R Eldar
Rotem Eldar Joined: April 13th 2005
Logged in: November 13th 2010
Logged in: November 13th 2010
Travel Blog Posts
Some action
Hi again, Early in the morning we gathered up, about 40 of us who signed up for the three days rafting trip on the Kali Gandaki river. We walked together to the bus that would take us to Pokhara. On the bus we got some details from a guy who works in the travel agency. He said the ride should take about six hours, but explained that if it takes more then we shouldn't start asking "why like this", because "Nepal is like this. The ride was fine, except a few bumps on the head from the low ceiling. We spent the night in Pokhara, and the next morning we went to the river. On the way, during one of the toilet breaks, while the guys just stood right next to the bus and did their ... read more
Views on the way to Kathmandu
Hi again, The other side of the Friendship Bridge, that connects China (Tibet) and Nepal, is a whole different world. Land crossing between countries do tend to soften the effect of shock that comes from the change, mostly because of the busy border towns that are a mix of both sides, but still after the long period of time under the Chinese flag I felt the huge difference. The people looked different, the smells are different, the street stalls are different, and driving is on the opposite side of the road. We continued in our Chinese bus, and the driver decided to drive on the right side, clearing the way only when another vehicle arrived front of him. Considering the winding road and the deep gorge to the side of the road - it was scary. ... read more
Dali, China
Hi, For those of you who don't have the patience to read my thoughts after traveling for half a year, I published pictures of me and how I (and mainly my hair) have changed over this period. For those who want to know more of what happened to me over this period - there is also the text... A lot has happened during the long period that passed since I boarded a plane, left it all behind, and went to the east. The trip was not planned ahead since originally I was supposed to go for only five weeks, but one thing led to another and it is already six months that I am living out of a backpack. Many things have happened, both in the world I left behind and in the new world I ... read more
Border crossing
Hi, The border crossing was out of this world. A mixture of Chinese and Nepali trucks, trying to find their way along the narrow and winding road up and down the steep hill. It was a total BALAGAN. Taking pictures of the passport control is not allowed (still China...) but I managed to sneak in one. So that's it! After five months in China (and Tibet) I am leaving. Exhausted, but satisfied. From now on there is no more "may-ou" (don't have) which is the general answer to just about any question you can ask here, or "bu-she, bu-she, bu-she" (something like - no,no,no), there is no need to be alert and afraid that somebody is trying to fool you all the time, no need to practice my acting skills whenever I want to order food ... read more
Views from Pang La
Hi, After the trek I found myself without wheels to get to the border. My Land Cruiser carried on without me, and I had to hitch hike my way. The problem is that most cars in this region are full of tourists who paid money for their ride, and they are not happy for free travelers making their car packed. After waiting for a long while at the exit of the national park arrived a jeep that brought some people over and was about to return empty to the nearest town. For a small fee I got a ride with it, along with another Brazilian traveler. Just after dark we got to Shegar, another town on the Friendship Highway that connects Lhasa and Kathmandu. On the way we climbed Pang La pass (5120m) where we could ... read more
First glimpse up close
Hi again, Everest. The top of the world. The famous mountain that has been one of my dream destinations for years. And today I am going to its base camp from the northern side. We reserved for ourselves two nights in the EBC just to make sure that we have a period of good weather and that we will be able to see the peak. We drove to the base camp through a special short cut that our driver knows, between the mountains and the small villages. The non-existing road was bumpy, and the ride was very hard. The weather was quite good, even though as timed passed more and more clouds appeared in the sky, and it wasn't as clear as it was early in the morning when I took the picture of the mountain ... read more
The next National Geographic mystery girl?
Hi, Later that afternoon, after some food and a little rest, we got back into our car and drove the short way to Manasarovar Lake, called by the locals Mapham Yum-tso (4560m). It is only 30 km from Kailash, and a holy lake on its own that gets quite a few pilgrims who circle it as well. Right next to the little Chiu Monastery there is a tiny village where we spent the night. Behind the village there is a hot spring that has been turned into a hot shower booth. A few dirty bath tabs separated by thin walls are being filled with the not-so-hot water of the spring, without any real water pressure for washing. Since it was my first opportunity to bath since I've left Lhasa I felt a deep moral obligation to ... read more
Trekking - at last!
Hi, Mt. Kailash is a holy mountain to more than just one religion. Asia is full of legends about a great mountain, which has four faces (Peacock, Elephant, Lion, and Horse), each composed of a different material (gold, crystal, ruby, and lapis lazuli), and from the mouth of each face flows a great river. Mt. Kailash is believed to be it. It is an amazing mountain, almost pyramid shaped with four faces, and four great rivers of the Indian sub-continent flow from its area: Karnali (which feeds the Ganges), Indus, Sutlej, and Brahmapurta. The mountain is 6714m high, and has never been climbed, because people who got permits to climbed it were under international pressure not to do it because of the special nature of the mountain. For the Hindus - it is the domain of ... read more
The eyes of Gyantse Kumbum
Hi, The day finally arrived. The permits for going to western Tibet were issued. My group included a couple from Spain that were really cool, fun to talk to, like photography, etc. and a strange Italian man, a 66 years old single guy, that speaks only a little English and hates everything about life. We made some final arrangements and bought some goodies in Lhasa for the way, and hit the road in our old Land Cruiser driven by a Tibetan who doesn't speak English. Being the one traveling the longest in China I was in charge of communication with the driver, mainly setting up the departure times and checking how long it should take to reach the next town... The first few hours were on paved road. We climbed up a high pass called Kamba ... read more
A young local
Hi all, I really wanted to travel to the west part of Tibet, but the offices issuing the permits were closed because of the celebrations of the "liberation." This is a Chinese way of shutting down areas without stating that they are doing it. The official statement is that "nothing has changed," but actually there was no legal way to go to those areas. I found a travel agency that "found a way around the problem." They issued special permits outside of Tibet, as if the group I wanted to rent the car with is an organized group coming into Tibet on an organized tour. I didn't want to know, and I was promised that it would be OK. I just had to wait for a few more days for the whole process to finish before ... read more
