.jpg) Rhododendron Forest
It is easy to imagine faeries and wolves in the foggy rhododendron forest of Shikha, Mid-Western Development Region, Nepal. Walking between Ghorepani and Tadapani is like being caught in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.
The roughly-hewn stone pathways curve up and out of sight through angling sun and patches of low-lying fog, hemmed in by forests of lofty trees coated in lichens and festooned with drapings of Spanish moss. The ground is strewn with pink and red rhododendron blossoms like the trail to Sleeping Beauty, and it is easy to believe that the rose-coloured gnarled and twisting rhododendron trunks hide wolves with unwholesome intents and bears with strange habits.
There were moments when the otherwise-incessant trill of birdsong would just stop – without apparent reason – and I felt like I had walked into a hushed warp in time.
My husband and I were part of a small group walking the Ghorepani/Poon Hill trek under the guidance of Angfula Sherpa. We had set out early from Ghorepani (see: Magical Mists and Mythical Mountains) and had worked our way up through the misty morning sunlight, our steps rising incessantly until we reached our day’s summit at Deurali Pass by mid-morning.
Now, finally, we were descending steeply over the rough stone steps and muddy pathways where a momentary lapse of attention could mean a twisted knee or ankle – or worse. We followed the waterfalls down the stony banks of the Thulo Odar Kkarka before climbing back up to Ban Thanti for lunch.
And so it went: up and down rocky slopes, in and out of fog and sunshine, along creek beds and through forests, until we reached the final, short-but-brutal ascent up the stone stairs to Tadapani. As I surmounted the steps into town, a local man I couldn’t see for the fog said to me in a congratulatory tone:
“No more up!”
That was a great relief!
.jpg) Hut on a Waterfall
Patches of snow and multiple waterfalls accompany us as we follow the Thulo Odar Kkarka downstream. .jpg) Flowers on the Waterfall
There are small wildflowers dotting the landscape, hiding in the shadows.  Rhododendron in the Mists
Overhead, the last rhododendron flowers cling to the trees. Cairns on the Thulo Odar Kkarka
Countless cairns dot the banks of Thulo Odar Kkarka as trekkers continue to pick their way downstream. Porter Dalman
One of our young porters salutes the camera. Cairns on the Thulo Odar Kkarka
The rocks in the riverbed are ideal for cairn construction. Angfula and Pasang at Work
Our sherpas build a cairn for our group, … Our Cairn
… and I must say it is magnificent! Water over the Rocks
Meanwhile, the river continues downstream over the rocks. Flags and Cairns on the Thulo Odar Kkarka Shankar Hotel and Restaurant
I was greatly relieved to see our lunch-spot; the morning’s walk had given me an appetite! The entry to the hamlet of Ban Thani was draped in prayer flags, and the buildings wore the blue ubiquitous in the region: a colour I call “Himalayan Blue”. Woman in a Kitchen
It amazes me how people manage to whip up tasty meals in dark and very simple spaces, … Flower in the Lettuce, Ban Thani
… using fresh home-grown ingredients. Lunch Dishes – Ban Thani
Even washing-up is kept simple; there is plenty of clean (cold) running water from the river. Into the Rhododendrons
Our path out of Ban Thani leads back into the misty woods … Steps into the Mists
… where wolves and faeries could be hiding. Steps Up and Up … Grasses in the Clouds
The clouds lower down around us … Tree in the Mists
… as we continue to rise up the hillside. Last Blooms of Spring
Briefly, the sky clears … The Path Winding Down
… and we descend again along winding tracks through the rhododendrons. Petals on the Path The Climb up to Tadapani
The last climb up to Tadapani seems endless … Ponies at the Top
… as it leads past pack-ponies at the ready, … Last Climb up to Tadadapani
… and the afternoon light grows dim in the falling rain.
“No more up!”
How happy I was to hear that.
I did indeed feel as if I’d summited a mountain!
Until next time,
Happy Walking!
Photos: 22March2017
Posted in Landscapes,Nepal,TravelTags: Annapurnas,blog,landscape,nature,Nepal,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall,walk
Upward into the Sunlight
The early morning light is surreal in the Nepali rhododendron forest as we climb out of Ghorepani towards the Deurali Pass. There is a mystical magic in the rhododendron forests of Western Nepal …
It was day four of a short trek under the patient and watchful eye of our guide Angfula Sherpa, and I was finally hitting my stride. My husband and I were part of a small group walking the Ghorepani/Poon Hill circuit in the Annapurna Conservation Area of the Himalaya. The walking we had done the three days prior (more abut that anon) had been tough: the constant rocky uphill climbs had taken their toll on my aging knees and hips and my gasping lungs, and had left me wishing sincerely that I had trained better in preparation for what was feeling more like an ordeal than a holiday. I was so much older and less fit than the last time I walked these trails (Heaven and Hard Work).
But, then it all changed:
The walk into the forests on morning of day four was just magic. The stone steps led ever-upward, but not as steeply as they had done the days prior. The world felt hushed – in spite of the constant blanket of birdsong high in the trees overhead. Snow lay in patches on the ground, and mists rose all around us. Morning light angled through the forest of tall rhododendrons, maples, and oaks. And I was smiling.
This is why I love to walk!
“Follow the Ponies to Tadapani”
We tumble out of our lodgings early in the morning, but the pony trains are on the paths well before us! Fresh Snow and Spent Rhododenrons
We are teased by glimpses of Annapurna South as we climb through the tall forests of rhododendrons with their fading flowers. Up, Up, Towards the Sun …
The early morning light on the pink trunks of the textured and twisting rhododendron trees as we left Ghorepani told me immediately that this morning was going to be different! “Leaving Ghorepani”
I am constantly in awe of the porters who carry 2-4 times what we do, and make it look effortless. Light on the New Growth
March is spring in the Himalaya. Left-over snow from a fall two weeks prior hides in the shadows while new growth finds the sun. Up through the Sunbeams
Spring is also higher-risk season for avalanches further into the Annapurna: less than two weeks before our trek, an avalanche buried a hotel at Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) and killed three tourists. The area was still closed off when we reached Gorepani, making our trails and teahouses much busier as trekkers had to re-route their journeys. Although we shared the way with many other groups, this morning still felt hushed and quiet. I think everyone was captured by the light. Mt Dhaulagiri
Seventh highest mountain in the world (8167 m – 26,795 ft), Mt Dhaulagiri shows itself through the trees and clouds. Annapurna South
Although it appears more dramatic than Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South (7219 m – 23,684 ft) is actually much less high. Pony and Trekkers at Lower Deurali Pass
When we reach a clearing, ponies, porters, and trekkers alike are ready for a rest. Pony and Driver
The viewing tower at Poon Hill is just visible on the highest hill (3210m – 10,531 ft) behind us. At Home in the Mountains
Everywhere we go, the people are friendly and welcoming. More Up!
As the sun rises in the morning sky, we continue to climb. Dhaulagiri through a Break in the Forest Yak on the Hill
Herds of domestic female yaks – more properly called naks, as yaks are male – graze on the high hillside. Cairn at Deurali Pass
Finally! We reach our highest point for the day (3090 m – 10,138 ft); Annapurna South and Hiunchuli sit majestically in the background. Prayers and Mountains
Buddhist prayer flags send wishes out on the winds as we admire the mountain views. Snowy Trails
Thankfully, the rest of our day is (mostly) downhill. Machhapuchhare
The sacred Fishtail Mountain peaks out through the forest canopy. Deurali
Dressed in a colour I think of as Himalayan Blue because it is so prevalent in this region, the little town of Deurali comes into sight. Tibetan Market Goods
The tables in Deurali are loaded with prayer flags, hats and mittens knitted from yak wool, pashmina/cashmere woven scarves, and Tibetan Buddhist trinkets in bronze and bone. The markets would have to wait …
I was more than ready for my spicy masala tea!
That – and the wonderful mountain air – would keep me going for the rest of the day’s trek.
Until then –
Happy Walking!
Photos: 22March2017
Posted in Landscapes,Nepal,TravelTags: Annapurnas,blog,landscape,nature,Nepal,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall,walk
Giraffe in the Sunrise
The view from the truck, as we bounced across the roads in Northern Namiba’s Etosha National Park, was just breathtaking! It was a dream-come-true: riding around in a truck with a pop-up roof across the open grasslands of Northern Namibia.
When I had the opportunity to travel with a small group of photography enthusiasts under the guidance of photographer Ben McRae and local guide guide Morne Griffiths, I had a momentary pang of guilt: I don’t know how many times my husband and I had planned travel to Africa, only to have something crop up in our schedules to make the trips impossible.
The guilt passed quickly once I was sitting overlooking a Namibian waterhole! (see: A day at the Waterhole)
I had my first taste of the African waterhole experience at a bush camp in Kamanjab, where we stopped overnight before continuing on to the magical Etosha National Park. Waterholes are like a zoo in reverse: people are behind protective fences or in their vehicles while the animals come and go as they please.
It was nerve-wracking driving across the savannah, scanning the seemingly empty horizon and then seeing SOMETHING! anything – and stopping; standing on the seats of the vehicle to aim the cameras out from under the pop-top. Oh, how I envied the other people with their 400mm zoom lenses!
Watching the waterholes, on the other hand, was absolutely mesmerising: you sit, anytime of day or night, and the animals follow their own rhythms – coming and going. We had pitched our tents at Namutoni Camp for two nights, next to the King Nehale Waterhole on the eastern side of Etosha National Park. I could wander out to the waterhole and watch the animals all day long; I could set up my tripod and attempt to take pictures under the low, low, yellow light that was cast over the scene after dark; or I could lay in my tent at night and listen to the jackals fighting over the jerky someone had left in the next tent, with the roar of lions in the distance.
Never mind “Out of Africa”; I was finally in it!
Waterbuck – Kobus Ellipsiprymnus
If you build a waterhole, the animals will come … especially if you are in a game reserve. Waterbuck – Kobus Ellipsiprymnus Rock Hyrax – Procavia Capensis
Many of the animals are a delightful surprise: hyraxes are a primitive mammal with characteristics in common with elephants, manatees and dugongs. Rock Hyrax – Procavia Capensis
They are like irresistible teddies with grins. Pririt Batis – Batis Pririt Hyena in the Sunrise
An early morning ride in the truck gives us unique views over the veld: the hyenas are up early. Hyena (Hyaenidae) on the Veld Etosha Pan
In the language of the Ovambo people, Etosha means ‘great white place’; the Etosha Pan, which covers approximately 4,800 square kilometres, is the largest salt pan in Africa. Gemsbok (Oryx Gazella)
The large oryx are a beautiful animal – and a popular menu item in Namibia where “vegetarian” is a foreign concept. White Rhino (Ceratotherium Simum)
Our reward for getting up early is a white or square-lipped rhinoceros – with a couple of giraffe on the horizon for good measure! The largest of the five rhino species, the white rhino has been brought back from the very brink of extinction, but is still considered threatened. White Rhino (Ceratotherium Simum)
The massive beast doesn’t tolerate our presence long before shuffling away at surprising speed. Kori Bustard (Ardeotis Kori)
I couldn’t help but think of “All Creatures Great and Small” as I watched the small birds and huge mammals that co-exist on the savanna. The kori bustard is the largest flying bird native to Africa. Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris)
While the fat-bodied guinea fowl can fly, they are more likely to run around at ground level. Gemsbok (Oryx Gazella) Oryx on the Run Springing Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis)
I never tired of watching the dainty-looking springbok hop and run. Protected in Etosha National Park, in nearby game parks, springbok are raised for their popular meat. Two Gnus
Not the most elegant of antelopes, the large wildebeests tended to cluster near the waterholes.
I grew up listening to Flanders and Swann’s songs about animals, including: “I’m a Gnu”. Every time I saw these creatures, I’d end up singing: “I’m a g-nu, spelled g-n-u… You really ought to k-now w-ho’s w-ho!” Zebra
In distinct contrast with the gnus, the zebras are quite beautiful. Laughing Doves Black Backed Jackal (Canis Mesomelas)
In the evening, as the light and temperature drop, the jackals come out to the King Nehale Waterhole on the eastern side of Etosha National Park. Black Backed Jackal (Canis Mesomelas)
I love how the angled evening light catches their fur! Giraffe at the Waterhole
After dark, the animals come out: … Giraffes at the Waterhole
… singly, and in pairs. White Rhinos at the Waterhole
The rhinoceroses are a treat; an added layer of hush falls over the animal-watchers around the waterhole when they come out. White Rhinos at the Waterhole Oryx and Rhino
It is fascinating watching all the animals take their turns. And then, there were the elephants!
 They stand alone, so I’ll save them for another day.
Until next time –
Happy Travels!
Pictures: 18-20August2015
Posted in Africa,Animals,Namibia,TravelTags: Africa,animals,landscape,Namibia,National Park,nature,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
“Gado Gado” or Jukut Santok
Gado gado means, quite literally, “mix mix”. Gado gado is a mixed vegetable salad combined with a spicy, flavoursome peanut sauce, and is an Indonesian favourite popular in Bali. One of the many joys of travel is the food. I love food!
I also love markets, and the insight they give into the everyday lives of the local people.
Combine those two components: food and markets, and I am in my element! So, I was very excited to read that the special package deal I’d organised at a resort at Sanur Beach, Bali, included a trip to the market and a cooking class.
My husband and I got up early to meet the chef at the appointed time of 6:30 am and to pick out a bicycle in order to ride the 3.5 kilometres to Pasar Tradisional Desa Sanur, the Sindhu Traditional Market – the principal fresh-food market in the Sanur Village area.
I have never seen a market so clean!
It turns out that this cleanliness is no accident. First opened in 1972, Sindhu Market was originally more ‘traditional’, that is, it was dark and dirty, with piles of refuse and puddles of water under-foot – especially during the rainy season. Because the market is in a tourism area, the Sanur community and the local government decided, in 2009, to renovate the market and promote it as a tourist destination.
Today, the market is beautifully clean, well lit, and orderly. It still services the local community, but it also attracts visitors and their tourist dollars.
After seeing where the ingredients come from, we got to watch them being combined into gado gado and satay lilit.
Join me on a culinary adventure!
Following the Chef to Market
It’s still pretty quiet on the Sanur Beach roads as we follow the chef to the local morning market. Fish Sales – Sindhu Traditional Market
I spend a lot of time in markets when I’m travelling; this was easily the cleanest and most orderly one I’ve been in. It turns out that that is no accident: in 2009, the Sanur community came together to revitalize the market, renovating the stalls, expanding the aisles, conducting repairs on the ceiling and drainage, before covering the floors and counters with easy-clean white ceramic tiles. Chef Widastra
Our chef and guide points out some of the herbs and spices commonly used in Balinese cooking, although he confesses that the food that is served at the resort where we are staying comes from a different supplier. Shopkeeper
While this is a “traditional” market, many of its customers are tourists, and the shopkeepers are friendly and welcoming. Market Courtyard Butterfly Sewing Machine Making Offerings
Balinese Hindu practices are a central part of everyday life; … Focus on the Working Hands
… there are people making offering trays from banana leaf everywhere. Placing the Offerings
Offerings are bought (or homemade) for placing in front of houses and buildings; on ancestor- or house-shrines; at shrines in temples; and in shops and markets. Fresh Greenery
One of the beauties of the tropics is the fresh food … Flowers
… and fresh flowers at every turn. Needle-Nosed Fish Parrotfishes Parrotfishes Dishing up Meals
You are never far from fresh, tasty food in Bali (or anywhere else in Southeast Asia for that matter!) Egg Lady Taro, Turmeric, Galangal, and Ginger
Balinese food relies on a complex spice and herb mix, including coriander, turmeric, galangal, ginger, chili, nutmeg, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. The different rhizomes and root vegetables all look much the same to me. Sindhu Traditional Market
We take a last look of the market before we leave to cycle back to the resort to have breakfast ahead of attending a cooking class which will show us to how all the ingredients go together. Ingredients in the Demonstration Kitchen
The ingredients make a colourful display in the demonstration kitchen, where we meet with Chef Dewa who will walk us through the day’s Balinese menu. Ingredients for Base Be Pasih
The ingredients for the Base Be Pasih – the Balinese Spice Paste for Seafood – are lined up, fresh and colourful. Making Satay Lilit
Chef Dewa shows us how seasoned minced snapper is attached to skewers of balsa or lemongrass, … Making Satay Lilit
… continuing until the skewers are ready for grilling. Making Peanut Sauce
While the fish satay skewers are cooking, Chef Dewa grinds peanuts in a large stone mortar, seasoning with palm sugar, chili, galangal, fried garlic, kaffir lime, and salt before adding water … Gado Gado or Jukut Santok
… and mixing in the freshly cooked vegetables, to beforemake the gado gado that I love. 
And then we got to eat it all. It doesn’t get better than that!
Until next time,
Bon Appétit!
Pictures: 27January2017
Posted in Bali,Food,Indonesia,TravelTags: Bali,blog,environmental portrait,food,Indonesia,market,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
Waterfalls on the Jenolan River
The Jenolan Caves area is as interesting above-ground as it is below. I lived within easy reach of Australia’s Blue Mountains for many years, and while I’d take visitors up there regularly for day-trips and hikes, I guess I rather took them for granted. I knew some of the stories of the hardships the early explorers (Blaxland, Wentworth, Lawson, and their unnamed servants) faced trying to find a path through the rugged terrain that seems to extend forever (1813), but the current road is a vast improvement over the one forged a year later (1814) by William Cox.
What I didn’t realise was that the Greater Blue Mountains Area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage area of Outstanding Universal Value in 2000 for (among other things) “its exceptional expression of the structural and ecological diversity of the eucalypts associated with its wide range of habitats.” The post-Gondwana isolation of the Australian continent has lead to a unique diversification of plant life.
Just west of the Blue Mountains – but still within the Greater Blue Mountains UNESCO Area, there is a honeycomb of limestone caves considered by many to be one of the world’s most spectacular cave formations. Created about 340 million years ago, the complex is certainly the oldest known and dated open cave system in the world. The network of caverns, set aside as the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve, is still being explored, with more than 40 kilometres (25 mi) of multi-level passages identified.
For thousands of years, the waters in some of the caves were used by local indigenous peoples for their healing powers. The first Europeans known to visit and explore the caves were brothers Charles and James Whalan around 1838, and visitors have toured the caves from the 1840s. Today, eleven of the cave systems are open to the public, under the guidance and management of the Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust and the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.
I first visited Jenolan Caves back in the early 1980s. Last year, while my husband and I were making plans for a road-trip up-country, Jenolan Caves House advertised some special over-night deals.
The opportunity to go back was too good to pass up!
Jenolan Cave House
Built in 1896, Jenolan Caves House was added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 2004. The rooms have been renovated to include en-suites and modern bedding, but otherwise are little changed from earlier days. Dinner in Chisolm’s Restaurant – in what used to be the Grand Dining Room – overlooking the blue-green mountainside, is a real treat. Pink-Purple Wildflowers De Burgh’s Bridge
Entry to the Grand Arch and Caves House is over an old stone bridge, called Limestone Bridge or De Burgh’s Bridge, built in 1895. Cave Guide
The light disappears under the Grand Arch where we meet our Cave Guide. She had led the Imperial Cave Tour many times before, and was extremely knowledgable. But, she was as excited as if it was her first time and her enthusiasm was infectious. Entrance to the Imperial Cave
The easiest cave for visitors because it has the fewest steps, Imperial Cave was first seen by Europeans in 1879. Jenolan’s Underground River
Down a long spiral staircase in Imperial Cave, we come to an underground river so clear that we can see the limestone-coated rocks on the bottom. Ceiling in the Imperial
The Imperial Cave tour spends about an hour wandering through the 1070 metres of tunnels and caverns. Stalactites, Stalagmites, and Columns
The Imperial Cave features the usual beautiful speleothems (crystallised structures made from mineral deposits); … Waves of Crystal
… these deposits are built on a basis of limestone embedded with ancient marine fossils. More recently, bones of a Tasmanian devil – long extinct on the Australian mainland – and a wallaby have also been found. Delicate Stalactites
The speleothems are still growing – albeit ever so slowly. Curtains and Shawls Rain on De Burgh’s Bridge
When we came out of the Imperial Cave, the rains had set in. Rain on Cave House
We called it a day, made a dash for Caves House, and dressed for dinner. Purple Wildflowers Caves House
The next day dawned bright and clear. We walked up the hill to the Binoomea Cut, … Guide at the Binoomea Cut
… the man-made tunnel entrance leading into the Temple of Baal Cave. Crystal Stalactites
The two large chambers that make up the Temple of Baal Cave are known for their beauty. Angel’s Wing in the Temple of Baal
The 9-metre formation known as the Angel’s Wing is one of the largest cave shawls in the world. Delicate Flowstones
The Temple of Baal was named by early cave explorers after the biblical story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal. The Light Behind Curtains in the Temple of Baal Rivers of Crystal in the Temple of Baal Jenolan River Walk
We had just enough time after our cave tour to complete the Jenolan River Walk – a 3 km trip, out and back. Water Dragon
Plenty of little water dragons … Skink on the Path
… and skinks were out enjoying the beautiful sunny day. Tree Fern on Blue Lake
The Jenolan River Walk starts out alongside the beautiful aqua-marine Blue Lake. Wier on Blue Lake
Blue Lake is man-made; the water from the weir, built in 1908, generated electricity to light the caves and Cave House. Rock Orchid – Dendrobium Speciosum Waterfall on the Jenolan River Leaves in the Light Maidenhair Fern – Adiantum Aethiopicum
I’m always amazed when plants I used to coax along in my apartment thrive in the wild! Red Belly Black Snake – Pseudechis Porphyriacus
In the undergrowth below us – well out of harm’s way – a red-bellied black snake suns itself. Suspension Bridge
The path, while short, has plenty of interest and variety. Blueberry Flax-Lilies – Dianella Revoluta Waterfalls on the Jenolan River
The track ends at a picnic area next to the old Jenolan Caves Hydro Electric plant, and some very pretty waterfalls. Back at Blue Lake
We retrace our steps … Crimson Rosella – Platycercus Elegans
… and share our lunch at the coffee-shop with a cheeky rosella before driving back over De Burgh’s Bridge towards home. (iPhone6)
We could have easily spent a lot more time there – there were many more caves we could have explored, and more walks we could have taken…
I hope it’s not another thirty years before I get back!
Until next time…
Pictures: 20-21November2016
Posted in Animals,Australia,Nature,TravelTags: animals,Australia,blog,flowers,landscape,National Park,nature,Photo Blog,UNESCO,Ursula Wall,walk
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The photo’s are better than I expected. They capture the eerie feel of the woods
Enchanting woods !Reminded me of the Tiger’s nest trek .
Well observed, Sidran. I said to my husband, several times along this walk, that it was very like the walk to Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan. 😀
I bet this was more taxing in every sense.
It was hard work – but well worth it! Thanks for your company, Sidran. 😀