Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Spike]

I've been rather slack on travel plans this year but have decided that if I don't head home that I'll head to Nepal and/or Tibet for 3 weeks or so.


The thing is I haven't even started researching anything yet.. (that's for tomorrow).. but if you have any advice/recommendations/do's-dont's, etc., they'd be greatly appreciated.

[travel zen]

Nepal is uber cheap. However you get there you wont spend too much. Don't know about Tibet, but if you want Tibetan culture, there is a 'township/camp/settlement' in Delhi that you can see monks walking side by side with svelt tibetan gals that will date foreigners. Better than Tibet mayhaps.

[Yaya]

Wouldn't Nepal have the "foreigner price" like so many other poor countries?

[alwaysbeclosing100]

do go to nepal. it is cheap and if you dont buy tickets at the last minute you can find flight deals also.

dont go to tibet. the permits are expensive and the restrictions are stupid from the chinese government.

[travel zen]

The cool thing about South Asia is the haggling over prices ! I realy think the hawkers and vendors there aer tops in selling. Period. I once gave a vendor in Mumbai 300 rupees just for the entertainment of haggling with him...it wasn't even a pretty girl, just a middle aged dude trying to sell shirts.

You can talk prices up and down the scale, but because you are a foreigner and can afford 1 000 000 times more than the average person, some may have a base price for you.

[lovebug]

i went to nepal in february. it was the 19th country i've visited and it it was definitely one of the most incredible, moving, wonderful trips i've ever taken. everything indeed is super cheap. but beyond that, the food is amazing, the people are amazing, the landscape is amazing. i was in pokhara, kathmandu, and chitwan during my stay.
send me a PM and i can put you in contact with some good people that i met there if you're interested in trekking from kathmandu or want a guide in chitwan. i can also send you a link to the photos i took.

my original plan was to do both tibet and nepal but the visa situation for tibet was expensive and a major hassle.
i plan to go back to nepal for at least a few more months to volunteer someday. my memories from there are incredible.

[otnemem]

My girlfriend and I are planning on traveling India and Nepal in late November and December and we are wondering how much time to spend in Nepal. Would 7-10 days in Nepal be so short as to not make it worth going? We only have 4 weeks or so, and someone recently recommended skipping Nepal rather than doing it in that short of time.

[Spike]

I've decided to go to Nepal this week.. Tibet is just too much of a pain in the ass.... I'll have just under 3 weeks there..

ANY advice or whatnot is recommended. Yo be honest, I really know nothing of the place and will start researching it now.

Should I just buy a return ticket to Kathmandu? Is that the best bet?

Thanks in advance.

[D.D.]

I went from Chendu, China to Tibet and then took a 4wd with some other tourists from there to Katmandu. Did my Indian visa in katmandu and went to India and flew back to Shanghai. Was a great trip and loved the drive in Tibet.

[lovebug]

hey spike,

i'll answer your questions from your PM here so it's useful for others when they do a search about nepal.

yes, fly into kathmandu. the best thing is to take buses around from place to place. i did a loop around, from kath to pokhara to chitwan back to kath. you'll need to allow about a day for each bus ride. the scenery is breathtaking from the bus. you can also raft down the river from pokhara to chitwan. it takes 2 days perhaps? there are plenty of places lakeside in pokhara that can organize that for you.

if you have 3 weeks, i recommend doing a trek for at least a few days from pokhara.

i made most of my contacts on couchsurfing.com. many of the hosts in nepal use CS because they have trekking businesses and want to find people. they can arrange even your bus tickets and things even if you're not interested in trekking.

i recommend parahawking in pokhara (a quick google search will explain) and hiking up sarangkot to see the sunrise over the himalayas. i stayed at the butterfly lounge there and the owners are really kind. part of their income goes to a school for children. also, going to a tibetan refugee village. there is one in pokhara and one in kathmandu. there are some great daytrips from kath - bhaktapur is wonderful. patan is good, too.

as for visas, i'm not sure if you're canadian, but you just need to bring USD for the fee if you're american.

i found this on a site:

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Nepal. Passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry into Nepal. Canadians must also be in possession of a tourist visa. Tourist visas may be purchased in advance or upon arrival at the Kathmandu airport. You will need to supply a recent passport photo.

Tourist Visa: Required (valid for maximum 60 days)
make sure to bring the money in USD and not KRW.

nepal has been safe for the most part but there are still occasional strikes when things shut down. my advice would be to anticipate delays or last minute plan changes. i changed my itinerary at least a bunch of times in a 2 week span.

make sure to eat lots of daal bhat and pani puri (street food). also, try tumba, which is a great alcoholic drink.
for the most part, people speak fantastic english. i did video interviews with orphanage children and showed them to my korean students to show them how even poor students without touchscreens and ppts can learn english and excel. they were shocked and impressed.

i'll send you a pm with photos and some contact info for some people that can help you. have an amazing trip!

[DrugstoreCowgirl]

I'll be going to Nepal in mid-Sept. I wish I had more time there, I'll only have 4.5 days. I'm doing the Everest Experience flight on Buddha Air (not enough time/money for a base camp trek! Next time though...). I don't really know what else to do, I think I'll just get some ideas from Virtual Tourist and go from there!