לובג ירבעמ ,תויורירגש ,הסינכ תורשא -
םייללכ םיפיט -
תויצקרטאו הכישמ ידקומ -
הרובחת -
םילכונ - תוריהז -

: לובג ירבעמ ,תויורירגש ,הסינכ תורשא

The Home Ministry of Nepal has announced revised tourist and business visa fees and changes in the current trekking perming issuing system:
A single entry tourist visa can be obtained from the entry points of Nepal or from the Royal Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad by paying US$30 for 60 days. Visitors who wish to obtain the facility of single, double or multiple re-entry can get it by paying an additional US$25, US$40 and US$60 respectively. If the visitor, who has already visited Nepal under tourist visa, intends to come again within 150 days of the same visa year he/she can obtain entry visa by paying US$50 for 30 days at the entry points or at the Royal Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad.
The visitors who wish to stay for more than 60 days in Nepal can extend their tourist visa by paying the equivalent of US$50 in the Nepalese currency for 30 days from the Department of Immigration.
Trekking permit is not essential for the general trekking areas such as the Everest, The Annapurna and the Langtang.
Business visa with multiple entry facility for the period of one year and five years can be obtained from the Department of Immigration on the recommendation of Ministry of Industry by paying the equivalent of US$100 and US$250 respectively in the Nepalese currency for the foreign investors.
(July 99)

Visa regulations have changed in Nepal. Trekking permits are no longer necessary. You can stay at least 5 months. For the first two months you pay $US30 at the border. Each other month is $US50. For the fifth month, which is only available at Katmandu immigration office, you need either a flight ticket to anywhere or a bus ticket to India. In which case it is necessary to show an Indian visa or proof of a visa application.
Reinhard Murczak, Germany (July 99)

Immigration has moved to a new place in New Baneshwor, about a twenty minute walk behind the New Convention Centre building (which is just opposite the new Grindlays Bank head office). It's so out-of-the-way that I would recommend that if you're visa will expire during your time in Pokhara, or if you're doing the Annapurna trek, get your visa extension and trekking permit while in Pokhara and save yourself a headache. If you have to renew it in Kathmandu, consider combining it with a trip to Bhaktapur - after you drop your passport off it'll be several hours before you can pick it up again and from the main road in front of the convention centre you can get a cheap local bus to Bhaktapur. If not, there is not much to do in that area. Paying a trusted travel agency a minimal fee to renew it for you might well be worth your time and headache in this case (although from what I've recently experienced, the fee isn't quite so minimal).
Lily Neve (Jan 99)

The Nepalese Consulate in Tibet has new hours: 11am-12.30pm Monday to Friday. However, visas for Nepal can be easily obtained at the airport and the border.
Melanie Cheng & Bernard Phelps (Oct 98)

Before our journey there were some strange rumours about changed visa formalities which turned out to be untrue. You still need just one photo and the 15 day visa is still US$15. It's still seems better to get your visa directly at the border if you come overland from India. It doesn't take any longer than the the immigration procedure.
Jan Fietzke (May 98)

The Thai embassy in Nepal has changed the location and is now in the north of Kathmandu next to the Bangladesh Embassy.
Andrea Munch (Apr 98)

The Australian embassy in Kathmandu has a telephone number change. The new numbers are telephone: 977 1 37 1678; fax 977 1 37 1533.
T.Chalhoub (Mar 98)

If you didn't arrange your visa at home, bring enough cash dollars because they are only payable in cash dollars, no TC's. When flights are frequent there are enormous queues at the airport's bank and at the immigration desk. It took us almost four hours for just exchanging money and obtaining our visa ($25 for one month). The bank is not very willing to give you more cash dollars than you need for your visa.
Joost Rompa and Antoinette Bouwens - The Netherlands (Nov 97)

I have heard to travellers to Nepal returning after failing to enter Tibet overland. The Chinese authorities decided not to allow independent travellers to cross the border from Nepal unless on an organised tour.
Eshed Doni (Oct 97)

Getting from Nepal to Tibet isn't very easy and the border has been closed to individual travellers. The only option was to book myself a tour - a full 8 days trip with an organised group from Kathmandu costs about US$350-400; another option is to rent a driver with land cruiser for a 2 days trip to Lhasa; costing about US$90 each (based on 5-6 people).
Dudu Cohen (Oct 97)

At the moment it's quite impossible for independent travellers to get to Tibet from Nepal, especially Americans (following the recent unauthorised visit by that US congressman). The old scheme of booking a flight and 2 nights in Lhasa through an agent, then striking out on your own appears to be dead in the water. It was available even as recently as two weeks ago, until "new regulations" came down from Lhasa (read Beijing). I've tried several travel agents, including Tibet Travels and Tours, Royal Mountain Trekking and other who had done this sort of thing in the past. The only way in is with a fully packaged tour starting at US$100/day, and there are even reports of foreigners being hassled in Lhasa if they weren't with a government-approved guide.
Mike Schell (Oct 97)

: םייללכ םיפיט

Trekking the Annapurna Circuit can be quite easy if the trip is well planed. It's a lot cheaper and more enjoyable if one is staying in the lodges found in abundance along the route, rather than hiring a troupe of porters to carry your tents. However, it is important to start looking for a good lodge or hotel at about 2 pm. Woe is when all the hotels in that small village are fully booked and you have to trek on to the next town to try your luck while the sun is setting. A walking stick is a godsend for the knees and is especially so when going across the Throngla Pass. Shopping for knick knacks are best in Manang and Marpha, where shops are plentiful and competition is fierce.
Colin, Singapore (Oct 99)

If you contract your trekking guide in Pokhara it is approximately 40% less than Kathmandu prices and with the same confidence and routes.
Raul Sanchez, Spain (Oct 99)

Only trekking fees have been waived for three destinations. Tourists still have to pay the Conservation Area entry fee Rs 1,000 (or national park/reserve entry fee Rs 650). Tourists still have to pay special fees for areas like upper Mustang and Dolpo (US$700 for 10 days) and Manaslu (US$90 - Sept to Nov and US$75 Dec to August) etc.
Andrew Manzardo, USA (Aug 99)

We travelled in August during the monsoon and I have to say that while you could not see the mountains around Kathmandu and there was the occasional downpour, there were virtually no tourists on the streets. Nor were there any tour buses at sites and prices for accommodation were half those of peak season. If you are not into trekking, the trade off is worth it - take an umbrella and have a great time.
Sue Hunter (Aug 99)

Marpha, just south of Jomsom,is a beautiful town and an excellent place to be on Buddha’s birthday. This year it was April 30th. On the day three of us joined in the procession of people carrying bundles of Buddhist writings around the town. We had to tap any villagers that we passed on the head with the writings. We stopped on the way for apple cider and to relax. The grand finale is delivering the bundles back to one of the three ministers that they have in the town. Nepali New Year is in mid April. Thimi, just before Bhaktapur, is an excellent place to be. They have a torch light procession starting at around 4 in the morning. The Hindu deities are carried from one temple to another. Further celebrations, including colour throwing and dancing come to a head in the late afternoon. The celebrations continue the following day. I worked in a school who are interesting in having volunteer teachers to help with spoken English classes: Little Angels’ School, Hattiban, Lalitpur, 8322. Tel : 520111, 536321, 522892. Fax 977 1 525168. E-mail: las@wlink.com.np. The pricncipal is Mr Umesh Shrestha. The children are polite and lots of fun and generally keen to learn. Ages range from kindergarten to class 10 (18 year olds). It’s one of the largest schools in the country with possibly the best facilities; swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts and a fully equipped gym. Even if they are unable to provide a placement, they have close ties with other schools throughout the country that might be able to help.
Hugo Devlin, UK (July 99)

The Nepalese eat usually late in the morning and late at night. Two huge meals a day. These are also the times most foods are prepared in restaurants and Khana houses, especially on the trail. It's best to eat as close to these times as possible. The food is freshly cooked with minimum exposure to Nepali flies and their bacterial hitch hikers. The same principle is true in any culture and reduces the risk of food contamination from such sources significantly.
John Richards (July 99)

For anyone wishing to trek in Nepal and fly in or out of Lukala which has a notorious reputation for flights cancelled due to bad weather, get your ticket with Yeti airlines. They have daily flights, unlike Royal Nepal and more than one plane, unlike Lumbini. So, if they have to cancel due to weather, they are able to bring in more flights the next day. Usually they have three flights a day; we witnessed them bringing in 15 flights once to ferry out all passengers stranded from the day before. This is vital information when you are needing to get an international connection soon after your departure.
Hilary Knight, Japan (June 99)

Dangers and Annoyances : Doors are low, beds are short, mirrors are at waist height and urinals are on the floor - or am I too tall!! The Golden Temple has an intriguing entry sign. Entry costs Rs25, but is free if you are "Rev, monk, nun or saint" - how do they check sainthood?
The new year celebrations in Bhaktapur were fantastic and well worth being there for. Trekking with children is not only possible, but excellent. Our three year old adored our eight day trek. She loved having her own porter, all of the animals along the route and the daily timetable is very kid friendly.
George Casley, UK (May 99)

Our trip was made more enjoyable by talking little bits of Nepali to taxi drivers, waiters, hotel boys, guides etc. It's always funny to see their reaction when you say something in their own language. They are more flattered and show more respect as you show interest in their culture and habits.
Dirk & Isabelle Engles, Belgium (Apr 99)

The National Museum complex in Kathmandu is made up of three separate buildings, located at Chauni near the famous Swayambhunath stupa. The National Museum, which is considered to be the most important museum in Nepal, was established in 1928 as a collection house for war trophies and weapons of the 18th and 19th century and was opened to the public in 1938. It has a large collection of weapons, including cannon's axes, dagger's swords, firearms of every kind, military decorations and a number of uniforms, some of these were captured from various wars. One of the most interesting exhibits is a leather Tibetan Cannon seized in the first Nepal-Tibet war of 1792. In additional the museum has a piece of moon rock, a portrait gallery, a natural history room of stuffed animals including a tiger and rhinoceros and a doll's room which exhibits doll's in traditional dress from many countries.
The art gallery exhibits a superb collection of statues and carvings in bronze, stone, wood and terracotta. The decorative art and Himalyan Art section displays a number of 20th century carvings in ivory, silver and wood.
Martin Ashley, UK (May 99)

In Kathmandu, it is now almost impossible to hire some camping equipment; tents are a no go, due to misuse by renters and much of other equipment for hire is substandard. It is still quite cheap to buy equipment in Kathmandu but hard to judge quality.
Michael Davis (Apr 99)

Whilist in Kathmandu, like many travelles there,we took advantage of the great shopping available, and decided to send some of it home. We were shocked and dissapointed when one of our parcels arrived home 2 months later with virtually all of the goods stolen from it and the weight replaced with Hindu motoring magazines. We also talked to a couple of other people who have had similar experiences.
Tim Cook & Vicki Bielski, New Zealand (Apr 99)

Trekking with kids : This is not as big an issue as some might think. The main concerns for both adults and children are things like intestinal disturbances and sprained ankles. An incapacitated adult is a problem, but you can always hire a porter to carry a child.
We went in March for five days and four nights, so we didn't need too much cold weather gear. I carried about 30 pounds, my wife carried 20 and the kids carried their sleeping bags. The physical demands of trekking were easily met. The biggest problem was what I called the "constraints of the trail". Hiking along a well marked path is a liberating experience for me, but for kids it can be too structured. Our 8-year old daughter handled it fairly well, but our 7-year old son with the short attention span, was constantly distracted and needed occasional threats and bribes to keep going. On the most successful day, the kids took turns carrying both sleeping bags, pretending to be donkeys. The non-donkey got to hit the donkey on it's load and order it to keep moving. Both kids needed diversions once we arrived at our destination. A deck of cards or a simple board game is useful. Our daughter lists trekking among the highlights of the trip. Our son enjoyed it too, but chooses to remember it as "boring".
Peter Herd, Canada (May 99)

Instead of trekking up to Jomsom and then flying out, fly into Jomsom and trek down. It's easier and you don't have to risk not getting a flight out of Jomsom. Be careful with this plan though, if you want to go to Mujtinath. With an altitude of 3800m Muktinath will probably be too much of an altitude to gain for someone just flying in. We found that it is not necessary to hire a guide for the Jomsom - Beni trek. This popular route has many accomadations along the way so you shouldn't get lost out in the wilderness at night. Emails in Nepal are a cheaper alternative than phone calls.
Brian Lacey (Mar 99)

I thought I should share with you a discovery in Pokhara. Near Mahendra cave is another cave called the "Bat Cave" - and we're not talking latex covered super heroes. It's about 10-15 minutes walk to the Bat Cave up the dirt road that runs to the left of the entrance to Mahendra cave. Bat Cave was discovered around 21 years ago when the locals were looking for a tiger that had been carrying off lambs. It's lair turned out to be in the entrance to this underground cave. The cave is about 30 feet down but new concrete steps make this easy. However, it is unlit and you need to take a guide (provided at the gate and working on tips only) and also to hire a large torch (also available at the cave shop). The cave itself is about 100-150 feet long, 30-50 feet wide and high. The roof is covered in bats. After a short stop in the complete darkness while you listen to the music of the water dripping from the stalactites (fabulous) you are led up a steep path in the side of the cave until you come to a ledge level with the roof. The guide then reaches out and plucks a bat from the ceiling and encourages you to hold it whilst he takes your photo. The fast awakened bat looked pretty pissed off in my souvenir snap shot but in truth, once put back on the ground, it flew back to it's perch and settled down (or up) in no time.
There are also some stunning limestone formations and a crack running throughout the cavern which is the result of the 1948 earthquake. But the final twist is that if you elect to, instead of retracing your steps down to the cave floor and up the concrete steps you can squeeze yourself out of the cave via a very small hole back into the sunlight. The guide will borrow your camera to take a photo of you emerging and suddenly, as you crawl out of this opening, you realise what he had meant when he said that the photo was going to be just like your birth-day!. Entrance was a massive Rs15, torch hire Rs40 and the guide was worth his weight in gold. They are all local people and this has become a very important source of revenue to them. Thoroughly recommended - but it's advisable to wear old clothes due to the amount of scrambling about that needs to be done. The full address is "Bat Cave", Batulachour, Ward 16, Pokhara, Nepal.
Roger La Haye (Feb 99)

The little black three wheeler tempos have revamped their meters, so you no longer need to add a 40% markup. If you plan to be in Kathmandu for any significant length of time, consider getting to know the tempo routes. The best are the white electric "Safa" (clean) tempos (which can also be green or pale blue). These box-shaped vehicles sit ten people and cost Rps 5-7, depending on the length of your trip, but are quicker, smoother and less crowded than buses, while still being cheap. An added bonus is that they are non polluting. The blue "Vikram" tempos are cheaper still, but very polluting - you really get a faceful of exhaust in them. Lufthansa stopped their flights quite a while ago, but the good news is that several new airlines have come in. Austrian Airlines, Alpine Air and Qatar all offer connections to Europe. Gulf Air is also a new arrival and I think there might be some others now too. You can still get good deals on air travel in Bangkok if you're willing to go to the trouble to shop around.
Lily Neve (Jan 99)

Kathmandu is a very touristy place and has a lot of pollution. Instead, we stayed in Bhaktapur which is like going back to the Middle Ages; narrow streets, dirty, almost no cars and very old buildings. It's a great place to stay and becomes very quiet when all the day tourists from Kathmandu go back. In the evening you can hear locals playing music in some of the temples and in the morning you will see people from the villages coming to Durbar Square to sell their vegetables. You can see and feel how the city comes to life again. In Bhaktapur there are several English schools. Some of them are eager for foreign people to teach English in their school. We taught for two months and the school gave us food and accomodation for free. It's a very interesting experience to learn more about daily life.
Rombauts Herwig, Belgium (Dec 98)

Trekking Tips : There seem to be a lot of cowboy trekking agencies around - even those with representation in Europe. Many seem to disregard the rule that their porters should not take wood from National Parks for cooking their food - we saw lots of wood cooking going on on the route through the beautiful Lantang valley. Many of the lodges still use wood for cooking - often the trekker does not have the choice of a lodge that cooks over kerosene. The really serious issue is that some of these agencies do not brief their clients properly on the risks of AMS. We met one party that had climbed far too high too quickly : 1950m (Dhunche) to 3350m (Sing Gompa) on day 1 and then higher the next day. The couple concerned had no idea of the risks of doing this and had no guidebook or written AMS instructions, and the guide (who spoke very good English) seemed unconcerned. They were ok fortunately. We came across another party on a camping trek, one of whose members was in quite a bad way with moderate AMS. The management of the person's illness by the sirdar was unimpressive and I don't think the other members of the party appreciated how potentially serious the situation was. If you know someone or meet someone who is going on an organised trek, persuade them to buy a guidebook and read the MASD instructions. They should not rely totally on the agency for AMS advice.
John Saynor (Dec 98)

Although Freak Street has supposedly had its day, we thoroughly enjoyed staying there. Everything is cheaper there than it is in more popular Thamel. It also overlooks Durbar Square - a view in a million. Thamel, in my opinion, is full of tourists, expensive and not nearly so pleasant.
Thomasina Stanford & Andrew Bell, UK (Oct 98)

Travellers should make their travel plans in advance if they're planning to go to Nepal during the peak season. We thought we were really on the ball by making airline reservations three months in advance, trying to reserve seats in early July for mid-October. Even then, every seat on every flight for every single day during the entire month of October was booked on the direct flights and also flights where you had two stops en route; the final leg into Kathmandu was always on standby with Thai International and we never did get a confirmed reservation. We went out to the airport in Bangkok on the day we wanted to leave and were turned away; no room. We were finally onto the plane the next day. Reservations should be made as soon as possible.
Don and Achara Entz, Thailand (Nov 98)

Leaving Nepal by air, the departure tax for international flights have changed from Rs700 to Rs1000 or US$15 - either will be accepted. We arrived at the airport only to be greeted by chaos and hoards of people. There was lots of pushing all around in an attempt to enter the front doors of the airport building. There was no methodical process - it was literally "free for all". Two policemen manned the doors. It took us 40 minutes before we were allowed into the airport building and another 20 minutes to pay for airport tax - another 50 minutes to check in our baggage. As you can imagine we were quite concerned through the whole process that we may miss our flight. Fortunately we made it - just. My advice would be for people to arrive at least three hours before departure in order to be relatively stress free and reduce the potential risk of missing ones flight.
Durbar Square in Kathmandu is well worth a visit. The temples are impressive enough in terms of architectural appreciation, however they are incredibly dirty and many were closed indefinitely. One also gets constantly hassled - we had many guides approach us for a small fee. It's important to note that the official tourist guides actually carry ID, which distinguishes them form imposters.
Sangita Patel, UK (Oct 98)

The Tibet Air Travel Service in the Tibet Hotel does not sell tickets to Kathmandu (at least to foreigners). They referred us to the CAAC where we had to wait in line and reserve our seats. There are shuttles from the CAAC to the airport roughly every hour.
Melanie Cheng & Bernard Phelps (Oct 98)

Trekkers, please bring a water filter with you. Don't rely on buying water along the route, as you will only add to the immense stockpile of plastic bottles. Help keep the pristine environment you are enjoying in the Himalayas pristine - bring a filter. Consider bringing along a few paperback English language books for kids. The schools we visited in the Annapurna District had very few books and the teachers told us that the children really need books to help them learn English. Pack along a few cheap paperbacks geared towards five to ten year olds, then present them to a teacher or a school along the route - that way they will be shared. I am running a project called Books for Nepal which has so far sent 1,500 books to rural schools in the Menang district of the Annapurna region. Anyone interested should contact me on email: johnwoodinoz@hotmail.com
I want to add one piece of advice to the "hiring a porter/guide debate". My friend and I shared a guide who carried about half our weight, and we split the other half.. The best reason to do this is that if you find the right guide he can teach you the Nepalese language as you trek. Every day our guide spent an hour or so teaching us the language as we trekked. By the end of our three weeks trek, we knew about 75 Nepalese words and phrases and could say things like "Gosh, the wind off the pass certainly is cold today" to people we met along the way. This allowed us to communicate with the dozens of villagers we met along the way who spoke no English. So, don't feel guilty hiring a porter - hire a language teacher instead.
John Wood (Sept 98)

The GPO in Kathmandu has its stamp- counter open on Sunday - Friday from 8 am to 7 pm, and on Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm.
Marten Berglund (Sept 98)

We arrived in Kathmandu, arranged all our permits for the Annapurna trek and hired gear in 1 1/2 days, then left for Dumre straight away. We were advised to do this by a Nepalese guy - to get out of Kathmandu quickly, as most foreigners get sick and you don't want to get sick before you even start trekking. We thought this was good advice and saved Kathmandu for last. Take the bare minimum with you on the treks - a headtorch is excellent especially for the toilet trips. We didn't use porters or guides, mainly because we couldn't afford it but also because they rush and you rush as well and you don't get a choice of accommodation. We spoke to lots of porters and guides along the way. Garlic soup is supposed to be good for you in altitudes (over 2,500m) and rice or dhalbat is no good at that altitude. Wear your boots in - one bloke had to turn back after Chame, due to an infected blister the size of a golf ball. People turn back all the time due to rumours of the Pass being closed. I wouldn't turn back at all, until I got to Manang first. The HRA is the first "real" info you get on crossing the pass and they can advise you on conditions up there. A lot of people (especially females) get sore knees. A walking stick is really essential I think, and two for Yak Kharka/Manang to Muktinath. You can pick up a porter in Manang or Thorung Phedi easily. Probably best place to get one is in Manag if you think you can't make it over the pass. My budget in Nepal was A$29 per day, including pigging out severely on food and cakes, the very occasional beer, a rafting trip and all permits, and slightly better budget accommodation.
Tanya Campbell

The fees to enter the Baktipur historical site are no longer just Rps50, but have now gone up to a whopping Rps300 per visit. A bit on the high side but well worth it if you are the type for more peaceful sightseeing compared to Kathmandu.
Cindy Yeo (May 98)

Trekking tip for Gokyo trekkers : try and arrange your schedule to spend a night at Mong La on the way to Gokyo, or on the way back. This tiny village is situated in one of the most breathtaking locations in Solu and sadly, the trekking guides neglect it. Sunsets down the Khumbu Valley are superb.
Also a local woman was murdered between Mong La and Dole on the 1st January, 1998. After much intensive investigation the official police explanation was - a Yeti attack - and was reported on regional radio as such. Take care in this area !
Tim Langmaid (May 98)

We came to Kathmandu from Delhi by train and bus. One can't repeat it too often : Folks, don't buy bus tickets that include border crossing. We met a girl who had bought an over priced ticket to Kathmandu in Ghorakpur which wasn't accepted on the bus. Buy the ticket on the local bus.
Jan Fietzke (May 98)

The Patan Museum opened six months ago. The museum is situated at the residential palace of Keshav Narayan Chowk. The Patan Museum shows sculptures of Hindu and Buddhist deities. Because of the written commentary, a visit to the museum can be a good introduction to the world of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Austrian Government supported this project.
Frank Selbmann (Apr 98)

The Jomson Trek in the Annapurna Region can now be done in four days (but without Muktinah). The road now goes as far as Beni (three hours by taxi from Pokhara, the last bit quite rough - 2,000 Rps) which is a six hour walk from Tatopani. We got there late the first night as we'd driven from Pokhara that morning and the caretaker had already emptied out and cleaned the hot spring. But the soak the next day was well worth it.
Jack Chang & Vivian Ko (Mar 98)

We got snowed in at Machhupuchre Base Camp for two days. We had great time relaxing - unfortunately many people thought they would be up and back down in no time and didn't allow for freak snow storms. Many of the people snowed in with us missed their flights. So the moral of the story us make sure one leaves a few days extra to allow for mishaps.
Rachel McEleney - Ireland (Jan 98)

First and most importantly, to reconfirm Royal Nepal Airline flights in Kathmandu you have to go to the RNAC office on Kantipath in person. You cannot reconfirm over the phone. I found this out almost to my cost as I had spent all day trying to get through on the phone only to get through finally at ten to five to be told I had to reconfirm in person. I jumped in a cab and fortunately got there just as they were closing the doors. I was leaving for a months trekking at 6am the following morning so it was a bit too close for comfort.
Tim Brown (Jan 98)

The Nepal Grindlays Bank in Thamel accept visacards and don't charge commission - for traveller's cheques they charge 2% and are quite efficient.
Fintan Clarke - Ireland (Nov 97)

The park entrance fee for the Annapurna Region is now 1000 Rp. In Kathmandu you can buy your trekking permit in US dollars in Pokhara you can't. In Kathmandu the park entrance fee can be obtained directly opposite the immigration office.
Ray Coe - (Nov 97)

We took our own water-filter (MSR MiniWorks) and used it everyday, also in Kathmandu. It helps to solve the plastic bottle problem. We also took thick down-jackets and a bivouac-sac but we did not need them. Our Gore-tex jackets, our sleeping bags, our thermos and our fleeces were our sufficient essentials. You have to take the selection of your gear serious though: we saw too many underequipped trekkers, some of them only having short trousers a sweater and a plastic poncho. Expect to spend a couple of days in lodges waiting for better weather, so it is wise to take some books or games with you.
Joost Rompa and Antoinette Bouwens - The Netherlands (Nov 97)

Jomson Trek - to avoid hassles when flight are cancelled due to bad weather I suggest you fly into Jomsom and trek out. Some people may have trouble with acclimatisation as you go from Pokhara to Jomson and then trek to Muktinath all in one or two days, but for most people we met doing it was a problem. If you want to fly out of Jomsom, remember that confirmed reservations and purchased tickets mean little when the weather goes down in Jomsom and your plane doesn't fly. You then have to find another way or go on the stand-by list (with all the other stranded trekkers for the next flight out. Give yourself time to walk out. Don't book flights or other trips (ie rafting trips) for at least several days after you are supposed to fly out. We thought that giving ourselves 3 days between our trek and rafting trip was plenty of time, but we were lucky to get out in time for the rafting trip. If you don't fancy walking out then carry extra cash or traveller's cheques for such emergencies. I didn't envy the few people who were in the unfortunate situation of having tight deadlines but no options.
Marie Tarrant and Harling Park (Nov 97)

: תויצקרטאו הכישמ ידקומ

When visiting the Royal Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal, venture down to the slow-flowing river in the main township at lunchtime to seize an amazing opportunity. Around 12pm a couple of the elephants are brought down for their daily scrub in the shallows and if you ask politely the drivers are more than happy for you to join in. They encourage the elephants to spray you with water. It is a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with these placid creatures and it was an event that our 7 year old son will not forget in a hurry.
Rosemarie Milsom (Mar 99)

For a long while it looked like we would never make it up to Jumla (way up in the Himalayas where there is snow all year - 12000 feet) as booking a flight seemed to be about as difficult as getting an appointment with the King ! Eventually however, we were able to go by bus as far as Surkhet (six hours) and then by cargo flight up to Jumla from there. We sat in the tiny Cessna amongst boxes of noodles and bags of rice as we skimmed over the ridges of the ranges. It was awe inspiring. Reading Jumla and seeing pine smothered mountains around the valley was fantastic. How we enjoyed the freshness of the mountain air. It was really a special time for us - we had been finding life very tough - and to see again the difference that International Nepal Fellowship (INF) and us within that organisation can make was challenging and refreshing. Andrew trained six Health Post workers in oral health care, all turned out to be very well motivated and "good with their hands" which is important when you are extracting teeth. Many patients came, some from as far as three days walk away. The poverty was horrifying, children were naked and what clothes their parents had were universally patched and over patched - all in shades of grey and black. It was striking after the gaudy colour of Nepalgunj, to see people looking as if every hint of colour had been stripped from them. In a way it was true, every hint of ease and comfort is absent from their lives. As subsistence farmers on harsh land where crop yields are low and the birth rate high, there is never enough food to go around.
We saw plenty of malnourished children and one baby in particular looked like she had only a matter of weeks left. In fact Andrew did an operation on the mother of that baby and was able to encourage her to take her daughter (number five) to her Heal Post where the worker can find a wet nurse for it. Of course that will only happen if they find someone of the right caste to do it. Then we walked out to visit some of the Health Posts that these workers are staffing and were appalled to see the level of destitution out of the Jumla bazaar. Jumla bazaar has no vegetables and nothing really to buy in the way of food, yet these villages were even poorer. The Health Posts had just received their 1997 box of medicines to dispense, some of which will be out of date or un-useable by now. There are only enough medicines to last for three or four months anyway. The situation is bleak but INF keep on plugging away training the staff to make the system and their skills work better. At least the dental instruments that they have now learnt to use will never go off and will be used safely and well.
Sara Bottomley (Aug 98)

In Pashupatinath is one special attraction: "The Willy Man." This man can do very special things with his willy. He can carry 60kg stones and can even throw them away. You can discuss about it or this is the right place to demonstrate it but with so many tourists coming here, her surely makes a lot of money. In fact his show is not too spectacular and it doesn't last very long. You really have to pay attention otherwise you might have missed it completely. Bargain hard and make sure find more people to join you. Depending on the size of the group he will do it for Rs50 to Rs100. The result is always the same: screaming women and men with pain on their faces. It is very easy to find him: just ask anybody for the willy man.
Bram Halzebos - Netherlands

Get to Durbar Square in Kathmandu early between 9 and 10:30 to see the market where there are wonderful fresh vegies brought in by bike from the neighbouring villages and a lively atmosphere. There are excellent photo opportunities. If you go in on a Saturday morning then you'll witness the worshipping of the various statues in the square and the sale of the garland to be draped over them.
Alison Wolsey - UK (Jan 98)

Nothing could prepare me for Jumla. It negates almost every known concept of western life - a place of perpetual thought, an outpost of human civilisation that had forgotten why it was there. It reverses the individual who arrives, twists them, disturbs them, and then grows on the them. To this day I cannot explain how the sight of Junla excited me when I passed over that last hill.
John Zande - Australia (Dec 97)

: הרובחת

Don't buy a ticket if you're going straight from Pokhare to Varanasi by bus. You will always have to wait along the border. The bus will not leave again until the next day, which means you'll need to find accomodation for the night.
The best and quickest moving deal when leaving Nepal to Varanasi is to catch the morning bus from Pokhara to the border. Walk across and buy a public bus ticket to Gorakhpur (takes 4 hours) and then buy a train ticket for the night. Don't buy the train ticket at the Nepali-border! The train will arrive early in the morning, and if you want to travel onwards, there is plenty of time before the train reservations reopen in Varanasi, so you'll be the first one to buy a ticket.
Nienke Groen, The Netherlands (March 99)

: םילכונ - תוריהז

Theft seems to be a chronic problem at Kathmandu airport. I had my medical kit stolen from the top of my pack, and virtually everyone I spoke with during my stay complained of similar events. When leaving Nepal, we duct taped the cords and clips that allow for access to the main compartment of our packs, and this seemed to work well.
Dan Kalafatas, USA (Apr 99)

I did a trek to Muktinath which was indescribably beautiful. I was extremely fortunate to have a guide that truly loved the area and showed me sides of life I know many others missed (especially those trekking alone). One thing I would warn others is of the dangers of trekking alone. On several occasions my guide went out of his way to intercept people to redirect them to correct routes; on one occasion two girls were heading off into the known danger areas leading to Ghorepani and another person, disoriented in the forest, was walking back from Jomson alone coming onto dusk. I really do not understand why people take such risks in what is a beatufil but also treachourous area when you consider the extremely reasonable cost of a good guide and porter.
Kaye Hill, Australia (Feb 99)

On my web site I discuss the trafficking of Nepalese girls and the sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation of tourists. The latter is obviously on a much smaller scale. I suggest people check my web site:
http://www.blue-fox.com/nepal
for a greater insight into this, and be wary of claims made to the contrary - quite possibly instigated by parties who would prefer not to know about the abuse of women and who fear financial loss. It is important that women are not only warned about the problem, but that known offenders are removed from tourism. This will not only create vacancies for more trustworthy people, but will remove any threat to the businesses of trekking operators who are genuinely reliable towards all visitors to Nepal.
Helen Brown, Thorn Tree (Dec 98)

Some Indian guys running a gem shop in Kathmandu proposed a "business deal" which consisted of me taking $5000 worth of rubies back to Canada. I would then receive $5000 cash. They said that as a Canadian citizen, I am not subject to duties for gems. They took me out for drinks and to their house for dinner stressing how a successful business relationship is based on trust. I would have to pay US$300 insurance. Canadian Customs informed me that absolutely no Canadian can bring any amount of gems into the country duty-free. These guys are very slick and come across as extremely friendly.
Zoltan Tompa (May 98)