way down at last

Our sweet ride out of Lukla
The planes had not been flying for five
days because of the weather
Thanks to the richies who charted it in
We were grinning

Thanks to Josies stamp we had an amazing day
spent with three families celebrating the
Dasain festival
Georgia on the local swing made of bamboo

As part of the festival you are taken into the families homes
and given a tikka
We had plenty of tikka's by the end of the day

This man followed us the whole way carrying pipes
He often had to walk side ways to fit on the
track and bridges

YAK YAK YAK YAK