Nepal is definitively one of those countries that excite many people, especially because it’s completely dominated by the highest mountains in the world.
Nepal is also the country Lukas recently visited on his world bike tour. Of all his updates for the Blog, I think this is probably the most original and full of precious suggestions for those who want to adventure themselves in this fantastic country.
-Pino (@haikus)
A German motorbike swishes just next to me, right after Nepali border crossing. The driver pulls over, and after a small chit chat he passes me a business card. It’s a card of travel agency which his good Nepali friend is running, him being a co-partner. I use this agency for crossing Tibet to mainland China, and ask the helpful managing director for an interview for my blog post. So this is a summary of my interview with Devandra from Two Brothers.
First things first, which mobile phone you have? Nokia.
Excellent. Let’s proceed then How many travel agencies there are in Kathmandu? Around 550
Wow, that’s a lot. How to choose from that amount? The best way is to trust an agency your friends have already used with a positive experience.
What does Nepal offer for a tourist? Lots of things. Because of its exquisite nature, Nepal offers amazing trekking, mountaineering, climbing, rafting, biking, motor crossing, paragliding, sky diving, bungee jumping, jungle safari, but also yoga and meditation. Among these, travel agencies usually offer tours to f.e. Tibet or traditional villages and we provide volunteering as well.
Volunteering? Yes. Actually our company’s aim is to give social help to poor kids from Nepalese villages.
What is the most popular thing travelers do in Nepal? They go trekking. Trekking is absolutely the biggest thing in Nepal. During the high season (March-May and September-November) Mt. Everest base camp (5340 m) can be so crowded, that all the lodges are booked out.
Mt. Everest is what Nepal is known for. How much does it cost to climb up there? For foreigners the permission costs 40,000 $, but you have to add another 10 grand for guides, gear, food, transportation etc. Locals get permission for free
How long does it take to climb to the top of the world? Around two months. The best time is to start in April and finish in June. There are 300-700 attempts each year.
Maybe we can try together one day. Is there still something you want to say to the Blog readers? Next year there will be a campaign called Nepal Tourism Year 2011, which means free three month visa for a traveler. This hopefully brings more prosperity to Nepal, so the social help will be more satisfactory than now.
I thank Devendra for the interview, but also for some warm clothing he has given to me for the Himalaya crossing. This journey I can’t do on my bicycle, but it’ll surely be fantastic.
-Lukas
Source : http://blog.ovi.com/2010/12/10/ovi-presents-lukas-...