Christchurch: 26th-27th March.

Given that we'd been en route for 48 hours, and that we'd arranged to meet Chloe and Louise at Christchurch airport at 2:30pm, we were doing really well for time. That is, until New Zealand biosecurity regulations and our scrupulously clean consciences (unlike our boots) got the better of us, and we spent 20 minutes disembowling our bags (so that Jess could get at her shoes), while Armelle stood there with her feet in the air so that the soles could be inspected-like a horse having its hooves picked. What a sight! Consequently, we were a little less than on time, but as it happened, we met Chloe and Louise with perfect timing. It was so lovely to be greeted by two friendly faces so far away from home, especially as the last time we had seen each other was at the graduation ball, some 6 months before! We were both also extremely grateful for the lift to the hostel, and delighted by the fact that Chloe had seatbelts in her car. What a novelty! On arrival at Basebackpackers in Cathedral Square, although temped to crash into our crisp white sheets, we resisted the urge, and found Armelle a veggie sandwich, the only thing she could stomach. Unfortuantely, Subway was the only place open on a Sunday, so Subway it was. Then laundry, and straight to bedfordshire. The next morning, dodgy stomach or no, Armelle was eager to see Claire and Alex. Previous to and during travels, the 4 of us had tried to coincide a place we could all meet up, more difficult than you'd imagine, given we were visiting similar countries in reverse order. Armelle and Claire usually meet up in Chichester, but Christchurch made for a very suitable alternative! Lunch was to be found at an Irish pub, it was very enjoyable, and a great chance to catch up with Claire and Alex. Jess, however, was in pain afterwards, through over eating- unfortunately her tummy didn't inform her of this at the time, or she would have stopped. In contrast, Armelle only managed to stomach a few veggies. Searching for a (gentle) activity which would allow us to mentally adjust to being in N.Z, the four of us caught the bus to the gondala. Admiring the stereotypical sheep dotting the landscape, we made our speedy ascent, pausing briefly for the mandatory gondala photo. Armelle considers these completely ridiculous, as there's never anything in the backgroung, unless from a dodgily painted photoshop facade. Once we got to the top, we celebrated the Flat 6 Yew House reunion with abundant photo-taking: Armelle and Claire lived together in the first and second years of university.

This includes carefully timed photos of us from the ledge of the gondala station, Jess' camera on the brink of suicide!

We then decided to be adventurous and go for a walk, first we branched off left, to see some attractive red rocks, which Armelle could see faces in, (no, the stomach bug was not causing her to hallucinate,). At the end of the path, she then decided to clamber over a barbed-wire fence-everyone dubiously followed a short way until it became too steep (probably the reason for the fence), and the voice(s) of reason (the other 3 of us) brought us back to safety, with Claire catching her skirt along the way, and Armelle decending gracefully on her bottom. Returning, we decided to lengthen our walk by branching off in the other direction, which would supposidly allow us to loop back to the viewpoint. Actually, it lengthened the walk so much that we lost faith in the 'loop' as it kept on going down and never back up, so we did a 'quick' U-turn, despite having a map in our pockets which would have told us that we were in fact nearly there. To add further comedy to the matter, as soon as we got back to the viewpoint, Alex realise he had had the map in his hand the whole time! Before leaving the gondala centre, we went on an awesome/ridiculous/juvenile hilarious kids ride, which took us through the ages of Bank's Penninsula. This was all narrated by a flushed-faced kiwi girl of approximately 10 years who was very over-enthusiastic. The things we do...

Dinner that evening was at the Warner's hotel next to our hostel, where Jess and Armelle were very adventurous by both having starters as they thought this would be small. In fact Jess got given approximately enough bread to feed the 5 thousand. Twice. A quick nightcap in the Saints and Sinners bar at the hostel preceeded an early night, as Claire and Alex had a hot-air balloon flight the next morning, and consequently had to arise at 4am.

Jess didn't get up much later (or so she felt), and headed into town in search of trousers (after the holi madness had necessitated the disposal of the first pair and then the flies broke on her second pair, which Armelle found amusing), and she hit the shops before they even opened, which was probably a first.

After a quick bagel breakfast (honey and walnut cream cheese was the second first of the day), we met up with Claire and Alex, and decided to go shopping for the day anyway. This excited us greatly, as we hadn't been shopping properly and un-harrased, since the UK, there is no such thing as casual window shopping in Asia! After several purchases over several hours, and the experience of a rather pathetic mall, which required a route past many fetish shops, we had a quick lunch and said our farewells and bon voyages to Claire and Alex, as they were heading up and out to Fiji. However we quickly perked up, as a few hours later we met up again with Louise and Chloe, considerably more refreshed than the first time we saw them, us feeling disgusting after our flights, and Chloe and Louise having just finished a lengthy running race. En mass, we strolled through the botanic gardens which were very pretty, and back along the river and through the Art Centre gardens to a favourite haunt of theirs- the Dux de Lux.

(Louise and Chloe spent their 3rd year of their Environmental Science degree in N.Z, whereas Jess spent hers in France, and Armelle spent hers in Canada. It obviously made an impression, as they both returned to live in Christchurch.) We ate and drank the night away, and it was lovely to catch up and get inside information on 'what to do in N.Z' to make the most of our time here.

In Transit: 24th-25th March.

Once reconfirming our flight, we jumped into a taxi to head for the airport. Now, if you think the UK is stressy about airport security, you ain't seen nothing yet! After scanning all our luggage we paid our departure tax and got into the check in queue. We then made our way to immigration to receive another delightful stamp in our passports! After hanging out in the departure lounge for a while with Armelle stressing that she had to find something to buy with the rest of her money, we got into the appropriate gender queue (well after a little confusion as we thought we were men for a while before being told otherwise!). We were then frisked and our ENTIRE hand luggage contents was searched through for every person- no stone was left unturned. After a small delay, we got the bus to the plane where they frisked and searched our bags again- 3rd time lucky and all! Nepal was a brilliant place, with very genuine people and a beautiful landscape. We felt slightly more relaxed in Nepal than India, as it was more Westernised for example there were adverts for alcohol everywhere and even contraception. People were also dressed a little more liberally which put us a bit at ease. We would both love to return to Nepal, Kathmandu has to be seen by all to be believed. An hour and a half later, we touched down through the smog back into Delhi to scorching temperatures, compared to those of a month earlier. After reading in the Planet that there were rooms we could stay at at the airport (we were flying out at 8 am the next morning for Singapore) we somehow ended up, after much to-ing and fro-ing due to random directions given by armed guards, in the airport manager's office who thought we had been attacked. He was slightly miffed when we told him that we were simply trying to find a place to stay! We then finally came the conclusion to ring a local hotel and grab a taxi. This delightful hotel was practically situated under what seemed to be the main flyover/junction in Delhi. An unmasked traffic officer horrified Jess by defying death by standing in the middle of the traffic and breathing in nothing but carbon monoxide! After a quick scout and finding no restaurants, we retreated to the hotel before dark with a nutritious dinner of crisps and a bottle of coke! The next morning after no sleep (omnipresent mosquitoes and an alley with a constant flow of people throughout the night) we woke monstrously earlier to leave at 5 am for our flight. After being told off for being late which sent Armelle over the edge because we blatantly were not, we made our way to the airport with the sleaziest taxi driver ever known to man who insisted to know whether we were married and what we thought of Indian men, again why?!?. He insisted that we pay him a tip that we refused flatly!

To leave Delhi, everything went relatively smoothly until a small hiccough just as we were about to board the bus to the get to the plane. Armelle got onto the bus and it swiftly left but where was Jess? On the plane, an empty seat next to Armelle, WHERE THE HELL WAS JESS! Well, unknown to Armelle, Jess had been sent back to security, as her luggage tag had not been stamped at the first inspection, despite having been scanned, and Jess having to drink some of her water to prove that it wasn't acid or something. Second time round, no water drinking necessary, but the dopey security official took his time about the stamp. Jess muttered a few words under her breath and pegged it for the plane. Mild palpitations were had by all. 5 hours later we arrived into Singapore where Armelle promptly threw up in the toilet- the return of the incredibly dodgy stomach and questionably food poisoning- Armelle blames the plane food from the pits of hell! Singapore was a lovely airport and the cleanest toilets we had seen yet, Armelles pukage was sacrilege! 7 and a half hours to Sydney after a 3 hour stop hour, and there she goes again- Sydney airport toilets were nice and clean too, a nice magnet for projectile vomiting! 3 hours later and thank the lord for our last flight, Sydney to Christchurch. Jess got the first one of her 40 winks since leaving Delhi, only to be kindly awoken by an air hostess offering her brekky, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as we both ogled at the crystal clear views of Mount Cook below, and the planes of Canterbury. Oh yes, we were in New Zealand...

Kathmandu: 21st-23rd March.

The next morning, we headed back to Kathmandu after a rather confusing start. Yet again, we were summoned onto the back of a bus which we were both worried wasn’t a tourist bus as it was full of locals. We then came to realise that the striking was hampering public bus services causing many to pay more for the tourist bus. After a more comfortable but long journey we arrived to the Kathmandu Guest House to realise that we had been upgraded at no extra cost! We were grateful for this as the room was actually quite skanky so who knows what the standard beneath was like! After a Tibetan lunch we had a hefty blogging session! When we emerged several hours late, we were shocked top find that nearly every shop and restaurant had shut questionably early. Confused we casually walked the streets anyway, looking for a dining establishment when we turned a corner to find a mass of riot police decked out in padded gear, helmets, shields and truncheons! Unsurprisingly, we briskly walked back to the hotel only to find that all the food had been eaten by all the other guests who had had the same idea! The joys of travelling! The next morning we took a light jog up 8 flights of stairs to munch our breakfast on the rooftop of Helena's Restaurant.

With a full tummy, we hopped onto a cycle rickshaw and bumped and occasionally yelped our way to Durbar Square, the historic central area to Kathmandu.

We spent several hours sitting on the stairways to the sunshine filled temples watching people pass by. Hoards of nattering school children would stroll past as well as market vendors, monks, and the most amazing people who would hold vast quantities of goods along their backs by a strap fastened around their foreheads.

After Jess had a vented her stress upon ever pestering touts, we had a quick wonder down Freak Street (the old hippy street of Kathmandu) before heading to another rooftop restaurant for a beverage or two! To savour our last night in Nepal, we headed to New Orleans where we had dined on our first evening in Thamel. We gratefully scoffed chocolate brownie and carrot cake washed down by our favorite tipples- Jess: Irish coffee, Armelle: Everest Beer.

Pokhara: 18th-20th March.

The next morning, we dragged ourselves to the bus stop to catch the 7 am bus to Pokhara. We were summoned onto the first bus we came across which made us slightly anxious as there were about 7 other choices lined up in front of it! A guy grabbed our bags and slung them onto the roof and hastily asked for money- such a pleasant wake up greeting! A painfully long bus ride followed, all self inflicted due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages into the wee hours! Armelle the became incredibly nervous as we passed the same restaurant that we had stopped at for chai on the way to Kathmandu.

We then realised that you have to drive back along the same road for a couple of hours before forking off left to go to Pokhara. Once we arrived there was a swarm of touts that surrounded the bus desperate to convince the bus passengers to stay at their hotel. We got noticeably stressed as they blocked our way so that we couldn’t even get our bags! Jess sought refuge on the bus and asked the driver where exactly in Pokhara we were who seemed as clueless as we were! Armelle was then tapped on the shoulder by a guy who was miraculously from the hotel we had actually booked at even though he didn’t realise as he hadn’t checked his emails- the relief! The hotel was lovely and spacious and for 1 pound fifty a night we both felt very pleaded with ourselves. Our window faced the Annapurna Himalayan range which was truly breathtaking. We then headed for a late lunch at Club Amsterdam (!) which had a clear view of Phewa Tal- the central lake of Pokhara. After a lengthy nap we headed to the shops, excited about rumours that they were hassle free compared to those of Thamel, Kathmandu, which was indeed true. Dinner then followed which was accompanied by a cultural show. We generally aren’t that enthusiastic about cultural show things but this was actually really good with crowd participation (after temple dancing, we declined all offers to appear on stage!) and the dancers looked generally pleased to be there. During breakfast the next morning, we asked the waiter if it was safe to walk to the World Peace Pagoda. (In the lonely planet it mentions that a few people have been mugged on a quest to reach the summit so we thought it was best to be sure). Our friendly little (literally) waiter Assis insisted that it was safe but that he and a friend could guide us to the top once traversing the lake on a rowing boat. So at 1.30 we headed back to the restaurant to meet the eager pair! After some dubious rowing by Jess who wasn’t too clear on where we were headed, we reach the other side of Phewa Tal and quickly climbed the hill/mountain to much panting and sweating from the both of us! As usual, many photos were taken from the top, taking full advantage of the breeze before commencing the descent.

We then clambered back onto our rowing boat to slowly head back to lakeside (the area in Pokhara where we were staying). Suddenly, a rush of boats brimming full of half dressed men seemed to appear on the lake as we drifted across which we both found amusing, especially when they started to holler in Mexican wave style to each other!

Late afternoon, while typing away on the Internet we were greeted by a pleasant surprise- Wibeke and Richard, a couple who were part of our Intrepid group, had spotted us! We knew that we would all be in Pokhara at the same time but we didn’t think it would be likely that we would bump into each other. We all then headed to Caffe Concerto for pizza and a good catch up.

The next day we got up at 4.45 am to head up to Sarangkot to view the Annapurna Himalayan Range at sunrise. We were picked up in a taxi by Assiss and drove to our starting point. After an unexpectedly steep uphill 30 minute climb, followed closely by a mass of jabbering Japanese tourists who annoyed sleepy Armelle greatly, we reached the view point. The sunrise was gorgeous even though there was slightly more cloud than we would have preferred. The size of the mountains was breathtaking and again made you stand in awe.

After a naughty nap, we spent the rest of the day lounging, eating yummy Tibetan food, and shopping interrupted by Armelle needing to frequently dash to the toilet- we drank many cups of cheap tea that day so that Armelle could use the toilet! For our last evening in Pokhara, we went to the Lemon Tree restaurant with Wibeke and Richard, and Jess elegantly finished the meal with an Irish coffee that she concocted herself as the waiter wasn’t too familiar with the concept!