Wednesday May 11, 2011
Alright, I have some catching up to do about my last couple of days. I have successfully arrived in Katmandu, Nepal. The flight over from Hong Kong was more or less uneventful but even that is difficult to say since anytime you fly a new carrier things are bound to be different. I had the unique opportunity to pick Nepal Royal Airlines, a company that appears to source its aircraft from a secret and hidden Airplane Cemetery. Surely no American company still uses the planes similar to the one I flew on. You can tell an airplane is aging when it still has ashtrays in the armrests and the color scheme almost looks popular again. It’s also interesting to see what the flight attendants look like for other countries. For Nepal they are so far the only beautiful women that I’ve encountered since arriving. Suffice it to say I had gotten my hopes up and thought perhaps they would be indicative of the average citizen; but I was wrong.
The Nepal customs and visa affair was rather simple. The line was short (like the workers) and it was rather fast. I handed them cash and they gave me a 30 day allowance to tour their fine country. But it’s when leaving an airport that you notice differences. Like other impoverished countries there are immediately a swarm of touts or “cab drivers” and the like, that although harmless, certainly pester you incessantly and if you succumb to their prying will likely charge a premium rate. Luckily I had arranged a shuttle with the hostel that I had selected and even better luck he showed up and had a big sign.
Driving in Nepal is insane and I’m absolutely positive that anyone reading this would get in an accident in within seconds if they attempted to drive. Essentially there exist no rules of the road as taxi, rickshaw and endless amounts of motorbikes cram onto roads smaller than our domestic sidewalks. As I sat in the shuttle and reached for my seatbelt I was quickly waived off and told there was no need as we would never go fast enough to get hurt. Against my better judgment I acquiesced, feeling as if I ignored his [bad] advice for danger he would swerve into traffic out of spite. That and I’m pretty sure the seatbelt was broken. Sure enough we never wrecked as we dodged what appeared to be a hundred near collisions. I began to realize that this lawless continual gas-and-break tactic without headlights and horns trumpeting as signals seemed to work. Well, in Nepal at least.
I have been staying at the Katmandu Guest House which is located in the heart of Thamel, a popular backpacker’s destination within Katmandu. The hostel is quite large with multiple courtyards and many rooms. Of course the room that was originally booked for me was not available but another, higher priced had just opened up. Frankly when you’ve just arrived in a new country and it’s dark outside, you’re not about to search for another place. Besides, it was a change from $12 to $18 and I have since been moved to a $10 room. It is difficult when traveling to know how much recourse one has in any situation like this and at times there is no good way to measure how strong of an emotion you are allowed to exhibit. Whereas if I were in the US I would be innately aware of the appropriate amount of disgust or anger or acceptance to show should this have happened. I must learn to observe my surroundings to increase my ability to make quick decisions.
Despite what you may have heard it has been quite safe here, specifically in my region of Thamel. Although there is some current disagreement between the people and the government they have been keen to exclude the tourists from the havoc. Yes, the streets are full of young boys offering you “smoke for good price” and women with babies crying for you to buy them a bottle of milk. But my shuttle driver told me those were all trouble. He said if I want to donate, then the elderly and handicapped are true victims and the rest are likely to either scam you or cause you trouble. Luckily NO is a word understood worldwide.
One must always be on his toes when it comes to food and drink over here. Avoid water at all costs unless it’s been boiled or in a bottle with an unbroken seal. All too many times bottles are refilled from the tap leaving the customer to be bed ridden and vomiting. With my trek into the Annapurna region approaching I cannot afford such a mishap. Avoid vegetable and fruits unless then have been peeled or skinned, and even then I have been wary. Needless to say my food intake has taken a hit for a few reasons. The first is the health concern as I’d rather be hungry than sick. The second is that food is a significant cost when traveling. After transportation and lodging it is the third largest cost and sometimes eating less than when I lived in the States just means saving money. Finally and perhaps an underrated point is that anytime you leave the US your ability to source food becomes more difficult. I always knew where my snack pantry was located and that when the clock strikes noon you break for lunch and head to the cafeteria. While traveling you find yourself losing track of time and then once you’re hungry (and on a budget) you can’t simply pop into Denny’s for some miserable scrambled eggs. Luckily there are no Denny’s here to tempt me.
Thursday May 12th
I had planned on beginning my trek through the Annapurna Circuit tomorrow by taking the morning bus to Besisahar, the trail head of the circuit. Much to my dismay my plans have been put on hold. The city has organized a strike and it will be impossible to do anything, much less travel via bus. The strike is somewhat curious and is different from those that occur in the United States. There appears to be a political mechanism by which the people are informed that they are not to work. There do not seem to be any official penalties but it is widely understood if you are caught driving you risk that your car will be pebbled or worse, set ablaze. That is likely more myth than truth but you surely won’t see me jumping in a car. Supposedly the city will be back up and running on Saturday though, so I am not too concerned. I have been able to locate a trekking buddy and have finally met him last night. When I organized this trip I had no real intention of trekking alone but as the time grew nearer I found myself organizing a solo journey. Through the help of Lonely Planet’s online forum I located my new partner Kevin. He hails from Boston and is similar in age but time will be the true test to see if in 3 weeks we aren’t ready to cut each other’s throats. Nonetheless any company is well appreciated and if for no other reason than he can photo me after I’ve been trampled by a yak. Yes, the biggest threat of animals is said to be the fearsome and slow trodding beast of animal, the yak. Famous for its cheese it is really a bit of a misnomer as the yak is the male and surely he is not the one creating the cheese, or so I hope. Regardless I hear it is delicious!
Friday May 13, 2011
The strike is happening, or happened I should say. Indeed nearly every store was closed and the traffic was severely reduced. However by late afternoon stores were opening and cars were again flooding the streets. I’m not sure what has happened but it seems the people of this country understand when and what to do. I took the opportunity to explore part of Kathmandu and set off with a British gal from the hostel to find the Monkey Temple. We had little idea where it was but were certain that the locals would lead us in the right direction. And they did, sort of. Some didn’t know what we were talking about and others were convinced every temple is named after monkeys. We finally made it and although there wasn’t a temple fully of monkeys, the surrounding grounds were littered with the little buggers. We even saw one grab a bag of cotton candy and run away eating it. I suppose the joke’s on him, that stuff is wretched.
Tomorrow we are to take the morning bus to begin the Annapurna Circuit and will likely be out of communication for 2 – 3 weeks. The trek is bound to be filled with scenic vistas, frigid accommodations and blood thirsty leeches. It will end in the town of Pokhara which I am told is a more beautiful and slower version of Kathmandu.
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