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| Stego's FAQ on Nepal travel v.3 - Miscelaneous 1/3 |
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Keywords: Accomodation, Kathmandu, Miscelaneous
From: Clay Patton <mtnguide@frontier.net>
| Date: 96.01.24 | (Id.: 2) |
Three days is usually enough time in kathmandu. It tends to be busy, dusty, noisy, overwhelming and enchanting all at the same time. You can easily spend a week there if you can handle the dust and do'nt get sick.
The luxourious hotels are the Everest, Yak and Yeti, Annapurna and the Soltie Oberie. these are five stare places that are secluded from the rat race outside. four star places are the Hotel Sherpa and the Yellow pagoda. also a bunch of others. A good three star Palce is the Hotel Garden in Thamel. Kathmandu gudest house is good also in this catagory.
You might try the Mustang holiday Inn. Thats my favorite because I know the folks who own it. When you walk out of the air port tell the taxi driver the hotel you want and do not take no for an answer the taxi rate is 100 rs (approx. 50 rs / $ ). There is usually a van out front of the airport for any of the five star hotels. I reccomend staying away from staying right in Thamel and definatly not Freak Streat. I usually want to stay out of the fray and relax. There are millions of cheap places to stay in Thamel and elswhere.
Places to Eat. The best are in the Thamel area or some obscure places like Mikes Breakfast in Naxal. The Gahra Kabab at the hotel Anapurna is probably the best Indian Food. My Favorite is the Ghorka Palace near the Imagration office next to the Hotel Tilicho(Indian Food frequented by Nepali's). Also the Third eye in Thamel (good food but tourist trade).
I also like the Everest steak House. The best chineese food is in Thamel just down the street from the Gorka Palace toward Thamel and take a right and its upstairs next to the Fuji Photo place.
Never been to Cheet one (Chitwan) because I'm there for the mountains but I hear good and bad things about it. I've also never Flown by Everest (walked there many times) but I think the flights by Everest air are about $150.
For the quick trip I would not go to Pokhara but instead go to Nargarkot.
You should definatly go to the usual places like Pashupatinath, Swymbunath, Bohdnath, Baktapur, Paton but for sur walk around the back streets and markets and don't be afraid to duck into the many templesin odd places, they are really what makes Kathmandu.
Keywords: Children
From: Clay Patton <mtnguide@frontier.net>
| Date: 96.01.12 | (Id.: 3) |
If your going to just do the Kathmandu Valley - Pokhara thing its still no problem. One warning. Watch out for kids playing with Dogs there!
Keywords: Clothes
From: Scott Yost <syost@hephp01.phys.utk.edu>
| Date: 95.09.15 | (Id.: 8) |
People will react best to visitors who respect local tradition and dress modestly, but it is not unusual to see women trekking in shorts, and I have never seen local men visibly react to this. They are mostly too polite to be openly critical or disrespectful of a visitor. You may, however, find people less friendly if they think you are dressed immodestly, because it is embarassing and shows you do not respect their culture. Long skirts are common and convenient. Pants, including jeans, are no longer unusual among Nepalese women, however.
--
Scott A. Yost
WWW: http://enigma.phys.utk.edu/~syost/
syost@enigma.phys.utk.edu
Featuring "A Visit to Nepal", including detailed journal, photographs and maps.
Keywords: Equipment
From: Allen J. Baum <baum@apple.com>
| Date: 95.09.11 | (Id.: 10) |
Beware that a lot of the brand name equipment sold is counterfeit. I've seen lots of parkas, packs, etc. with logos on them (e.g. North Face) that we clearly not made by that company. Probably true for things made out of fabrics, may not the case for things metallic (crampons).
Also note that the dealers know the value of what they have - the country may be cheap as a whole, but you won't be getting incredible bargains in those shops.
Keywords: Equipment
From: Esa-Pekka P{lvim{ki <eepee@utu.fi>
| Date: 96.01.18 | (Id.: 11) |
>>I'm interested in treking in Nepal in October 96'.
>>How much equipment can I rent and how much?????
>>Suggested items need are:
>>1) sleeping bag - 0 degree
>>2) therma rest
>>3) Gortex jacket/gloves
>>4) water proof boots
>>5) ice ax
>>6) crampons
3) There's not many real Gore-tex jackets available, the fake nepalese Gore-tex is not water-proof. Used gore-tex may or may not be waterproof, and even used real gore-tex jackets in nepal may cost $200 so don't count on this one. I saw one pair of Gore-tex gloves in the numerous shops that i looked through, and very expensive.
5) You can get some sort of ice axes for $30-40 a piece, but not very good ones. Technical ice axes (used) cost $80 and up (i saw charlet mosers for $150 a piece) and it may be hard to find a pair (axe and hammer).
6) plenty of strap-ons (used) for cheap (i bought a pair or decent ones for $30), and quite a bit of clip-ons, too, but not cheap.
Kathmandu is cheaper than e.g. Namche Bazaar in the mountains, and it can be hard to bargain when climbing gear is in question.
BTW, on most popular treks you won't need crampons/ice axes (I did everest base camp and gokyo treks in late December and didn't), but then on some you might need them. Find out.
best wishes,
Keywords: Equipment, Annapurnas
From: Per Löwdin <per.lowdin@statsvet.uu.se>
| Date: 96.04.22 | (Id.: 55) |
>bKarl@wyoming.com wrote:
>>
>Trekking while carrying heavy rucsacs is quite a chore especially over a long
>route such as the Annapurna Circuit.
Why carry heavy rucsacs on the Annapurna Circuit. Everything one needs is available along the route. Of course it is a different thing if you are going off on long side trips. But to go the normal route all you need is a sleeping bag, a warm jacket, something water proof and a tooth brush. Maybe a torch too, and a few other things. But there is no point lugging around a lot of things there is no need for.
Keywords: Equipment, Health
From: Jeff in Portland, Oregon, USA <jedwards@aracnet.com>
| Date: 96.07.30 | (Id.: 12) |
>Hi all. I'm heading to Nepal this October for a couple months of
>- What did you do about water purification? Filter & Iodine? Boiling?
I used iodine tablets. Very convient, and I got used to the taste. Also its possible to buy boiled water - I suggest you bring at least one metal canteen for boiled water. If you have the hotel/tea house you stay in fill your bottle right before bed time, you can stick the hot bottle in to your sleeping bag and warm it up!
>- Did you rent alot of gear (sleeping bag, stove, etc.) in Kathmandu, or
>bring your own?
I didn't rent anything, but you can rent and/or buy everything in Nepal. I brought a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad (the pad is not really needed for sleeping in hotels but is real nice to sit on when taking a break). For most of the popular treks (Annapurna, Everest) there is no reason to bring a tent or a stove - just stay in hotels and enjoy some Nepali hospitality.
>- I'm thinking about using a lighter-weight hiking boot (lighter
Mid-weight or light-wieght boots worked well for me. I don't think heavy boots are needed unless you plan to use crampons or go way off trail. I wouldn't recommend sneakers/tennis shoes (although some people prefer them) because you never know when you'll have snow, rain, or mud to hike through.
Another post stated on Annapurna you may only have snow for one day - I hiked four days in snow going over Thorung La (around Annapurna) in 1987. Also, I like boots for traction in rainy and/or muddy conditions. This is one item you should try to bring with you - the boots should be broken in (but not too broken in). I usually have to toss my light-weight boots out after a good month-long trek.
>Pete Graff
>Seattle, WA
Keywords: Equipment
From: Per Löwdin <dokomb@us.uu.se>
| Date: 96.09.13 | (Id.: 116) |
There are plenty of rent or buy shops in the Thamel area in Kathmandu, though if You are going to the Khumbu area You can also find a lot of gear in Namche and save your self the trouble of carrying it there. There is an excellent supply of carabiners, boots, axes, crampoons, both in Thamel and in Namche. Many expeditions seem to dump their gear there. However, some stuff may be in short supply like really excellent tents. If You are going to do strenous exposed climbing I would be recommend that You bring Your own ropes as You never know what the ones available have been through.
A lot of the equipment is of east european orgin: i.e., polish and russian.
You have to bargain a lot. Bow out of a couple of shops politely saying the price is a bit over Your budget whatever price they quote. The last price they give as You leave is usually near the going market rate: once You found it out You can start to shop seriously. This summer we paid 15 rps a day per ice axe. Russian made. They were excellent.
Keywords: Health
From: Paul Kronfield <geoprobe@ghgcorp.com>
| Date: 96.01.23 | (Id.: 18) |
> bkmemtn@gnn.com (William Kann) wrote:
>>I need information from anyone who has been to Tibet regarding the
>>effects of the high altitude and anything that can be done to
>>combat it.
> I flew to Lhasa, and after a couple of days travelled on up to 4900m, where I
> spent an unplesant night (headaches, greyouts if I stood up suddenly), but
> nothing serious. Any physical exercise is difficult, walking up a hill (eg to
> the Potala) is far more exhausting than you'd usually expect. At the airport, a
> middle aged Chinese gentleman colapsed in front of us, minutes after arriving
> there: altitude affects people differently.
>
> Accute Mountain Sickness (AMS) comes in two forms, one of which is unplesant,
> the other very dangerous (read fatal if not treated suitably). Of the latter,
> the only cure is to decend FAST. There are a couple of things you can do about
> prevention of the lesser form, there is a medacine which I think is called
> Amazol, which some sources suggest taking as a matter of course, while others
> say it should only be taken as a cure (I didn't take it at all). The simpler
> altenative is ... Raw carrots, which I am told increase the blood flow to the
> brain (also applies for air travel - the inside of an aeroplane is never
> preasurised to the equivlent of sea level!). Carrots are avalible in Lhasa,
> while I never saw a trace of any fancy medication, though it must be there if
> you're desperate enough to pay massively for it (at the Holiday Inn?).
> I think the recommendations for ascending above 3000m are to do so at a rate
> of a couple of hundred meters per day. Not much of Tibet is below 3000m - Lhasa
> is about 3600m, so AMS can affect people in the "lowlands". Things to avoid are
> alcohol and cigrettes (well, for the first couple of days anyway!).
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> Jon Aldridge.They also rent oxygen saturated pillow (if you can picture this) at the
Holiday Inn. They also sell chemical oxygen generating devices in a can
at the airport for those in need of a whiff of the ol' o-2.
--
Paul Kronfield
Houston, Texas, USA
geoprobe@ghgcorp.com
http://www.ghgcorp.com/geoprobe/
Keywords: Health
From: Dean Myerson <dean@vexcel.com>
| Date: 96.02.29 | (Id.: 20) |
>>......
>>if anyone has any knowledge regarding how possible it is to
>>avoid serious risk of health problems while trekking.
You can lessen the risk but you can't get the risk as low as it is at home.
>>For example, does going on a guided trek with a US-based adventure travel company avoid problems with the food?
It lessens it further but still doesn't get rid of the risk. They know better how to cook food for sensitive westerners than the tea shops do.
That's assuming you go with an experienced operator.
>> Or, can one purchase one's own food at
>>the start of the trip and carry it for the entire treK?
It's possible but cooking cleanly isn't easy without patience.
I think 3rd world travel is good for people with strong immune systems.
She needs to decide how important seeing Nepal and the Himalayas is given the increased risk. My opinion is that the people who like to travel the most are the ones who have strong resistance to disease because it permits more freedom during travel. Maybe you should also consider New Zealand as an alternative. The mountains aren't nearly as high or well-known but they look pretty damn big from 500 meters altitude and the glaciers are quite impressive. I just crossed the Cascade Saddle from the West Mitukituki Valley to the Dart Valley a couple of weeks ago and I was flabergasted at the extent of the glaciers for such low altitudes. It's a rough hike for fit people (1400 meter gain straight up to start out) and rough terrain descending the upper Dart Valley next to the Dart Glacier.
If you do decide to go to Nepal, be sure to get evacuation insurance to fly her to able doctors if she needs it.
--
Dean Myerson (dean@vexcel.com)(http://www.vexcel.com)
Keywords: Health
From: Todd Greenspan <todd.greenspan@ucop.edu>
| Date: 96.03.22 | (Id.: 19) |
Keywords: Health, Accomodation, Pokhara
From: Bjarne Mollwitz Heltved <Bjarne_Heltved@dk-online.dk>
| Date: 96.09.22 | (Id.: 171) |
You need a water purifier and iodine tablets are OK but don't drink to much water with iodine tablets - your body won't like it!! Buy the water in bottles (the nepalese almost sell it on the top of Annapurna :-) or boil the water.
You can buy iodine tablets at least in Pokhara and Kathmandu. You can also buy Flagyl - the medicin agains Giardia. It is good value allways to carry a few Flagyl-tablets in the backpack when your are travelling in Nepal. Take with your doctor before leaving - Flagyl is efficient but it is hot stuff for your stomach.
I can recommand Hotel Peaceful in Pokhara - nice people, clean rooms with mountainview, attached bath and a nice bakery across the street :-9 Have pleasent journey.
Keywords: Internet
From: Rajesh Shrestha <rshresth@fas.HARVARD.EDU>
| Date: 96.06.13 | (Id.: 21) |
Hi Diane:
You might be surprised to know that there are "cybercafes" in Kathmandu. Well, sort of. They are more like "cyberhuts" providing e-mail, fax, phone services.
(Web access is currently not available). One is at Tridevi Marg - Global Communications, the other is at Durbar Marg (King's Way) and Baneswor in Kathmandu. These nodes are serviced by Mercantile (also located on Durbar Marg or WorldLink. Rates are about $1/kbyte to compose and send an e-mail and about third of that to receive.
And, if you look around, you are sure to find a cafe as well close to these cyberhuts.
Have a good time in Nepal.
Rajesh Babu Shrestha
Keywords: Internet
From: Sanjib <sanjib@chulu.mos.com.np>
| Date: 96.06.14 | (Id.: 22) |
When you get here (Kathmandu), please contact Mercantile Communications Pvt Ltd. Durbar Marg, Kathmandu (tel- 220773) for details.
Sanjib
. . .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanjib Raj Bhandari Fax: 977-1-225407
Mercantile Office Systems Tel: 977-1-220773
Durbar Marg, Kathmandu, Nepal e-mail: sanjib@mos.com.np
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keywords: Travelogues, Places & itineraries, Kathmandu, Chitwan
From: Holger Theobald cnsf <holthe@news.ki.se>
| Date: | (Id.: 110) |
We went to Nepal and India in the beginning of july and stayed 5 weeks until middle of august 1995. We thought this was a quite good period because it is not the tourist season. At the indian tourist office home in Stockholm they told us that this time is very bad to go because of the warm temperatures and the rain season in india. Thats why we started our tour in Nepal where it is cooler and where the rain comes a bit earlier than in the north west part of india In middle of June temperatures can be very hot in Dehli, this year it was about 45 degrees celcius, but when we arrived in Dehli at end July it was much better temperatures due to the clouds and short periods of rain.
Travelling off season was also good as it was very easy to find hotels, get tickets on trains and buses. Hotel prices are also lower off season. For example in Nepal some hotels charge almost half the price.
In Nepal is more difficult to make trekking in the mountains due to the rain and the snowy mountains are less visible during the premonsun time Due to the rain we did not make a trip with the train to the mountainarea at Shimla north of Dehli, as we were unsure about the risk for landslides in the mountains, which might delay us so that we could miss our flight.
But we were satisfied travelling during the summer even if the tourist offices recommend travelling after the rain season in october to march.
The prices are very low. India is one of the cheapest countries in asia. How much money you spend depends of your standard of living and how much you travel around. A simple hotel room with toilet and shower costs about 250 rupies for 2 persons ($10) and if you want it without own toliet and shower it is even cheaper. Nepal is said to be slightly more expensive but off season the price for the hotels were about the same.
A meal in a local cheap but clean restaurant costs about $2 but off course you can find expensive places too. Bombay is the most expensive city in india with hotel prices about 3 times as much.
My impressions are that it is very easy to travel around by ones own, without a package tour. But you need a guide book with hotels listed etc because it is difficult to get correct information from people as many wants to cheat you to get profit. Other travellers are often more reliable than the indians on the street. Reservations are not needed in advance, there is for example a special ticket counter for tourist at the railway stations who have a special ticket quota for tourists, so it is enough to by tickets one or a couple of days before departure.
Trains seem to be more safe than busses, specially during night travel as there are bicycles, animals and vehicles without lights on the road at night. Because of this quite common with lorrys and sometimes busses who has crashes along the high ways.
OUT TRIP STARTED IN KATHMANDU We started our trip in Nepal in july 95. We stayed in the capital city Kathmandu for one week on our way to India. The airport is located about 6 km from the city centre and we could walk from the airport with our backpacks. It was interesting to see the life on the streets with people making food, sewing, washing themselves etc and the cows, dogs, monkeys and other animals standing around. Actually we first took a public bus but my girlfriend didnt like the too small buses (built for Nepalese people) which made it impossible to stand straight up in them.
There are plenty of cheap hotels in the Tamel area.
The durbar square in the centre of Kathmandu was nice with its many temples and the kings palace which is now a museum. It is walking distance from the Tamel area. It is also possible to walk to the famous monkey temple with its eyes on the pagoda. The monkeys might be angry, we were advised not to show them our teeth.
TOURS OUTSIDE KATHMANDU From Katmandu we took a local bus to the nearby town Patan which also has a nice durbar square. The town is 5 km from Katmandu and the busses leave from the city bus terminal. There are no signs on the buses but the ticket sellers on the buses shout the d estinations of them at every stop.
From the Katmandu footballstadion are trolley buses going to Baktapur, about 30 km away. This city has a very nice durbar square with many temples. At our visit there was some cases of Cholera so we didnt eat or dring any thing there.
From Baktapur it is possible to continue by bus or taxi to Nagarkot, a 2000m high mountain about 25km away from where it is possible to see the mount Everest when it is not cloudy. The buses do not go very often and they are very full so people have to tr avel on top of the roof. We took a taxi for $15 return. 2 hours on the mountain was enough for us.
There are several hotels for those who want to spend the night to see the snowy mountains during sunrise. At our visit it was too cloudy to see any snowy mountains, July is also in the beginning of the rainseason. During our visit in Nepal we could get a short glimse of some snowy mountains between the clouds ones.
We didnt do any trekking, it is possible but a bit moddy to walk during the rain season. We took a tourist bus to the Chitwan national park.
Actually the travel agencies wanted to sell 3 day package tours but we insisted only bying a bus ticket and then decide what to do etc when we arrived. This was good as we where free to arrange what we liked and to a lower price than other travellers on the same bus. Along the road where crashed lorries and also a few buses, so there seems to be accidents quite often (I would awoid travelling by night).
RENTING AN ELEPHANT IN CHITWAN From Katmandu we went by bus towards the indian boarder. On the way we made a stop at the Chitwan antional park known for its wildlife with rhinos, tigers, bears, birds and other animals. The Chitwan national park in Nepal north of Varanasi was easy reachable by bus. It was interesting going on the back of an elephant in the forrest looking at the rhinos in the national park. There were also crocodiles in the river. During the rainseason it is to mody to get into the park by jeep but it is possible to walk. If you meet a rhino which attacks, you should run away in zigzac and throw you hat behind you. The rhino does not see very well and might attack the hat instead. After running in zig zac you should stand behind a tree so the rhino will not see you.
Some rhinos might also stop if the guide throws a stick and hits the nose.
We didnt walk but we rented an elephant and made a 2 hour tour across the river into the forest. We saw 5 rhinos as there just had been some rain which makes the them come out. There are also crocodiles in the river but we didnt go to look at them. There are plenty of cheap lodges at chitwan and during july there are plenty off free rooms as there are not so many tourists around during this time.
From Chitwan there are daily state buses going to the indian border. We reached the border after a couple of hours on the bus. After some simple formalities at the border we changed buses and continued by bus and train to Varanasi.
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© J. Mário Pires, 4 Mar 97
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