#1 - Arrival in Nepal
Hey everyone! We've finally arrived. After nearly 50 hours of transit we finally came to Kathmandu.
The trip was exhausting but definitively worth it. We had a 20 hour stopover in Bangkok so got to see a leasat a little bit of the city. Increadibly hot and increadibly humid. I can't imagine how people can live there on a daily basis. Was great for a day, but feeling wet 24/7 is not really my thing. (I think it was about 80% humidity). People there are increadibly friendly, we had strangers on the street offering to be our tourguides, getting deals for us and making sure we are taken care of and well informed. But our stay there was only a little glimps of what Bangkok trully has to offer. I'll be back there in a couple months so hope to explore it more.
Then today it was flight to Kathmandu. Speaking of flighs - China Air rocks - full selection of 20 movies, games, internet etc. all in the screan located in the seat in front of you. Great way of catching up on all the movies that you didn't have time seeing because of exams. Thai Air amazing as well - they came around serving wine and congnac - sure beats Lufthansa and its Baileys.
Currently at a travel agency trying to sort out all our Tibet and trecking stuff. They're busy so lettin us use the internet in the meantime while giving us free drinks. Super friendly people. Climent is also much nicer. Not so humid but still hot. Probably a thunderstorm coming on for the night but that's good cause it will clear the air.
Well - just a little update. Nothing much to say since we've been in transit for most of this time.
We'll keep in touch.
Kasia & Paulina
PS: anyone interested in custom made suits - just give me measurments - the going rate for them in Bangkok was 6000 (181$ CAD) but price fell to 3000 within the first two minutes. Really nice stuff and they Fedex it back to you to Canada free of charge. Will be checking them out in Vietnam as well so I'll give you comparison prices.
PS: Nepalian oddity - time difference here is 13 hours 45 minues - they wanted to be different from India which is 13 30
PS: Personal taxi that will take you anywhere you want in Bangkok cost us 15 cents - took us everywhere!!!
PS: for those who were worried - internet won't be a problem nor will downloading stuff and burning it onto CDs - they're widely present here.
4 Hours Prior to Departure
Still some last minute packing to do. I don't know how it will all come together, but one way or another we have to leave by 7pm for Seattle. No other choice or else we risk missing our flight. So considering our flight is 40 hours long, we will be on the road for nearly 50 hours if everythign goes well.
Our planned arrival in Kathmandu is noon on April 29th. So that's probably the earliest that you will be hearing from me again.
Till then.
Wonder what this will be after 124 days in countries whose food I don't really eat... (keep in mind this photo includes the weight of my camera).
My Best Friend for the next 4 months
Last Minute Packing - 3pm - leaving at 7pm
This is a general sketch of the travel route that's planned for this year. I will be flying in from Seattle, via Taipei and Bangkok into Kathmandu. Several weeks will be spent in Nepal and from there across the Himalayas, via Everest to Lhasa. After two weeks in Tibet it's going to be a flight to Kunming and a couple days spent in the areas of Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge. If all goes smoothly the plan is to cross the border into Laos, spend a bit more than a week there and fly from it's capital to Hanoi so Paulina can get a flight back from there on June 22nd. I will spend some time exploring little villages in northern Vietnam and return to Hanoi July 2nd to pick my mom up at the airport so that together we can make our way down along the coast of Vietnam, through Cambodia and into Bangkok from where she'll be flying home. Once again for me there will be a detour into the north as I wait for Jordan to arrive. Together we will complete the finall three week stretch of the trip working or way down along the coast of Thailand, through Malaysia and finishing off in Singapore.
It's About to Start
I'm about one week away from my next trip and before then I still have to write 3 exams, move out of residence, read up about all the countries I'm going to, make sure I have all the visa requirements, book plane tickets for Jordan and mom who will be joining me at various points of the trip and... The list seems simply never ending. I think I'm more stressed about this trip then I am about my exams right now.
But yeah... It should be a good one. Flying in to Kathmandu with a flight from Seattle via Taipei and Bangkok. We will be arriving in Kathmandu on April 29th. Then the plan is to slowly work or way from Napal into Tibet, then the tinest corner of China (definitively not giving that country it's due credit) and eventually into Laos and Vietnam. Paulina will be flying out of Hanoi on June 22nd so we have to make it there by then.
July 1st my mom should be joining me for a three week stretch which should take us through Vietnam and Cambodia and just in time into Bangkok so that she can catch her flight out on July 25th. Then I will have some more time to kill, maybe explore northern Thailand for a while and eventually be joined by Jordan on August 5th. The last three weeks will be of southern Thailand, Malaysia and a couple days in Singapore before our flight out on August 30th.
So four months of great new places and great experiences as well as an endless amount of bizzar stories. Hopefully some good photographs will be able to accompany those stories. My new camera is already purchased so I'm looking forward to put it into use.
