Kathmandu - Dubai

I was up at 4:30 this morning for an Everest flight which was (sorry for the repetitive hyperbole) incredible. To give you a sense of scale: Ben Nevis (the highest peak in the UK) is 1,345m above sea level, whilst Kathmandu sits at 1,400m, at the base of the Himalayas. Everest's peak is 8,848m and Nuptse (the ridge next to it) is 7,861m - almost a kilometre lower. It was great fun: we swigged free prosecco and went into the cockpit to take selfies with the (really quite hot) pilot.

When we landed our (pre-arranged through the flight company) taxi driver picked us up without anyone asking us for payment for the flight. We didn't get so lucky, though, and the driver took us to an office somewhere in Kathmandu for us to pay. I've learned that the payment part of any transaction takes the longest in Nepal, and this sure did. The Man With The Key wasn't at the office, so we couldn't go inside until he arrived. I really really really needed the loo, weighed up my options, forlornly looked at Clare and said "I don't want to shit in a plant pot" but was thankfully saved from that fate when The Man With The Key, my saviour, rocked up. The rest of the day was spent haggling with the traders of Kathmandu, packing, saying goodbyes, and setting off to the airport.

Leaving India and Nepal I thought my fear of traffic had ironically improved, if not almost gone, but since arriving in Dubai where there's an infrastructure recognisable as roads complete with indicators and lanes and traffic lights and everything, I've realised that driving in India and Nepal was so unlike at home that I couldn't even make a comparison - and it's strengthened my belief that those who moan that "health and safety has gone mad" have probably never been to a place where no such concept exists. In the UK I'd cry foul play if someone cut me up, but in the countries I went to it was so normal that drivers expected it, and anticipated and reacted accordingly. I've felt more scared in Dubai than I did in India and Nepal, even though the roads and standard of driving are so so much better, just because it feels more familiar. 

I've bagged myself an absolute bargain hotel room here - it was a £200 down to £60 sale, which I'm always a bit wary of, but I think this is worth £200! Sleepy time now.

Love Emily x

Pokhara - Kathmandu; Nepal

Urgh.

Last night a group of us tested Pokhara's reputation of being a great night out, and went out for a few drinks. We negotiated a 90 minute extension to the cocktail Happy Hour and exploited it to the max. The cocktails here are potent, and worked so effectively that I was smashing a glass for every two that I drank. I was trollied, blaming my state on the altitude, and booing anyone who pointed out that Pokhara is at roughly the same height as Leeds. When it came to ordering dinner, I was so shitfaced that I happily ordered, and then gobbled, a spaghetti carbonara. I got onto the bus to Kathmandu at 6:30 this morning feeling disgustingly hungover and guilty, and also with crippling stomach pains from my body trying to digest half a pig after years of vegetarianism. I'm pretty sure Darryl doesn't read this (he once grumpily half-joked that no man should have to subscribe to his girlfriends newsletter) so hopefully I've got away with it from an ongoing guilt perspective, if not from a digestive point of view! 

The distance between Pokhara and Kathmandu is only 200km, but it feels like you cross a border to a different country when you arrive. My impression of Nepal so far was that it's far cleaner and better presented than India, but Kathmandu feels poorer than Jaipur or Varanasi. There's only one road between Pokhara and Kathmandu, and I'd advise you to fly between the two cities than take it! It's a single carriageway road which clings to the edge of mountains, hairpin bends and sheer drops are par for the course, clogged full of lorries. Parts of it were destroyed by landslides, there were plenty of crashed vehicles which had been abandoned, and I'm not being flippant when I say I wish I wore a sports bra for the ride! At 17:00, tired and grumpy, we arrived in Kathmandu and rushed around a monkey temple before it closed. All I really wanted from the monkey temple was a chance to use the bathroom, but the janitor had locked that and gone home, so instead I climbed 300 steps to see three dogs having a 3some, and mulled over the fact that they were having a better day than I was.

I've got another 4:30 start tomorrow, but I really don't mind this one, as I'll be flying around Everest!

Love Emily x

Pokhara; Nepal

Disclaimer: I realise I use the words "awesome", "amazing", "beautiful", "stunning", "incredible", etc, a lot. It's not that I have a narrow vocabulary, it's just that there are no other adjectives to describe some of the things I've seen.

I had another ridiculous wake up alarm at 4:20 this morning, to reach the top of Sarangkot mountain, part of the Annapurna range, in time for sunrise. We did, and it was amazing. The top of Sarangkot was above cloud level, with Pokhara city to one side and the rest of the snow capped Annapurna range to the other. 

Later in the day Clare and I boarded a minibus to take us up another one of the Annapurna mountains for paragliding. These mountainous roads were half rubble, with lots of hairpin bends and vertical drops for added excitement. Clare and I, being two white girls in a van full of Asian men, stuck out like sore thumbs and I was alternating between two thoughts most of the way up the mountain: 1) I've got no idea where we should be heading, this is a hell of a lot of trust to put in a van full of strangers, and there's a chance this bus journey could be subject to analysis in British tabloid newspapers, and 2) I hope my instructor isn't the one who keeps winding his window down to gob out of it. These two thoughts gave way to "we're really quite high up now" and "it's interesting that we're still climbing". Eventually the bus stopped and I felt relieved that we weren't going any higher - until we were told to walk up the last bit! 

When we finally reached the top I wasn't sure if being above cloud level was helpful or not; sure, I couldn't see how far down the ground was, but the implication was probably 'pretty bloody far'. By the time our instructors (I didn't get Gobby!) got us harnessed up and the parachutes sorted, the clouds had cleared and we could see precisely what we were running off. Out of the two of us Clare went first, and she had a bit of a botched take off - her an her instructor sort of stumbled, and then got picked back up by their 'chute a little way down the mountain. I watched this, contemplated every life choice which had led me to this moment, and then heard "run, run, run!!" being shouted. We ran, off the side of a mountain, and then flew down. The only English words my instructor spoke were "run", "beautiful Pokhara" and "nice?" - but he did let me loose with a GoPro and a selfie stick, plus I was sitting on his lap, so we bonded! We glided for about 25 minutes, and landed on the shore of Pokhara lake. It was awesome.

Love Emily x

Chitwan-Pokhara; Nepal

This morning was a relative lie in (6:30 start), and I woke up feeling surprisingly okay given the obscene quantity of vodka I had last night. We left the home stay village and hit the road to Pokhara, travelling through the Mahabharat mountain range.

These roads were amazing, and I have huge admiration for the bus driver for navigating them safely. They clung onto the sides of mountains, sometimes above cloud level, often inches away from vertical drops of hundreds of metres into dense rainforest. Some parts were badly damaged from recent floods and landslides, and other parts had waterfalls gushing over them. Gradually, the rainforest gave way to snow capped mountains and we arrived in Pokhara at 17:00. 

This evening we visited a house where women rescued from human trafficking live, and receive an education and rehabilitation into society, removed from the issues which saw them become a victim of trafficking originally. They made us a great Nepalese dinner, and taught us how to make momos: a Nepalese dish, like a stuffed dumpling. They turned out surprisingly well!

Tomorrow I've got a 4:20 start for a sunrise hike, and then... paragliding!

Love Emily x

Chitwan National Park; Nepal

They say it never rains but it pours, and that was certainly the case today. I didn't sleep well last night (hard bed, mosquito net too close to my face, and lungs feeling full of gunk if I lay flat) and woke up feeling cold. "How can this be?", I thought to myself, "I've not felt anything other than disgustingly sweaty in nearly a fortnight". I could hear rain hammering on the hut roof, and realised the rain had been coming through the mesh window and gradually making me wet overnight.

The dash from our hut to the communal room required my Emergency Poncho, and I was absolutely soaked when I arrived. When we arrived there, we were told that the jeep safari planned for the afternoon had been cancelled because the rain had flooded the tracks, and the wifi was down. Seriously unimpressed, we cracked out the Uno cards and Emergency Chocolate, contemplated daytime drinking, and started pleading with out guide. 

Eventually the pleading worked and the safari was rearranged. It was a jeep setup similar to in Africa, driving through dense rainforest. Every few minutes the jeep stopped and we excitedly wondered if it was because the driver had spotted something, or had the truck just got stuck again? (Spoiler: it was always the latter). I don't want to sound too grumpy though, so here's a list of all the animals I saw:

2 parrots

A deer

Seriously though, it was a fun drive, and I'm really pleased I had the opportunity to see so many cool wild animals, even if they didn't feel like saying hello. 

In the evening we had dinner cooked for us by the local Tharu people, and they gave a performance of their traditional songs and dances. I was consuming a fair amount of vodka (the standard spirit measure here is 60mls...) during their performance, and therefore didn't even slightly hesitate when they invited me up to join in. It was so so funny, and I'm sure some photos will emerge. Tomorrow we'll be sobering up, and driving through the mountains to reach Pokhara.

Love Emily x

Nepal Border - Chitwan Park; Nepal

I love Nepal. Seriously, it's awesome.

One of the first things I noticed after crossing the border was the relative silence - there's no cacophony of noise on the roads! The horn here is used appropriately - not as a substitute for indicators, or as a greeting, or to move a cow out of the way. The air is cleaner, the rules of the road apply, and the people far less aggressive.

We had lunch at a cafe in a tiny village up a mountain, on a terrace with fantastic views over the rainforest below us. Then we headed to the village of Barauli, which is a 'homestay' setup - meaning we live as part of the village whilst we're here. As we arrived, they stood in a line, clapped, painted a bindi on our foreheads and placed a ring of real flowers around our necks in turn. It was slightly odd, but very welcoming!

We hired some bikes and cycles from the village to a river. I was pretty scared of getting on a bike for the first time since the crash, but I did it, and I was so glad I did. Sunset over the river was absolutely beautiful, and made so much more stunning by three elephants playing in the water.

Definitely my favourite moment of the trip so far!

Love Emily x

Varanasi; India - Nepalese Border

Today, I woke up at 3:30. At 4:15 (late because 2 of my friends alarm didn't go off and then they got stuck a broken lift, which I bet was still playing Yesterday Once More by The Carpenters on a continuous loop) we got on a bus to a train station further away from Varanasi station (which is literally across the road from our hotel) because we could get a direct train from its starting station rather than join a scrum for seats and luggage space. The bus went down a narrow street which was blocked, so did a 12 point turn causing likely damage to low hanging power cables...we made as quick an exit as is possible to make on a bus wedged across a dirt track, and were dropped off back at the station less than 100m from our hotel. It turns out that the powers that be in Varanasi started tarmacking the roads overnight - a noble and necessary task - but are doing all of them, at once. India.

At Varanasi station we waited for almost an hour for our train to come at about 6ish. Really glad we got up at 3:30 to effectively take the journey across the road, we did a last minute dash to a different platform, and boarded a train which we didn't have tickets for. It all worked out okay, and after a very long and uncomfortable train ride we arrived in Gorakhpur and got on a minibus for 4 hours to the Nepalese border. I'd been warned that the roads around the border were bad, but that implies that they should have at least been recognisable as roads, which they were not. The immigration staff on the Indian side were obstructive and unhelpful, grilled some people on the minutiae of dates and accommodation, and tried to extort a fine from our guide. They couldn't argue that the bulk of us have unicorns on our passports and at 18:00 let us through. The Nepalese border staff were helpful and welcoming, and our passports were stamped with no issues. 

We got on a new minibus and went to a hotel close to the base of the Himalayas, had an awesome dinner with lots of booze, and realised they're playing the exact same bloody Carpenters song on a loop in the lift.

Love Emily x

Day 2 Varanasi; India

Last night we went on a boat ride on the Ganges at sunset, which was very pretty. After the sun had set, a Hindu prayer ceremony started on a ghat and dozens of other tourist boats piled up to watch. A bit further down the ghats were public cremations. The equivalent of funeral services had happened earlier, and women are seen as too sensitive to cope with the cremation of the bodies, so only men were present. I'm not squeamish (I've seen plenty of dead bodies, and can deal with the smell of burned or decomposing flesh), but I felt uneasy watching this. These bodies were someone's son, daughter, mother or father and we were intrusively watching their grief... some even took photos. If a boatload of Asian tourists with Nikons rocked up at a funeral of someone I love then I'd happily tell them where to go, and possibly try to capsize them.

After we got off the boat we took a tuk tuk to a nice looking restaurant, and our driver hit a man on a bike. At the restaurant, they were very efficient at taking our orders, but we waited about 45 minutes for the drinks to arrive. Most of us ordered cokes, which still come in glass bottles out here, and they were brought out one by one. Those that didn't order cokes got their drinks with their food, which came out in staggered batches over another 45 minutes. Most of us were sharing rice and naans, but it was awkward to start if your partners curry hadn't arrived yet. After we'd all finished (some had finished before I'd started), we asked for the bill which took another half hour and seemed to be causing tension amongst the waiters. By this point we were all tired and grumpy, aware that we had a stupidly early start this morning, and wanted our beds.

This morning we got up at 4:30 for a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges, but you couldn't see any sun because it was raining so hard, and the sight and smell of burning bodies was still there. Also this morning the clothes of the dead from last night were being burned which wasn't an overly uplifting sight. You'd think the rain would be a welcome break to the heat, but all it did was add an extra layer of moisture to your clothes without altering the temperature at all.

Grumpy and wet, we headed back to bed at 6:30 and woke up around midday to go and look at some Buddhist temples, and the place where Buddha gave his first sermon which was quite interesting but probably not worth sweating your balls off for.

We then had lunch and went shopping. We asked to go to the Old Town market, which the tuk tuk driver agreed to, but it soon became clear he didn't have a scooby where he was going. We cut our loses and asked him to stop on a main road far away from any market, but avoiding dodgy back alleys and near shops where we could get everything on our shopping list - flip flops and a salbutamol inhaler. I found an inhaler pretty quickly, was told it cost 2400 rupees (~24 quid) which I was willing to pay, and was over the moon to find that the pharmacist didn't speak great English and actually only wanted 240 rupees (£2.40). I took two. Most shops here are sensibly named, unlike in Ghana, but I did have a little snigger when I saw 'Gaylord Tailors'. Clare and I bravely chose to take a proper rickshaw back to the hotel, and are both surprised to have survived!

We've got a 3:30 start tomorrow as we've got a long train ride to the Nepal boarder, so by 20:00 Clare and I were in our PJs, watching the Indian shopping channel and ordering room service... aka living the dream!

Love Emily x

Orchha-Varanasi; India

Yesterday the temperature reached 40 degrees and was unbearable. There's been air conditioning at all of the places we've stayed, but the dryness of the air is making my throat sore and facing the contrast of the temperature inside/outside the room is horrible. You can shower, but as soon as you turn off the water you immediately need another one.

Yesterday in Orchha I visited the home of a local woman who painted both of my hands with henna for 200 rupees (about £2) - she did a great job and I love the results. Whilst she was painting her 5 children (aged 6-12) quietly sat on the floor and diligently did their homework from textbooks - not a TV or tantrum in sight!

Overnight I took a 13 hour sleeper train from Jhansi to Varanasi, which was an experience! It was over 90 minutes late, which I'm told isn't late at all in India, and no-one seemed bothered when a cow wandered onto the platform and started eating out of bins. The train finally arrived, we hopped on, and my heart sank. We were travelling 3 tier, which means there were 3 tiers of beds. I think the term "bunk beds" is misleading, because it conjures up mental images of comfy childhood beds which had room for rolling over in. These hard mattresses didn't, and were shorter than I am. Sheets (which were starchier than the NHSs) were provided, but it was a bring your own pillow affair, so I improvised with some flip flops and a pashmina. I was in the middle of 3 beds, with fascinated Indian strangers all around me. Perhaps the most surprising part of the journey was that I got a solid 11 hour sleep and woke up in the morning feeling brilliant!

The train arrived in Varanasi, which is only 38 degrees today, and we went straight to a hotel. Most of the group were feeling a bit ropey  after the train and had a nap, but Clare and I are made of tough NHS stuff so had lunch an hit the spa. I cautiously opted for a much needed full body massage, clocked the size of the masseuse (4 foot something and skinny) and relaxed a lot. She didn't speak any English, nor I a word of whatever language(s) she spoke, so it was slightly awkward when I pointed to my left elbow and said "ow", hoping she'd stay clear of it. Instead she gave it extra special attention, and after using up all of the breathing and visualisation techniques I helpfully suggest to labouring women I heard a loud crack... and the pain went. She then gestured for me to roll over, and started massaging my abdomen... hard. I was anxiously thinking "I've got Crohn's and I've eaten a truckload of curry this week... push any harder and something might come out...", and then she moved upwards to rub my boobs. After 60 minutes of this shit I had several questions floating around my head, primarily: "where does she get her strength from?", "can she speak perfect English and is just messing with me?", and "is it sexual assault if I pay for it?".

In the evening we had a sunset boat ride on the Ganges, and dinner in possibly the worlds slowest restaurant. Booth deserve a proper write up, but it's late at night (thanks to the latter) and I've  got a 4:30 start for a sunrise boat trip,so stay tuned for an update tomorrow!

Love Emily x

Agra-Orchha; India

I briefly mentioned yesterday that I went to Agra Fort and Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal was stunning, and Agra Fort (built in 16th century) was extremely impressive with a rudimentary but effective air conditioning system, a hidden communication system and optical illusion views of Taj Mahal.... but I'm pretty sure this blog doesn't get hits for the cultural reviews, so I'll crack on with the stories.

Today we hopped on a train from Agra to Jhansi. Trains here run hours (not minutes) late, sometimes don't come at all, and I've been here long enough to not be concerned that a train moving isn't a valid reason not to try to get on or off it. As with most things in India, the spectrum of comfort was pretty wide. We travelled AC2 class (which would give East Midlands Trains a run for its money!), but the 3rd class carriages had bars on the windows instead of glass so a) there was some ventilation, and b) no-one falls out. The toilets, however, were awful. I get regularly mocked for wearing flip flops in any shower, but flip flops didn't cut it in this loo. The seat was sprayed with urine, which is grim but I've got thighs of steel from almost a week of squatting over toilets, and there was 'miscellaneous fluid' on the floor which made little waves and sloshed in your feet when the train turned a corner. 

From Jhansi we took a tuk tuk to Orchha, via a local paper factory. Darryl is a bit of a local pothole activist, and I can imagine him furiously scribbling in his yellow notebook that the majority of all roads need repairing if he were here! The driving was slightly safer than in Jaipur and Agra, and I didn't scream once. The paper factory employs locals and recycles cotton to make into good quality paper, and had a gift shop selling the finished products.

We're 'camping' in Orchha tonight but these aren't real tents at all (they have en suites)! The campsite is right next to ancient Hindu temples, and the view of these from my tent is beautiful. This evening I showered off other people's urine, visited a Hindu temple and watched a prayer ceremony, and fought off bugs. 

Pumped with confidence from today's train ride, tomorrow I'll be catching a sleeper train to Varanasi... wish me luck!

Jaipur-Agra

Today I left Jaipur and arrived in Agra. The bus ride here was uneventful, aside from driving the wrong way down a busy dual carriageway because the alternative was driving for 5 miles in the correct direction to a slip road. My comfort zone is quite loosely defined, but so far travelling in any kind of vehicle here has pushed me outside of it.

Yesterday wasn't entirely spent observing horrific poverty and feeling complicit in it, although it definitely felt like it when I wrote my last post. I visited the Amber Fort, and the Glass Palace within it which were both impressive. I also went to a block printing factory (aka a shed with 2 old boys working in it) and watched them make fantastically intricate fabric from dye and a wooden stamp. The factory had a shop next door selling the finished products, and I got myself some Indian clobber made from the fabric they sold. 

I'd hoped to see a lot more of Jaipur but (and this part can only be published in a place where Megan can see it now we know the outcome, for me at least, is "it turned out fine") there have been recent riots in the city between Hindus and Muslims, and the police 'accidentally' killed some people. Since then the riots have escalated, parts of the city are in lockdown with a curfew on the parts that aren't, mobile internet (which is all most locals have) has been blocked, and I'm sure I could hear gunfire from our hotel rooms both nights we spent here. It sounds bad,  but was fine!

In the evening, a group of us braved a fairly tame tuk tuk ride to get to a vegetarian restaurant which had been recommended to us by a local. As much as I love paneer, I'm sick of eating it for every meal by sticking to what I know, so my new strategy is picking something I've never heard of and hoping for the best - it's worked out brilliantly so far! 

Tuk tuks work in a strange way: the assumption is that all journeys are return journeys, so the drivers will wait outside a bar or restaurant for you until you're finished no matter how much you protest, and well aware that it's likely to be hours, as that way they're guaranteed a job later. The guy who drove us back from the restaurant took a disproportionate amount of pride in his driving skills, and kept turning around to sing to us, and reassure us in the back that his driving was safe. His evidence for this relied on once being reviewed in a Chinese guide book, so I'd like to double his claims to fame by reviewing him on an English blog:

"Have you ever simultaneously been seduced whilst being driven the wrong way down a dual carriageway screaming "MIND THAT COW!!"? No? And nor should you. Two parts terror; one part "this story is so good that no-one will believe me, assuming I live to tell it", this niche opportunity can be experienced by hopping on Raj's tuk tuk. Hurtling through obstacle course featuring canyon sized potholes, fearless pedestrians and sleeping cattle - locally known as 'the roads' - the experience will leave your knuckles white, your throat sore, and your pants soiled. For a nominal fee of 200 rupees Raj will provide a truly personalised service: bordering on stalking by adamantly waiting whilst you eat, serenading you with Enrique Iglasias, and selflessly sacrificing the opportunity to focus on the road to gaze into your eyes. Insisting on driving you to bars and shops, no matter how much you protest, Raj will give you the best tour of Jaipur you didn't want. He guarantees to deliver you to your destination alive, although is cagey about whether that's in this life or next. A once in a lifetime opportunity - and believe me, it will only happen the once! 6/10"

Love Emily x

Jaipur; India

There are no amusing stories or near-miss escapades in this post. I've experienced 'real India', and it isn't pretty. 

The level of poverty I've seen in Jaipur hugely exceeds what I saw in Delhi and all the African countries I visited - although maybe I just wasn't exposed to it there. Here, it's unavoidable. Whilst I was on a bus I saw a woman with a newborn baby walking in the middle of the road, thrusting an empty feeding bottle into people's faces and begging for water to feed him with. Not milk - water. No-one seemed willing to help her (and I couldn't because I was in a speeding vehicle steering erratically), and that shows how entrenched the poverty is: a starving woman and her newborn baby doesn't register as a problem which needs solving. Men, women and children sleep on the streets amongst sewage and stray dogs, because that it their status.

Life doesn't seem very fair out here.

Love Emily x

Delhi-Jaipur; India

Today I visited the 'Gateway of India', a monument, with lots of similarities to the Arc D'Triumph, to honour dead soldiers. In the middle of the arch there's a flame, which hasn't been extinguished since the archway was built. In front of the Gateway was a snake charmer who assumed I was taking a photo of him, not the monument. He wanted royalties for the photo of him I didn't take, and chased me with his cobra until I paid up.

Later on, we hit the road and took a 7 hour bus ride to Jaipur. I really feel the photo below needs some context: I took it from a bus in the slow lane. Note the car driving straight at us, the motorcyclist riding the wrong way, cars straddling lanes, and a random pedestrian. My respect for the Highway Code increases with each mile.



In Jaipur we walked around the market, and were offered some street food. I need to be clear about this: Indian 'street food' is worlds apart from the 'authentic' food carts with their council hygiene ratings that you find in the hipster parts of town. No, this food is prepared, sold and eaten amongst the stench of human sewage and rotting animals. I didn't think my 0.8 of a neutrophil was up to the challenge, and politely declined.

After establishing that street food was not the way forward we took a tuk tuk (like a rickshaw with an engine, for maximum damage potential) to a restaurant with better reviews. Words can't describe the terror, and I have a video to show anyone who thinks I'm exaggerating!

Love Emily x

Delhi; India day 1

I'm a huge fan of executive airport lounges. You pay 20-30 quid for a comfy seat, wifi, a plug socket, a shower, all the alcohol you can drink, and some (admittedly questionable) food. I consider it as much of a holiday essential as the SPF 50.

However. I did not fully appreciate the Delhi climate (37 degrees today), and the effect this would have on recovering from a skinful of gin.

The standard of driving here is far worse than in Africa. The horn is used frequently and liberally, no-one pays any attention to lanes, and people drive the wrong way down dual carriageways. My taxi ride from the airport took 50 minutes, and the driver used the horn 71 times - I counted (with clenched, sweaty fists) as a way of controlling the urge to scream/vomit. 

I'm hoping to have some memories of this trip and not spend it entirely pissed (especially in light of the weather!) but, to be honest, I'm going to do whatever I need to do to get through it. My fear of being a car passenger or pedestrian is no better, and being a driver or cyclist is just unthinkable at the moment! I did wonder whether or not I'm currently strong enough to face my fear of traffic on this trip, but I think the 'sink or swim' philosophy is the way forward, I'll travel by train quite a lot, and if I need to hit the bottle - so be it! 

I've met some people I'll be hitting the road with, and one girl I'll be sharing a room with is a nurse from Nottingham! There's a rooftop bar where I'm staying tonight, and then we went out for a curry. The spiciness scale in the UK in no way translates to Indian perceptions of spice (even the poppadoms had pepper in), and I'll be sticking to kormas from now on! Tomorrow I'm heading off to Jaipur, neckig prophylactic loperamide, and trying to pluck up the courage to ride in a rickshaw!

Love Emily x

Almost Time For Another Adventure!

In 3 days time I'll be headed off on my next adventure: starting off in Delhi and ending up in Kathmandu, via Jaipur, Agra, Orchha, Varanasi, Lumbini, Chitwan National Park and Pokhara. I'm hoping to paraglide over the Himalayas and take a flight from Lukla airport (widely considered to be one of the most dangerous airports in the world) around Everest. I'm down to my last few of my 9 lives, and hopefully I won't tick off any more!

Although it was arranged in February, this trip has turned out to be very well timed. I've started a phased return back at work following the crash, and this trip delays my return to full-time a bit. Also I feel like I definitely need a holiday: physiologically I feel quite fragile and anxious, I'm not eating or sleeping properly, and I keep having flashbacks to the crash. I've not cycled since the crash, or feel that I'll be able to do so again. The thought of driving terrifies me, and I've become a very jumpy car passenger and pedestrian. Although I'm showing some PTSD traits I don't feel anywhere near as bad as I did post-meningitis: it's only specific scenarios which trigger anxiety and I'm able to function normally in most aspects of everyday life. Physically, my cuts and bruises have all healed and the pain in my arm has significantly improved. I've not got a full range of movement back, but it's not affecting too many things so I can live with it.

Marathon training hasn't really been happening lately... I've been for a couple of runs and noticed a serious regression. I'm going to properly get on it on it, starting from scratch, when I get home.

I can't wait for the next couple of weeks - as before, I'll post updates on here as and when I can.

Love Emily x