Nepal

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Nepal Day 10 – Dingbouche to Lobouche

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Onwards to Dughla

I left Dingboche (elevation : 4530m - I stayed in 'lower' Dingboche though at an elevation closer to 4300m) that morning completely enraptured after having watched the glorious sunrise crawl slowly down the face of Ama Dablam (elevation : 6856m). The early part of the trek to Lobuche was pretty straightforward, with barely any elevation gain until reaching Dughla for lunch, which bode well for a few of the members of Sophie's group - one not feeling too well with a bad cough and a headache, and another with a swollen ankle.

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Nepal Day 09 – Acclimatisation at Dingboche

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Dingboche Acclimatisation

The plan was to spend a day acclimatising once again here in Dingboche (Sophie's group was doing the same, before heading up to Chukhung via Dughla the next day). Since I had decided to carry on with them for the next day or two and since my original plans (which were to trek up to Chukhung from Dingboche, climb up Chukhung Ri and then cross the high-altitude pass of Kongma La to Lobouche the next day) were now revised, I decided to head up the path that lead to Chukhung (elevation : 4730m) for a bit before coming back down to Dingboche for the night. Read more

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Nepal Day 08 – Tengbouche to Dingbouche

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Tengbouche Monastery

I woke up early to join a group of other hikers that were heading to the Tengbouche Monastery for the morning puja, an act of devotion that involves acts such as bowing, making offerings, and chanting. As we approached the monastery, a monk leaned out one of the second-storey windows and blew on a huge conch shell called a 'sankha' - a trumpet that is customary to be blown before the morning puja. Read more

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Nepal Day 07 – Namche Bazaar to Tengbouche

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On to Tengbouche

Even though it was bright and sunny that morning, the temperatures outside hovered just above freezing - a sure sign that winter was just around the corner. Despite the cold, I quickly packed up my gear, eager to get back out on the trail and on to Tengbouche. After making my way up the narrow shop-lined alleyways to the Northern side of Namche Bazaar (elevation : 3440m), I turned right along the trail that began to lead Eastwards out of the town. As the buildings started to disappear and Namche Bazaar faded away into the distance, the mountains gradually began to open up to proudly showcase their majestic splendour. Read more

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Nepal Day 06 – Acclimatisation at Namche Bazaar

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Namche Bazaar

The day started off slow and relaxed with a bit of coffee and lemon tea (NPR70+150 (MYR8)) before I went out to look around the quaint little shops that were scattered around town. Namche Bazaar (elevation : 3440m) is considered the business capital of the Khumbu region and is the site of a weekly market where you can find all sorts of goods and trekking paraphernalia. I ended up stocking up on quite a few things that I felt I needed - a mesh bag (NPR400, MYR14), another water bottle (NPR250, MYR9), some filtered water (NPR100, MYR3.50), and extra toilet paper (NPR100, MYR3.50). Read more

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Nepal Day 05 – Phakding to Namche Bazaar

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Nature's Wonders

Today I witnessed the mountains come to life! I woke up at 04:30 and went outside to do some stargazing in the crystal clear mountain skies, braving the brisk temperatures that were as low as -10 degrees Celsius. After setting up the intervalometer on my Nikon D7000, I stood watching the constellation Orion and Jupiter (then situated just above the Hyades cluster in Taurus) slowly set behind the mountains. Read more

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Nepal Day 04 – Lukla to Phakding

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'World's Most Dangerous Flight'

I had been looking forward to the flight to Lukla for quite a while as all the things that I had both read and had heard from others travelers made the journey not only sound dangerous but also immensely fun. As such, I awoke that day bright and early and very eager to go. I had paid USD282 (MYR850) for the return flight from Kathmandhu to Lukla Read more

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Nepal Day 03 - Boudhanath & Pashupatinath

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TIMS (Trekkers' Information Management System) Card

I had decided to head to the TIMS office as early as possible in order to obtain my TIMS card as my main reason for being in Nepal was to go trekking. I also wanted to get it over with so that I could enjoy Kathmandhu without it weighing on my mind. So after extending my stay in the hotel for another night - I gave USD10 and received NPR170 in change (which would mean that it come up to about MYR24) - and after my compulsory morning coffee which cost NPR30 (MYR1) at my favourite Newa Mo:mo Restaurant, I went in search for a mountain bike to rent. Read more

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Nepal Day 02 - Kathmandhu's Durbar Square

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Bustling Kathmandhu

I woke up early to the noises of bustling Kathmandhu. Fortunately the Annapurna Guesthouse that I was staying in was located off the main road and as such was a lot quieter than most of the other guesthouses. Later on was I to realize that the Nepalese start their day very early (normally around 05:00-06:00) as the sun rises and sets early here at this time of year. The first thing I did after I left the guesthouse was to head to the nearest shop and buy a map of the city which ended up costing a ridiculous NPR500 (MYR17)! Read more

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Nepal Day 01 - Kathmandhu Arrival

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Kathmandhu Arrival

The Airasia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandhu that I had purchased cost only MYR579 (including the airport tax) however the return flight came up to a total of MYR780. This was because I had taken quite some time to finalise my itinerary and as such ended up booking the return flight much later on. The flight itself was fairly uneventful, an Airbus 330-300 that remained between 10000 and 11500 metres with a speed of 780 km/h for the most part. One thing I did notice however that was out of the ordinary was the fact Read more