Kathmandu ... Our Last Post for a While.

The Colours of Nepal

Here we are in Kathmandu. The last 3 days have been exhausting and we have spent 1,000's of Nepalese Rupees getting ready for The Annapurna and Upper Mustang Valley. We have found it very unnerving handing over all this money, which really only comes to a few hundred NZ dollars.

Those of you who have had experienced Asian countries will have some idea about how Nepal works. Pete and I have had enough experience, (Taiwan and Bangkok) to be prepared for chaos, smell, dirt, tooting cars and lots of scooters ... but we are still exhausted and grateful to retreat to our room at the end of each day.

Our room is very spacious and has wonderful light. We are staying at the Hotel Florid in Thamel, thanks Rosie for the Hotel tip.

I love the light ...

This is our view ... 

This is our very own Bidet hose ... the bucket is for the disposal of our toilet paper. We do what we do on the toilet then we hose ourselves down ... which is a little bracing as the cold water shoots out to clean us, then we wipe and dispose. There is certainly a clean sensation after the use of the hose, but I think I would prefer warmer water ... although after 3 days I don't mind the shot of cold water, feels refreshing.

Pete standing in a bookstore in  Thamel, Kathmandu ... we tried to find Rosie's bookstore, this is our equivalent. There have been a few of our family that have come to Nepal to walk the Annapurna ... Mike, Chris and lucy came here together a few years ago and our niece Rosie is the most recent. Rosie had her photo taken in a bookshop when she was here with Jasmine. We have picked their brains for advice and info as we have prepared for the Nepal part of our travel. Walking the Annapurna has been a long-time dream of Pete's. When Mike was young Pete and Mike would often talk about coming to Nepal and walking the Annapurna together. It was something that Pete always wanted to do with Mike, but it never happened, instead he is doing it with me. This part of the world has been quite big in the Cammock family's life.  Uncle Harry, married to Syd's sister Jean, was a very big climber and very well known in the climbing community back in the day. He is known to have been one of Sir Ed Hillary's climbing companions and teachers. Rob, Pete and Cathy grew up with climbing stories from Uncle Harry and spent quite a bit of time at Mount Cook with their cousins and Aunty Jean and Uncle Harry when he worked as a guide there. 

This is our Rosie in Kathmandu ... who loves books and loves to read. This is the bookshop we tried to find ...

I took a photo of this pedestrian light because it does not work! People walk out into the road in front of traffic and put their hand out to stop motorists. It is a little like Russian Roulette, you just don't know when a motorist is not going to stop!

I know this photo may look like a piece of modern sculpture but it is not ... I am not sure if you can make this out but it is cables ... it would appear that all cables in this part of Kathmandu are above ground and tied up in knots. We have walked past wires hanging lose like a spaghetti patch.

Entering into the area of Thamel where we are staying and where all the stalls of fake outdoor gear sell their wares. Note the cables.

 Colour is what they do best here ... I have seen some amazing coloured fabrics and clothing ... so bright and beautiful. We have not really had much of a chance to see any sights in Kathmandu, we have been busy meeting our guide and organising money for permits and buying and renting our gear that we need for our hike. We will be back and will do some sight seeing then.

Pete standing under the fairy lights. Mandela Street is a very trendy street in this part of Thamel ... we stumbled across it and went for a wander, it is very western looking and has had a Hippie reputation for a while, now it is upmarket, tiled pavement instead of dirt and stones. No traffic, only foot traffic, boutique type shops that probably charge a whole lot more than the street shops and no negotiating. We don't have the stomach to beat vendors down too much in their prices ... everything is so cheap when converted to NZ or US dollars, we felt uncomfortable when we are paying $US3, trying to get a vendor down to $US2.

Packing up for our 30 day hike on the Annapurna and Upper Mustang Valley. This stage feels so overwhelming, trying to fit so much into so little. The orange pack is mine. By 8.30am on Thursday morning everything will be in our pack and we will be on a bus heading to Annapurna. I think the bus ride is the same one Rosie took and thought she was going to die. Greg Rood recommended that we go to Mustang Valley, which borders on Tibet. The owner of Hotel Florid also suggested we go there and said that we will be 'truly satisfied' when we do.

This is our last post for at least a month. We will take lots of photos and have lots of stories to post when we get back. It is now 11.05pm and we are getting up at 6am to finish packing and be on our way. I need to go to bed. 

Turkish Airlines ...

So this happened on our flight to Kathmandu ...

Yes we got upgraded to Business Class! We arrived at the check in for Turkish Airlines and were told our flight was over booked, I thought 'What', but before we could say anything we were told we were being moved to Business Class ... I could not believe my ears ... I thought they must have got that wrong ... no, they hadn't and here we are sitting in our lazy boy reclining seats getting comfortable for our 6 hour flight to Kathmandu. What is not to like about this flight?

Here is what happens in Business Class ... in case you have always wanted to know ...

Complimentary drinks with our very own swizzle stick ... in glass ... not plastic ... we are living the high life here in Business Class. We also got very nice complimentary chocolates!

Our very own flight attendant dressed up like a chef for dramatic effect. Yep Turkish Airlines really want their Business Class passengers to 'feel the love'. I am feeling it! ( A little blurry.)

We have our very own toilet bag ... sorry about the blur! Inside this little gem is a hair brush with attached comb, air plugs, sox, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste, body cream, lip balm and shoe horn. We economy class people need to start rioting, the kind of deprivation that is experienced in economy seating is outrageous!

Again I am sorry about the quality of this photo ... I think I had the aperture open too much, but I had to post it anyway. This was delicious, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, artichoke, tabouli, roasted courgettes etc with some small side dishes, we had real knifes and forks, no plastic. Pete thought this was the main meal and kept asking our attendant for the lamb meal he had ordered, little did we realise that this was the first course! 

This is Pete's second course ... (the lamb he was asking for), I had Egg Plant Moussaka. The passengers in economy must be starving after their very meagre servings of dinner on a trolley trundling down the aisles ... those trolleys could seriously hurt anyone that got in the way. Whereas our meals were served by hand, by our very own attendant on large trays. I didn't even take a photo of our tray tables ... they are at least 2xs the size of the cabin seat tray tables. No hitting the elbows of the person next to us ... no having to wait while the 'special menus' are being handed out ... we are the special menus in Business Class. No worrying about spilling or dropping food or cutlery and wondering how to pick it up without having to contort myself into some very unnatural bodily position. Just as well I do yoga! If you do drop something in Business Class the attendant picks it up straight away, you don't even have to get out of your seat. No coming to the end of a meal and thinking 'I am never eating plane food again!' No that was not our experience, I would eat our Business Class meals again and again.

 This is how you sleep in Business Class ... note Pete is lying down ... I wish I had taken a full length photo. The hours of discomfort in economy trying to find a comfortable sleeping position is torture! I wish I had taken a photo of the size of our screen ... Pete says it was a good 32" at least maybe bigger. I don't think I can go back to economy ... I am ruined! Even with all of this luxury I did not sleep ... what was wrong with me!!

Then there is the view from Business Class ... what can I say ... WoW. No plane wing in Business Class, no craning your neck to look over someone else's big head that is in the way ... we had our very own view of this.

Economy had to wait patiently while we Business Class passengers got of the plane first. The evil looks we got, I was scared! (lol) Jesting aside ... it does not matter whether you travel Business Class or Economy ... we all ended up in the same line at Kathmandu Customs. No VIP treatment here

We will probably get one more post done before we leave for our hike ... 

Goodbye Turkey

Pete and our new friend Ali ...

We have spent the last 2 days back in Istanbul ... we fly out to Nepal in a few hours ... always last minute stress and panic. I can feel my anxiety up a little as we pack ... have we got the right paperwork etc. Getting the right shuttle and arriving in plenty of time for our flight etc. Trying to be Zen about it all ... I am not sure that it is working. Pete has gone out to try and get passport photos of us printed ... we forgot to do that! We have the photos on our computer, not in hardcopy though. I thought I would take the time to do our last blog for Turkey.

We met Ali as we were waiting for our bus from Eceabat to Istanbul. He was having some issues with his pack and he came over to look at ours and see if he could figure out his. Ali is the friendliest person we have met in a long time. Ali and Pete started chatting about Gallipoli and war and that was it. When we arrived in Istanbul he helped us get to Taksim Square, it just so happened he lived there! He very generously offered to meet us the next day and take us on a walking tour of Istanbul. We said yes. We had a fabulous day with him and his sister Ismihan.

We started our day at a very old hotel in Taksim ... we stopped there for a drink and chat.

   Here we all are with our drinks ... the weather is much, much cooler. I really felt cold for the first time in months.

The hotel ... it is beautiful.

We visited a Catholic Church and I saw this statue ... I liked it.

We read about Fish Sandwiches from Istanbul in Lonely Planet ... I really wanted to try them when we first arrived in Istanbul, but Pete was a little dubious ... he was worried about getting a sick stomach. But on our walk about today with Ali and Ismihan this happened ... peer pressure!

He did it and was not sick ...

Yummy ... Turkish Delight and Turkish Pastry sooooo delicious.

Fishing off the bridge is quite the thing in Istanbul ...

There are quite a few children begging around Sultanahmet. They are Syrian refugees apparently. Pete gets really upset at this sight.

Our guides for the day ...  they brought Istanbul alive for us. Thank you for sharing our day with us ... we had fun.

Walking to Taksim Square ... so crowded!

Buskers and their audience who look totally riveted ...

Here on a very busy street is a house that is falling apart ... held up by it's neighbours. Could be Christchurch.

Street Art ...

Our last evening in Istanbul ... we had a really great meal here with Zahra who we met at Butterfly Valley. A perfect way to end our time here in Turkey.

These are so yummy ... thick slab of chocolate on the top and a generous lump in the bottom of the cone. We love these ... a treat for us. Ice cream and chocolate a perfect combination. What doesn't chocolate go with. Goodbye Cornetto.

We stayed in a really cool apartment ... Airport B&B, while staying in Taksim Square, this was the view from our room.

The bedhead on our bed ... Mahogany ... we thought it was beautiful ... the bed wasn't though. We have slept in some very uncomfortable beds since travelling.

I love space ... I hate clutter ... I guess I am a minimalist ... can cause some tense moments between Pete & I. The lounge where we were staying

The door to the apartment we stayed in. What about this for an entrance way?

I have taken these photos of our accommodation for the girls in our family, including extended ... I thought they would like some of the design. I need to slow down when I take photos though, this one could have been more centred.

The entrance ... there are 5 floors with about 2 apartments on each floor.

The main entrance ... apparently our accommodation was in a dodgy part of Taksim ... we never noticed.

Farewell Turkey ... we had a fabulous time! Lovely people, great weather, fascinating history, fabulous beaches and places to visit.

The Secret Scripture

I have to say I am even impressing myself with my reading. I picked this book up at a second hand store in Fethiye ... I liked the cover and also that it was Irish. For some reason I quite like Irish writers, I haven't read many Irish books but the ones I have I have liked.

This is quite a bleak story ... there is a hardness to it, like the other Irish books I have read. Maybe it is something to do with their history, beautifully written though. The story centres round Dr Greene and Roseanne, his patient. Their narrative is told by each of them and their stories seem to blend at times. The ending took me completely by surprise! I enjoyed this book a lot. I think I can be quite depressing and philosophical in my choice of books and this is no exception to that rule.

Pete continues to read his 6 volumes of Winston Churchill and Positivity by Barbara Frederickson. When he gets sick of those he starts looking for something a little mindless like Jack Reacher ... you know the type ... a predictable plot ... lots of action and the hero wins at the end, you already know that from the beginning ... you read to find out how.

I bought The Museum of Innocence to read by Orhan Pamuk a Turkish author, I am looking forward to reading it after I have finished the one I have started to read ... a Kindle book, 'Where'd You Go Bernadette'. Sash recommended it ... I am enjoying the story so far ... funny. I find it much easier reading on my iPad on a bus than I do reading a book ... not sure why that is. The Museum of Innocence is very thick ... may take me a while. Might be the last one I read. 

I am loving these books I am reading ... I feel like I have rediscovered something that I enjoyed so long ago and had forgotten how much pleasure I got from it. 

Gallipoli

For the last 3 days we have been staying in Ecebat, near Gallipoli. Pete has been very excited about visiting this part of Turkey. He has done the Gallipoli tour twice. The night we arrived Pete did a google search for any Cammock's who might have served at Gallipoli and came across William Rowland Cammock, who we think may be a cousin or Uncle of Great Grandad Cammock. William was a school teacher and died at 21 in a Malta hospital of wounds received in the attack on Chunuk Bair August 8, 1915. We are dedicating our blog entry today to some of his story. Here is some of his official record.

William Rowland Cammock

RANK LAST HELD

Lance Corporal

FORENAME(S)

William Rowland

SURNAME

Cammock

ALSO KNOWN AS

William Roland

WAR	World War I, 1914-1918

SERIAL NO.

10/1060

FIRST KNOWN RANK

Private

NEXT OF KIN

Charles Cammock, Kiritaki, Dannevirke, New Zealand

MARITAL STATUS

Single

ENLISTMENT ADDRESS

Hawke's Bay High School, New Zealand

MILITARY DISTRICT

Wellington

BODY ON EMBARKATION

Main Body

EMBARKATION UNIT

Wellington Infantry Battalion

EMBARKATION DATE

16 October 1914

PLACE OF EMBARKATION

Wellington, New Zealand

TRANSPORT

HMNZT 7 HMNZT 10

VESSEL

Limerick or Arawa

DESTINATION

Suez, Egypt

PAGE ON NOMINAL ROLL

105

LAST UNIT SERVED

Wellington Infantry Battalion

PLACE OF DEATH

Malta to Gallipoli

DATE OF DEATH

16 August 1915

YEAR OF DEATH

1915

CAUSE OF DEATH

Died of wounds

CEMETERY NAME

Pieta Military Cemetery, Malta

GRAVE REFERENCE

A. VII. 3.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

William Cammock was the son of Mr and Mrs Charles Cammock, of Kiretaki, Dannevirke, New Zealand.

Pete standing at Anzac Cove where William and the Allied forces landed on April 25, 2015. There was a navigational error that caused them to land here rather than the much flatter terrain of Brighton Beach, which was just down the coast.

This is the kind of country the allied troops had to advance into after landing at Anzac Cove ... they were exposed to Turkish fire right from the start. The British High Command thought they would take the Gallipoli Peninsula in two days ... nine months later they had advanced less than a kilometre. Around 10,000 NZ soldiers fought at Gallipoli ... casualties, dead and wounded numbered 7,473, William Cammock was one of the 2,721 who were killed!

William served in the Wellington Infantry Battalion under the legendary Colonel William Malone. On August 8 they were ordered to take the hill Chunuk Bair in broad daylight (to the right of the photo). After seeing the Auckland Battalion go before them and get virtually wiped out Malone refused to send his men in daylight and they took the hill that night. His troops advanced up the ridge line in this photo. 

This is the NZ Memorial to the soldiers who were killed while trying to hold Chunuk Bair, which is one of the highest points on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Colonel Malone and the Wellington Battalion (including William Cammock) successfully took Chunuk Bair (the only real success of the entire campaign), but holding it was much more difficult. Unfortunately Malone was killed by allied gunfire soon after their success. This, plus the lack of reinforcements, meant that most of the Wellington Battalion were killed trying to hold their position against 1000's of Turkish soldiers. Of the 760 men in the Battalion who reached the summit, 711 were casualties. William Cammock was shot in the back hip area. Gravely injured, it took him two days to crawl down to the beach where he was evacuated to Malta and died from his injuries on August 16, 1915. It is hard to imagine how much he must have suffered before his death.

Pete is standing in Turkish trenches captured by William Cammock's battalion. These trenches were designed to protect the Turkish soldiers from attacks coming up the ridge, when the NZ soldiers took the trenches from the Turkish they were having to defend themselves from attacks coming down the hill towards them. The New Zealanders were sitting ducks.

It is important to mention that the Turkish casualties were even higher than the Allies. Their casualties were 163,650 with over 56,000 dead. Given their losses they have been incredibly gracious in the years since WWI and have made these sites freely available to the increasing numbers of visiting New Zealanders and Australians.  Ataturk's statement above acknowledges the terrible losses of the Gallipoli Campaign and says something of the generosity of spirit of the Turkish (something we have experienced as we have been travelling through Turkey). One of the guides observed that Gallipoli was the birthplace of 3 nations. New Zealand and Australia came to see themselves for the first time as nations, distinct from Great Britain, while Gallipoli laid the foundations for the formation of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923.

2015 is the one hundred year anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign. Sixty thousand people have applied to come from Australia and New Zealand to be part of this memorial ... eight thousand spaces are open for Australians and two thousand for New Zealanders. The decision is being made by ballot. Over the years the number of people that have become interested in Gallipoli has increased by thousands both in Turkey and Australia/NZ. We have found our experience here very moving, all the more so given our connection with William Cammock. Such a tragic loss of young lives. The stories we have heard of courage and comradeship including between Turkish and ANZACs during times of truce have been very poignant.  As we have wandered through the gravesites and spent time looking at the headstones with messages of love for these young men who died so heroically we have felt a sense of loss for these families. We really missed Rob here ... he would have loved it, he and Pete would have spent the whole time talking about what happened, where and why.