Category Archives: Nepal
Thanks Visa International!
I have been on so many different holidays over the years, and never had a “card” problem, so I guess in hindsight, I was about due. Any ways, this is what happened!
Unbeknown to us, our Bank decided to change the credit card promotion we were on, as the reward program Visa we had was no longer a current offer, and they were obviously trying to wind up a cost centre. So, they sent us in the mail new cards, on the banks current frequent flyer Visa card. As this was a new program, our credit card numbers changed. The bank did a redirect on our old card, for a month after they issued the new ones.
Of course, we are overseas at the time, on a 3 month holiday, so we don’t receive this mail.
On our last day in Kathmandu, about an hour before we need to leave for the airport to catch our flight to New Delhi, we try to pay our hotel bill, and, alas, the card is declined. In a panic, we rush off and fire up the laptop thinking we need to transfer money, but balance is all OK?
These guys dont take credit card anyway!
So we ring our bank, from our hotel room. $100 later, we finally get to speak to a customer service representative, who advises us that , yes, our card has been changed to a new, better one. Great, we said sarcastically, but we still need to use the old one. Sorry, nothing we can do about that, call Visa international on blah blah number if you want an emergency card, have a nice day. Thanks for nothing National Australia Bank!
So we called Visa International, and were very relieved to find we didn’t have to wait in a Queue. Fantastic when you are calling from a payphone in Kathmandu!
They were keen to help, and offered us both an emergency card, as well as emergency cash! Fantastic, how long will that take?we asked. and how do we pay for our room bill, due in 10 minutes?
Fortunately, they were able to advise us the new visa card number, and we were able to pay the Kathmandu hotel with them inputting the number manually. Next problem was were to send emergency cash and card to, as we were flying out within hours. Unfortunately we were unable to advise where to send it all to, so they gave us a reference number, and a toll free phone number to call back on, once we got to a destination we were going to stay at for a couple of days.
We then flew to New Delhi, only overnighted there, and then on to Goa. This caused us to not be able to reach Visa again for two days, just because of flight times (early, late etc). When we reached a hotel in Goa, we called them again, quickly got through, quoted our reference number, and got immediate offer of help. This was 4pm so it would be too late to get cash that day, they would organise for the next day (that turned out was election day in Southern India, so banks were not open). The nearest affiliated bank to Visa international, was at Margao, approx 1 hour from where we were in Calangute, but, what do you do, we were running out of cash!
Please, give us Money!
So on the Friday, 4 days after our card failed on us, we were finally off to Margao to pickup some money to see us through until the emergency card came though! Indian banks, of course, are even worse than National Australia Bank, so it took some time, and more phone calls back to Visa International, but they finally managed to force it through, and at 2.30 pm (we arrived at the bank at 10.00am), we finally walked away with money!
Once we had the emergency cash, we got back onto them, to organise a card. This, they said, would arrive in 3 business days. This was longer than we intended to stay in our hotel, but we said, oh well, we need a card, so we will wait (this was Friday, so 3 business days would be the following Wednesday).
To our surprise, the card arrived at our Goan hotel, on the Monday, only 3 days ( 1 business day) later. Finally, we were OK to travel again.
The only down side, was that the temporary card has no security number, so we could not use it online – and all the cheap airlines only sell their tickets online! But ever mind, things could have go a lot worse!
So, Thanks Visa International, you saved our bacon. An no thanks to National Australia Bank, you cost us hundreds of dollars, and put us under enormous stress when we should have been enjoying our holiday!
The above article is a reprint from a blog I no longer keep online, that was attached to www.asianitineraries.com. This blog became unsustainable, and I recently decided to take it down. I will reprint a dozen or so articles that really didnt see the light of day, and I think are relivant to this blog. I may change them from thier initial format, add pictures and update relivant information.
A Close Shave?
This is a photo of me getting a shave after spending 10 days walking the Annapurna Sancuary Trek in Nepal. We returned to Pokhara, but a fortnight’s growth of red beard had to be dealt with by a professional! And 50c seemed to me a very reasonable fee!
Part the way through the shave I noticed what set this particular barber apart from his competitors………
Nepalese Barber
My Favourite Hotels Rooms for under $40 per night! (Part 1)
Long term travel is expensive, and probably the biggest expense of the lot is accommodation. Unfortunately, unlike transportation costs, which you can control by limiting the amount you move around, you pretty much need accommodation every single night of your journey. Therefore, the longer the travel experience, the greater the cost.
Accommodation cost obviously vary greatly, both between different countries, and between different standards of accommodation within each country. I have stayed in a huge variety, from $4.00 per night tea houses in Nepal, to $400 a night hotels in Europe, but in general I try to keep my nightly expenditure to under $40.00, and will usually spend lots more time in countries where you can get something reasonable for that amount (or hopefully less!!).
So, I though I would reflect on a few of my favourites. You will probably see from the photos, it is often more about the location than the comfort for me, although there is nothing better than landing a soft comfy bed and a powerful shower.!
Here are my first 2 examples, one each from, Thailand, Nepal. I will do two more ( Bali and Vietnam) next week.
Thailand
Lanta Riviera Resort – $35.00 per night (800baht)
We hadn’t organised any accommodation In Ko Lanta, figuring we would work it out when we got there, however, we took a deal on the ferry from Ko Phi Phi that we were sure was going to be a disaster. You just don’t get a good deal from a tout in that situation. Especially when they are prepared to pick you up at the dock, and drive you the 15km or so to the resort. However, under the assurance that if we didn’t like it we didn’t have to stay, or pay for the transport, we (and about 1/2 the others on the ferry), took the free ride, and had a look. We were very happy with the beachfront property, large, air conditioned concrete bungalows, tropical gardens, swimming pool and restaurant of the resort. Definately our best value in Thailand. Check them out at http://www.lantarivieraresort.com
$35.00 per night
Ko Lanta, Thailand
Nepal
Pokhara Village Resort – $20.00 per night
After finding accommodation either very unpleasant, or very expensive in Kathmandu, we were very concerned as to what we may end up with when we arrived at the departure point for our Himalayan trek, Pokhara. The Kathmandu travel agent who organised us a guide and porter, and bus transfer to Pokhara, assured us he owned a very nice hotel in Pokhara, only to cost us $20.00 per night. When we arrived in Pokhara, we were escorted to a different hotel (Pokhara Village Resort), as the original one was full? Anyhow, after a call to our Kathmandu Agent, he assured us he owned this one as well? We were allocated the converted store room on the roof, that turned out to have the most magnificent views of Pokhara lake, as well as the Annapurna Range, we genuinely could not complain! The room was OK, by Nepalese standards, they had a generator for when the power failed, and there was a trickle of hot water from the shower. The room was spacious and airconditioned (completely unnecessary).We stayed at 10 days in total, either side of our trek. The don’t have a website
Pokhara Village Resort
Our View, for $20.00 per night!
I would love travelers to support these hotels, as they were both small, family run operations. These types of hotels are often such a better experience than a multinational chain (although with a little less comfort!), that they help create a lasting memory. Next week I will add another post, part 2 to this, and include a couple of other little gems we have found on our travels!
Trekking in Nepal When You Are Over 40 – What’s the Options?
Trekking in Nepal is an activity that appeals to a huge variety of people. It gets interest from young backpackers, from long term travelers, all the way through to retirees and other older people.
Quite often get asked though, what is the best way for a traveler who is in their 40′s or more, to fully experience the majesty of the Nepalese Himalaya. And my simple answer is that there are many different ways for any traveler to experience these mountains, and this applies just the same to the traveler who is aged over 40. There is several “considerations” for any prospective traveler to take into account, when they are deciding if they are up to the challenge. I have listed below a few of these questions you should ask yourself, and in answering these, you, as a 40 plus year old traveler, should be able to assess if you will be up to a trek and what type of trek you should take -
Trek Tea House
1. How much time do you have?
Treks in the Himalaya can be a variety of different lengths. Day walks are possible, there are several treks of 3 – 4 days and most of the more popular treks are from 8 days up to 30 days or more. Annapurna Cuircut Trek, for example is usually going to be at least 18 days So, your first consideration, of course, has to be how long to you can allow. If you only have a week off work, you are only going to be able to manage a 4 day walk at best, once you allow for arrival in Kathmandu, see the city (not much point visiting Nepal and not spending at least 1 full day in the capital) and then get to your trek start point.
2. How fit are you?
Your level of fitness will also dictate, or at least, eliminate, some of your trekking options. If you are in your early stages of planning a trek, you can make plans assuming you can improve your fitness with a training regime, although it is important to be realistic, and take into consideration unchangeable health conditions, and mobility concerns. That said, I have seam some highly escorted tours on the Royal trek (Annapurna Skyline trek), with one on one guide assistance that can get even the least mobile trekker into the mountains. Everest Base Camp trek, on the other hand, required a reasonably high level of fitness, with continual, day long step climbing required. That said, no trek is a race, and determination and rest can break down a 1000 step climb into lots of small ones!
Getting tough
3. How independent are you?
Trekking most of the “regular” treks in Nepal can be done in a variety of levels of pre-organisation. Many trekkers will book an organised trek in their home country, knowing that all their journey will be planned and organised in advance. This will ensure the maximum use of limited time, but could also make you feel it was a little less of an “adventure” than you might have hoped. At the other extreme, Most of the well known treks can be walked with no assistance from others at all. The “big” treks are busy enough it would be difficult to get lost, and tenting or tea-house accommodation are plentiful. In between these , it is also possible to book organised tour in Nepal, or to secure the services of a guide and/or porter to travel with you.
4.What level of comfort do you require?
Many of the main treks, including the Helambu Trek, the Langtang trek, Annapurna base camp or Annapurna circuit treks, and the Everest base Camp ,can be trekked in varying levels of comfort (not the walking, more the accommodation, food etc). Organised tent treks can be very comfortable, having tens assembled, comfortable mattresses, cooks, porters, semi western meals, and portable showers. Of course, there are plenty of camping treks that are not nearly as comfortable (or expensive), and then there is Tea House accommodation, in simple bunkhouses, with daal bhaat meals 3 times a day.
So, how does any of this help you? Hopefully, it gives you an idea of the option available for trekking in the Nepalese Himalaya. Quite often prospective travelers only hear about the organised tour from their local travel agent in their home country, and don’t realise this is not the only way to see the majesty of the “top of the world”. We were fortunate enough to have arrived in Kathmandu over a month into an extended travel experience, and as a result, organised our own trek in the capital, catching a local bus to our Pokhara, our departure point, and then meeting up with a guide and a porter. Even looking back, it still looks a bit scarily independent, but in reality, it was all very comfortable. We think you should consider this option (so much of a better story once you get back!).
Good Luck, It’s Worth It!
Looking back from the end!
The Nepalese Truck-Stop Diet – 6kg in 8 days!!
PLEASE BE AWARE, THAT THIS IS NOT A SERIOUS DIET , It is a tongue in cheek take on a personal experience!.
Below is my step by step guide to my Nepalese Curry Diet. To achieve the same results as I did, you need to follow these instructions precisely, as even seemingly unnecessary steps, such as step 2, are critical in achieving noticeable results -
Before the "diet"
1.Arrive in Kathmandu
2. Eat Doggy Chicken Curry at a truck-stop cafe. I know, everyone says don’t eat it, but you need to show your travel companions how cool you are, l even though you know it looks “sus”.
3. Find cheap hotel in Pokhara, and proceed to spend next 24 hours completely emptying contents of your stomach, both intestines and bowels. Make sure you sweat profusely the whole time. Don’t leave the room, in-fact spend the entire time either in your bed, or on the bathroom floor.
4. Wait until the stomach craps stop, then prepare to head off on 8 day Annapurna Base camp trek. Don’t eat before you go, as you cannot stomach anything.
5. Walk approximately 170km, continually ascending and descending hills and valleys, to you reach a maximum height of 4130m above see level. Stop for water and soft-drinks regularly, but completely loose your appetite. Find the only food you could even contemplate eating is soup (luckily Nepalese garlic soup is sensational), which you eat twice a day.
After the "Diet", 8 days later
6. Finally leave the path a Phedi, and taxi back top Pokhara. Go to dinner in town and (finally) devour a steak (buffalo, not cow). Weigh yourself to find you have dropped 6kg…EASY!!!
It should be noted, the Annapurna Base camp trek is still one of the most amazing experiences I have embarked on, and, in addition, apart from the truck-stop snack, I would gladly repeat the entire experience at the drop of a hat. Kathmandu is a must see city on any adventures list, and Pokhara is a wonderful town to spend a week or more. I still long for the Garlic Soup sometimes, as it was truly wonderful, and obviously nourishing!
REMINDER – THIS IS NOT A REAL DIET
Himalayan Trekking when your over 40, do you need to going a group tour?
Last year, we visited Nepal, as part of our 3 month Asia tour, with the express intention of doing a trek of some description. We did limited forward planning in regard to which trek we would be taking, or how we would take it, but we did make sure we did a reasonable amount of fitness and trekking training. I am going to talk about trek fitness preparation in a following post, but this post I want to discuss whether or not potential travelers need to organise a trek from their home country, in advance? In particular, with reference to potential travelers who is not a young, carefree backpackers, but instead the 40+ year old traveler?
Short Answer – NO
Although I believe there is considerable pressure from travel agents and tour companies that a home country organised group tour, probably with a group leader from home, as well as a large local team, is the only way for a middle aged traveler to safely walk the Himalaya, in my opinion, this is not necessarily the ONLY option.
A quite momement!
I am not saying there is not going to be some benefits of being on a group trek, with a dozen or more similarly aged, same nationality hikers as yourself. However, there is also some major advantages of going it alone, getting to Kathmandu, finding a guide and/or porter and walking with them. For the over 40 year old in particular, some of the major advantages of an locally organised, independent trek are -
- Great ability in interact with your guide and/or porter
- With guides help, get a better interaction with locals
- Trek at your pace
- Amend your plans if you require
- Stay in Tea-houses instead of tent camps.
- All your expenditure goes to the Nepalese, and more of it goes to the people of the region you walk through
- In general, get a more “genuine” experience.
The second challenge, if you are considering the possibility of “going alone” on your trek, is that question that you find hard to get a convincing answer while in tour planning stage -
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO ORGANISE YOUR OWN TREK?
Short Answer – NOT DIFFICULT
Honestly, with a little research to know what trek you are considering taking, it is genuinely not difficult to organise all the details once you get to Nepal. There are travel agents and trekking companies in all parts of Kathmandu, as there is in the towns where the major treks depart from – Pokhara and Lukla.
Himalaya Hinterland
We organised a local Pokhara based guide, a porter from Kathmandu, a hotel in Pokhara, bus tickets from Kathmandu to Pokhara, all from a Kathmandu Travel Agent, and all of this cost about 1/10th (probably much less than that), of the cost of a trek organised and paid for in UK, USA or Australia. An example of our costs were
- Guide – $15.00 per day
- Porter – $10.00 per day
- Pre Trek Accommodation in Pokhara – $20.00 per night
- Bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara – $12.00
- Accommodation in tea houses on trek – $5.00 per night
- Meals while on trek – around $15.00 per day
So, in a nutshell – CONSIDER THIS OPTION
We genuinely believe this is the original way to trek the Himalaya. It is not impossible, and being over 40 is not an issue. While trekking, we met independent trekkers up to 70 years of age, and these people where all going to get to Annapurna Base camp, at 4100m above sea level. And that is a once n a lifetime experience at any age!!
Traveling costs for NEPAL – a guide for the 40+Traveler
This is one of a series of post I am doing, giving prospective travelers an idea of the costs they may encounter when they visit some of the countries I have visited. The assumption, of course, is they they are traveling in the same level of comfort and speed that I have traveled the country in, and that is why I am aiming these prices for the 40plus year old, longer term traveler. Not backpacker level, but definitely conscious of keeping costs under control.
Costs for NEPAL
Mt everest is there, somewhere!
Mt everest is there, somewhere!
- Getting there - Nepal is an expensive country to fly into. It depends, of course, where you are flying from, but I have never noticed flights inward at any special rates. In addition, there are only a limited number of airlines that fly to Kathmandu, the capital. We flew with the Nepalese national carrier, Nepal Airlines (formally Royal Nepal Airlines), and even that still cost us a little under $450USD one way. This airline only had 2 planes operating at the time we flew, and had an awful reputation. The windows were so scratched we cold barely see Everest as we flew over! However, it was a lot cheaper that Thai, or Singapore airlines from KL or Singapore. Even from New Delhi, flights were around about $250 each.
- Getting around - Once in Nepal, transport costs come down significantly. Some examples from our trip were – Taxi from Kathmandu airport to Thamel area 450 NR (around $8.00). Taxis around Thamel and surrounding areas 100 -150 NR ($1- $2). Bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara $10USD each
- accommodation – A bit of a tough one, as we struggled to find Accom we were happy with in Kathmandu, but were happy in much cheaper hotels and lodges elsewhere. In Kathmandu we stayed at the Manang Hotel for 1 night, and hated it, at a cost of 4400Nr (about $80.00). Kathmandu Guest house looked nice, but we couldn’t get in, costing about 1/2 of Manang. Also stayed a few nights in the Radisson, at a cost of about $150 per night. Expensive, but very comfortable (we were able to win back 1 nights accom at their in-house casino). In Pokhara, a comfortable hotel was $20USD per night. On our Annapurna Base Camp trek, accommodation in Teahouses was $4.00 per night (although you were obliged to eat at their teahouse).
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Our room, rooftop!
- eating and drinking - In Nepal we ate at travelers restaurants in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and Teahouses on the trek. I ate once at a truck-stop restaurant on the bus transfer and was VERY ILL (not recommended). In Kathmandu restaurant meals, with beer,cost about $10.00 each. In Pokhara, closer to $5.00 each. On the trek, dinner and breakfast at a teahouse cost about $10.00 total each. Food was great in Cities, and quite simple in mountains. Nepalese, Tibetan, Indian aplenty, as well as European food
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Lunch stop on Annapurna Basecamp Trek
- attractions – Like everything else, attractions were cheap. Our main cost was our 9 day Trek to Annapurna base camp. On top of the above accommodation and food costs, we also paid a porter and a guide $10 and $15 USD per day, respectively. Other attractions include Entry to Dunbar Square 300Nr each ($6) and a guide $4. Rowed across Pokhara lake 250NR (4.50). Barber Shop Shave in Pokhara 50NR ($1).
Putting in simply, once you get to Nepal, everything is dirt cheap. Accommodation in Kathmandu we found a bit testy, but if we went again, I am sure we could find good digs for $40 per night.
I intend to Blog more info on Nepal and Kathmandu later, this post was just a cost summary. I hope it helps.
Next in this series, will be “Traveling cost for BALI – a guide for the 40+ traveler”. See you then..
What is Adventure travel for a 40+ Traveler?
I read a lot of blogs that talk about “adventure” travel, and then read some of the activities and events that get classified as ” adventure travel”.
Maybe because I am over 40 years of age, and in a little bit of a different place than the regular 22 year old backpacker, but I just don’t get it! I just don’t see the reasoning for some of the adventure based activities that many people travel from one end of the earth to other to experience. I consider Bungee Jumping, paragliding and the multitude of similar activities as genuine adventures, but, really, pretty much non location specific, and, therefore, not really travel related?
I think we, as 40+ year old long term travelers, have a huge advantage over the younger travelers, in that we don’t get hung up on the adgenolin activities, and direct our energy to a different definition of adventure travel. I think we get our “adventure travel” by getting away from the tour bus activities, and into the heart of a country or region. Adventure can come in walking, riding, swimming and paddling. We get to see other people, regions, cultures and ways of life, Down low and personal, and that is real adventure travel.
As a case in point, I was in Pokhara, Nepal, last year. Pokhara is Nepal’s second biggest tourist city, behind only Kathmandu, and attracts travelers off all age, and from all areas of the world. For us it was a nice, lakeside town to spend a week or so, it was cheap and budget tourists were well catered for. For us it was our step off point for the 10 day Annapurna Base Camp trek. We would walk into the hills from only a few kilometers north of town, and not see another road for 10 days. We would pass through any small villages and towns, from 900m to 4200m above sea level, on a walking path virtually unchanged for thousands of years. This was a cultural opportunity that we felt was once in a lifetime.
setting off on Annapurna Base Camp trek
We noticed how many “backpackers” were in Pokhara, and continually saw the Para-sailing and Hawking buses carrying loads of young Europeans to there jump base, on the hill a couple of Kilometers out of town. This definitely was an “extreme” adventure these guys were having, no doubt, a bonding experience, and a memory for them to talk about for years to come.
ParaGlider takeoff near Pokhara, Nepal
What really surprised me, was once we were on the trek, we saw so very few young Europeans doing this world famous trek. Although the trek path was quite busy, it was busy with middle aged white trekkers, as well as Japanese and Koreans of all ages. The European (and American and Australian/ Kiwi’s) just didn’t seam to do the hike. It was almost staggering they would get to this remote location, in the middle of the Himalaya, and chose to Para-sail instead of Trek to the base of the worlds 10th highest mountain!
Annapurna 1 from Landruk
Just goes to prove, well who knows!
Probably just proves that 20 year olds and 40 year olds will never agree!
