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Nepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019
  • We are Living the Dream
  • We are Living the Dream

Nepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019

Mount Everest here we come. One more for the bucket list. Okumaya devam et
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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Dinner

    25 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    What can I say.

    We decided we would have some alcohol with dinner. Guess what, it is "Dry Day" so we had water. Dinner was so so. The entree and mains came out together. Just as well we did not pre order dessert as well.
    By the time we had finished entree one of the mains was cold. We asked if they could heat it up and they obliged and reheated in the microwave located in the dry day bar. Then dessert came out. We had ordered vanilla ice cream and a banana fritter. The ice cream was for the fritter. The ice cream came out first and started melting while we waited for the fritter. Banana fritter then came out except it was a bowl of fruit covered in custard. The waiter said it was a banana fritter. John went to the manager who understood english a little better to sort out our order. The ice cream was nearly a puddle when the banana fritter finally arrived covered in chocolate sauce (not what we ordered) which was yum for me but not John. We poured the Ice cream over the fritter, it tasted Ok.

    Now back in our room to watch a movie
    Oops the power went out and the bed is so hard we may as well be on the floor.

    Come on tomorrow.    Okumaya devam et

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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Plenty of awards for this hotel, not sure why.

    Checking Out

    26 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We have decided to change the itinerary and move Hotels closer to the airport tomorrow. Two reasons our concern of more landslides as last night there was heavy rain and the second this place is horrible and now that a few things are closed why stay in Gangtok
    What sort of tour company uses as items on their itinerary that are closed on a Sunday.

    We will do 4 hours around Gangtok. Along the way I will research Hotels and pick one rather than rely on the tour company    Okumaya devam et

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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    A few different view points of Gangtok

    26 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Sightseeing around Gangtok has started. Not much to see around here as I mentioned most things are closed in a Sunday. We tried going to one of the attractions but we could not get through as the locals are still celebrating the change in government and the roads were blocked.

    We then continued to a few different view points which were lovely, just a shame that the cloud cover was still blocking the view to the Himalayas.    Okumaya devam et

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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Rumtek Monastery

    26 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Originally built under the direction the 9th Karmapa Lama in the mid-1700s. Rumtek served as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage in Sikkim for some time. When the 16th Karmapa, arrived in Sikkim in 1959 after fleeing Tibet, the monastery was in ruins. Despite being offered other sites, the Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek. To him, the site possessed many auspicious qualities and was surrounded by the most favorable attributes. For example, flowing streams, mountains behind, a snow range in front, and a river below. With the generosity and help of the Sikkim royal family and the local folks of Sikkim, it was built by the 16th Karmapa as his main seat in exile.

    After four years, construction of the monastery was completed. The sacred items and relics brought out from Tsurphu Monastery, the Karmapa's seat in Tibet, were installed. On Losar in 1966, the 16th Karmapa officially inaugurated the new seat, called "The Dharmachakra Centre, a place of erudition and spiritual accomplishment, the seat of the glorious Karmapa..

    The monastery is currently the largest in Sikkim and is home to 300 monks and where they perform the rituals and practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage. A golden stupa contains the relics of the 16th Karmapa. Opposite that building is a college, Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies.

    Again this monastery was different to other's we have seen, I am still not getting a clear understanding, all the different Lama's are very confusing but everything the guides tell is very interesting.    Okumaya devam et

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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    A comfy bed at last

    Courtyard by Marriott

    26 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We are now checked in to a decent hotel and just finished a yummy buffet dinner. Still Indian food but much nicer than what we have been eating. They also had soups, salads, chinese and the best desserts.

    Funny thing though is it is a new hotel and they have not got their liquor licence so still a Dry Dinner for us. Just as well we can survive without beer and wine.

    We check out tomorrow and head to Delhi.    Okumaya devam et

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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    View from our room's window
    View from our lobby's window

    Leaving for Delhi

    27 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    So that is what it feels like to have a shower and be safe and clean. This is something we have not experienced for a week or so.

    Breakfast was rather scrumptious. The chef who came out to have a chat at dinner was also at breakfast to check that everything was to our liking. This apparently is still only a 3 star hotel. It is 11 stories high and at the moment only has 45 guests.

    It really does not take much to make a nice hotel if the staff are trained.

    Our guide will be here to take us to the airport at 9am for the 9km drive to the airport which supposedly takes over 1 hour to get there, the joys of Indian traffic.

    It did not take an hour but the process at the airport is silly and took forever.

    We have found that everyone has been very nice but once people are at the airport the little rude monster must appear. They push and shove just to take 1 or 2 steps.

    All I can say is I am glad that part of our holidays is over, yes we have the memories and the stories and some things I would rather forget but we have had a wonderful time.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Canapes on arrival

    The Leela Palace

    27 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 40 °C

    That was a long day and a lot of ups and downs over the last 3 weeks.

    We have now arrived in a lovely hotel where they greet you with flowers and the traditional red dot on the forehead. Walked to our room to check-in and advised of our complementary items as we are members of the Hotel Chain.

    We will at sometime go out and explore but for now we will take in whatever Leila Palace has to offer.

    It is time to relax for 5 days in the 40 degree heat and just chill.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Yoghurt based dish
    Cooking spiced roast potatoesSpiced roast potatoesJalebi from Jalebi Wala storeNuts of all varietiesI think that this is called Chole Chawal

    Food Tour

    28 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 41 °C

    Tonight for dinner we went to Old Delhi for a food tour. We went there by an Uber tuk tuk for a great cost of $2.00. Even more efficient than Sydney.

    We met our guide at the Metro station and jumped on a train, the trains here a clean, cheap and very efficient.

    The train took us to Old Delhi where we walked to Chandni Chowk.

    On the tour we walked down the streets taking in what Old Delhi has to offer, Markets, street food stalls, hole in the wall food stalls, dogs, cats, traffic and people everywhere.

    Along the way we also walked through spice market. This was funny as John, the guide and the 2 other people on the tour found the smells of the spice, especially the chilli quite stroing and started sneezing.

    We continued walking the local streets and even jumping into tuk tuks to take us around the various areas of Old Delhi. The food tour was great.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    We look like local Sikhs or maybe pirates
    Inside the TempleKitchen which prepares a large number of daily meals

    Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib

    28 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    This is a Sikh Temple and we do not think that we have ever been in such a temple before. We had to remove shoes, wear something on our heads, wash our hands, walk through water to wash our feet and sit down on the floor and listen to I guess what you could call either prayers or meditation.

    We walked around the temple through the kitchen and a dining hall, where the temple feeds roughly 20,000 people for lunch and dinner every day. Anyone can eat there rich, poor and even tourists if they wish. It was quite interesting listening to our guide explain about the Sikh religion.

    Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. It was first constructed in 1783 by Baghel Singh Dhaliwal to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. It marks the site where the ninth Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on 11 November 1675 for refusing to convert to Islam.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Holding on tight for the 15 minute trip home

    Fun ride back to Hotel

    28 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ 🌙 36 °C

    We took another tuk tuk from the train station back to our hotel. It was like being on a disney ride. The driver weaved in and out of the traffic, I even had my eyes closed a couple of times as I did not what to see an accident happen when he swerved around cars. To our surprise we arrived back at the hotel safe and sound.Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Lovely day relaxing

    29 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    The day started with a leisurely breakfast and a call to Mum and Dad.

    After chatting with Mum and Dad it was time to go for a swim and read a book in the 43 degree heat. However, it actually does not feel that hot and the pool feels a little chilly but quite nice after roasting .Our pool boy just like yesterday come with a basket of cold items. The lemonade is very refreshing.

    Around 2pm we thought it best to get out of the sun and take a rest as we are sooooo exhausted from doing nothing (ha ha).

    We rested for a while in our room catching up emails and photos, I have taken over 1700 photo's and nearly 200 video's so heaps of work especially when I get home to put them into a slideshow so everyone can enjoy the ups and down of this trip.

    It was then time for High Tea as our late lunch. As expected it was very nice and a lovely way to end the day of doing nothing but relax.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Qutub Minar tower
    India's first mosque

    Qutab Minar

    30 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 41 °C

    Today we hired a driver for 8 hours to take us around some of the tourist attractions of Delhi for $40. What a bargain!

    A 73m tower the Qutab Minar was built to celebrate the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu Kingdom. The red sandstone and marble tower stands next to India's first Mosque. It is an example or pre-Mughal architecture.Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Safdarjung's Tomb

    30 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 42 °C

    Safdarjung's Tomb is one of the last trumiphs of Moghal arcitecture. This sandstone and marble mausoleum was built for the prime minister of the Moghal empire in 1748 by his son. Some say it is similar to the style of the Taj Mahal.

    This was basically a derelict building they charge tourists to visit, even though it was only $7.00 each it was a waste of money. It is a shame, as the building could have been really lovely had they looked after it.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Humayun's Tomb

    Humayun's Tomb

    30 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 42 °C

    It was built in 1565 A.D. (nine years after the death of Humayun) by his widow Bega Begam. Inside the walled enclosure the most notable features are the garden squares (chaharbagh) with pathways of water channels, centrally located in front of the well proportioned mausoleum which is topped by a double dome.

    There are several graves of Mughal rulers located inside the walled enclosure dating from 1857 A.D

    In more recent times the building served as a shelter for Muslum Refugees.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Enjoying a cold drink while checking what attractions we will be visiting next

    McDonald's Connaught Place

    30 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 44 °C

    Getting over the heat and the buildings which are in need of urgent repair we decided we needed a break and some lunch. We had walked past McDonalds when we went on the food tour, so we asked the driver to take us there.

    This McDonalds had no meat burgers only veggie and chicken. No thickshakes only ice-cream float. The fry's were the same and quite nice.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Jantar Mantar

    30 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 44 °C

    This is another area which is a disgrace, it has so much potential as a great tourist attraction but has been forgotten as so many things in India are.

    Jantar Mantar dates back to 1724 and translates literally as" instruments formulae". The 13 structures are large architectural astronomy instruments used to make accurate observations for the purpose of predicting solar, lunar and planetary movements.

    They really did not have any clear explanations on how the srtuctures worked which is a shame as John likes this sort of stuff.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Where's John?

    Agrasen Ki Baoli

    30 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 43 °C

    Agrasen Ki Baoli is a heritage stepwell 60m long and 15 m wide which was built in the 1400's. The structure is made of red stone and is partly immersed in water.

    This Baoli,(well) with 108 steps, is among a few of its kind in Delhi. The visible parts of this historical stepwell consist of three levels. Each level is lined with arched niches on both sides.

    The well was quite interesting but obvoulsy the locals only use it to sit and stay out of the sun. Most people were on their phones playing games.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Driving past India Gate
    Paparazzi around one of the official cars.Local deli storeVideo display in the shopping centre

    India Gate then back to the Hotel

    30 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ 🌙 39 °C

    We passed by India Gate and then we hit traffic caused by the newly elected Indian Prime Minister Modi who had just finished at the local race course and on his way to take his second oath. His car was mobbed by paparazzi.

    Our final stop before returning to the hotel was a very expensive shopping centre which is about 10 min walk from our hotel.

    Once back at our hotel there was even more security than when we had left. I asked the doorman why this was so and he said that a Prime Minister's delegation were staying at the hotel, it also looked like they were having a function here tonight.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Mexican for Dinner

    31 Mayıs 2019, Hindistan ⋅ 🌙 39 °C

    We relaxed poolside for a few hours today in the 45 degree heat (this is cooler than yesterday it was 47) before retiring to our room to get a few things ready for when we leave tomorrow.

    Tonight is our last night in Delhi so we walked to a nearby designer shopping centre and had dinner in the food court. There are so many restaurants to choose but we felt like Mexican.

    We started with a guacamole ,spicy sauce and salsa then quesadillas and burritos, finishing with raspberry sorbet and Valrhona Chocolate Tart.

    Now to watch a horror movie on Netflix.    Okumaya devam et

  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin
    Ordering our grocery shopping to be delivered just after we arrive home.

    Last Day

    1 Haziran 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Today is our last day, The Leela Palace has certainly completed our wonderful holiday.

    The last breakfast someone else prepared, the last time someone will make the bed, even the last time the pool boy will prepare our lemonade at the pool.

    Holiday is nearly over only a few more hours here.    Okumaya devam et

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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Lessons

    1 Haziran 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ⛅ 40 °C

    We did enjoy our holiday even with its up's and downs but we certainly learnt a few things this time around when it comes to pre-booking complete tours that we can adopt in future.

    1. Don’t trust tripadvisor reviews except for those from people with a large number of reviews (ie they are well travelled).

    2. Research tour company offers thoroughly, concentrating on:

    • Attractions and locations visited and purpose for visiting
    • Time taken to reach each new location and identification of wasted time waiting
    • Modes of transport used and the number of passengers
    • Proposed accommodation and confirm what happens if changed
    • Cost of complete tour vs making own bookings for accommodation and sourcing tour components separately or visiting attractions yourself and paying cost of entry.
    • Reputation/reviews of tour company.
    • Options they have should a component of the tour not proceed or be significantly delayed say due to bad weather or travel issues.
    • Level of proficiency of English of the tour guides.

    3. Ask tour company to clarify details of their offering arising from the points above to ensure that you have obtained value for money for a good quality tour.

    4. Obtain all responses by email.    Okumaya devam et

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  • We are Living the DreamNepal Tibet Bhutan India 2019Gezgin

    Oh no time to check out

    1 Haziran 2019, Hindistan ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    Goodbye vacation it is time to head home.

    Michael, Hilda and the A team arrive back from Hawaii on the same day we arrive home. Melissa and Charlie arrive in a few days. It will be lovely seeing them all.

    We are not actually home for that long we have a few mini breaks already planned. Touring Victoria and driving along the Great Ocean Road in July for about 3 weeks. In August we head over the ditch to visit Melissa ,Luke and Charlie for around 3 weeks.

    We love this retirement thing.

    Living the Dream.    Okumaya devam et

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