Tour leading in the Middle East (Cairo to Istanbul)

My experiences as a tour leading in the Middle East in 2002 will forever remain amongst the most special of my life. No job has ever helped build my confidence more - and by the time I returned, there was little I felt I couldn't do.

Getting young Aussies and Kiwis safely from Istanbul to Cairo (I led three 5 week trips in total with 30 passengers per trip) was a big responsibility - but also tons of fun. Favourite memories include white river rafting and mud wrestling in Saklikent Gorge (Turkey), sailing by Felucca from Aswan to Luxor along the Nile , exploring ancient castles in Syria, sleeping under the stars in the deserts of Jordan, swimming in the emerald blue waters of Olympos, paragliding off Turkish mountains and snorkeling in the Red Sea.

Being forced to bribe border officials, getting our truck horribly stuck in the mud (took a whole day to get us out), tending to very sick passengers (one person got dyssentry, another cut his foot very badly) - none of these things could dampen the trip; in fact they added a whole lot of flavour.


Highlights

• Phone up all overland companies. Interviews at Drogoman but would require 6 months of training. Sudden opportunity comes up at Oasis Overland. Meet Chris and Steve out in the country side. 1 week to get ready.
• Fly to Istanbul and meet Kerin (tour leader) and Ryan (the driver). Idea is I will be trained for first 5 week trip, then lead next two trips, training up new tour leaders on the 3 rd.
• Kerin, highly strung but fun english girl, nerves fraught after a little too much tour leading. Ryan is a young Aussie bloke, beer loving, fed up to the teetch with egyptians
• First introduction to the huge yellow truck. Huge amounts of food under floor boards – 40 packets of spagetti, 20 packets rice, 30 tubs jam etc.
• “Punters” start arriving – 25 mostly Aussies and Kiwis. Orgy of money collecting (local payments) and passport photocopying and name writing.
• Predeparture breakfast and pre-departure talk including what to wear, cooking rosters, health considerations etc.
• First stop is Gallipoli where stay in very basic camp site with almost no facilities. Loud music at night, lots of booze and breaking the ice.
• Tour of Gallipoli – very moving for Aussies and Kiwis. Whole day afair with TJ, a great guide. We get all the names together to create a list for Syrian border visas that are organised ahead.
• Early morning ferry, then quick stop at Troy (not much there) to . Stay at Solomon’s hostel. Carpet demo and prepared food on the roof. Also quick swim at sea. Excellent tour of Ephesus Roman ruins. Fantastic pig spit on 3 rd trip. Go fishing.
• Next stop is Oludinez. Fantastic place. Dancing at camp site till 11 pm. Boozing and drinking in town. People get allowance for food so cooking is easy; just breakfasts to worry about. Boat trip next day with lots of swimming and bomb diving off boat. Pit stops at Butterfly valley. Jump off sea cliffs. Throw captain off boat. Pulled behind boat on a banana. Paragliding on the third trip.
• Then night in Saklikent Gorge. Sleep in tree houses or on patoons by the river. Nice swimming pool. Table tennis. Great barbecue prepared. Nice staff, including “Happy” Go tubing down the river. Keep bumping our backsides. Have a mud fight in thick, thick mu and I cover myself from head to toe and get nude. Great way to break the ice – my party trick from then on… Walk along the gorge itself, amazing formations
• Olympos. Stay with local family. Swim at beautiful beach. Visit the “Eternal Flames” Laze out in chill out areas. Sleep in tree houses. Hide and seek with kids. Letter to gramps.
  Cappadocia . Sleep in “The Cave”. Swimming pool. Day tour of the rock formations, ancient underground cities etc. Carpet demo. Visit to the Turkish baths.
• On first trip, we bush camp close to the border. Choose a field that then fills up with water during night and we get very horribly stuck. Takes the full day to get unstuck.
  Meet the Syrian agent (Agmed) at the border. He’s a frienly chap but really needs more deoderant. He stays with us through most of Syria.
• Stay night in Alleppo. Very traditional people – we get lots of waves and oggles. Tourism not that established yet in Syria. Eat at nice roof top restaurant – great treat after doing our own cooking. Visit Alleppo markets to buy food.
• Then to the Castle. Epitome of Crusaer Castle. Secret passage ways. Great views. Nice food in restaurant at top.
  Stay at camp site. Great pool. Braai chicken. On some trips, we buy live chickens and have to watch them being beheaded and prepared. Punch night– very festive. All get totally hammered.
• Palmyra on 3rd trip. Ancient Roman city in the desert. Free camp and best ever punch party in the desert.
• Next step is Damascus. Prepare camel steaks. Visit the huge markets. Fantastic local icecream with pistachio nuts. Go shopping for fruit and veg at local stalls. Peppers, onions, aubergines, garlic, fruit. Ali, the taxi driver, is a great help with haggling and interpretting. Visit very holy mosque and view crying pilgrims.
• Day trip to Lebanon. Temple. Fantastic lunch. War memorial. Afternoon in Beirut, seeing “The Mile”, shelled out buildings, explore the very modern city, waterfront
  Through Jordan border, shop at Amman (very modern, but expensive shopping centre), then free camp overlooking the dead sea. Difficult to get the truck up but so worth it! Careful of scorpions. Sleep out on the tarpaulin.
• Next morning, go down for a swim in the Dead Sea. Throw the ball around. Wash off under very strong waterfall. Locals congregate to watch the girls. Very salty and hot but novel. Group shot of everyone in circle holding hands.
• Petra next. Nice hotel. Explain to everyone why Petra so expensive. Watch Indiana Jones and Last Crusade and Lawrence of Arabia. Drop everyone off at Petra and relax a bit. Buffet on last night.
• Night in Wadi Rum. Go out in 4 wheel jeeps. Amazing rock formations and sun set. Eat Bedouin meal. Festive sleeping under stars. On first trip, too windy to go. Ryan takes us for a bit of a drive and goes off road. We get horribly, horribly stuck and we have to go on ahead without truck in local transport. He catches us up in Dahab having managed to dig truck out.
• Town on border. Very basic camp. Get prepared for ferry journey ahead.
• Ferry. Takes 6 hours or so. Eat on boat. Organise passports to be processed. On Egypt side, lick all the stamps and run around with the agent. Two hours at least, haning around. Lose my PSION notes at border on 3 rd trip – but manage to remember most.
• Next stop is Dahab. Stay at Seven Heaven. Briefing. Organise diving. Blue Hole . New Blue Moon thick shakes and fruit pancakes. Huge meals at Sharks. Dancing at Toto’s.
  Overnight at Hurgadas. Late arival.
• Early (5 am) leave to catch the Escourt. Ridiculous system – actually increased risk.
• Arrive in Luxor. Jumps from balconies into pool. Valley of the Kings and Queens. Very early get up an rush to get limited tickets. Oversleep one day. Tomb of Nefertiti – amazing.
• Aswan . Kitchener’s Island. Elephant Island, seeing local village. Porn in hotel room! Pool on top of hotel. Very hot. Orgsanise day trip to Abu Simbel. Group night out at local restaurant. Buffet and local dancing on roof.
• Felluca from Aswan to Luxor with Mohammed. Rolling down the dunes. Organise grass. Overnighting on the boat. Swimming in the Nile. Simple but delicious food. Pick up in truck. Temple of Edfu.
• Night over in Luxor. Then catch train to Cairo.
• Chaotic hustle and bustle of Cairo. Pyramids and camels. Egyptian museum. Slow lift in hotel. Leave notes up for next group. Saying hellos and goodbyes. Final dinner at Chineese place.
• Memorable people: Nicky the Kiwi, Shona the chi gong massager, Paul (with his photos of New Zealand and sheep stories, great guy), Tiny & his mate, Fran, Jezza and Ryan, Gus, Garry & Launa
• Numbers: 25 passengers first trip, 13 passengers 2 nd trip plus Donna and Dionne, 30 pax on third trip
• Cooking – 3 water basins, cooking rostas, yogurt and fruit for breakfast, big pots, chicken and mince favourite dishes, laying out of cooking utensils, settin gup of cooking rostas. Huge shopping trip in Istanbul with Donna.
• Learning to keep the football up with Fran, Australian football with Ryan’s mates
  All of us getting sick in Cappadocia
• PSION – trying to get one that worked. Setting up my systems for notes and keeping track of expenses

Itinerary  (click to enlarge)

Turkey

Istanbul

Ephesos

Gallipoli

Oludeniz

Saklikent Gorge

Olympos

Cappadocia

Fun!

Syria

Damascus

Desert Ruins

Lebanon

Beirut

Jordan

Petra

Wadi Rum

Egypt

Dahab

The Nile

Luxor

Truck Life

Pyramids (Cairo)

Cairo

Egyptian Museum (Cairo)

Related link

• The CV that helped me get the job

 

Sam's 2nd birthday

Thank you Jo for the photos.

Holiday to Barbados

Highlights

• Reading the "Conversations with God" books by Neale Donald Walsch
• Swimming with turtles
• Swimming in the sea and lovely pool
• All you can eat and drink
• Feeling very relaxed
• Feeling very in love with Ally

.

Mum and Mike's wedding

My toast to Mum and Mike on their wedding day

It is my great pleasure to propose the toast today to Mum and Mike.

Before I do that, I’d just like to say how absolutely thrilled and delighted we all are that two such special people have found such happiness together.

Ally, and I have been living in London for the past year so we haven't spent as much time with mum and Mike as we'd like but something that has struck us time and time again, whenever we visit Cape Town, is how much they adore each other and how much fun they have together as a couple.

Whether Mum and Mike are gallivanting along Blouberg beach on a blustery Sunday morning, going off on a romantic weekend to Stellenbosch, shouting their support for the South African cricket team or just having a quiet evening at home, they clearly share a zest for life and for each other and it warms my heart to see.

I've always had a very soft spot for Mike. I remember when I was 9 years old, I suddenly became madly passionate about collecting stamps. Mike invited me round to see his collection - he was a serious collector in those days - and as we flipped through his album, he suddenly reached in and took out a stamp and gave it to me as a spontaneous gift.

I clearly remember being very excited because the stamp had a bust of Queen Victoria on it - not that Queen Victoria's bust was much to look at! - but it meant the stamp was over a hundred years old which seemed mind-bogglingly old to me at the time and really caught my young imagination. 22 years later, I still have that stamp and I still treasure the childhood memories attached to it.

It's been wonderful getting to know Mike and to discover just how special he is.
I love that he's always got a twinkle in his eye and he's always got a fascinating story to tell. I also love his sense of humour - when you're with Mike, you always know you'll get to enjoy a good hearty chuckle about something or other.

Another thing I love about Mike are his passions - like his passion for sport, which I must say is fast rubbing off on mum, although she is not quite yet at the stage of leaping excitedly out of bed at 4 am in the morning to watch the cricket on TV.

Then there is his love for fishing on the Breede River, and his love for collecting antiques and china and paintings and mementos - in fact you name it, I think Mike collects it!

I was amazed to discover that Mike owns every single National Geographic since 1951 or something! Mum took one look at this lot and banished them to the garage where they now take up a whole wall and a half of space. I reckon the reason Mike promptly sold his big Merc and got a zooty Toyota was so he could fit his car amongst the magazines!

Its fitting that Mike is such a special chap because he has found in my mum, a very, very, special partner.

She is simply the most generous and caring and person I know, which is undoubtedly a quality she has inherited from her own mum. She is always there for her friends and family, always thinking of others, always ready, at the drop of a hat, to give of her time and energy to help someone.

And no matter what comes her way in life, she always remains the same - optimistic, full of life and down to earth.

Mum has been an absolute treasure to Jo and me, always encouraging us to follow our own dreams and do what makes us happy. She has also been the most amazingly supportive daughter to granny and gramps during their time in Woodside Village.

And of course, she is the most wonderful Granny. I don't think there has ever been in the history of the world, a more doting and adoring granny than she is to Sam.

So all I can say is that mum deserves only the most special things that life can bring and that is one of the reasons we are so delighted that she has found a soul-mate in someone as special as Mike.

So, friends and family, I'd like to invite you to rise and join with me in toasting our special couple.
Mum and Mike, as you travel on your journey together, may your marriage be filled with love and laughter. May the most you dream for be the least you receive. May your joys be doubled and your troubles halved. And may you live as long as you wish and receive all you wish for as long as you live.

Ladies and gentlemen, to Jill and Mike!

Letter to Mike (July 2004)

Dearest Mike

I don’t know if I’ve ever expressed properly just how absolutely thrilled and blessed I feel to have you as part of my family.

You’ve brought so many blessings to us all:

It warms my heart to see how much you and mum adore each other, and the support and warmth that you bring to each others lives - and also how much fun you obviously have together. It’s been fantastic to see mum find such happiness and fulfillment with such a special person as you.

It warms my heart too, to think of the constant support that you gave gran and gramps and your mum during their tough times at the end. You and mum were a veritable life force to them and made all the difference at a time when they needed you most.

It warms my heart too, when I see what a wonderful grandpa you are to Matthew and Sam – and how they gravitate to your warmth and solidness and sense of fun. They are so very, very lucky to to have you in their lives, now and as they grow up.

It also warms my heart to see how much Jo adores you too – and how much fun you and Anthony have with your shared passions and your shared sense of humour.

And it warms my heart also, to know that you are there for me and Ally too. I know that if ever there is a problem or I need advice or re-assurance, I have only to pick up the phone. Your warmth and your wisdom are so very appreciated.

Obviously, it saddens me that we see you guys so seldom and we do miss you and mum very much. We so look forward to spending more quality time with you in Cambridge during your visit and can’t wait to have you and mum to stay with us in Australia.

Love Graemefx

Favourite movies watched (2002)

 

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers  (2002)
• Minority Report (2002)
• The Bourne Identity (2002)
• Road to Perdition (2002)
• Chicago (2002)
• Gangs of New York (2002)
• Catch Me If You Can (2002)
• About A Boy (2002)
• The Godfather 3 (1990)
• The GodFather (1972)
• The Godfather 2 (1974)
• Donnie Darko (2001)
• Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back  (1980)
• Star Wars:  Episode IV – A New Hope  (1977)
• Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Nepal

5 weeks exploring Kathmandu, Pokhara, The Annapurna Circuit and Chitwan National Park

The Annapurna Circuit

Summary of my time in Nepal

• Fly into Kathmandu – watch “Knight’s Tale” on the plane
• Pressure to hire a guide and a porter for the trek, but I decide to go it alone. I want to do it at my own pace and in my own way – and meet fellow travellors
• Walk around backpacker part of the city – amazing array of backpackers and restaurants
• My hotel is a little way off the beaten track and I get a little lost finding my way back, but nothing serious
• Early next morning, leave on a bus for Pokhara
• Meet Mariam, a friendly Dutch girl, at the bus stop and we soon become friends. She’s on a five week sabbatical from her job.
• Long bus journey, up hair rasing mountain roads at considerable speed, lots of tooting and passing. Scary and exhilerating. Stop off at some scenic restaurants on the way for quick breaks
• Pokhara is beautiful, set on a large lake with snow capped mountain set in background. We go rowing on the lake and visit an Island temple. Try my first proper local meal – a bottomless helping of Dahl Bhat (Lentils with a pour on sauce.)
• Mariam and I decide to brave the mountains on our own, and hopefully meet up with some fellow hikers.
• Spend next day exploring Pokhara and getting hiking permits. Hire a bicycle and cycle around. Go for a bit of a walk in the country, along the river, to get a feel for what’s to come. I push out my return flight – to just before Xmas
• Leave on a bus early next day for the start of the Annapurna Circuit. Another arduous bus journey. Bus packed with local and some tourists. Lots of security checks along the way. Towards the end of the trip, we join the locals up on the roof the bus. Lots of fun, using our backpacks as cushions. Bus gets a bit top heavy on some of the winding down bits at the end, and we have to walk parts
• Bus drops us off at a village – a small group of trekkers with a heap of backpacks on the road
• Nick and Izzy are instantly friendly – and a SAFFA chap too. Mariam and I join them for the start of the hike
• Starts off with relatively relaxed walk into mountains, and we discover it’s pretty hard to get lost. Maps are pretty clear and there are fellow hikers to follow
• Main decision each day is how far to walk and where to overnight. Lots of villages with little tea houses along the way
• Annapurna Circuit is a 16 – 20 day hike (depending on your pace). First half is a climb up into the mountains, eventually crossing over a high pass (Thorang La) which is high (5400 metres) and pretty cold. Second half is a trek back into civilisation down the other sie of the pass
• At 3000 metres, one must be mindful of altitude sickness. We aimed never to sleep more than 300 metres above where we slept the night before. Where possible, we climbed up past where we slept by a couple of extra hundred metres to make acclimatising easier. It’s all about building up your red blood corpuscles to better transport the thinner air roun your body
• Hike begins through farm lands. Lots of buffalos and rice fields. The hike follows a river most of the way. First half of the hike was the less touristic bit, eating lots of local food (Dahl Baht mostly). Some other specialities like battered apple and battered bread. And lots of “pack of noodles” type food
• Very friendly people, with big smiles.
• We meet a wonderful English guy (Sanjay) with his Irish girlfriend (Grania) on about the 5 th day. Immediate repoir with them and bump into them regularly on way up the mountain.
• I hike with Izzy, Nick and Mariam. Nick is a hard core hiker – works at a consulting firm in London as a printing specialist, Izzy is a vet who works in Bristol – the epitome of an english country lass. Great, great couple. I get on very well with them – and we have lots of laughs
• Some tea houses sell chocolate cake and other baked goodies – real treat after hours of hiking
• Many hostels very traditional and basic – it’s literally a case of sharing the house with a local family, on the 2nd story. First floor for the animals!
• Often share the path with a large herd of donkey carrying goods up into the mountain. The only way to get stuff (cokes, chickens, chocolates, wood etc.) up into the mountain to more remote villages is by carrying. Donkeys carry some stuff, sherpas other stuff. Donkeys travel in “trains” an have bells so they toll as they walk. Sherpas carry huge loads with strap attached to their heads (so neck takes the weight) – not their shoulders as we tend to do. Scientific research has shown many of these guys have denser and more powerful bones than we do – gnetic from generations of heavy carrying? Some porters were carrying as many as three backpacks in a sack attached to their heads – amazing. Some shepas carry huge cage of chickens.
• My energy snacks of choice were Bar 1 and Lemon Fanta. Food gets increasingly expensive as you travel higher up the mountain (because you have to pay for transport too)
• Mountains get higher and more and more spectacular as ascend first half of the hike. Each day, views become more awesome. Towering, ice capped peaks. Farms start to give way to thick pine forest. Every so often, you need to cross onto the other side of the river, across metal swing bridges
• Get to Mannag at 3500 metres, a large town famous for it’s baked goodies. Get to enjoy a rare shower (I think I got to shower 4 times in 20 days!)
• Izzy, Nick and I decided to head off the beaten path on an optional side excursion – and ascent to the highest lake in the world – Telicho Lake. It’s at 5900 metres. It’s a three day excursion. Mariam is not keen but she has met 2 friendly Dutch girls so joins up with them.
• We spent first night in an extremely traditional house with some locals, preparing ourselves for the onslaught ahead. We were all a bit confused about the altitue climbs ahead, and hoping we could take it. Altitude sickness has nothing to do with fitness – it attacks even the most fit. The worst form (water on the brain) is fatal.
• Next day we headed straight up. We climbed up close to 1000 metres, then back down over a lip. Extremly heavy going at such high altitudes. Altitude saps your energy and it becomes hard just to put one foot in front of the other. We experienced some very steep paths with terrifying fall offs an being scared of heights, I had some dizzy moments.
• Finally, after some scrambling down a very, very steep shale slope, we arrived at our overnight spot – a ramshackled hostel set in a valley. A very cold and uncomfortable night – head-aches due to altitude and had to get up to pee several times (another altitude side effect).
• Next day, climbed another 1000 metres into the snow capped mountains to the lake. Saw an avalanche on the way. The lake itself is exquisite – sparkling blue with mountain peaks reflected off it. Extremely cold up at this altitue though, we could not stay for too long. Then back down to the hut.
• Next day, we return to the main circuit along the lower route – which requires some very firm footing on some knife edge paths. Very scary at times. On the way, we bump into Sanjay and Grania and walk with them most of the way. They were downhill specialists – and could travel at some startling rates.
• Next section was a big higjlight too – Izzy, Nick and I decided to travel the high road, overnighting at some very traditional villages. Slept in a run down local home with the donekys sleeping below. Really getting a feel for how the locals live.
• I am ecstatic to see my first ever “Bearded Vultures”. It has been one of my life goals to see this bird and I walked the South African Drakensberg mountains flat in my efforts to spot one. Here they are quite common. Huge wing spans and very majestic, their speciality is to drop bones from a high height onto rocks to shatter them so they can get at the marrow. Egyptian vulture sightings too so I am in my element.
• The pine forests become thinner and replaced by mountain scrub and grass. Weather eroded rocks poke through. Snow capped peaks tower ahead.
• Very exciting moment – my first meeting with a real life yak. Big, hairy cow like creature. Apparently they can only live at 3000 metres and above.
• It was becoming very cold at night, I wore two fleeces and my down feather jacket in a down sleeping bag and still felt cold. My water bottle regularly froze next to me. At hostels, all the trekkers would eat together with special heaters under the table. Very communal and lots of fun. It’s impossible not to make lots of friends on the way.
• Next challenge was the pass itself. Had to leave early in the morning (but careful not to make it too early or you freeze.) Steep winding climb of nearly 1000 metres. At the top, there is a huge cluster of prayer flags and a little tea shop for a congratulatory bar one. Everyone in very good spirits. Then an equally steep descent to a village on the other side. Some spectacular views on the way down.
• Ah, what a beautiful, spiritual village. Beautiful monasteries – one with a shrine to all the world religions. One holy site is shared by both Hindus and Budhists alike (you wouldn’t find that with Chritianity and Islam!). I meditate next to a lovely lake and feel my spiritual side breath back to life. I am re reading “ Deepak Chopra’s Seven Laws of Spiritual Success” and am reminded of the power of the moment. You are often very much in the moment while you hike and it feels awesome.
• The villagers bring down three yaks from the moutains and slaughter them. It’s freaky but interesting to watch. They harvest ever last scrap of the animal. Even the tail is harvested to become a duster. Some drink the fresh blood and eat the raw flesh. Dividing up the bodies takes almost a full day.
• Izzy and Nick are on a tight schedule so they decide to hurtle down the mountain on the 2 nd part of the hike. I’m happy to chill so join up with Sanjay and Grania.
  The second village down is also a very spiritual place with a beautiful monastery overlooking the valley and villagers living as they always have. They herd their animals in at night to keep them warm. We play football with some of the local kids and my spirit soars.
• The food on this part of the mountain is more touristic – but delicious beyond belief. Lots of pizzas and lasagnes and pastas and baked goodies. Orgasmically good after all the Dahl Baht of the previous two weeks. I eat loads and loads.
• We meet some American tourists who are rather gullible – Sanjay and I lead them on a merry tale of how Yaks explode below 3000 metres. They lap up every word and are amazed.
• It is very dry at the top of this side of the mountain. As we make our way down the valley, the scenery can be best described at desserty. The wind blows up the sand and we have to cover our mouths. It’s tough going at times.
• We come close to the border to Tibet. There’s a very scenic village here with stunning views across a river valley. An old fort gives it extra atmosphere. You can kike this valley but it is very expensive.
• I am feeling very chilled and happy to go slow and enjoy the atmosphere. I buy “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy” and carry it along with me. Heavy – but what a fantastic read. I am immersed in the strory of Frodo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey. Very excited that the movie is coming out close to the time I am back in the UK.
• I am also reading Conversations with God by Neal Donald Walsch and it’s a revelation. Probably the best book on spirituality I have ever read and it rings true for me. It answers many of the questions I have been grappling with for a long time. Brilliant book. Thanks to Rosemary who gave it to me.
• I decide to exert some major effort once more and ascend Poon Hill for some inspiring views. Sanjay and Grania head down for some romance so we part. It’s a tough climb for a full day. I overnight at a warm hostel an then very early the next morning (in the dark!), climb the last bit of the hill for the sunrise. There’s an outlook tower and it’s breathlessly beautiful.
• The pine forest return and then thin out into farm lands. More buffalos and rice and farmers hard at work.
• Arrive at large village that many tourists fly into for a few days trekking. Very civilised. I have my first hot shower in close to three weeks. I sit under it and have never enjoyed a shower more. May I never take showers for granted again.
  Arrive at a village with hot springs – very relaxing. I bump into Mariam again with the Dutch girls – great to see them again.
  Finally arrive at tail end of hike and bump into Izzy and Nick again – having returned from a whirlwind ascent of another peak.
• Get the bus back to Pokhara and go straight to the Everest Steak house for a huge steak (they ship in the meat from Argentina) Must rate as close to my best steak ever. Izzy and Nick manage close to 1 kg of meat between them!
• I hire a boat and explore the lake for birds. Then climb to an impressive monastery on top of the hill but the mist rather obscures the view.
• Catch the bus to Chitwan National Park – famous for it’s birds. I bump into the Dutch girls there and we all get on very well. Great Indian food at a local restaurant.
• I hire a guide who specialises in birds and spend two days trekking the jungles. See 74 new birds – amazing… Also see Sloth Bear and hear Tiger roaring very close by. The long grass makes it hard to spot animals but the birds make up for that. Highlights include stork billed kingfisher and enormous woodpeckers. 6 species of woodpecker alone! I really enjoy my guide – La. I try desperately to email him afterwards but the email bounces back.
• Back to Kathmandu for some sightseeing. Visit “Money Monastery “ for great views and a game of kicking up elastic bands with the locals. Also watch cremations at the holy river. Amazing
• Fly back to London in time for Xmas. Nepal must rate as one of my three favourite countries. I am very motivated to do the Everest Base camp trek one day.

Birding at Chitwan National Park (Nepal)

 Dairy entry

• Catch the bus to Chitwan National Park – famous for it’s birds. I bump into the Dutch girls there and we all get on very well. Great Indian food at a local restaurant.
• I hire a guide who specialisea in birds and spend two days trekking the jungles. See 74 new birds – amazing… Also see Sloth Bear and hear Tiger roaring very close by. The long grass makes it hard to spot animals but the birds make up for that. Highlights include stork billed kingfisher and enormous woodpeckers. 6 species of woodpecker alone! I really enjoy my guide – La. I try desperately to email him afterwards but the email bounces back.

New birds seen in Chitwan National Park (72)

• Red-vented bulbul
• Lineated Barbet
• Blue-eared Bee-eater
• Black-crested Bulbul
• Red-whiskered bulbul
• Common Buzzard
• Oriental Honey Buzzard
• Common Coot
• House Crow
• Large-billed crow
• Yellow-billed Chough
• Large Cuckooshrike
• Darter
• Emarald Dove
• Eurasian Collared Dove
• Black Drongo
• Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
• Spangled Drongo
• White-bellied drongo
• Grey-headed Fish Eagle
• White-throated fantail
• Oriental Pied Hornbill
• Black Ibis
• Common Iora
• Stork-billed Kingfisher
• Rufous-winged Bushlark
• Sand Lark
• Red-billed Blue Magpie
• Rufous Treepie
• Scarlet Minivet
• Small Minivet
• Common Moorhen
• Jungle Myna
• Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch
• Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
• Black-hooded Oriole
• Asian Barred Owlet
• Alexandrine Parakeet
• Plum-headed Parakeet
• Red Jungle Fowl
• Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
• Olive-backed Pipit
• Ashy Prinia
• Grey-Breasted Prinia
• Grey-crowned Prinia
• Plain Prinia
• Common rosefinch
• Common Woodshrike
• Large Woodshrike
• Jack Snipe
• Lesser Adjutant
• Barn Swallow
• Crested Tree Swift
• Great Tit
• Egyptian Vulture
• Lammergeier
• Common Greenshank
• Little Ringed Plover
• Red-wattled Lapwing
• Citrine Wagtail
• White Wagtail
• White-browed Wagtail
• Grey-sided bush warbler
• Paddyfield Warbler
• Black-breasted Weaver
• Oriental white-eye
• Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker
• Greater Flameback
• Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
• Grey-headed Woodpecker
• Himalyan Flameback
• Lesser Yellownape
• Ashy Woodswallow

White river rafting on the Zambezi River (Zambia)