Paragliding in Pokhara

One of my favorite things to do is to go paragliding. To me it's better than skydiving because the ride is like sitting in a lawn chair in the sky.

My friend Vikram is an excellent paragliding pilot. Here he is the first time we went up:

If the weather is good the views are amazing.

To see how good Vikram is as a pilot watch us land. When we land I simply had to stand up. No running, no jumping. 

There is another video out there from a different trip... the thermals were amazing and we went up and up... Vikram, any estimation on how high we were? I know what I remember but I think it has to be wrong. 

The video is only available here on Facebook.

Nepal - Before you go

 My friends Lee & Abby are headed to Nepal next week and he asked for tips. Here are some thoughts in planning:

• Take US dollars. There are money exchange places all over the tourist areas. When you arrive exchange $50-100 at the airport. It's the only airport in the world where the rate at the airport is fair. (There are better rates available outside of the airport so don't exchange more.) Other currencies like the euro give 2-3% less on the exchange rate.
• Pack/wear hiking type clothes and shoes. Do not concern yourself with formal dress wear. 
• Bring big bags of peanuts in the shell. Feeding wild monkeys is a lot of fun!
• Be sure to pack bug spray, sun screen and toiletries you prefer. All are available in Nepal but not likely you'll get the brands you are used to using.
• Nepal uses the European 2-prong electrical plug.
• Load shedding (hours during the day where the electricity is offline) used to be a major issue. That's mostly been resolved but it is still wise to bring an external battery to charge your phone in a pinch.

Day 4 - Kathmandu to Pokhara

Thanks to a blockade from India, the price of gasoline has tripled and the price for most other items has doubled.  Nepal is a landlocked country with India to the south and China to the north.  Unfortunately, with Himalayas also along the northern border there is really only easy way for goods to reach Nepal - through India.  

Given the embargo people are doing anything to stay warm and cook.  Oil has been replaced by wood or anything that will burn.  The result?  Very polluted air.  Add to that just above freezing lows (with no heated hotel rooms in the city).  To get us to see as much as possible on short visit I planned for us to visit the Hindu temple on our way to the airport on our first morning in Nepal. What is best for time is not always best for morale.  

First stop of the day:  

I hesitate to post this picture; this is a family grieving at a funeral.  The priest(?) is washing the head and feet of the dead.  Near the center of the picture is a block of cement where they will build the funeral pyre.  It is a very solemn ceremony.

Meanwhile, in another part of the temple are guys dressed like this:

This is my sister's very polite yet very, "What the hell did Steve get me into?" look.

 And finally, we are off to Pokhara.

 The guard standing behind them did not appreciate our stopping for a picture.

 I think, just maybe, Miriam began to warm up to Nepal on this walk along Fewa lake with the great Fishtail mountain overlooking us in the background of this picture.  This mountain is higher than any mountain in North America... why it has no snow is a mystery to me.

Day 3 - Abu Dhabi and travel to Nepal

Day 3 started early with a trip to Abu Dhabi before catching a flight to Nepal.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is an amazing structure.  I wanted to take M & G inside but we didn't have time. Next up was Emirates Palace: 

Quite simply, this picture doesn't do it justice.  

Here's a giant Christmas tree inside the hotel and... and...

A gold ATM machine.

My friend Youssef was our driver for the day.

Although Dubai has more skyscrapers, Abu Dhabi has some of the most amazing architecture.  

On the flight to Nepal we were able to see the Palm Jumeirah - man-made islands.  

 Once in Nepal we were greeted by my friend Vikram.

 A toast:  Here's to travelling to the other side of the planet!

Trip within the trip

My sister and her husband are coming at Christmas.  They will be in the Emirates long enough to have a trip within a trip.  Here are the places under consideration:

Nepal
Nepal is like a second home to me.  The people are incredibly nice.  I have made friends who have become family.  The scenery is amazing.

 In my favorite place - Pokhara - you can see the Annapurna range.  A mountain range with 8 visible peaks all higher than ANYTHING in North America.

This picture was taken at Christmas time.  It's cool but not cold by Iowa standards.

My two favorite things to do in Nepal is to paraglide and feed monkeys.  This monkey is at a major Hindu temple.  The people in the background are looking down at a river where there are several funeral pyres burning.  While there were tourists snapping pictures standing just feet away from grieving families I could never do that so you just have to trust me.

Nepal

Pro's
It's NEPAL!  I look for any excuse to come here.
The scenery is simply unmatched.  The Annapurna range is stunning.
Paragliding is a blast and I have done it enough times I know the really good pilots for Miriam and George.
There is a street festival at the end of December that is a lot of fun.
The Hindu and Buddhist temples in Kathmandu are very interesting... feeding monkeys is crazy fun.

Con's
It's December.  In seven trips I have experienced all of the seasons of Nepal and December is my least favorite.  It's not super cold - it stays above freezing - but there is no heat at night so it is c-o-l-d.

Four day itinerary:
Arrive in Kathmandu walk to the domestic terminal to hopefully catch a flight to Pokhara.
Day 2 - see the street festival, walk down from the Peace Pagoda (a beautiful view of the city and nice walk down through the jungle to Fewa Lake). Take a jeep to Eco-village.  The picture of me with the mountain in the background is taken from Eco-village.  It has an amazing view of the Annapurna mountain range.
Day 3 - Go paragliding.  Take a flight back to Kathmandu.  Take another flight to see Everest.  Walk around Thamel - the touristy area with shops.
Day 4 - Go to the Hindu temple in the morning.  See the funeral pyres.  Go to the Monkey temple (Buddhist).  Feed monkeys.  Return to hotel and fly out.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka would be the warmest destination we would be considering.  The island nation is one giant tropical forest.  My sister loves plants and this place is a horticulturalist's dream.  Also, there is an elephant sanctuary where you can feed the elephants.

Sri Lanka
Pro's
A lush green tropical jungle that is amazing to see and drive through.
Feeding Elephants is fantastic (monkeys were also available on my trip but not nearly as many as in Nepal).

Con's
None, really.

Four day itinerary
Fly into Colombo - stay at a nice hotel called Galle Face.  Go swimming and relax.
Day 2 see Colombo
Day 3 - take a car up to amazing botanic gardens and to the elephant breeding ground.
Day 4 - relax at the beach and return home.

Jordan

Jordan
Pro's
It's the shortest flight - 3 hours.
Petra - The Treasury and the small canyon you walk through to get to it - is very cool.
Floating in the Dead Sea is just something you have to experience to understand.  You literally float on water.

Con's
When you return to Iowa people will not be excited to hear about Petra and floating in the Dead Sea really is a "you had to be there" experience.

Itinerary:
Day 1 - Fly into Amman and have a driver waiting to take us straight to Petra - a 4(?) hour trip.
Day 2 - See Petra, The Treasury, ancient burials... really interesting canyons.
Day 3 - Travel to Dead Sea
Day 4 - Travel to airport and fly out

Egypt

Not my picture because pics were not allowed in the Cairo museum... but seeing it up close was amazing.

Hot air balloon ride over Luxor (where the Pharaohs are buried).

Abu Simbel - this is in far southern Egypt.  The giant shrine was built to scare away the Sudanese who might consider coming down the Nile to attack.  A picture doesn't do it justice.

Egypt
Pro's
From the pyramids to King Tut's mask, to the pharoah's burial sites to Abu Simbel... Egypt is memorable at every stop.
Back in Iowa everyone will know and want to hear about the pyramids.  Never mind that the pyramids in Mexico are cooler...

Con's
Egypt is just not a great place to visit unless in a tourist group or with an Egyptian guide.  We couldn't do a tourist group because we are too limited on time.

Itinerary
To do what I would want to do in Egypt would be very hard in four days....
Day 1 - arrive and drive straight to the pyramids, see them for a few hours and head directly to the Cairo Museum to see Tut's mask.  Stay overnight in Cairo.
Day 2 - depart on first available flight to Luxor.  See the Karnak temple
Day 3 - Hot air balloon flight, see the burial sites
Day 4 - see more temples, fly back to Cairo and connect to the UAE

Unfortunately, I don't think we could make it to Abu Simbel on this trip.

Each of the four possibilities have pro's and con's.  Which sounds best to you?  If you can't decide what would you like to know to decide?

Paragliding

Thirty minutes of paragliding costs $100.  I did it last year but the weather was cloudy and the Himalayas were not visible, yet it was still worth $100.  This year?  Priceless.

A jeep took us up to a mountain ridge where we walked up a trail to the launch.

  A paraglider is taking off from the mountain just as we arrive.  I did a tandem paraglide.  Unlike skydiving, paragliding is much more relaxing.  Rather than hang attached to the person you jump with, in paragliding you actually sit in a seat and allow your feet to dangle.

The view from the air was incredible; Himalayas in the distance and rice farms up the mountainside right below us.

This was the first good day for paragliding in weeks so there were many out.  The updrafts were strong.  We could have remained aloft indefinitely. 

Farmers in this picture are harvesting the rice.  The large black spot is a shadow from our parachute.

My feet are at the bottom of this picture just before we land.  My tandem guy nailed the landing better than a Chinese gymnast.

This is a short video I took of the trip.

Himalayas by moonlight

The Eco-village is a difficult place to get to with amazing views of the Annapurna range of the Himalayas.  We arrived there after dark on a clear night.  The moon was nearly full.  I borrowed a tripod and set my camera to 30 second exposures.  The result is a set of pictures that almost looks like daylight.

 It was nearly pitch black at the time I took this with the Himalayas shimmering in the distance.

How the trees here appear green is quite amazing to me... they were black to my eyes.  

I love how the Himalayas seem to float with stars above the plants and flowers in the foreground.  This may be my favorite picture I've ever taken.

Nepal light shade

My Bangladeshi McGyvor installed a lamp shade that I bought in Nepal. It looks great. I wish I had more. I didn't buy many in Nepal because I didn't know if I'd ever have them installed. Now, with my B-McG, I will get several when I return.

Here's a pic Ann of took of me in Nepal in a restaurant lit only with these lanterns and candles.

Nepal from Ann's camera - feeding monkeys

I am handing an orange slice to this monkey. He was one of the smaller ones and I gave him cover as he ran away to keep the bigger monkeys from stealing it from him.

Nepal from Ann's camera - Miscellaneous

One of the cool sights in Nepal are the trucks. Almost all of them are decorated. Some have so many flowers and statues on the front window you wonder how they are able to see out.
Here is Spidey. (The "Push horn" is because the roads are narrow and steep in this mountainous country. The sign urges those about to pass to blow the horn so the driver of this vehicle can try to move over.)

This is the official headdress for the Nepalese. I asked if it was offensive for a westerner to wear it and was told it was an honor. Then again, the guy was trying to sell me the hat.

This is Ann making fun of my lunch order. It was a great Chinese restaurant and all I had was sweet and sour soup, fried cabbage, spring rolls and cashew chicken.

It's not like I ordered dessert...

Nepal from Ann's camera - Chitwan

This is our hotel room at Chitwan. (The one with the scary lock.) The room was $8/night and the view was beautiful.


This is the sidewalk to our room.

At first seeing an elephant on the sidewalk made our heads turn. By the third day I was at an internet cafe and one walked by and I barely noticed.

A Chitwan taxi (seriously).

Nepal Day 12 - Departing Katmandu

On the morning I woke up early and took pictures from the roof of the hotel I was greeted by this dog. He was clearly a domestic dog with a collar but it appeared the string that had him tied up had broke. He was a wonderful dog! On the last day, an hour before departure I was walking along and he bounded up to me. It broke my heart to leave him behind.

I hope he's OK.

A parting view of the Himalayas from the airport.

Nepal Day 11 - Full moon over Kathmandu

I wish we had made it back to the hotel in time to get the pic of the moon on the horizon. It was spectacular.