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It was time to head to the hottest place on earth New Delhi, India and we were not looking forward to it. Our flight from Singapore arrived in the evening so we would not have to deal with the heat until the next day, so we thought. It was quite a shock coming from the spic-and-span country of Singapore to the run down and dirty capital New Delhi. The guidebook had suggested not wearing shorts because only children wear shorts in India. This kid was not going to get caught dead in long pants as long as the thermometer was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. For the most part, the New Delhi International Airport is a joke as far as airports go. Little did we know that it represents modern day India very well. The guidebook for India gave us the typical suggestions for places to stay and we went with the YMCA which was described as being 'resort like.' We grabbed our bags, went through customs and purchased a taxi ticket from one of the counters outside the main lobby of the airport. It was time to head outside and we were greeted with a typical airport scene with taxis and people everywhere. The main difference was the blistering heat at 11:00 O'clock at night. The taxis were black with a yellow top and had a style that was round and oversized with a touch of British thrown into the design. India is a self-sufficient country and they make almost everything they need including all the cars. Somehow we managed to get a taxi that had lost its speed long ago and our short 20 minute drive to the YMCA turned into a 60 minute clam bake. At times I wanted to get out and push the taxi from behind to increase its speed. The streets were crowded and everybody was busy going in different directions. New Delhi has the distinction of being one of the most polluted cities in the world and after Bangkok, Thailand I was not looking forward to the pollution. New Delhi did not disappoint and the combination of heat and pollution made up my mind that we would be leaving for Nepal the next day.
The YMCA by Indian standards was resort like it had an empty swimming pool, air-conditioning, a lobby and a travel agent. It was all Karen and I could to keep from laughing. We somehow found the strength to check-in and not head straight for the Marriott. Karen was in tourist mode and was making plans for a morning tour of the Taj and Old Delhi. She really was possessed and the next morning put on long pants to meet with the local customs and started to call tour companies. I was not doing any city touring in 120 degree heat in vehicles that did not even know how to spell air-conditioning. I managed to calm her down and convinced her that we were leaving for Nepal today, this morning, as soon as possible. We had no tickets, no idea what time planes left or even if there was a plane leaving today. Karen packed with a slight hint of "this is not what I want to do" and let me know that I would be dealing with the consequences of any travel related screw ups. Bags to the lobby and the almost edible complimentary breakfast. As I was waiting in line another couple showed up with their bags and they looked like they were from the U.S. so I introduced myself and started asking questions. Karen had the same idea and I saw her over in the corner talking to Roxy from Chicago. I quickly learned from Ryan of Chicago that they had just spent two miserable days touring India and the heat was unbearable. They were leaving at 8:00 AM to catch a 1:00 PM flight to Nepal. Fate had provided me my first answer to today's travel plans there was a flight at 1:00 PM. I was already way ahead of the game. Karen was having a great time talking to Roxy and they both knew they had found a traveling companion when Roxy apologetically mentioned that they were flying to Nepal instead of the traditional two day bus ride. Karen quickly responded we are also going to fly because we hate taking buses. They both laughed over the travel quilt applied by fellow backpackers when you mention that you are going to fly instead of take a bus and miss a chance of meeting locals who don't speak any English. It is really an interesting phenomenon, to be considered a true backpacker it seems to be against the rules to fly if a bus is available. We had finally met someone who had the same travel philosophy and had been experiencing the same kind of traveler guilt. No longer, we formed our own high speed, get their as quick as you can, and at all cost avoid a long uncomfortable bus ride group. We told Roxy and Ryan we would probably see them at the airport.
Our taxi to the airport was twice as fast and twice as expensive as the night before, after a brief show of displeasure the rate was reduced. Instead of a 60 minute ride we arrived at the airport in record time of 40 minutes. Along the way the daylight provided us a better view of the route we had experienced ten hours ago. People, trash and vehicles everywhere New Delhi was not the place to be. The airport turned out to be a slightly different problem. At the New Delhi airport you cannot buy an airplane ticket. Well, you can buy a ticket inside at the counter but the police will not let you in if you do not have a ticket in hand for today's travel. This presented a problem and Karen started to turn on the "your screwing up" heat. We were told that we could go to the Indian Airlines office outside the main terminal. It was, of course, locked. The next plan involved Karen sitting with the bags why I tried to find a way through the problem. My next stop was the police office at the other end of the terminal where I explained my problem and was told sorry nothing they can do. I asked again and was told to pick up the phone and dial a number. In a minute, I was connected with a person who worked for Indian Airlines inside the main terminal who could sell me a ticket but today's flight to Nepal was full. I asked about going standby and she told me that I would have to wait at the counter. I then reminded her that they will not let me in because I do not have a ticket. She told me that I should ask one of the security guards at the entrance to escort me to the Indian Airlines counter. Back to my new security friends and I explained my problem again. They all looked at each other, none of them wanting to get up and they let me go through. To the front counter I went and explained my problem again, when I was told the flight was full. Is it possible to fly standby I asked? The nice gentleman explained that he would let me know thirty minutes before the flight. I then reminded him that I did not have a ticket and my traveling companion was stuck outside with the bags. The first answer you get from anybody in the service industry in India is "sit over there and wait." I stepped back ten steps, waited another ten minutes and tried again. This time I was escorted to a room behind the counter were I once again explained my problem. After some doing I was able to buy two tickets but they did not take credit cards and I was short the required 100,000 rupees. A cash advance at the airport bank, two tickets and an hour later we were closer to being on our way to Nepal. We found Roxy and Ryan in the airport lounge and began to make plans for Nepal. We had some extra time to get to know each other since the flight was delayed for an hour.
The Roxy and Ryan story was interesting. They both had accounting backgrounds, Roxy worked for a large printing company and Ryan worked for an investment banking firm focused on retirement communities. They had met in a bar one year ago and started dating. Ryan was the kind of guy that had a humorous story for about every situation. Roxy was more the level headed type that did not like to see anybody having fun without her. As their relationship grew they started sharing future plans and one day Ryan informed Roxy that he was going to quit his investment banking job, go to Australia and work as a bartender for a year and then return to San Francisco and look for a new job. It turns out that Roxy and a girlfriend had planned on going to Africa for a safari. By the time both of them got done outdoing each other, they had both planned to quit work, go on a 21 day bus safari in Africa followed by India, Nepal, Thailand, Bali, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and relocate to San Francisco. This was all going to be done in three months. Karen and I voted them co-presidents of the high speed travel club. Karen and I both packed in our careers for the sake of doing something stupid like traveling around the world for a year. This is very contrary to the typical, "I can only take off for a two week vacation" American work attitude. Roxy and Ryan knew what they wanted, planned for it and decided to do it regardless of the consequences. When they presented their plan to their bosses they were both given a three month leave and a transfer to San Francisco. You only get what you want in life if you ask for it.
Kathmandu is the big city of Nepal and the first stop before heading to the Himalayas. We purchased our Visas at the airport which is just a twenty dollar donation to the government. You should always have extra passport photos because quite a few people were stuck at immigration without the required photo. Stopping at the travel desks we booked a night stay at the Hotel Manang in the tourist section for $30 including transport. The drive through town took about twenty minutes and was filled with avoiding pot holes and cows in the middle of the road. The Kingdom of Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries by financial standards but we soon would learn that it is filled with riches beyond your wildest imagination. The hotel was nice and a couple of blocks from the craziness of Themal Street. We had lots of planning to do and we needed some education. We were both a little nervous about any ten day walks through the mountains because of our physical conditioning. We could walk on flat land all day long but climbing really kicked our butts. Roxy and Ryan had also done little conditioning and were a little concerned about climbing mountains. Kory, a friend of ours had gone to Nepal after graduating law school and returned with stories that would convince anyone from going to Nepal for trekking. It turns out Kory had a great time but her adventure was difficult because of planning and the number of days to get from point A to point B was too short, so they had to hurry. We planned on being prepared and the allocation of enough time for getting in shape as we went. We were in Nepal in the off-season just before the monsoon rains which are the life blood of the rice farmers in Nepal. The trekking season in Nepal is September to October and 40,000 tourists show up for 10-21 day walks through the mountains. We didn't mind not being in the woods with 40,000 people and hoped the monsoon rains would not ruin our trekking. The guidebook pointed out numerous treks and options to keep you busy for a lifetime. Most trekking in Nepal is called a Tea House trek. The goal of the trek is to walk to the base of the numerous mountains that climb to 24,000 feet. Mt. Everest is of course the grand daddy of all mountains and it only takes 14 days to walk to it and another 14 days to walk back. Along the way you stay in local village houses setup for trekkers called Tea Houses. This means that the trekker only has to carry a small backpack with clothes and other little items. Food and lodging can be had for less than five dollars a day. The most popular trekking region is called Annapurna and provides treks from 5 - 21 days. We did not feel ready for the Annapurna trek and decided to take the Royal Trek, which is in a slightly different area but you have to camp and be self-sufficient. The climbing and walking is easier and you do not have to do any serious climbing. The plan was to go on an easy camping trek for five days with porters and a guide and then do a harder tea house trek on our own.
We met Mr. Lama in the hotel lobby, he gave us the ride from the airport, and he walked us to his friend's travel agency called Happy Travel. It was a little off the beaten path and was basically a room with a very nice guy in it. It turns out that everyone in Nepal is very nice and after spending five hours in Katmandu we wanted to stay for a month. We left Happy Travel with some price quotes and continued on for further education. The streets of Themal are narrow and crowded with souvenir shops, restaurants, guest houses and people everywhere. We were really liking Nepal. Karen was giddy over all the souvenir shops filled with local crafts and ancient relics. The shops were filled with clothes, jewelry, tapestries, antiques, hats, camping gear, and rugs. The people are very relaxed, friendly and happy. It was fun just walking down the streets taking it all in. This was surprising because we were into our fourth month of travel and it was refreshing to be excited about a new place. We got pulled into another travel agency called First Environmental Trekking (1envtrek@ccsl.com.np). I was already set on these guys before they gave their spiel. World cup soccer was in full swing and when we sat down in the manager's office I noticed they had been watching a soccer match on the computer screen. They had a TV tuner card installed in the computer which allowed them to watch TV on the computer monitor. The manager picked up the remote control, turned down the volume and got busy selling us on First Environmental Trekking. After the initial sales pitch we took the information and told him we would be back tomorrow. As we headed out we noticed that Roxy and Ryan had also stumbled into First Environmental. This was amazing because there are at least 400 trekking companies in Katmandu. We decided to meet up at the Kathmandu Guest House for dinner and beers. The Kathmandu Guest House is the place to be and is the place everyone stays. They have a nice setup and you can get a dorm room style bed all the way to a deluxe suite. After dinner we decided to continue our drinking and headed out for a local pub. Everything closes around 12:00 PM so we would need to hurry.
It didn't take long to get in the spirit of drinking and we knew that Nepal was going to be fun. One word of advice on drinking in Nepal, stick to beer. The liquor is all made in Nepal and it is very difficult and expensive to buy imported liquor. However, the beer is good and works well. Somehow, we ended up sitting next to some guys from Ireland who decided to have some fun with some Americans. He asked where we were from and I responded Florida. He pretended not to know where Florida was so I pointed out home of Walt Disney World and Mickey Mouse. He furthered the game by confessing that he had never heard of Mickey Mouse. I gathered I was being toyed with so we ordered some more beers and continued on. It was time to leave and Roxy was not feeling well from drinking local liquor. We paid our bill and as I was the last to leave our friends from Ireland admitted that they were just kidding and wanted to buy us a beer. It turns out that last call had already been rang out and they were hoping Karen could talk the bartender into another round. Roxy and Ryan left and we all get kicked out an hour later, so we moved to the roof top of our new Irish friend's hotel. They had just spent 60 days trying to climb to the top of the world's third tallest mountain. Both of the guys we met are professional climbers and were being sponsored by the Irish government, friends and family. It cost them over $50,000 US in fees, gear and porters for their climb. The final goal is to someday climb Mt. Everest. They did not make it to the top of their mountain because of weather and two Japanese climbers died on the mountain. They were all very upset about not making it and about the loss of life of two climbers. They were both flying home to Ireland tomorrow and the thought of peace in their country was an unimaginable event. They shared stories about the loss of life and what it is to be Irish. They could not wait to get home, be with their families and to try and make the peace process work. They live in Belfast, Northern Ireland which is the worst place in Ireland for fighting. They invited us to come visit them and we may show up on their doorstep.
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