{"id":1134,"date":"2013-02-18T18:10:27","date_gmt":"2013-02-18T18:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/98-99-tick\/"},"modified":"2013-02-18T18:10:27","modified_gmt":"2013-02-18T18:10:27","slug":"98-99-tick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/98-99-tick\/","title":{"rendered":"98 & 99 – TICK!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Surprise! Much as I'm not due back from Nepal & Bhutan till this coming Thursday, I am in fact – home. <\/p>\n

Having done the whistlestop tour of Kathmandu and surrounds, then 6 days in Bhutan, I found myself in the mysterious position of – wanting to come back!<\/p>\n

Heavily influenced by the fact that I got a whopping bout of food poisoning on Day 3 – cheers. Was it the pizza? The ice in my 'I want a treat Diet Coke' (what an idiot to think I was in a hotel nice enough to actually make 'real' ice)? The 'clean' cutlery clearly washed in virtual sewer water? <\/p>\n

Who knows – suffice it to say, I was lucky to have been in a room on my own that night, as I barfed viciously 4 charming times, on an every-2-hours-like-clockwork cycle. And then stayed feeling thoroughly grim right the way through the rest of our trip. Oh the ignominy of having to leg it into a wooden Bhutanese painted house, to sit on a no-loo-seat chilly ceramic throne and entertain several extended familes with not-terribly-musical accompanient from my digestive passages…<\/p>\n

But overall it hit the spot – was never quite sure which of Bhutan \/ Tibet \/ Mongolia would fall into my path the first, so very happy that Bhutan was the winner. Good on you girls (Sophie, Nicky, Carmen) for doing your Everest Base Camp climb (without me of course, moi – hills? No…) and coming on the Bhutan for some temple-trotting, cheers birds. <\/p>\n

So, just a few of the many upsides and downsides:<\/p>\n

Downs: <\/p>\n

– Weird that you have to be accompanied by a guide everywhere <\/p>\n

– And have to eat buffet food thrice daily, as there are no restaurants and all tourists are forced to 'do the tour'<\/p>\n

– Repetitive nosh (please no more red rice, sliced potato and noodles, all served together in one carb-overloading flash of silver tureens)<\/p>\n

– Endless bendy windy roads to get anywhere – motorways are yet to make it into the Land of the Thunderdragon, cue 6 hours in the car to go and do a 1 hour valley hike and see a handful of black-necked cranes – urrrgh!<\/p>\n

and Ups:<\/p>\n

– people in national dress everywhere<\/p>\n

– spontaneous games of the national sport, archery, in action everywhere you look<\/p>\n

– temples a go-go, including the magical Tiger's Nest, up on a high mountainside (see photos)<\/p>\n

– more Buddhas, monks and outlandish stories of how things came about than you can shake a stick at<\/p>\n

– ludicrous national anmial, the Takin – head of a goat and body of a cow (and nose of a horse, kinda?)<\/p>\n

– and lots more besides…<\/p>\n

Had the option to see a bit more of Nepal post-Bhutan but the chance to surprise Mr H with an 'I'm ho-ome!' moment was too good to resisrt.,. It took 25 hours, 3 flights and some hogging of the passenger toilets on-board, but the look on his face when I rang the bell at 10.30pm on Saturday night was one I shall treasure for a long time. I think he'd missed his wifey!<\/p>\n

Some photos for your delectation follow on the next post – and here's to Mozambique in a few week's time (all being well with Prof next Tues, here's hoping) – country 100, come on down!<\/p>\n

See y'all soon I trust? Love Me x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Surprise! Much as I'm not due back from Nepal & Bhutan till this coming Thursday, I am in fact – home. Having done the whistlestop tour of Kathmandu and surrounds, then 6 days in Bhutan, I found myself in the mysterious position of – wanting to come back! 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