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Trekking – Indus Travels Predicts 11 Trends for Travel to India and Beyond for 2011

skywalker — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:12:18 +0000

Indus Travels Predicts 11 Trends for Travel to India and Beyond for 2011
RICHMOND, BC–(Marketwire – 03/08/11) – The premier company for India tou rs , Indus Travels, shares their view on hot destinations, new experiences as well as overarching trends in India and nearby countries. 1. Adrenaline Rushes in First Ever Ferrari Theme Park – On this ultimate new splurge package to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, travelers get to visit the world’s largest indoor theme park and enjoy …

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trekking – Trekking Adventure Travel

skywalker — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:14:48 +0000

What is Trekking?

Trekking refers to multi day hiking trips. Trekkers often go on long trips through entire regions of the world. Trekking is a less structured type of traveling because plans change due to weather and topography rather than flights and hotels.

Why is Trekking so Popular?

Traveling by foot allows you to go at your own pace, or that of the group. It is a more flexible form of traveling then having to rush to catch flights and check in and out of hotels. Trekking can be as short or long of a trip as you wish, and as adventurous as you dare to go. This attracts many people to trekking trips, because it can be tailored for almost anyone.

You get to experience the culture of the country you are visiting and trekkers get close up views of incredible scenery. The experience is much different than traveling in groups to more popular destinations. You get to interact with the native people and the natural beauty of your surroundings.

Where can I go trekking?

You can go trekking almost anywhere in the world. There are some popular destinations for trekkers that include: the Himalayas, the Andes, and the Inca Trails. You can trek on almost any continent, in less touristy areas as well. Some of these are the most beautiful, secluded places you will ever see.

When can I go trekking?

This depends on where you are going. There are good seasons and bad seasons for every location. This is very important to determine before you leave because the weather will greatly affect your trip. Pick the best season for your destination, and after that you can only hope it doesn’t rain!

Who can take a Trekking Adventure?

Because there are such a wide variety of treks available, almost anyone can go trekking. Make sure you know your own physical capabilities before you book your trek. Its fun to have a challenge, however if you are struggling with the terrain, you will be less likely to enjoy yourself. Always have someone with you who knows what they’re doing. An experienced trekker and guide is a definite asset on your trip. Having someone who knows what they’re doing could save your life.

Conclusion

Trekking is a fun, adventurous activity that almost anyone can participate in. You get to go off the beaten path and experience things that most people (even other travelers) never do. There is a wide variety of difficulty, adventure, and lengths of trips that you can choose from that also make it very desirable.

Book Your Trekking Adventure Today

If you liked this article, check out my blog at:

http://satisfythetravelbug.com

trekking – Nepal Travel – Trekking Explained

skywalker — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 09:12:21 +0000

Trekking In Nepal to many sounds like one of those activities that one finds on a dream board or an activity that sounds so foreign that it belongs in some obscure National Geographic program about a far away place. Frankly both ‘trekking’ and ‘Nepal’ fall under that category of cryptic adventure activities and places. In reality though, trekking in Nepal is nothing shocking (other than of course the beauty of the environment itself) and not too, out of the ordinary for anybody who has been on a long hike.

When I set out to write this explanation of trekking in Nepal, I wanted to answer a question. “What is trekking?” I then realized that the answer is a lot more complex than what it seems. It also dawned on me, that when my friends and family posed the question, “What is trekking?” my cliché synonym derived answer “It’s like a long hike in the mountains” that is found on many “Travel Nepal” websites was no where near satisfactory. It’s not that they or I didn’t know what trekking in Nepal was when formulating the response, but rather that we failed to respond to the question in a way as to dispel the assumptions that rise out of stereotypes that exist whenever the words hiking, Nepal, Himalayas and remote are used in one sentence or close proximity to one another. It is these stereotypes that prevent a simple and accurate one sentence description of trekking in Nepal.

So what is trekking in Nepal, if the proper answer is a lot more than just the stereotypical, travel in Nepal by hiking? Let’s start with a little geography.

Nepal, is a landlocked nation, sandwiched between India and Tibet and stretched out along the spine of the Himalayan range. As such, it offers a vast array of habitats from tropical jungles to the alpine tops of the Himalayas themselves. What trekking in Nepal does, is create an opportunity for the traveler to traverse many parts of this varied terrain on foot, and experience the diverse habitats and culture encountered along the way. Still however, although entirely accurate, this answer is incomplete.

We need to first clear up some assumptions.

Clearly, Nepal can be considered as ‘remote’ geographically when viewed against other “more developed” regions of the world, but this doesn’t mean that Nepal is uninhabited and that when trekking one will hike for weeks without seeing any signs of life. Quite the contrary, (though such areas exist), a traveler in Nepal will find themselves no more than half a days journey from a settlement. This is especially true for the common major trekking areas of Nepal. The reason why is actually quite simple.

Nepal being situated on the mountainous terrain that it is, as well as proudly wearing the “third world” badge has to this day, a staggering number of ’1′ major highway. Appropriately dubbed the East-West Highway, it spans the country and provides less than a handful of axillary routes north and south with only one of these tributaries as the route to Tibet (China) out of Kathmandu. The importance of this, is that many parts of Nepal, are to this day inaccessible by vehicle and many portions, especially those in the West that are completely isolated.

One has to realize that before the ‘East West’ highway was constructed, the villages and settlements of Nepal were already there, and thus to this day, many of these population centers are still only accessible on foot.

Nepal is a country that has been squeezed between two trading giants India and Tibet (Today China) for as long as it has existed as a unified nation. The trade routes between these two Goliaths ran conveniently for Nepal trough it’s territory. Nepal not only had to facilitate trade between these two countries, but also have a way to support it’s own economy and trade system between the major metropolitan areas. Needless to say, that without roads, the only method of transport was by foot. A system of transporting goods by a web of footpaths was created and this rather complex, ‘via foot’ sort of Himalayan highway arrangement linked the Nepali villages with one another and are today the exact same routes traveled by the visiting trekkers.

It’s easy to wonder and assume, that the settlements offering bed and breakfast encountered along the trekking routes sprung up at such convenient intervals because of the ever expanding tourism itself. This other than some modern conveniences such as electricity is in fact false. In a book called “A Stranger in Tibet,” the author Scott Berry, describes the adventures of a certain Buddhist, Japanese monk that traveled along the now popular trekking route in the Annapurna Conservation Area in order to sneak into the then forbidden Tibet (Nepal being forbidden at the time as well). This monks adventure occurred in the early 1900s way before the word “tourism” was thought of in Nepal and yet the same settlements encountered by tourists and used as overnight accommodations today were encountered by this intrepid monk (Kawaguchi) some 100 years earlier. The reason is that these routes were being used for transporting goods even before Kawaguchi’s adventures, as such they are more often than not, no more than a half days journey from one another; built up out of necessity as continent travel stops for the traveling caravans.

Though trekking in Nepal does not include scaling vertical cliffs and climbing snowcapped mountains, views of both are ample along the way. Somebody wondering am I fit to travel Nepal, need not worry about training to climb Mt. Everest as that is not what trekking in Nepal provides. Trekking in Nepal does however provide a great day-long, on foot journey for multiple days through some of the most beautiful, remote mountainous terrain in the world, while still providing the opportunity for a warm bed and a home cooked meal along the way. It is in this that lies the answer to “What is trekking in Nepal?”.

See you en route!

Part 4 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life

Luke Bream — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:23:06 +0000

This guest post is by Viktoria Barna. This is Part 4 and concluding part in a beautiful series of articles chronicling her experiences as a volunteer in a Nepalese orphanage and trekking through the Himalayas which gave her a new start in life. Read Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Annapurna Circuit Trek

I got to know Kate on the trek who lives in Nepal with her Nepalese hubby Amrit, and worked for VSN back then. She told me about their plan to do another trek, because her brother and his wife were visiting them from England. I got invited to do it with them, and it was going to happen in just 3 weeks time!! I was so excited. I was going to do the Annapurna Circuit Trek!!

Before my story on the most amazing trek I’ve ever done, let me tell you where our money went which we fundraised. I was lucky enough to witness our 33 orphans move to a clean, new, safe home. I was moved from my ‘home’ as well, and lived with a young couple and their son.

Once again, they lived in one room and I had my own. Only this time, they even had the kitchen in their room? With the new home, the children got a big scrubbing and some new clothes, shoes, school bags. They were over the moon.

We had a cook, and fresh vegetables and fruits every day. The children were no longer malnourished. It was all worth it at the end….working hard back in England, not going out while my friends were having the time of their life, saving every penny…I would do it again.

Kate and I were so excited. We had been to Everest Base Camp and now it was time to do the Annapurna Circuit Trek, which means a longer and more steady climb…no altitude sickness this time, please?

We had Kate’s husband as a guide, and one of the porters –who we called Elephant- from Everest Base Camp Trek was coming with us, though we were carrying our own bags this time. My bag weighed 18 kg at he start of our trek, out of that 3kg was chocolate?

It was 7.30am, 13th November 2009 (wow! Exactly 3 years ago today!) that we left Kathmandu in a little van we hired. For about two and a half hours we were stuck in traffic, and once we got the speed back, we had a flat tyre.

It got changed in no time, and we were on the top of a bus from Besi Sahar (760m;2493 feet) to Khudi (790m;2591 feet) which was one hour of hell.

We were on the roof top of the bus, legs hanging down from the side. We thought it would be fun to try to travel like locals do. If it wasn’t enough that we had to watch out for wires pulled across roads in order not be decapitated before our adventures even began, here is another one.

The roads were so bad, that the bus was constantly swinging and there was a massive drop right beneath my feet with a raging river at the bottom. I aged at least 10 years on that ride?

After the bus ride we walked to Bhulbhule (840m;2756 feet) where stayed for the night. The next day was an easy walk, which was great to get me used to my backpack.

After a night in Ghermu (1100m;3609 feet) we started the day with a steep climb. We stopped for lunch in a little village, where we picked some beans, pulled up some radish, and in about an hour we had the most delicious dhal baat in front of us. I had about three servings. The rule with dhal baat is, one can have as much as one wants. In my case, as much as there is?

The landscape was beautiful. There were papaya and banana trees, ferns, on the top of the rocky hills some palm trees. We even saw some naughty monkeys.

Before we got to Tal (1700m;5577 feet) –our destination for the day- we were stopped by the army, because they were blasting a mountain side to build a new path or road. BANG! BANG! BANG! There were some Israeli trekkers, who didn’t even blink, while Kate and I almost jumped out of our skins, and ended up giggling a lot.

The next day was so much fun. We had lots of uphill, and at one point our way was blocked by donkeys, so a villager told us to take a different path. We ended up where we supposed to anyway, but we were walking along a river, and we had to rock climb a little, and use a dodgy bamboo ladder instead of just a boring path.

It was lovely to enjoy the peace and quiet of our lovely lodge in Danakyu (2300m;7546 feet) until some guys turned up and made so much noise all night. Annoying.

After the usual Tibetan bread for breakfast, we set off to Chame (2670m;8760 feet). We had a very steep start, but not a very long day, so we had the pleasure of playing card for hours and hours in the afternoon and after dinner.

The next day was very easy. We stayed in Lower Pisang (3200m;10498 feet) in a very nice teahouse. We had hot water. While on the Everest Base Camp trek I would go for days without showering, and even then it would be freezing cold, here most of the lodges had hot water. Luxury.

We did an acclimatization trek to Upper Pisang to a Buddhist Monastery. It was so cold, we ran all the way down to our lodge. It was colder on this trek than any time on the Everest one.

The next day was once again an easy walk with breathtaking views, and as we were arriving to a village, a lovely lady brought out some freshly baked chocolate croissants on a tray. Tea time it was. They were the best croissants I’ve ever had!

In the afternoon we got to Manang (3540m;11614 feet) where we found more bakeries with more delicious snacks. We spent two nights here and did an acclimatization trek to the ‘100 rupees Lama’ who lives in a cave and gives blessings for safe trekking if one gives him 100 Rupees.

In the evening we went for a lecture on altitude sickness, which was very interesting. I went back to give some donations, and had a hot chocolate and a nice chat with a volunteer doctor from Norway.
We had a very short walk to our next stop in Gunsang (3900m;12795 feet), so me and a couple went for a walk. We saw some Tibetan prayer flags on a hill, so our goal was to reach that. Two hours up-up-up the hill. Slowly, but we made it.

On the way down I was going much faster then the couple, so I sat on a big flat rock and I was taking in the beautiful view that surrounded me. Majestic mountains, birds flying.. I had the most amazing experience. For a moment there was no wind, no sound. Total silence. I felt one with everything and felt like I was all alone. I can’t describe it, but it was one of the most precious moments in my life.

The next day we stayed in Letdar (4200m;13780 feet). It was freezing, but our lodge had the best Chinese blankets ever, so we didn’t feel the cold at night. We ate like horses at this stage. After each meal we would have a Snickers bar with no guilt whatsoever?

Our last night before the pass was in Thorung Phedi (4450m;14600 feet). It was so windy, I thought the lodge would take off and some guys were chatting for a long time, so I didn’t have a good night.
We had breakfast at 5.15am and left for our toughest day yet around 6am.

20 minutes after we left I stopped to have a sip of my drink, and to my surprise it turned into slush. That’s how cold it was! The first 1 hour and 10 minutes was steep uphill till upper base camp, where we had tea and met Kate, who was going to the top on pony back. I went to the toilet, and it felt like I was skating on poo and pee. Yuck!

We had such a good weather. It was a beautiful sunny day, no wind. Perfect. It was more and more difficult to breathe as we were getting to the top, and my heart was pounding so much. The last half an hour was so hard. I had to stop after every 10 steps and catch my breath, and felt dizzy from time to time and our speed was extremely slow, but we made it over the Thorung La Pass (5416m;17770 feet).

The way down was the icing on the cake! It was steep-steep down hill for 5 hours. Not a tea house in sight, nothing. It was like walking on the Moon.

It was tough. I was exhausted. We stopped for a bowl of soup after 5 hours. I was dead at this point. I remember sitting down and crashing on the table, while my soup was prepared. The soup put some life back into us, and we made our way to Muktinath (3760m;12336 feet).

After our well deserved breakfast, we went to Muktinath Temple. It’s the second most important Hindu pilgrim destination. I washed my head with the 108 ice cold holy water, which gave me the ticket to heaven (that’s what so special about the place!?)

We also visited a Buddhist Temple which holds the ‘eternal flame’. It was a lovely place. Took us 2 hours to walk to Kagbeni (2800m;9186 feet). The way there was like walking on the Moon. I was imagining some giant spider-like creatures crawling out of the weird shaped rocks. Sci-fi live?

I took a walk in the village. I was taken by it’s old, medieval streets, buildings. Chickens, cows, all sort of animals wandering around the streets while dirty, smiley children played with bones and strings alongside them. I loved that place!

There was a special stupa in this village which had some paintings inside it. If one stands inside and sees the paintings, one shall be released from all sins. Of course I did it, so I did a good job today. I made sure I’m going to heaven without any sins?

The next day we had a very windy walk through a valley to Marpha (2670m;) This place is known for it’s apple. We did have a lovely apple juice, apple pie and saw lots and lots of apples getting dried on the roof tops.

We were getting close to the end of our journey. We passed through many more of lovely villages, enjoyed more dhal baat and I didn’t want the adventure to end.

But like everything, this amazing trek had to come to an end too.
Took me a while to adjust to the busy streets of Kathmandu, the noise but it was sure nice to wash my hair after three weeks?

I had some really nice pictures from this trek, but I have moved around a lot in the past few years and somehow I managed to lose them. I learned to live with this one too?

I had a month left in Nepal, and it was great. I went to Chitwan National Park in the south of Nepal for a long weekend, where I rode an elephant, I went for a jungle walk and saw some rhinos and managed to scare the hell out of some people. I copied the trek guide and climbed up on a tree, so I could see the rhino better. Everyone was so cautious and quiet. “It’s coming!” I said really loud. You should’ve seen people’s faces! It was so funny!

I felt a bit bad after my guide told us how he got attacked by a rhino, and he showed his scar, which was massive. I probably scared him to death. But he got me back by telling us his rhino attack story while we were walking through the jungle?

I met some really crazy, interesting, fun people while volunteering and with some of them I’m still in touch. Going to Nepal has definitely changed my life, the way I think, the way I act. I would go back and do it all over a gain 100 times.

I spent two weeks in Thailand, 10 days in Mayanmar (Burma) and 4 days in Oman before my return to England. I had fun, but it was nice to be back.

Then I checked my e-mails. “Come home. Mum passed away.” Said the massage from my brother.We just don’t know when it’s our time to go….

Live here, live now.

To follow up on this inspirational volunteer story please connect with Viktoria Barna on Facebook

Credits for the images in this article about voluntary work in Nepal and getting fit for trekking in the Himalayas belong to Viktoria Barna. To view more of Viktoria’s images visit everest base camp | orphanage | annapurna circuit trek

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The Adventure of a Lifetime – Cycling, Walking and Mountaineering

Luke Bream — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:04:13 +0000

This guest post is by Lee Hughes. who is preparing for a worldwide expedition that includes cycling, walking and mountaineering. I wish him the best of luck.

The Adventure of a Lifetime

“Firstly I would like to thank Luke for allowing me to contribute to this fantastic website were we can become inspired and live or our dreams.

So, What am I doing here?

Well, shortly after university, rather than getting caught up trying to find a job a place to live etc etc I have decided to take life by the scruff of the neck and see what it can offer and what I can learn from it.

I will do this by doing 3 expeditions, cycling, walking and climbing… A 4th to be announced.

So, on the 5th January I will leave my house and cycle to 12,000 miles to New Zealand. Once in New Zealand, I plan to walk the entire length of both islands (3000km) then after some time in New Zealand I shall cycle my way up the Americas onward to Alaska. Now, once in Alaska Mount Mckinley is on my hit list…

It’s a long way a way yet but I am looking forward to updating my website and giving advice into how to set up a expedition. I will be documenting my adventure in various styles…. blog posts, photography, audio, film and a web series.

To follow up on this inspirational adventure of a lifetime please visit www.LeeHughes.co.uk

Credits for the images in this article about an adventure of a lifetime belong to Lee Hughes.

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Daily Bike News Roundup covering ultra, touring and endurance cycling

Luke Bream — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:36:44 +0000

Welcome to CrazyJourneys cycling news roundup. For all the latest information in the world of cycle touring, ultra marathon cycling, endurance cycling.

It includes some funny cycling lists, great articles and unusual bike pictures.

Jonny Waldman has written a great post comparing cycling experiences in Portland and San Francisco. Please take note all town planners.
21 bikes has some really cool cycling pictures of riders and their bikes from around the world and you can easily submit your own crazy cycling images for voting.
Good News have a great interview with Japanese round the world cyclist Daisuke Nakanishi who has been on the road for 11 years and visited 121 countries.
Open travel have a list of world’s most friendly bike cities. Who do you think was #1?
Are you planning to cycle through Africa? Great interview of Amaya Williams who spent 2 years cycling through the continent
Are you a cyclist who loves to complain? This funny list of 10 complaints by a Toronto cyclist may be just up your street.
Are you thinking of cycling around the world? This list of 10 inspirational cycling quotations may get you on your bike and training hard.
Are you looking for some current cycling books to read? This list has some good choices that cover a spectrum from road to endurance and around the world cycling.
James Bowthorpe set a world record for cycling around the world this great article on The Adventure Life gives a summary of the trip and his experiences.
Lonely Planet names the World’s Top 10 Cycling Routes

If you write a cycling blog and have written a interesting or unusual post that you would like featured in this daily roundup of cycling news then please Contact Luke

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Inspirational British Female Cyclist on Round the World Bike ride Aged 59

Luke Bream — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:31:47 +0000

Ann Wilson is an inspirational British female cyclist who set off in July 2009 on a Round the World Bike ride aged 59. Her cycling adventure began in 2007 when a friend inspired her by giving her the book “A bike Ride” by another amazing female cyclist Anne Mustoe.

Ann was so inspired that within 24 months she had quit her job, taken in lodgers to pay the bills while she was away and embarked alone on her around the world bike tour.

Life was suddenly too short to delay this project any longer than necessary.

Since making that decision, she had a bike built for her by Chaz Roberts of Croydon, researched and bought all the kit and devoured as many cycling books as she could – Josie Dew, Dervla Murphy, Alastair Humphreys and dozens of online journals, mainly on Crazy Guy On a Bike.

With little previous cycling experience or training behind her she started slowly, but like the proverbial tortoise and hare has made considerable progress and is currently in Iran having cycled through France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey.

So here I am, just turned 59, retiring early at the end of June, and about to set off on the biggest adventure of my life. I’m a long way off being ‘bikefit’ but I do know that I can cover 30 miles in a day as I am, and expect to raise that to 50+ after a few weeks in France.

“You’re very brave”, so people keep saying – before I set off. I’ll have to earn those words before I agree. But funnily enough, no one has called me mad – I think they already knew that…

CrazyJourney Community comments on inspirational female cyclists

Im not being ageist but this is truly inspirational especially when I consider my mum is 59 and I could never imagine her doing more than drinking wine in front of the TV! mylesaway.wordpress.com

I love this woman’s story. My parents did something similar in 2006. They sold their house in London. Put their possessions into storage and set off by bike to ride through France. They went on a hunt to buy a house over there and after 3 months riding and over 1500 miles covered they had found the place of their dreams. They returned with powerful thighs and bursting with cycling pride. Reminds us that it is never too late to follow our dreams.
Luke Bream

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To read the fantastic online journal of this British female cyclist please visit Ann Wilson

Credits for the images in this article about cycling around the world by an amazing female cyclist belong to Ann Wilson.

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Part 3 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life

Luke Bream — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:14:01 +0000

This guest post is by Viktoria Barna. This is Part 3 in a beautiful series of articles chronicling her experiences as a volunteer in a Nepalese orphanage and trekking through the Himalayas which gave her a new start in life. Read Part 1 Part 2

Everest Base Camp

We did an acclimatization trek to Everest View Hotel, which is the highest 5*Hotel. It was a 3.5 hours trek, elevation 350-400m. It could’ve been our first time to see Everest if it wasn’t cloudy. No luck.

After we got back to the teahouse I started to feel unwell. I lost my appetite and couldn’t eat dinner. The first sign of altitude sickness. ‘No!!! This can’t be happening to me!!’ I was screaming inside. Our guides Ram Krishna and Sujan made me eat a bowl of super strong garlic soup. Everyone was feeling sick now, because of the smell of my garlic soup.

They told me it was a difficult day, so I hopefully was going to feel better after some rest. The next day we did a 6 hour trek to Tengboche (3860m;12664 feet). One of the guys carried my bag from half way, because I was feeling weak. Everyone was really supportive and worried, of course. Our guides were great! They made me feel strong(er) and kept a good eye on me…and gave me more garlic soup?

There was a bakery, and my buddy ‘Sahara’ brought me back a muffin, which I couldn’t eat. That night I had a mouse running all the way up from my legs to my back. It made me jump like nothing ever before and the naughty one ate my muffin…all of it!

The next morning I felt better. I had proper breakfast. We went for the morning ceremony to the highest monastery on Everest region at 6.30am.

We did another 5-6 hour trek. The landscape was amazing! At about 4000m (13123 feet) the trees suddenly disappeared and rocky mountains took their places.

We spent two nights in Dingboche (4410m;14468 feet) where most of us felt pretty ill at arrival, but after a good night sleep we were ready for more adventure. I awoke myself by catching for breath a couple of times. There was 57% oxygen in the air at this point compared to the amount at sea level.

We did an acclimatization trek to Chukhung (4730m;15518 feet). It was getting more and more challenging. One of the girls was told to turn around, because she felt really bad, but she refused. She would not give up this close to our destination, even if she had to crawl to Base Camp.

We were in Lobuche (4910m;16109 feet) at this point. That day was really long and hard. Many steep climbs and the altitude made it really hard to breathe. We got to our last teahouse before the big day in Gorak Shep (5140m;16863).

We got up at 4am, and after a cup of hot lemon we were off to Everest Base Camp. It was a cloudless morning, with the white, snow capped mountains glowing in the dark, surrounding us, making us feel so tiny…and the full moon was shining above. It was breathtaking.

It was also a very difficult climb. Not only because of the altitude, but the rocky path made us watch every single step we took. The last half an hour we were walking on glaciers. Around 2pm we were sitting at Everest Base Camp (5364m;17598 feet), watching four of our crazy boys change into their pink ladies underwear, and light a cigar…what a sight!

It was a good feeling, but to be honest, I was a little bit disappointed. I imagined Base Camp being at the foothill of Everest, and from Base Camp to Base 1 one has to climb up a glacier, which is what we saw. Everest was high above it, and all we could see was like a piece of a Toblerone chocolate.

But someone once said, it’s not the destination that makes a journey special, it’s the journey itself. How very true.

On the way down I threw up. We were all feeling rough and at this point, every single one of us hated Everest. It was now time to finish the other half of the journey, and walk back to Lukla. We were playing cards most of the afternoons, visited some lovely villages, ate delicious pastries in a bakery, danced to our Nepalese porter’s songs.

At one teahouse the walls were so thin, that me and ‘Sahara’ could hear the guys next to us chat, so we joined in…and Dan in the room next to theirs joined us too. The walls in the teahouses all along the journey were so thin, I could hear the person sleeping in the room next to mine breathe.

We were chased by some beautiful beasts called yaks, which was quiet scary due to their sizes. They’re such cool animals though.
Our guides and porters bought some chickens, which we killed and plucked and ate. It was their way of ending our adventures in Everest region. Food, drinks, singing Nepalese songs and some dancing. What else could’ve we wished for?

At the end of our trek we had a good night out, which ended with a hole in the dance floor and some very sore heads the next morning.
If you wonder why I don’t show any pictures of the trek…well, in a moment of blondness, I managed to format my memory card in my camera on the way back. I stopped beating myself up for it.

Once we were back in Kathmandu, we rented some bicycles and explored the town. It was very similar to a play station game, but here we only had one life and luckily we all made it?

This story continues tomorrow as Viktoria tackles the Annapurna Circuit Trek.

To follow up on this inspirational volunteer story please connect with Viktoria Barna on Facebook

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An intelligent travellers adventure as he cycles around the world

Luke Bream — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:02:41 +0000

Adventure travel is within us all. We set our own limits and boundaries. Cast them off and anything becomes possible. We can release ourselves to follow and reach out for our dreams. Age or experience is no barrier.

This guest post is by Ken Roberts who left London on an amazing cycling tour across continents in his quest for adventure travel. Born in Lancashire, UK in 1969, Ken spent his formative years in Wales. After a successful career in engineering management spanning almost 20 years, he set off in to fulfil a long-held dream to cycle solo around the world. He is currently in Serbia.

Cycling Across Continents to explore the World

What’s it all about? Simple – travel solo across the principal inhabited continents – Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas and Africa – by bicycle.

I set off on 2 September 2009 from my cottage in Somerset for a journey expected to cover in excess of 45,000 miles over the next 4 years.

Why do this? To raise awareness of, and funds for, The Outward Bound Trust, and to inspire others to explore their potential through discovery and adventure.

The Outward Bound Trust uses outdoor experiences and challenges to help young people unlock their potential. At the heart of The Outward Bound experience is the Journey metaphor – physical journeys alongside those of development and discovery for the individual and the team.

A belief that we all have undiscovered potential that can be brought out through adventure – encouraging people to go out and do things they at first believe to be impossible, encouraging a deep appreciation of the balance between risk, reward and responsibility.

Armed with a netbook and camera, I use my blog to write about the people I meet and the places I visit – with a bit of humour that comes with spending 8 hours a day perched on a leather saddle.

So far I’ve encountered dubious Bavarian gnomes, ice forming on my cycling mitts, packs of dogs roaming free across the Serbian countryside, humbling hospitality, and I’ve not even left Europe!

From Ken’s Intelligent & Informative Travel Blog

If you come to Serbia then one thing’s an absolute must. An open mind. I’d come prepared for some animosity – you’ll still find plenty of references to the NATO air strikes a decade ago in newspapers and in conversation – but found only a warm, friendly people.

If you took time to listen, they took time to explain.

Joined a little later by a journalist friend, we talked at length about what it was like to be Serbian, to live in Serbia…..Communism, it seemed, had provided more than just reassuring certainty, you had somewhere to live, a job, and the streets were clean. And a Yugoslavian passport had afforded considerable freedom to travel. The break-up of Yugoslavia had meant de-facto confinement, for Serbians at least. Visas were difficult to come by.

A slow puncture, the first in close on five thousand kilometres. I made it to a convenient patch of tarmac, one of few at the entrance to a field, off the road and out of sight. Thirty minutes to remove all the panniers, up-end the bike, fix the puncture, refit all the kit and get back on the road. At least it was dry.

To read more about this cycling adventure around the world please visit www.acrosscontinents.org

Credits for the images in this guest post about biking across continents belong to Ken Roberts.

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CrazyJourney Community comments on cycling through Europe

I love the courtesy and space you are given by cars cycling in Europe. So different from London where you are lucky if they give you 30cm. Rough camping is also so easy and non stressful. Luke Bream

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Part 2 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life

Luke Bream — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:41:02 +0000

This guest post is by Viktoria Barna. This is Part 2 in a beautiful series of articles chronicling her experiences as a volunteer in a Nepalese orphanage and trekking through the Himalayas which gave her a new start in life. Read Part 1

An Orphanage in Nepal

My duty as a volunteer was to look after 33 orphans’ health, clean their sores every day, take them for dental check ups, stay with them in hospital when needed, make sure the –not very nice- manager gives food to them, and buy fruits and vitamins from donations.

They were 3-17 years old. Some of these children had parents, but they lived far away and were very poor, so they would pay the manager of the orphanage to take care of their child, and send them to school (which they couldn’t afford). Now, sometimes the managers’ heart is truly in it, and they do everything to make the children’s life better and happier.

BUT, there are managers who would save money on buying food for them, or would sell the pretty girls in India. The later was true to the manager of the orphanage I was placed. Our lovely manager, Emma was on the case. Her goal was to take over, and move the children to a better home.

I spent the first day in the orphanage in shock. It was dirty, smelly, and the children’s little bodies were full of infected sores from scabies, and head lice was common too. I went home feeling angry, sad, disappointed and ashamed to be a human. How can we let this happen!???

The next day I went back and saw these children smiling, getting ready for school. They were happy. They don’t know any better. This is the life they know, and they just get on with it. They don’t demand anything! They didn’t have anything…when a volunteer bought a football for them, they would jump around with joy, and take it to the fields as soon as they could. It was so much fun playing with them. They loved flying kites too.

I gave them two dried dates each one day, which I brought with me from Oman, where I spent a few days staying with a friend before going to Nepal. Those children were savouring them for 10 minutes…and there we go. Umm umm umm….a whole box gone in a minute. It was amazing to watch them enjoy every little bite they took.

After a month and a half spent in Nepal, it was time for my exciting adventure. Everest Base Camp Fundraising Trek, which was organized by VSN and the money fund raised was going towards a new home for the children I was looking after, as soon as VSN took over from that horrible manager.

A group of 12 of us from 7 different countries met in Vaishali Hotel, Kathmandu and took an early morning flight to Lukla on 2nd October 2006. It was a scary flight with a breathtaking view. The tiniest plane, flying through the Himalayas landing on a 100m long -or short in this case- landing strip, which is built into the mountain side. Crazy!

After a tea and a cheese sandwich in Lukla (2840m;93117 feet) we started to make our way to Everest Base Camp. We stopped walking in the afternoon and spent the evening playing cards, drinking endless amount of tea, reading and chatting. These were the activities for most of our evenings.

After waking up, we saw the most spectacular snow capped mountains, what weren’t visible when we arrived. At this point we didn’t know each other too well, but we all had a twinkle in our eyes, which said. This is going to be such a fun adventure!

The second day was the most difficult one, simply because it was the steepest climb, and we had reached the altitude where ‘altitude sickness’ can kick in. We left Phakding (2610m;8563 feet) after breakfast and walked through forests and passed many suspension bridges. One of the many rivers was roaming below, giving a lovely background noise throughout the trek.

We were stopped by the Maoist and we had to “donate” some money. Lucky we were with guides, and that it was a fundraising trek, otherwise we would’ve had to “donate” much more.

We arrived to Namche Bazaar (3440m;11286 feet), which is the last town before Everest therefore a major stop off point for those trekking to Everest Base Camp.

Some of the porters we saw on the way made our jaws drop to the ground. They carry all sort of stuff from food to metal wires wearing flip flops, taking us over. And there goes the German guy with his full on gear huffing and puffing. Sorry, nothing against Germans, it’s just they are probably the most prepared bunch out of all nations, right?
I got to taste my very first deep fried Mars bar here, which I think was the last one as well.

This story continues tomorrow as Viktoria reaches Everest Base Camp and prepares for the Annapurna Circuit Trek.

To follow up on this inspirational volunteer story please connect with Viktoria Barna on Facebook

Please support CrazyJourneys.com by taking a moment to comment on this inspirational volunteer story and also tweet or share it. Help Luke to spread the word. The buttons are below:

CrazyJourney Community comments on travel in Nepal

I’ve just done a 100 mile run in himalayas in indian/napal border. Amazing. Heres my race review | www.johnnysultrablog.co.uk

I trekked the Annapurna Himalayas last year – SO amazing, fell in love, want to go back and do Everest Base Camp.
www.desireekoh.com

Never Nepal, but yes to Rockies, Appalachians, Andes, Alps and several mountain peaks in the Caribbean. All exciting and fun
www.walknevis.com

Not for luxury travellers, for most it is beautiful, people are friendly, take your shots before going, drink bottle water. jimsswong.yolasite.com

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A travel blog with credibility. This traveller has a message to share

Luke Bream — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:50:08 +0000

Some travel blog’s have beautifully photography, some have well designed pages while others are full of amazing prose that give us a wonderful sense of being in the place the author describes. Rarely to they urge us to seek a better life. Andy’s Blog HoboTraveler does just that and his writing as a result is inspirational and very compelling.

I think perhaps it is his complete credibility. Here is a man who has been there, lived there, seen it, done it and got the T-shirt. He is homeless and has been a perpetual traveller for 10 years and visited more than 80 countries.

HoboTraveler.com is difficult and confusing to navigate around. But I strongly recommend that you take the time to do so. Hidden within it’s 8000+ pages are some really gems. Truisms that will inspire, comments that force you to look closely at ones own belief systems and strong opinions that he is not shy to share.

If you are tempted to venture on your travel adventure and are on a tight budget there is an excellent section on how he has funded his travel over the years. It demonstrates that with a bit of hard graft and an entrepreneurial spirit following your travel dreams is very possible.

It is so tempting to wait to follow out dreams for everything to be perfect. Often we put things off because we don’t have enough money, its not the right time, I cant leave now. Excuses are so easy to find. But please follow Andy’s example and get started. Live life in the here and now. Reach out for you goals and let nothing stand in your way.

The following quotes from his Blog give a flavour of the man and his writing.

Travel Blogs aspire to be somebody, to be a something, to be more than just one person rambling about his or her vacation.

Travel is one of the most selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed things to do on the planet, we do it alone, and all the decisions are made by us.

Make a list of all the things you want to do before you kick the bucket. When someone says, get a life, this is what they mean. We negotiate our life while living on a small precipice; we look over the edge seeing all that is possible. However, still as timid souls we ask too little of ourselves, we believe in tomorrow more than today.

I stole this tip, I am copying this tip, and I am buying into this tip from a movie called, “The Bucket List.” Two men who have terminal cancer make their dream list of what they want to do before the kick the bucket. The difference between these two men and the rest of the world is they decide to be the heroes of their life.

Make a list of all the things you want to do before you kick the bucket, then start to today to find the hero of the story. Please go watch the movie “The Bucket List,” and make all the tomorrows become today, then one day at a time you can become the hero of the story.

Once you have “The Bucket List,” you will learn there are people who love you and will help you achieve your dreams, and there will be many who say this is just a movie… it is not a movie, it is the story of your life, do not lose the negotiations, your life is at stake.

To read Andy’s blog about experience travel and the adventures it brings please visit www.hobotraveler.com

Credits for the images in this article about adventure travel and following our dreams belong to Andy.

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Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life

Luke Bream — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:48:03 +0000

This guest post is by Viktoria Barna. She has written a beautiful series of articles (This is Part 1) chronicling her experiences as a volunteer in a Nepalese orphanage and trekking through the Himalayas which gave her a new start in life.

The change in me through Nepal

After a fight with my– now dear friend- ex-boyfriend, we decided it was time we ended our relationship. And that was, in fact, a wonderful new beginning.

I sat in front of the computer for hours, applying for different volunteer works all over the world. Costa Rica, Fiji and Nepal to be precise.

I’ve always wanted to do something good, something worthwhile. This was the perfect opportunity. I thought it would be a difficult task, but I got an answer from all of the NGOs, and they were waiting for me with open arms (and pockets;)

I decided to go to Nepal, and volunteer in an orphanage for 4 months through GVN/VSN. After I’d read through their programme, I found out about the Everest Base Camp Fundraising Trek they organized. I though, “Why not, since I’m going to be there…might as well do it.”

So I sent my application, and paid bits by bits for the volunteer programme and the trek. I had to fund raise $2000, which some of my lovely friends kindly helped with. My ex helped me by sharing his house, without paying any rent, while I worked at the post office as a delivery person. He was off to Pakistan doing his own adventure.

My training to climb Everest Base Camp was sorted. I was doing my walks running, with a bag as heavy as 10-15kg at times. After work I would go for a run or take spinning classes. When I had the energy, since getting up at 4.20am took a lot out of me. Living in the country-side is great when one likes outdoor adventures, exercises.

I invited my mum to stay with me for a week, because I couldn’t go home in order to save more money, and she was so worried something would happen to me and we wouldn’t see each other again. She cooked for me, gave me massages and we would have long chats while walking in the forest.

When she told me, “I’m so scared, what if something horrible happened to you?!” I told her, “I prefer if something happened to me while climbing in the Himalayas, then getting hit by a bus in front of Tesco.” I saw a bit of relief on her face. We just don’t know when it’s our time to go…

Arriving in Nepal

I arrived to Nepal at the beginning of September 2006. Myself and a few other volunteers were picked up from the airport by a mini bus, and we were given a room in Potala Hotel. As we were racing through the streets of Katmandu, we were all smiling and I instantly fell in love with the place.

We had one week introduction in a beautiful little village called Bistachep. We lived with a Nepalese family, and had Nepalese language lessons every day. We were told about the scams in Kathmandu, and did some cool trekking in the valley. We had to use a communal tap in the middle of the village to get cleaned wearing a skirt pulled up to our necks as a cover.

We ate what every Nepalese eats every day, twice a day. Dhal baat. It’s rice, lentil soup and curry with the seasonal vegetable. We learnt to eat with our hands. We also learnt to use our right hand only, since the left was used to clean ourselves after using the toilet, which was a hole in the ground with a jug of water on the side.

We were told to watch out for leopards at night when we needed to go to the toilet, which was in the back of the garden. Great!

Once we were ready, we got our placements. I was living with my lovely aama (Nepalese for mother), who had two daughters and a son, and a little girl was staying over a lot, helping with the chores. Her parents were alcoholics, and as I understood, she was bitten up from time to time, so my aama helped her.

All of them lived in one room, and I had my own room which was the same size as theirs. There was nothing in my room, but a table and a bed, which had a blanket over it, so it was nice and hard.

The bathroom had a sink, but there was no pipe connected to the wall. When I washed my face the first time, I had water running on my feet to my surprise. We only had cold water, and oh dear, was it cold in the middle of the winter!?

This story continues tomorrow as Viktoria faces up to the harsh realities of orphanage life and discoveries the beauty of the Himalayan mountains.

To follow up on this inspirational volunteer story please connect with Viktoria Barna on Facebook

Credits for the images in this article about voluntary work in Nepal and getting fit for trekking in the Himalayas belong to Viktoria Barna.

Please support CrazyJourneys.com by taking a moment to comment on this inspirational volunteer story and also tweet or share it. Help Luke to spread the word. The buttons are below: