Just arrived at Namche Bazaar where I am supposed to, and will, have a rest day to acclimatize better at the higher altitudes where I am going after.
I was sad to see that my favourite guest house, Thawa Lodge, is now closed because Mr Thawa has just died. The house is full of Tibetan monks chanting and reading from The Tibetan book of The Dead. In the evening there was a lot of blowing of long horns from the terrace and banging of drums, as well as chanting.
It took me a while to walk in from Jiri, longer than at any time before. But I do have the time and stopped when I was getting tired rather than pushing on. Plus I was rained in one day at Chaurikharka. It actually stopped raining around 10 or 11, but by then I had all my laundry soaking in a bucket.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Kathmandu hotels
The first three or four times I was in Kathmandu I stayed at Star Hotel, Century Lodge and some other I do not remember. But since going on my first Everest trek, in 1989, together with three other Swedish guys, I have always stayed at Lhasa Guest House, Jayatha, in Thamel.
But this time I thought I should try something else. Someone at Trekinfo recommended Norling Guest House, and I made a reservation on the Net. Airport pickup was one thing that attracted me.
I booked a single room. It was listed as $12. A few hours later I had an email confirmimg I was booked for a standard single room. On arrival I asked at the check in desk what would be the difference to a deluxe room, at $16, and was told the only difference is air con, which since it already is a bit chilly at nights was not really needed.
So I moved in. Pretty grimy room but very good hot water.
Things did not go as I had hoped finding someone to share the permit and guide costs for Manaslu. Time passed and I eventually decicded to go back to Everest instead.
Now as I wanted to settle my bill, before leaving for Jiri early tomorrow morning, I am presented with a bill for $25 a day. I protested and is then asked to show a reservation slip, which I do not have. I am told to wait and to come back later and to pay as I leave at 0515 tomorrow. I would not have it and was again asked to wait for the boss to come around.
At long last and after I promised to post this note on the Net they gave in and accepted the original charge of $12 per day, plus tax and service charge. I have never had any such thing happen to me on any of my previous ten visits to Nepal.
If you do choose to stay here after all I suggest you settle your bill every day, as I do whenever I stay in iffy places.
Otherwise there are many other guest houses in Kathmandu.
But this time I thought I should try something else. Someone at Trekinfo recommended Norling Guest House, and I made a reservation on the Net. Airport pickup was one thing that attracted me.
I booked a single room. It was listed as $12. A few hours later I had an email confirmimg I was booked for a standard single room. On arrival I asked at the check in desk what would be the difference to a deluxe room, at $16, and was told the only difference is air con, which since it already is a bit chilly at nights was not really needed.
So I moved in. Pretty grimy room but very good hot water.
Things did not go as I had hoped finding someone to share the permit and guide costs for Manaslu. Time passed and I eventually decicded to go back to Everest instead.
Now as I wanted to settle my bill, before leaving for Jiri early tomorrow morning, I am presented with a bill for $25 a day. I protested and is then asked to show a reservation slip, which I do not have. I am told to wait and to come back later and to pay as I leave at 0515 tomorrow. I would not have it and was again asked to wait for the boss to come around.
At long last and after I promised to post this note on the Net they gave in and accepted the original charge of $12 per day, plus tax and service charge. I have never had any such thing happen to me on any of my previous ten visits to Nepal.
If you do choose to stay here after all I suggest you settle your bill every day, as I do whenever I stay in iffy places.
Otherwise there are many other guest houses in Kathmandu.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Everest here I come!
It just proved too difficult and too expensive going to Manaslu and Tsum Valley. They will just have to wait. I have not been able to find anyone to share with me the permit, guide and porter, that are all necessary for Manaslu. So now I have decided to go to The Everest Trek once again. It is a lovely trek and it is now 8 years since I was there last. High time for a revisit.
Manaslu and Tsum would have cost me about $3000 which should be compared to the 400 or so my last trek, Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary cost for about the same length of time.
Today I have been to the Tourism Board office and got the TIMS permit for it. I have also talked to Shona's about renting backpack, sleeping bag and down jacket from them. Their stuff seems good.
I have tomorrow to arrange the last details and pack. Then tuesday I am off to Jiri, or maybe further since the road now seems to go all the way to Bandar. I plan to go out via The Arun Valley as I have before. This means I will be trekking for about a month.
Last time on Everest I was out for 36 days including travel out and back to big K. But then we were snowed in at Pheriche for 3 days, and we spend another 3 or 4 at Gokyo. Again I hope to go across Cho La, but that will eventually depend on weather conditions at the time. Otherwise I might go around the high route via Phortse.
Manaslu and Tsum would have cost me about $3000 which should be compared to the 400 or so my last trek, Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary cost for about the same length of time.
Today I have been to the Tourism Board office and got the TIMS permit for it. I have also talked to Shona's about renting backpack, sleeping bag and down jacket from them. Their stuff seems good.
I have tomorrow to arrange the last details and pack. Then tuesday I am off to Jiri, or maybe further since the road now seems to go all the way to Bandar. I plan to go out via The Arun Valley as I have before. This means I will be trekking for about a month.
Last time on Everest I was out for 36 days including travel out and back to big K. But then we were snowed in at Pheriche for 3 days, and we spend another 3 or 4 at Gokyo. Again I hope to go across Cho La, but that will eventually depend on weather conditions at the time. Otherwise I might go around the high route via Phortse.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Leymah Gbowee, superwoman.
I am so happy that Leymah Gbowee got the Peace Prize! Well the others too. An excellent choice!
If you have not seen "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" I really hope you manage to catch it now when a rerun is inevitable.
"Put down your guns, we love you!" What a woman!
But seeing that film does make you embarassed to be a man though. Stupid assholes, so eager to go to war!
If you have not seen "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" I really hope you manage to catch it now when a rerun is inevitable.
"Put down your guns, we love you!" What a woman!
But seeing that film does make you embarassed to be a man though. Stupid assholes, so eager to go to war!
Thursday, October 06, 2011
New adventures
Kathmandu Oct 5, 2011.
I am in Kathmandu again. This time to set up a trek around Manaslu and into Tsum Valley. The Valley has been known as "The Hidden Valley" because the entrance to it is really narrow and hides the fact that there is quite a valley in there. Going up Tsum is a back and forth affair of about a week in all, maybe 8 - 9 days. This whole trek is still a restricted area which requires a special permit. It has only been open to trekkers at all for some years.
Large areas of Nepal is still off limits to foreigners, mainly, as I understand it, because it is so inaccesible that there is no governement presence at all. No police, no politicians or whatever, so the governement does not really have control over it. People live their traditional lives and I am sure are as nice as any others and have their own means of making sure that no one steals or robs etc, but the goverment feels that practically anything can happen there, and they don't want that to involve any foreign tourists. It would not look good in the papers.
Anyway since Tsum is restricted it means that I have to get a permit, and the only way to get that is through a legitimate trekking agency. That means I must have a guide or at least a guide-porter, someone they feel they can trust to make sure I don't just disappear and no one knows what happened.
I have trekked many times in Nepal and would not hesitate to go on my own. I never had a guide before, nor a porter. And that is not all. To get the permit there must be at least two trekkers listed on the permit. So now I am looking for someone to join me on this adventure, or actually I would like to find one or more persons who are already planning to go, and I can join them. That way we can split the cost of a guide between us.
The whole Manaslu-Tsum Valley trek should take about three weeks, but I may add on a bit more, depending how I feel. Towards the end of that trek it joins the Annapurna circuite halfway up towards Thorong La. If I have met some nice people and feel fresh I may go up a bit to check out the new trail they have cut to save people from walking on the newly built road to Manang. We'll see.
Today I have pinned up a note at Kathmandu Guest House noteboard, looking for partners. If no one comes forward right soon I will have to go see a trekking agency hoping that they have some planned already.
When I came first time to Kathmandu, soon 30 years ago, I thought it was an amazing place to see, like going back in time 300 years or so. Now this city is quite full of tourists and there are sooo many restaurants and tourist shops that I get fed up with it after a couple of days.
Kathmandu
It seems I landed in the middle of the Dashain festival. The sweet girl at the hotel reception desk told me I was so lucky to have come here just now. Personally I am mostly annoyed that many shops etc are closed due to the festival, and restaurants have jacked up their prices because of it.
Last night I talked to three spanish guys who where all set to fly to Lukla today for the Everest trek. Guess they are in Phakding by now. One of them had been to Manaslu a couple of years ago, and said it was amazing.
I also talked to a Canadian guy who had just come from Gorakshep, high up near Everest, by helicopter. His friend had HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonaria Edema), which is a serious case of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). He is now in hospital here in Kathmandu. The helicopter ride alone cost 10 000 US $.
People die in The Himalayas every year from AMS, HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema, swelling of the brain) and HAPE, which is when your lungs fill up with liquid. Mostly it is because they ascended too fast, so that the body could not acclimatise to the lower outside pressure. By far the most people can acclimatise if following the recommendation not to ascend more than 300 mtrs per day above 3800 mtrs altitude. But there are some who need to go up slower than that.
Obviously no one want to suffer from AMS at all, but I think if you do have it, a good hospital in Kathmandu is probably the best place to be. They have more experience than any with it.
I am in Kathmandu again. This time to set up a trek around Manaslu and into Tsum Valley. The Valley has been known as "The Hidden Valley" because the entrance to it is really narrow and hides the fact that there is quite a valley in there. Going up Tsum is a back and forth affair of about a week in all, maybe 8 - 9 days. This whole trek is still a restricted area which requires a special permit. It has only been open to trekkers at all for some years.
Large areas of Nepal is still off limits to foreigners, mainly, as I understand it, because it is so inaccesible that there is no governement presence at all. No police, no politicians or whatever, so the governement does not really have control over it. People live their traditional lives and I am sure are as nice as any others and have their own means of making sure that no one steals or robs etc, but the goverment feels that practically anything can happen there, and they don't want that to involve any foreign tourists. It would not look good in the papers.
Anyway since Tsum is restricted it means that I have to get a permit, and the only way to get that is through a legitimate trekking agency. That means I must have a guide or at least a guide-porter, someone they feel they can trust to make sure I don't just disappear and no one knows what happened.
I have trekked many times in Nepal and would not hesitate to go on my own. I never had a guide before, nor a porter. And that is not all. To get the permit there must be at least two trekkers listed on the permit. So now I am looking for someone to join me on this adventure, or actually I would like to find one or more persons who are already planning to go, and I can join them. That way we can split the cost of a guide between us.
The whole Manaslu-Tsum Valley trek should take about three weeks, but I may add on a bit more, depending how I feel. Towards the end of that trek it joins the Annapurna circuite halfway up towards Thorong La. If I have met some nice people and feel fresh I may go up a bit to check out the new trail they have cut to save people from walking on the newly built road to Manang. We'll see.
Today I have pinned up a note at Kathmandu Guest House noteboard, looking for partners. If no one comes forward right soon I will have to go see a trekking agency hoping that they have some planned already.
When I came first time to Kathmandu, soon 30 years ago, I thought it was an amazing place to see, like going back in time 300 years or so. Now this city is quite full of tourists and there are sooo many restaurants and tourist shops that I get fed up with it after a couple of days.
It seems I landed in the middle of the Dashain festival. The sweet girl at the hotel reception desk told me I was so lucky to have come here just now. Personally I am mostly annoyed that many shops etc are closed due to the festival, and restaurants have jacked up their prices because of it.
Last night I talked to three spanish guys who where all set to fly to Lukla today for the Everest trek. Guess they are in Phakding by now. One of them had been to Manaslu a couple of years ago, and said it was amazing.
I also talked to a Canadian guy who had just come from Gorakshep, high up near Everest, by helicopter. His friend had HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonaria Edema), which is a serious case of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). He is now in hospital here in Kathmandu. The helicopter ride alone cost 10 000 US $.
People die in The Himalayas every year from AMS, HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema, swelling of the brain) and HAPE, which is when your lungs fill up with liquid. Mostly it is because they ascended too fast, so that the body could not acclimatise to the lower outside pressure. By far the most people can acclimatise if following the recommendation not to ascend more than 300 mtrs per day above 3800 mtrs altitude. But there are some who need to go up slower than that.
Obviously no one want to suffer from AMS at all, but I think if you do have it, a good hospital in Kathmandu is probably the best place to be. They have more experience than any with it.
The flight out
Kathmandu Oct 4th, 2011.
I came out to Delhi with Qatar Air and then with Kingfisher. At first I was not very happy with Qatar. We were 45 min late leaving Stockholm, and there was no explanation given. Then after a stopover at Doha I was told that I had been reseated from my window at 12k to 5B. And I thought I would be in the middle between people and not able to sleep.
As I boarded the Airbus I realised I had been seated in the business class, with one of those fancy seats where you have a whole panel of buttons to press to adjust your seat all the way down to full flat bed. I slept like a baby, and only wished the flight had been longer.
For some reason Kingfisher does not have a cooperation agreement with Qatar as for handling luggage, so I could only check my baggage to Delhi. Once there I must persuade Kingfisher staff to find my bags and move them over to the Kingfisher flight. The Delhi stopover would be some 5 hours so I thought if there was a problem I would at least have the time to actually go over there and do it myself. I was not too worried.
Delhi airport seems to have an entirely new airport building, even if the tarmacs are the same. Everything was spic and span. Shining new, clean, spacious and well illuminated. Really impressive and a major step up from the old one. It is of course huge. India is really moving these days!
At the Kingfisher transfer desk it was a bit of the old (lovable), India for a good while. At first we were just told to have a seat, wait. Then a young man came around with a list where he took down numbers from our luggage tags. But that was before everybodu had arrived. Anyway I found a sweet young girl selling coffea and samosas. At first she could not get the coffea machine to work so I had a samosa. Then a bit later she had fixed the machine and came over to me with a smile and said now my coffea was ready. I was so glad being in India again, even though it was just a transfer. Then after a couple of hours I checked with the Kingfisher desk. There was a bit of a commotion. Lots of staff and only one guy who was supposed to have all the answers. He spoke in two telephones at the same time as he was answering questions from passengers and the rest of the staff. Again we were told to wait. He was a charming young man with a nice smile and an intelligent look, so we waited and waited. On my third visit to his desk he suddenly gave me a boarding pass and said that now my bags had been found and transferred, all was well.
Again on the Kingfisher plane I had been given a terrific seat, at 3B. Aisle, but lots of space and very comfy. We were served good food, drinks and more coffea. Two hours later we landed at Kathmandu and my bags were all there. For a change I had booked a room online and there was a guy with a sign that had my name on it who took me to this Norling Guest House were I am now at.
Overall a great flight and I felt my karma seemed good so far. Must take care to keep it that way.
I came out to Delhi with Qatar Air and then with Kingfisher. At first I was not very happy with Qatar. We were 45 min late leaving Stockholm, and there was no explanation given. Then after a stopover at Doha I was told that I had been reseated from my window at 12k to 5B. And I thought I would be in the middle between people and not able to sleep.
As I boarded the Airbus I realised I had been seated in the business class, with one of those fancy seats where you have a whole panel of buttons to press to adjust your seat all the way down to full flat bed. I slept like a baby, and only wished the flight had been longer.
For some reason Kingfisher does not have a cooperation agreement with Qatar as for handling luggage, so I could only check my baggage to Delhi. Once there I must persuade Kingfisher staff to find my bags and move them over to the Kingfisher flight. The Delhi stopover would be some 5 hours so I thought if there was a problem I would at least have the time to actually go over there and do it myself. I was not too worried.
Delhi airport seems to have an entirely new airport building, even if the tarmacs are the same. Everything was spic and span. Shining new, clean, spacious and well illuminated. Really impressive and a major step up from the old one. It is of course huge. India is really moving these days!
At the Kingfisher transfer desk it was a bit of the old (lovable), India for a good while. At first we were just told to have a seat, wait. Then a young man came around with a list where he took down numbers from our luggage tags. But that was before everybodu had arrived. Anyway I found a sweet young girl selling coffea and samosas. At first she could not get the coffea machine to work so I had a samosa. Then a bit later she had fixed the machine and came over to me with a smile and said now my coffea was ready. I was so glad being in India again, even though it was just a transfer. Then after a couple of hours I checked with the Kingfisher desk. There was a bit of a commotion. Lots of staff and only one guy who was supposed to have all the answers. He spoke in two telephones at the same time as he was answering questions from passengers and the rest of the staff. Again we were told to wait. He was a charming young man with a nice smile and an intelligent look, so we waited and waited. On my third visit to his desk he suddenly gave me a boarding pass and said that now my bags had been found and transferred, all was well.
Again on the Kingfisher plane I had been given a terrific seat, at 3B. Aisle, but lots of space and very comfy. We were served good food, drinks and more coffea. Two hours later we landed at Kathmandu and my bags were all there. For a change I had booked a room online and there was a guy with a sign that had my name on it who took me to this Norling Guest House were I am now at.
Overall a great flight and I felt my karma seemed good so far. Must take care to keep it that way.
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