• My Nepal Adventures
  • My Nepal Adventures

Nepal

Pengembaraan 26hari oleh My Nepal Adventures Baca lagi
  • Permulaan perjalanan
    4 Disember 2017

    At last!!

    4 Disember 2017, Cyprus ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    So here it is. Today is the day that I embark on an amazing 7 weeks adventure around Nepal. My trip will start off with a few days in Kathmandu before taking on the beast that is Mt. Everest. A 14 day hike to the base camp of the biggest mountain on earth!!

    Before all that I have to get there. Soon to leave the airport i will first fly to Doha for a 16 hour stopover (yes 16!!) then tomorrow I will continue to Kathmandu.

    Many years of wanting to travel is about to start and now all the anxiety has gone and I’m super excited!!
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  • 8 minutes!!

    4 Disember 2017, Qatar ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Arrived in Doha and I’m very impressed how clean it is, although it’s damn humid!! I started off taking a taxi to the corniche which is a promenade that over lols the city.

    Now I’m sat at the soul waqif watching the world go by, that is after waiting 8 minutes for the man to change green so we can cross!!

    Off to find some traditional food now
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  • Bugger!!!

    4 Disember 2017, Qatar ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Well first time I’m using Couchsurfing and was arranging to meet four people off there for a beer or three.

    I’m on the top of the Hilton hotel on a rooftop bar. The other guys couldn’t get in with their passports so off to another place :)Baca lagi

  • Blagged it!

    5 Disember 2017, Qatar ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Well I’ve only gone and blagged it, got talking to a guy on the app and he put me as his guest in the business lounge, free food and drinks. I’ve just had a shower, going to have a lie down in the snooze room and then I’ll brush my teeth with the provided toothbrush, not bad but five hours to kill!! BluueerrgghhhhBaca lagi

  • Kathmandu here we come!!

    5 Disember 2017, Qatar ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    After being given access to business lounge, the sleeping rooms weren’t great, one really loud snorer and it kept everyone awake. Needless to say I’m now say on the plane for Kathmandu having no sleep last night.

    The flight takes about four hours which is great in one sense but not when I need sleep.
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  • I've arrived!

    5 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After not sleeping the night before this flight seems to have took forever. Finally made it to Kathmandu!

    Now I’ve seen many video saying how hectic it was and thought I was prepared but no, I cannot describe the mayhem on the roads here. Cars, buses, bikes and people and mixed together but surprisingly no one gets hit.

    Checked into my hostel and surprised to find that my dorm of five is only me and a guy from Quebec.

    Decided to go out and check out the local area, again very hectic and I intone it will be easier to do in daylight so I just had a local dish called Dal Baht which was delicious, had a few drinks and headed back to the hostel.
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  • 1st full day :)

    6 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Had an awesome sleep. Woke up about 8am to the sight of a semi naked Canadian, I could get use this hostel lark!

    Went for breakfast which comprised of mango juice, tea, fried eggs, toast with honey and porridge with banana, was delicious and filling, not bad for $3 a night!

    Decided today to go to the monkey temple (Bodhnath Stupa), pretty awesome to see monkeys free roaming. There are an agonising 365 steps to get to the temple but the rewards are awesome!

    Whilst there I met a couple of local guys called Lama and Suraj who showed me around the temple and told me lots of history about the Buddha and Buddhists. I was also given access to a family rooftop to take panoramic photos of Kathmandu Valley and was created by my first glimpse of the Himalayas.

    We then went to see some more sights and had nepal tea before being sandwiched between them on the back of Suraj’s moped for a life back down.
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  • Awesome Food

    6 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    I loaded up the FourSquare app to find a good place to eat, Thamel House Restaurant was recommended and I decided to have their version of a meze. This consisted of 10 different dishes and I’ve now discovered that Nepal food is delicious. Total price was 1800nr which equates to 10 euros, bargain!

    On the way back I noticed shops were closing early. I found out today that there is an important election tomorrow and trouble may be happening, if this is a reason for shops to close early I don’t know.

    I guess a day at the hostel will be the itinerary tomorrow.
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  • Election Day!

    7 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Ok, today was a strange one. I didn’t know when I booked that today would be the second round of voting in the elections. A very important day for the Nepalis. As a result there was a ban on vehicles on all roads which made getting around much easier!

    I also took a walk to Durbar Square which is in front of the old royal palace of the now ceased Nepali kingdom.

    Seen many videos online about this pre-earthquake and its devastating to see how much was destroyed. I just can’t imagine the terror when it struck and looking around it’s easy to see how 9000 people died that day.

    Where ever you go you are constantly harassed to buy things or to give money, however much of this is genuine or not I don’t know but it’s constant and you can’t help feel for them.

    The government here has pledged to rebuild the country in 20 years, I hope it gets back to normal sooner.
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  • Momo's!!!!

    7 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Last night I tasted my first momo and instantly fell in love with them, so much do I had to find a special place to go eat them today.

    I discovered Momo Hut in Thamel, selections vary from garlic cheese to banana fillings. I opted for a meat platter which gave me 12 of the little beauties.

    I enjoyed it so much I had to try the chocolate ones, also had a visitor whilst I ate :)
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  • Pashupatinath Temple

    8 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After breakfast I decided to head to the Pashupatinath Temple, it’s a sacred Hindu temple where all Buddhists are cremated and given to the river.

    I paid 1000nr entrance fee and was approached by a guide who I agreed could show me around. I would recommend to anyone that visits to pay a guide, they have the information!

    The process of death is in stages. Starting at the top of the river the bodies are wrapped up and decorated in lotus flowers and other things. The body is then taken closer to the river where the feet are washed and cleansed. They then reveal the face and family’s members cleanse the face with cows milk and other things.

    The body is then wrapped up and moved further down stream where the cremation takes place.

    It was like a conveyer belt, more bodies arriving and moving step by step down the river.

    The cremation takes around 3 hours. I didn’t take a photo of this but feet were poking through the end of the pyre, the undertaker loads it up with butter and once the bodies are cremated it is simply swept into the river.

    I saw this happen and was expecting to see some remains but it’s all ash and once it’s in the river this is when death is final.
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  • Group Meet Up

    9 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    So after a boozy night last night I made it to breakfast then had the task of packing my things. Tomorrow I will fly to lukla airport to start the trek to everest base camp so I need to pack a 10kg case and a 5kg case, harder than you think!! Took my diamox this morning for altitude sickness, no side effects as yet.

    Checked into my hotel do the night and will meet the group at 2pm for a briefing of whats to come.
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  • Early Night

    9 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    So it’s 8:30 pm and it’s bedtime. Earlier I met my group, there were (including me) 2 Brits, 1 Kiwi and 7 Aussies. They all seem a pretty decent group. I’m looking forward to getting to know them all.

    We went to a traditional restaurant and were joined by 2 more Brits. The meal was similar to the meze type meal I had the other night. Very nice and we were treated to a few cultural dances which were great.

    Back at the hotel now as we have to leave at 5am to catch the first flight to Lukla. The trip is only just beginning!!!
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 2 - Part 1

    10 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

    We were awake at 4am for our departure to lukla airport, known as the most dangerous airport in the world due to its location and short runway. I have to say it was a really pleasant flight, the scenery was stunning, flying so close to the mountains with a view of snow capped mountains in the distance was a memory I will never forget.

    We landed at lukla, had breakfast and headed on our way to our first sleepover - Pkakding (2610m)
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 2 - Part 2

    10 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

    We left Lukla (2840m) on a 3 hour trek towards Phakding (2610m) which means we actually lose 230 metres. it was a relatively easy trek with a few hard bits but I guess a warm up for tomorrow. Slight headache with the altitude but nothing to worry about.

    We crossed our first of many suspension bridges. These are high!! And sway!! Very well built though so felt safe.

    The shading views around me mixed with lines of cows and people randomly saying namaste is just incredible.

    I’m looking forward to what’s coming up!

    Tomorrow is a long day, an 11km trek taking 7 hours and gaining an elevation of 830 metres
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 3

    11 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We woke at 7am for breakfast so we can start an epic 7 hour trek at 8am. We are leaving Phakding (2619m) and progressing to Namche Bazar (3440m) so an overall elevation increase of 820m, one of the longest and hardest treks on the trip.

    The first three hours felt relatively easy and we stopped for lunch. Little did I know that most of the incline was about to stop. It was literally being on a step machine for four hours. It was very intense and hard work, baby steps is the key to success yet local Nepalis are passing us with 87kg loads on their back, heroes!!

    We arrived at our lodge due the next two days as tomorrow is an acclimatisation rest day. No longer can I run up stairs to the bathroom it just takes it out of you.

    It’s now exactly a week until we reach base camp, we got some epic views of Everest on the way to Namche Bazar, the pain is rewarded with every turn and the pictures just doesn’t do it any justice.
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 4

    12 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Today is a rest day or so I thought it would be, we had breakfast at 8am then left for a short hike to the Sir Edmond Hillary museum in Khumjung (3790m) which had an amazing statue of the legend Tenzin Norgay overlooking Everest.

    We then ascended another 300 meters to take in some views and were greater by our first view of yaks (male) and naks (female), they cannot survive below 4000 metres so we will see more of them soon, we then descended back to our lodge. This apparently helps to acclimatise. I feel good, no headaches or nausea, fingers crossed, although a couple of members are suffering and one fainted last night. It doesn’t matter how fit you think you are, the altitude affects anyone at anytime.

    Tomorrow is another long day, a 7 hour trek but only an elevation of 400 metres so although a long trek we don’t go too high in one day.
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 5

    13 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    After our 8am breakfast we left Namche Bazar and headed to Phortse (3810m) an elevation of 420 metres.

    It was a long hard 7 hours, the first half was generally quite flat with an incline at the end. The second half was all the way down to the river so that meant we had to go all the way back up, again we did baby steps, the only way to achieve the goal.

    Checked into our lodge and from now there are only outside hole toilets and electricity is powered by solar do goodbye Facebook for a good week. Electricity is also charged at 500rs (5$) for one hour so I’ve already charged by battery pack, if it runs out then so be it.

    Trust me to pick this day to get the squits!!

    We’ve all been tested for oxygen levels tonight, everyone’s ok and mine was 85%, these tiny lungs are working well :)
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 6

    14 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Again we had breakfast at 8am and left Phortse to head to Dingboche (4410m), trees don’t grow above 4000m so it’s a strange and barron landscape now.

    The altitude isn’t having as much an effect as I thought it would, yeah I get out of breath just after 10 steps but I though j would have headaches and be nauseous so good result all round.

    From now on all tea houses have squat toilets,solar powered electricity and no internet so this post will not be published until maybe a week after.

    I love it that with each village we pass we get a local dog following us until the next village almost looking after us and making sure we are ok.

    Again we had spectacular views of Everest, day by day we are getting closer to base camp, we arrive there on Sunday!!
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 7

    15 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today was a rest day in Dingboche (4410m) although we did a small hike of a 300m elevation and back down to acclimatise.

    A couple of guys have come off the diamox which is worrying. They don’t like the side effects of pins and needles and headaches. I take ibuprofen at the same time, not had a headache yet. Tomorrow is a big day so if the guys get I’ll you can’t just get back on the diamox, you have to get lower.

    The strangest moment so far is that there is a snooker hall here, actually full size snooker tables 4410 metres high in the Himalayas. A very surreal and special moment I will never forget.

    We ventured outside after dinner into -12c to look at the stars, being in the middle of nowhere we are blessed by seeing so many stars and even the Milky Way, a sight I’ll never forget and no doubt never see again in my lifetime.
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 8

    16 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Early start again. It was a bit warmer last night at -8c. We started a six hour trek to the next destination of Lobouche (4910m) It feels like another planet walking through rocks and small bushes with the odd yak showing it’s face, it’s a very surreal yet stunning experience.

    We arrived at our lodge, checked into our room and hiked a little higher to 5000m to over look the Khumbu Glacier, a huge glacier that pushes its way though the valley from Everest.

    Tomorrow we wake at 6am for our trek to Everest Base Camp, so close to our ultimate goal now, everyone’s in good spirits, a little tired but all good, oxygen at this height is now 53%, small steps help and we will reach the goal tomorrow!
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 9

    17 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Well today is Everest Base Camp day, we leave Labouche for a 3 hour trek to Gorak Shep and an incline to 5165 metres. We had a quick lunch and then proceeded to our ultimate goal Everest Base Camp a total elevation of 5365 metres. Will we make it??

    It was amazing walking side by side of the Khumbu Glacier a huge mass of ice covered with ice and rocks hearing it creaking and moving and the odd avalanche on the mountain opposite.

    I have to say Gorak Shep was the coldest, dirtiest and smelliest place I’ve ever stayed at, all part of he experience I guess but when your peeing five times a night due to the diamox you have to go to toilet with frozen water and piss on the floor, not pleasant!!!
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  • Everest Base Camp - Day 9

    17 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We made it!!!!

    It was very hard to get here but finally we reached Base Camp at 5365 metres. It actually turned quite emotional for me (and some others) as I sat in the awesome view of the Himalayas thinking about life - I had a little secret cry.

    9 days of trekking for 7-9 hours each day had finally come to an end. As I sat there reflecting i was thinking about four long days trekking back down.

    I am immensely proud of me and my group we all did amazingly well through colds, headaches and altitude sickness.
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  • Quest For Everest - Day 10

    18 Disember 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Still on a high from reaching base camp yesterday we had breakfast at 7:30am then left on a trek downhill to our lodge at Orsho (4040m), still a hard day though as although we are descending overall there are still plenty of uphill parts and the altitude still gets you.

    Our lodge is called the Sunrise Guest House and we are literally in the middle of nowhere. We are the only building here and only our group has occupied it, great atmosphere.
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