Nepal Through a Plastic Lens

I have put together a couple of my lomo shots of Nepal and Tibet on my Flickr.

Go check out the whole set…

7 Days: A Return

Wow, I am still so far behind.  Been real busy and have about 200 unsorted photos from the last month or so on my camera.  This weekend I intend to finally do some bulk uploading and cover the whole of June in one blast but, for now,  here are the dying days of May and our return to Hong Kong.

7 Days: The Best Ever, Ever, Ever!

Definitely the coolest 7 days of my life:

Yes!

Joe

Day 4: Boudhanath Eyes

After a day of temple trekking it was time for a nice meal and our first Nepali drinking session.  We ate at a cosy restaurant called Helena’s in central Thamel (as found in the Lonely Planet) and hit a few bars around the area for drinks.  We saw some great live music at Tounges and Tales (not far from Helenas) and enjoyed some questionable cocktails down at Full Moon bar.  Both bars are nice Thamel style hangouts where you can kick off your shoes, find a nice corner on the floor and chat to whoever you like without feeling like a weird drunkard.  Unfotunately the cosy atmosphere got the better of us and it wasn’t until gone 3am that we decided we should get some sleep.  Consequently, we woke up a little later than planned and feeling a little worse than we had hoped, and after a morning of self pity we decided to head to the Buddhist area of Kathmandu with the intention of eventually visiting the Boudhanath.

Located at the heart of the Buddhist district, the Boudhanath is one of the holiest buddhist temples in Kathmandu and houses the highest stupa in the city/the world.  The golden stupas’ giant eyes watch down as pilgrims work their clockwise route around the base.  The pace of life here is slower than the rest of Kathmandu’s bustling lanes and hectic streets and comes as a welcome break from Thamel.  We spent the afternoon browsing the shops, drinking tea and taking some photographs.

The smell of smouldering yak butter in the air was making us hungry so we set off back to Thamel as the sun set on a day which could have held so much more.

Day 3: Monkeys and Burning Bodies.

After our plans for yesterday afternoon were dashed by the hail we woke up to a stunning Nepalese morning. Having planned to visit the Swayambunath stupa the previous day before the storm, we thought it best to start off there and have a day of visiting Kathmandu’s famous temples.

In addition to being one of the oldest and holiest Buddhist temples in Nepal the Swayambunath is inhabited by large numbers of Rhesus Macaques, and is otherwise known simply as the Monkey temple.

Afterwards we headed off to the other side of town and the Pashupatinath. The Pashupatinath is the oldest and holiest Hindu temple in Nepal and along the banks of the river bodies are cremated day throughout the day. Children laugh and play cricket, or hassle the cows, and the adults busily go about preperations as the shrouded, deflated corpses lay in the open waiting for their moment. A surreal atmosphere.

My love affair with Nepal deeped later in the day as we went out for a delicious (if basic) Nepalese meal and decided to check out the party scene in the Thamel.

It’s good.

A Triumphant Return

Well, despite the lack of fanfare, welcoming committee and parade I am back, and fairly happy to be so.  As soon as I finish indulging myself in the the joys of showering, sleeping on a matress and eating something other than lentils, I may get around to a wee bit of photo-blogging.  There are thousands which need sorting through so I will probably just work through the trip day by day with a wee account of what went on and perhaps some useful contact details if you ever find yourself in Nepal or Tibet any time soon.

Right now, though, I am going to eat a steak (Cow, not Yak).

Stay Tuned.

Joe

P.S. IT WAS AMAZING!

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.

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

Chinese Train Timetables

 

You know what is really hard to find?  A collection of Chinese Rail Timetables which are up to date, accurate, understandable and in English. 

Hats off to Duncan Peattie for providing just that. 

What’s more, the site carries a full list of fares as they will cost if you book them from the train station NOT after some unfeasibly high prices have been levied by the agency who hosts the train timetable, as is the case with most timetables I have found on the web.

Sooooo…As a result I have all the details I need for my train out of Lhasa.  It appears that the latest date I can safely leave Lhasa is the 21st May at 0832 local time.  That would bring me in to Guangzhou for around 1937 local time.  From there I can get any of several frequent trains to Hong Kong from Guangzhou.  As for prices I am looking at either 809 or 1251 RMB (104 to 161 USD) which is just fine and dandy with me.

Onwards with the planning!

Thanks to Flickr User Yewco for the stunning photo!

Travel Permits

 

I may be travelling from Hong Kong (and be a permanent HK Identity Card holder) but when it comes to traveling in Tibet or even China that doesn’t count for much at all.  I am still counted as a British Citizen and British Passport holder.  As such, I need both a Chinese Visa and Tibet Travel Permit to travel in through both countries as I plan to do, so I am in the same boat as those travelling from Europe or the US so this information in not only useful to HK travellers.  As for a Nepali VISA, you (and I) will need one too.

Nepal Visa
Easy to get hold of.  Charges vary depending on where you come from.  In my case, a Nepali VISA is going to set me back HK$300 (around USD30/GBP15) and I found all the information here, but thats only useful for HK visitors.  For everybody else, ‘Google’ the Nepali Consulate in your own country and you will generally find the information without too much hassle.

Tibet Travel Permit
There are several ways to get hold of a Tibet Travel permit.  You will need it before you enter Tibet so don’t rely on picking one up on arrival.  You can get it through an agency, or from your city of departure etc.  If you are taking an organised tour (i.e. Kathmandu to Lhasa overland) it is likely your organisers will be able to hook you up.  Just make sure you have it, it’s cheap (USD7) and not worth the fine and being kicked out to avoid.  Some more useful information is here.  However, if you are coming from Kathmandu into China there is an additional charge of USD20, more information on why this is below.  Also, if you are coming from Kathmandu you TTP will only be issued if you are travelling in a group.  Don’t worry, two people constitutes a group so don’t think you will need a bus full of people to get through.

China Visa
If you are performing this trip from Lhasa to Kathmandu there are no problems.  Organise a Chinese VISA through your consulate or agency as usual and, providing you have your Tibetan and Nepali travel permits, you should have little problem making your way from China to Tibet to Nepal.  HOWEVER, (and this is a big however) if you are entering Tibet from Kathmandu the situation is VERY different.  There is a weird rule between China and Nepal that states that any Chinese VISA will be voided on entry to Nepal.  In other words, you can only get your Chinese VISA whilst in Kathmandu.  So make sure you get on this as soon as you arrive (I will be!) and you should have no problems.  In addition, this will also increase the cost of your Tibet Travel Permit by USD20.  Awkward eh?

It sounds complex, but so long as you pay particularly attention to making sure you have your papers in order, by all accounts, you should be fine.  As for myself, I guess time will tell but I will certainly be making sure no stone is left unturned.  I really don’t want this trip ruined by technicalities.

I gathered this information from a variety of sources but by far the most useful was this entry from the excellent Life on the Tibetan Plateau blog.