Well, back at sealevel 1300m I am HIGH on oxygen! WEEEHAA ;)
Even if I wanted to, it is impossible to write down everything of interest that happened. I will now consult my diary (Tagebuch) to give a short and compact review.
18th April
We survived the 10 hours bus tour to Syaphru Besi. The road - ok, let`s say "road" ... hmm, no, field path (Feldweg) is much better - so the "road" which consisted of about 1/3 asphalt with road holes (Schlagloecher) and 2/3 stones and dust. On one side of the "road" there was the mountain like a wall, on the other it went downhill that steep as if there was nothing. So I felt very safe the whole time :)
We needed the 10 hours to cover a distance of about 200 km. Think about the average speed...
Well, we arrived at approximately 1800 in Syaphru Besi. It is a small village in the mountains with electricity and even internet, i think.
Our guide, his name is Bashu, is a very nice Hindu of the same cast as the Nepal Maoist leader (hihi). He is 22 years old, married since 1 year and will become father in a few days.
19th April
Bashu, carrying a rucksack of about 2,5 kg, started the trek quite fast. We, both armed with 15 kg rucksacks, got exhausted quite fast. But there would have been no challenge without the extra weight! Manliness rules!
Roughly 7 hours, 1 chicken and some liters of water later we arrived in Lama Hotel (a village, not a hotel) at 2340m. Lama is also a cast like Sherpa and Dahal (Bashus and Maoist Leaders cast). There are about 15 different casts.
I was astonished to have a very warm shower in Lama Hotel, a village without electricity and mobile phone reception. The Hotel we stayed at was more like a mountain shelter (Berghuette). Of course it was like this, we WERE in the mountains.
During the trek we saw a lot of porters - people (men and women) carrying 50 kg rice bags all the way up with only sandals on their feet. We heared that they get about 300 Rupees per day.
Night temperature outside: ~10 degree Celsius.
20th April
The trek was again quite exhausting, probably because of the thin air. We arrived in Langtang village, which is at approximately 3300m above sea level. Because of the nearby Langtang river there is some kind of hydroelectric power plant, so we got a light bulb in our hotel room.
21st April
Kyanjing or maybe Kiyangjing, I am not sure, something like K... Gumba (3700m). Since Lama Hotel a very nice and very small Nepalese is waiting for us at every village we want to stay and leads us to a hotel. We are not sure if he owns all those hotels or "just" gets provision.
Anyway, it is getting colder. Room temperature about 5 degree Celsius. Outside it was raining, a few hundred meters higher snowing.
We were getting problems with the little oxygen. Headache, loss of appetite and fatigue, although we did only 400 altitude difference during 2,5 hours trekking.
We were almost sleeping when Bashu knocked at the door. I thought there must have something very important happend. NO! Bashu flounced into the room, holding a small piece of meat in one hand, and asked excited: "LANGTANG PORK! LANGTANG PORK! You wanna try?" A little bit confused I took one half and ate it. It was really good! Johannes was still sleeping at that moment. So Bashu woke him up and held the rest of the Langtang pork just under his nose.
After Bashu left our room and the confusion was gone, we started roaring with laugher. This crazy man woke us up to let us try a small piece of meat.
22nd April
We walked up the Cherko Ri and reached the peak at 5001 meters (in fact the peak is at 4984 m, but if there were 16 meters more, we would have done them!). It was very, very exhausting. we both got headache and could not eat anything for lunch. Anyway, we did it! HOOOORAAAAAAY!
In the morning the outside temperature in K... Gomba was below 0 degree Celsius, and there was snow! The sunshine melted most of it away during the day, but at some places there has been snow before in greater amount which resisted the sun. So I could live my snow-fanaticism and I was happy.
23rd April
What we walked up in 2 days we were then walking down in one. We stayed in a hotel near Lama Hotel at about 2019 m. We tried to phone the Thai Airways (we did before in Langtang), but it did not work.
Although trekking downhill is not exhausting, I hated it. Its only advantage is the increasing oxygen level. Headache had gone, appetite came back.
When we had lunch in Langtang, we were a bit grumpy (schlecht drauf). Johannes felt sick, I hated walking downhill. We had no success with the phonecall to the Thai Airways. Sitting there and waiting for lunch, a bird placed its shit that accurate that it hit both Johannes AND me, but NOT the ground!
24th April
Thulo Syaphru, 2210 m. Splendid oxygen! We are feeling even better. Only our stomaches did not care, but we were starting to get used to that.
25th April
Chyolangpati, again very high at 3584 m. That time we had no more problems with the height. Again we had a chicken for dinner, but this time we killed it ourselves, with a Khukuri knife! That is not as easy as you see in fantasy films.
In the late afternoon it started snowing heavily...
26th April
... so the whole path to Gosainkund (4380 m) and its lakes was covered with SNOW! I made up (nachholen) the winter I missed in Austria.
27th April - some hours walk to Dhunche (2180 m)
28th April - again a crazy bus ride. Maoists called a one day strike so we had to walk to the hotel. Not a big problem after 11 days trekking.
That was the Trek. Today we went to the Thai Airways, and it was CLOSED! There was just a plate with something written on it that we cannot read. The nearby Lufthansa (also Star Alliance) told us, there is no other possibility than to go to the Thai Airways, which MAY open tomorrow. So nobody could help us, and we still do not know if we get the flight on the 4th of May. THANK YOU, SUCKERS!
On 30th of April and 1st of May we will do a Rafting, challenge 4+ (whatever that means). So we will report again on 2nd May and kick the Thai Airways in their a****.
Sunday, 29 April 2007
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Langtang Trek
2 days ago we fixed our trekking tour:
We will start tomorrow in the morning and will come back on 28th of April. I suppose that we will have no internet access in the mountains, so I will not be able to write new posts until we come back. I will take my mobile phone with me for SMS contact or emergency calls, but I do not know if there is mobile phone reception.
Yesterday we went to a hair cutter. I just wanted to shave, Johannes also wanted his hair cut. In the end, we both got the best haircut ever, the most precise shave we have ever had and an incredible massage. Together for 1000 Rupies. Is somebody jealous of us? ;)
I will now try to upload some photos of this event to the Kathmandu album...
Ok, that is enough for the next eleven days. I think that I then will have much more to tell.
We will start tomorrow in the morning and will come back on 28th of April. I suppose that we will have no internet access in the mountains, so I will not be able to write new posts until we come back. I will take my mobile phone with me for SMS contact or emergency calls, but I do not know if there is mobile phone reception.
Yesterday we went to a hair cutter. I just wanted to shave, Johannes also wanted his hair cut. In the end, we both got the best haircut ever, the most precise shave we have ever had and an incredible massage. Together for 1000 Rupies. Is somebody jealous of us? ;)
I will now try to upload some photos of this event to the Kathmandu album...
Ok, that is enough for the next eleven days. I think that I then will have much more to tell.
Saturday, 14 April 2007
Kathmandu - nothing more to add
Ok - first time, gmail did not let me log in. Second try it worked, but then a man came, plugged an USB stick and windows smashed me with a blue screen. Now I use another PC, and it seems to work.
There is so much to say that I do not know where to start.
The second time I had to use money in Nepal - approximately 1 hour after we arrived at the air port - somebody tried to trick me. But because I pay very much attention on everything, I recognized that 25 Euro must be more than 1500 Rupies. In the end I got 2100.
Today is New Year in Nepal, 2064. We discovered that yesterday at about 0900 in the evening. A young drunken Nepalese started talking to us. He recommended a location called Rox Bar for having a party. We preferred to go to Thamel, an area in Kathmandu where the most tourists are. It was not very spectacular because we missed to talk to the two european looking ladies. So we drove home at about midnight - after three beer (one bottle of beer contains 650ml - about 80 Rupies).
We are planning to do a Trekking Tour in the Langtang valley for about 10 days. The highest place we could reach is about 5000 meters above sea level - higher than you can get in Austria - YEEEHAW ;) It will cost about 30 USD per day (including guide, accommodation, food, equipment, bus, ... nearly everything except alcohol and chocolate).
We are now staying in the Hotel Eden near Freak Street for 400 Rupies per day (together). The shower is cold, but that is not a problem. We are a bit afraid of the TV set cable, which looks very unprofessional.
The traffic in the city is very crazy. We soon discovered that they drive on the left side of the street. And they do not use traffic rules. The only rule is: use your horn! But until now we did not see any car accident... strange.
Sometimes it is very exhausting to get away from all the street-sellers. They can be very brash. One guy painted us a red point to the forehead and lay some flowers on our head. I gave him 100 Rupies. 2 minutes later we noticed that he was following us. Johannes told him that the 100 NPR were for both of us, but he continued following us until we entered the Taxi.
In Nepal, it is now 0615 pm. In the evening we are planning, which company we want to do the trekking with (we have got 2 offers). Maybe we will go to Thamel again and try to have fun at some party. And try to talk to tourist ladies ;)
So, that should be enough information for the first time!
Photos will follow as soon as we find a serious looking Internet Cafe equipped with fast internet.
Der Lektor spricht/The Editor speaks:
Grüße vom Lektor-Leo. Okay, diesem Post gebe ich 8 von 10 Punkten. Satzbau ein bisschen gestelzt hier und da, Vokabular super, Rechtsschreibfehler annehmbar, nur weiter so.
Greetings from Editor Leo. Okay, I give this post 8 out of 10 Points. Sentence structure a little unwieldy, Vocabulary great, Spelling acceptable, keep it up.
PS.: Bring mir einen Kukri mit. ;)
There is so much to say that I do not know where to start.
The second time I had to use money in Nepal - approximately 1 hour after we arrived at the air port - somebody tried to trick me. But because I pay very much attention on everything, I recognized that 25 Euro must be more than 1500 Rupies. In the end I got 2100.
Today is New Year in Nepal, 2064. We discovered that yesterday at about 0900 in the evening. A young drunken Nepalese started talking to us. He recommended a location called Rox Bar for having a party. We preferred to go to Thamel, an area in Kathmandu where the most tourists are. It was not very spectacular because we missed to talk to the two european looking ladies. So we drove home at about midnight - after three beer (one bottle of beer contains 650ml - about 80 Rupies).
We are planning to do a Trekking Tour in the Langtang valley for about 10 days. The highest place we could reach is about 5000 meters above sea level - higher than you can get in Austria - YEEEHAW ;) It will cost about 30 USD per day (including guide, accommodation, food, equipment, bus, ... nearly everything except alcohol and chocolate).
We are now staying in the Hotel Eden near Freak Street for 400 Rupies per day (together). The shower is cold, but that is not a problem. We are a bit afraid of the TV set cable, which looks very unprofessional.
The traffic in the city is very crazy. We soon discovered that they drive on the left side of the street. And they do not use traffic rules. The only rule is: use your horn! But until now we did not see any car accident... strange.
Sometimes it is very exhausting to get away from all the street-sellers. They can be very brash. One guy painted us a red point to the forehead and lay some flowers on our head. I gave him 100 Rupies. 2 minutes later we noticed that he was following us. Johannes told him that the 100 NPR were for both of us, but he continued following us until we entered the Taxi.
In Nepal, it is now 0615 pm. In the evening we are planning, which company we want to do the trekking with (we have got 2 offers). Maybe we will go to Thamel again and try to have fun at some party. And try to talk to tourist ladies ;)
So, that should be enough information for the first time!
Photos will follow as soon as we find a serious looking Internet Cafe equipped with fast internet.
Der Lektor spricht/The Editor speaks:
Grüße vom Lektor-Leo. Okay, diesem Post gebe ich 8 von 10 Punkten. Satzbau ein bisschen gestelzt hier und da, Vokabular super, Rechtsschreibfehler annehmbar, nur weiter so.
Greetings from Editor Leo. Okay, I give this post 8 out of 10 Points. Sentence structure a little unwieldy, Vocabulary great, Spelling acceptable, keep it up.
PS.: Bring mir einen Kukri mit. ;)
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Ready for Takeoff?
Of course! At least I have no choice:
Tomorrow, at 10:15 a.m. the weekly flight to Kathmandu (Nepal) will take off!
The newest Picasa Web Album "last packing" shows which amazing amount of things fit in my rucksack. It has now about 15 kilogram (about 30 pound).
An useful information: The Raiffeisenkasse told me, that the expenses for drawing money everywhere in the world (except in Euro countries) amount 1,82€ plus 0,75% of the drawn money. So you pay 2,57€ for withdrawing 100€ once at a cashpoint.
There is not much left to say, except the last meeting in the Wochinger today at 07:00 p.m. Everyone who would like to come is welcome!
Tomorrow, at 10:15 a.m. the weekly flight to Kathmandu (Nepal) will take off!
The newest Picasa Web Album "last packing" shows which amazing amount of things fit in my rucksack. It has now about 15 kilogram (about 30 pound).
An useful information: The Raiffeisenkasse told me, that the expenses for drawing money everywhere in the world (except in Euro countries) amount 1,82€ plus 0,75% of the drawn money. So you pay 2,57€ for withdrawing 100€ once at a cashpoint.
There is not much left to say, except the last meeting in the Wochinger today at 07:00 p.m. Everyone who would like to come is welcome!
Friday, 6 April 2007
Air Ticket Booked!
Now the journey is absolutely fixed: We bought the air tickets! The 2500 Euro hit me hard but not unexpected. Except the first flight (to Kathmandu) I left all dates open. I will reserve them via e-mail. I hope that this will work...
Keyword hope: The visa to Australia is a very interesting thing. It is called ETA (electronic travel authority). It works approximately like this: You type in your credit card number, name, passport number, etc. When you have finished, the site tells you "Your payment has been authorised and your application for an ETA has been approved." and a lot of blah and you get a "reference number" - and that's it! The site also tells you that "You do not need a visa label in your passport." On the page you can also "Check Your ETA". When I do this it says that I am allowed to enter Australia. I hope that's true...
Rucksack status:
The first time I tried to pack my rucksack - and it worked! I took all the things I am going to take with me (packing list) and put them into my 50 + 10 liter rucksack. When I finished, it was not overflowing!
If you are wondering why I am writing in english: In a very intellectual moment I had the idea that I may get to know people in Singapore or Australia who do not speak German. So it would be very boring for them to read a blog that they do not understand. From then on I decidet to write the blog in english, even if my english is not eloquent and grammatical correct. But Leo, an Anglistics Studen, will hopefully help me :)
Keyword hope: The visa to Australia is a very interesting thing. It is called ETA (electronic travel authority). It works approximately like this: You type in your credit card number, name, passport number, etc. When you have finished, the site tells you "Your payment has been authorised and your application for an ETA has been approved." and a lot of blah and you get a "reference number" - and that's it! The site also tells you that "You do not need a visa label in your passport." On the page you can also "Check Your ETA". When I do this it says that I am allowed to enter Australia. I hope that's true...
Rucksack status:
The first time I tried to pack my rucksack - and it worked! I took all the things I am going to take with me (packing list) and put them into my 50 + 10 liter rucksack. When I finished, it was not overflowing!
If you are wondering why I am writing in english: In a very intellectual moment I had the idea that I may get to know people in Singapore or Australia who do not speak German. So it would be very boring for them to read a blog that they do not understand. From then on I decidet to write the blog in english, even if my english is not eloquent and grammatical correct. But Leo, an Anglistics Studen, will hopefully help me :)
Monday, 2 April 2007
Ready for Departure?
Ja! Seit einigen Stunden ist es fix:
Abflugtermin: 12. April, 10:15 (MESZ)
Flugdauer: 7h 50min
Ankunft: 12. April, 21:50 (Ortszeit Kathmandu)
Flugroute:
Interessant sind hier die Zeitdifferenzen. Zwischen Wien und Kathmandu entspricht sie mit +3h 45min keiner vollen Stundenanzahl, was laut Wikipedia (link) sonst nur in wenigen anderen Ländern, interessanter Weise zB Australien, der Fall ist.
Grund für den Verspäteten Abflug (er hätte schließlich bereits diesen Donnerstag, also am 5., stattfinden sollen) sind Komplikationen mit der Kreditkarte und ehrlicherweise nicht zuletzt mangelnde Organisation (laut Lufthansa sollte man das Ticket mindestens 2 Wochen im voraus buchen).
Was es sonst noch Neues gibt:
Vergangenen Donnerstag ließ ich mich zum Kauf von High-Tech Ausrüstung hinreißen. Ich bin nun stolzer Besitzer eines 100% Polyester Hemdes sowie einer Fleece Weste und einer Trekking Hose (bestehend aus Polyamid und Nylon). Die Herstellung der Kleidungsstücke aus Kunststoff soll den Vorteil haben, dass sie extrem schnell trocknen - sowohl nach dem Waschen als auch beim bzw. nach dem Schwitzen.
Ein Schlafsack Inlett aus Ägyptischer Baumwolle (leichter und weicher als normale) sorgt für eine wohlige Schlaf-Umgebung, auch in ungewaschenen, geliehenen Schlafsäcken. Die Mitnahme eines eigenen Schlafsacks würde bei weitem zu viel Volumen und Gewicht verbrauchen. Dieses Inlett ist daher vermutlich die beste Alternative.
Weiche Wanderschuhe aus Leder werden mich durch Städte aber auch auf kleinere Wandertouren begleiten können. Behandelt mit einer Bienenwachs Imprägnierung sollten sie auch der vietnamesischen Regenzeit trotzen können.
Damit "mein hart verdientes Geld" (danke Papa :)) nicht als freiwillige Revolutionsspende in den Händen von Maoisten (wiki) landet, habe ich mir einen Geldgürtel zugelegt. Zumindest gewöhnliche Taschendiebe sollten ein Problem damit haben, den an der Innenseite eingenähten Reißverschluss zu öffnen, ohne dass ich es bemerke.
Über Trockenheit erfreuen wird sich mein Körper dank eines Mikrofaser Travel Towels. Angeblich kann man sich damit abtrocknen, das Handtuch auswinden, wenn es voll ist, und mit dem Abtrocknen anschließend fortfahren. Mal sehen.
Die nächsten organisatorischen Schritte sind die Buchung einer Unterkunft für die erste Nacht in Nepal, sowie Kontakte mit Pfadfindern in Honolulu und Sydney herzustellen. Und auch der Rucksack will einmal probegepackt werden. Noch viel zu tun.
Abflugtermin: 12. April, 10:15 (MESZ)
Flugdauer: 7h 50min
Ankunft: 12. April, 21:50 (Ortszeit Kathmandu)
Flugroute:
- Wien
- Kathmandu (Nepal)
- Ho Chi Minh City (alt: Saigon, Vietnam)
- Singapur
- Sydney (Australien)
- >Extraflug nach Alice Springs< (Anschließend verlasse ich meinen Reisepartner und gönne mir noch ca. eine Woche:)
- Honolulu
- Wien
Interessant sind hier die Zeitdifferenzen. Zwischen Wien und Kathmandu entspricht sie mit +3h 45min keiner vollen Stundenanzahl, was laut Wikipedia (link) sonst nur in wenigen anderen Ländern, interessanter Weise zB Australien, der Fall ist.
Grund für den Verspäteten Abflug (er hätte schließlich bereits diesen Donnerstag, also am 5., stattfinden sollen) sind Komplikationen mit der Kreditkarte und ehrlicherweise nicht zuletzt mangelnde Organisation (laut Lufthansa sollte man das Ticket mindestens 2 Wochen im voraus buchen).
Was es sonst noch Neues gibt:
Vergangenen Donnerstag ließ ich mich zum Kauf von High-Tech Ausrüstung hinreißen. Ich bin nun stolzer Besitzer eines 100% Polyester Hemdes sowie einer Fleece Weste und einer Trekking Hose (bestehend aus Polyamid und Nylon). Die Herstellung der Kleidungsstücke aus Kunststoff soll den Vorteil haben, dass sie extrem schnell trocknen - sowohl nach dem Waschen als auch beim bzw. nach dem Schwitzen.
Ein Schlafsack Inlett aus Ägyptischer Baumwolle (leichter und weicher als normale) sorgt für eine wohlige Schlaf-Umgebung, auch in ungewaschenen, geliehenen Schlafsäcken. Die Mitnahme eines eigenen Schlafsacks würde bei weitem zu viel Volumen und Gewicht verbrauchen. Dieses Inlett ist daher vermutlich die beste Alternative.
Weiche Wanderschuhe aus Leder werden mich durch Städte aber auch auf kleinere Wandertouren begleiten können. Behandelt mit einer Bienenwachs Imprägnierung sollten sie auch der vietnamesischen Regenzeit trotzen können.
Damit "mein hart verdientes Geld" (danke Papa :)) nicht als freiwillige Revolutionsspende in den Händen von Maoisten (wiki) landet, habe ich mir einen Geldgürtel zugelegt. Zumindest gewöhnliche Taschendiebe sollten ein Problem damit haben, den an der Innenseite eingenähten Reißverschluss zu öffnen, ohne dass ich es bemerke.
Über Trockenheit erfreuen wird sich mein Körper dank eines Mikrofaser Travel Towels. Angeblich kann man sich damit abtrocknen, das Handtuch auswinden, wenn es voll ist, und mit dem Abtrocknen anschließend fortfahren. Mal sehen.
Die nächsten organisatorischen Schritte sind die Buchung einer Unterkunft für die erste Nacht in Nepal, sowie Kontakte mit Pfadfindern in Honolulu und Sydney herzustellen. Und auch der Rucksack will einmal probegepackt werden. Noch viel zu tun.
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