Beginnings...

The beginning of a long trip is always difficult…at least that’s what they tell me. Landing in a strange place straight off the plane from home, and immediately trying to orient yourself, can be a very difficult process, especially when you’re alone. Before I left Israel I debated whether or not to book a guesthouse for the first few days in Kathmandu, and whether or not to organize transport from the airport to the guesthouse. It felt like cheating, like I was starting off by pampering myself, on a trip where I should be doing everything the hard way and continuously challenging myself. As I debated, a friend said something to me that will stay with me for the duration of my trip. She said “be kind to yourself”, something so simple, yet so meaningful. And that’s what I did.

Transit in Mumbai was a breeze. Stepping off the ELAL plane, I still laugh when thinking of the parting words from the flight attendant to those of us clearly not coming to India for business, words that you’d only hear when disembarking from an ELAL plane: “Enjoy, and don’t make your parents worry”. Leaving the plane I was amused to find someone holding a card with my name on it, who proceeded to accompany me to the transit area. I felt a little bit like royalty and also a little bit silly. In contrast to the fight from Tel Aviv which was half empty, the flight to Kathmandu was full, and when looking around the crowded plane, for the first time I felt (and looked) like a foreigner, and really felt like I was on my way.

Of course as soon as I stepped out of the airport I fell into the first trap that Kathmandu locals set for tourists. After finding my taxi driver, or at least the person I thought was my taxi driver, I allowed him to take my luggage trolley and wheel it to the taxi. As it turned out, the taxi driver was the person standing next to the one holding the sign with my name, and the one who so kindly took my bags was sorely disappointed when I had no cash to give him for his efforts. As a newbie traveller I have to admit I felt a bit guilty that I didn’t give him money, but also slightly annoyed with myself for falling such an obvious trap. Not that that stopped me from falling into another well-known tourist trap less than 24 hours later, but more about that in a bit…

In the taxi on the way to the guesthouse I looked around and I knew I was in trouble. The colours, the lines, the shapes, everything I could see around me, a total photographer’s dream; the type of subject matter that could keep me occupied for weeks. Kathmandu, and Nepal is general, is overrun with colour – the houses, the clothing and the architecture are just a few of the elements that make the place so interesting. Add the people, the animals and the religious rites to the mix, and you have a place brimming with interesting sights and sounds.

I have to admit that the first night was difficult. Arriving at the guesthouse close to nightfall, exhausted after two flights, I sat in my room and debated whether to head out and explore or take it easy and start fresh in the morning. Disregarding the “be kind to yourself” mantra (in retrospect not the best idea), I headed out and made my way to the Chabad house where I found myself disoriented and overtired, and decided that the best thing for me to do would be to head back to the guesthouse and go to sleep. A quick dinner of hummus and a gluten-free roll (dipping into my precious stash) and an episode of “Felicity” (yes, I know…) and I crashed.

In the morning everything changed. Back to the Chabad house to meet the girl whose credit card accompanied me from Tel Aviv, and all of a sudden I found myself with friends, and an itinerary for the next few days. As an Israeli in Nepal, things are pretty easy if you know where to go, and your plans aren’t set in stone. There’s Hebrew everywhere, travel agents that deal almost exclusively with Israeli backbackers, and simple ways to meet fellow travellers either via Chabad, via the “Israeli” travel agents or just by running into people on the street. To identify a fellow Israeli, you don’t necessarily look at their faces, just down at their feet. Shoresh, Teva, Chako, an Israeli is identified by their sandals first and by their appearance second.

I started my first day in Nepal with a long, leisurely breakfast (“not cheap, but a great place to sit”) in Thamel, the tourist district, and took myself out to explore Kathmandu. The tourist trap of “nice to meet you, let me just walk with you for a while” taught me a lot about Nepalese customs and religions, as I somehow found myself with a guide for the day and paid accordingly for the privilege. To be honest it was totally worth it, as I found myself presented with a wealth of information that helped orient me and provided me with a lot of insights that I’m sure will only help me during my time in Nepal. My guide Bishal and I took a walk through the streets of Kathmandu, visiting various temples on the way up to Swayabhunath, otherwise known as the Monkey Temple, crossing the Vishnumati River, discussing Nepalese architecture (there are 3 types, who can tell me what they are?), religious harmony in Nepal, and had an interesting discussion about the difference between burial and cremation (Nepalese cremate, and cremation locations are based on caste).

By 8pm that night I went from knowing no one in Nepal and having no travel plans whatsoever, to meeting friends for a lively dinner at a restaurant appropriately named “Friends”, and with a schedule for the next two weeks. A 7 hour bus ride up to Pokhara the next day, overnight in the city and a taxi ride in the morning and I found myself in the Israeli backpacker heaven of Begnas, known to all Israelis as “Bagnes”, where I've spent the past few days in this incredible paradise swimming, chilling and of course, eating non-stop,.

A few insights from the last few days:

• If you meet someone in one place, even for a few minutes, you’re almost definitely going to meet them again at some stage during your trip, and sooner rather than later.

• Don’t come to Nepal if you want to diet, as “dessert” is almost as important as the actual meal, at least when you’re in relaxation mode. From crepes, to ½ kilo smoothies, to “Hello to the [insert: King, Queen, Vardina, Mars, Snickers…]”, to “[Insert chocolate bar: Snickers, Mars, Twix, Dairy Milk] Deep-Fried Rolls, it’s really hard to have the willpower to say no. Thank god for gluten intolerance, is all I can say!

• Locking up your valuables when you’re staying in one place isn’t really essential, as long as you’re careful. From carrying around a backpack with two locks, I’ve gone to a large side bag, or a smaller one if I have the keys to my room with me, and the guesthouse is reputable. Yes, you need to be careful, but not hysterical, at least not in the areas I have been so far.

• Contrary to popular thought, trekking is not the only thing you can do in Nepal. There are so many different options, and trekking is only one of them. The country is so full of interesting and different things to see and do that you can spend months here without doing a single trek.

• Haggling is an art that is best learnt from an Israeli. The concept of “Israeli price” is taken advantage of at every opportunity and with excellent results. While not even close to an expert, I’m starting to get the hang of it.

• Being both Australian and Israeli in Nepal causes a few identity issues. On one hand, meeting people from other countries can be much easier, but on the other hand, it’s very hard to get “Israeli price” when you clearly don’t have an Israeli accent.

• When doing laundry make sure that all your laundry is dry before you take it in, as they charge per kilogram, and that wet dress and bathing suit ups the price considerably.

• Never take electricity or water (hot or otherwise), for granted in Nepal. Always recharge your electrical appliances straight away because there might not be electricity when you get to the last few percentages of battery. And with regards to water, never ever ever EVER assume you're going to have a hot shower whenever you feel like it. If there’s hot water when you get to a guesthouse, take advantage of it!

All in all I have to say that I couldn’t have asked for an easier start to my trip. I have met some great people over the last week who have really helped me orient myself and prepare myself for the next couple of weeks where I will be totally on my own. Today I left Begnas and headed back to Pokhara, spending the day preapring myelf for the next stage of my trip, doing touristy things, and confirming once again that I was right not to test my physical endurance in Nepal with long treks, at least not at the beginning stages of my trip. The hike up to the World Peace Pagoda was difficult, but watching the peaks of the Himalayan mountains reveal themselves through the clouds during sunset made all that uphill work totally worth it.

Tomorrow I head down to Narayangarh, in the Chitwan district in central Nepal, for a 10 day beginners Vipassana course. It’s going to be a challenging 10 days which I’m both dreading and really looking forward to. Wish me luck and I’ll see you on the other side!