Photo: Durbar Square, Kathmandu
October 21, 2008 I arrived in Delhi in the evening and took pre paid taxi to hotel. On October 23 I flew the Jet Lite to Kathmandu. The visa process at the Kathmandu airport was very slow. I then took taxi to Acme Guest House in Thamel district, the same guest house I had stayed in 1993. The narrow streets around Thamel were very crowded, full of cars, tourists, motorcycles, rickshaws, etc. At night it just got worse.
October 24, 2008 ACME tried to get me to hire a porter and guide through them for the Everest trek, or any other trek. Though they emphasized the dangers and risks of trekking without guides, I was insistent that I was going alone.
Photo: TIMs and Park Permit
Later that day I was able to secure the TIMS registration card and the Sagamatha (Everest) National Park entrance permit (shown at left). They were easily obtained at the Visitor Information Center. Also nearby was the Ratna Park Bus Station where I was able to purchase a ticket for the bus to Jiri, leaving the next day.
Since I would be trekking in the rural Everest region for approximately 3 weeks, I had to have enough Nepali rupees on me to last that length of time. Before I changed money I asked the Kathmandu Environmental Education Project office what I needed per day. I was told that $20 per day or 1500 rupees per day was reasonable. The exchange rate was approximately 75 Nepali rupees per $1 US.
Map of Nepal
