Hi all Got a little carried away looking at the photos from Nepal, so apologies that there are so many this time! The pictures stretch back to the valleys and mountain passes of Himachal Pradesh in September, then through October (Nepal). Here's a quick update before I head off to SE Asia (Bangkok) tomorrow. Nepal was a wonderful 5 week experience. I took two and a half weeks to walk the Annapurna circuit and Annapurna Base Camp routes. Carrying my own rucksack meant I was careful about what to pack and was able to set my own itinerary. Well trodden paths and loads of lodges meant food and sleep were easily to find, and clear weather for most of the trek gave beautiful 20000ft mountain views once I'd walked up from the green lower valleys. I met up with 2 Slovenian fitness fanatics on the way, who acted as pacemakers when the going got tough, and were also good for a drink or two to celebrate the hard days on the road. They (and most other tourists) were stopped by the Maoists, had to pay about a tenner each, and as a result had to descend one day early in torrential rain. At higher altitudes this meant a lot of snow - 18 climbers were killed in an avalanche just after I'd returned to Pokhara at the end of the circuit. Rafting for 3 days was next on the activity list - our boat provided the best video footage afterwards by capsizing in one of the grade 4 rapids "the washing machine". Pokhara is a great place to relax by the lake. Kathmandu was busier with festival time - goat and buffalo sacrifices, kite flying and one special day each to honour your local cow, dog, crow, sister and yourself..Fascinating culture, with noisy and colourful celebrations. I can thoroughly recommend Nepal to anyone who loves the great outdoors. At the beginning of this month I returned to India - specifically to visit Varanasi - the 2500 year old holy city by the Ganges, also near to where Buddha gave his first sermon. Varanasi itself is an intense experience, with the locals putting huge stock in devotional washing in the river, lots of pujas (prayers) being offered to the thousands of deities all over the narrow streets and alleys, and of course the 24 hour burning ghats where all the bodies are cremated to ease their direct path to heaven. I just dipped my toes in as I saw a human/animal corpe sail by down the river. I am just finishing my time in India here in Pushkar at the time of the camel fair - highlights have included a women's water pot race - which quickly turned into a wet sari competition; a blindfold pot smashing contest, in which the Indians predictably thrashed the westerners; and a moustache show, which also featured the winner performing a local jig on two mini nose flutes whilst arms at full stretch twirling his tache.. I've been admonished for not updating the site often enough, so I'll try to get into the "office" more often in future to post updates.. Cheers for now.. Mick.