Blogs from Pokhara, Nepal, Asia - page 52

Most of the time I travel light, preferring to buy essentials like pocketbooks, t-shirts or toiletries in any country where I'm staying. Given the might of the Singapore dollar (1 SGD = 2.2 ringgit = 22 baht = 5,000 kips=41 Nepali rupees ), I can easily stretch my budget without having to suffer from a backache or shoulder ache. As much as possible, especially now that I'm living a nomadic lifestyle (I spend most of my time in transit-waiting in airports, in bus stations), I really try to make my backpack weigh less than 15 kgs. After all, the only things I really need aren't heavy. My yoga mat, bra and disposable panties, my compact Olympus digicam (which I can easily fit into my pocket), my sony mini dv cam, my trusty SLR Nikon manual ... read more

My trekking adventure commenced in Pokhara - 200 km east, a 7 hour-bus ride away of Kathmandu. The laidback town of Pokhara is a gateway to the magnificent Annapurna range, and its also near the popular trekking routes. Which is why Pokhara’s Lakeside area is trekkers’ central - where guesthouses, trekking agencies, trek gear, massages for sored trekkers muscles can be found, bought, consumed. Fortunately, Lakeside’s not as crowded nor as filthy as Thamel. I stayed in the Chettri Sisters’ Guesthouse, at the northern part of Lakeside. It’s a bit of a walk from the city center (about a 10 minute hike), so I find it a bit inconvenient whenever I was looking for an internet café, a pharmacy, a grocery or a call center. But it’s ok as the area’s quiet, the staff, especially ... read more

Luckily the morning was clear, the sky was blue and the Annapurna was there for all to see. The jeep from the flight centre came to pick me up on time and we promptly got going. John, the Nepalese driver was also my instructor for both flights, he explained that because it was the low season they were normally close, he was just there to test the equipment and make sure it wasn’t rotting. Because of my pretty dark eyes (and my pretty green dollars) he would specially reopen for me today. I expressed my gratitude, he looked a bit embarrassed and finally told me that because he was close he had no license, so should anything happen I would not be covered by any insurance whatsoever. I pondered and decided to go for it anyway, ... read more

From Veranassi two 11 hour bus journeys and a slightly out of joint back have got me to Pokhara in Nepal. Pokhara is just heaven after the hustle and bustle of India. A laid back city set on a lake and surrounded by picturesque hills and mountains - just the tonic. I have reunited with a mate I met in Laos, Sam, with the two of us are trekking the Annapurna Circuit together. The trek is 150- 200 miles long depending on which account you read (I prefer 200 miles, as it sounds a lot more impressive), and at its highest point, the Thorung La pass, we'll have trekked up to just under 5,500 metres above sea level. The trek is around 18-21 days long, depending on which side trips you decide to take on, and ... read more

Tashi Delek... Pour ceux qui suivent mes aventures depuis 2002, "Tashi Delek", ca veut dire la meme chose que "Namaste" en hindi, mais c'est en tibetain... Bref, le vif du sujet, comme je vous l'annonce precedemment, c'est le PILLOW... En anglais, "pillow" signifie "coussin", ou "oreiller", mais en nepalais... pas du tout. Different places, different meanings... J'aurai pas ete contre un bon oreiller lorsque je me suis effondre apres ce trek, mais c'est autre chose que Mission Control avait prevu pour moi... Sacre Coquinne... Le pillow, ca commence vers mi-aout, il me semble, juste apres le trek, mais cela n'a aucune importance. Nous avions fini notre longue marche dans les Himalaya, et avons pris un bus de Beni pour faire les derniers kilometres qui nous rameneraient vers quelque chose qui puisse decemment etre appele une "ville", ... read more