Tips and more

My reply to my friend Carine was quite long and kind of a partial summary for me. So here goes:

The Annapurna Circuit trek, the 20 days version (not the 16). I went to Ghorapani in order to climb Poon Hill and see the Annapurna range (the best view) and finished at a place I don't remember right now. The other option is to finish at Beni. Also remember you might need buffer days if something goes wrong, you need a rest or some place is very nice (such as... damn, forgot!)

Around Pokhara:
I went rafting for three days on the Kali Gandaki river.
I went to Sarangkot before sunrise to see the Annapurna range from another angle. The best views were of the valleys as I've seen the Annapurna range quite a lot. I went back walking, lost the trail, which resulted in interesting experiences along the way. So try to get lost there. You know you need to reach the lakeside and you see it in view all the time.
I went to Devi's falls, missing the entry to its underground parts, which made it quite boring. From there I walked up to the World Peace Pagoda and climbed down the other side, finishing with a kayak ride back to Pokhara.
I went out to the busy bee, the only place which is open late enough.
I rested a lot at the Boomerang restaurant. I'm not sure if their food is good or cheap, but
By the way, now it is mandatory to go trekking with a porter or a guide. I recommend a porter anyhow. Meet him before you go trekking. Ask him if he has good equipment. Chat with him to see how good he knows English, which will contribute a lot to your enjoyment along the trek. My porter knew Hebrew very well too.

Around Kathmandu:
I went to Swayambunath (The monkey temple).
I went to Nagarkot to see the sunrise yet again. The good thing here is that you can see the sunrise from your window and not climb 40 minutes in the darkness. The bad thing is that you can see the sunrise from your window and not climb 40 minutes in a full moon lit sky. Then I tried to walk to Bhaktapur by foot, took a shortcut, which made me lose the trail and end up in a local bus, where I couldn't stand straight. But it was fun (= somewhat scary). I stayed in Bhaktapur for five days, not that you actually need it to see everything around. I just preferred waiting for my flight there.
I went out to G's Terrace, Fullmoon and Lhasa.

Additional things that other people did while I was resting:
The Chitwan national park.
The Langtang trek (a.k.a. The frozen lakes)

Tips:
- When you arrive to Nepal ask for a 60 days visa. For me it cost the same as the 30 days visa. And you might spend 20 days or more on the mountains...

- Try to minimize the amount of time you stay at big cities at first. If you have the option, go out of the city. Escaping Kathmandu to Pokhara was a very good idea. When I came back, it was much easier and even fun!

- Listen to yourself. For the first time you don't have to do everything. If you rather spend the whole day reading, resting, listening the music, do that. Some people hurry up from place to place. If it suits you fine it is OK, but don't do things because you have to. For me it was and still hard, but I get over it. There is always something to see. And the rest will be left for next time.

- Nothing is for free. If someone offers you something for free, it is a scam. You are going to pay, big time. If someone offers you a service, tell them thank you and be assertive about it.

- Don't trek alone with a guide/porter, especially a male guide/porter. First of all, it is always nice to trek with someone, and you don't have to be together the whole day. I used to run forward in the mornings, especially uphill. So I had time to stop whenever I wanted and think/day dream. In the afternoons I used to slow down and join other people for chats. Second, they have their idea of Western women and you are not going to change that. It is mostly because of the movies they see and because some tourists don't bother being informed about a country and its local customs, such as dressing modestly. Oh yeah, local people do take showers at the streets, but that's because they don't have running water at home. And they do it very modest, with their clothes on.

- Helping beggars and the rest. If you seriously want to help, go to the source. Volunteer, buy things for schools, but don't give them money, pens, sweets or balloons. If you buy a meal for one, then more will come, and you are just one person, not a charity organization. You just encourage them to leave whatever useful thing they might do and beg for money.

- Haggai's advice: Acquire late, release early ;-) Try to reasonably delay things until you are sure about them. That way you can leave your options open. Again, always do what's comfortable for you. One example: I bought the huge Lonely Planet India book in the airport back home and I'm not going to use it for following months for sure.

- Do the longest things first, then fill in the rest. The Annapurna circuit trek is a long one and will take a lot of your time.

Equipment, etc. tips
- After my first week in Kathmandu I bought the Lonely Planet book of Nepal. It helped me tremendously. It is very up to date, September 2006, so it helped me get the real value of services. You can also do it on your own, trial and error. It cost me two thirds the price in Israel and I could get back half of it when I returned it (which I didn't).

- You can buy many things in Nepal, Kathmandu and Pokhara. I think I said goodbye to 100$ there just on equipment. I bought walking poles, rain coat (poncho), a serious coat (forgot the name), shrinkage bag, a lock for my bag (I use it more to feel safe that no one messes with my bag while I tie my shoe laces and the likes), a drinking bottle, carbines and I don't remember what else. Just remember that the fact that everyone in Nepal, even the poorest farmer, wears a "The North Face" fleece jacket probably means something. Check the quality with all your senses. Sometimes they can be better than the original and sometimes pretty bad. If you don't want to compromise, there is a real North Face shop in front of the "Fire and Ice" restaurant in Kathmandu. You'll know you got there when you'll see the prices just added a digit or two. It is cheaper than Israel, even half (I could have bought so many things there if I wouldn't have to carry it all), but they might not have your size. (saved me 200NIS :-) ). About sending things home, it is not that cheap. But over weight is more expensive...

- Most of the expensive things you got back home (the towel, quick dry clothes) won't help you much until you go to extremes (temperature, many walking days, etc.). Then their advantage will become evident. It means that for most of your trip, they won't be different than simple equipment :-) But I still don't regret them for a second. Money well spent.

People
- When I arrived I searched for people for a specific task, trekking. It took me a while and wasn't easy. I posted ads at different places, spent time in Israeli joints and harassed poor girls :-) Conclusions: Be attentive to other people's behaviour. If they are looking for someone they'll just behave so. If you are eating alone you can ask another lonely person to join you. The second thing is that if you go to a trek that most people start from Pokhara for example, and not Kathmandu, try searching there. Back to my story: At the end I e-mailed a girl who posted an ad in a Kathmandu Israeli oriented agency and I met her in Pokhara.

- Activities. I know it is a chicken and egg thing, but once you do something, you start to meet a lot of people. Then it just feeds itself somehow. You meet them again at town, go out to dinner with them, meet their friends. It lasts until everybody moves on (To India, SEA, home, etc.), but you might find someone that is heading your way. I didn't get used to it yet, and I might never will, but that's part of it. I had a few waves of saying goodbye to people and then meeting new. The one I liked most was saying goodbye to all the people from the rafting trip in Pokhara and then meeting them again in Kathmandu (Very small city :-) ).

- Go to places where backpackers might stay. Hint: Hilton or Carlton are not one of them.

- How are people? You know, same same but different ;-) If you don't like someone, say goodbye. (And if you love someone set them free). It is not always easy, but that's how it is. (I recall now you actually helped Elinor with that). Being alone is important too. I arrived to Bangkok with a girl. She wanted to move on and I wanted to stay, because it was my first time and because I needed some rest. I had to contemplate what was better, staying alone for now, or moving forward with her. At the end I picked to stay alone.

How am I? You know, as usual. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad. (And when I'm sad, I listen to music (= Do things that I like)). I am not sure I will change, but it is an experience, which I comprehend mostly after I do it.