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permits and high hopes
Entry 20 of 41 | show all | print this entry |
Having just finished a delicious lemony cheesecake with a hot glass of chai at the local bakery, I am making final preparations for my Mount Everest trek. After several discussions with Adina, my glacier and Himalaya expert, I have sketched out a rough idea of the trek which should take 20 to 25 days. Getting a permit for trekking in this region has been a sordid game of me jumping through hoops between indulgent meals of steamed Tibetan bread and heaping plates of momos.
The Nepal government coupled with the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal has created a new system to hoover dollars out of tourists and happy hikers. It is now essential that every person hire either a guide or a porter to accompany them to any of the famous trekking destinations in Nepal. This includes ex-patriots who are seasoned mountain climbers and guides in the region and have been for decades as I found out yesterday while browsing thermal shirts. Now it used to be that porters and guides could be hired individually when you arrived at your trekking destination. Many people, however, opt to go by themselves as the trails are well developed and you can't throw a stone without hitting a trekking hut with hot chai and a warm kerosene fire. Most people just come here to escape into the mountains and spend the time going at their own pace. You rest when you are tired and eat when you are hungry as there are many small villages along the way However, with the new regulations every foreigner must have a registered Nepali guide or porter with them to hike. The problem is compounded with the fact that the trekking companies are now charging double and triple the rate for guides and porters without actually giving them more money. So the well to do trekking agents who never set foot on a mountain make higher commissions and the guides and porters are stuck with their meager wages. Many of them climb to elevations in excess of 5000 meters in rubber flips flop and thin blankets under which to sleep.
Upon hearing about this trekking permit requirements and grilling trekking agents for information I came up with a scheme. After an extensive day of aggravated dialogue with agents trying to push expensive guides on me and have me pay for their (the guides) travel to Lukla (village up to Everest) I decided to take the Indian approach. A little bit of baksheesh (bribe) gets you what you want in these parts. I found an agent that was receptive to my idea and an hour later I had my permit for a fraction of the cost it would be required to hire a guide for 20 to 25 days. All I have to do is hire a porter in Lukla for 2 days (instead of 3 weeks which would be insanely expensive and unnecessary) to get past the checkpoints and then I am free to roam about the Himalayas on my own. He pretends to get sick and has to return back to his warm village home and I have the mountains and skies to myself (and all the other trekkers.) I am just keeping my fingers crossed that this works out as planned otherwise I am going to have to return to Katmandu fuming.
The last couples of days aside from the aggravation of obtaining this permit have been filled with errands during the day and evenings of food and friends. Yesterday I got a home cooked pasta meal from a couple of Italians. Well it was not so much home cooked as over a camping stove in the bathroom of their lodge bathroom, but the sentiment is there. Adina and I bought yak and cow milk cheese along with momos for appetizers and spend the evening chatting and stuffing ourselves. The evening quickly slipped into night and I stumbled back to my bed two floors down bleary eyed and exhausted. This morning I awoke late just in time for lunch.
Wish me luck on my trek. I hope to have plenty of pictures to share when I return.
Thanks for reading.
Latest Comments (3)
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You're dreamy.... (reply)
Nov 28, 2006 16:42 EST by cborges
I had a dream about you last night. I dreamt that I went over to your basement apartment and the left side of your face was all swollen and bruised. When I asked you about it, you responded, 'That's how my new boyfriend likes me to look. So he hits me.' Then I got all upset and was all dramatic like, 'You Have to Leave NOW!!! It's only going to get worse Pshemek.' It was weird.
Oh, ... show all
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good luck! (reply)
Nov 27, 2006 14:19 EST by rikki
i hope it all works out and PLEEEEEEEASE be careful. i would eventually like to see you again somewhere on earth.
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