Kathmandu Valley

In 1975 I resigned my job, gave up my bedsit and went travelling across Asia. My destination was Nepal where a friend of mine was working. I traveled by bus from Istanbul in Turkey to Delhi in India. It took a couple of months and was a very stupid thing to do as I suffer from travel sickness. Prior to this trip I had only been on a school skiing trip to Switzerland and hitchhiked to Paris whilst at college. To say I was green was an understatement.  I only ever took slides on a small Kodak instamatic camera. I have managed to now download them onto a USB. Their quality isn't great but they hold wonderful memories for me. These photos were taken as we approached the airport in the Kathmandu valley. I had boarded the plane in Lucknow rather than Delhi as it was a cheaper option but I have no idea how I got to Lucknow. I remember thinking it was a scary place to land as the runway didn't look that long and the valley is surrounded by mountains.

I note from my journal that my baggage was searched on entry into the country. I wonder if it was because I was wearing an afghan coat that I had bought in Afghanistan that probably wasn't cured as well as it should have been!

I got a taxi from the airport to the school whereTony worked.  His house was part of the campus. I spent the rest of the day meeting some of the people who worked there. These two young men were gardeners and also came with us on the treks to act as porters. The following day they acted as guides taking us up the local mountain, Shivapuri (2732m/8963ft).

They took us past their home where we were introduced to their families. Everyone wanted to have their photograph taken.

It was harvest time and we saw the rice and corn being gathered and dried. Everything was done by hand.

Hanging the corn out to dry.

Digging a field by hand.

Views of the valley as we climbed up Shivapuri.

Prayer flags flying above a monastery.

Looking down the valley towards the school.

The buddhists were enjoying a meal as we walked past.

There were lots of flowers around the monastery.

Bell at  the Sankhu monastery

We decided to go back down from here as the climb was hard work.  In the evening we were taken to the British Embassy to a reception for the successful British Everest expedition. I have no idea how we received an invitation or how I managed to find appropriate clothes.

24 th September1975: First Britons conquer Everest

Dougal Haston and Doug Scott have become the first Britons to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain.

The men arrived at the top of Mount Everest via the previously unclimbed south-west face, 33 days after establishing their base camp.

The team succeeded on a difficult direct route which has repulsed five other attempts and set a record for the fastest time up the peak.

Expedition leader Chris Bonington reported the pair had reached the 29,028ft (8,848m) summit safely and were now on their way down the mountain.

He also said they were ahead of schedule and hoped more of the 18-strong group would be able to reach the top.

The south-west face of Everest has been regarded as one of the most difficult challenges in mountaineering because of its length and exposure to high-level winds. BBC website.

In my diary I wrote:  I met Dougal Hasten, a thin wiry looking bloke who was very tired! Two years later in 1977 Dougal Haston was killed in a skiing accident in Switzerland.

Urban walking

My Sunday walk was a bit different this week as I decided to do a more urban walk. Since returning home I have not been for a local walk so it was time to venture to some familiar haunts.

I decided to walk to Greenwich Park via a new housing estate. and Blackheath. The weather was perfect for walking and as it was early morning there were few people around so social distancing was easy.

The housing estate has been thoughfully landscaped with wild meeadows and water features. At least the people on lockdown living in the flats would have pleasant views from their balconies.

I walked on through a much older estate with lots of greenery.

Finally I reached Blackheath. It hasn't rained since March and the heath was looking parched.

At the other side of  Blackheath is Greenwich Park. At the moment, no cars are allowed into the park and the empty road was an unusual sight.

From the top of the park you have a panaramic view over London and can see the River Thames snaking its way around Greenwich and the Docklands.

I continued my walk through the park and on into Greenwich. More people were walking around the town so I decided to make my way home. By the time I got home I had waled over 10 miles,much further than I had intended but it was good to be in familiar surroundings once again.

Garden joy

With the easing of restrictions I decided to move back home yesterday to spend the evenings and nights there but returning to my daughter's house during the day to continue with the home schooling etc
I have been back a couple of times to do some gardening but it was only ever for a short time. I was delighted to see the poppy in full flower. A lot of weeding to be done but I will have to tackle that when my energy levels are sufficiently high enough.

A day in my world during lockdown.

Our day starts with lessons. As you can see I have a large class. My granddaughter takes the register for me because she can remember all  18 names.

We also had to put up the bunting we had made earlier this week to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE  (Victory in Europe) day.

After lessons I took both grandchildren for a walk to see the four little ducklings.

Piece of art using leaves and petals gathered on the walk.

Playtime in their favourite box. The most played with toy during lockdown.

After lunch I went for a walk on my own. I have now done 43 miles on the virtual walk I'm doing (see previous post).

Once the children are in bed tonight, I will be taking part in the weekly family quiz, courtesy of the zoom app. Other than the Friday quiz the days don't change very much in this strange world we find ourselves in at the moment. I try to find time for daily phone calls to friends and then if I have any energy left I try and read, comment or write a post!

The Virtual walk

This week I should have been in Norfolk on the annual long distance walk with five other walkers. This is our annual get together and is planned months in advance.  Paul had once again done an excellent job sourcing transport, accommodation and places to eat. Who could possibly have guessed that it would have to be cancelled because of a pandemic. It wasn't going to be a difficult walk as Norfolk is mainly flat.  It was a 90 mile walk taking us through the countryside and then along the coast. Of course, once lockdown was in sight we knew we wouldn't be able to do the walk this year. However, Jim suggested covering the mileage during our daily walks. He volunteered to collate the distance we covered each day and then he would let us know where we would be on the walk. We started last Thursday doing however many miles we could. A couple of the group are remaining within the home, either using a treadmill or counting steps. The rest of us are doing our usual daily walk of 2 or 3 miles.  But we are all a little competitive and the mileage seems to be creeping up.

Living at my daughter's I am fortunate to have easy access to woodland making extended walks away from others much easier. So on Sunday I walked 8 miles bringing my total to 19.5 miles

I haven't walked that far for a couple of months so I was tired by the time I got home. Not quite the same as walking with the group but I count myself fortunate that I can escape the lockdown with country walks.
Sharing with Our World Tuesday

Thanking the keyworkers.

Each day I go out for an hour's walk.   I try to vary my route and often go down roads I have never visited before. Today I walked down this road with its brightly decorated trees and messages from children thanking our key workers.

Each Thursday evening at 8pm you will find the majority of people outside their front doors clapping and cheering to show their appreciation of our National Health Service.