Nov15
Our arrival in Kathmandu coincided with one of the biggest festivals around the country: Deepawali. We were surprised about the amount of people gathering all around the city, the firecrackers noise and the light decorations in the streets. It was the second day of the Tihar, which happens always on the new moon of October-November and which means the end of the year for the Newar community in Kathmandu’s Valley. So, without having planned it, we found ourselves involved on the celebration of the beginning of year 1128. Nepal festivities and festivals are marked by the moon calendar and happen during new or full moon periods. The official new year in the country starts on the 14th of April and its calendar is 57 years ahead ours, so while we live in 2008, they do it in 2065. At the end of the day, we just didn’t know in which year we were living and decided not to worry about the number, we are just travelling around Asia and time is not something to worry about!!
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Nov13
Kathmandu is not only the capital city of the kingdom, but the biggest and most chaotic city by far. Its narrow streets in the old town are bustled with motorbikes, taxis, cycle-rickshaws, people rambling along the road and street pedlars. Kathmandu’s history is very rich and you just need to wander around to get involved by the magic and mystery of its past. This is the city of temples and mystic, the place to admire Buddhism and Hinduism at the same time and a real paradise for backpackers, which offers everything they may need during their trip: joy, fun, shopping and cheap accommodation.
The north part of the city center is called Thamel, an area full of budget hotels and lodges, which concentrates almost the whole leisure spots of the city: music bars and clubs, cinema, restaurants, shops and internet points (very much needed to update this travel blog after being isolated in the mountains). Everything can be founded here and this is why most of the young travelers prefer to stay there.
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Nov8
One of the biggest fears (read also expectations) that backpackers have while trekking in Nepal is to bump into the Maoists. In the past there have been several reports about violence and assaults against tourists but nowadays they just ask politely for money. We had the pleasure of meeting them just before reaching Tal, on the Annapurna’s range. After an exhausting climb of a very steep slope, we saw a table and four people seating on chairs just beside the trail waiting for the tourists to pass along. The communist red flag was standing behind them. They were asking for donations for the Maoist’s cause and seemed to speak seriously about getting them. It is funny that they called it “voluntary donations”, as the rate was fixed per person and day of the trekking. Tourists had to pay them a total of 2,000 rupees if they were doing the Round the Annapurna’s Circuit. After a good half an hour bargaining, we could finally reduce our “donation” to 500 rupees for both of us. They even gave us a receipt and then let us continue. Later we found out that some people had paid the whole amount because they were scared and some others didn’t pay at all with no consequences.
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Meeting the Maoists in the mountains
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Nov7
Trekking with a porter must be like a very easy walk through fields but it is for sure not as rewarding as doing it by yourself, carrying your own things and walking your own rhythm. But in case someone arrange their services, it is very important to respect their rights and don’t overload them as many groups do. It is very sad to see foreigners ramble around with a small backpack, while their 16 years old porters suffer to go one step further with a 40 kg bag on their backs. For more information about that, check the International Porter Protection Group IPPG or the Porter Progress websites: www.ippg.net or www.portersprogress.org).
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Trekking with a porter
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Nov5
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Trekking around the Annapurna’s range
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Oct22
Food in Nepal is monotonous, insipid and boring. Despite of laying between India and China -with some of the richest cuisine in the world-, gastronomy in Nepal is not more than a simple combination of lentils (dhal), rice (bhat) and vegetables (tarkari). Some travellers get used to it and even love it (like Hector does), while the majority of them end up eating continental food in any of the touristy restaurants all around the country. If you are travelling on a budget, it will be better for your pocket to be one of those travellers who love to eat dhal bhat tarkari everyday for lunch and dinner. The reward is that you can get as many refills as you want.
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Nepal’s daily diet
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Oct20
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Pokhara
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Oct15
The first thing that we where offered when we got to Chitwan’s National Park was a tourist package consisting on accommodation, meals, guided visit to the jungle, one hour elephant ride, one hour canoeing along the Rapti river, a Tharu cultural show and a visit to the elephant breeding centre. Almost every tourist that goes to Chitwan takes one of these packages offered by the hotels but we found it a rip off and most definitely not our cup of tea. On one hand, all the things listed can be done independently and therefore you can choose the guide you want, the jungle route to trek and the things you are more interested in doing. On the other hand it will surely be cheaper if you organise everything by yourself. The funny thing is that the hotel’s staff puts a lot of pressure on you to get the package with them. We advise you to get information around town from different places and to not get compromised with the first offer that you get.
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Oct14
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Chitwan’s National Park
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Oct12
There is no funnier (read risky) way to travel around Nepal than sitting on the top of a local bus, but it’s also the most dangerous one. Normally only the young nepali man travel like this when there is no more space inside the bus, although it is possible to see also backpackers doing it just for fun. If you are up for it ask to the driver, but bear in mind to do it for a short distance journey, as it can be very tiring. Nevertheless, if you rather travel the normal way, try to get as fast as you can into the bus to choose a good seat, since there is no seat booking and you can find yourself travelling standing up. Local buses in Nepal are private (not government run), therefore they always get as packed as possible even with people sitting on the corridor and the roof. This is why we recommend to choose a sit in the middle or back of the coach far from the door, where all the crowd normally is.
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