Trekking in Nepal - By the Numbers

In a mountain range described by superlatives, some numbers are appropriate.

Number of trekkers in the group - 10
Number of guides - 5
Number of porters - 7
Total kilometers hiked - 300
Days of hiking - 20
Highest pass - 5413 m
Number crossing highest pass each day - 200+
Second highest pass - 5100 m
Size of local bottles of beer - 660 ml
Manaslu circuit - 170 km
Annapurna circuit - 130 km
Highest, largest lake at - 4900 m
Most gain in one day - 1000 m
Most loss in one day - 1700 m
Highest mountain along route - Mt Manaslu at 8156 m
Mt Manaslu's ranking - 8th highest

Number of prayer flags adorning passes, gompas, temples, monasteries - uncountable

The Last Leg

After waiting in KTM for 3 hours to leave, after a very quick 3-hour flight to Guangzhou, China, after sitting around there for 9 hours, and after a long 11-hour flight to Vancouver, it's down to the weather in Trail and the last hour flight to get into the Kootenays.  Neither Trail nor Castlegar airports have instrument landing systems so it all hinges on the weather.  Can the pilots see the hills and the airport?

After 5 weeks away I found myself nearly using my filtered water to drink and brush my teeth.  Habits practiced for weeks in a third world country where you really couldn't drink the tap water.

It's also the first time in weeks that I've seen cloudy skies...and rain??  What's that?  BC is saying welcome home.

Postscript: our Pacific Coastal flight just made it into Trail.  We flew in a complete whiteout from Vancouver, only dropping out of the cloud and fog right over Castlegar.  The pilot then flew us down the valley just over the Columbia River right to Trail.  Pretty impressive.  The drive home was wet but uneventful.  It's nice to be home.

Kathmandu - The Last Day

We arrived in Nepal 5 weeks ago, late at night, and finally it's almost time to leave, again late at night, in just a few hours.

The time remaining until our flight leaves will be the worst.  I don't especially like waiting and there is not much to do.  I've had one slow walk down some now-familiar streets, taking in the market scenes and smells, the crowds of people picking up their produce for the day, the merchants laying out their goods on blankets on the side of the lane.  Jackets, sandals, plastic flip-flops in a rainbow of colors, potatoes, root crops, pants, flashlights, blankets, flowers, belts, oil cookers with cooking dough balls, incense sticks, prayer flags....  There seems to be nothing you can't get here.

Women and some men making their offerings at various shrines.  Some in prayer, some arranging flowers, some laying out small amounts of rice, a piece of banana, some flower petals.  The ritual motions of the generations.  As you walk along the street you sometimes almost step on a small bowl with some rice and flowers on the stones just outside a doorway.  More gifts to the deities.

Some people look at you curiously, most ignore you.  On some of these streets I'm the only Caucasian in sight.  I try to be discrete as I take pictures.  I almost feel like I'm intruding but I want to remember these scenes.

The tourist streets seem quiet today.  I don't know if this is because of the upcoming election or not.  I've read reports that reservations are down because visitors are concerned about potential trouble in the days leading up to the vote.  And there has been some.  Not that we'd notice here.  I can imagine reservations ate down though.  We canceled one hike and are heading home early because of the strike calls.  Nothing like driving away business for your country just to make a political statement.

We made one last visit to Durbar Square.  The whole scene there is very interesting, between the various merchants, the taxi and rickshaw drivers and all the people.  For awhile I just sat on the steps of one of the temples but a particularly persistent wanna-be guide just would not shut up and go away.  Rather than be rude, I said I had to leave and I left.

I wandered through some more streets and eventually found a quiet courtyard behind the nearby bakery where I enjoyed a snack.  We kill more time with a beer in the sun at our hotel.  I write.  Time passes.  Soon we can go for supper and then it will be time to leave after getting some treats from the bakery to help pass the time during our layover in Guangzhou.

It's been interesting Nepal.  I hope your corrupt politicians and dysfunctional political system get sorted.  I hope your 122 political parties can find a way to work together for the good of the country.  It's been a place I wanted to experience and now I have.

Cell Phones - Nepali Style

I'm a relative neophyte when it comes to cell phones, but I've used one here in Nepal more than the total of my whole experience with the devices.  It's a pity service providers in Canada couldn't learn from how Nepal carriers do things.  For example:

The sim card costs about $1.  In Canada it can cost between $10 and $20.  Seriously, this is a small chip on a card that goes into your phone.

Recharge cards are available literally everywhere.  It takes seconds to enter the card's code and get extra minutes on your phone.  They are available in amounts from 50 to 500 NRs, the equivalent of 50 cents to $5.

I didn't need a "plan".  Just a sim and some time.  No minimum use or cost each month.

The big difference is price.  Calls in Nepal are about 3 cents a minute and calls overseas are about the same.  I could call Canada and talk for half an hour for less than $1.  How about that Telus?

I was unable to determine the cost for text messages.  I just know it was very cheap.

I won't compare coverage.  Nepal is a small country with Canada's population.  Coverage was pretty good.  Poor or no coverage in the mountains, but that's not surprising.

On ease of use and cost, cell use in Nepal wins hands down.

Nepal - The Final Days 4

We down to the final hours in Nepal.  I've been just strolling the lanes and squares trying to absorb as much of the atmosphere as possible before I leave.  Random observations:

A crowd of people in Durbar square, at the figure of Black Bhairab, Shiva in his most fearsome form, with 6 arms, a garland of skulls and trampling a corpse (symbolizing human ignorance).  Legend is that telling a lie while standing in front of the Black Bhairab will result in instant death.  It was used in trial by ordeal at one time.  This morning, worshippers were making their morning offerings and prayers, lighting prayer candles.  I saw no instant deaths.

A woman in the square with a prostrate calf, one obviously well past its last legs, twitching and letting out the occasional pitiful moo.  Not sure where this was headed for anyone other than the calf.

People buying corn to feed the pigeons.

Seen walking down Freak Street, one fellow who really looked like he belonged there.

My last plate of steamed veg momos.  A kind shopkeeper let me in early, before opening time, to sip beer and wait until the momos were ready.

Shopkeepers sweeping their steps and washing down the entrance to their establishment.  General cleanliness is certainly better now than it was when we first arrived.  Probably a lack of religious festivals that can bring almost everything to a halt seems to have helped.

A political march complete with drums and cymbals.  This party using the umbrella symbol.

Another party with supporters crowding a bus and a noisy band on top, seated on the luggage rack.

People wading in the river shoveling up the muck from the bottom, amongst the other floating garbage.

Today seemed quiet as I wandered around.  Fewer vehicles, fewer people meandering the lanes of Thamel.  With a couple of t-shirts and a coffee cup, I've finished my shopping.  Now it's down to packing and waiting.

Gridlock in Thamel

Most of our time in KTM has been spent in the neighborhood of Thamel.  This is part of the old city and its streets were laid out well before the era of the motor vehicle.  Where newer streets are at least a few lanes wide, in Thamel, they are often only a narrow lane wide.  This makes them well suited to pedestrian traffic but not to the motor vehicles that now try to use those streets.

Cars keep trying to force their way down these narrow streets, honking incessantly, forcing people walking to the curb, such as it is.  Motorbikes weave in and out adding their horns to the din.

From a pedestrian's perspective, it's annoying and somewhat dangerous.  From a driver's perspective I can't imagine the point of trying to navigate such narrow streets that are so clogged with people, not to mention other vehicles.  Is there a frustration level that could ever be reached that would precipitate a change in behaviour?

If any single vehicle stops, everyone else does too.  There is no other place to go.  We witnessed such a situation yesterday on our way back to our hotel.  It's not exactly like rush hour on the Deerfoot, but one wonders if drivers ever come to the conclusion that a vehicle simply doesn't belong in such a situation and is more trouble than it's worth.

We were being dropped off the other evening and rather than be part of the silliness of a car negotiating Thamel's lanes, we asked to be let out near the outer edges.  Frankly, walking is faster and far more enjoyable.  Our hosts were surprised but they did as we asked.

It might be a place to mention that pedestrians get NO consideration, anywhere.  Crosswalks mean nothing.  You cross when you can, dodging through streams of traffic.  If there are enough people crossing, a critical mass, as it were, I have seen vehicles stop.  Apparently the only alternative to mowing down a whole group of people.  It does take a leap of faith to believe it will happen, though.  I will say that if you walk in a consistent direction and at a steady, predictable speed, motorbikes will weave around you.  They usually aren't going that fast, but....

I've learned to interpret the horn as a demand to move.  Vehicles have priority. It's a common attitude, even in our own cities, where drivers regularly curse cyclists and where certain civic officials have suggested getting rid of bike lanes.  It's not an attitude that seems to be changing very fast.

Nepal - The Final Days 3

Patan & Another Durbar Square

Today we had set aside for a long walk south of Thamel to the city of Patan, just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu.  Not that there is much distinction between the two places.

Patan also has a Durbar (or palace) square which also has World Heritage status so it seemed worth the walk to see.

It took about an hour to get south of the open sewer that is the Bagmati River and then a bit more time to walk across Patan to where the square is, following more partly finished roadworks, past various embassies and apartments.

As squares go, it's quite nice.  Smaller than KTM's Durbar Square, and less busy.  There was one particularly busy Hindu temple but as non-Hindu's, we were not allowed inside.  Other than the several wanna-be guides who tried in vain to attach themselves to us, it was quite pleasant.  I wouldn't want to be cynical, but I've decided that anyone who approaches us and wants to strike up a conversation really just wants to sell us something.  It seems to happen dozens to times each day.

Of course, this is testament to the high unemployment rate among young people in Nepal.  One source puts it at close to 50%.  Small wonder they are pursuing western tourists.

We had lunch in a cafe overlooking the square.

We spent some time finding some other temples in the vicinity, but I was getting decidedly templed out.  I guess there are only so many temples that I need to see.  One, though, had several prayer ceremonies being held.  Lots of flowers, a very smoky fire, collections of offerings for the deities, bells being rung to alert the deities that offerings had been made...

On the walk back to Thamel, we passed through Patan's city gate, crossed the garbage choked Bagmati River again and eventually found our way back to our hotel.  Nice to have a refuge.

I continue to marvel at the traffic, how pedestrians never get the right of way, at the crowds of people, at the goat being led up the sidewalk.  It's all part of the experience that is Kathmandu.