Blog Archives

Day 102 - getting a visa extension

31/5/2015

It is now a month since Fred arrived in Nepal and he has to go to the immigration office to extend his visa for another week. There is also a visit at the hotel from immigration officials where Geoff & Kim are caught out because they have a visa issued to go trekking but are at the moment obviously in Kathmandu.

"To start with I headed off to the bank where I changed my precious R1000 note into 100’s before walking across to the immigration office which was twenty minutes away. Once there I filled out an extension form, putting my reason for staying was that I had to ‘wait for an important letter’."

If you are new to this blog then you can catch up with the story so far on the February, March, April and May archive pages.

As always you can read today's entry from 34 years ago on the Daily Diary page.

Day 101 - speeding through the night

30/5/2015

Fred stays awake all night writing his diary, taking in his surroundings and welcoming the start of another day. Saturday is a rest day in Nepal so he spends it catching up on his writing and enjoying the company of his fellow-travellers Kim, Geoff and Brom.

"It was possible to hear Kathmandu coming to life, starting as early as 4-00 a.m. with the many menial and important jobs that must be performed every day to keep the clockwork ticking over. Animal and human noises increased as the dawn chorus heralded in another new day and the sun shone over the valley at 5-00 a.m."

Join Fred, as he enjoys another day in Kathmandu, on the Daily Diary page.

Day 100 - the Nepalese disco plan

30/5/2015

Fred has a fairly quiet day as he catches up on his diary and writes out some travel guides for Brom. Kim and Geoff arrive back from Pokhara in the afternoon. There are plans afoot to go to a Nepalese disco at a posh hotel in the evening with some fellow-travellers as it is Margie's last evening in Nepal.

"We went inside to one of the smoothest places I’ve seen for a long time, very plush, well designed and a sharp contrast to the poverty enjoyed by the locals compared with the luxuries of the rich businessmen and fancy tourists who use the place."

Follow the 100th day of Fred's travels back in 1981 on the Daily Diary page..

Day 99 - visiting the Chemist

29/5/2015

After breakfast with Brom and Marjie, Fred heads off on his own. He visits the reading room at the British Embassy and gets up to date with some news. He also visits a local chemists for supplies and later on in the day meets up with more fellow-travellers.

"There was a good selection of newspapers and magazines in which I became totally enthralled and stayed there well over three hours. Most of the papers were the businessman’s fare but still provided a real insight into what has been happening at home."

Find out more about Fred's busy day on the Daily Diary page.

3 days to go in the May travel story competition

28/5/2015

There are still 3 days left for you to enter your own memorable travel story into our May competition. Details are on the Competition page. You can win £20/$30 and a free copy of the Kindle version of Fred's Diary 1981.

We are honoured to already have the following entries:
Jackie Parry: Festina lente - hurry slowly
Sarah Jane Butfield: A Taste of Tasmania
Nancy McBride: Anglo-American Singing Tour of Australia
John Rayburn: "Little Venice" of the Cotswolds
Lucinda E Clarke: A Trip to the Seaside
Anne Durrant: Arillas or Bust 2014

Follow the links above to read their fantastic stories.

Day 98 - re-discovering Kathmandu

28/5/2015

Fred has breakfast with Brom and another Australian girl they had met yesterday. The girls then go off shopping while Fred checks out some prices for having some of his gems set into rings.

"I found quite a good place off Freak Street and picked out some ring designs which seem to be about the best investment."

Follow Fred's adventures on the Daily Diary page.

WIN A FREE COPY OF FRED'S DIARY 1981

27/5/2015

This is your chance to win a free Kindle copy of Fred's Diary 1981, all 564 pages of it, normally for sale on Amazon at £2.99/$3,99.

The first ten people to e-mail [email protected] with their name and country will be sent a gift certificate to purchase their own copy.

What have you got to lose?

Day 97 - heading back to Kathmandu

27/5/2015

After a disturbed night Fred is awake early to get the bus back to Kathmandu with Brom. The journey is a bumpy and eventful one but they arrive safely mid-afternoon. There are quite a few few letters waiting, including one from Rita.

"My young Nepalese lady-friend came along at 5-00 a.m. to wake me up and make sure we caught the bus. I got the last of my packing done before popping up to see if Brom was ready."

Read all about Fred's day on the Daily Diary page.

Day 96 - another mushroom day

25/5/2015

On his last day in Pokhara, Fred is woken up by Kim & Geoff and they go for breakfast. He takes along some mushrooms which he has made up in an omelette. This leads to a very different sort of day including an afternoon meal with a Nepalese family.

"I am using my room as a sort of headquarters for the day, directing operations as the mushrooms take their weird effects. There is no word-imagery that can convey the feeling you get after eating them."

Follow this rather unusual day on the Daily Diary page.

Day 95 - meeting the locals

24/5/2015

A rather mixed up day as Fred has second thoughts about having invited Rita for a holiday. He also meets a few of the local people including a couple of Tibetan merchants with whom he does some bargaining and swaps some clothes for a couple of necklaces.

"One is a heavy one made out of bones & silver which looks really good and must be worth a bit. The other is a smaller one with beads made of Yak bone and silver which is also very ‘tasty’."

Follow Fred's day on the Daily Diary page.