com/distance/'>internet distance calculator, I was now 7616 miles from Chicago. I think I was the only one of the seven who changed money at the airport. I changed $200 at an exchange rate of about 54 NRs to $1. I then obtained my 15 day visa for Nepal for $15 in U.S. currency. The others had obtained theirs ahead of time. I also had to fill out a short arrival card. Everything was eventually stamped, and I was ready to join the others. Henry, Jergen, Katherine and Antje waited for me. Karen and Jo had already gone.
We got our luggage and said our farewells. I was not happy that no one could tell me where they were staying. When we stepped out of the terminal, the departure area was full of people trying to get our attention. I quickly saw my Peregrine sign, and they saw their Odyssey sign.
Again I felt as if I had stepped into another world. The nature of my vacation changed as if I had finished one book and was opening another. (I had finally arrived in a country where there were no McDonalds.)
I met and shook hands with my trek leader Dawa. Dawa was a Sherpa. The Sherpas are the people who live in the Everest region. A boy carried my bag to the jeep. Dawa suggested I give the boy some Indian currency, so I gave him 10 Rs. He probably didn't think I had already changed money. Dawa, a porter boy and 2 others in the drivers section drove me on the left side of the road to the Hotel Shanker, a 4-star hotel. While talking with Dawa on the way to the hotel, I was constanlty distracted by the sights from the road. I saw a Ferris wheel in operation. Dawa told me that this would be the first time he would be the trek leader.
At the hotel, Dawa had me fill out lots of paperwork. I filled out the trekking permit form and gave him three passport pictures, my three airline tickets (I always hate surrendering those) and my passport (I'm not too keen on surrendering that either). He needed all those things. Dawa warned me not to drink any of the tap water in the hotel -- not to even sing in the shower.
Peregrine couldn't arrange a trip to Chitwan for me -- Dawa was able to get someone on the phone for me. The man at the hotel desk suggested I take an organized tour. He showed me a brochure for 3-day, 2-night stay at Tiger Camp in Chitwan that would cost $130. It sounded good at first. At that point Dawa left with all my valuable papers. The man at the desk wouldn't accept a credit card as payment for the trip, and he didn't want to talk about it in front of his boss. I told him to make the call and book my trip for me. I would pay when the man who runs the trips would come by later. A bellboy helped me take my bag to my room. They have tipping boxes for the help, so I didn't tip him yet.
I had been given a roommate (or rather my roommate was given me), but he wasn't around when I settled in. I found that the lock on my bag was missing. It was a disturbing find, but nothing seemed to be missing. When I went over all the material I had on Chitwan and realized that if I went to Chitwan on one of the tourist buses I could save something like $80, I was less than enthused about taking the packaged trip. I didn't want to pay in U.S. currency as what I had on me was obviously limited. Plus, there seemed something shady about the way the man at the desk wouldn't talk about the deal with his boss around. I changed my mind about the trip and called the man at the desk to have him cancel it. He wasn't pleased and told me I could talk with the other guy when he arrived. He called and I explained that the trip cost too much. He eventually went down to $100, but I still said no.
My roommate, Paul Cook, arrived. He was a dentist from Milwaukee who had just returned from an Annapurna trek. He seemed to be in a rush. He was going to spend the next few days exploring Kathmandu and the surrounding area. He said I seemed like a nice guy but insisted we take down each other's addresses just in case. He said the trek was harder than he expected it to be, that his girlfriend would've had a hard time with it and that it was better she hadn't come. I very much missed my girlfriend. He had moleskin all over his feet. He told me people in his group got sick and that you have to buy Cokes from the people on the trekking route to stay hydrated. I felt uncomfortable around him.
I still had to venture out as the sun was setting to Thamel, the main tourist district, where I hoped to make arrangements for my own trip to Chitwan. Things didn't look too promising.
I spent some time in the hotel shops where I met an Australian couple who were on a Peregrine trek to the Everest Base Camp. They would be going further than my group, but I later learned that you can't see Everest from there.
I got my bearings and set off from the hotel not really sure just where I should go. It was already twilight. Crossing streets was an adventure in itself. You basically take your chances and have to be very alert. I had to pass the Royal Palace on my way to Thamel. I was looking for a travel agent that could get me on a bus to Chitwan. I walked into Classic Nepal where an older man and a young man, maybe a teenager, tried to help. The young man, Razu, called a couple of places, but the tourist buses in the morning were already full. They didn't recommend I try the public buses as they are less safe and there are numerous stories of buses overturning. I just had to accept that I wouldn't be able to visit Chitwan on this trip.
I very much wanted to call home, but Dawa had told me to definitely not call from the hotel because it would be very expensive. Somehow I didn't think I'd find anything cheap. Razu took me around a corner and up the street into Thamel to a place called Global Communications. There I was able to call Sara for less than a minute and give her my number, so she could call me. It would be cheaper that way. Nepal is 11 hours and 45 minutes ahead of Chicago time, so noon in Kathmandu is 12:15 AM in Chicago of the same day.
I saw Razu waiting for me while I talked with Sara in a private booth. I wasn't sure what his intentions were, so that made me a little nervous. I'm from Chicago after all.
We talked for about 30 minutes. The whole thing cost me 190 NRs. I learned I could send email from there as well. I knew I would be back tomorrow to try that. It was around 8:00 PM when the place was supposed to close when I left. Razu left with me. I only learned his name when we reached the intersection where we would part company. I wanted to thank him with more than just words, but he said that I was a guest in his country, and he just wanted to show his hospitality. I was now definitely convinced I was in a different world after leaving India.
Lonely Planet Map of Nepal Map of Nepal
I made it back to the hotel okay after only one wrong turn. It was easy to figure it out. I was disappointed about Chitwan, but I was determined to make the most of it. The hardest part would be not having specific things to do in and around Kathmandu, but I also knew that if I had gone to Chitwan that probably would have meant two gruelling 7-hour bus trips with no guarantee of spotting Bengal tigers or rhinos. At least I had already been on an elephant in India. The guy from one of Rachel's past tours I met in Mandawa said he came close to seeing a rhino in Chitwan but hadn't.
I ate at the hotel restaurant. Paul was there, so I joined him. It seemed like we were the only Americans there. It was a grand ballroom type restaurant, and many of the guests seemed to be French or German and very well-off. Paul told me that the French Embassy was very close to us -- the U.S. Embassy was just up the street I had walked earlier. Paul was impressed with how much I got accomplished just stumbling about in the streets. Paul did end up giving me some good advice. Paul seemed very impatient with the hotel service. I thought he obviously hadn't been to India. They did take a very long time in getting him his bill. He didn't stay for the whole time I was down there. I made a point to remember next time to always bring something to read at my meals. My meal which consisted of chicken fried rice and 2 small Cokes. Always in India and Nepal the bottled soft drinks come in bottles smaller (about 250 or 300ml) than we're used to at home -- not as satisfying as one would like. Dinner cost me 200 NRs (or roughly $4) after the Peregrine 20% discount.
I was able to buy a small lock for my bag for 120 NRs in one of the hotel shops. Since I wouldn't be going to Chitwan, I now had to arrange for accomodations for the two nights I expected to be out of town. I didn't have vouchers for the Shanker Hotel for those nights. The man at the main desk told me a single room would cost me $84 per night, but if I stayed with Paul, it would cost me $42. Paul and I walked down the street towards the U.S. Embassy to a small shop for an evening water bottle run -- much cheaper out of the hotel. I would become a regular patron of that shopkeeper's establishment. It was very dark out. Always when leaving the hotel, we had to fend off rickshaw drivers who were more than willing to take us anywhere. I bought a Sprite (9 NRs if you drank it there and left the bottle) and two bottles of water for 20 NRs each. While we were out, I stopped in at the Ambassador Hotel across the street. There it would only cost me $25 per night for a single room.
I think Paul wanted me to stay with him since I was now a friendly face from virtually the same area in the U.S., but the savings were too good and I knew I would be more comfortable in the privacy of my own room where I could fall asleep with the TV on. I also still wasn't too comfortable with Paul. He did seem a bit disturbed -- pretty negative, and he would go on and on about things as if he couldn't let them go. His eyes seemed a little glazed over and spittle would gather at his lips. It made me think he'd spent too much time at high altitude or was suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress. I also had to show him how to activate the power for the air conditioning in the room. It made me think I would do better here than I had at first thought.
Paul asked me to sell him one of my water bottle which I did. I wrote before going to sleep -- Paul had moved our twin beds apart. He woke up a few times in the night. I know because it would wake me up.
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I got up around 7:30 AM, showered, shaved and went down for breakfast. At first there was some confusion about whether I would have to pay for it, but being with Peregrine, the breakfast was included. I had toast, orange juice (3 small glasses), tea with leaves that I couldn't keep out of my cup and scrambled eggs.
I checked out and had a bellboy carry my large bag across the street to the Ambassador Hotel (P.O. Box 2769. Fax: 977-1-413641 Tel: 414432,410432.) where I gave him 10 NRs for his efforts. After you check out, they give you a card you need to present to the doorman before he lets you out. |
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