May 30, 2006
Hello All
Since I am on the road so much I have a hard time staying up on current events and just received an email telling me about the 6.2 earthquake in Yogyakarta where I was 6 weeks ago. I attached a picture of a temple I was at when I was there (Prambanan?). This block could have fallen on my head if I was there now ;).
Anyhow since last I wrote we met the Brazilian named Raul who is an accountant and teaches at a university in Brazil and has been traveling for 5 months which is one month more than myself. He is very easy going and happy so we get along well. We decided to take a day off before leaving on our 5 day excursion through the Himalyas because we were still recovering from altitude sickness and it finally dawned on me that it will probably be cold on Everest base camp (5200 meters above sea level) so I made a mad dash out onto the streets of Lhasa looking for a warm coat and toque since all I have needed on this trip to date has been a fleece I bought for $2US in northern Vietnam where it was cold (I know that is a lot of money but I needed that fleece ;)).
Vere came with me and wasn't very much help when I started bargain hunting since I found a gortex jacket (Chinese copy of course) for 280 Yuan and wanted to dicker to get the price down since I thought I would only need it for 2 nights at Everest base camp but Vere (being a camping and mountain enthusiast) was praising the store owner at how low her prices were and how impressed he was and undermining my bargaining techniques and just wouldn't shut up until I scowled at him behind the womens back. I gave a low offer and then said 200 yuan where she countered me to 220Yuan where I knew she would take my price if I just walked out the door and sure enough she ran after me and accepted the offer ($30 cdn for a imitation gortex. Not bad).
Then I repeated this process for one of her toques getting it for half price ($3 cdn) using the same walk away and chase me routine (works everytime!!). The ATM machines are always empty and most travelers are just waiting on the steps at each bank waiting for them to put more money into them twice per day. We bought oxygen bottles and have been using them like oxygen junkies getting our oxygen fix (now I am addicted to oxygen :)).
You need traveling permits when traveling around Tibet and your Lhasa permit is good for a 250km radius around Lhasa and then you have to purchase more permits (Just another Chinese money grab). Our agent "Tenzing" who arranged our landcruiser trip got our permits in 2 hours.
I found a cheap long distance phone company and made a call to North America and as I was talking on the phone I turned around and saw a Tibetan leaning forward with his face pressed against the glass of my booth trying to read my notes in english I had in front of me and to top it off he had his finger pressed so far up his nose you couldn't even see a knuckle. I looked at him for 10 seconds to get his attention but he was concentrating so hard to read my notes he didn't notice me staring back so finally I lost my patience with him and slammed the back of my hand against the glass where his face was pressed against and said "DO YOU MIND?!!!!!!" at which point he stumbled back 2-3 steps and looked at me with this perplexed and confused look on his face but still maintaining the finger up his nose in the process so I signal with my eyes and hand gestures to "move on" and he was still looking at me not knowing what he did wrong so finally I just shook my head in disgust and went back to my long distance phone call. Some of these people have strange mannerisms.
Most Tibetans have rosey cheeks due to the high altitude and weather conditions and some have purple cheeks. Some Tibetan vocabulary I have learned is "Taja Delay"= Hello, "Mayo"= No (who cares what "yes" means when you are constantly saying "MAYO!" to the street hawkers), and last but not least "Ji'an Gwee too Baa"= Go to Hell! (A very useful phrase when someone pisses you off haha ;)).
Our first day on our 5 day excursion we stopped off at a few little villages in the mountains where villagers would come up to you to sell you some rocks or simple souvenirs. Vere was a fun and comical guy to travel with and talked nonstop but he was very vocal and constantly shouting out "FREE Tibet! Dalai Lama number one!!" whenever villagers would gather around. Raul and I found ourselves distancing ourselves from him at these times thinking that an uncover chinese PSB agent was in ear shot and Vere was always showing attitude to the chinese officials who asked to see our passports as if tourists were above them. We stayed the night in Giantse where I had my first yak butter tea that tasted more like a mushroom soup but is popular with Tibetans. The next day we stopped off in Shigatsi where I was sick of more temples so I left the group and checked out the markets in the city and bought 13 pairs of socks for $2 yuan each (25 cents cdn each). A little pricey I know but I desperately needed socks since all of my socks had more holes in them than material.
On day 3 we arrived on Everest base camp at 5200 meters and had another 45 minutes driving to reach the first base where donkeys were waiting to take us to the base camp where the tents were. I tried getting a consensus from the group on what day or time we wanted our Tibetan driver (He didn't speak any english) to pick us up at because we had 45 minutes to decide so I asked Raul what he wanted and his answer was always vague (English is his 3rd language behind portuguese and spanish) because 3 of us were going to the Nepal border and I told them that we had to think in advance on the times to get there and then the time it takes to get to Kathmandu without arriving at 1am in the morning when it is pitch dark and soon we found ourselves at each others throats and yelling at each other (Which was odd since we were a really good and easy going group and we laughed most of the time on our trip) and Raul refused to give me details on what he was thinking and then said he didn't want to spend 2 nights on Everest base camp and then Vere flipped out telling us that the Brazilian was ruining everything and that we had originally agreed to him (Vere) to spend 2 nights because that was the only reason he came along on this tour. Finally we agreed on telling the driver to pick us up at 8am in 2 days from now. Vere had told us that the reason we were yelling and arguing so much was from the altitude sickness at 5200 meters and I thought it was quite plausible since the air was thinning even more and hard to get oxygen into our lunges at that altitude so our minds weren't firing on all cylinders. Of course once we get there 3 of us decide to walk the 2 hour hike and not take the donkeys and Vere who had all his camping equipment began freaking out saying we had all originally agreed on the donkey ride so the other two took off and I told him I would split the cost for the donkey to calm him down.
An American female backpacker in Lhasa had recommended Sona's tent saying she checked out all the places to stay on EBC and that his tent was the best and she said his tent was the only black tent on the right hand side on the first set of tents so Vere and I got there first and met Sona's wife "Samjay" who had a one year old infant. The tent was big with a bench going around the perimeter of the tent and had little rugs on them as cushion. I was a little shocked to see a full box of dried yak shit in the middle of the tent beside the wood stove but Vere pointed out that it was the only source of fuel in Tibet since they have no trees. I kept a close eye on Sona and Samjay as they cooked our meals by the wood stove just in case they threw a piece of dried yak dung into our rice pot as a cruel Tibetan joke (haha Just kidding!). They were very hospitable hosts even though they couldn't speak a word of english and as we slept they would come around as if tucking in their own kids and putting more blankets on us. None of us slept very well in Tibet and particularly on Everest base camp and I found myself waking up at 3am gasping for air and waking up panting like crazy to get more oxygen and for an hour I would have to consciously think about breathing like "Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out, etc... " and I had a new respect for those who climb Mount Everest since it isn't the climb but the snow and ice on top and the lack of oxygen where a few steps will tire you out.
The next day all 4 of us climbed a small hill to get a good view of the Everest summit (8800 meters). We listened to Led Zepplin tunes and smoked a big fatty while we tried to spot as many faces in Everest as we could (It is amazing how many faces you can spot in a mountain after only a few puffs haha). Later Raul and I walked a few kilometers to the foot of Everest which was hard work since your lunges are working overtime trying to catch up to your heart rate since the air is thinner at that altitude. The distance of Everest is a bit of an illusion and looks closer than it really is. On our way back we had a convoy of yaks coming up the trail our way so we had to get off the trail since yaks are very timid creatures and will back away from you until they disrupt the whole convoy of yaks carrying items to the next base camp.
After spending two nights on everest base camp (EBC) we got up at 5:45am because the donkeys were not going at that time and we had to meet our driver at the bottom at 8am and had to walk it. The sky was beautiful at this time and the stars were clear and I have never seen so many stars shine so bright and be so clustered together in one area before since we were between two mountains as we walked down. It took 9 hours to reach the Nepal border and as we drove around the Himalayan mountains we went through many one street towns perched on the side of the mountains which had 3-4 story buildings on each side. I said goodbye to Vere since he was heading back to Lhasa to renew his visa and spend another month trekking around Tibet and the 3 of us went through Chinese customs and then had to take a taxi another 9 km to reach the Nepal customs winding around the mountain. We got a 60 day nepal visa on arrival and we didn't see any buses so we negotiated with a taxi driver and shared the cost 3 ways to take the 5 hour ride to Kathmandu.
Nepal is 2 hours behind China but it was getting dark quickly and the first 3 hours was basically winding around mountain tops on dirt and bumpy roads and we went through 4 military check points were the soldiers in camoflauge clothing (who looked more like rebels) asked for our passports. Our first impression on arrival to Kathmandu was like we were arriving in New Delhi since the traffic was backed up in traffic jams and dust was floating everywhere. We checked into the Marco Polo guest house and immediately showered and cleaned up and had the best sleep in 2 weeks. This was one of the best places I have stayed at in a month and it was only $3 cdn each. In the morning I heard Raul talking to the manager of the guesthouse wanting to know the full story over the government in the last few months when travelers were being warned about Nepal's political unrest and martial law was declared and the manager said that when the original king died (naturally) the oldest son took the throne and his younger brother had him killed to take the thrown and then the younger brother killed that brother and is now king of Nepal and has just resumed parliament and appointed a prime minister that has been prime minister 4-5 times already. I told him without sounding too sarcastic that it sounded like a dysfunctional family was ruling over Nepal and seemed like something that Roman emperors used to do to one another for power.
The next day (May 29, Monday) Raul and I went to the Indian embassy to apply for our Indian visas since many travel agencies around Kathmandu were asking way too much for the Visa and telling us it would take anywhere from 1-2 weeks and were asking different prices from $75US to $110US. As we were waiting in line to submit our applications we started talking to a Nepalese man who was picking up a visa for his client and he told us that the rebels/terrorist (as he called them) and the present government had reach concessions and agreements and now are the best of friends. It sounded odd and as he said this I was imaging Osama Bin laden and George W Bush patching up their differences and then going out to play a friendly game of golf, slapping each other on the back like the best of friends. As we walked back from the embassy I saw two cows walking down the middle of a busy street without a care in the world while traffic was patiently going around them.
In India cows are holy and left to do whatever they want and I guess the same it true in Nepal. That must be where the phrase "Holy cow!" comes from. Kathmandu has a good feel to it as you walk around the streets music is playing from the different DVD and CD shops and we couldn't resist going into all the DVD shops where I bought more DVD's. We bought the DVD's that had 3 blockbuster movies on one CD for $3 cdn each. There were CD's that had 6-7 movies on them but I feared the quality would be bad. Raul and I have been traveling together for a week and we are shocked at how like-mined we are and how much we have in common and basically agree with each others views on all topics. He even tells me which movies (which he calls "moves" in his portuguese accent) I should watch and sure enough they are all my favourites. Many travelers that have come from India have told me to get cipro for stomach sickness and sleepsheets for sleeping since many places in India are pretty bad and many people told Raul the same so we bought some nice sheets and had them sewn up the way we wanted them for $5us each.
Kathmandu is my favourite city to date. It has character, cheap goods, cheap yet delicious meals, and the people are the friendliest, not to mention most of them speak english. Even the touts are likeable in their approach and are always smiling even when you say no. We went for breakfast at a rooftop restaurant that was up 7 flights of stairs. I had 2 coffees, egg on toast, a huge heap of delicious but very spicey chicken chowmein and one coke for $1.50 cdn. I told Raul that it came to the same price as a cup of coffee in Tibet which was 10 yuan or $1.50 cdn for a cup of coffee there. Raul was laughing because I had beads of sweat from the super spicey chowmein streaming down my face into my eyes as I was trying to concentrate on what he was saying.
We were looking into Rhinocerus safaris since Nepal has a lot of them and the first place we went to wanted $180US for the both of us for a one day safari 65 km away. I thought it was awefully pricey so I told the agent that I wanted a complete break down of all the costs including the taxi ride, entrance fee, and what he was pocketing from us before thinking about it. Of course his english went bad immediately and pretended not to understand what I was saying so I told Raul we should keep looking and as we walked down the same street to other agencies the cost of the one day rhinocerus safari got cheaper and cheaper and so I joked to Raul that by the time we got to the end of the street it would probably be free. I had mentioned the Rhinocerus safari to Raul who is now more interested in it than me but I am still having second thoughts but over the next few days I will decide whether I want to do it or not.
Today (May 30, Tuesday) I slept in until 12 noon and feel that I have finally caught up on the sleep I missed in Tibet. As I said I absolutely love Kathmandu and will probably spend at least a week here. We get our Indian visas in 2 days which are good for 6 months and since I have been in Kathmandu and seen the Indian influence here I am now considering to spend more time in India since I had originally decided on one month in northern India before heading into Pakistana and Iran. I applied for a double entry visa so I am thinking of going to Varanasi and Calcutta first and then working my way down the coast to Sri Lanka and then back into India and continue up the other side.
I see that gold has finally sold off after having an incredible run from $570 to $730 an ounce so this sell off is healthy and has consolidated around the $650 area so I think another month or two before it heads up again. So I will probably email again from Kathmandu or once we arrive in India. Raul has a similar route in India so we will probably be traveling for awhile together until he flies to Bangkok. Even though he has an around the world ticket, he still doesn't know his route or what there is to see so he seems to be changing his itinerary by the day.
Kevin
Hello All
Since I am on the road so much I have a hard time staying up on current events and just received an email telling me about the 6.2 earthquake in Yogyakarta where I was 6 weeks ago. I attached a picture of a temple I was at when I was there (Prambanan?). This block could have fallen on my head if I was there now ;).
Anyhow since last I wrote we met the Brazilian named Raul who is an accountant and teaches at a university in Brazil and has been traveling for 5 months which is one month more than myself. He is very easy going and happy so we get along well. We decided to take a day off before leaving on our 5 day excursion through the Himalyas because we were still recovering from altitude sickness and it finally dawned on me that it will probably be cold on Everest base camp (5200 meters above sea level) so I made a mad dash out onto the streets of Lhasa looking for a warm coat and toque since all I have needed on this trip to date has been a fleece I bought for $2US in northern Vietnam where it was cold (I know that is a lot of money but I needed that fleece ;)).
Vere came with me and wasn't very much help when I started bargain hunting since I found a gortex jacket (Chinese copy of course) for 280 Yuan and wanted to dicker to get the price down since I thought I would only need it for 2 nights at Everest base camp but Vere (being a camping and mountain enthusiast) was praising the store owner at how low her prices were and how impressed he was and undermining my bargaining techniques and just wouldn't shut up until I scowled at him behind the womens back. I gave a low offer and then said 200 yuan where she countered me to 220Yuan where I knew she would take my price if I just walked out the door and sure enough she ran after me and accepted the offer ($30 cdn for a imitation gortex. Not bad).
Then I repeated this process for one of her toques getting it for half price ($3 cdn) using the same walk away and chase me routine (works everytime!!). The ATM machines are always empty and most travelers are just waiting on the steps at each bank waiting for them to put more money into them twice per day. We bought oxygen bottles and have been using them like oxygen junkies getting our oxygen fix (now I am addicted to oxygen :)).
You need traveling permits when traveling around Tibet and your Lhasa permit is good for a 250km radius around Lhasa and then you have to purchase more permits (Just another Chinese money grab). Our agent "Tenzing" who arranged our landcruiser trip got our permits in 2 hours.
I found a cheap long distance phone company and made a call to North America and as I was talking on the phone I turned around and saw a Tibetan leaning forward with his face pressed against the glass of my booth trying to read my notes in english I had in front of me and to top it off he had his finger pressed so far up his nose you couldn't even see a knuckle. I looked at him for 10 seconds to get his attention but he was concentrating so hard to read my notes he didn't notice me staring back so finally I lost my patience with him and slammed the back of my hand against the glass where his face was pressed against and said "DO YOU MIND?!!!!!!" at which point he stumbled back 2-3 steps and looked at me with this perplexed and confused look on his face but still maintaining the finger up his nose in the process so I signal with my eyes and hand gestures to "move on" and he was still looking at me not knowing what he did wrong so finally I just shook my head in disgust and went back to my long distance phone call. Some of these people have strange mannerisms.
Most Tibetans have rosey cheeks due to the high altitude and weather conditions and some have purple cheeks. Some Tibetan vocabulary I have learned is "Taja Delay"= Hello, "Mayo"= No (who cares what "yes" means when you are constantly saying "MAYO!" to the street hawkers), and last but not least "Ji'an Gwee too Baa"= Go to Hell! (A very useful phrase when someone pisses you off haha ;)).
Our first day on our 5 day excursion we stopped off at a few little villages in the mountains where villagers would come up to you to sell you some rocks or simple souvenirs. Vere was a fun and comical guy to travel with and talked nonstop but he was very vocal and constantly shouting out "FREE Tibet! Dalai Lama number one!!" whenever villagers would gather around. Raul and I found ourselves distancing ourselves from him at these times thinking that an uncover chinese PSB agent was in ear shot and Vere was always showing attitude to the chinese officials who asked to see our passports as if tourists were above them. We stayed the night in Giantse where I had my first yak butter tea that tasted more like a mushroom soup but is popular with Tibetans. The next day we stopped off in Shigatsi where I was sick of more temples so I left the group and checked out the markets in the city and bought 13 pairs of socks for $2 yuan each (25 cents cdn each). A little pricey I know but I desperately needed socks since all of my socks had more holes in them than material.
On day 3 we arrived on Everest base camp at 5200 meters and had another 45 minutes driving to reach the first base where donkeys were waiting to take us to the base camp where the tents were. I tried getting a consensus from the group on what day or time we wanted our Tibetan driver (He didn't speak any english) to pick us up at because we had 45 minutes to decide so I asked Raul what he wanted and his answer was always vague (English is his 3rd language behind portuguese and spanish) because 3 of us were going to the Nepal border and I told them that we had to think in advance on the times to get there and then the time it takes to get to Kathmandu without arriving at 1am in the morning when it is pitch dark and soon we found ourselves at each others throats and yelling at each other (Which was odd since we were a really good and easy going group and we laughed most of the time on our trip) and Raul refused to give me details on what he was thinking and then said he didn't want to spend 2 nights on Everest base camp and then Vere flipped out telling us that the Brazilian was ruining everything and that we had originally agreed to him (Vere) to spend 2 nights because that was the only reason he came along on this tour. Finally we agreed on telling the driver to pick us up at 8am in 2 days from now. Vere had told us that the reason we were yelling and arguing so much was from the altitude sickness at 5200 meters and I thought it was quite plausible since the air was thinning even more and hard to get oxygen into our lunges at that altitude so our minds weren't firing on all cylinders. Of course once we get there 3 of us decide to walk the 2 hour hike and not take the donkeys and Vere who had all his camping equipment began freaking out saying we had all originally agreed on the donkey ride so the other two took off and I told him I would split the cost for the donkey to calm him down.
An American female backpacker in Lhasa had recommended Sona's tent saying she checked out all the places to stay on EBC and that his tent was the best and she said his tent was the only black tent on the right hand side on the first set of tents so Vere and I got there first and met Sona's wife "Samjay" who had a one year old infant. The tent was big with a bench going around the perimeter of the tent and had little rugs on them as cushion. I was a little shocked to see a full box of dried yak shit in the middle of the tent beside the wood stove but Vere pointed out that it was the only source of fuel in Tibet since they have no trees. I kept a close eye on Sona and Samjay as they cooked our meals by the wood stove just in case they threw a piece of dried yak dung into our rice pot as a cruel Tibetan joke (haha Just kidding!). They were very hospitable hosts even though they couldn't speak a word of english and as we slept they would come around as if tucking in their own kids and putting more blankets on us. None of us slept very well in Tibet and particularly on Everest base camp and I found myself waking up at 3am gasping for air and waking up panting like crazy to get more oxygen and for an hour I would have to consciously think about breathing like "Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out, etc... " and I had a new respect for those who climb Mount Everest since it isn't the climb but the snow and ice on top and the lack of oxygen where a few steps will tire you out.
The next day all 4 of us climbed a small hill to get a good view of the Everest summit (8800 meters). We listened to Led Zepplin tunes and smoked a big fatty while we tried to spot as many faces in Everest as we could (It is amazing how many faces you can spot in a mountain after only a few puffs haha). Later Raul and I walked a few kilometers to the foot of Everest which was hard work since your lunges are working overtime trying to catch up to your heart rate since the air is thinner at that altitude. The distance of Everest is a bit of an illusion and looks closer than it really is. On our way back we had a convoy of yaks coming up the trail our way so we had to get off the trail since yaks are very timid creatures and will back away from you until they disrupt the whole convoy of yaks carrying items to the next base camp.
After spending two nights on everest base camp (EBC) we got up at 5:45am because the donkeys were not going at that time and we had to meet our driver at the bottom at 8am and had to walk it. The sky was beautiful at this time and the stars were clear and I have never seen so many stars shine so bright and be so clustered together in one area before since we were between two mountains as we walked down. It took 9 hours to reach the Nepal border and as we drove around the Himalayan mountains we went through many one street towns perched on the side of the mountains which had 3-4 story buildings on each side. I said goodbye to Vere since he was heading back to Lhasa to renew his visa and spend another month trekking around Tibet and the 3 of us went through Chinese customs and then had to take a taxi another 9 km to reach the Nepal customs winding around the mountain. We got a 60 day nepal visa on arrival and we didn't see any buses so we negotiated with a taxi driver and shared the cost 3 ways to take the 5 hour ride to Kathmandu.
Nepal is 2 hours behind China but it was getting dark quickly and the first 3 hours was basically winding around mountain tops on dirt and bumpy roads and we went through 4 military check points were the soldiers in camoflauge clothing (who looked more like rebels) asked for our passports. Our first impression on arrival to Kathmandu was like we were arriving in New Delhi since the traffic was backed up in traffic jams and dust was floating everywhere. We checked into the Marco Polo guest house and immediately showered and cleaned up and had the best sleep in 2 weeks. This was one of the best places I have stayed at in a month and it was only $3 cdn each. In the morning I heard Raul talking to the manager of the guesthouse wanting to know the full story over the government in the last few months when travelers were being warned about Nepal's political unrest and martial law was declared and the manager said that when the original king died (naturally) the oldest son took the throne and his younger brother had him killed to take the thrown and then the younger brother killed that brother and is now king of Nepal and has just resumed parliament and appointed a prime minister that has been prime minister 4-5 times already. I told him without sounding too sarcastic that it sounded like a dysfunctional family was ruling over Nepal and seemed like something that Roman emperors used to do to one another for power.
The next day (May 29, Monday) Raul and I went to the Indian embassy to apply for our Indian visas since many travel agencies around Kathmandu were asking way too much for the Visa and telling us it would take anywhere from 1-2 weeks and were asking different prices from $75US to $110US. As we were waiting in line to submit our applications we started talking to a Nepalese man who was picking up a visa for his client and he told us that the rebels/terrorist (as he called them) and the present government had reach concessions and agreements and now are the best of friends. It sounded odd and as he said this I was imaging Osama Bin laden and George W Bush patching up their differences and then going out to play a friendly game of golf, slapping each other on the back like the best of friends. As we walked back from the embassy I saw two cows walking down the middle of a busy street without a care in the world while traffic was patiently going around them.
In India cows are holy and left to do whatever they want and I guess the same it true in Nepal. That must be where the phrase "Holy cow!" comes from. Kathmandu has a good feel to it as you walk around the streets music is playing from the different DVD and CD shops and we couldn't resist going into all the DVD shops where I bought more DVD's. We bought the DVD's that had 3 blockbuster movies on one CD for $3 cdn each. There were CD's that had 6-7 movies on them but I feared the quality would be bad. Raul and I have been traveling together for a week and we are shocked at how like-mined we are and how much we have in common and basically agree with each others views on all topics. He even tells me which movies (which he calls "moves" in his portuguese accent) I should watch and sure enough they are all my favourites. Many travelers that have come from India have told me to get cipro for stomach sickness and sleepsheets for sleeping since many places in India are pretty bad and many people told Raul the same so we bought some nice sheets and had them sewn up the way we wanted them for $5us each.
Kathmandu is my favourite city to date. It has character, cheap goods, cheap yet delicious meals, and the people are the friendliest, not to mention most of them speak english. Even the touts are likeable in their approach and are always smiling even when you say no. We went for breakfast at a rooftop restaurant that was up 7 flights of stairs. I had 2 coffees, egg on toast, a huge heap of delicious but very spicey chicken chowmein and one coke for $1.50 cdn. I told Raul that it came to the same price as a cup of coffee in Tibet which was 10 yuan or $1.50 cdn for a cup of coffee there. Raul was laughing because I had beads of sweat from the super spicey chowmein streaming down my face into my eyes as I was trying to concentrate on what he was saying.
We were looking into Rhinocerus safaris since Nepal has a lot of them and the first place we went to wanted $180US for the both of us for a one day safari 65 km away. I thought it was awefully pricey so I told the agent that I wanted a complete break down of all the costs including the taxi ride, entrance fee, and what he was pocketing from us before thinking about it. Of course his english went bad immediately and pretended not to understand what I was saying so I told Raul we should keep looking and as we walked down the same street to other agencies the cost of the one day rhinocerus safari got cheaper and cheaper and so I joked to Raul that by the time we got to the end of the street it would probably be free. I had mentioned the Rhinocerus safari to Raul who is now more interested in it than me but I am still having second thoughts but over the next few days I will decide whether I want to do it or not.
Today (May 30, Tuesday) I slept in until 12 noon and feel that I have finally caught up on the sleep I missed in Tibet. As I said I absolutely love Kathmandu and will probably spend at least a week here. We get our Indian visas in 2 days which are good for 6 months and since I have been in Kathmandu and seen the Indian influence here I am now considering to spend more time in India since I had originally decided on one month in northern India before heading into Pakistana and Iran. I applied for a double entry visa so I am thinking of going to Varanasi and Calcutta first and then working my way down the coast to Sri Lanka and then back into India and continue up the other side.
I see that gold has finally sold off after having an incredible run from $570 to $730 an ounce so this sell off is healthy and has consolidated around the $650 area so I think another month or two before it heads up again. So I will probably email again from Kathmandu or once we arrive in India. Raul has a similar route in India so we will probably be traveling for awhile together until he flies to Bangkok. Even though he has an around the world ticket, he still doesn't know his route or what there is to see so he seems to be changing his itinerary by the day.
Kevin
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