nepal – Destination NOW

Saving Nepal’s Best for Last

After our stay at the comfortable, but basic, Seti River Camp, it was a complete shock to our senses when we arrived at the Kasara Chitwan Resort. We were experiencing luxury overload!

I was expecting a room, not a stand alone suite. When I opened my door, I entered this private courtyard. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but I was too focused on enjoying my surroundings to put much energy into a photo shoot.

Air conditioned bedroom on the left, bathroom with open air shower on the right, and a beautiful courtyard in between. Those are little ponds on either side of the boardwalk, complete with resident frogs.

After getting settled, we headed out to hunt for black rhinos. Success! We saw several. My favorite is this shot, because he seemed a bit bored by us gawkers.

Our mode of transportation during our “safari” was a platform mounted on the elephant’s back. It was not the most comfortable ride, for us, or probably for the elephant either, but it was a fun experience.

We didn’t see any tigers, but the group before us caught sight of one. After hearing about the elephant’s reaction, I was just as glad that we hadn’t. There was a whole lot of stomping, bouncing and trumpeting going on!

For me, the best part of our visit was when we were able to interact with the elephants in the water.

The rest of the group had heard all about my nephew Jack, and how much he LOVES elephants, so Jim was gracious enough to take stills with my camera, while Binoy, our wonderful guide, shot video with my iPhone.

Wait, I thought I was going to be washing–not getting washed!

Peter, Marilyn and I giving our buddy a nice massage, using smooth stones.

These are such beautiful, intelligent and gentle creatures. What a privilege to send time with them.

Check out the toenails on her. Fun fact–elephants sweat through their toenails.

While at Kasara, I kept thinking about these lines from the song “Camelot”. “The rain will never fall till after sundown; By 8 the morning clouds must disappear”, because that’s exactly how it worked during our two days there. In fact, we were extremely lucky during our entire trip. We couldn’t have asked for better weather–slightly overcast when we were trekking, which is much more comfortable than walking under a hot sun.

The resort has a lovely pool, so I was very glad I’d packed my bathing suit. Again, no photos. Sometimes you have to put the camera down and just soak in your surroundings (literally).

It also has a great second story bar overlooking the pool. I decided to skip the ox cart ride through the village, and partake in a margarita instead. That’s what my sisters, hermaña preferida, and cousins would have wanted me to do, and I couldn’t let them down.

Time to fly back to Kathmandu, and another lovely hotel, The Gokarna Forest Resort.

During our Nepal trip, we added three travelers, Ann from Indianapolis, was born in Indonesia. She and her Turkish husband met in veterinary school. Karl is a retired navy chaplain who served in Iraq. He and Eugenia were born in Hong Kong, but have lived in San Diego when they are not traveling the world. Their fluency in Chinese was much appreciated by all of us when we got to Tibet.

Standing, left to right: Marilynn, Marie, Ann, Eugenia, Karl, Peter, Dick. Me, practicing my squat, an essential skill for the airport rest rooms. Jim is missing because he is the photographer.

Here are Marie and Dick, enjoying their first class seats.

Jim, Peter and Marie will be returning to the USA after our last night together at the Gokarna, while the remaining six of us head off to Tibet. The farewell dinner is an OAT tradition when the main trip ends, and what a farewell dinner it was!

Yes, we needed help getting dressed, and no, we didn’t get to keep the saris.

Some of the men played dress up too.

It was the perfect ending for three fantastic weeks together. Little did we know, but the remaining six of us were going to have a very different experience in Tibet.

Pokhara

What a fun city! Unlike Kathmandu, you can actually walk alone along the streets of Pokhara without fear of never finding your way back to your hotel.

What to do during our three nights there?

Of course there were temples to visit. This poor rooster seemed to know his minutes were numbered. Yes, Hindus still do animal sacrifices. But maybe he’ll get lucky and be reincarnated as a cow.

p1150236 — When this guy saw my camera, he insisted that I photograph him and the rooster.

The next temple could only be reached by boat.

What made this visit special were the sweet boys collecting money for the Red Cross.

“50 rupees, madam?”

“Okay”, and as I’m reaching for my money I hear, “100 rupees, madam?”

“But you said 50”

“Okay madam, 50”.

He had such a sweet smile, I gave him 1,000 rupees, the equivalent of $10. THAT guaranteed me a photo shoot with the entire group, who then insisted upon taking MY picture. My sweet negotiator is the one in the middle.

Next up, a visit to the Parakhawking Project. Please do a YouTube search to learn more about the vulture and hawk rescue project.

Believe it or not, this beautiful creature is a vulture, who, if you decide to leap off a mountain, will fly with you, locating the updrafts, thereby guaranteeing you’ll have a spectacular flight..

Unfortunately, he was molting, so he has been grounded for the next few months. What a disappointment– I was SO ready to sign up! So since parasailing was not an option, what else could I do with my free afternoon? Oh so many options…how to choose?
Who could resist this menu of services? Certainly not I!

As tempting as it was to come home with dreadlocks, I decided to be a little less adventurous and settled for a manicure. It WAS an interesting experience. I’d never had my cuticles pushed back with a coin before. And the choice of polish was greatly simplified when there are only three colors, all with sparkles.

It sorta made me wonder what my hair would have looked like if I’d chosen a dye job.

The best part was my manicurist dried my nails by waving a magazine back and forth over my fingers. Again, I thought of my hair…and what might have been.

After a round of shopping, it was clearly time for music. Initially, we thought the Bollywood Dance Club had potential, until we gave their sign a more thorough inspection. Let’s put it this way. Although we didn’t go inside to verify, we suspected the club might have fit right in with New York’s pre-Guliani Times Square or Boston’s combat zone.

Instead, we opted for Emon’s Rooftop Cafe. We ended up being the sole (but enthusiastic) customers here.

Sitting on the balcony overlooking the street, sucking down a local beer, we enjoyed a rendition of “I want to hold your hand”, Nepalese style. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Mr Toad’s Wild Ride

Not even a pedicab ride through Hanoi’s old town could prepare me for the rickshaw tour of Thamel, the tourist section of Kathmandu. There is no way these photos can capture the experience–the bumpy roads, the breakneck speed, the sounds and smells. It was quite a ride!

Eugenia and Karl in front, Peter and Marie close behind

My driver–i survived, and am still smiling!

Heavenly Himalayas

It’s a 17 minute flight from Kathmandu to Pokara if the planes are able to take off. Otherwise, it is a 5 hour drive on bumpy mountain roads. We were in luck. After a 45 minute delay, it was clear enough to fly.

We stopped at the Pokhara office to load what we would need for the next three days into the OAT supplied duffels, leaving our big bags behind. After lunch atop a mountain, we drove for about an hour, then hit the trail, to walk the last three miles to our lodge.

Could this be what the OAT description means by “uneven steps”?

As I was walking up and down the mountain trail, I was thinking about my gym buddies at Somerset Hills Y. Knowing that they would all be in class was the extra motivation that got me to Zumba, AOA, Yoga and Barre— and boy oh boy, were those classes necessary. Our treks were far more enjoyable because I’d been “training” for the past 6 months. It also helped that the heavy lifting was done by village women, who carried our bags in baskets on their backs, attached to a strap across their foreheads.

That’s our luggage inside those baskets!

After the chaos of Kathmandu, we were so very ready for the beautiful and peacefully remote Gurung Lodge in Annapurna. And what a fantastic lodge it was. Our clean, comfortable rooms were stocked with umbrellas, warm hats and gloves, a north face parka, flashlight, and crocs. The lounge chairs on our front porches were perfect for naps after our hikes through the villages, to the school, the mother’s cooperative, the museum and the two room health center.

Okay, no comments about the white legs. In some parts of the world, pasty white skin is considered quite beautiful. So there, Sue and Sandy.

During our stay, smoke from wildfires in India caused the sky to cloud up, so we only occasionally got a glimpse of the Annapurna Mountains. Despite the clouds and mist, the view was still jaw dropping. It was impossible to capture the magnificence of this mountain range in a photo, although we all tried. As with so much in life, you just had to be there.

Our lodge had electricity for a few hours every day, just long enough to charge our camera batteries. Solar power heated the water, so we took our showers in the afternoon. As for our hair, the only blow dryer in the camp comes courtesy of the afternoon breeze.
Despite a complete lack of so many of the modern conveniences that we take for granted, we had tasty and healthy meals. I so appreciated how hard the villagers and the lodge staff had to work to ensure that we were well fed and comfortable.

We got a little surprise on our village trek. When we arrived, we were greeted by this group of women. It took us a while to realize that ONE of them looked VERY familiar.

Can you identify the nurse from San Francisco?

Marilynn, our power walker, had arrived far in advance of the rest of our group, so the village ladies decided to dress her up and make her part of the welcoming committee.

It made me feel good to see how our contributions to the OAT Foundation are making life easier forthe communities we visit. Before OAT donated the machinery, grain was ground by hand. Not an easy task, as Marie is demonstrating.

If my iPhone counted accurately, the walk to the village is the equivalent of 103 flights of stairs ONE WAY! And we couldn’t get the ladies to carry us in their baskets for the return trip.

But it was worth it, because the scenery was spectacular!

Three Days in Kathmandu

Kathmandu assaults your senses. It is dusty, dirty, noisy, chaotic, crowded. Take a deep breath and you will get a lungful of incense, enough to keep you coughing for a few minutes.

We toured the three major cities of the ancient Malla kingdom: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. (That’s what happened when you had three sons–you split up your kingdom so they could each have a place to rule. )

We saw the impact of the earthquake everywhere. It is heartbreaking to see that one year later, people are still living in makeshift shelters.

Still, there are parts of the cities that were not damaged, allowing you to experience their grandeur and the beauty.

Plaza in Bhaktapur as seen from the balcony of the New Cafe Nuatapola, where we had a delicious lunch

The royal family's bathtub — The royal family’s bathtub

While preparing for this trip, I read about the living goddesses, known as the Kumari. (The post “Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Part Two has more information about the goddess.)

After our visit, all of the women in our group felt so sorry for this sad looking little girl, who was chosen when she was three years old. I couldn’t help but compare her to my happy, active nieces. Of course, we don’t know what other options were available to her. Maybe sitting on a “throne” placing tikkas on the foreheads of gawkers was the better alternative.

Despite the hardships they have endured, the Nepali people’s beautiful spirit shines through.

The hawkers are everywhere. The problem is if you buy from one, you are mobbed by many others. Still, I couldn’t resist this woman’s sweet smile, especially after she told me if I wanted to buy more than one, there would be no problem.

Okay, so I bought more than one. Sisters, cousins, nieces, friends…you know the drill…gifts are coming your way, but you may have to earn them. There may be a quiz!

This next one was more of a hard sell. “Madam, blessings for you, blessings for me”, chanted continuously while she walked beside me for the equivalent of five city blocks.

Okay, so I got blessed. I now own the necklace the lady on the right is holding. I expect those blessings to be coming my way!

The Ultimate Packing Challenge

Ultimate packing challenge??? Well, at least it is for me. I’ll be gone for a month, visiting countries that have temperatures ranging from Lhasa’s average low of 31 F to an average high of 105 F in both Delhi, India and Chitwan National Park. Fortunately, I “met” a new virtual friend via OAT’s Forum. She gave me lots of helpful hints, and most importantly, clued me into the existence of laundry facilities that are plentiful and cheap. Thanks to her advice, I am able to be safely under the airlines’ 44 pound checked luggage maximum.

In the spirit of giving back, this post is all about what I’m packing. Maybe a future OAT traveler to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet will find my information as helpful as I found Janet’s.

There’s nothing like a visual, right?

Being your obsessive compulsive kind of gal, I start packing many days before departure, loading articles on the bed in our spare room. I use a paper list and check off as I go.

One of the many nice things about OAT trips is no one cares what you look like. No one dresses to impress–it is all about comfort and adventure, so you will notice a total absence of makeup, jewelry, fancy clothes and dress up shoes. But then, my family would tell you that’s how I normally roll.

Checked luggage:

Toiletries: toothbrush, paste, floss, shampoo, conditioner, brush, comb, moisturizer, deodorant, soap, face cloth.

I’m not bothering with a hair dryer because some of the places we will be visiting won’t have electricity. I let my hair grow just for this trip, so I can pull it back and forget about it.

Miscellaneous: binoculars, sunscreen, Insect repellant, anti itch gel, lip balm, lotion, Ibuprofen, Pepto bismol, gasex, Imodium, Hydrocortisone, Bandaids, bonine, moleskins, z-pak, granola bars, small duffel (supplied by OAT).

I’m hoping I won’t need any of the medications. Whatever I don’t use on the trip, I’ll give to the trip leader. Might as well have someone make use of it before the expiration dates.

Clothes: Rain jacket, down jacket, Sun hat, Sweater, Underwear (14 days),
socks (10 ), long underwear (2), Pajamas (2), Shorts (2), Short sleeve tops (7), long sleeve tops (5), Long pants (4), capris (1), Sneakers, flip flops, keens, bathing suit, buff, chill band.

For the colder parts of the trip, I figure I can wear long underwear beneath my lightweight pants. No need for corduroys. I’m counting on layers to keep me warm.

My goal is to get by for at least a week, maybe two, without having to do laundry. I may have packed more than I need; I will report back after the trip is over, identifying anything I took that I didn’t need, and anything that I didn’t take, but wished I had.

As with other OAT trips, we will be visiting a local family, so I packed gifts. Our guide told me that warm socks are always appreciated for the cold winter months, something I never would have thought to bring. Of course, I had to include toys for the kids, plus an inflatable globe.

On our OAT trip to Africa, we discovered that a duffel holds more than we ever imagined possible. We also learned there is no need for those fancy packing cubes. My jumbo zip lock bags work just fine, allowing me to pull out only what is needed. Take a look.

Shoes in the bottom, along with items I expect to need at the end of the trip.

Yep. It all fit and I even have a tiny amount of extra room.

I know you’re wondering, so yes, that white decoration on my teal LL Bean duffle was my very own creation. Nobody is walking off with MY bag and claiming it was a mistake!

Because I have a direct flight to Delhi, I don’t need to pack a change of clothes into my carry on. Here’s what’s going inside.

Backpack: Money, credit card, passport, etickets, travel info, camera, batteries, charger, iPad connector, iPad, ipod, Bose headset, sleeping aid, Wipes, hand sanitizer, Glasses & case, water bottle, cell phone, pens, pencils, notepad, gum, cough drops, copy of passport.

That little black bag with the white decoration? That’s my “comfort case”, which holds the small items –cough drops, pens, gum, etc. so that I don’t have to rummage through the many pockets of my back pack.

The good news? I did indeed score the first class upgrade I requested back in November, so I probably won’t need to be digging into that comfort case the way I would have if I were back in economy. United, you have been forgiven.

The sad news? Because of some late breaking events, Mike and Greg won’t be able to come on this trip. Thank heavens for trip insurance!

Follow The Yellow Brick Road- Part Two

You ready to climb aboard the bookmobile express for a trip to Nepal?

A few years ago, when Borders broke my heart by going belly up, I softened the blow just a tad by randomly grabbing books from the travel section, one of which was Snake Lake by Jeff Greenwald. At that time, I had no idea the book was about Nepal. Not only that, but the thought of visiting Nepal never crossed my mind. I didn’t even have the vaguest idea of where it was. As I mentioned in the last post, elementary school KILLED any interest in geography. Good thing I’m a firm believer in lifelong learning!

Snake Lake is about Nepal’s political turmoil, starting with the student riots in 1979, thru India’s 1989 trade embargo, ending with the April 6, 2000 protest at Ratna Park. It’s about more than just politics, though. This very personal account has it all— romance, loss, and a spiritual journey that allows you to view Buddhism through Greenwald’s American eyes.

Two Australian writers, Amy Wilsee and Mark Whittaker, were fascinated by the 2001 murders and suicide of Nepal’s royal family. Their quest for the back story leading to that gory night is documented in Life and Death in Kathmandu. What I found most compelling, however, wasn’t the main event, but two of their interviews: one with a former Kumari (a living goddess- more on that later) and the other with a Maoist guerilla. Initially, the Maoists were a group of committed idealists, focused on stopping the corruption and violence inflicted on villagers by the power structure. Over time, as more joined the movement, the Maoists devolved into an unruly mob that inflicted as much violence and terror as they had initially fought against.

Although Jeff Rasley’s book Bringing Progress to Paradise raises some interesting questions about the ethics of culture change and the impact first world intrusion into third world has on these remote villages, I don’t recommend the book. Much of it chronicled his trek to the remote village of Basa and quite honestly, I thought he was a bit of a jerk to the friends that made the trek with him.

Little Princes by Conor Grennan, is a better choice if you want to learn how good intentions can sometimes lead to undesirable consequences. After graduating from college, Conor decided to volunteer in an orphanage outside of Kathmandu. Over time, he was surprised to discover that the children actually weren’t orphans at all.

During the political turmoil, the Maoists had been entering the villages, abducting children and forcing them to fight. When approached by a man who offered to bring their child to safety, families scraped together money, selling what little they had. Unfortunately, the man who promised to care for their children was a trafficker who either sold them to be servants, or forced them to beg on the streets of Kathmandu. The children were told that their families had all been killed. Little Princes describes Conor’s efforts to return the children to their remote villages so they could be reunited with their families. The book also made it clear that well-meaning tourists can inadvertently contribute to the problem by giving money and clothing to the child beggars. Many times the children are forced to turn everything over to a trafficker, so the tourists are unwittingly contributing to child trafficking, making it profitable for the trafficker to continue. Little Princes was a thought-provoking book that gets to the heart of the issue that many travelers to third world countries face–how to help without creating unintended negative consequences.

So, what did I learn from my Nepali reading? Well, I’ll share 10 of my discoveries now, again, not in any particular order–just random facts that caught my attention. There’s much more, but like my Bhutan post, I will save the rest for when we are on site.

Nepalis believe the goddess Taleju takes up residence in a young girl (who then becomes known as a Kumari ), until the girl reaches puberty. At that time, the goddess moves on to inhabit the body of another pre-pubescent girl. What happens to the dethroned goddess, the young child, who had been taken from her family, placed in a palace, her feet not allowed to touch the ground, carried through the streets during festivals, decked out in red, with a third eye painted on her forehead? Why she becomes mortal again, returns to her family and is expected to live a normal life, happily (?) ever after.
What are the job specifications to become a goddess, you might ask? Well, for starters, this 2 or 3 year old girl needs to have: a neck like a conch shell, a body like a banyan tree, eyelashes like a cow, thighs like a deer, a chest like a lion, a voice soft and clear as a duck’s…there’s more, but you get the idea.
While in the Kathmandu area, we will be staying at the Gokarna Forest Resort. Gokarna Forest used to be the hunting reserve for the Nepali royal family. Not only that, but at the entrance to the Resort, there is a 200 year old pipal tree, where, in the very sappy movie, Little Buddha, under that very tree, Keanu Reeves was tempted by the demon Mara.
Yes, I did indeed borrow the Little Buddha DVD from the library, and sat through the whole thing, including Keneau Reeves portrayal of Buddha, complete with his pre-enlightenment long, stringy hair. What can I say? It was a cold gray day. I had nothing better to do. The sad part? I didn’t learn about the pipal tree until AFTER I had seen the movie, and trust me, I wasn’t going to go back to look for it.
Swayanbhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple, is one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Nepal. As you might guess, wild monkeys have inhabited the temple complex for many years. And why not? The food offerings that the pilgrims leave are mighty attractive. Unfortunately,the temple was damaged by the 2015 earthquake, so I don’t know whether we will have the opportunity to visit it when we are in Kathmandu.
Speaking of offerings at Swayvanbhunath pilgrims always leave a portion for Hariti, the world’s grandmother and protector of children. Legend has it that Hariti originally was an ogress who lived during Buddha’s time. To feed her 500 children, she kidnapped other people’s children and turned them into dinner. Buddha decided to teach her what it felt like to lose a child, so he kidnapped her youngest. (With 500 kids, I wonder how she realized one was missing–but maybe that’s just me?) After Hariti learned her lesson about compassion, Buddha returned the child, then helped Hariti with her food problem by sharing with her the offerings from his followers, the start of the practice that continues to this day.
Another Buddhist legend tells the story of the birth of Padmasambhava, who was also known also known as Guru Rinpoche. Padmasambhava means “lotus born” because he emerged fully formed from a red lotus blossom that appeared in the center of a lake. The Lotus is the symbol of enlightenment. Preview of coming attractions: You will hear about Padmasambhava again when we get to Bhutan.
The oldest Hindu Temple, Pashupatinath, fortunately was not damaged by the earthquake, so if we visit it, I’ll be sure to look for the magnificent sculpture of Nandi, the bull that Shiva rides. Hindus come to this temple when they are ready to die, believing that dying on this sacred site guarantees that they will be reborn as a human. Cremations take place on banks of the Bagmati River, which flows by the temple.
The royal family’s palace is now open to the public. It is a rather dismal abode, with lots of animal heads hanging from the walls. (Most likely the animals they killed in their royal preserve at Gokarna Forest, which would seem to be a violation of Hindu–and Buddhist beliefs.) Anyway, the palace sounds like a major disappointment–sorta like Graceland, not at all what you would imagine– which may be why it didn’t make it into our itinerary.
Chez Caroline’s, a restaurant that was mentioned in one of the books I read (I can’t for the life of me remember which one), still exists. According to the internet, the restaurant is in a “historic Rana Palace”. I sure hope it isn’t the one with all the stuffed dead animals! Who knows, maybe on one of “dinner on own” evenings, we’ll venture there. If we do, I’ll be sure to report back.

Well, I warned you these were random facts that caught my fancy.

Our last and final stop along the yellow brick road will be Tibet. Hope you come along!

The Skies May Be Friendly, But United Sure Isn’t!

Our 40th Anniversary trip starts with a multi-day adventure, known as “getting there”.

For the first leg of the trip, OAT’s proposed itinerary included a stop in Dubai, landing in Delhi after being in transit for 18 hours. Not what I call ideal, particularly when I saw our return flight would depart at 4 AM.

Letting my fingers flutter over my keyboard, I was thrilled to discover that United has a direct flight between Newark and Delhi for about the same price, but only (!?!) 14 hours travel time. Best of all, the return flight departed at 11:30 PM. So, instead of sitting miserably at the airport, waiting to board that 4 AM flight, we’d leave the night before, and would be several hours into winging our way home. Sweet! Not only that, but for years, I had been hoarding frequent flier miles for an occasion exactly like this. Business class, here we come!

EXCEPT

When I tried to upgrade on line, I got a message that we were put on a “waiting list”. How could that be? The flight was five months out, and our flight’s seat maps showed only one seat in business class was occupied. Clearly not a lot of OTHER frequent fliers had already upgraded on OUR flight. I thought it was strange that the same seat was occupied, coming and going, so I did a little checking. Seat 5D was the only one occupied on every flight that I checked. Perhaps reserved for a member of the crew? Well, I was confident that a quick call to United’s customer service would fix everything right up. Did I mention that I’m a hopeless optimist?

Here’s what happened. The customer service rep confirmed that we were indeed put on a waiting list. Okay. When I asked how many others were on the list, he explained he couldn’t tell me for “security” reasons. (Security??? I didn’t want to know names or home phone numbers. Just tell me where I am in line so I can figure the odds of getting the bloody upgrade!) He also was going to charge me $20 for the pleasure of speaking with him, but after we exchanged “pleasantries”, he thought better of it.

Those frequent flier miles that we accumulate, expecting one day to trade in to make a long trip both pleasant AND affordable? Well, it appears that United reserves the right to let us know at the very last minute whether or not they are going to allow us to redeem the miles, perhaps because they MIGHT be able to sell the seat we covet for the full price. They just don’t know yet. By the way, in addition to redeeming 140,000 miles, our roundtrip upgrades weren’t free. We paid an additional $2,400 for them. To me, that’s a whole LOT of money!

United took our money and deducted the miles from our account, which sure felt like we had purchased seats, EXCEPT we couldn’t choose which ones they would be. We will find out the day of the flight whether or not we get the upgrade, and where we will sit. There is no guarantee that we will even be next to each other. Normally that would not be a big deal, but 14 hours is a long time. Call us crazy, but given the price we paid (in dollars and miles) we’d like to be able to choose who we sleep with. If we don’t get the upgrade, United WILL refund our money and will redeposit our frequent flier miles, without charging a penalty. (Yes, the representative actually did say that.) If we had paid for the tickets with a United credit card, would they also refund any interest? I think we all know the answer to that one.

As luck would have it, at the end of December, I received an email “signed” by Sandra Pineau-Boddison, the Sr. Vice President of Customer Relations, asking for feedback on a United flight we’d just taken. Now that I had a name, it wasn’t difficult to find her personal email, so I shared my tale of woe with her. How about that? FREE feedback from a long time former Continental Airlines frequent flier. No need to hire a market research company or do a focus group to find out how they are doing.

So what happened? Nothing. After almost two months. Not even an automated acknowledgement. From the SR. Vice President? Of Customer Relations? That speaks volumes.

Let this serve as a precautionary tale to all you Mileage Plus Members out there. United doesn’t care a bit about you or your miles or your loyalty. Think about that the next time you book a flight or get a solicitation for a United credit card that offers points for “free” travel.

But if anything changes between now and our flight, I’ll certainly let everyone know. Come on Sandra, do your job!

Four Visas, Three Countries

We will be visiting three countries–Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. So why do we need FOUR visas? Fair warning–this post will likely only interest those that are taking a similar trip, or are planning to visit India.

For the three of you that are still reading, here goes.

We fly into and out of Delhi, so since we have at least one overnight stay in India, we need a visa. A visa that costs (depending on the service used) anywhere from $135 to $173, per person. A visa that requires you to complete an on-line application that is challenging to decipher. But there IS a positive aspect. The visa is good for 10 years. So, should we decide to spend more than an overnight in India, it will be best to do so before 2026.

If you are anything like me, you are probably wondering how to score the $135 charge. Well, Cox and Kings is India’s approved visa grantor, so you get the best price if you opt to go direct to them.

Our travel company, OAT, sent out a package with very helpful, clear instructions. Good thing, because there are lots of hoops you need to jump through for that India online application.

OAT recommends PVS, a visa processing company located in DC, probably because you can send your passport to one service and they take care of visas for both India and Nepal, which is not the case with Cox and Kings. PVS is convenient, yes, but as with everything, you pay for that convenience. If we had used PVS, we would have paid a total of $566 for both visas, including mailing charges.

Instead, our total cost was $362, a savings of $204. How did I pull that off? In addition to using Cox and Kings, I dealt directly with the Nepali Embassy.

I happened to be traveling to NYC to meet a friend for lunch and a show, so I figured, what the heck, I’ll just go in a little earlier and stop by the embassy. Located at 216 East 49th St, it is only open between 9:30 and 1:30 during the week. Right between these two restaurants,

you’ll find this sign on the side of the building:
You have to press the button on the side of the wall to get buzzed in. I walked up to their tiny office on the 4th floor, but there IS an elevator. The visas cost $40 per person versus $90 for PVS, so that represented half of our $200 in savings.

One thing that is important to know if you decide to go–they ONLY take money orders. No cash, no personal check, no credit or debit cards. Of course, I had everything that they didn’t take, but all was not lost because there is a place that sells money orders on the next block. I have no idea what a money order costs, because my bank had a branch on the same block, so my money order was free. If I had been smart, I would have found this website before I left home. It EXPLAINS the money order requirement and tells you what is needed to submit by express mail or courier–good news for those of you that have no intention of traveling to NYC.

It took 30 minutes for processing to be completed. Passports and visas clutched in one hand, my other raised to hail a taxi, I was off for the Cox and King office 23 blocks away.

I thought I might be able to drop off my package (to be mailed to my home when processing was completed) and still be on time for lunch. I was delusional. It was a total waste of time and cab fare. The smart thing would have been just to express mail the damn thing in the first place and be done with it. Which is what I ultimately did. Less than 2 weeks later, our passports arrived.

Two down, two to go.

Bhutan and Tibet both require that you send them a color copy of the first two pages of your passport in advance of trip. (OAT , bless them, is handling this part). The actual visas are provided when you arrive, but only if you have 2 color passport type photos (2 for each country, 4 in total), ANOTHER copy of our passport pages (for Tibet) and approximately $70 for Bhutan and $190 for Tibet, per person, in cash. Cash means pristine bills–no wrinkles, tears or marks. OAT recommends we bring more, because these fees are subject to change without notice. See why we use a travel company when we venture to more non-traditional locales? Knowing me, I would have missed one or more of the requirements.

So, what did I learn from this adventure? If you have enough time to submit directly to the embassy and Cox and Kings by express mail (or Fedex or UPS–whatever) you can save a bundle. You just need to send for one, wait for the passports to be returned, then send to the other. If, however, money is no object (that’s definitely not ME), and you prize convenience, or are short on time, then a service, like PVS is the way to go.

Next post will be about something other than this future trip. I promise!

Celebrating the Big Four Oh

No, not my 40th birthday. That happened a LONG time ago, and quite honestly, I have no recollection of how we marked that milestone.

THIS big event is our 40th wedding anniversary, and yes, that photo is indeed 40 years old. This year, our anniversary happens to be on Memorial Day, same as the day we eloped. Of course, true to form, our way of celebrating doesn’t coincide with the actual DATE, but that’s just the way we roll.

We have never been big party people, partly because so many of those near and dear to us are geographically scattered. Years ago, we stopped giving gifts, instead opting to collect memories rather than objects. Okay, so that’s the build-up. You ready for the “reveal”?

To mark our 4 decades together, we decided to travel to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Yes, I know Nepal had a devastating earthquake last May, with a full complement of aftershocks. For a country that depends on the tourist trade, we decided a way to support the Nepali was to visit their country, then share what we see and experience. We hope blog and Facebook posts might encourage others to do likewise. Or at least prepare those that come after us for what lies ahead.

I recognize that given the infrastructure of these three countries, I probably won’t be posting while traveling. That will have to wait till our return, but in the meantime, I’ll share what we have learned during the preparation stage, and believe me, there is a lot to learn.

I have been checking out air options, collecting visas, figuring out what to pack that will get us through a month away, with temperatures ranging from a high of over 100 in Chitwan National Park to lows of 19 in Lhasa, and everything in between, while also staying within the prescribed weight limits. I’ve also been busy reading everything I can get my hands on about the three countries.

So, fair warning. If you aren’t interested in that little corner of the world, subsequent posts are going to be bone crushingly boring to you.

For those that are considering traveling with OAT, this is my way to pay it forward. I have benefitted greatly from the kind people who have taken the time to post information on the OAT forum, and want to do likewise.

More to follow!

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