All about the money.....

Today I sat down and went through our online bank account in detail. I did so not out of want, but more so out of boredom seeing as we have to spend the majority of the day hiding inside from the tropical heat!

It made for hilarious reading!!!! I won't go through every detail but I'll break it down country by country...

Thailand (5 weeks) €3,265

Malaysia (2 weeks) €776

Nepal (4 weeks) €1321

India so far.. (2weeks) €409

Thankfully our expenditure has been steadily declining and we are learning how to be more backpacker savvy. Thailand was the real killer, in the first week alone we spent €1000! I don't know what we were doing, that would get us about six weeks travel in India!!

I thought about what has changed in our spending habits and complied a list of the main culprits. Future wanderers take note..this could help you add an extra few months onto your trip!!

Cleaning clothes the good old fashion way ourselves, rather than handing them in to a laundrette. Dancing on a pile of rags in the shower isn't all that bad and you get a strange satisfaction as you watch your underwear dangle proudly from the window latch.

 

 

Replacing rum with water. Sometimes, if the water is cold enough it can be just as thrilling a drink!

 

 

Curb chocoholisim with miniature 10cent bars. I still remember how Eddie McKenna watched in horror as I spent €3 on a small packet of M&M's in Thailand.

 

 

Replacing starbucks coffee (€2.50) with local teas and coffees (20cent).

 

 

Staying in budget accommodation. Our first hotel cost €50 per night, our current guest house costs just €5, and it's not even in squalor!

 

 

Eating two simple meals a day.

 

 

Replacing loo roll with acquired napkins.

 

 

NO travel agent day trips/tours. They cost a bloody fortune and you can easily do things yourself. If you're really thirsty for knowledge you will easily find a local at the entrance who will act as your guide for half the price!.

 

 

Luke shaving his head has significantly reduced our shampoo usage. Taking one for the team, nice one Lukey!

 

 

Skype is a saviour!! We can call home to any landline for like 1.2cent per minute or something mad like that. Cheap and chearful chats :)

 

 

Sussing out family members who are holidaying along your route and crashing said hotel for the duration of their stay. We spent an entire week whizzing down the slide into the Hilton pool and lying back on sun loungers sipping cocktails!!! Nice one Luke's Mammy Mia!!!!!

 

 

On a serious note one of the greatest lessons we have learnt is to ALWAYS haggle on a price before you accept a service/trip/guest house/product/bus ticket etc. Every price in Asia in negotiable. If you're willing to play the game you will receive huge reductions and will not fall prey to the ridiculous tourist extortion racket.

Then all you have to do is shoot for the stars, smile :) and see where you land...

Bye Bye Nepal

I am sitting in the airport getting ready to leave for New Delhi. Abilas met us this morning and came with us to wave us off.We will miss that little guy!

Abilas with his farwell presents!

It feels like we have spent far longer than one month in Nepal, it has really become a second home. The people as so welcoming and friendly and do their best to help in every way possible. We didn't move around so much this time so really got to know lots of the locals..and word travels fast in Kathmandu. There was one guy in particular who was obviously told my name by someone else and would go out of his way to shout at me any time I passed!

Even though we were staying down a very dark lane way which looked very scary at night, we were advised how it is still very safe to walk there as there is a massive presence of 'tourist police.' Basically, if something happens a tourist, or even if there is a bad tourist who accuses a Nepalese person in the wrong, they will get into huge trouble from the tourist police. In all the time I was there I genuinely felt completely safe. They really want to do their best for tourists, a massive 45%of their economy is based of the tourist boom so you can imagine how they want and need to protect this industry.

Nepal is a truly authentic country and oozes in the authenticity which is in depletion in places like Thailand and Malaysia. Driving to the airport today, I was reminded of our drive from the airport to Thamel and how my mouth hung wide open for the entire drive! Culture shock does not explain it!! It really is something that has to be seen.

The one thing I did not grow fond of during my time here is walking around the streets. There are no footpaths so you are walking on the road where there are cars, buses, motorbikes, bicycles and tuk tuks driving straight for you at every angle, hoking their horns furiously for you to get out of their way. It enraged me and I still haven't gotten used to it! That was the only negative for me though. And anyway, what you see when you walk along the roads makes up for the headaches!

I'm not sure if anywhere will ever effect me the way that Nepal has. It was my first experience in a third world country and it is one I will never forget. There is something in Nepal for everyone, trekking, boating, paragliding, shopping, eating...everyone is catered for and I have seen such a huge variety of travellers here to prove it. I have gotten a taste of this beautiful country and I will continue to return for more, I have no doubt about that

It is written everywhere and it is true...

N never

E ending

P peace

A and

L love

visit to Abilas's home

We got to met our Nepalese friend from trekking, Abilas, again today. We were delighted he got in contact as we didn't expect to see him again after trekking. In true Abilas style, he rocked into the hostel at 7am and got us out of bed!!

early morning walk through Kathmandu

We took a rickshaw out to his village which was is about thirty minutes outside of Kathmandu.

 His house is based in a beautiful area that was a complete contrast from the hustle and bustle of the city. Green fields dominate the area which house plantations of barley, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and rice. The clean air left the scent of the growing vegetation linger all around us and we felt like we had reached Havana! It's amazing how we have gotten used to the smog and dust pollutants in the city but coming to the country side made us remember how things should be, and how bad the air quality really is in Kathmandu.

Abilas rents a room which he shares with two of his college friends. The room consisted of a double bed, a single bed, gas stove and a book shelf. So basic but the sense of contentment from them was so genuine and lovely...makes me question why I want and need so much at home.

We took a walk around the village and Abilas brought us to some houses where he is doing some side work as an electrician. Like Abilas's home, everything was very basic and the people were very welcoming.

When we returned to his room he spent some time showing us family photographs and pictures he had received from other trekkers who he has met along the way. His job as a guide/porter is actually very cool because although he is not leaving Nepal it is almost like he is travelling the world as he gets to meet so many different nationalities.

I was looking through his books and he pointed out that he is also learning Chinese, German and studying tourism and hospitality along with economics and accounting....is there anything this guy can't do?!

Next Abilas and his friend started preparing lunch. His landlord came in to say hello to us and erupted into laughter as she saw them trying to figure out how to start the cooking process. When she finally calmed down she took the vegetables and went off to prepare them, arriving back with a beautifully presented plate accompanied by home made hot pickle sauce!

We had a delicious lunch and sat around chatting for a while, laughing and joking about different things and pondering our futures. We took a rickshaw back to Thamel and went to the hostel for a nap...not used to these early mornings any more!!!

This evening there was a huge thunder storm lingering in the air above Kathmandu and so we sat on the roof top and watched the spectacular display.

An impressive natural firework display to ring in the Nepalese New Year :)

an UNBELIEVABLE picture of the chef sitting on the roof caught by Lukey!

Turning 25 :)

Yesterday was the big change of age!! Very strange waking up in another country and still being surprised by presents from home (thanks Mum and Nan!)  Also, one of the perks of being in beautiful Nepal is the fantastic treasure to be found on endless street stalls. As a result I got a fabulous silk pashmina scarf, bracelet and handmade Tibetan earrings from Lukey :)

We spent the day relaxing, drinking coffee and talking on the phone to home. When we returned to the hostel in the evening we were welcomed with a party on the roof top garden! Complete with party food, whiskey and a delicious personalised chocolate cake, it was an unbelievable surprise and I really didn't expect such a night being so far away from home.

Perfect example of the generous and hospitable Nepalese people and reaffirms that we found a perfect haven here in Shangri-La guest house. I am so grateful that we have met such brilliant people.

I missed the fun and frolicis of home but the powers of facebook mean we are never too far away. I recieved so many lovely messages from my beautiful buddies....cheers guys :)

A very clever present from afar...thank you Anna bee and Blue :)

All in all it was an amazing start to what I'm sure is going to be a great year...here's to being 25 :)

Hippies

We have spent four days in Pokhara before trekking and we have spent another four here since returning. Its a nice town, very touristy but we found a nice guest house to stay in and decided that after 8weeks of yo-yoing across Asia..we needed a rest so we have set up shop here.

We started this trip like energiser bunnies and as a result have started to get a bit tired of moving around. For so long we didn't give ourselves longer than three days staying in one place before jumping to the next. At this stage we are just craving somewhere to settle and chill out!

When I think of what we have done over the past two months it could have easily be spread over four! So we have a new approach now, we are going to take our time and try not move around too much. W spent way more than anticipated at this stage but it's not because we have been treating ourselves, a lot of it is down to rail/bus/ferry/plane tickets and the visas that come with it too. Also, doing all the sightseeing trips on offer is not possible so we have to select what is really important and be happy with that now.

It's a really really good lesson learned.

Anyway, Pokhara baffles me....I have never seen so many hippies in one small location, I just don't understand?!!! Almost every single person has dreads and it dressed in baggy pyjama pants, cotton shirts with waist coat of course and prayer beads..it is an absolute trend and I think it's quite hilarious!

My interpretation of hippies are free spirited people who want to do their best for their surroundings and the people around them. They have no interest in commodities and are content frolicking around in whatever humble threads they stumble upon.
But no, the hippie movement is the biggest trend driven group I have seen since leaving for travelling and it bugs me!

Especially the certain 'hipster' travellers we have met. One guy in particular rocked into our hostel and sat with us when we were having a beer. He wore the afformetioned pants, shirt, waistcoat combo and was wrapped in a huge felt blanket wearing no shoes with peace sign dangling earrings. He had both his hair and beard dreaded and an air about him that suggested he had some sort of humble earthy understanding. He said he came to Nepal from Thailand and I instantly assumed he must have come to Thailand many years ago and became immersed in some hippy commune or something like that. No, turns out he lived in LONDON up until two months ago, and now he is prancing about Asia like one of the lost boys from Peter Pan.

Uuuuuugh.

I have zero tolerance for people altering their persona's when travelling.

Another guy who we met in Malaysia boasted to us how he had travelled from London across Europe for nine months, all the way down through Asia on a budget of £800. Delighted with himself and his chosen 'basic' way of life. I knew that wasn't right at the time and obviously someone was paying out along the way. Then I read this great article this morning by travel writer Rolf Potts and he summed it up beautifully.

"The root of arrogance, it seems, was often money — the lack of which was seen as a sign of true travel experience and virtue. Naturally, this attitude ignored the fact that relative economic prosperity in the West was what enabled all those temporarily jobless young people to travel in the first place.  The Hippie Trail travelers who had money pretended not to, and legends abounded as to how cheaply one could wander across Asia. One storied Englishman is said to have hitched from Damascus to Delhi on just $6. In theory this was indeed a remarkable feat, though it infers that people happily exploited Asian hospitality in order to facilitate subcultural pissing contests. (After all, that storied hitchhiker could well have stayed an extra month in England washing dishes and traveled from Damascus to Delhi in a way that benefited local bus drivers and restaurant owners)."

If you want to read more of this article you can find it here..i really enjoyed it! http://www.vagablogging.net/remembering-the-hippie-trail.html

The hippies I have come across, especially this mass group in Pokhara and not very friendly. I walk alone quite often by the lake and say hello to everyone I pass, just out of politeness, most walkers do. Everyone responds with at least a humble hello...except the hippies who's smokey eyes penetrate right through my non dread locked head.

So I have one thing to say...hippies....get over yourselves. You are now apart of a ridiculous MASS movement and you are hugely different to the older generations of the hippy movements throughout Asia, who you try so hard to replicate. Your haze of mystery is no longer an intrigue and I suggest you all recall who you were before you left your HOME town and try harbour some of that individual once again.

I unfortunately have no photographs to illustrate this piece, as I would not like to give any of these people the illusion that I was in some way interested in them.

Rant over..that one has been brewing for quite a while!

Friday 30th March - day 4 trekking

Tadapani - Nayapul 2670m - 1070m 16km

We woke at 6am to the sound of Abilas's voice calling for Luke! I opened the door and he damanded we get out of bed and come look at the view. We got dressed, shivering, and went outside to meet Abilas. He brought us up a hill nearby. We climbed to the top (more steps) then turned around....there was Annapourna once again, lighting up with the rising sun.

Epic

My belly has been bad since our second day here in Nepal, but I feel particullarly "crap" this morning! I'm sitting in bed at the moment until I feel a bit better then we're setting off for Ghandruk.



Our room in the tea house..really reminded us of Luke's Granny's old cottage

_______________

So we just arrived back in Pokhara! Returned our camping gear a day early and argued until we got back the extra day we had paid for! Sitting in a restaurant now, stinkiy, tired and waiting for food!

We were supposed to split today into two parts but once we started walking we didn't stop! The day was beautiful and peaceful as we made our way down hill. Arriving in Ghandruk was like something from a film. Beautiful village built right on the side of the mountain with a perfect view of Annapourna.

AMAZING forest...could be at home :)

The further we descended however, the more mundane the walk became- no mountains, no forest, direct sunlight, steeply declining rocks and dusty dirt roads.

We started to think we should have broken it into two days but it was too late now!! However, we didn't have it as bad as some people...

porters carrying gear uphill



son carrying his father who was shouting "I am the Lord Buddah!!!!!"

We put our heads down and continued walking and at 4pm we arrived in Nayapul....happy days!!! It wasn't until later that I realised we has walked 16km in total that day...and it bloody felt like we had too!

We climbed through the village up onto the road and there was a bus to Pokhara waiting, it seemed too good to be true. Sort of was, it was the scariest bus jounrey yet! The driver was doing about 60mph, thundering down dusty roads on the cliff face. He hit four different bumps that actually made us raise from our seats - like something you'd see in a cartoon! I hit my jaw off Luke's shoulder one of the times and it bloody hurt!

I was pretty sure we were going to become a statistic.

But thankfully, we made it back in perfect condition! We're going to buy a bottle of whiskey now and have a well deserved drink to soothe our aching muscles!!!!!!

Trekking was amazing but we are tired!

Thursday 29th March - Day 3 Trekking...part2!

Ghoropani - Tadapani 2750m - 2670m

So we trekked back down from Poon Hill, had breakfast and then left for Tadapani with Abilas. Another seven hours trekking. The first hour was really tough up hill. This time it felt different though, there we breaks every few hundred meters and everyone sat around together taking their time, there was no rush and there was a really good buzz around. Poon Hill energy I do believe!

                         

As we were climbing up, you turn around every so often and BAM! Annapourna is proudly standing in front of us again. Epic.

After this hour it was mostly downhill through beautiful forest. The Rhododendron trees have blossomed just this month and they are scattered everywhere, brightening up the landscape and dispersing their beautiful scent throughout the air. The forest walk was really beautiful and again, felt quite like home.

Abilas taking a break with his ridiculous load

I knew the downhill was too good to be true and sure enough, the final two hours were uphill once more. I never thought Tadapani would appear! But alas, we scaled another steep set of steps, turned a bend, and hallelujah! Prayer flags dancing in the distance...we had reached Tadapani!!!!

It had been raining for about an hour at this stage , for the first time since we got to Nepal. We found a tea house and lay down on our beds..completely numb! We were SO cold last night. We forgot to pack our sleeping bags and the tea houses just provide a single sheet over the mattress so we had been using them and our puffa jackets as blankets. Freezing! I chanced asking for a blanket in this place and we were given two heavy duvets...oh happy day!! Why had we not asked sooner!!!!

We had dinner with Abilas and spent the evening walking around the village listening to India pop songs on his phone. He is such a great guy. Just turned 20 and he's doing this to pay his college fees in Kathmandu. Luke and myself have sort of adopted him as a little brother.

Before we said goodnight we gave him a little piece of paper with our contact details on and and a small amount of money for him to put into his savings. I swear if I was a wealthier person there on holiday I would have become his sponsor.

Abilas :)

He went off to bed and Luke and myself went back to the dining room and sat by the wood burning stove. We thought a Nepalis guy how to play switch so we sat playing with him for a while, he beat us at almost every game!!!!

Had a great night sleep for the first time since leaving :)