Everything just seems rather calm and quiet after India and even Nepal to an extent.
Nepal was great by the way! There are some laid-back historical districts dotted within Kathmandu and around the Kathmandu Valley, which make for interesting daily outings. Even so, after a few days I found myself craving the reputable mountains with the recurring feeling that I can only take so much of big cities and their surroundings.
The change of scenery from the flat south and congested Kathmandu to the
peaceful Himalayan section of the Annapurna range was just what my
mind and body required. There I've gone for about a week-long trek which covered approximately one third of the Annapurna circuit. When the clouds permitted the views of the surrounding 6000-8000m high peaks were simply outstanding!
My part of the trail took me to 3193m at one point, which meant some steep climbing, sometimes for most of the day. But there are friendly villages along the path where decent accommodation and food is available.
The more remote settlements of higher elevations, such as the village of Marpha near Jomsom were probably the most interesting. Being predominantly Tibetan Buddhist the inhabitants are quite justifiably proud of their unique cultural heritage. This is evident in architecture, clothing, handicrafts, food, gestures, and their religion being integral to the way of life.
I did not feel like hanging around Kathmandu after the trekking and so arranged shipment of the bike to Bangkok as Myanmar still does not permit overland travel. On my arrival the Thai New Year celebrations were just taking place. The city was buzzing, people splashing each other with water (not all that bad in the 40°C heat!) but after 3 days of not being able to get a bite to eat without getting soaked or my lunch splashed I was looking forward to getting out again- As soon as I could I took the bike through yet another drooling process at customs and rode to Ayutthaya- the ancient royal capital of Siam and once upon a time the largest city in the world. There are numerous magnificent ruins and monasteries, some of which date back to the 1300s. It was nice to be riding around the sites on an unloaded bike just for pleasure for a change.
Next day I rode the excellent and near brand new road to Chiang Mai, checked myself into a cheap hotel and registered at a Muay Thai training camp. Ok, I have to be honest- I'm unfit! even after the walking in Nepal- I was very nearly going to be sick during my first session. But now that I've been training 2x a day for 5 days the body seems to be adapting. I'll stay for a bit and then see.
Nepal was great by the way! There are some laid-back historical districts dotted within Kathmandu and around the Kathmandu Valley, which make for interesting daily outings. Even so, after a few days I found myself craving the reputable mountains with the recurring feeling that I can only take so much of big cities and their surroundings.
peaceful Himalayan section of the Annapurna range was just what my
mind and body required. There I've gone for about a week-long trek which covered approximately one third of the Annapurna circuit. When the clouds permitted the views of the surrounding 6000-8000m high peaks were simply outstanding!
My part of the trail took me to 3193m at one point, which meant some steep climbing, sometimes for most of the day. But there are friendly villages along the path where decent accommodation and food is available.
The more remote settlements of higher elevations, such as the village of Marpha near Jomsom were probably the most interesting. Being predominantly Tibetan Buddhist the inhabitants are quite justifiably proud of their unique cultural heritage. This is evident in architecture, clothing, handicrafts, food, gestures, and their religion being integral to the way of life.
I did not feel like hanging around Kathmandu after the trekking and so arranged shipment of the bike to Bangkok as Myanmar still does not permit overland travel. On my arrival the Thai New Year celebrations were just taking place. The city was buzzing, people splashing each other with water (not all that bad in the 40°C heat!) but after 3 days of not being able to get a bite to eat without getting soaked or my lunch splashed I was looking forward to getting out again- As soon as I could I took the bike through yet another drooling process at customs and rode to Ayutthaya- the ancient royal capital of Siam and once upon a time the largest city in the world. There are numerous magnificent ruins and monasteries, some of which date back to the 1300s. It was nice to be riding around the sites on an unloaded bike just for pleasure for a change.
Next day I rode the excellent and near brand new road to Chiang Mai, checked myself into a cheap hotel and registered at a Muay Thai training camp. Ok, I have to be honest- I'm unfit! even after the walking in Nepal- I was very nearly going to be sick during my first session. But now that I've been training 2x a day for 5 days the body seems to be adapting. I'll stay for a bit and then see.
