Subject: Women travelling alone.
From: petkai@nanda.pp.fi (Petri Kaipiainen)
Date: 14 Sep 95
>I I'm not sure if there are any problems to a
>girl alone.
Nepal is quite easy to sigle females, this means it is quite safe to travel alone at least compared to some other countries. This is not recommended, though, as it is not customary to do so. Local females always travel in groups. (Hindu) Nepal is a male oriented society, in the buddhist mountains women are traditionally more independent.
Girls should recpect local customs and wear a long skirt (very convenient.
.. .) and nothing too revealing. A woman trekker in short pants only gets funny looks and jeers from locals.
Petri K.---------------
for pro photos of Nepal look http://www.eunet.fi/nepal/
Subject: Trekking without an agency
From: mayudog@aol.com (Mayudog)
Date: 13 Jan 96
Here's greenspan in regard to Peter's suggestion to Sarah to go trekking without an agency:
>I disagree with Peter's advice to go completely on your own.
>Although Nepal has less violent crime than the US, it is not a nation
>of saints, and it is not a good idea for a foreign tourist who is
>wealthy by local standards, especially a woman, to travel without a
>friend or a guide with a solid reputation.
Yeah, I agree. This was before reading Sarah's posting that she was a female who would be on her own. Then I'd definitely hook up with someone, although I still contend the agency thing will erect an artificial barrier between you and things Nepali. And I confess to being a bit Peace Corps macho, but not to the point of foolishness. (Usually.) It's good for people to remember that a Peace Corps woman who knew Nepali and knew her way around Nepal was killed on a trekking trail while I was there in 1987.
If you want a great trek between the totally commercial Everest/Annapurna and the way out there Dolpo/Kachenjunga, may I suggest Gosainkunda?
Although the trail starts only one day's busride away from K'du (or you could actually walk out from beyond Boudha), it's pretty quiet in the off season. I've gone twice; the first time I saw no tourists and the second there were three. The little lake up there is very attractive and although it'll be cloudy, if you get a break there are great views. You can also hook into the Langtang trek from there, which gets more business, but not the kinds of crowds you'll find in, say, Naamche.
Enjoy!
peter G
Peter G. (Mayudog@aol.com) "I'll be working, working, but if you come visit I'll put down what I'm doing; my friends are important." --David Byrne
Subject: Weather in Nepal late April - May
From: fkroger@coho.halcyon.com (Frank F Kroger)
Date: 12 Jan 96
My experience in that area at that time is that you will have basically great weather. As you get closer to the monsoon you will get more episodes of rain in the late afternoon, the next day you will again wake up to a clear sky.
Frank
*Frank Kroger, fkroger@halcyon.com, (volunteer) Seattle WA US ** World Neighbors: Strengthening the capacity of *** marginalized communities to meet their basic needs. **** "LOCAL PEOPLE ARE THE EXPERTS" http://www.halcyon.com/fkroger/wn.html
Subject: Buying used equipment in Nepal.
From: baum@apple.com (Allen J. Baum)
Date: 11 Sep 95
……
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.
******************************************************* * Allen J. Baum * Apple Computer Inc. MS 305-3B * 1 Infinite Loop * Cupertino, CA 95014 * *******************************************************
From: eepee@utu.fi (Esa-Pekka P{lvim{ki)
Date: 18 Jan 96
……
>>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.
Subject: What to dress
From: syost@hephp01.phys.utk.edu (Scott Yost)
Date: 15 Sep 95
……
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 | Department of Physics & Astronomy | Featuring "A Visit to Nepal", including University of Tennessee, Knoxville | detailed journal, photographs and maps.
Subject: Travel in Nepal (reply to a disappointed traveller)
From: manuel@ccs.neu.edu (Manuel Freitas)
Date: 24 Jan 96
>I just got back from a 9 day trip to Nepal Jan (1 - 9), and sorry to say, I was
>quite disappointed. I think it is a trekker's paradise, if you do not plan
>to trek, there is not much to do. WE thought we could see the Himalayas,
>but from Kathmandu, you do not get to see any mountain at all, forget
>snow-capped peaks!. Pokhara is a better place, and many of the trekking trails
>start there, but again, if you do not trek, not much to do. The Himalayas
>were mostly covered by clouds and so remain unseen most of the rime, unless
>you hike up to the top of a foothill.
>The Chtwan National park waas a disappointment - all we got to see was legs
>of some deers and a peacock flying! And, to add to it all, our bus from
>Chitwan to Pokhara fell into a ditch. No one was hurt, the police just came
>and stood away and looked, the tour company told us they never heard of the
>accident since it was not a major one. I wondered was a "major" accident was
>- one in which everyone in the bus dies!
>
>- Swagata
>
Obviously Nepal is not the place for you, although I haven't heard anyone complain as much as you. Maybe you should have informed yourself before you went because if you did you would have known all of the above. But then again, not many tourists bother to do that. You see, despite being a travelers paradise, Nepal is not exactly a top tourist destination. There are no 5-star resorts, no chiq restaurants, and no luxury buses. Nepal IS a paradise :-)
You would have known that Pokhara was first discovered by the westerners, through the hippies in the 60's, as a great place to simple do nothing and smoke lotsa pot. And the beauty of all is that little has changed since then. But they do have things to do and see there if you're not a trekker.
There's the Bindi Basini Temple, The Tibetan Refugee Camp and school, great hangout places near and off the lake, excelent boat rides in the lake, Devis Falls, just to name a few. But the best of all, the beauty and peacefulness of it all.
And Kathmandu geez, to say that there wasn't anything to do and see is kinda absurd. All the temples and the view from Nagarkot. Don't tell me you're not into Temples and that Buddhism stuff because I'll ask you - What the hell were you doing in Nepal?!?!? I betcha never took a walk by the river at sunrise? Or wondered into the maze of back alleys just soaking up in some of the most untouched culture that there is left in this world?
The Chitwan National Park? I have to agree that that's a bit overated but most people who go there come from cities and places where their idea of wildlife is a packed steak in a supermarket stand.
But the important thing to keep in mind here is not so much what you see but more what is being done. Saving some wildlife species in an already dying world.
But what can you expect in 9 days? Maybe it's best this way, and leave Nepal for the true traveler. Remember to do your reading next time.
All the best,
Subject:
From: manuel@ccs.neu.edu (Manuel Freitas)
Date: 6 Feb 96
……
>I was wondering if anyone could provide some advice or anecdotes on
>travelling/trekking in Nepal. My friend and I will be flying to Nepal
>for the month of March. We've done some reading (lonely planet guides
>are great) and realize we could organize everything in Nepal.
>However, because we've got a limited time in Nepal, we've booked a
……
>Anyways, we're planning a 2 week Annapurna Sanctuary trek, 1.5 days in
>Pokhara, 3 days in Chitwan on safari, 1 day in Daman, and 7 days in
>Kathmandu and surrounding area. Is this a good itenary? Should we
>even have an itenary? Sometimes and in some places, having an itenary
>is either useless or takes away from the fun. Also, our guidebook
>says that Daman has, arguably, the best views in Nepal. Is this true?
>
It sounds like a good split.
If you booked a tour how would you not have an itinerary?
One thing is for sure, you could easily do the exact same thing on your own and for half the price. In Nepal an itinerary is something you totally neglect after your second day but you'll need more time there.
So, yes do have an itinerary for such a short visit.
>Also, we've read that there are many festivals in Nepal. Which
>festivals will be celebrated in March? On what day(s) will the
>festival(s) happen?
>
The Lonely Planet should give the dates of all the fetivals.
>Finally, we're flying on KLM via Amsterdam to Delhi, India. From
>there, we fly to Kathmandu on Royal Nepal Airlines. Has anyone flown
>on this airline (RNA)? Are they reliable? Will our seats get bumped?
>
It depends on what you consider reliable. Yes, they will put you there but not necessarily on the day and time that you really want :-)
On such a tight schedule you should have opted for a more reliable thus more expensive airline. I think your money would have been better spent on a more reliable/expensive airline than on a tour.
I wish you all the best, Nepal is wonderful "Kontry".
- Manuel.
| Places | Index page | Culture |