Namibia

After spring comes fall, and after fall comes summer. We have now crossed the Equator 7 times, and have one more crossing when we fly to Finland in a few weeks.

Namibia - ‘Africa Light’ per some blogs I read last summer.

An independent nation only since the 1990’s. A decent road network, and one of, if not the most, popular tourist destination in Africa in 2016. Friends Bev&Chris had recommended we consider coming here, so we decided to rent a car, and drive to Etosha National Park. To view the wildlife.
Politically, Namibia seems to be better managed than many another country in Africa.

Link to Namibia pictures


Craig’s videos:
Elephant in Etosha
Lion encounter in Etosha
Leopard in Okonjima

Good Bye India

Just published the trek write up, so this is the 2nd post for today.

Craig wrote in an earlier post that this whole trip of ours did not feel like a vacation at all. We have usually had quite a bit of time, and no set agenda until we arrived in Bhutan. There, and here, we came with a goal of doing certain treks, for which we hired guides.

Link to 4 more India pictures
Taj Mahal pictures
Agra Red Fort pictures

Our Markha Valley Trek, 7 days.

Our guide, Jigmet, met us at the hotel, and we drove some 30 min. to the outskirts of Leh, where we met the rest of our crew.
Tewang, was in charge of his 4 mules and 1 horse, which carried all the camping gear, a gas bottle for cooking, our 2 duffels, food staples for us and the animals etc. He always hums, and at times sings for the animals. A mule can carry 45kg, and the horse 65kg.
Gyalpo, a young father, was our cook - a phenomenal such, and we had the best camp food we have ever had. Despite what clearly were difficult conditions, he kept us healthy, full, and impressed with his variety of dishes. He also cooks at home.
Andu, the youngest, assisted all the others, and is a super hard worker, and a very cute 20-year-old, who is finishing some exam, and then hopes to get into college in Leh.

Link to the pictures from our trek

Craig added a link to his photo spheres after the text

Leh, Ladakh

Leh is the main town in Ladakh, which is a part of the state of Jammu-Kashmir, in India. Altitude: 11 500’ (3500 m).
I don’t think we had heard of this area until friends George&Lynell, and Carolyn &Tom told us about their beautiful Markha Valley Trek a few years ago. So we came here, as we like recommendations from friends, it is close to Bhutan, and the timing was perfect considering our next destination.

Link to Leh, Ladakh

Good Bye and Kadincche, Bhutan!

The Punakha Dzong

 Punakha - they grow barley, wheat etc.  later also rice

After we returned from Haa, we drove to Punakha, which is the province immediately east of Thimphu. Tsewang had already last summer suggested we include this in our itinerary, but we didn’t as you pay a high daily rate to come to Bhutan. We had prioritized the trek. Coming here after all, is probably the only positive in Craig’s mind, after abandoning the trek.

Our last few days in Bhutan

Craig has attached a link at the end, with 360 degree pictures he discovered he can take on his phone.

Our Aborted Trek

Making cheese

Churn

ing butter

The positive:
- we have recovered fully from mild altitude sickness.
- we got the symptoms on the training hike in the Haa Valley. Better then, than at the first night’s camp of the trek, in the clouds and cold rain. The training hike trail would have been on the 1st day of the usual trek, but the itinerary had been changed, so we returned down the way we went up (see below)
- we are uninjured after both the hike on a treacherous, steep trail, and the drive to/from the start of it. An SUV is definitely helpful as all but the main roads are unpaved, with many very large potholes. The road was only one lane wide, the downhill driver yields to the car going up, and people try to allow each other to pass as best they can. You share the road with trucks, road workers, cattle, rocks, and dug up areas. Due to the rain there was slippery mud. And the drop offs are super steep, and the sharp curves pretty much constant.
- we got to see the beautiful Punakha Dzong (Craig says the most beautiful temple of our entire trip), which had not been on our itinerary had we completed the trek.

Link to the Haa Valley

Arriving in Bhutan

Arriving in Paro with a group of Thai monks

I don’t think we have ever felt like VIPs before arriving in Bhutan. Our guide, who owns his own company, met us at the airport. He had parked his black SUV very close to where we exited, he insisted on carrying our bags, and opened the doors for us.
He speaks fluent, educated English, and is very open and friendly. We could also after the first afternoon, tell how knowledgeable he is.
THANK YOU MUFFY for recommending Tsewang!

Link to Arriving in Bhutan

North Island 3, and Good Bye NZ

An 800-year-old Kauri Tree

Link to North Island 3

There are a 3 more pictures at the end of the write up.

Our last week in New Zealand. We have spent more time here than in any other country - not by design, but partly because we came a week early to meet June when she came here, and back home, we had thought the weather would work out well this way. SE Asia is hot & humid now, and we scheduled Bhutan for when they recommend hikers come in the spring.
There are lots of options for hiking, which we (especially I) needed to do, to maximize our success in the Himalaya.
We are so glad we had all this time, because we have very much enjoyed seeing quite a bit of this gorgeous country.
Craig has posted a piece on tips for travel here.

New Zealand travel tips

A lot of folks have New Zealand on their bucket list so I thought I'd pass along some of the things we've learnt in the past couple of months travelling here.

North Island 2 - Rotorua

I like our hostel in Rotorua - we have our own room, including a bathroom. The hostel is pretty new, the bed is (sort of) comfortable, and the kitchen is large. Craig said he felt out of place because we initially were the oldest, except for one guy who definitely looked totally out of place here, amongst the 20-something international crowd.

Link to North Island 2

The North Island 1

 .                                              Wineries everywhere


Had a sunny, beautiful, and at times very windy ferry crossing from Picton (on the South Island) to Wellington (on the North Island). Fortunately for Craig, the wind only came on towards the end, and the ferry was big, so we only noticed it when standing on the deck. The wind was strong enough, though, that I could not keep myself, and the camera still, despite the deck being totally level.

Link to North Island 1