When you go to Nepal you really need to plan well, but keep your options alive. Be particularly mindful of the travel time. During normal times in Kathmandu it can take up to an hour or more to go from the airport, for example, to Patan. Few taxis have air conditioning and it can get pollution-hot even on a normally pleasant day. That means you really need to enjoy the area where you are staying and then pack up to explore another area. You will save time, as well as money and frustration.
In this accompanying video and this blog I hope you'll be able to find the best destination for a day trek. It's my main aim to help you get the most out of your time in Nepal.
There is forest all the way around the Kathmandu Valley, so it's best to think of the Valley like a grit and explore it in sections. That's why we did this temple trek video. Now, all you need to do is take a look and think about where you'd like to explore. There is a map at the end.
There really isn't a problem with guesthouses being over-booked; booking online will often cost a bit more. However, if there is a festival in the particular area there is a possibility that you could have a problem and you'll need to pay a bit more for a room and for food. So, do check ahead, especially if it's during a full moon.
Of these temple treks and visits featured in this video you can expect to pay the following:
Please note: These prices can change at any time.
Chandragiri Hill
Prices for Cable Car: Round Trip Prices: SAARC 1120 NRs. $15 (Chinese) $22 (Westerners) For more information: https://www.stunningnepal.com/chandragiri-hills/
Swoyambhunath/Monkey Temple
Swayambhunath/Monkey Temple: Admission is 300 Nrs. for westerners Swamabu/Monkey Temple park at street level: Free
Kopan Monastery
Kopan Monastery: No charge to visit the grounds, but check for upcoming classes.
Boudhanath Stupa
Boudhanath Stupa: 300 Nrs. for Westerners
Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur
1,500 Nrs. for Westerners
Patan
Patan: 1,000 Nrs. for Westerners
Kirtipur
Kirtipur: 100 Nrs. for Westerners
I think we've all learned the value of Travl Insuance. If you get hurt or become ill in Nepal there are two distinct ways you'll be treated. If you have travel insurance you're much more likely to survive.
Our
affiliate link Travel Insurance link:
https://www.insuremytrip.com/?linkId=8517
I
know this pandemic has hit every country on the planet and every
person living in every country has their own hardship story. There
was even a COVID positive person at Mt. Everest Base Camp. And that
takes us to Nepal, home of Mt. Everest.
When
COVID first came to Nepal it was during Chinese New Year of 2020.
Amazingly Nepal was left safe. It could have been a disaster from
then, last February/March. Everyone wore a mask due to pollution and
that probably helped more than people know.
We
got locked-down right away and we all waited. I started feeding and
helping people from then but everything seemed fine. The lock-down
was worse than the virus at that point. Society held. Nepali took
care of their own and when people returned to Nepal many had to walk
home-from India. People and NGOs stepped up and even police
departments served as places to fed returning neighbors.
People so used to adversity share so freely.
Finally,
we were able to go outside and everyone had to wear a mask. Nepal was
managing quite well as I watched the cases in countries like the US
climb. Then the vaccines came and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
We could see the end in sight.
That’s
when the problems came. More people returned from abroad, mostly
India. The government made a mistake and opened tourism too soon. The
trekking guides and such were so happy to see tourists returning no
one wanted to confront our guests with the quarantine rules. One by
one many of these tourists and returning Nepalese became infected
during all this movement and BOOM! The numbers began to jump to
thousands of new cases in a single day.
There
were not enough oxygen tanks or hospital beds. The vaccine didn’t
come to Nepal in time. Although there was time to vaccinate many
healthcare workers, some elderly and other front-line workers, some
of the vaccinations were counterfeit and others may have been
contaminated with the heat of India while getting here.
Another
issue we really need help with is getting the first responders
the protection they need. Ambulance drivers and police officers do
not all have the protective clothing they need and many are refusing
to go to work for fear of their own lives. There is an agency that’s
making protective gear and providing them for only 1,400 Nrs., which
is about $12 for an entire set. If you’d like to help by purchasing
some of these just let me know. If you make a donation I will make
sure the money goes to this instead of food.
Now
we are all in lock-down again, of course, but it isn’t the same.
Now the food situation is really dire. It happened so fast. There was
no way for the Nepalese people to protect themselves from this
ordeal. What could they have done? When the COVID positive people
came many had the Indian variant. Without many shipments of supplies
it’s been difficult on top of impossible for the Nepali government
or the people to protect themselves.
As
I mentioned, I found a few people I could help during this past year and
I’ve found a lot of joy in helping one family, more than I thought
possible. This family who have recently lost their father, consists
of two teenage children and the mother. She fell with her husband and
damaged her back before he died, but she doesn’t let that stop her
from caring for her son. You see, he has two ‘clubbed’ feet and
has to crawl on his hands and knees. The mother has to help him with
things like toilet because they don’t have anything like a wheel
chair or handicap bars or any kind of physical therapy type
apparatus. I was attempting to help with that, but it’s been
lock-down for most of this time.
Can you imagine being in this situation, being born into a family in abject poverty?
For
some reason, sharing with this family has really brought out my inner
hero or something, but I’ve bonded with them and hope to be able to
be there for them for many years. It's brought me so much joy that I’d like to help match other
families here with sponsors in the west. But I cannot do that until
after this crisis is over.
It's heart-touching to see a blind person being led by a child or carrying their own food. You can see these things in the video.
I’ve
been doing whatever I can; hiring people to work, have people staying in the home here with
us, providing assistance to an older man who worked as a musician and sarangi salesman on the streets of
Thamel, a shoe repair person who worked on a street corner, an older
woman without husband or children, and provided masks to a police
officer and nurse when there weren’t many masks here and even
bought more things than I needed just to support the local
businesses, but I cannot do much more by myself and there are so many
who genuinely will not have food if we cannot bring in money from
abroad.
For
now, I’d like to invite anyone with a little money to help to
participate in helping to feed some people here. We’ve connected
with a small agency that’s feeding people, day workers like
rickshaw drivers, blind street musicians and others who have no means
to feed themselves during this time.
There
are ‘soup kitchens’ open now and agencies are making up bags of
rice, lentils, oil and salt to last a few days to a couple of weeks
for people, but each new day brings more and more people out to find
food. Yesterday after feeding 600 people many had to be sent away
hungry. So, I’m asking that if you could send a little money I’ll
make sure the money goes to good use to help. Just $35 can feed a
family for about 2 weeks, but for now, it’s come down to one day at
a time for as many people as possible.
First the day workers and blind were given food to last a few weeks.
It's sad that the people were lined up for almost a km just for the food one can hold in one hand. Many were turned away.
There
was an earthquake earlier this week with several deaths and injuries
and that’s always a fear for Nepal. In 2015, for example, 9,000
people died in earthquakes. So many were left homeless, injured or
dead with their entire village. Yes, villages were disappeared from
landslides during that time. I guess you could say Nepal knows
hardship, but if you can help, even just a little, it would mean so
much.
Each
year we have flooding in the lower elevations and that time is coming
very soon. That means more homeless, more food insecurity, more COVID spreading and death. One of my Nepali family staying with us left to work with a tourist doing a film documentary during the time we had no lock-down. He ended up getting COVID
while he was away and quarantined for 10 days before coming home.
Both of his parents got COVID and his mother had to be hospitalized.
One of his aunts died from the virus during the same time. We learned
this morning that the young man who delivers our groceries is ill
with COVID.
Here’s
how you can help. If you can trust an old, retired, American widow
you can send the money through our agency’s Paypal account or if
you prefer sending to a Nepali person who’s been helping to feed
people in an organized way throughout this pandemic you can send to
him. He could also put you in touch with a family to help on a more
personal level if you prefer for after this crisis passes.
Just
send anything you can to https://gofund.me/01433799
which uses my Paypal (HelpChangunarayan@gmail.com) or contact this NGO directly to help. Menz Foundation Food
Cloth/bank. Free food.
I’m
also looking for people who can collect money for Nepal. If you can
do anything else please let me know so I can work with you. I’ll
help you even if you need me to give money to a friend you already
have here. 95% of the people here need help in one way or another, so
anything you do will help more than you know. Send inquiries to me,
Amanda Summers at FrugalTravelsNepal@gmail.com
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