EARTHQUAKES & HEARTBREAK: NEPAL TRAVEL SURVIVAL TIPS

Nepal is not an extreme place to visit – unless you are summiting the 8,000m (29,000+ft) peaks, that is, but it is a challenging destination especially for those who may not be able to live without a few conveniences. You have to be prepared to rough it out in order to enjoy your experience and that’s part and parcel of any adventure – otherwise, you might as well stay home if you expect all the little luxuries of your daily life to be replicated in whatever country you are visiting. I truly love Nepal and I would race back there this very minute if I didn’t have any obligations to fulfil – true, it can be daunting for the uninitiated traveller or the first-time solo adventurer, but there are always ways to cope. So here are a few things to expect and some tips on how to survive them during your trip to this wonderful nation that is an intoxicating mix of art, culture, history, nature, friendly locals and the most delectable buffalo momos on this planet.

Cheers to one of the most intoxicating places I've ever visited. I love Nepal!

1. CHALLENGE: ELECTRICITY CUTS. The Nepalese call it “loadshedding” – basically a distribution of electric supply to a certain part of the city during specific times of day. Relying largely on hydroelectric power, the country can hardly keep up with the demands of its ever-increasing population. They came up with a system to help ensure that everyone in Nepal gets power, no matter how short it may be during the day and no matter how frequent blackouts are scheduled. Everyone gets a piece of the pie, so to speak, albeit in regulated quantities. This means that at any time of the day – depending on your location, you will have no electricity, no TV reception, no landline signal, no heater / air-conditioning, no WIFI, no coffee machine, no refrigerator. Where I stayed in Thamel, the power cuts were between 8-12NN and 2-5PM, but unscheduled blackouts were the norm even during the night. I slept in a cold, dark room for 2 nights out of 9 during my trip and it didn’t bother me one bit.

SURVIVAL TIPS: You can spend your money on 5-star accommodations with generators all the way, but note that even the famous chain hotels need to switch the electricity on and off in order to change the power supply so you will still experience seconds or minutes of blackouts. To cope, it’s essential to bring: flashlights, warm clothing in case there’s no heater for the entire night (most accommodations will provide thick wool blankets during the cold season, anyway), spare batteries or power banks, and books (if there’s no TV/WIFI to while time away and you are stuck – for some reason – in your room during the day). Don’t be a brat when restaurant staff tell you they can’t serve you hot coffee or iced drinks during a power cut. What to leave at home? Your sense of entitlement and privilege. If the Nepalese can live with the inconvenience for years, why can’t you for a few days or weeks?

Fuel queues that last for days and weeks!

2. CHALLENGE: FUEL SHORTAGE. In conjunction with the blockade that has cut off essential imports into the nation, the Nepalese have been queueing up for their daily supply of fuel and kerosene for a few months now. It’s nothing short of disastrous especially for the tourism industry and its public transportation system. Expect delays and cancellations even for scheduled buses, microbuses, trucks, and flights. It has also resulted in a slight increase of prices and changes in flight paths: for one, Silk Air emailed me that the usual non-stop flight from Kathmandu to Singapore now had to make a refuelling stop in Kolkata, India, thereby extending the flight time. Due to the scarcity of cooking gas as well, many restaurants may not offer some items on the menu and have cut their offerings to a few mere selections.

SURVIVAL TIPS: Prepare to pay a bit more – when I booked a local tour, they charged an additional US$100 to buy fuel from the black market instead, which costs 3 to 5 times more than the normal price, to ensure we didn’t have disruptions to the week-long itinerary (gas station queues can last from hours to DAYS! Yes, DAYS). It’s a small price to pay for convenience. If additional budget is not an option or if you’re taking public transport, prepare for delays and cancellations and make sure to pack A LOT OF PATIENCE. For flights, always recheck with your airline for any possible time or path changes. When in restaurants, don’t be a difficult customer and demand they cook you the one item on the menu that they cannot serve because they don’t have enough cooking gas to do so. Life is hard enough as it is for the locals, don’t make it harder for them.

Never mind the dusty, unpaved roads: look at the views instead!

3. CHALLENGE: POOR ROAD CONDITIONS. It can be a harrowing experience to be in a car or bus squeezing on a road that’s meant for only one lane of traffic. More so if the side of the road opens up to a high cliff and there are no railings to break any fall. Traffic accidents usually happen in this area; I saw two fuel & supplies trucks abandoned on their sides when they overshot their intended lanes. This was a common sight from Pokhara to Chitwan on the Mugling Prithvi Highway. And add to the already unfavourable road conditions are the never-ending highway extension works: falling rocks, construction materials, equipment, and workers litter the already too-narrow cliffside road.

SURVIVAL TIPS: Use the tourist/VIP buses when taking public transportation or hire a private driver from a local tour agency that has a stellar reputation for safety (I used Nepal One). I noticed a lot of the public buses were weaving in and out of traffic like crazy and wouldn’t think twice about overtaking cars even if that meant cutting it too close to the edges.

Yellow plates mean India-registered vehicles. The blockade was lifted while I was in Nepal.

4. CHALLENGE: HIGH ALTITUDE. For my trip, Nagarkot has the highest elevation at 7,200 ft / 2,200 m. For comparison, Kathmandu is at 4,600 ft (1,400m) and Sarangkot at 5,600 ft (1,700 m). Altitude sickness normally sets in at 8,000 ft (2,500m) and above so I didn’t have any problems at all during my visit. For those with asthma, high altitude can affect us differently and I did notice my heart rate increasing when we started climbing to Nagarkot, which is only 800 feet shy of the elevation when AMS starts to set it, but it didn’t bother me as much as it did when I was in Puno, Peru which reached heights of 14,000 ft!

SURVIVAL TIPS: Learn to spot signs of AMS by reading online materials – this site is a good start: Altitude.org. Unless you’re trekking Annapurna, EBC, or summiting Everest itself, AMS will not usually set it. Always have your medications with you especially when you have pre-existing conditions that may increase your chances of falling sick, i.e. Ventolin for asthmatics. Diamox is easily available in Kathmandu and way cheaper than in Singapore so buy a pack in case you might need it (always check with a doctor first for any prescription drugs needed) – it’s meant to balance the effects of hyperventilation that occur at high altitude in an attempt to get oxygen for your body. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – the sun is stronger in higher altitudes and chances are, those headaches might be because of lack of H2O – plus, Diamox is a diuretic so you excrete fluids faster than normal.

The crazy-chaotic-dusty streets of Kathmandu can be an assault to the senses but overall, a fun adventure!

5. CHALLENGE: DUST, SMOKE, POLLUTION. Kathmandu is sadly MASSIVELY polluted so don’t expect to breathe in fresh air here. Much of the city sits at the bottom of the valley so imagine it like a bowl, where smoke and pollutants are concentrated at the lowest point. Its rough roads are congested with motorbikes, buses, microbuses, etc. that kick up a dust storm when they pass by and the city has mostly unpaved streets so dust is everywhere! It gets worse when you travel to rural areas, especially with the roadworks currently happening. Even private cars do not utilize air-conditioning and most roll down their windows so you’re looking at concentrated amounts of engine smoke and dust being inhaled when you go from point A to B.

SURVIVAL TIPS: Do as the locals do – wear a cloth mask that’s easily available around Thamel. And if you’re asthmatic like me, bring your puffer wherever you go! Wear sunnies to protect your peepers from the dust as well, especially for those who wear contacts or have sensitive eyes.

Nepal is not what many might call a "first-world" country so suck it up as there might conveniences you need to live without

6. CHALLENGE: DIRTY PUBLIC TOILETS. The level of sanitation varies greatly as you move from city to rural areas. Most sights in Kathmandu have “tourist toilets” – with locks, a pail of water, (sometimes) tissue paper, and an actual toilet bowl, if you’re lucky – otherwise, squat toilet it is. Cleanliness is relative and for me, that means spotless – so all public toilets I encountered didn’t pass personal standards, but when you gotta go, you gotta go – so there was no room for whining. Along the roadside in Mugling, I encountered a cement box labelled female toilet and it had no doors whatsoever. Inside, it was just a cement slab with tiny holes on both ends of the walls where urine can exit. No tissue, no flush, no water, no dividers. Imagine yourself inside that communal box where the smell of days/weeks/months-old urine has been festering in the hot weather.

SURVIVAL TIPS: Bring – a roll of toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and a Vicks inhaler to plug up your nose in case the smell gets too much. If you’re worried about privacy, a sarong or scarf will do the trick.

2015's earthquake was a destructive force that crushed many Nepalese homes :(

7. CHALLENGE: EARTHQUAKES. On my first night in Nepal, it gave me a rocking welcome – literally, with a 5.2 magnitude earthquake at 10PM. The country is experiencing a lot of aftershocks post the big one in 2015 and it’s something the locals have to live with as well. That night, 15 people in Kathmandu were injured but thankfully, nothing more.

SURVIVAL TIPS: First, look for structurally-safe buildings for your accommodations. You can google-search it or ask local tour agencies and guides for recommendations. I stayed in Thamel, and it was easy to spot that the buildings around it were safe & sound, hardly a structural crack in sight. Second, follow safety procedures of your accommodations when the ground shakes. If it helps your peace of mind, get a room on the lower floors. I was too (wrongly) complacent during the earthquake in Kathmandu because I didn’t evacuate from my room: I slept with my outdoor clothes and boots on, and with my bag right beside me in case another one hit and I needed to make a run for it. Third, ensure that when there’s a quake, you are nowhere near formations that could turn into a landslide.

Nepal maintains a vibrant and colorful everyday vibe

8. CHALLENGE: LACK OF PROPER SAFETY PROCEDURES. Two incidents that made me say this – one is the Kathmandu earthquake where the place I stayed in did not sound any emergency alarm or asked guests to evacuate as a precautionary measure and the second one, on a dugout canoe ride at Chitwan where our boat was not provided with any lifejackets, and another was overloaded with 20 passengers.

SURVIVAL TIP: When in doubt, follow your instinct and evacuate a building when the ground starts shaking. There are also earthquake safety videos and sites you can check online that can provide tips in what to do you when in the middle of a quake. Always insist that the tour operator provide you with a lifejacket for any water-related activity, otherwise, ask for a refund – the lifejacket may not complement your outfit, but hey, safety first!

The temple that gave Kathmandu its name was just a pile of bricks when I visited :(

Historical temples were damaged, some reduced to rubble. It was a sobering time to be in Nepal, too

9. CHALLENGE: HEARTBREAK. Seeing some of the devastation from the 2015 earthquake will crush you, as it did me. The fact that more than 8,000 people died in that catastrophe was always hanging over my head every time I saw piles of brick and rubble everywhere I travelled in the country and there are still tent cities outside Kathmandu housing victims who have no means to rebuild their homes. Precious lives and historical buildings were wiped out in a day. It’s a heart-wrenching time to be in Nepal.

SURVIVAL TIP: Whilst there’s no way to bring back everything to their pre-earthquake state, saying a prayer, donating, and volunteering are some of the things you can do to help. Note that you need a separate volunteer visa if you plan to do so in Nepal – you are not allowed to do charity or NGO work under a tourist visa. In a way, you can comfort yourself with the fact that your presence in Nepal is helping in its economic turnaround, no matter how small of an impact it may be. Several groups like NepalNow.Org are asking travellers to use the hashtag #nepalNOW to help bring back tourism dollars into the country and promote the beauty of its country, post-earthquake.

Wooden beams used as structural support to thousand-year old temples are commonplace in Nepal, post earthquake

Help in rebuilding Nepal. Visit #NepalNOW

Safety was one of the concerns that some friends asked me when they knew I was traveling to Nepal on my own, but I didn’t put it on the list because it was never an issue for me. It truly annoys me when people ask if a destination is dangerous specifically for a solo female traveller because they think that (1) solo travel 100% equates to danger and (2) solo female travel is the most dangerous thing to do in this world. Frankly, I think people asking this are too sheltered, afraid of adventure, and deny themselves the opportunity to open their minds and experience the world in-depth. Danger is present everywhere. I mean, you can die in your own apartment from carbon monoxide poisoning or on your way to the office via a hit and run or in a crowded subway by some crazy thief with a knife – I don’t mean to be morbid and insensitive, but it’s true. The world can be dangerous – whether at home or in any foreign destination – but danger is not mutually exclusive to solo female travel. You will find out that the world is also full of good and well-meaning people if you give it a chance.

Digressed there for a bit, but net is, any activity comes with its own risks and any challenge has a silver lining. Despite all the news in the international media that talks about how Nepal is a red-flag place to travel in post the earthquake, during the fuel crisis, and in the midst of a supplies blockade – don’t let it deter you from experiencing its amazing sights. The country is hurting after the calamity and with its economic travails, yes, but it also needs your help. And the best way to help Nepal now is to spend your dollars there and help rebuild its tourism industry: go local, eat local, buy local, hire local.

World Heritage site, Bouddhanath Temple, is slowly being rebuilt brick by brick. It was inspiring to see locals lend a hand to help rebuild their country. Take comfort in the fact that your entrance fees to temples will help in rebuilding efforts.

Nepal definitely opened up my eyes and heart to the fact that even with the hardships its citizens have to face daily, these same locals will be the first ones to remind you of all the positives that their country has to offer for the intrepid traveller. It’s both humbling and awe-inspiring to experience first-hand their generosity, indomitable human spirit, and fierce passion in promoting the beauty that surrounds them.

Despite the odds, the Nepalese are hopeful for the future: for them, seeing more & more travelers filling their durbar squares is a sign of things looking up

HAPPY TRAVELS! x

#Nepal #listicles