Category: travel

farewell Pokhara

On By Rick McIn food, travelLeave a comment

After over 3 weeks in-and-out of the (former?) hippy enclave of Lakefront, Pokhara on lake Fewa, I’m finally moving on.

Within 30 kilometres (19 miles), the elevation rises from 1,000 to 7,500 metres (3,300 to 24,600 feet).

My guest house was up high with good vistas.

Pokhara, like Kathmandu, is usually hazy with poor mountain views. But we got one very clear day.

Machapuchare (Fishtail) is my favourite mountain.

Colourful row boats are emblematic of the city.

Fishing is popular with locals and visitors from the subcontinent.

There’s not all that much to do in Pokhara. Most spend their time relaxing meal-to-meal.

My go-to Himalayan dinner is called a Sizzler, for obvious reasons.

Some randoms.

Political Party parade.
Police Force laundry.
Pema Dechan Ling

donating / volunteering in Nepal

On By Rick McIn ethics, travelLeave a comment

Nepal is still one of the poorest nations in the world.

While there in 2019 I attended a fund-raiser called Warm Clothes & Warm Hearts.

Loved the simplicity of this project. They deliver Nepali-made down jackets to children in high, cold, remote parts of the country. Some years they deliver shoes / socks also.

100% of your donation goes directly to purchasing children’s clothing. Overhead and administration costs are covered by a separate fund.

Learn more about Warm Clothes & Warm Hearts.

The organization, out of Pokhara, called karmaflights.org has many more charitable projects. I recommend them if you want to donate or volunteer.

my Nepal ‘Dental Vacation’

On By Rick McIn product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

Here’s Smilemaker’s Dental Clinic in Pokhara, Nepal.

Oops … that’s actually the Peace Pagoda looking over to my favourite mountain — Fishtail.

Here’s Smilemaker’s.

That’s Dr. Avishek M. Gubhaju. I was very happy with him, personally.

Nepal is much cheaper than Mexico.

I had a 3 tooth bridge put in:

Canada – perhaps $3,000
Mexico – perhaps $1,200

I paid $340 in Nepal.

I did not get zirconia, rather the metal at about $120 / tooth.

I ended up getting a Cantilevered Bridge. That’s not ideal. The fake teeth are only attached to a retainer at one side. It will (hopefully) last 5-7 years. Next would come implants, something I’m trying to avoid. Or possible an old school partial denture.

I liked the dentist so much that I went back after my trekking. He did some cosmetic work on my lower teeth. Cost was $100. No Canadian dentist would be willing to do that at any price. They’d insist on expensive veneers.

traveling the world on my birthday

On By Rick McIn hiking, McCharles family, travel2 Comments

It’s my birthday. 62-years-young today.

I’ve been on the road for many birthdays.

My 53rd was in Porto, Portugal.

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I’ve had a few birthdays out on the hiking trail too.

Spent my 57th birthday tenting in a stone Yak shack at 4110m, close to the Tibet border in Nepal.

And for 62 I’m climbing up the Annapurna massif in Peru … Nepal.

You can see I’m already suffering old-timer’s disease. 😀

cycling out of Pokhara, Nepal

On By Rick McIn cycling, travelLeave a comment

I’d rented a bike for my cycle / run race in Pokhara, Nepal.

And kept it for the afternoon to ride on down to the end of the lake. And beyond.

It wasn’t great, however. Dusty. Too much traffic. I won’t cycle out of Pokhara again.

Interesting, however, was stopping at the Parasailing landing park.

Also the crops and rice paddies.

With so much water, so much rice, this is an affluent area by Nepal standards.

Though I’m smiling here, I was quite tired from the race earlier in the day.

Happy Diwali

On By Rick McIn food, travelLeave a comment

As I like Nepal in November, I’ve been here for the Diwali festival a number of times. Even Buddhists celebrate a version.

On day 2 dogs are fancied up. Other days it’s crows and holy cows.

Families clean, renovate, and decorate their homes in advance of the holiday.

The main purpose is to invite Lakshmi – the Goddess of Wealth – to visit their homes and bless them for the coming year.

oil lamp or diya with crackers, sweet or mithai, dry fruits, indian currency notes, marigold flower and statue of Goddess Laxmi on diwali night

Nepalis illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with diyas (oil lamps or candles), electric lights, and offer puja (worship).

Family gets together for feasts. Many goats are slaughtered.

Diwali is expensive!

The highest quality goat come from high up in the Himalaya. We felt honoured to have the chance to buy dried, smoked, spicy Mustang goat.

They call it Sukuti. The tastiest thing I’d eaten so far in Nepal.

Groups of children arrive at your door singing and dancing for money. It’s a bit like Halloween.

Adults arrive doing the same, but they will be collecting money for local charitable causes.

Diwali also known as Deepavali and the “festival of lights“, is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year.

The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.

The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. …

Tonight. 🙂

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my FUN adventure race in Nepal

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, travel1 Comment

On arrival in Pokhara I noticed posters for the Cassanga Challenge, a multi sport adventure race.

I signed up for the 7.5 km cycling section followed by a 6 km road run ($10).

I rented a decent mountain bike for the day ($15).

As I did not attend orientation, I had no idea the entire 13.5km would be uphill towards the highest mountains in the world! 😕

Bike first.

I managed to ride past transition. Before switching to the run. Uphill.

delirious

I was one of the last — of those who finished. Here at the bridge.

Some expats decided to run back the 6km to transition. So I joined them. It was much easier downhill.

For paddling you needed to be experienced Class IV. Not me.

However, the put-in for paddling / transition was a lovely spot.

For my $10 entry fee I got the race, t-shirt and as much dal bhat and goat as I could eat.

Winners of the Men’s division Bike/Run:

1st Laxman Malla (Nepal)
2nd Himal Tamata (Nepal)
3rd Kamal Oli (Nepal)

 

 

Goodbye Europe. Hello Nepal.

On By Rick McIn hiking, travelLeave a comment

In November — for me — there’s no better place to be than Nepal.

Is this my 7th or 8th time to Nepal?

I’m bypassing poluted Kathmandu. My digital nomad buddy Joshua is in Pokhara. He booked me a room at the Sweet Dreams guesthouse, $15 / night.

Josh is working in Pokhara — online for Digital Guruz, an internet marketing company.

I hired a couple of boatmen to row me over to the Peace Pagoda.

In Pokhara I’m getting some dental work done. And then hiking the Annapurna, of course.

 

 

Istanbul’s new airport in 2019

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

This review rings true:

Istanbul’s New Airport Is A Hot Beautiful Mess

Plans are to make it one of the biggest in the world. Phase 1 of 4 is completed, so far.

Problems include:

  • you can’t leave the airport without a visa ($20-$60)
  • about an hour from the city centre by public transit
  • not close (yet) to airport hotels
  • a faster metro line is planned
  • free wifi is not easy to use, requires your passport number, and often doesn’t work
  • one huge building. LONG walks to get from one place to another. It might take you over 25 minutes to walk to your gate. And their are very few golf cart shuttles.

Also, the ‘free’ hotel night stay-over for offered by Turkish Airlines is very difficult to get. It’s easy to get traveling via Dubai.