Well, another epic Odyssey adventure is about to head off on the
road, this time from Kathmandu to Istanbul. With 2 weeks to go until d-day, the
count-down is definitely on.
I’m Alison, one of the expedition crew members, writing to you from
Cape Town, which has been very wet and very cold – not the best time of year to
be here! (And that is the general consensus of Capetonians, that it has been a
very cold wet winter, and even though I’ve only been here 10 days, I agree!)
All the more reason to be heading to Nepal very soon. But at the moment, most of us are waiting for the last of our visas to come through, and tie up all loose ends before we head off for
this 3 month journey.
I was in Nepal earlier this year, so have already had a glimpse of
what is in store for us on that end. And I’m happy to report that there are
several things that I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to
see/eat/buy again! Thamel is a rush in
itself, dodging bikes, cars, people – walking becomes a bit of a challenge and
adventure. And then trying to get past the shops without being tempted to go
in. Narrow streets with low wires and prayer flags strung between buildings
(thank goodness we don’t have to navigate the truck through this maze),
jewellery shops, mountain gear shops, book shops, souvenir shops, singing bowl shops,
and hippy-traveller attire shops, bakeries, cafes, pharmacies, small
‘supermarkets’, restaurants, hundreds of guesthouses, travel agencies – it’s all there. Thamel is generally known
as the backpacker region of Kathmandu, and I believe has been like this for a
while. From my experience there, it seems to be a place you can get stuck, not
necessarily because you want to, but as the capital city of Nepal and launching
pad for most treks and other expeditions, you inevitably spend a couple of
nights there at the beginning and end of your trip, or it is the place you need
to be while waiting for onward visas or perhaps flights to Lukla (which is
where you start the Everest Base Camp trek from) – which are very much affected
by the weather (the flights not the visas!), and so you may be waiting a couple
of days for a flight. Or there are strikes as there were in May this year, and
so certain roads are blocked and you find yourself in Kathmandu for another
day. And even after having spent several days there myself, I still got
confused in the maze of streets that all look very similar. But getting lost in the streets is all part of the fun, and it is great city to explore.
 |
| Prayer flags and Himalayan peaks |
 |
| Prayer wheels |
 |
| Stunning mountain views reward keen trekkers |
Just while I think of it, when you arrive in KTM, and if you’re in a
taxi and it’s after dark – don’t be alarmed as it drives you to the hotel. You
will be driving on slightly potholed roads, the taxi-driver may take a
short-cut on a dirt road, the streets will get narrower, there will be a lot of
hooting of horns, there could be a power cut so it could be pretty dark –
that’s all ok, it sounds like you’re heading in the right direction! And if I
remember correctly, a taxi from the airport to Thamel should be about 600 Nepali
Rupees.
Now, back to what I’m looking forward to in Kathmandu. Veg fried
noodles (though I’m sure we’ll get a lot of that in China), momos dumplings
with a spicy dipping sauce – the best ones are from vendors with carts on the
street in Thamel late afternoon/ early evening. About 50 rupees served in a
biodegradable bowl made out of what looks like banana leaves. Lassies, dhal
baht (best if you’re really hungry as it’s unlimited, they keep serving you
more), spiced masala chai. And then there are the bakeries where Western
influence has made its way here and someone taught the Nepalis that foreigners
would kill for apple pie after days of trekking. I admit, I’ll give in to ‘pie
and chai’ any day, despite the great Nepali food. And I believe the eggs
benedict at the New Orleans Cafe can’t go unmentioned – one of Pete’s
favourites!
Now that’s just the culinary front. Clothes and equipment-wise, you
can get most things here as well.
North-Fakes (rip off version of North Face, beware, label looks the same
but is more like ‘same same but different’ – it is not the real thing) but they
do the trick and are much cheaper than the real thing. If you look around you
can get some decent gear for decent prices – sleeping bags, backpacks, jackets.
And if you’re going trekking it can all be hired here too. There is also all
the lighter-weight cotton brightly coloured traveller attire, scarves, Aladdin
pants, shirts. And then some heavier wool gear – jackets, beanies, home-knitted
jumpers.
A couple of awesome book shops – with all the latest best-sellers,
as well as the classics, as well as much travel literature, literature of the
region, and spiritual writings. An incredible selection. Unfortunately, we can’t do too much shopping there though as bags will already be full to bursting with the necessary items (and those little luxuries as well) that we all set off carrying on an expedition like this.
There is obviously much more to Kathmandu than Thamel, food and shopping.
Monasteries, temples, Durbar Square, history, people, culture, but I’ll leave
the ‘what we’ve seen and done’ for the next blog, which will be written from
there, we’ll be saying ‘Namaste’, and I can hopefully confirm that all my fond
memories are still reality.
Happy packing and admin-ing and see you soon – Odyssey expedition
members plus internet travellers!
