The Longest Way Home | Travel Blog

Long-term travel: first steps in planning your travel route

2012-05-27T16:00:00-07:00

Plan out your long-term travel route with a map

Long-term travel and planning where to go

One could just hop on a plane, bus, or boat and let the wind take you to where ever. It’s a nice idea. I’ve done it myself and it does have a unique appeal. However if someone is planning to be traveling over a long 18+ month period or even longer I do strongly advise them to have a rough idea of where they want to go and what they want to accomplish.

The most important thing to remember is all good journeys do, can and should change along the way

Let’s look at how you can plan a long-term travel route and why.

Start your long-term travel route with a map

It can be online, or in paper format but you should be able to write on it and take notes. Mark where you are now then decide on the must see top ten places you want to visit. Link them together and you’ve got the roughest of rough maps of the countries you will be visiting.

Ideally I would suggest you try to map out an overall global route first and systematically link the main places together. Then link in other countries neighboring to them and see if there’s anything you’d like to visit there too.

Next up you’ll need to a have a rough idea of how long your long-term journey is going to be. 18 months, 3 years, indefinitely etc.

You are now starting to put together a route map that links everything together. But there’s going to be more to it than just hopping between countries. A lot more.

Jason from Digi Drift recommends:

“Planing for any long term journey, especially if its trans continental is best done with a map. Not your online version either, but a good old fashioned folded paper version. Do a bit of research before buying, because I can attest to the comment that ‘Not all maps were created equal’. Take Africa for example. I would not travel to Africa, without the most up to date maps of my required regions printed by Michelin. Michelin maps are great for route finding, as they show all of the small border crossings as well as minor villages. They even plot the well locations at various locations, when your in very remote regions.”

Michael Robert Powell from The Candy Trail recommends:

“Maps excite me. Am always wondering what’s within those crazy-colored shapes. Start by flipping a coin: go somewhere. Highlight places of interest - then join the dots … there’s your travel route.”

Planning your tourist visas for long-term travel

Of all the problems I see amongst long-term travelers and overland travelers it’s having to change routes and destinations due to tourist visas that sits at the top of the list. I’ve met many a traveler who simply could not continue on their chosen route because they did not plan their travel visas properly.

My first overland travel map ... yep it was that basic, but it was a foundation that stood the test of time

When marking out countries you will be visiting on your map quickly look up online if they require you to have a visa beforehand. Or if they offer visas on arrival via plane, or on arrival via overland borders. At the same time look up to see how long their visas are valid for? eg 30 days, 60 days etc.

Write the visa requirements down on your map or next to a country’s name on a separate list. This is vital information in planning a long-term travel route.

*do note that your current legal residence will play a part on the ease or lack of ease in obtaining a visa en-route.

Long-term travel and countries that do not offer visas on arrival

Many countries require you to obtain a tourist visa from your home country. That’s a real problem for long-term travel.

The easiest advice to give here is to tackle these countries first on your journey. Russia is a prime example. Getting a Russian tourist visa is no easy feat. They require you to apply in your home country with references, bookings and many more requirements. Doing this when you are already traveling is very, very difficult or near impossible.

This applies to quite a few countries and to make it even more complicated a lot of it also depends on your nationality and your country’s current political standing with the one you are applying to.

If you do want to visit Russia and your research tells you that you need to apply at home for a visa then you might also want to include neighbouring countries with difficult visas like Mongolia and China. Tackle all three with pre acquired visas from home and you’ve just removed one of your larger headache’s in long-term travel in that region.

The other option is of course to return home and apply there or trust in a specialist visa agency. Again, I’m writing this under the assumption that you are long-term traveling and not returning home. Just remember that visas take time to process and they have expiry dates (more on that later).

Finding a base to apply for tourist visas when traveling long-term

With your map of countries you should be by now pulling together a wealth of up-to-date visa requirements. You’ll know which countries require a visa via applying from home on arrival or from an embassy.

If you are approaching several countries that allow you to apply for visas in their embassies then you might consider setting up a base in a neighboring country and applying for them all there.

For me I acquired my visas for Iran, Pakistan and India all in Turkey. I’ve also used Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok as bases to apply for visas. Why? Because all of these countries have a host of embassies located in their capitals thereby making applying for visas quite easy.

My real original overland travel map that barely moved from my plan

The only issue is that over the past few years embassies have been cost cutting and moving out into suburban city areas. Thereby making if difficult to locate them and find good public transport to bring you there. Quite often you’ll have to get a taxi as there is no public transport.

As you might be doing a lot of repeat journey’s to the same embassy this can become quite expensive. Not only that but accommodation in capitals can cost more than in other regions. All in all it can be annoying but it’s still cheaper than flying home every time you need to get a visa.

If you are lucky and the embassies are all located near each other you might consider staying outside the capital in cheaper accommodation and take night transport in every few days to check on your applications.

Get your date’s right when applying for visa’s for long-term travel

One last point with tourist visas for long-term travel. You need to do some math. Visas can often be applied in advance for up to 90 days etc. Depending on the country. So you will need to calculate when you’ll be arriving, how long you will be staying, and when the start of the next countries visa will be starting.

In other words be careful on applying to Mongolia for 30 days entering on the 1st and then find out you cannot enter Russia until the 2nd of the following month!

Likewise beware of visa expiry dates.

A point for car drivers going overland to remember. Do make sure you have all your carnet de passage documentation taken care of during this early planning stage too! Many countries will have specific document requirements.

Peter Daams co-founder of Travellerspoint recommends:

“This just takes a lot of preparation and constant planning. You can work out in advance which countries will not be that hard to enter. And then also work out those that will be hard. Those are the ones you’ll need to work around. For example, travelling to Russia will require an invitation before you can apply. And application fees increase a lot if you want to have a quick result. So leave that one lots of time.
The other problem is a lack of embassies, which means getting a visa while you’re travelling becomes extra tricky. Again, you just need to plan the tough ones well in advance and work around those.”

Planning your long-term travel route with a budget

For the record there will be another article about long-term travel finances that will go more in-depth than this one. But for the purposes of planning your long-term travel route you should have a rough budget in mind. You’ll then know how much money you have to spend. At this stage you should know the cost of your visas etc. which is a good time to also find out the approximate daily cost of traveling in a country.

My actual live long-term travel map ended up being pretty close to the second map I made

I budget a country a little differently to many. I start with visas then accommodation. It’s one of the easiest to budget and find out. Hotels, guesthouses and hotels make it very easy to find out your initial expenses.

Some self promotion here but do try out my Hotel Search on The Longest Way Home (this link opens a new window so you can try it out, and keep reading here). It covers a wide range of accommodation and you can sort by price. Best of all it’s got a map. A great start for budget planning.

Again write down the approximate cost of accommodation per night. After that you can add-on eating out, and transport.

From here, you start making budget cuts like staying in guesthouses instead of 1 star hotels in some counties. Or even budget in a single expensive country for hostel dorms and making your own meals for countries.

Again, I will be going further in-depth with long-term travel budgets, and finances in a follow-up article. But when it comes to planning your long-term route it’s important to start your basic budget as early on as possible. If anything it will start to shape out journey with a lot more clarity.

Long-term travel must see destinations, time of year weather and festivals

By now you have a rough route forming, an idea of how long you can stay and how much your stay will cost. The next thing you should keep in the back of your mind is the time of year you will be there. Why? Well, if you want to avoid wash out monsoon seasons, standstill freezing snow conditions and overwhelming hot times of the year then this is important.

That said, with long-term travel sooner or later you are bound to be in a country during its “worst” time of year. There’s nothing wrong with that per-say but you should really avoid extended periods of being completely soaked in heavy rains, freezing cold or sweating in hot seasons for months upon months.

More importantly some countries can grind to a halt during extreme weather. Examples are the South of China during winter where the snow often locks up public transport. Likewise during China’s new year public transport is completely booked up and you may find yourself stuck in place for longer than you would like.

Google calendar is a good starting point here as you can import many international holidays into it quite quickly.

Planning long-term travel around festivals

My advice is to keep local or national festivals in mind but don’t try to make it to every one. You’ll miss out on a lot along the way. I traveled through Romania to catch a full moon in Transylvania, it was worth it. But I also tired myself out. In Nepal there are so many festivals unless you stay there for a year you are bound to miss out on some “must see” festival.

All in all I would mark out the dates of important festivals you’d like to see. Keep them in mind but don’t ruin a journey by rushing to one.

For me, it’s always been important to mark out national holidays and religious holidays when everything comes to a standstill!

Other points to keep in mind include wars, political unrest and natural disasters. Keep an eye on regional news when long-term traveling.

Summary of planning for a long-term travel journey

I’ve covered a lot here, and I’ve probably left out quite a bit. Keep in mind this is part of a series and I will be likely be going more in-depth a little later on for certain topics. However for now you have the basics on planning a long-term travel journey.

Get a map
Mark out your preferred destinations and link them up
Add in other countries along the way
Find out and write down all the visa requirements for each country
Locate countries you need advance visas for
Locate countries en-route that have many foreign embassies
Start to add in the cost per day for each of these countries

Again there are plenty more steps to planning a long-term travel journey. I’ll be covering as much as possible in separate articles.

Meanwhile if you have any of your own tips for planning a long-term travel journey do share them.

Read more of my articles on long-term travel

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Long-term travel planning: Preparing your friends & family

2012-05-23T15:46:00-07:00

Some people will not understand why you are going, others will be happy for you

Long-term travel planning is about your friends & family too

A few weeks ago I wrote about long-term travel monotony & how to avoid it. It was only later on that I realized there was a large chunk of the puzzle I’d left out for many people reading it. I was writing about my end of things. I’d left out the beginning which might have excluded some people not familiar or curious about long-term travel.

With this in mind I’ve created a new category here on The Longest Way Home called “long-term travel“, it’s over there to the right on my sidebar under all the countries listed. Inside this category I’ll be placing articles over the next few months covering many topics of interest from preparation, finances, route mapping, visas, all the way to why people do this.

I’ll also be including some advice from other long-term travelers and experts in the field that should add in some other perspectives rather than just mine

For anyone thinking of long-term travel, extended travel or even shorter trips I think you’ll find many things coming up useful and interesting.

Meanwhile this particular article is about your friends & family who are key components in any journey you take. With long-term travel even more so.

Getting your friends and family to admit you really are leaving

When you first tell your friends about your plans for taking on a long-term travel plan many will be excited for you. There will be a few naysayers mentioning things like responsibility, feasibility and generally not being able to make sense of why you would want to do such a thing as travel long-term. Sometimes it’s going to be kind of hard to comprehend all this yourself let alone explain everything to them?

My advice is to subconsciously pretend you are looking after all your friends and family. The first step is to know why you are going long-term traveling yourself. Once you know that yourself then hopefully you’ll be able to explain it to your friends and family.

Just be aware of a few things. As exciting as all this is for you, remember that some of your friends & family may look at this as if you are leaving or abandoning them!

Plan time to reassure your friends & family that you are not leaving them by traveling

What happens when you suddenly realize you are telling your best friend that you planning on leaving for a year of travel or more? Reverse the roles and imaging if your best friend one day told you that.

Sure you might be so happy for them at first. But what then? Where’s your best buddy going to be when you want to go out at the weekend? Or who will listen to you about the bad day you had or your problems at work?

It usually takes a while for such an announcement to sink in.

Before it does sink in, make sure to tell your friends and family that although you’ll be away for a long time you’ve already thought about them and about how much you will miss them. And, how you’re planning to stay in touch via things like email, Skype, blogs etc.

No it won’t be the same, but you must make an effort to show that you’ve put a lot of thought into them as well as your own reasons for traveling.

Long-term travel planning means keeping in contact with friends & family when you are away

make sure you have all their contact details and have individual sit downs with all of them explaining why you are doing this. There’s no need to be all heavy about it. But you might be surprised at how many people will either think you will be back soon, or are abandoning them!

If they don’t know about Skype teach them. If you don’t know about Skype, learn about it, fast.

Like it or not Skype or any means of talking and seeing your friends and family will be one of your biggest tools in true long-term travel and keeping contact with people.

Trust me when I say that when you hit the 3 year mark and you’ve not been seen or rarely heard from; those emails will start to dry up.

Do read my article on the 5 stages of long-term travel for more on what to look out for.

Ask your friends and family to mind things for you when you are away ... it will help

Ask your friends & family to help you with your journey

You’re not going to need much if you’ll be long-term traveling for over a year. One or two pieces of luggage and that’s all. Packing up some of your stuff back home is important for several reasons. Maybe you are selling your apartment/house. Or no longer going to be renting. In which case putting your things into storage is a good idea.

Having a friend or family member take somethings will be a great way to make them feel like they are contributing to your travels. It also creates an immediate physical bond between you and the journey you be taking.

They are essentially getting and minding a piece of you while you are away.

I’ll try to cover packing at a later stage. Put do consider that even if you live at home packing some essentials up for storage is important. Clothes for instance can get damp or attract mold if they are not kept well. Books too should be sealed away from forms of moisture to avoid mildew. Electronics also need to be cared for. And keep in mind that maybe hanging on to that four-year old computer may not be such a good idea.

Long-term travel planning can help with that huge clear out you’ve been meaning to do for years.

Creating cornerstone foundations with family members and best friends

You may want to consider getting a close family member to take power of attorney should anything happen to you while you are away. Having someone who can access your finances, possessions and deeds is important.

Be sure to have a circle of friends who know all your social networks and have contacts with your family members. If for some reason who can’t get to your email, or Skype due to censorship in a country you’re are traveling you could pass along messages through another network.

Dealing with family or friends deaths and sickness when traveling long-term

Yes it’s not something we like to think about. But if you really are going to be away for years then life’s rich pageant will surely act out the passing of someone close to you.

Do keep elderly relatives in mind when planning long-term travel. Mentally ask yourself if you will return if one of them gets sick or dies? Keep in mind that you might be on the other side of the world in an obscure place and not even hear about a death for days or even weeks.

Ask yourself will you return? And the hardest question who will your return for, and who will you not return for?

No, it’s not nice. But, it’s reality. Be prepared for it.

Some more advice for dealing with friends and family when being away a long time

Earl from Wandering Earl recommends:

“When telling your family and friends, the more information you can provide, and the more you sound as if you’ve made a well-thought out decision, the more comfortable and understanding everyone will be. For example, explaining that you want to travel to a certain region of the world in order to achieve a specific goal you have in life is much better than just saying, “I’m leaving in a month to travel somewhere.” “

Peter Daams co-founder of Travellerspoint recommends:

“If you have a lot of stuff, one of the trickiest things is storing it all. I see a lot of people taking up family’s garages, attics, etc with all their plates, pans and general knick knacks. If you stay away a long time and have left all your stuff in your parent’s attic for example, at some point this can actually breed a bit of resentment. Not necessarily from your parents, but maybe from siblings who also want to store things there but can’t. So from this point of view, when it comes to preparing, my tip is to sell or give away as much of your stuff as possible! The less stuff you have lingering, the less hassle it is for your family and friends back home. And get rid of it well in advance too. You don’t want to have to burden your friends with your half-finished eBay negotiations after you have left.
I’d also recommend leaving photo copies of all your important documents with your closest family / friends back home.”

Long-term travel planning means keeping closer than ever with your friends and family

You might be about to embark on the most epic journey of your life, but so too are your friends and family. They’ll be there to follow you along, help and advise you just as they did when you were home with them. Only you’ll now be doing all this from the other side of the world.

It will be different, for both you and them. But so long as you keep close contact with them, make them feel like they are apart of the process and your journey then they’ll be there for you along the way.

Coming soon in this series about long-term travel:

Planning your long-term travel route

Read more of my articles on long-term travel

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How to avoid counterfeit drugs & medicine when you travel

2012-05-20T16:16:59-07:00

Is it real, or is it counterfeit? It's important to know real medicine from fake when you travel

Counterfeit drugs, medicine & pharmaceuticals are very common around the world

West Africa was my training ground to spot fake medicines. So fake are many of the pharmaceutical drugs over there that it’s become normal to take counterfeit medicine. Why? Well, the blunt reality is: it’s cheaper. And maybe, just maybe, might work.

Think of it this way, when you earn very little, or live off the land and you are sick. And, you can’t afford a doctor, let alone “real” medicine; you go with what ever you can find.

You then pray, and hope the bandits that made the medicine left some trace of the original chemical composition behind that might help you.

Counterfeit or real drugs, pharmaceuticals, & medicine in developing countries

I had originally assumed that counterfeit medicine was actually quite useless. A placebo of chalk and maybe a dash of food coloring. And, in some cases it’s just that. However in many developing countries fake medicine can mean something else.

It can be a drug that is nationally produced and not made by one of the big multinational companies.

These "alleged" antibiotics are slightly swollen inside the blister pack, have cracks in them and the embedded logos are very poor quality

It can be a medicine that says it does something and maybe it does but no one knows for sure.

It can be a watered down version of another drug. For example instead of containing 500mg of a drug, it actually contains 250mg. Yet, the label will say 500mg.

Typhoid keeps coming back despite the drugs

A Nigerian former work colleague of mine constantly had typhoid. At least once every 3 months either he, or a member of his family would get it, and then go missing for a week with fevers etc.

I remember going through with him about all the preventative measures needed to avoid typhoid, mainly surrounding his water supply. Everything checked out. Though in this village Typhoid was rampant, and not easily avoided.

The problem was why his family were constantly sick. One day after two months of delayed pay, a common occurrence, his son was so sick he ended up having to take a loan from his church for some medicine.

I went with him to buy the medicine. He bought 3 days worth of drugs for his son and 3 for himself.

There was a 300% difference in the price between the two.

His son’s was a branded name so he could only afford 3 days worth. His own was a generic counterfeit brand, again well short of the recommended course duration.

Fake medicine is rampant in West Africa: it's a part of life today. Moreover, many simply don't earn money to even buy fake medicine, let alone real pharmaceuticals.

Outcome of fake Typhoid treatment vs real drugs

One week later my colleague was back at work. He still had a fever and was off again a month later. His son had recovered but to look at him you could tell the boy was not 100%.

And so, the cycle of illness will and did continue.

During my time in West Africa I too contracted Typhoid on many an occasion. During a security outbreak restricting access to a main city I had to take the “fake” drugs too.

It’s a strange thing to wonder if a medicine is real or not as you sit with a fever and no other option.

Worse yet is counterfeit Malaria medicine which really did knock me down. While Typhoid to a strong person will not be pleasant, it’s not a killer. Malaria on the other hand is a killer.

Mix in bad diagnosis, counterfeit medicine, and belive me you will not be in a good place physically.

Now imagine you are not eating a great diet, living below the poverty line and you can see why Typhoid becomes a killer to many people.

Something which can easily be treated with “real” medicine … If only it was available, regulated, and affordable.

Countries I’ve come across known to sell counterfeit medicine, pharmaceuticals and drugs

Turkey: It’s not so wide-spread. But, I did see the tell-tale signs of imported medicines sold for a lot less than original brand names.

Iran: I’ll go out on a limb here and wonder aloud if trade embargoes have affected this well-educated society with fake medicines. I would be wary of buying medicine from some places here. Though, most did seem to be legitimate.

Pakistan: Rampant fake medicine fills the streets. In Peshawar finding simple Giardias treatment was a problem. My friends there spent a day going from one pharmacist to another to find “real” giardias treatment. Sitting with a pharmacist, he even called a few colleagues to be sure if this “branded” box of pills worked, or not.

These are genuine antibiotic's - note the thick aluminum packaging

India: One of the better known countries for counterfeit medicine. There are huge factories here pumping out many watered down drugs. counterfeit antibiotics and daily over-the-counter medicines. The problem in India is that there are also some generic and Indian based pharmaceutical companies producing genuine medicines at a fraction of the cost for people that need them.

Nepal: Nepal is rife with counterfeit pharmaceuticals, many coming from Bangladesh / India, and China. There are also many real drugs on sale here too. The main problem is deciphering real, from counterfeit.

China: The land of cheap copies of everything and no restrictions is said to be a huge counterfeit drug producer. I was very wary of medicine here. However, many locals seemed to know the good from the bad quite easily, unlike in other countries.

The Philippines: Medicine in The Philippines is expensive compared to many other countries in its economic class. There is little talk of fake medicine, but lots of talk about generic, and branded. Many people again will try to opt for branded medicine as “it works better” than generic. I’ve seen plenty of chalky big pills here crumbling away in blister packs.

The Philippines also has a “candy sweet” like attitude towards medicine with many giant pharmaceutical companies handing sample blister packs out on the streets. Be very, wary.

Malaysia: I saw a lot of generic medicine here again. It looks better than in many places, but looks can be deceiving.

West Africa: The whole region is fraught with counterfeit drugs. While there are agencies distributing real drug. On the ground realities tell tales of corruption at the highest level. Real drugs are worth a lot of money in terms of aid and in black market sales.

How to spot fake or counterfeit drugs?

Ask to inspect the medicine packaging

All branded pharmaceutical products should have high quality printed boxes or packaging

Make sure the print is strong, and the colors strong on all packages

Make sure the writing on packaging is spelled correctly

Most genuine pharmaceuticals in boxes come with a piece of instructional paper inside. The paper is high quality and slightly crisp. Many will be written in several languages
Real pharmaceutical packaging for Malaria treatment - note the hologram, the insert paper, and the embedded best before date - which in this case is expired

Look on the packaging for indented expiry dates. Good quality high-grade pharmaceuticals will have indented expiry and batch dates /numbers on them. Run your finger over the box to feel

Don’t buy medicine that comes out of huge bottles and then sold individually

Inspect blister packs for bad foil printing. Faded, misspelled, and very cheap looking foil backs are bad signs

Inspect the tablets inside the blister packs. If they look misshapen, or swollen and cracked, there’s a high chance they are either not genuine, or there are issues with their packaging quality

Many high-grade pharmaceuticals will have logos or names indented onto the tablet or pill. Lower grade will not have these, unless seriously well produced

Ask the pharmacist to show you all the brands of the particular drug you are looking for. Inspect each packet

Ask the pharmacist which particular drug is “better”. If they struggle with an answer. Mention “fake” and “not fake”. Sometimes it’s due to linguistic problems, sometimes its pride, legal or financial reasons that they will struggle with. Generally I find this has not been an issue

Ask a hotel worker, or local person you can trust to help you find legitimate medicine from a legitimate pharmacy

Lastly, always seek the help and advice of a medical practitioner when you are ill, and before you travel. Many will prescribe you with medicine from back home that you can trust should you need it when traveling

Beware the local doctor too …

Last week I went into the jungle for a few days. Coming back I was pretty exhausted from the extreme heat, humidity no running water or fresh food. I had a mild sore throat, aches and pains and thought nothing of it.

A couple of days ago I woke up and my hands were tingling and my legs felt as if they were very old. I went to reception as there’d been no electricity for 12 hours. The girl stared at me and then ignored most of what I was saying.

Back in my bathroom I saw why. My face was covered with a red rash. As was my whole upper body. So if was off to a local doctor. I would have been better off with my Lonely Planet Asia health book.

“Are your joint’s hurting?” They said peering into by swollen throat.

I nodded.

“And you are being hot?”

I sincerely hoped I was not paying for this. Again, I nodded.

“Measles.”

I shook my head, “Already had it.”

The doctor looked to the people around me. I knew what was coming next. Saving face. So I saved face for them.

“It’s Dengue.”

“Indeed,” they confirmed. “Very similar.”

There was a chorus of ohh’s and ahh’s.

I cringed. Then silence. For this great revelation from a local doctor I would indeed have to pay.

Yes, when traveling in remote areas anywhere in the world let alone Nepal you will also have to contend with doctors who might not be so up to date as you would wish. To put it mildly. The saving face here is that they are not used to treating a “foreigner”.

Likewise beware of non-qualified locals who “think” they know what the problem is.

Thankfully I carry a stockpile of medicine with me so I didn’t need their mass of additional multicolored medicines. I am choosing to stick with my own painkillers. I’m doing better than I expected. I learned well from the extremes of West Africa.

Feeling like my bones are breaking is one thing, not being able to swallow is another but looking like a 70-year-old man covered in a diaper rash is rather difficult.

Then again I am writing all this with a fever so who knows!

Health vs Budget when traveling

My painkillers and a host of antibiotics for other things are real. They cost more than generic medication. I know the 500mg is what it say it is. The local crumbling indigo pills in the drug store that seconds as a hardware store and cafeteria I have serious doubt over.

While skimping on accommodation, 1st class vs 2nd class train tickets, and eating locally are all good for reducing your costs.

I really can’t emphasize enough that your should never, ever, skimp on looking after your health when traveling.

Forget your budget restrictions when it comes to buying quality medicine overseas or at home. Get qualified advice from a genuine well-traveled doctor. Make sure you have travel insurance that covers you medically. Buy the best medicine, make sure it’s genuine and don’t take chances with your health.

This is an additional editorial featuring how to avoid buying counterfeit medicine or drugs when you travel

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about How to avoid counterfeit drugs & medicine when you travel

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Food from Nepal: Makhmali Kebab (chicken)

2012-05-16T16:15:00-07:00

Makhmali Kebab (chicken) from Nepal

Makhmali Kebab or Murg Chicken Kebab from Nepal

With its origins firmly rooted in India Makhmali Kebab has found its way into many a Nepalese menu for good reason.

Makhmali is very delicious without being too overpowering in either spice nor heat thus it makes for a wonderful dinner.

What is Makhmali or Murg chicken Kebab made from?

Unlike a lot of Nepalese chicken dishes Makhamali is made from boneless chicken. Marinated in a paste of garlic, green chili, nutmeg, yogurt and masala spice it’s baked while being kept moist by butter.

Served with naan it’s often accompanied with fresh lemon and a side dish of creamy mint sauce or curd (yogurt). It’s one of the few chicken dishes in Nepal where the side dishes actually work wonderfully in giving you a fantastic sensation of flavors.

Serving Makhamli the local way

You are given several toothpicks to pick up the pieces of chicken with to dip into your mint sauce.

Ask for a side dish of yogurt or curd if it’s not provided with the meal as it really does give an extra taste sensation.

I found plain naan bread the best to eat with Makhmali Kebab as there is already garlic or butter with the chicken. Use the naan to eat the remaining sauce and left over chicken spices on your plate!

Why does Makhmali Kebab have two names?

I will stand corrected on this but when Nepalese and Indian culinary cultures mix so too does the food. Murg means made in many ways. Makhmali kebab can be made with slight variations. And as it stands it’s not that much of a commonly found dish internationally. Makhmali is also the name of a flower found in Nepal and a surname.

How all these things combine? Only ones imagination can figure it out. I do know that in Nepal Makhmali is the more commonly found name for this dish rather than Murg.

However no matter the name if you see Makhamali Kebab or Murg/Murgh Makhmali Kebab on a menu in Nepal go for it! It’s really one of the smoothest tastiest chicken dishes I’ve found here.

This is an additional article highlighting food from Nepal

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Nepal Strikes Guide: How to cope with a strike (banda) in Nepal as a tourist

2012-05-13T15:55:00-07:00

A strike in Nepal mean traffic stops for the day

Nepal strikes are known as bandas & every tourist should know about them

Banda means “closed” in Nepali and it’s the term used most often to describe a strike. Strikes happen on a very frequent basis in Nepal. Some are quite small and isolated while others grind the entire country to a halt.

Over the past few weeks Nepal’s bandas have been increasing with several resulting in outbreaks of violence.

Most, but not all, of the recent strikes stem from upcoming constitutional reform. The same reforms which have been going on for the past 4 years.

If you arrive as a tourist during a busy political time of year there’s a strong chance you might not be able to travel the country as much as you would normally.

This article is not meant to discourage you from coming to Nepal due to bandas. It’s also not meant to go into depth as to why there are so many strikes in Nepal. This article is just meant to give you an awareness about strikes in Nepal, what to expect and how best to cope so it won’t destroy your visit as a tourist here.

Students clash with riot police in Kathmandu Nepal during a strike

Understanding the word Banda

It’s pronounced “Banda”. During a strike there’s no public or private transport allowed to move. Shops, cafés, restaurants and hotels are forced to close.

At worst riot police will be seen marching around, streets of rioting people may form, car tires set alight on the roads and no one can travel. I’ve witnessed several holidays being uninterrupted, postponed, or even cancelled due to not knowing about Nepal strikes.

My advice in coming to Nepal is know what a Banda means, listen out for it and ask about it a few days before you travel anywhere in the country. And don’t let it put you off visiting the country. So many tourists visiting Nepal are often taken back by them. Though for those going trekking they might not even come across one as these regions largely go unaffected.

Why are there so many strikes in Nepal?

Because the political system in Nepal is in a mess and has been for quite some time. I’m not going into the details of this as it’s not the place. Some of reasons these days are that following on from becoming a democratic country Nepal still hasn’t formed a constitution. Though nearly every year there’s a countdown to it’s finalization. There’s one going on right now.

Add-on rising fuel import costs, food price increases, student fees, plus twenty something political “parties”, indigenous groups, local business groups and the odd influential person; a strike protesting something and anything can be called at any time. Usually at the last-minute. As such it can spell disaster for anyone trying to plan their holiday or travel around Nepal using public transport.

To work out how to avoid tourist travel problems when in Nepal you need to have a rough idea of the types of Banda or strike that occur here.

A brief understanding of the common types of strike or banda that occur in Nepal

National strikes
Regional strikes
City strikes
Fuel strikes
Student strikes

The list goes on nearly indefinitely

The main strikes that affect tourists visiting Nepal are national, regional and fuel strikes. This is due to the closure of everything from roads to eating establishments.

The length and severity of a Nepal strike changes depending on the motive behind the strike. A certain political party might call for a road strike or a local business strike or an all out general strike. I’ll cover the latter so you know what to expect in a worse case scenario.

Generally speaking strikes are only for one day. But might occur a few times during a week. Two day strikes can also occur regularly. Longer week-long strikes are called less frequently and usually don’t last a full week.

Ratna bus park in Kathmandu during a normal day	Ratna bus park in Kathmandu during a strike or banda

A national strike means all government offices are closed, public transport does not run and non-emergency vehicles are not allowed to travel on the roads. Shops, stores, restaurants are all meant to shut down as well.

Quite often there will be demonstrations in public areas ranging from speeches to protests and sometimes they fall apart into full on riots.

Regional strikes and city strikes are very important for the tourist to understand. They only affect certain areas or cities. Meaning that if Kathmandu is having a regional strike then popular tourist destinations like Pokhara or Suriha will not be affected.

The problem for the tourist is that if you are planning to travel from Pokhara to Kathmandu and there is a strike in Kathmandu you can certainly leave Pokhara but may not be able to get into Kathmandu. Thereby leaving you stranded. Vice verse is also true.

So as you can see a tourist needs to be aware of regional strikes if travelling between places.

Fuel strikes occur when there’s either a shortage of fuel coming into the country, a price hike or quite often a conflict at the border. Usually in the Terai region of Nepal. These types of strikes again mean no road transport.

For those wondering how often these bandas occur here’s a calendar website dedicated to when bandas occur in Nepal NepalBandh.com.

Do keep in mind that many of the bandas listed are regional or local. But it should give you an idea at how real the situation is.

Top things a tourist should be aware of about strikes in Nepal

Cycle Rickshaws can still operate during a Nepal strike while all other traffic is not allowed

A banda or strike can be called at the last-minute. Usually the night before. These are usually only one days strikes.

Longer duration strikes are announced a few days or weeks before hand. But normally there’s not 100% confirmation until the night before.

There are generally more strikes in Nepal before an upcoming political event. Thankfully most political event take place in the off-peak tourist seasons in Nepal.

You are still free to walk around outside, it’s only public and private transport that are not allow to operate.

Do realize that strikes in Nepal are not just effecting you but also many everyday Nepalese people and their livelihoods.

What a tourist should do to minimize the effect of Nepal strikes on their visit to the country

When you arrive in Nepal ask your hotel reception about any current banda issues. If they are sensible they will either say no problems at the moment, or they will tell you something might be happening.

Do ask if there are any large political events coming up.

If there have been recent bandas then the night before you are planning to travel anywhere in Nepal ask the hotel reception if there are any bandas planned the next day. Generally speaking people know by seven pm. During load shedding (electricity rationing) this can be delayed as it takes longer for the details to become known.

If there is a banda and you have already purchased a bus ticket ask your hotel to call the bus office to confirm if they will be operational or not. You can usually get a refund or have your ticket moved to the following day.

What to do if you have a flight during a strike in Nepal?

International and domestic flights are rarely affected by strikes in Nepal. If you are flying somewhere from Nepal you have several choices.

Tourist bus going to the Airport in Nepal during a strike

In Kathmandu there is a regular tourist bus leaving from outside Thamel by the Moroccan embassy to Kathmandu airport several times a day. Depending on the strike it’s usually free. Though at other times around 200 rupees. You will need to walk with your baggage to the bus. Though quite often cycle rickshaws are permitted to run during a banda. If you have a lot of luggage, get a cycle rickshaw.

Another choice of getting to any airport in Nepal during a Banda is during the hours of darkness. Generally speaking strikes end at 5pm and start at around 7am. If you have a flight leaving at 2pm and you want to take a taxi then you’ll need to leave before dawn. Ask your hotel to help you with this, or pre arrange with a taxi man. Such early bird taxis run at a premium cost though. Usually 2-4 times the normal cost of an airport run. Generally speaking the more affluent the hotel you are staying, the more the taxi will cost.

How to prepare for a Nepalese strike the night before if you’re not going anywhere

If you hear there’s going to be a strike the next day there are a few things you might do to make things better.

Firstly ask how long the Banda will be for
Go out to the local store and stock up on some things you might need. Bottled water, snacks, a book to pass the time, and whatever else you will requite. Keep in mind stores will be closed for the most part all day.
Many hotels have their own restaurants check to be sure they have enough food for the day.
If you are in Nepal during the off-peak season remember that load shedding might mean a day of no electricity. Have a book or two to read!

Things to do and not do during a Nepalese strike

Read this article before going on holiday to Nepal. I’ve seen countless shocked and angry tourists due to having parts of their holidays ruined by a sudden Banda.

Do not get angry with hotel staff when they tell you there’s a strike and you can’t take your bus to Pokhara, Chitwan or wherever. It’s not their fault. They can however help you with alternative things to do and give you information on the duration of the strike.

Hotel staff will be your key source of information during a strike, they have been dealing with them for years.
Red cross workers going through tear gas in Kathmandu

You can still visit places by foot and quite often via cycle rickshaws. Though the latter will probably now cost more than a taxi when there is no strike.
During a banda there is no road traffic. Take advantage of this and visit wonderful old empty streets without being bombarded by traffic. Visit side streets, talk to locals and enjoy a traffic-less city!
If you see a shop or café with a metal shutter half up there’s a good chance it’s actually still open. They have it half-shut just in case trouble comes their way in the form of gangs of youths enforcing a strike.
Do not get involved in a strike, political meeting, riot or any form of gathering during a banda.

While a few years ago tourists were literally protected from violence, things have changed and during some bandas guesthouses with open doors or restaurants serving in outdoor areas that can be seen from the streets have been targeted with bottles and bricks. Don’t push your luck. Ask your hotel reception if it’s safe to go out before doing so. Do note that these particular incidents have only been caused by political youth groups. I’ve never had nor seen a problem from general protesters.

Keep in mind that if a banda is political your travel insurance may not cover you in the event of an accident.
If you are spending some time in Nepal and know there’s a big banda coming up and don’t want to be stuck in your guesthouse for it then go for a trek. The mountains are generally banda free and you’ll see a lot more than just hanging around your guesthouse.
Before leaving the mountain call ahead to the city and see if the banda has ended or not.
There are no entrance fees to many places like Pashupatinath, Durbar square, Bhaktapur, Patan etc it’s a bit of walk to get to these places but several are doable from Kathmandu etc.

Banda's generally end at around 5pm when the streets start and people return to normal

Finally do remember that bandas generally fizzle out after 5pm after which shops, restaurants and cafes open up for the evening as per normal.

Summary on how a tourist can be prepared for Nepal strikes

Ask at your hotel if there are any “Bandas” coming up when you arrive.
If there are read the local newspapers in the morning for any hint of a banda or upcoming political event. If there is one try to get to a place you’ll be staying for a while before the strike starts.
Always plan ahead when visiting Nepal. Don’t leave things like coming from Pokhara to Kathmandu a day before your flight home. Allow for getting into Kathmandu two days before you leave.
Don’t get involved in any strike personally. Some Nepal strikes can have violent altercations resulting in arrests, tear gas and accidents.
Do stock up the night before a Banda on things you might need.
If you really have to travel during a Banda you can hire a private car (not a taxi) preferably from a tour agency (they’ll need ID) and they will have to stick a big sign on it saying (tourist vehicle). It might be expensive, but it is usually works.
If you can’t handle not having electricity during a long strike and have nowhere to go then consider staying in a hotel that has a generator. Many guesthouses have battery inverters to run lights, but it’s not enough to power TV’s or electrical sockets.

Looking for the best way to search for good hotel room prices in Nepal?

Check out my great hotel search to find the best priced hotels and look for ones that say they have a generator!

Search for Hotels with The Longest Way Home here

If you’re in Nepal during a time of year when there are electricity shortages don’t forget batteries, candles and a good book or two!

Do not let strikes in Nepal put you off visiting as a tourist!

This article is to make you aware of strikes in Nepal and how to handle them should they occur when you are visiting.

It is not meant to make you fear or think the whole country is impossible to travel around. It’s very possible to travel Nepal and many tourists often visit the country and never see a strike. Indeed during peak tourist and trekking seasons there are generally fewer bandas.

For everyone else this article might be worth reading just to be prepared!

This is an additional feature article about strikes in Nepal (bandas)

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Red Dust: a path through China by Ma Jian – travel book review

2012-05-09T15:54:58-07:00

Red Dust: a path through China - a real vagabond journey

The story of how a book can travel with you

I normally only highlight book reviews if I have enjoyed them on my own travels. In this case I thought the brief story behind my reading of this book might also be interesting too.

My history with the book Red Dust

I bought this book over 10 years ago. It was a part of a collection of books I was reading in preparation for my own journey ahead. I was specifically looking for travelogues, and overland ones more specifically.

I read a lot back then, and dreamt along with the authors vision of their travels. Sadly, I never got around to reading Red Dust. And, the authors epic travelogue was given away for someone else to read.

When a book follows you

Somehow, this book never left me though. For some reason the back cover blurb stuck with me, as did the cover image of a man (the author) sitting in front of an old style Chinese house in the desert.

Some years later browsing through a second-hand book store, my hand jumped out when I saw the same book on a dusty shelf. It was as if it had followed me. And again, history repeated itself and I never got to it. This time I was still reading Shantaram and needed to lighten up my load before entering Tibet. So again, I left it behind.

Third times a charm, and somehow I found myself yet again, through great lengths, getting a copy of this book. I would not let it go until I’d read it this time. But, was Red Dust worth it?

Review of Red Dust: a path through China

This book is not for everyone. Indeed, I would nearly go so far as to say most will only give it a middle of the road rating in terms of a good light-hearted holiday read. However in terms of raw reality; few books can even come close to touching Red Dust.

Red Dust: a path through China

Red Dust is the travelogue of a Chinese man called Ma Jian, who in 1983 left Beijing to travel overland around his own country of China.

Make no mistake about it: Red Dust is the tale of a real vagabond.

There are no pretty scenes depicting the wonders of the terracotta army, nor beautiful Chinese landscapes.

Instead be prepared for an honest journal of a poor artist who has the choice of getting a standard job, choosing a wife, and living how the state dictates he should; or simply leave. Ma Jian choose the latter. With only a camera, his journals, and a pocket of small cash he went against the will of everyone and left to explore his homeland in all its reality.

Flea picking, urinating & quite a few breasts

Throughout the book Ma Jian picks up fleas quite often. And, seems to see women’s breasts nearly everywhere he goes. Let’s not forget this was 1983 in China, and many a man was being arrested for showing even a playing card with a womans leg exposed on it. The author also seems to witness a lot of people urinating. Again, this is a pretty raw reality style book. Written originally in Chinese this is an English translation, so no minced words.

Reality as it was

Walking in a desert with no water. Wild dogs attacking, bandits, thieves and running from the police for fear of arrest at taking a photo of a tourist site. Red Dust gives us a rare glimpse at what the life of a Chinese traveler was in 1983. Something that I believe was a rarity then, as it is today.

Ma Jian today

At the time I knew little of Ma Jian. He’s banned from China and currently lives in London with his wife. Yes, the man who wrote Red Dust has written several other books about China that have been deemed too much by The Chinese government and all are banned there including Red Dust. Though for those in the know Red Dust is obtainable thorough a pseudonym. That should give you an insightful look at the type of revealing book this is.

Today Ma Jian continues to write about China. A man who continues to put an emphasis on a writers responsibility in the world today.

Conclusion on Red Dust

Again, it’s not for everyone. If you are looking for a barrel of laughs, and a happy-time travel read you won’t find it here. The book neither flows like an epic, nor do its characters attract that much of a liking. It’s a powerful look at reality that you don’t come across that often in travel literature.

It is a unique book with a rare insight into a world few people have heard about. If you have traveled China extensively, or perhaps want to know what real vagabond traveling is like then you will find this book a good read.

Broken up into large chapters, and many sub chapters Red Dust is easy to pick up, put down, forget about for a week or two then pick up again without missing a beat.

There are very few really good travelogue books out there. I am always happy to come across one that is at least unique. Red Dust certainly is unique as is its author Ma Jian who continues to write today. Other works include The Noodle Maker and Beijing Coma.

Purchase options:

If you’d like to buy this book, please consider purchasing it through one of my Amazon affiliate stores below: I get a tiny, tiny commission of about USD$00.14. Maybe enough to one day save up and buy a Kindle so I can keep these books with me as I travel.

Red Dust: a path through China (Amazon USA)

Red Dust: a path through China (Amazon UK)

Due to Amazon’s system I can only realistically offer the .com and .co.uk centers. To readers outside of these two Amazon zones please try your local listings!

If you’d like to read some more travel reviews on books, movies and guides I’ve read then please visit my travel review section.

Have you read a really good travelogue? If you have, can you leave the name of the book in the comments, I am always on the look out for good travelogues!

This is an additional travel book review based on books I’ve read throughout my journey

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Shivaratri in Nepal: festival of Shiva with sadhus, crowds & hashish

2012-05-06T15:34:00-07:00

Sadhu holy man in Nepal

Maha Shivaratri in Nepal

Shivaratri is an annual Hindu festival popular in both India and Nepal. Of all the many festivals in Nepal this is probably my favorite for many reasons. The primary being that there not too many tourists around as it’s usually held in the second or third months of the year which is the end of winter.

With few tourists around you’ll be surrounded by Nepalese and Indian pilgrims alike making it that bit more special. That said it’s also an extremely crowded festival and one that might not be on the Nepalese map in its current form for much longer.

History of Shivaratri

Shivaratri is a celebration for the Hindu Deity Shiva

Shiva is the god of the yogis who is self-controlled and celibate. However he is also a lover of his spouse (Shakti/Parvati). Lord Shiva is also known as the destroyer of the world. Shiva is often depicted as being blue due to a poison he drank that could have destroyed the universe. Parvathi tightened a noose around his neck so he could not fully swallow it. So it turned blue.

Shivaratri or Maha Shivaratri means the great night of Shiva or the night of Shiva: it is a festival to celebrate the Hindu deity Lord Shiva.

There are several versions of how and why this festival appeared.

Two common beliefs include:

Parvati (Shiva’s wife) prayed and meditated on the 13th night of the new moon to ward off any evil that might befall her husband
With the world facing destruction Parvati asked her husband Shiva to save it by dedicating a night where living souls would become active again and upon worshiping Shiva would have his blessings. Hence it became known as the night of Shiva

How is Shivaratri celebrated in Nepal today?

Unusually for Nepal rumors and chat about Shivaratri start a week beforehand. I say unusually as the normal thing is to wake up and find out that there’s a festival going on that day.

Advanced notices about festivals are not that commonplace in Nepal.

Shivaratri is different though as it’s one, if not the most important festival in the entire year. During the week before Shivaratri I noticed a few more Sadhu’s or holy men appear on the streets.

Most have made a walking pilgrimage from India and all around Nepal to visit Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu Nepal.

Pashupatinath in Nepal

Pashupatinath contains one of the most important temples for Hindu’s in the world

The Pashupatinath temple itself is the oldest Hindu temple in Nepal. Set along the banks of the Bagmati river Non-Hindu visitors are not allowed to enter the temple. Pashupatinath itself is quite a large area that I’ve visited on many occasions.

Throughout Pashupatinath are various temples, statutes, stupas and resident Sadhus on either side of the river. The river Bagmati is used for bathing the dead and for spreading the ashes of the cremations which take place on the Ghats. Due to this, and massive dumping of refuse, the Bagmati river has become incredibly polluted over the years.

A victim of tourist prices

Sadly Pashupatinath has fallen victim to one of the many overpriced “tourist” prices appearing across Nepal in recent years. Prices range between 250-500rps. They say the cost is for renovating and up-keeping the area.

Local Nepalese escaping the over pricing at Pashupathinath

The average annual income earned by Pashupatinath is over 50 million rupees (source).

I visited in 2008 and can tell you it looks no different nowadays. If anything more polluted.

During Shivaratri the entrance prices go up again. This time for everyone. 1000rps is the charge levied on any Hindu wishing to visit the temple on that day. The administration say it’s to lessen the numbers of visitors.

When I went there were just as many locals queuing up. Only now they were queuing at closed gates unable to pay the outrageous sum demanded from them to enter their religious temple on their most religious of days.

My visit to Pashupatinath during Shivaratri in Nepal

It’s an early start to avoid the already strong crowd. Taking public transport to where the crowd starts is the only viable and sane option. Then it’s a case of follow the crowd for about an hour of walking. It’s very crowded at this point.

I really recommend going with Nepalese friends or a guide just to help you deal with the crush of the crowd later on.

Upon descending the hill towards Pashupatinath you’ll be squashed together in a somewhat gentle unyielding flow of humanity.

Getting closer to the temple area there are some blockades set up to help direct people leaving and entering the temple area. Being Nepal these are not that effective and often result in getting pushed away from your friends in the crowd. Forming a hand on waist or shoulder human train is a good way to deal with this. Though not always effective.

Crushing crowds at Pashupatinath during Shivaratri	Locals watching a cremation at Pashupatinath
A vast crowd on the way to Pashupatinath	Lady being turned away at Shivaratri

To pay or not to pay to enter Pashupatinath?

I’ll leave the choice up to you. Just remember if you are visiting Pashupatinath on Shivaratri the crowds will be immense on the entrance side to Pashupatinath and you are not allowed enter the temple itself. So the best you’ll get is to walk with the crowd along the ghats.

Unfortunately this area can also hold a little hostility as crowds jangle for positions.

I have experienced some “ultra important” people saying we as foreigners should not be in certain areas. Best I know this is just the temple. But these people like to think they have some authority and boss others around. The best way to deal with them is to ignore them. Or better yet allow your Nepalese guide / friend to give out to them.

Along with my tourist and Nepalese friends I made my way through an old passage I found from 2008 that led us to a quiet area where we and a host of Nepalese locals slipped into Pashupatinath unseen.

The atmosphere around Pashupatinath during Shivaratri

Aside from the crowds it’s a happy and welcoming festival. Looking down on the temple from the opposite side you’ll witness cremations, blessings and throngs of people. Meanwhile all around you will be ancient stupas, temple areas, some brazen monkey’s and a bevy of Sadhus.

Shivaratri is a time when Sadhus gather together from around the country and from around the world

The Sadhus of Pashupatinath

Its the Sadhus that make Pashupatinath that extra bit special during Shivaratri. Many have covered their bodies in ash to give it a pale complexion while then decorating many parts in bright colors. Most are relatively friendly and will pose for a photo. Though do keep in mind this is their holiest day and some may not be totally with it due to both fasting, making long journeys and a copious consumption of hashish.

Sadhus being fed at Shivaratri

Taking photo’s of Sadhus is allowed. Just make sure to bring plenty of small change.

Back in 2008 they were happy with 20rps. These days 50prs is the norm. But you can spend quite some time with them snapping away so don’t fret too much.

Try to look out for a temple complex to the left if you are looking down at Pashupatinath temple from the opposite side. It’s in here where you’ll find hundreds of Sadhus eating and resting.

The naked Sadhus

There are quite a few Sadhus who walk around completely naked during Shivaratri. This is normal. Many will often be lost in a trance and dance by the Ghats. They usually attract a crowd and have been taking hashish.

Hashish is legal on Shivaratri

Nepal is one of the few countries in the world that makes it legal to consume and carry Hashish. But only on Shivaratri. You’ll notice Sadhus openly smoking hashish in and around Pashupatinath.

Likewise back in Kathmandu hashish becomes freely available in many forms. Do be careful when ordering Ladu or any form of cake or Special Lassi (milkshake) that day as it will likely have an additional ingredient some might want to avoid.

The night of Shivaratri in Kathmandu

After a full day at trying to visit and then leave through the masses of crowds at Pashupatinath it’s good to join in for a night of celebration in Kathmandu. Bonfires are lit and feasts of food are put out for all to enjoy well into the night.

For the Nepalese Shivaratri is one of the most enjoyable and celebrated festivals of the year. For the tourist it can be a little overwhelming in many aspects. But all in all it’s a memorable one that many tourists enjoy.

Cremations, crowds, Sadhu's and the largest celebration in Nepal makes Shivaratri an overwhelming experience for some

Dates for Shivaratri in Nepal:

Shivaratri in 2013 is on Sunday 10th of March
Shivaratri in 2014 is on Friday 28th of February
Shivaratri in 2015 is on Tuesday 17th of February

Keep in mind that the dates are largely lunar and can change.

Will Shivaratri change in the years to come?

I think it already has changed in terms of visiting Pashupatinath. Entrance prices have gone up for year round visitors and on the day itself prices have sky rocketed. There also seems to be a more strict approach taken to non-Hindu visiting tourists than before.

As for the rest of Nepal during Shivaratri I think the change will be slower. The Government is still in a shambles and all manner of things could change how this festival is celebrated. A banning of hashish is likely on the cards should any formal government want to exert their new-found power.

This all means much like the Holi festival in Nepal that it’s probably better to experience this festival sooner rather than later!

Nepalese man giving tikka blessings at Shivaratri

Shivaratri is one of the best cultural festivals to experience with locals

Nepalese people are very open to having people enjoy and experience their way of life including their festivals. If you are planning to visit to Nepal, going a little early if possible to catch Shivaratri is highly recommended.

It’s simply a great festival to join in and experience a different culture at it’s most celebrant.

A once in a lifetime experience that allows you to witness and participate in a culture celebrating one of its most important events. An all day festival that will have you conversing and celebrating alongside locals well into the night.

Coming soon:

Meet the Sadhus of Nepal

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Are you Experienced? by William Sutcliffe: travel book review

2012-05-02T15:47:00-07:00

Are you experienced - one of the funniest travel books I've ever read

Possibly the best “travel” book I’ve read – The question is are you experienced enough to read it?

Last week I mentioned some books in my article on secondhand bookshops and the nicest bookseller in the world. A few people asked about them so I thought about adding a small supplemental review of travel books I’ve read while in Nepal. Starting with one of my favorites ”Are you experienced” by William Sutcliff.

There are three very important considerations before even remotely thinking about reading Are you experienced:

1) Are you British? Or do you get the British sense of humor? If not, then Are you experienced may not appeal to you as much. Indeed, you might even find parts of it offensive or irrelevant in terms of the British slang used throughout the book.

2) Have you traveled for over a few months? If not, you may not get this. If yes, read this book and relive your journey with a giant smile of recognition.

3) If you have loose bowels don’t buy this book. It can cause uncontrollable laughter and unfortunate accidents.

If you are of an open mind and can accept the above, then just go for it and get the book!

What’s the book Are you experienced all about?

Sex. Well, not really, but yes it’s basically about a reluctant backpacker only going to India so he can try to sleep with his best mate’s girlfriend. And no, it’s not a tacky

Back cover of Are you experienced (click to enlarge)

book, it’s side splittingly funny.

A sudden reluctant backpacker thrown into the horror’s of India at the heated suggestion of a charming girl. Dave (no relation), is forced to come to terms with “finding himself” rather than Liz’s bed. The reason is simple. Once Liz lands in India she quickly becomes one of those annoying travelers who becomes Indian. Or, at least thinks she does.

Enter the all-knowing Jeremy who’s “lived” India already, and Dave soon hates Liz and her new mentor with utter sarcastic wit.

Meet every backpacking, hippie, traveler stereotype you can think of

Public school boys (rich kids), girls in crises, horny guys, hippie travelers, meditating all shagging gurus, annoying beggar kids and the odd stoner all make appearances here. As do self doubts, bad sex, worse sex, no sex. Projectile vomiting, and one of the best toilet scenes ever written. Thanks in part to a possible dog burger.

Throw in the dark serious underlying storyline of shallow human nature while traveling to discover oneself when all you do is go back home anyway. Made perfectly clear by a chance, and a not very welcoming, run in with a journalist and you have an amazingly accurate take on the travel culture of today.

Gaseously funny reading

At a mere 235 pages many fans of “are you experienced” read this in one sitting. And, it’s not hard to see how. If you get the humor then it’s very very hard to put down.

One of those books that make you not ashamed to sit in a corner, alone. And then burst into outrageous guffaws of recognition, belly laughter, and if you are not careful a possible flatulent accident (I still blame the Nepalese samosa).

Hard to follow up book

I am now reading a rather famous “backpacker” type book that was made into a movie quite a few years ago. It pales in comparison to “Are you experienced”. I don’t know whether this is due to the amount of time I’ve been traveling, or due to the enjoyment of William Sutcliff’s sense of humor which I prefer.

Either-way:

“Are you experienced” is simply put, one of the most humorous travel books I’ve ever read.

Have you read this book? What did you think about it?

Purchase options:

If you’d like to buy this book, please consider purchasing it through my Amazon affiliate stores below: I get a tiny, tiny commission of about USD$00.14. Maybe enough to one day save up and buy a Kindle so I can keep these books with me as I travel.

Are You Experienced? (Amazon USA)
Are You Experienced? (Amazon UK)

For all other regions please check your local listings

If you’d like to read some more travel reviews on books, movies and guides I’ve read then please visit my travel book review section.

Have you read this or another really good travelogue? If you have, can you leave the name of the book in the comments, I am always on the look out for good travelogues!

This is an additional travel book review based on books I’ve read throughout my journey

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about Are you Experienced? by William Sutcliffe: travel book review

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Long-term travel monotony & how to avoid it

2012-04-29T15:30:10-07:00

No longer able to face this? Maybe you're suffering from travel monotony or just "templed out"

Monotony and travel should not go hand in hand

It’s something few people get to experience. Both long-term travel and travel monotony. The latter has rarely been written about and is perhaps experienced even less frequently. But it’s there, and it’s better to know about it than be caught off guard.

I’ve dealt with both and can tell you travel monotony comes at you from many different sides.

An unexplored condition of the long-term travelers mind

And to a lesser extent people living overseas.

What is travel monotony?

It’s that forgettable shadowy passenger that follows you around to each town you visit. The one that makes your bags that bit heavier on any given day. The passenger that hugs close to you when it’s just that bit too hot of a day. The passenger that pulls at your temperament when someone local either doesn’t understand you or is possibly trying to cheat you.

It’s when you arrive into a new town and don’t want to get up in the morning to explore it. It’s when you lose interest in talking about new cultures.

It’s when travel isn’t fun any more. It’s when inspiration is no longer there. It’s when travel becomes a routine.

Travel monotony or monotonous routine?

There’s a key element here that one needs to comprehend.

Many long-term travelers work to sustain their travels.

While many people think of long-term travel in terms of a forever vacation. Or a life without responsibilities. The truth is if you are working to sustain your long-term travel then you are probably doing what everybody back home is doing too. You are working; and most likely working in a day-to-day routine.

So yes, you guessed it. The routine monotony of work is one of the key elements in understanding travel monotony and long-term travel.

There is another key factor which needs to be addressed before knowing how to deal with all this. And that is the “been there done that” mentality.

Long-term travel means you’ve seen it all

The airports, the overland crossings, the taxis, buses, reception desks, language barriers and the packing. No matter the country once you encounter them all on a regular long-term basis it all gets rather repetitive and dare I say monotonous or boring very quickly.

There you are looking at another guide-book page of must see places in the big city and day trips out-of-town and all that goes through your mind is “what an effort.”

The mere idea of another new food to try sends your stomachs taste memories of a plain old beef burger or fresh salad rattling to your brain.

This is quite simply the psychological effects of routine clashing with new experience. It’s rare to see them go hand in hand let alone experience them. So we need to learn how to deal with it to avoid becoming depressed or at best bored.

Breaking the monotonous routine

So you’re traveling long-term or living abroad and working to make ends meet but frustrated at being pinned down with the same old 9-5 type slog. Or in the case of many long-term traveler occupations that involve communicating with different parts of the world in other time-zones: the 2am-10am schedule. Or perhaps the delightful time-zone work-shift of 10pm-1am, and then 6am- 10am. Adding 4pm to 7pm for the early birds depending on where you are.

Then mix it all up whenever you move into a new zone.

Who needs a regular sleep pattern when traveling long-term? And if you have a partner traveling with you then there’s a whole new balancing act to consider …

Meanwhile here are a few ideas based on what I’ve done to break the monotony:

Tired of random meats on a stick!

Hide away for two weeks at a time working non-stop. Then spend four weeks traveling. Or work one solid month, and then travel for three. It’s like shift-work but for long-term travelers.

Get a real job. Yes, stop your insistent internet related work and do something else. It doesn’t matter what so long as it breaks your routine up and puts food on your plate.

Example: work at the front desk of a hostel. Terribly unexciting I know but if you’ve been cooped up staring at a laptop for months every night it’s very refreshing!

Offer to teach someone conversational English for a week in exchange for money, food or lodging.

Find some people from your own linguistic region and talk to them about anything other than travel or work. Yes, a plain old conversation about nothing can break things up.

Remember these aren’t career paths or money-making ideas. These are simply things that will break the monotony of your long-term travel workload.

Breaking the monotonous “seen it all” routine

Go outside your comfort zone. The only reason you feel like that castle or temple is so boring is probably because you’ve been visiting castles and temples for the past few months.

It’s call being “templed out”.

Yes, my phrase. And to get over it means you need stop visiting temple after temple!

Go visit a hospital for sick children, it’s a reality check. Visit a prison or a refugee camp. You might need to get the name of an inmate but it shouldn’t be too hard and again it’s one big reality check.

Don’t like these things? Tough. Go visit another temple and tell me who had a more interesting day. Just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it less interesting. And guess what, you’ve just shattered your monotonous day.

Visiting the same old sites

Tired of meeting people who are excited by a day trip to climb a nearby mountain, village trek or yet another museum? Me too. Happens all the time. I do one of several things. I try to find at least one interesting person in a group that can converse about anything other than where we are going. The conversation alone will be worth it.

Or I simply opt not to go. Simple as that. Just because everyone else is going, doesn’t mean I have too.

Here’s an example. The Everest Base Camp trek is no big deal in the peak season for many people. I’d absolutely hate to do it in peak season though! With the trails full of people and with only the odd challenge of finding a good tea house to stay in it’s simply not my thing. So I opted not to go during peak season and went during the off-peak winter season.

Any regrets? None whatsoever.

Making life exciting

Even with travel, if we’ve been doing it a long time, it can become routine. And just like people back home we need to add a little extra excitement or adrenaline rush into our day-to-day lives to make us feel alive. This is normal, and natural.

Our DNA is set up a little differently to how we live our lives today.

Where once we might have encountered a mountain lion while out hunting for dinner, today our biggest challenge is finding a good parking spot.

So we now most commonly counter all this by injecting some adventure into our lives in the form of hobbies. Be it watching a movie, playing a video game, going on hikes or whatever we feel gives us that feeling of being alive!

This is very much a neglected part of long-term travel.

Embrace pet projects when traveling long-term

You’re long-term traveling or living abroad. One of the things that a regular lifestyle has that’s often neglected in long-term travel are indeed hobbies. Yes those things we do for enjoyment at weekends or in the evening to make us feel good. These things that are so often put on the back burner when traveling.

One of my hobbies while traveling is urban exploration

Used to play computer games back home? Feel guilty having them on your “work” laptop or playing them instead of embracing the new culture you’re around? Don’t be. Install a game and enjoy a night of blowing the heads off aliens.

Find a local gym. Yes, find a gym. They are everywhere and if you are long-term traveling the chances are you’re really not that fit anymore. Walking around a city all day doesn’t count. And being fit makes you feel better anyway.

Go and make a big deal out of movie premier. Yes, just because you are traveling doesn’t mean you can’t go and watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster and escape from reality for a while.

Urban Exploration. Yes well okay this is my own portable hobby. I like to explore abandoned buildings. And yes there’s a lot of us out there. It’s really a great way to break up the monotony of long-term travel as every place is new and unexplored.

What’s more you’d be surprised how searching for an online forum for your hobby in a new country will bring you many great and new friends!

Had a hobby back home? Great, now either kick-start it again, or if that’s not possible find a new portable hobby.

All of the above takes a little effort. You’ve just got to weigh up the balance of which is more important: monotony or breaking it.

Linking routine and the seen it all mentality to overcome monotonous long-term travel

The solutions I adhere to work for me. Why? Because the solutions involve going outside ones comfort zone. It’s not easy to encounter monotony when you start to do things you don’t normally do.

Give it a chance. Hate it, love it, embrace it. You’ll soon appreciate your old travel ways again. And when the monotony sneaks up again, you’ll know what to do about it.

This is an additional feature article dealing with long-term travel monotony

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Food from Nepal: Dal Bhat (tourist version)

2012-04-25T16:30:00-07:00

A plate of Dal Bhat (tourist version) from Nepal - click for a close of view

Dal Bhat is Nepal’s most widely eaten dish

It’s on every menu in every place that serves food in Nepal. The Nepalese eat it two or three times a day, every day. It’s my favorite food in Nepal. It’s Dal Bhat!

As I wrote previous only what is the food like in Nepal Dal Bhat is Nepal’s staple dish. Yet no matter the restaurant, cafe or hotel you order it in the chances are it will never be exactly the same. But usually always very good and very filling.

The main ingredients of Dal Baht are Dal (lentil soup) and Bhat (rice).

What is “Tourist” Dal Bhat made from?

Over the course of this series of food in Nepal I’ll introduce a few types of popular Dal Bhat that everyone encounters. In this case the Dal Bhat is very much the high-end tourist kind that comes with many additional extras.

The photograph of Dal Bhat above is “Mutton Dal Bhat”.

Let’s start with the Green/brown bowl of liquid at the bottom and work clockwise.
Dal, a soup made of lentils.
Mutton cooked in chilli.
Mixed vegetables consisting of cauliflower, carrot and green beans.
Pickled vegetables.
Spinach.
Chili (very hot).
A fresh selection of seasonal vegetables.
In the center is white rice and papad.

How much does tourist Dal Bhat cost?

Great question. Keep in mind that this is a high end meat version of Dal Bhat and a tourist version. Prices range from 400 rupees USD$4.85 upwards. I have come across some tourists paying in excess of 800 – 1,200 rupees in high class hotel restaurants. I’ll cover the cost of average Dal Bhat and local Dal Bhat in later articles. Suffice it to say, they are a lot cheaper.

What does Dal Bhat taste like? (tourist version)

Fantastic. The rice is fluffy, the vegetables are fresh and the meat is tender. There’s usually far too much for one person to consume. And you should be really careful about the chili as it can be brutally hot. Usually there’s a small bowl of curd with Dal Baht to help with the heat.

If you do have a big appetite, or enjoy fresh food, then Dal Bhat is a great dish to try out when in Nepal.

Looking for the best way to search for a hotel room?

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This is an additional article featuring food from Nepal

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Possibly the nicest bookseller in the world

2012-04-22T15:30:00-07:00

Mr. Surendra Singh Risal from Paradise Book Shop in Kathmandu Nepal

Secondhand bookshops in Nepal

I adore secondhand bookshops. They are a treasure trove of unknown discoveries. Usually they are located in cramped rooms filled up to the ceiling with shelves of not so shiny books.

Inhale deeply when you enter a good secondhand book store and the scent you experience is nearly as good as that of opening a book for the first time, putting its pages to your nose and inhaling.

Nepal is one of the few countries I’ve traveled where there is an abundance of second-hand book stores. Indeed if you are an old school book lover Nepal might be your Shangri-La.

Bookstores are slowly disappearing from the world

I don’t have that much of a problem in finding new bookstores when traveling in big cities. The problem I have is that the selections are always rather limited and always new. Over the years I’ve seen the travel fiction section shrink into a generic list of brightly colored spines.

Bill Bryson, Rick Steeves, an assortment of Lonely Planet to do lists, 1001 things to do, a few mid-life crises / traveled to find myself adventures … and a small selection of unknowns are the usual fare.

If you are very lucky there might be a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. If you are unlucky there will be a batch of Hollywood travel movie related paperbacks.

I go to the unknowns. Flick through them. Possibly see a not so cookie cutter produced book by a large publishing house and think about buying it. Then I turnover the book and shudder at the price. Placing the book back I wonder if I should buy a kindle?

The thought of locating a secondhand bookstore in a city you’ve just arrived in these days is nearly as daunting as writing a book oneself. Easier to think of it being easy than actually accomplishing the task at hand.

Will kindles & tablets kill the bookstore? Or are they a product of our evolution?

Yes the high-street bookstore’s days are numbered in their current form. I think it’s only a couple of generations that are used to, and enjoy, paperback books that are

In Paradise Book Shop the books are wrapped in covers to protect them. Collectors items already ...

keeping them open. For the next few generations there will still be people who prefer paper over electronic books. But the numbers will eventually add up. The cost of printing books for fewer buyers will increase print book prices. Fewer people will buy.

More people are and will move to the electronic form of book.

Have you ever seen a child with an iPad? It’s intuitive to them and far more engaging than a paper based book.

Children today are growing up with tablet PC’s and touch screens that produce interactive reading experiences. It’s becoming a part of our education system. It’s only a matter of time before one day a person will say:

“I’ve never read a paper book”.

Yes, electronic books are the future whether we like it or not.

Let’s just be grateful the format of a book has not yet changed to match the short attention spans of the Facebook and Twitter generations.

Secondhand bookstores will make a comeback

They might become known as collectors shops. But secondhand physical bookstores will probably outlast new brick and mortar bookstores. They will become a place to purchase rare and valuable old books. They will be a place to go and experience the past world. And, if you are wealthy enough a place to purchase an old school read.

Finding a good secondhand book store in Nepal

There are many to choose from. Yet since my first visit in 2007 compared to today, there are less.

In Kathmandu the main Thamel area has at least seven secondhand bookstores, likewise in the other popular tourist city of Pokhara. Some are good, some are not so good. Some sell new and secondhand books, while some just sell secondhand books. I’ve been to them all. No great feat as they are all within walking distance of each other.

Once you’ve found a book the usual thing to do is bargain for for it. Don’t worry, it’s less stressful than the usual trinket bargaining. If the price says 200rps offer 100rps. If it’s a good bookstore you’ll walkout not having paid 200rps. Sadly, even this tradition is disappearing as many bookstores are now fixing their prices. Easier to buy, but not as memorable. Kind of like buying an electronic book I guess. An easy process to do, and an easy one to forget.

The thing is: buying a secondhand book is not just about a purchase. It’s about the experience too.

The older secondhand bookstores offer an even better incentives to shop with them. They will buy back your old books. Usually at 50% of the original cost. Or, offer you a discount on a new book.

I usually buy two books, read them, and then trade them in for another one for free.

My experience with Paradise Book Shop in Kathmandu

Back in 2007 I discovered Paradise Book Shop. It was run by a frizzy bearded man with a smile. I remember buying Shantaram from him as a gift to someone in Nepal. I remembered him jumping up and locating the book very quickly. I noted he was hard of hearing.

On my recent return to Nepal I revisited Paradise Bookstore in search of another book for myself.

“Have you got ‘Are you Experienced?’” I asked after a quick browse.

Paradise Book Shop, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal

The same wide-eyed man with a kind smile and slightly whiter frizzy beard looked up at me. He then handed me a small notebook and pencil. “Write down the name of the book and author. Please.”

I did. Are You Experienced by William Sutcliffe.

What happened next was a testament to a true book lover. The man got up from his chair and placed one finger to his chin while looking at several shelves. Then with a youthful spring he moved to one shelf, ran his finger across it and pulled out the book. He handed it to me with both hands.

It was like watching a human cataloging machine at work. This man knew where every book was in his store by heart.

Getting to know Mr. Surendra Singh Risal from Paradise Book Shop in Kathmandu

Mr. Risal is actually deaf. Or at least extremely hard of hearing yet it’s of no obvious obstacle to him. He sits in a small square, three walled store called Paradise Book Shop which he rents. It’s on the main Thamel road. To the right if you are walking down the hill.

He doesn’t own the name of the store nor the shop itself but he’s been renting both for several years. And like most people in Kathmandu he will say business is poor.

I can’t help but think of the people at my guesthouse on electronic book readers and wonder what lies in this mans future. He’s an intelligent man and I wonder if he knows this too? This makes me a little sad.

Mr. Singh also sells a small selection of old war medals, coins and stamps from the bookshop. This is quite a popular pastime in Nepal. However my interest is in books and that’s what I enjoy most about his shop. Mr. Singh, I’m guessing, has probably read all the books in this store as he’s very knowledgeable about each one if you ask him for his opinion on one.

When I go there I bring my old books to trade in and a handwritten list of books I’m interested in reading. If they are not in stock then Mr. Risal will visit other bookstores after he closes his shop and look for them. If he finds them he’ll then keep the books behind his desk for a day or two waiting for their new owner to come for them.

That’s the kind of service you can’t get in many places these days.

Everyone has a favorite bookstore

Paradise Book Shop is my favorite bookstore. I asked to take Mr.Risal’s photograph for the purpose of writing about him. He’s a rare find. Shy and embarrassed with the idea of a photograph he agreed. I returned a few days later with a printout of the photograph.

His hands hovered around it with delight and he smiled so widely it just told me that this was a good thing.

If you happen to be in Nepal, enjoy secondhand bookstores or are looking for a good read I would encourage you to visit Mr. Risal’s Paradise Book Shop. Write down the book you are looking for and watch him spring into action to locate it. If not in stock then he’ll do his best to find it for you. At the very least you will experience customer care that you can only find in the very best of secondhand book stores.

Paradise Book Shop, Thamel, Kathmandu. I’m not sure if he just uses it for text messages or asks a neighbouring shop to take the call but there’s a telephone number too: 4242131. Best to go and visit the bookstore in person!

This is an additional feature article about secondhand books and in particular paradise book shop because they just don’t make them like this anymore.

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about Possibly the nicest bookseller in the world

A Life Less Innocent: Street Children in Kathmandu, Nepal

2012-04-15T16:13:03-07:00

Street Children in Kathmandu, Nepal – Drugs, sexual abuse, life (warning: mature content)

(Warning: This article about Street Children in Kathmandu contains images & text of an adult/mature nature – If you are easily offended with this reality, please move on)

A life less innocent: harsh life for a boy huffing shoe glue on the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal

The Street Children in Kathmandu, Nepal

Look into a child’s eyes and you are sure to see a sweet innocence that makes us all smile and want to cherish. It’s a universal feeling we all share no matter our race, creed or religion. The man who argues this point is not of this world.

But what happens when you look into a child’s eyes to see pain, loss, suffering, hate and something dark? Something so woeful in their eyes that makes us look away out of fear along with a guilt for not questioning why they are like that.

Unwanted children stick together, no matter the cause

As an unwanted child myself I have no tolerance for any person that abuses children. I grew up looking out at a harsh world from an early age. I recognize that look in others today. No matter the race, nor country the look is always the same.

I looked into similar eyes during a cold winters day in 2008. The eyes of a hardened child on the streets of Kathmandu Nepal. There was still a spark of life in them though.

Nearly four years later I met that same boy again. That spark of life was never rescued. What I saw now were dull eyes and a soul that’s been forgotten.

This is a part of Kathmandu. A popular tourist destination. And a stained city with a blatant secret.

An army of homeless street boys in Kathmandu

Street Children surviving in groups in Kathmandu : it is survival of the fittest

The population of Kathmandu is approximately 3.5 million (2008), of which there are reportedly over 1,000 homeless street children out of a national 3,000.

The vast majority of these children are illiterate boys aged between 10 and 18. Most are addicted to some form of barbiturate. The most common usage surrounds solvent abuse. Solvents are widely available, cheap and offer children a communal bond along with a brief respite from their pain.

Others intravenous drugs are also abused and the spread of HIV/AIDS is becoming rampant due to drug and sexual abuse on the streets.

Terrifying statistics about the sexual abuse of street boys in Kathmandu, Nepal

75% of street boys in Kathmandu are victims of sexual abuse at the hands of foreigners, locals and their peers. Here are some worrying and disturbing figures.

How children end up homeless on the streets of Kathmandu

41% of children leave home due to family violence
27% due to peer influence
19% due to economic factors
15% due to disintegration of the family
Older boys and young men rule the younger ones; on the streets ...

What the street children of Nepal think the purpose of sex is:

10% did not know
10% abuse
1.9% something that will give pleasure
63% Sex with either boys or girls (including same-sex intercourse)

First time sex statistics of street boys in Kathmandu:

15% Female not from village
15% Female adult from village
4.7% Older street boy
15% Girl, same age, from village
3.7% Male not from village
15% Street girl
20.6 % Street boy same age or younger
13.1% Third gender

Who are the people abusing the street boys?

16.7% NGO workers/expatriates
58.3% Stranger
25% Peer or friend

Male Nepali strangers were the most highly represented group (36.7%) of people reported to have offered gifts in return for sexual acts, mainly during the early evening.

43% of children felt sex was an easy way to make money as opposed to 26% who did not know why they did it.

The average payment is 200 rupees (USD$2.6)

Reasons the children gave that would help them stop living on the streets

33.3% Provide protection
25% Go back home
16.7% Did not know

Data from a 2010 report by Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN)

Life on the streets as a child

Some walk barefoot, others in rough shoes. All wear weather-beaten, stained, torn, and unwashed clothing. During tourist season the

Street children in Kathmandu feeding their dog

weather is warm and the children are more spread out.

Many come into Thamel, the main tourist area in Kathmandu, at night. They are usual working in groups outside of the supermarkets begging for money or food.

It’s a mistake to give the street children money, or even food. They will use the money to buy drugs and simply sell the food for money to buy more solvents

As Kathmandu closes for the night the street children return to the outskirts and to closed off areas to sleep in groups.

Winter keeps many street children away

Come to Nepal during the colder winter months and you will see fewer children. And those that you do see are the regular hardened boys. The cold forces them to stay in larger groups. Walk down by the Moroccan embassy just outside of Thamel and you will encounter the boys wrapped up in heavy jackets every morning.

Plastic bags of solvents never far from their faces.

Nepalese mentality to street children

The problem of child abuse in Nepal is made worse by a gap in Nepalese legislation which does not recognize sexual abuse of boys. The problem, legally, simply does not exist. The children have slipped through a fractured safety net in Nepalese society that’s a living tragedy and a dramatic future problem that many choose to ignore.

I asked several local Nepalese about the street children in general.

Common answers ranged from:

“They are rich. They make more money than the rest of us …” (from begging)

Life on the streets of Kathmandu ages a child over a very short period

“I’ve seen them dressed up in the best gear. This is all fake. They work for gang leaders and get paid well for their thievery …”

“They cause nothing but trouble. The police need to take them out of the city so we can clean up our streets …”

I heard nothing sympathetic to their plight.

That said, there are several organizations trying to help the children. Unfortunately, I have also heard several disturbing facts about the legitimacy of some organisations as well.

Nepal continues to fail in forming itself as a legitimate country. Meanwhile many dark hearted people take advantage of the vulnerable

My return to the streets of Kathmandu years later

Back in 2008 I remembered seeing the street children. Their torn little faces warped with mankind’s solvents, neglect, ignorance and abuse.

There were certain faces I remembered better than others. The boy with the harsh angled face and wild curly hair. And, the boy with the long face with dark sad eyes. In 2008 there was a glimpse of hope in his eyes. He still moved them with a child like mischief.

Today I saw the long faced boy again. I recognised him instantly. Only now his eyes no longer move with child like mischief. They are slow and dull. His face bruised and scratched. He turns his whole head to look at something. He no longer talks in long sentences. His words are harsh and blunt.

“Give me money …”

No more.

Hierarchy on the streets

I went down to the streets early one morning. A large plastic container of Dal Bhat in hand along with some breads and small cakes. Wrapped up in heavy down trekking jackets the long faced boy stared angrily at me while clutching at a bag of solvent.

Street Children feeding a dog in Kathmandu

Huffing at the bag his face was full of concentration. He then saw the container of food and pounced on it.

The others stirred.

There was a hierarchy at work here. The long faced boy had become a group leader it seemed. The others waited for his command. Each child with their own small bag of glue.

I handed him a pile of A4 paper as plates. He handed them out to the others. Then digging his hands into the rice he scooped up as much as he could before he poured the dal sloppily over a makeshift plate.

The groups two dogs lapped up the spilled soup from the pavement as the other boys dug into the container. Each knowing their pecking order and the appropriate portion they could take.

That is until some of the younger one’s argued over the remains. It was now the long faced boy snapped an order at them. And with that the fight ended.

He looked at me and the remaining bag of chocolate cakes I had. He pulled at the bag. I held it back and looked around to see if everyone had eaten. He muttered something to me and then laughed with the others.

Reporting to a heinous looking man

An argument broke out between the younger ones again. Only this time one of them got up and stormed down the road.

It was here I felt an evil bile rise up in my stomach. Up ahead crouched on the pavement steps was a disheveled man in his twenties. Unwashed and with a beaten face he had the aura of a drunkard.

The world people choose to walk by: The Street Children in Kathmandu, Nepal

The boy spoke to him and the man looked down at him. At this time the boys near me had already pulled apart my bag of cakes and were examining them. I must have missed something. For when I looked back down the street the older man had opened his shirt and pulled the young boys hand onto his chest and then further down.

The boy pulled back and the man laughed. Then the boy followed suit.

I felt ill.

A surreal brief glimpse of boy’s at home

The group of boys in front of me were not so happy with the cakes. Sweet cakes and chocolate meant nothing to them it seemed. I asked why?

“Tourist food,” spat the long faced boy. “You bring more rice.”

With that he began angrily huffing on his fix again. The other boys broke out into a chatter. Then out of nowhere the long faced boy began feeding his street dogs the cakes.

An act that could only make me think of any other boy anywhere in the world looking after his pet. Sharing what to many others would be a treat, or even sustenance, with their best friend. Or in this case, protector, source of warmth, and possibly the only innocent, non-abusive, companion they had left in the world.

Surely this boy should be holding a toy and not a bag of brain killing solvent?

Return of the heinous man

My time was up. I was out of food, and so had nothing left to offer them. Moreover the older man from further down the road had made his way up to us. I was correct. He stank of stale alcohol.

I could see the look of fear mixed with bravery in the long faced boy. The man pointed around the place. The long faced boy waved me off.

“Buy more food for them …” grunted the older man stretching out his hand looking for money.

I shook my head. Stepped back and turned away.

The man laughed.

Most of the boys picked up their things and began to move out for a day of scrounging.

Last chance for innocence

I turned back in time to see the older man stagger off. The long faced boy and a few others remained with the two dogs by their feet. Plastic bags acting like mini bellows clutched to their faces.

It was a heavy scene along the road as Kathmandu began to wake up all around them. People walked by without a turn of their heads, nor care in the world towards the lost innocence before them.

Here were young boys clutching bags of solvents on harsh streets. When surely they should have been holding soft toys in loving homes

This is an additional feature article highlighting the Street Children in Kathmandu, Nepal

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about A Life Less Innocent: Street Children in Kathmandu, Nepal

Mobile app now available for FREE on The Longest Way Home

2012-04-12T16:00:00-07:00

Longest Way Mobile App - available now for free

The Longest Way Mobile App – download it now for free

It’s all go this week!

If you subscribe to my newsletter (if not why aren’t you?) then about six months ago you would have been invited to try out my secret new mobile app! Last month I gave the beta mobile app out to all subscribers/members via the newsletter and the response has been great.

Today I’m letting anyone who wants a copy of my beta mobile app have it for free.

Why do I want your mobile app?

I have no clue. But if you want everything about The Longest Way Home available on your mobile phone, tablet or even browser then the mobile app is a great way to do it.

The Longest Way Home in an app

You can see all my blog posts, tweets, photo galleries, video galleries and social networks in one place instead of having to open up lots of webpages.

And there’s more that you don’t get anywhere else …

All the features of my mobile app:

Blog/Journal
Latest Tweets
Photo Gallery
Pinterest Pins
Video Gallery
Google + *new*
Facebook *coming soon* maybe …
Behind the Lens Photo Series
Map of my current location

That’s a pretty extensive list! Like I wrote above:

My mobile app is like having everything about The Longest Way Home all in your pocket!

Too many right? Well the mobile app wraps them all up into one simple to view place. Simple as that!

What devices does the app run on?

Android, iPhone, Windows, Blackberry and Baida. That includes iPads and various tablets running Android.

The one condition is that the device must support 3rd party apps. In other words if you have an iPhone it must be jailbroken or support 3rd party apps. That’s an Apple policy thing, not me.

If you are on Android simply press – settings – applications – and tick unknown sources. Install the app and off you go!

The app is still very much in the “beta” format and will remain so until / if it’s available on the official markets.

Are you putting this app on the market so we can all install it?

Full video gallery can be played

If there’s a huge demand for it then yes. If not then no.

To go through the process of putting the app on all the markets would cost me upwards of $1000. That’s including market fees and app development fees. Then yearly I’d have to pay roughly about $300+ to keep it on the various app markets.

Covering those costs would mean charging for the app or putting ads on it. Currently the app is free to download and free of ads.

Free app = you need a phone that’s also free to install whatever you want

Paid app = demand + cost

So for now, it’s all free!

I really want to try out your app but Apple won’t let me install what I want on “my” iPhone

I know, painful isn’t it.

Not to worry if you want to see what the app is like keep reading and you can view the app via a very cool “mobile browser” version of the app on your web browser for free!

Yep, that’s a two for one free app deal.

Full photo gallery	Geo mapping for my location

How to get my mobile app

Easy. Just click here when on your mobile phone. Download the app or have it sent via email. Install and off you go.

The “mobile browser” version is also available there.

Or use this QR code if you are super tech savvy.

That’s it! Try it out and let me know what you think.

Coming Soon:

Warning – Next weeks in depth feature article from Nepal will be of a mature subject matter. Content and photographs may cause offense to some who find the mistreatment of children disturbing.

This is an additional feature post announcing the release of The Longest Way Home App (Beta version)

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about Mobile app now available for FREE on The Longest Way Home

What is the food like in Nepal?

2012-04-10T16:00:00-07:00

Dal Baht in Nepal - my favorite "local food"

Traditional Nepalese food & tourist Nepalese food

I really enjoy eating in Nepal. I write that as if Nepal is a local restaurant I’m reviewing rather than a country with a national cuisine for good reason. Nepal is one of the most economically depressed countries in the world. And like many countries suffering from economic problems the real traditional local food is very basic.

Yet the irony is that due to Nepal’s number one industry, tourism, there is a huge and diverse range of international food on offer.

Welcome to a new series of Food in Nepal

Typical mid-scale tourist menu in Nepal - note the spellings!

Like many things on this website I will not be bringing you the glossy shiny make-believe world of brochure tourism. I’m going to show you the real world of what food is like in Nepal from many perspectives.

I’ll be covering Traditional Nepalese food, Tibetan Nepalese food, Indian Nepalese food, and tourist Nepalese food. I’ll tag each dish with one or more of those terms so you’ll know the difference.

Understanding food in Nepal

Nepal is quite culturally diverse for a nation of its size.

Aside from the huge North Indian influence and Tibetan influence there are also variations on Nepalese cuisine within the various indigenous populations within Nepal itself. Add in international tourist food and what you once thought was a hash brown, pizza or naan bread is not quite what you might be used to.

During my time in Nepal I’ve been served the same meal in different locations and each meal has ranged from mildly different to a completely different dish altogether. So expect the unexpected with this series about what the food is like in Nepal!

What’s breakfast like in Nepal?

Banana Pancake's very much a tourist breakfast!

For the average Nepalese person breakfast is Chai a hot milky tea that’s also common place in India. Rice or a rice porridge is also quite common place among laborers as the working day starts early.

For the average tourist breakfast can range from banana pancakes to slap up plates of bacon, eggs, baked beans, hash browns, toast, butter, juice and filtered coffee. Muesli and curd. Fresh fruit salad. Or a mix of all these things.

What do I eat for breakfast in Nepal? I usually have muesli curd as they are the two ingredients that are lacking in South East Asia that I missed the most.

What’s lunch like in Nepal

For the average Nepalese person lunch is Dal bhat. Dal is a lentil soup and bhat is rice. Generally speaking this is not the Dal bhat most tourists see or eat. This is a really simple version. And yes I’ll be covering Dal bhat very soon.

The average tourist lunch in Nepal can be anything from toasted sandwiches to hamburgers or various curries to tandoori with naan bread.

I expect some fallout and the odd jibe from many food purists during this series. Bring it on. The reality of food in Nepal is it’s now more widely diverse than many other developing countries in the world. Again, from a tourists perspective. Or, wealth Nepalese person.

What do I eat for lunch in Nepal? I usually go for either Dal bhat or chicken momo’s steamed. The Dal bhat I eat is slightly more touristy than the local kind in that I get papad, fresh vegetables and or meat if I want it.

Friend chicken momos ... the steamed version is probably one of the best tasting lunches in Nepal if you know where to find them!

The momos I eat are from a local restaurant that serves Neplese people and the odd stray hippie that finds their way in. They taste like tourist momo’s but are not as heavy as real local momos. And in case you haven’t guessed I’m a huge fan of momos. What’s a momo? Stay tuned.

What’s Dinner like in Nepal?

For the average Nepalese person dinner is … Dal Bhat. Yes, welcome to the stable diet of the average Nepalese person. Dal Bhat is eaten for the two main meals a day by most Nepalese people. However it must be said big city people are now diversifying their diet. But Dal Bhat still reigns supreme.

What do I eat for dinner in Nepal?

I try to eat lighter at night in Nepal as the food here can be quite heavy. Curries or paneer’s with naan are a stable. But I do like the two dollar Mexican steak in Kathmandu. Yes it’s really two US dollars. Well, actually not at the moment as it’s peak season but the waiter still charges me $2. It’s laden with cheese and comes with fries or boiled potatoes accompanied by a Nepalese version of chili sauce with vegetables. It’s not huge, but it’s good.

What is there to drink in Nepal?

Bottled water is abundant and safe. Soft drinks are everywhere. Lassi’s are very popular and exceptionally good. Fruit juices are easy to come by too however I’m not a huge fan of Nepalese fruit juices as they are very watery. Personally I enjoy the soda water with fresh lemon here.

Is the food safe to eat in Nepal?

Fresh local samosas from Nepal ... not for weak stomachs!

This one always makes me laugh. I’ve met expats here who shudder at the mere thought of eating Nepalese food. They go berserk with the hygiene levels and have copious toilet tales. Having said that I’ve also met some locals who refuse to eat at certain popular local establishments.

Are they all paranoid?

Not really. The truth is very few people escape Nepal without having at least one or two days of dodgy stomach. I didn’t go trekking until I had at least two days of bad stomach on purpose. I went straight to the curry house and got it over with when I arrived. After that I haven’t had a bad stomach.

So yes those samosas sitting on the side of the road in glass boxes really should be avoided by all but the most sadistic of individuals. Whilst generally speaking unless you have a very vulnerable digestive system you should be okay so long as you take basic precautions and eat in popular places.

I did write this up which might help a few people What happens when you get food poisoning in Asia?

What’s the food like in Nepal?

Curious about some of the food I mentioned above? Don’t worry I’ll be covering them all soon!

Nepal is one of my favorite places in the world to eat. Nepalese chefs are extremely talented and can cook some incredible dishes. I’ve met with many of them and quite honestly all you have to do is hand them a photo of a dish and they can make it. The more experienced will want to know the ingredients. But yes, many are that good and I expect the issue of not all food being the same is down to literacy and not capability.

Nepalese food is generally heavy food that’s extremely fresh. Go into the villages and the food you will be eating wasn’t just picked that morning but rather less than an hour ago.

In this series I hope to show you what you can really expect to be eating should you ever visit Nepal.

From traditional dishes to great attempts at international cuisine. Get ready for some great food from Nepal!

This is an additional post featuring food from Nepal

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about What is the food like in Nepal?

Hotel booking now available on The Longest Way Home

2012-04-08T15:30:00-07:00

Hotel booking and room rate search now available on The Longest Way Home

Search & book a hotel room with The Longest Way Home

A few years ago … well nearly five years ago, I offered hostel and hotel booking here. It didn’t last long as quite honestly the company offering the service did not live up to their side of things. The end-user was treated fine but I personally found their links and system poorly administrated so I decided to let them go.

Better to offer no service than a bad one

Since then I’ve kept an eye out for an accommodation booking partner that I personally would use. There have been many proposals and many companies requesting I host their services. Nothing really jumped out. I kept looking.

New hotel search methods

search all the top hotel booking sites on one page

One of the best online hotel search systems is one that uses data from all the other hotel booking websites; thereby giving you a list of the best rooms to choose from.

By showing all the hotel booking sites and finding the best rates, reviews and choices in accommodation you get to select a hotel from multiple sources on one page. A win win situation for the person looking for the best deal.

I worked through several of these systems and finally settled on two. Both systems were too close to call in offering you the best in prices and a wide selection of rooms.

I finally picked one system over the other as it offered a great way to sort through hotels by price, ratings, reviews and many more options. Better yet, it’s all done live and is very fast.

How I look for the best value for money hotel rooms online

When looking for a hotel room I first think how much? Then what facilities and location. Then what have others said about it e.g. cleanliness, staff friendliness etc. And finally a few extra things like restaurants, WiFi, tour desk, booking facilities and type of clientele they serve.

In all honesty the best hotel rates are not listed online. And quite often I will search out new accommodation if I arrive into a city early in the day. But not everyone has this luxury and people often need to book before arriving.

That’s where my new hotel room search page comes in.

All the best hotel booking sites under one roof

Search for the right hotels using fast filters

I’ve combined internationally recognized and trusted hotel booking sites like hotels.com, booking.com, agoda.com, dhr.com, expedia.com, laterooms.com and many more into one giant search engine to give you the greatest choice.

What you get by searching for a hotel here on The Longest Way Home:

Search for hotels anywhere in the world – over 2,000,000 hotels currently listed
Trusted and secure bookings via the above websites
Sort by price, guest ratings, or by hotel star rating 1-5
Sort by hotel type e.g. Hostel, Guesthouse, B&B, Hotel etc,.
Sort by facilities e.g. high-speed internet, car parking, swimming pool etc,.
Have prices shown in your own currency
Put a price cap on your search so you won’t get rates higher than what you can afford
See location maps of the hotels
Prices include all taxes and no extras

Click to visit this search box on my Travel Guide to Spain page

7 easy steps to search and book a hotel with ease

Let’s say you want to know the price of rooms in Spain?

Step 1) First You can go to the accommodation section of my travel guide to Spain and use the handy search widget there. Or you can use my global hotel booking search here. You should see a badge on my blogs side bar too. Just click it.

Step 2) Type in the country, or city you are interested in (add dates if you know them, if not no problem). In this case Spain. You’ll now get a huge list of cities in Spain!

Great, now click on a city, let’s say Barcelona. Now watch as this website jumps into action and searches all the available hotels and rooms in Barcelona. Pretty good eh?

Step 3) Now we have a huge selection of hotels but the prices are a little steep. So we can do one of several things here to get exactly what we want. Personally, I just click “Price” at the top to search from the cheapest up. Now I’ve got a selection of cheaper beds!

Search by rating, star, price or guest rating

Step 4) Optional search - get a private room. I see lot’s of hostels and dorm beds showing up. But today I want a private room. So let me get rid of those hostel dorm rooms by ticking Bed & Breakfast + Apartment in the left hand sidebar. The results change automatically and now only private rooms show up!

Step 5) Look through what’s on offer by clicking the name of the hotel you like. A new page quickly loads showing you the best rates, what the hotel has on offer and guest reviews. Don’t like something, no problem press the back button and look at a different hotel.

Step 6) If you like what the hotel has on offer and the price click “Go“ to quickly see the latest information on the hotel.

Click go to see special deals!

Super Tip: by clicking “Go” you get to see the latest offers from the hotel, including many discount rates not originally shown!

Step 7) Book your room or feel free to keep on browsing for more hotels.

Is booking a hotel online the cheapest way to get a hotel room?

No. The cheapest rooms and hotels are not mentioned online! But that doesn’t suit everyone. Some people want the reassurance of seeing other guests reviews, or seeing prices up front. If on limited vacation time booking online simply makes sense.

My new hotel booking & search facility takes the hard work out of opening up many windows and looking for the best deals from many companies or hotels. It combines them all into one place: right here.

What’s more once you click “Go” there are often many discounted rates you won’t see elsewhere. Give it a go and see for yourself!

Search for Hotels with The Longest Way Home here

This is an additional feature article introducing hotel booking and search on The Longest Way Home

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about Hotel booking now available on The Longest Way Home

South East Asia: Where is the cheapest & best place to buy electronics?

2012-04-04T15:30:00-07:00

Where’s the cheapest place to buy electronics in South East Asia?

Case study on buying Cameras, lenses, laptops and electronic equipment in South East Asia’s Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok

The Best Places to Buy Electronics in South East Asia

Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok are all huge travel hubs. All, along with Hong Kong, have a reputation for great deals on cameras, computers and electronic equipment. Which destination is cheaper? Which has the best selection? And which is easier to shop around in?

I shopped in all, and this is what I found out. All prices are shown in USD$ for the sake of ease. And prices are based on new items both recently released, and older stock based on late 2011 rates.

I stuck with cameras and lenses I was interested in. The same high end Sony Vaio laptop and mid range Samsung phone at the time to try and give accurate price fluctuations.

Keep in mind that no matter the year or item, this should still give you a good indication of where to buy what at the best prices!

Where to buy cameras, lenses and laptops in Singapore?

Electronic stores in Singapore:

There is a collection of stores near the City Hall MRT station.

The Camera Workshop on Coleman Street sell new and second hand cameras

Cathay Photo on North Bridge Road, have several …

To view the rest of this article please visit my live page on The best places in South East Asia to buy electronics

What do you think about this? Leave a comment & let me know about South East Asia: Where is the cheapest & best place to buy electronics?