7 Days

7 Photos

Leaving to Nepal

Namaste! 

Well the VISAs are signed and stamped and we fly out tomorrow morning at 8am HKT.

Will try to update this blog and my Flickr as often as possible, but it is likely there will be large chunks where I don’t have internet access (heaven forbid) and risk remaining forever unblogged.

Will be back between the 24th – 28th May train schedules pending.

Until then.

Panoramio: Home of Some Old Photos

Dredged out these old photographs I had stored on the website Panoramio.  Panoramio is a cool Google Mashup which allows you to tag your photographs based on location in Google Maps and view them on a map of the world.  However, since Flickr added geotagging functionality I have found myself visiting far less often.

Took this on a trip to Egypt in 2003. Taken with a Canon Ixus V3

Portimao, Portugal.  2004.  Taken with a Canon Ixus v3

Limassol, Cyprus. 2004.  Taken with a crappy camera-phone.

Time = Pwned!

Time is slowing down.  It’s probably because next week I will be in Nepal, and like whenever you are just within reach of something you have been looking forward to, Time right beforehand can seem slower than you ever thought possible.  Little does Time know that she is giving us all the last laugh, and by slowing down, is giving us an abundance of opportunities to enjoy every minute we would probably otherwise miss.

- Joe

Cyborg Squirrel (No, seriously…)

Flickr user and ex-classmate, OlivePixel, has created a monster.  Well, more accurately a cyborg…from a dead squirrel.  The photographic evidence of the creation is excellent and the cyborg itself pretty damn terrifying.  The glazed over dead eyes of the little rodent are distressingly fitting and the mechanical appendages look far too functional.

 The flickr set is titled ‘Cyborgs‘, which hints that we may be in for more, so hold on to your nuts…

A Week in Images

This week has been a landslide of time.  I’m currently crawling through the aftermath, searching for survivors.  I don’t know if that means anything, but it’s supposed to sound deep. 

The Human Clock

Stumbled across this excellent site today whilst browsing the world of web.  The human clock tells the time through user submitted photographs of numbers.  The photos are taken all over the world from Antarctica to Australia and range from the imaginative, to the humourous, to the completely unoriginal, however, there is some undeniable allure to seeing what pops up next.  There are also seperate Analog and Digital clocks to look at.  Will definitely be submitting a couple of Hong Kong time photos in the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, go check the time…

7 Days, 7 Photos

The sun keeps shining and the parties keep coming at me thick as 3 week old milk.  But (slightly) better smelling.

- Joe

Another week, more photos…

Too much partying, not enough posting…

- joe

Planning Nepal

 

Wow, this time next month I will be in Kathmandu.  Thought I would take this moment to write a little about the planning I have been up to.  When I say planning, I mean ‘planning‘ as opposed to ‘booking‘ so if you are looking for price quotes for the different legs of the trip: browse away now. 

I have booked a hotel for the first few nights and that’s about it.  We shopped around a lot for different places around Kathmandu and settled on the famous Kathmandu Guesthouse.  Its right in the middle of the Thamel district, it’s pretty cheap, they will pick us up from the airport and it just seems a safe bet for the first night or so.  If we are not impressed we will just find a new place.  The Thamel district is the trekkers/backpackers hub of Kathmandu, and is abundant with hostels, guesthouses and hotels.   We can organise it when we get there.

 

In fact, “when we get there” is becoming an oft uttered phrase in this planning process.  I would love to arrive in Kathmandu knowing that every connected journey was booked and paid in full, but it doesn’t seem worth the peace of mind.  Despite the internet being a wonderful place, it is highly likely that any price you are quoted by online organisers will be higher than those available in town.  Every experienced traveler I speak is adamant that I can save myself a packet by putting the credit card away and just getting the business done in Kathmandu.  So yes, all I have under my belt so far is a one way ticket to
Nepal and a few nights at a Hotel.

 

What Needs Doing?

There are 2 things we definitely need to get organised in Kathmandu: a China Visa and the travel to
Tibet.

China VISA

As I mentioned in my previous post on Permits and Visas I can only organise my China VISA in
Kathmandu.  Any China VISA organised beforehand will become void upon entry into Nepal.  This should be fairly effortless.  One can either visit the Chinese embassy in person or pass it off to an agent to get done for you as part of a deal.  It’s a flat rate (though you will probably pay an extra fee if you book it through an agency) and takes 2-3 working days.  Be careful to watch out for Chinese National Holidays, because they obviously won’t be processing orders on those days.  I land on May 1st, the biggest holiday in the Chinese calendar.  Typical.

 

Travel to Tibet & the Tibet Travel Permit

When you book an overland trip to Lhasa you are usually paying for a driver, guide and mode of transport for a set period of time. As such, that cost is split between the number of travelers, the number of which will depend on the mode of transport.  Obviously, the price depends on the length of the trip.  Several packaged itineraries are offered from Kathmandu to Lhasa ranging between 5 – 15 days.  Of course, if you have the money to spend you can just go on for as long as you want, you will pay for the driver/guide and jeep per day.  Most agencies offer a jeep service, which means the price can be split between up to 4 passengers.  Tap a few keywords into Google you will find dozens of quotes and itineraries for this route.  Walk the streets of Kathmandu and you will probably find plenty as well.  Another advantage to waiting until you are in Kathmandu is that if you are alone, you may be able to find travel buddies to qualify you as a group, or to help split the cost.  As for us two; we may just hire a jeep for the two of us and enjoy the extra space if we can afford it.

 

In addition to the travel, most organisers will also be able to book a Tibet Travel permit for you too.  As I mentioned in my post on Permits and VISAs, you need to be traveling as a ‘group’ to qualify for a Tibet Travel Permit (and that 2 people constitute a group), so having a jeep booked for 2 or more bodies is one way of ensuring that you are granted a permit.

 

Let’s just hope it works out that way. 

I am also looking to book a trip down to the Chitwan
National Park for a couple of our days in Nepal but I will save that for another post.

 

Tick tock, tick tock.  Not long now…

 

Photo by Flickr User Tempo