5 October 1989 Stayed overnight with my brother in Wokingham and caught the 9:45 train to Gatwick. Arrived to find no mention of the flight which turned out to be the inaugural direct flight London-Kathmandu for Royal Nepal Airlines with the Nepal King's cousin as pilot, booking through BA desks.
6 October In the queue we found ourselves next to the proprietors of Roama Travel who organised trekking holidays whose brochure we had seen before deciding to do it alone. They were teachers, who else had the holiday time to get familiar enough with an exotic destination to turn their interest into a business. They were seeing their son off on his first visit, his sister who lived in Kathmandu had been the firm's representative in Nepal for five years.
Armed only with the 5th Edition of the Lonely Planet of Kathmandu and the Kingdom of Nepal, then just 140 A5 pages including two pictures, a cartoon and a few hand sketched maps - compare that with today's 1000 page juggernauts! But it was full of vital information for travelers. More than a little nervous on our first venture to foreign parts without even having booked accommodation, we were relieved to hear the Roama Travel owner conceded we were doing it the best way. He even proffered details of suitable accommodation near Thamel, not in fact followed up initially - though we did check it out later.
Eventually took off at 12:00 and it being the inaugural flight were all given champagne to celebrate. We stopped at Frankfurt for an hour to pick up extra passengers who took many of the occupied seats whilst we were still in the airport. It looked like a booking crisis but there were seats for all and the upset was soon forgiven with a second serving of champagne.
On arrival in Kathmandu I changed £50 at 45 Rupees/£ and escaping a mad scramble for custom from touts we broke away and boarded a bus into the city for just 15r. However a young boy with a card for Nepal Peace Cottage pursued us onto the bus and showed us to place our rucksacks on the large diesel engine. We agreed to see his hotel first so we all got off near the Rami Rokari temple where he bundled us and two young English lads into a taxi, our rucksacks protruding from the boot. The taxi hurtled into incredibly medieval back streets of old Kathmandu and we were discharged at Chetrapati a short walk from the hotel.
We were shown and accepted a large double room with little besides a comfortable clean bed, a shower and toilet for 10$ a night plus another 4$ for two breakfasts in a quiet location just beyond Thamel with a roof garden overlooking a small paddy field.
The lad then tried to persuade us to take a trek with the Sherpa Trekking agency at 24$/day all inclusive including sherpas and tents. A Pokara - Muktinath in the Annapurna Range would take 16 days. Wisely we did not accept at the time but the next day met fellow travellers who had paid 26$/day. They had been advised to camp as the Tea Houses would be full at the height of he season.
At night we explored Thamel a favourite backpacker centre at first without locating the street of restaurants then we discovered Le Bistro but they were full and eventually ate at Narayans which was highly recommended by the Lonely Planet (LP). We had lasagna, a spinach, mushroom and cheese pancake and a beer for 110r (£2.50) which was deliciously made of fresh ingredients the taste of the eggs being particularly outstanding. We spoke to a Tibetan practicing his English who recommended New My Place where the next day I had the special, Tomato Soup, 6oz steak and chips, apple pie and tea for 60r. Joan had spring rolls and a superb vegetable biriani for 38r.
Sunday 8 October
Kathmandu was a huge culture shock quite unlike anything we had seen before the streets teeming with life, happy children but some were collecting plastic bags from large rubbish bins and a mixture of adults some looking ill, very impoverished and unhappy.
The centre Durbar Square was full of life and lots of temples, it was not long before we discovered temples were all over the old city.
What a day of shopping was to followed. First we passed an interesting street market but soon learned not to dare look at any item without being deluged in bargaining from stall holders in front to the crowds behind. Nevertheless we did buy one interesting ornament on sale everywhere, a toy made of interconnected straight wire sections which could be assembled into a variety of 3D shapes eg a Lotus flower. Initially bought at a stall for 10r though initially offered for 20r, but later on we were asked 100r and even 150r for the same device by passing sellers who when offered 10r they walked off - so we had got the price right.
In contrast we were the only tourists in the colourful market near Rami Likari, the main trade being live chickens and ducks carried in wicker baskets, and saris and made up clothes. We bought a woven table cloth for 200r bargained down from 255r.
Next to the shops, pricing bags for around 100r, trousers 90/95r and the heaviest yak wool sweaters for 450r. Then jewellery with pendants at 30/50r in amethyst, ruby, sapphire and moonstone.
Then a demonstration of special embroidery needles which one stuck repeatedly through the cloth leaving loops which were finally cut off to leave a velvet like finish. She wanted 350r for two such needles and some patterns, but before we could start bargaining a very determined man insisted in trying to sell me a Gurka knife and followed us around eventually offering it for 150r having started at 600r. It was a beautiful knife in a brass decorated holster and he was desperate to sell it to get money for the festival. Later we were followed by a man with three lovely statues carved from yak bone he started at 600 but eventually offered them for 180r. Those we would probably purchased had he not made such a nuisance of himself, he too was desperate to sell.
The festival action was obviously at the Monkey Temple Swayambhunath where crowds were picnicking.
Monday 9 Oct
The weather has changed to dull and rainy. Start to think we need to get organised or all four weeks of this extra long annual holiday will slip by. Offered a 9 day trek, Tea House or organised cam[ing for 24$ a day or 40$ a day for a 16 day trek to Muktinath, reduced on bargaining to 28$.
Went to Durbar Square again then Freak Street which seemed particularly run down, or maybe it was just the thought of all those hippies and drugs! At the Kumari restaurant they would have sold Gateau Basque our long time favourite cake except that it was closed.
Established the Supermarket Bank was only open to change travellers cheques and cash for the next five days but we couldn't change our Eurocheques. We hope to do so soon as we have over committed our available travellers cheques, availability of money is becoming a worry, we did however confirm our return air tickets at the Nepal Airlines office.
In the afternoon walked up the very steep steps to the Monkey Temple passed several beggars on the route along with quite a few French and English tourists but far outnumbered by Nepalis.
The centre piece was a central brass sphere with eyes painted above a dome which was white with pigeon droppings on the stucco plaster. All around were shrines and a place with a squat Buddha priest full of candles signs of worship. There were shops selling souvenirs, almost western in style when compared with the hassle of Durbar Square.
We walked off more or less on our own towards the monastory, passed Nepalis boiling a dozen eggs, seemingly picnicking and down to a courtyard where we were admiring the view unaware of the build up of monkeys.
The red arsed monkeys started to fight amongst themselves the suddenly turned on us. Terrified Joan ran off screaming as recently advised by David Attenborough for dealing with Baboons leaving me equally terrified as their sole target. I escaped from the square swinging my only weapon, my new SLR camera, around me. We never forgot that lesson and now rarely think of monkeys as harmless cheeky animals.
That evening we were invited to eat with the hotel manager, sharing a meal with Marion and Johnathan the English couple we had sat next to on the plane and with Sim the Nepali lad who had lead us to Peace Cottage. We ate a meal of dahl sauce, vegetable curry, buffalo meat and rice beer (almost milk coloured with the taste of ginger beer). The buffalo meat looked like beef but tasted sweet. The English couple had been to Patten and were hiring bicycles (14r per day or 55r for a mountain bike) intending to ride to Baktapur the next day. We showed them the embroidery needles we had bought for 25r having been pursued for a man originally offering them for 250r. In the final transaction I noticed he had switched the original silver needles for cheaper ones and I insisted on the originals. He was clearly dismayed and on reflection I knew I had driven too hard a bargain and felt bad about it, but he did try to trick me.
Several times when bargaining in Asia I have felt ashamed - they are so desperate for ready money they will sell at a loss if pushed too far. More recently I remember bargaining for a lovely leather belt in a market near Cusco in Peru when the feisty young woman, who had done the leather work beautifully, took me to task for exploiting my position of power as a rich tourist, and I suddenly settled for near the original asking price.
That night it rained and poured making us thankful we were not trekking in a tent. But morning brought a beautiful sunny day.
10 October
After a panic thinking we might have lost a passport we finally managed to changed travellers cheques and armed with the equivalent of £140 and 50$ went to the market and bought bananas. I remember thinking carefully about the safe way to eat such fruit, the banana itself was fine but how to avoid contamination from the well handled skin hence peeling with one hand leaving the other pristine, a sure sign we were newcomers to Asia fearing the worst from food.
We were uncertain which bus to take to Bhaktapur being unable to decipher the names on the buses so walked back to the main road and caught a crowded trolley bus.
The trolley dropped us on the main road at the junction, but it was a pleasant 30 minute walk into town.
Our LP guide said Bhaktapur was the dirtiest though the most authentic of the local towns but we found it far more attractive than Kathmandu, cleaner, with none of the hassle and a very interesting layout of spacious squares with impressive temples. We had tea with the rest of the Europeans at a cafe in their Durbar Square.
There was a big collection of dropped handlebar bicycles which turned out to belong to an English cycling club on a 21 day tour of Nepal. The bikes had come as luggage on Bangladesh Air flight to Dacca. A young traveller started to play bongos well sitting at the top of the stairway to the biggest temple and soon attracted a large Nepali crowd.
A procession from a local church was led by a steel band with pipes, they held a service outside a temple with music. Nepalis far outnumbered European tourists. We bought a jacket to take back for our daughter Judy paying 225r having bargained down from 300r, there was none of the huge x10 price rip off we had observed in Kathmandu.
At the trolley station we bought 8 guavas, the first we had eaten, for 5r from an old lady. The return trolley was just as overfull but this time we made contact with the locals especially an eleven year old schoolgirl speaking excellent English with a near perfect accent, she had been learning it for seven years, ie from the very onset of schooling. A waiter from a guest house was anxious to talk to us but was unfortunately difficult to understand.
A long walk back to our Nepal Peace Cottage guest house followed by dinner at New My Place. Spring Rolls filled with cashew nuts and steak. I recorded that Joan started the meal feeling sick, then burped and was magically cured.
Wed 11 Oct Record illustrates concern over whether we had brought sufficient convertible funds having paid 16x24$ or 768$ for the 16 day trek. This was for two porters and a guide.
At breakfast we meet a 30+year old Englishman just up from Delhi who was going to door the entire Annapurna Round on his own.
Today's task was to purchase our trekking permits which each cost 90r/day plus 200r for entrance to the Annapurna Conversation Park making a total of 940r or nearly 34$. Leaving just 200r/day (just over 7$/day) for costs during trek.
Getting the permit was itself an all day experience. The Immigration Office opened at 10am and officially closed at 2pm. We arrived at 11:45 to find the large room crowded and only slowly established that there were in fact two queues, one for the Bank and the other for the Permits. By 13:30 we had actually got application forms at the door and by 2pm had got passed the door but had seen little movement! The arrival of overtime did the trick they distributed actual permits for us to fill in and by 3:45 but we were told to return at 6pm to pick up our passports and permits. Which we did but ours almost the last weren't received until 7:45! Had we arrived later that morning we would probably have to try again the next day.
Whilst waiting we had chatted to a Swiss coupled who had hired two porters for a party of four for 4$/day to trek right around Annapurna from Demre staying at T-houses anticipating it to take 28days including four rest days.
Dinner again at New My Place for the Nepali special of Baht(rice), Dahl spiced with ginger, Takari (a vegetable curry) with Dahi (yogurt), Pappari (poppodoms), Rorti (Nan type bread and Khakatorw marn (chicken curry).
12 Oct
We talked to a Scottish limousine driver who was also intending to do the Round on his own, hiring a guide if needed on the higher ground for about 60r/day including food. He thought hiring guides here in Kathmandu cost more the twice that at about 5$ per day. He had the Lonely Planet Trekking in the Nepal Himalayas, we had not then thought to get a copy since we were unsure that we would be trekking. In hindsight we could have got round in the 16+ days we had available had we been faster off the mark.
He had also made plans for a 5 day four nights with Happy Hops for 130$ including two days rafting and another two days in Chitwan game park.
On finishing an assignment in Jordan he had spent six months with his wife in South America using local transport starting from Bogata, safe and no problems.
The rest of the day we spent at Patan going by crowded bus for 1.25r and walked to the centre which was again full of temples. A young boy and an old man guided us round the Golden Temple
The boy then proposed a guided trip around town. He had excellent English and was a good guide though we considered we had paid him far too much, far more than his father could earn for working day - though I would be less harsh in judgement these days.
He took us round the Buddhist temples and told us those who killed animals would return as such in their incarnation, those who don't give to the hungry return in the next life with necks unable to swallow.
The market was good, without too much pressure we bought several pendants in brass and silver. We also saw a workshop where a man was making educational balancing toys in wood of the type Galt made famous in the UK where we bought a set of elephants and monkeys. Finally we bought hand made cards incorporating double sided paintings on cloth.
That evening in Kathmandu we went to the Utse restaurant and had a great Chinese meal, soup or spring roll, sweet and sour pork, chicken with mushroom and bamboo shoots, rice, apple pie, Fanta and a large pot of tea.
We were sharing a table with two German students and enjoyed an excellent conversation, they had spent six weeks in India and were starting another two in Nepal. They recommended Kashmir and Rajastan, though the girl confessed to taking three weeks to get used to the culture change though ended up loving it. Though they had found it very difficult to find cheap accommodation which was also clean. They had now found good accommodation in Kathmandu for 75r/night, though had started less satisfactorily. Their highlight in India had been a week on a houseboat in Kashmir for 150r/week including good meals, a few years later political disputes between India and Pakistan had rendered that once tradition a rare practice. Their whole eight weeks would have cost.
On return from the Utse restaurant an incident was pleasantly remembered, for Shyam tapped my arm hoping to make me jump. He took us to his his simple room, about 12 foot square with a simple lino floor covering, his clothes hung from a line across one corner and there was a simple table with a primus stove for cooking. There were two young friends with him both mountain guides working for the Yeti agency. He insisted I took a photograph with him in front of beds of tulips, not real tulips but simply an artificial back cloth from a photographic studio. He also gave us his full name and hoped we would recommend him.
His
ambition was to own a guest house which would cost around a million
rupees (£20,000) but at a salary of 600r per month that seemed an
impossible dream. He did not get commission from neither Nepal Peace
cottage or as an assist in the selling of our trek.
6 October In the queue we found ourselves next to the proprietors of Roama Travel who organised trekking holidays whose brochure we had seen before deciding to do it alone. They were teachers, who else had the holiday time to get familiar enough with an exotic destination to turn their interest into a business. They were seeing their son off on his first visit, his sister who lived in Kathmandu had been the firm's representative in Nepal for five years.
Armed only with the 5th Edition of the Lonely Planet of Kathmandu and the Kingdom of Nepal, then just 140 A5 pages including two pictures, a cartoon and a few hand sketched maps - compare that with today's 1000 page juggernauts! But it was full of vital information for travelers. More than a little nervous on our first venture to foreign parts without even having booked accommodation, we were relieved to hear the Roama Travel owner conceded we were doing it the best way. He even proffered details of suitable accommodation near Thamel, not in fact followed up initially - though we did check it out later.
Eventually took off at 12:00 and it being the inaugural flight were all given champagne to celebrate. We stopped at Frankfurt for an hour to pick up extra passengers who took many of the occupied seats whilst we were still in the airport. It looked like a booking crisis but there were seats for all and the upset was soon forgiven with a second serving of champagne.
On arrival in Kathmandu I changed £50 at 45 Rupees/£ and escaping a mad scramble for custom from touts we broke away and boarded a bus into the city for just 15r. However a young boy with a card for Nepal Peace Cottage pursued us onto the bus and showed us to place our rucksacks on the large diesel engine. We agreed to see his hotel first so we all got off near the Rami Rokari temple where he bundled us and two young English lads into a taxi, our rucksacks protruding from the boot. The taxi hurtled into incredibly medieval back streets of old Kathmandu and we were discharged at Chetrapati a short walk from the hotel.
We were shown and accepted a large double room with little besides a comfortable clean bed, a shower and toilet for 10$ a night plus another 4$ for two breakfasts in a quiet location just beyond Thamel with a roof garden overlooking a small paddy field.
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| View of NEXT DOOR from rooftop of NEPAL PEACE COTTAGE |
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| WASHING in THAMEL |
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| WASHING in THAMEL |
Sunday 8 October
Kathmandu was a huge culture shock quite unlike anything we had seen before the streets teeming with life, happy children but some were collecting plastic bags from large rubbish bins and a mixture of adults some looking ill, very impoverished and unhappy.
The centre Durbar Square was full of life and lots of temples, it was not long before we discovered temples were all over the old city.
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| THE BUTCHERS IN THAMEL |
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| MAIN MARKET KATHMANDU |
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| MAIN MARKET KATHMANDU, DUCK for SALE |
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| GOATS TAKEN TO MARKET to sell for FESTIVAL |
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| MAIN STREET of MODERN KATHMANDU NEAR BUS STATION |
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| HOUSE DECORATION IN OLD KATHMANDU |
Next to the shops, pricing bags for around 100r, trousers 90/95r and the heaviest yak wool sweaters for 450r. Then jewellery with pendants at 30/50r in amethyst, ruby, sapphire and moonstone.
Then a demonstration of special embroidery needles which one stuck repeatedly through the cloth leaving loops which were finally cut off to leave a velvet like finish. She wanted 350r for two such needles and some patterns, but before we could start bargaining a very determined man insisted in trying to sell me a Gurka knife and followed us around eventually offering it for 150r having started at 600r. It was a beautiful knife in a brass decorated holster and he was desperate to sell it to get money for the festival. Later we were followed by a man with three lovely statues carved from yak bone he started at 600 but eventually offered them for 180r. Those we would probably purchased had he not made such a nuisance of himself, he too was desperate to sell.
The festival action was obviously at the Monkey Temple Swayambhunath where crowds were picnicking.
Monday 9 Oct
The weather has changed to dull and rainy. Start to think we need to get organised or all four weeks of this extra long annual holiday will slip by. Offered a 9 day trek, Tea House or organised cam[ing for 24$ a day or 40$ a day for a 16 day trek to Muktinath, reduced on bargaining to 28$.
Went to Durbar Square again then Freak Street which seemed particularly run down, or maybe it was just the thought of all those hippies and drugs! At the Kumari restaurant they would have sold Gateau Basque our long time favourite cake except that it was closed.
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| APPROACHING DURBAR SQUARE |
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| APPROACHING DURBAR SQUARE |
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| DURBAR SQUARE KATHMANDU |
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| DURBAR SQUARE, KATHMANDU |
In the afternoon walked up the very steep steps to the Monkey Temple passed several beggars on the route along with quite a few French and English tourists but far outnumbered by Nepalis.
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| SWAYAMBHUNATH or MONKEY TEMPLE |
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| VIEW OF KATHMANDU from MONKEY TEMPLE |
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| ATTRACTIVE RED ARSED MONKEYS - BEFORE THEY STARTED FIGHTING |
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| VIEW OF RIVER FROM BRIDGE leading back to THAMEL |
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VIEW OF RIVER FROM BRIDGE leading back to THAMEL |
Several times when bargaining in Asia I have felt ashamed - they are so desperate for ready money they will sell at a loss if pushed too far. More recently I remember bargaining for a lovely leather belt in a market near Cusco in Peru when the feisty young woman, who had done the leather work beautifully, took me to task for exploiting my position of power as a rich tourist, and I suddenly settled for near the original asking price.
That night it rained and poured making us thankful we were not trekking in a tent. But morning brought a beautiful sunny day.
10 October
After a panic thinking we might have lost a passport we finally managed to changed travellers cheques and armed with the equivalent of £140 and 50$ went to the market and bought bananas. I remember thinking carefully about the safe way to eat such fruit, the banana itself was fine but how to avoid contamination from the well handled skin hence peeling with one hand leaving the other pristine, a sure sign we were newcomers to Asia fearing the worst from food.
We were uncertain which bus to take to Bhaktapur being unable to decipher the names on the buses so walked back to the main road and caught a crowded trolley bus.
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| TROLLEY BUS TERMINAL IN KATHMANDU |
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| LEAVING TROLLEY STOP at BHAKTAPUR |
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| WALK INTO BHAKTAPUR |
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| ENTRANCE TO BHAKTAPUR |
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| DURBAR SQUARE BHAKTAPUR |
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| BONGO PLAYING TRAVELLER ATTRACTS CROWD |
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| BHAKTAPUR TEMPLES |
At the trolley station we bought 8 guavas, the first we had eaten, for 5r from an old lady. The return trolley was just as overfull but this time we made contact with the locals especially an eleven year old schoolgirl speaking excellent English with a near perfect accent, she had been learning it for seven years, ie from the very onset of schooling. A waiter from a guest house was anxious to talk to us but was unfortunately difficult to understand.
A long walk back to our Nepal Peace Cottage guest house followed by dinner at New My Place. Spring Rolls filled with cashew nuts and steak. I recorded that Joan started the meal feeling sick, then burped and was magically cured.
Wed 11 Oct Record illustrates concern over whether we had brought sufficient convertible funds having paid 16x24$ or 768$ for the 16 day trek. This was for two porters and a guide.
At breakfast we meet a 30+year old Englishman just up from Delhi who was going to door the entire Annapurna Round on his own.
Today's task was to purchase our trekking permits which each cost 90r/day plus 200r for entrance to the Annapurna Conversation Park making a total of 940r or nearly 34$. Leaving just 200r/day (just over 7$/day) for costs during trek.
Getting the permit was itself an all day experience. The Immigration Office opened at 10am and officially closed at 2pm. We arrived at 11:45 to find the large room crowded and only slowly established that there were in fact two queues, one for the Bank and the other for the Permits. By 13:30 we had actually got application forms at the door and by 2pm had got passed the door but had seen little movement! The arrival of overtime did the trick they distributed actual permits for us to fill in and by 3:45 but we were told to return at 6pm to pick up our passports and permits. Which we did but ours almost the last weren't received until 7:45! Had we arrived later that morning we would probably have to try again the next day.
Whilst waiting we had chatted to a Swiss coupled who had hired two porters for a party of four for 4$/day to trek right around Annapurna from Demre staying at T-houses anticipating it to take 28days including four rest days.
Dinner again at New My Place for the Nepali special of Baht(rice), Dahl spiced with ginger, Takari (a vegetable curry) with Dahi (yogurt), Pappari (poppodoms), Rorti (Nan type bread and Khakatorw marn (chicken curry).
12 Oct
We talked to a Scottish limousine driver who was also intending to do the Round on his own, hiring a guide if needed on the higher ground for about 60r/day including food. He thought hiring guides here in Kathmandu cost more the twice that at about 5$ per day. He had the Lonely Planet Trekking in the Nepal Himalayas, we had not then thought to get a copy since we were unsure that we would be trekking. In hindsight we could have got round in the 16+ days we had available had we been faster off the mark.
He had also made plans for a 5 day four nights with Happy Hops for 130$ including two days rafting and another two days in Chitwan game park.
On finishing an assignment in Jordan he had spent six months with his wife in South America using local transport starting from Bogata, safe and no problems.
The rest of the day we spent at Patan going by crowded bus for 1.25r and walked to the centre which was again full of temples. A young boy and an old man guided us round the Golden Temple
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| ENTRANCE COURTYARD TO GOLDEN TEMPLE |
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| GOLDEN TEMPLE, PATAN? |
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| DURBAR SQUARE PATAN |
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| MAHA BAUDHA PATAN |
The market was good, without too much pressure we bought several pendants in brass and silver. We also saw a workshop where a man was making educational balancing toys in wood of the type Galt made famous in the UK where we bought a set of elephants and monkeys. Finally we bought hand made cards incorporating double sided paintings on cloth.
That evening in Kathmandu we went to the Utse restaurant and had a great Chinese meal, soup or spring roll, sweet and sour pork, chicken with mushroom and bamboo shoots, rice, apple pie, Fanta and a large pot of tea.
We were sharing a table with two German students and enjoyed an excellent conversation, they had spent six weeks in India and were starting another two in Nepal. They recommended Kashmir and Rajastan, though the girl confessed to taking three weeks to get used to the culture change though ended up loving it. Though they had found it very difficult to find cheap accommodation which was also clean. They had now found good accommodation in Kathmandu for 75r/night, though had started less satisfactorily. Their highlight in India had been a week on a houseboat in Kashmir for 150r/week including good meals, a few years later political disputes between India and Pakistan had rendered that once tradition a rare practice. Their whole eight weeks would have cost.
On return from the Utse restaurant an incident was pleasantly remembered, for Shyam tapped my arm hoping to make me jump. He took us to his his simple room, about 12 foot square with a simple lino floor covering, his clothes hung from a line across one corner and there was a simple table with a primus stove for cooking. There were two young friends with him both mountain guides working for the Yeti agency. He insisted I took a photograph with him in front of beds of tulips, not real tulips but simply an artificial back cloth from a photographic studio. He also gave us his full name and hoped we would recommend him.
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| SHYAM |
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