Due to my lingering Covid infection (no remaining symptoms) I was barred from contact with Isabella this week, so Sue went to her house in Didsbury and looked after her for the day there.
A visit to her local beach was in order.
Sunday 21 November
Sightseeing in
[Diarist: Martin]
Leisurely rise and
breakfast. Mary went her own way whilst the rest of us got a taxi (vintage Merc
220D) to
We rejoined our
taxi for the short drive to Boudhanath Stupa. More entry fees, but we weren't
hassled at either of these places. They were pouring 'whitewash' down from the
top of the Stupa, made from water and various crushed herbs, creating a
brownish stain on the Stupa.
Then back in the
taxi again, and lunch courtesy of the Bluebird store by the Radisson. Then
everyone did their own thing, mostly shopping. Sue and I went to Durbar Square
(KTM) - a half hour walk, the last section of which was in densely crowded
shopping streets, with narrow streets leading off the main thoroughfare. Lots
of intricate carvings on the buildings, which are mainly fairly decrepit, even
the new ones. A '60s like shopping centre with posh shops - jewellers, white
goods, furniture, etc, was in the middle of all this.
Durbar Square had
lots of temples, etc, and we kept a leaflet which was given to us with the
entry fee. We were hassled by prospective guides, but resisted.
Nice walk back via Thamel, then a turn around, a final briefing from Sanjeev at 5pm, before heading back to Thamel for our last meal together for the six of us, at Yin Yang Thai Restaurant. Some rather bland dishes, but perhaps because of what we ordered (we shared the food) rather than the fault of the restaurant. Back for an early night as we rise early tomorrow.
Today, the scent of
I've now sorted through the pictures from Porthmadog, and have added some of them to the individual postings made at the time, as well as updating the index.
The picture above was taken from our balcony on arrival. Here are a few links:
Sunday 3 July - A Walk to Tremadog
Leisure time outside the Shangrila Village Hotel in Pokhara
Saturday 20 November
Pokhara to
After some nice
fresh coffee, we headed for the airport. Our 10:45 'Yeti Air' flight eventually
took off around 1pm ish. A seat on the left side meant that views were
memorable [for Sue, I was on the right - Ed]
all the way back to
The afternoon was spent around the Radisson Hotel - I used the sauna and jacuzzi, others used the gym.
We treated Sanjeev
and Shirish to a meal out - originally planned for the 'Yak and Yeti' hotel,
but it was fully booked. Instead, we had a lovely meal at the '
I suppose it had to happen - after two and a half years of dodging the Covid virus, I tested positive on 30 July 2022. I've no idea where I picked it up - I've gone back to a 'normal' life apart from using a mask in indoor spaces.
Headache, cough, lethargy, for about 36 hours. Now feeling better, but unhappy about some awkward logistics arising from me having to self-isolate for a while.
2 August update:
Here are Martin Scoular and Anne Donkin on a cross country ski trail in Kandersteg on 15 March 2006.
This posting results from a random visit to my 'Pictures' file, to pictures from a trip that remain untouched since the trip. That's another project to look forward to, and we look forward to visiting Kandersteg again.
It's a great venue, summer or winter. I've previously mentioned it here.
