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India, Nepal & Bhutan
  • Travel with the Wicks
  • Travel with the Wicks

India, Nepal & Bhutan

After 10 years we return to India to explore Rajasthan and cruise the Ganges. We then fly to Nepal for a new adventure; a place Tom has dreamed of travelling to. Finally we will complete this trip with
Bhutan -the happiest place on earth! Read more
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  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler
    Not a tiger, but a tiger breakfast.

    Going on a tiger hunt!

    November 8, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    As I said, we are hoping to see a Bengal Tiger. We see tiger footprints, animals tigers eat, but no tigers. The number of tigers in this park is about 93 and sightings are fairly regular, albeit usually from a good distance.Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    Boat safari

    November 8, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    It was a pleasant float down river. Quiet, except for birds and the sound of water. The sun was setting so good light for pictures. This is some of what we saw.

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    Dance and Jungle dinner

    November 8, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Yet again we are treated to a cultural dance. This one reminds me very much of some of the indigenous cultural dances I have seen in western Canada during stampede. There are drums and shakers with singing that sounds familiar to what I’ve heard at home. I could even sing along, and I did. Later I was asked to dance in the finale as a representative of Canada. I told our group I wasn’t going to dance, but felt I had to when it was framed as representing Canada.Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler
    Devi park

    Travel to Pokhara

    November 10, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We say goodbye to the Barahi Jungle Lodge and hello to a five hour drive to Pokhara Nepal. The drive is very scenic. Think kicking horse pass times 10. Distance is only about 160 km. but some rough roads to contend with. I don’t recall ever being car sick, but today I felt like hurling for around 30 minutes after looking at the iPad for a while when driving.
    We met our guide and checked into the hotel, the Temple Tree. In the afternoon we went to the Tibetan Refugee Center. I could go on about that, and will when we meet again in person.

    When the clouds clear, you can see some high peaks close by. There is 7 thousand meter one Machhapuchchhre (who can pronounce that) about 28 km. away. We also see the Devi Garden Waterfall and a Temple.
    In the evening we are left by ourselves so we walk the streets aimlessly and find a nice place to eat with a view of the lake.    Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler
    SunrisePool time

    Pokhara - early riser

    November 11, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    This was a bit disappointing considering the hour we had to rise. Up at 4:30 to see a sunrise that was obscured by cloud. The subsequent pictures of the mountains are less than inspirational. We are hoping that tomorrow might be better. We had a little pool time later in the day. Dianne got some shopping done and I got a haircut. Tomorrow we fly back to Kathmandu. It is within driving distance, but I’ve got to say I’m glad we are not driving.Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    Boat ride on Phewa Lake

    November 11, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    It is 330 pm and our guide Sasha has met us to go down to the lake. Here we find small boats with their captains ready to row us across the lake. Water is like glass, the ride smooth and pleasant. Liz and Al are in a boat that travels close to us and the guide is with us. She identifies a few points of interest but I am just enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat and the scenery.

    We arrive at an island in the centre of the lake. There is a temple, many holy pigeons, lots of people and a bit of shopping. Sasha explains a bit about the temple and surrounding area. We take photos, shop and board our boat for return trip.    Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler
    1

    Pokhara back to Kathmandu

    November 12, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Disappointing morning as we had no driver to to the mountain. We did get some photos from the hotel roof, but not as good as we like. Now we are waiting at Pokhara airport for Buddha Air flight to Kathmandu. This airport is a throwback to earlier time when you could walk outside of the airport restaurant to an observation deck and see the coming and goings of the aircraft. We have a direct view of the single runway. The largest aircraft we have seen is an ATR 72, and some smaller. All the baggage is hand loaded and all the baggage carts are pulled by manpower.

    So far we are delayed by 2 hours, and there is no sign of our inbound aircraft. We’ll see how this goes.

    It goes like this. I order fries for us because we are getting hungry. It takes a while, as there is only one cook for a lot of waiting passengers. They call our flight to head through security, and we gather our precious possessions. Our fries arrive as we are walking out. The waiter looks more disappointed than any of us and I for one am disappointed.
    Security is a bonding experience. After your carry on bags are X-rayed you step into a curtained area where a one on one frisking takes place. It is like a massage of your whole body. I would have preferred a female masseuse, but that is not done here.
    We had a bet as to when Takeoff thrust would be applied. Liz won as she guessed within a minute. It was 15:44 local, three and a half hours late. Abit, our guide for Kathmandu was at the airport to greet us. We were too late for our planned evening dinner and cultural presentation so that was rescheduled.    Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    Kathmandu to Paro, Bhutan

    November 13, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    It has been an easier travel day as we upgraded ourselves to business class for the Druk Air flights and had the use of the lounge before our departure. Also Royal Bhutanese Airlines (Druk Air) was on time. That makes things way easier.

    We boarded an Airbus A319, like the kind I used to fly and the same kind Robert my son currently operates. Paro, our destination airport is considered one of the most difficult airports in the world to operate in and out of, so I introduced myself to the Captain, to see if I thought she had what it takes to do such a thing. She built my confidence immediately when I learned she had 12 years experience flying for Druk Air. She asked where I was sitting and said it might be possible to sit in the flight deck for landing. I told her not to break any rules, but I would appreciate the opportunity.

    It was a very pleasant flight with a view of the Himalayan mountains. The top of Everest was capped in cloud, but other high peaks were visible. On descent I went to the washroom and when I came out, the cockpit door was open. The captain invited me in. I sat down in the jump seat, put on my harness and a headset and adjusted the volume for ATC. Paro airport is 7400 feet in elevation and has a single runway that is oriented 15/33. It is 6000 feet long. Paro is located in a valley with steep mountains surrounding it. When I sat down we were descending through 18000 feet. The pilots were using the FMS for a cloud breaking procedure, but visibility was unlimited. The minimums for the cloud breaking procedure are 13500. After we descended through 13500 the GPWS was turned off and the visual part of the approach was flown still using auto pilot. We approached Paro airport from the south and could clearly see the runway. Wind was favouring runway 15 so when we were directly over head tower gave us clearance to land and we proceeded outbound from the airport and continue to descend. All of this was done with flaps 2 and gear down selected over the airport. Autopilot was turned off, flaps 3 selected as we now are turning 180 degrees in the valley. As we turn back to the airport, you can no longer see it because it is hidden by a hill on the approach end. Landing flap selected and heading 180 we clear the hill by about 200 feet. Once by the hill, the runway is now in sight again but a final turn of 30 degrees is needed to line up for runway 15. This happens about 500 feet AGL. The missed approach altitude is 18000 feet and would be visually flown if required. Touch down is firm and we clear at the end. Night time approaches are prohibited. Day VFR only. This is Druk Airs main hub. They fly to Singapore from here, which is their longest flight.
    I thanked the Captain for her professional courtesy and got my stuff joining Dianne and our friends. Customs clearance was the easiest yet for this trip and we were soon on our way to Thimphu in a van.

    Ps, Tom forgot to mention I enjoyed the flight as well from the back. I didn’t get the view he had but at least I took some pictures!    Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    On our way to Thimpu

    November 13, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Our driver, Phuba and guide Tandin met us and we started the 1.5 hour drive to Thimphu; the capital of Bhutan.
    The scenery was mountainous and stunning. The road twisty, turny! The pace is slower here than we have seen anywhere else. No honking horns and not the volume of traffic we see in Nepal or India. The locals all seem to be dressed in a similar fashion and our guide is an optimistic fellow. I expected that considering this is the happiest place on earth.Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    Hike to Cheri Monastery

    November 14, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We are all going on a hike today. We are all looking forward to that. We drive further up into the mountains in our van that has no seatbelts. Dandin our guide explained it yesterday to us. According to him you don’t want to wear seatbelts in Bhutan because the cars travel at a low speed (true) and the road sides are steep. If you go off the road it might be better to not be in the vehicle all the way to the bottom. My mom used to think the same way. I’m not sure I buy the idea, but heck I’ve lived a good life so let’s take a chance.
    We all get out by a bridge over a fast running river. There are the usual stray dogs lying about. Dandin calls them solar powered dogs. They lay in the sun all day charging up and then spend all night barking and carrying on.
    It’s a nice hike up to the monastery. Sunshine, blue skies and a pleasant temperature. We take it slow, take some pics and have a nice morning of it.    Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler
    Soak Daphne barkin water
    Oom and wash soaked barkSort/ clean finr fibresPound/ grind pulp then mix with water & veg starchWooden frame to scoop pulpCompress to remove waterDry compressed paperSort dry paper

    Making paper

    November 14, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Himalayan traditional paper making in the Jungshi Factory. We were shown the soaking, cooking, washing, sorting, pounding, mixing with starch, sheets of paper laid out , dried and sorted piece by piece. Incredible! New appreciation of paper making.Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    National Memorial Chhorten

    November 14, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Things are slow to change in Bhutan. That was evident when we went to the Bank of Bhutan to exchange some money. I saw deposit slips and withdrawal slips all to be hand written for the said purpose. Getting our money changed was all hand recorded in a ledger. The style of buildings hasn’t changed and the height of buildings is limited by the constitution of the country.

    That being said, when they erected the Memorial Chorten in 1974 to honour the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, they didn’t try to stretch the boundaries much. As you can see, it looks a lot like some of the other Stupas we have documented.    Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler
    1

    Thimphu

    November 14, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After a long day, we decide to interact with the locals. For Dianne and Liz that means shopping and for Alan and me it means walking without purpose. I have a camera with me and snap a picture of a traffic cop who looks like he likes his job. Pretty zen fellow. As this is happening, the solar powered dogs come alive. It’s a commotion that draws my attention. What the local mutts are pissed about is some uppity dog riding in the back of a truck. There is a gang of them surrounding the truck barking, some standing on hind legs looking into the truck bed. The dog in the truck is no ordinary dog either. It’s a St. Bernard, with a very deep woof, when it deems to speak. The sound of this woof gets the local mutts on an even rowdier splurge. Who does he think he is riding in that truck and all while the rest of us have to paw and limp our way around here like paupers? Eventually 3 monks arrive at the vehicle, get in and drive away with the St Bernard giving one last in your face woof to the chagrin of the solar dog gang. As all this is going on, the traffic cop stayed focused on his job, directing traffic. Never distracted.Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    Arts & Crafts school

    November 14, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Not my cup of tea, but I think DIanne liked it here. The sewing machines still have a pedal, but have been upgraded with power motors. There are many talented kids here. These were actual classes we visited. Sewing the first, metal works, painting, embroidery and sculpting.Read more

  • Travel with the WicksIndia, Nepal & BhutanTraveler

    The Big Buddha

    November 15, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    This Buddha is new. So new that the steps up to him are not totally finished yet. The Buddha is 15 meters tall and sits on top of a hill so he has a good view of the surrounding area.

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