So – it transpires (really un-handily, having booked the main big flights to and from Kathmandu), that Nicky, Sophie, Carmen & I can't actually get into Tibet for our planned trip after all.
Seems to be a mixture of 'you have to come in at least a group of 5 people of the same nationality or we won't give you a visa' (there are 4 of us) and 'we're shut till April' as well as a touch of 'you have to go via Beijing at the moment' – anyway, the Tibetan yurt door seems to be firmly shut at the moment.
So, as of this morning it seems we are spending sme time in Nepal (fine by me, plenty temples to keep my middle aged self happy) and then going to Bhutan for 6 days. GREAT. A bit chilly at this time of year but not as achingly freezing as Tibet would have been. And given that getting into my warm ski trousers would have been a physical squeezing challenge too far, its probably no bad thing that Bhutan is now our target.
Not easy to sort out (you try emailing a Tibetan agent based in Lhasa, about a trip to Bhutan, discussing it with the girls who are in kathamndu, on FaceTime with a massive time delay, then paying for it in dollars to a bank in Hong Kong – dodgy, hmm?). Anyway – this is the plan as of now – and I go on the 6th of Feb.
All being well, these will be countries 98 and 99 on the list, taking me tantalisingly close to the big 100 – Mozambique in March. But no counting of chickens or yaks as yet, this fat lady ain't singing till the stamps are in the passport and I'm back in Blighty in one piece in late Feb.
Have a good week folks – S x