Although our South East Asia trip was over we came home via a couple of other countries to break up the long journey. Nepal was definitely worth a stop.

Nepal was different to the other places we had been, both in the culture and scenery. It also has a uniquely shaped flag 🇳🇵 and an odd 45 minute timezone.

What a Relief

The first thing that you notice in Nepal (after all the adverts for cement) are the huge mountains, at least during the day. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed and it was dark when we arrived. We were tired and just relieved to be there.

However, we then had to deal with immigration. Here is a brief guide for the uninitiated, as there are no clear signs:

1. There are paper forms out that you will see first. Ignore these. You don’t need to fill them in.
2. Head to the various different kiosks and find a working one. You won’t need photos you may have read were required as these terminals take a picture of you.
3. Fill out the forms on the touch screen and then take the receipt that it prints out to the grumpy man at the payment desk.
4. They don’t take the local currency at the visa desk. There is an ATM next to it that dispenses the local currency. There is an FX kiosk next to that.
5. If you are persistent enough they will admit that they do take card payments (for a $2 fee).
6. Take your payment receipt to the immigration desks to get your visa and your passport stamped.

As this system is mostly electronic, I don’t know why it isn’t available online for use before you arrive (as it is in other countries). Perhaps they want to collect foreign currency? This is not a good first impression at the primary port for a country where tourism is the main industry.

👋 Malayan

The mountains are well worth the effort to visit. We went on a five-day trek and it was “just delightful”. You can get away from the busyness and, as the only access is by foot, there is very little traffic. It was far better than Sapa in North Vietnam and kinder to us than Kinabalu on Malaysian Borneo. It was challenging but not a complete sufferfest.

If you are entering a conservation area (e.g. Annapurna for Poon Hill) on your trek then you will need some passport photos for the passes. Depending on the time of year, you will also need some winter kit.

Hail and Pace

As long as you have warm clothes then you’re unlikely to need to carry a sleeping bag. It gets pretty chilly in March at 3000m and although the bunk houses are not heated (apart from sometimes with a fire) they do tend to have duvets.

We got hailed on and the stones were pretty big and painful. We could have got our hats and gloves out but we just increased our pace to get to shelter quicker. Maybe this is why our guide thought we were capable of an extended route.

We also came across snow in the shadier parts and crampons were required. This will slow you down, as you have to change your walking style, but take your time and be safe.

It was Para, Para, Para-Glide

I went paragliding when we were back in Pokhara and it was, in a word, awesome. The scale of the scenery and quantity of wings in the air is staggering. You are joined by flocks of birds (possibly eagles) also riding the thermals.

There are hundreds of launches and the sky is full of fabric crescents. Unfortunately this means that there is a real collision hazard in the air.

I went with Hanuman (booked through the hotel) but they seemed a bit amateurish, especially compared to the very professional pilot I had flown with previously in the UK. There was no safety briefing and it looked like a bit of a free-for-all at the launch site. Luckily, as I’d been before, I knew what to expect.

The company are one of a great many in town and we found a wide range of prices. Perhaps we should have gone direct to a more professional outfit. They are based next to the somewhat surreal fake Disneyland.

Fortunately we did land safely. I elected not to pay the extra for the stunt addon, which from talking to a nauseated passenger afterwards appeared to be a wise move.

The most dangerous part was almost certainly the drive up. This was much more aggressive than the drives to the trek, airport and rafting. The mountain roads in Nepal are not in a good state, in part due to corruption (which is often the top story in the papers).

It appears that a new rope lift is being installed but who knows when that will be finished. Flying is the safest way to travel for now.

It’s not worth filming the experience, as you have to do most of the work yourself. It’s a distraction. Better to just take it all in. Live in the moment and forget about that Instagram shot. As my previous UK pilot pointed out, a selfish selfie stick is just a spear that you will skewer yourself with if you crash.