Holiday Withdrawal Symptoms......Tell me where you're going?

PompeyPete

littlereddevil wrote: »

Now Nepal yes

Had 5 weeks there in March/April 2014.
Loved it, but it was really hard work.
Kathmandu is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the Nepalese government are as corrupt as they get.

DUKE

Did you do Everest & the Himalayas Pete? I was thinking of booking with TravelBird as it seemed an easier option. Any info would be most welcome.

PompeyPete

DUKE wrote: »

Did you do Everest & the Himalayas Pete? I was thinking of booking with TravelBird as it seemed an easier option. Any info would be most welcome.

Hi Duke, is this the tour...

http://travelbird.co.uk/69359/roundtrip-nepal-flights/

?

martinthebandit

PompeyPete wrote: »

Hi Duke, is this the tour...

http://travelbird.co.uk/69359/roundtrip-nepal-flights/

?

Now that does look interesting

MasterPoo

DUKE wrote: »

Did you do Everest & the Himalayas Pete? I was thinking of booking with TravelBird as it seemed an easier option. Any info would be most welcome.

Organised tours takes the fun out of researching and planning it all yourself, plus the thought of having to follow other peoples time whilst on holiday fills me with dread, BUT this itinerary has given you a starting point for yours! GO ON DO IT YOURSELF! (Share your itinerary when you've decided)

DUKE

PompeyPete wrote: »

Hi Duke, is this the tour...

http://travelbird.co.uk/69359/roundtrip-nepal-flights/

?

Yes Pete, what you think?

That's what I thought martinthebandit, but I often talk myself out of things.

I wasn't keen on a group thing either MP, heaven forbid should someone try to adopt me as a bezzie :eek:

PompeyPete

DUKE wrote: »

Yes Pete, what you think?

I wasn't keen on a group thing either MP, heaven forbid should someone try to adopt me as a bezzie :eek:

So long as you don't mind being part of a group of strangers, and all the constraints that are imposed by basically being told by a clock-watching guide what to do and where to go all the time, then I think that particular tour looks excellent vfm. But a lot will also depend on whether Travelbird provide all that they promise.

Looking at the itinerary...

- We used Etihad for our Nepal trip. They are v.good in the air, but on the Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu sector people were allowed far too much hand luggage. We ended up nursing our stuff for the flight, but only a minor thing.

- Hotel Encounter is Kathmandu is in an area called Thamel, which is the main tourist area. Not far from the Airport, and the reviews on Trip Advisor look alright. There is a lot, a heck of a lot, of pollution in Kathmandu...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6V5O8V_3M

- The included trips in Kathmandu and Kathmandu Valley are excellent. Only problem are that you're likely to want to spend more time at each one than the tour allows time for. We did all of the places on our own, getting to each on ancient public buses, and spent as much time as we wanted at each place. Pashupatinath is a very interesting place you'll be visiting. I thought it was a bit of a morbid theme park...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMOJXPizC5E

- The 220 Km drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara is along the Prithvi Highway. It's a v.scenic route, very busy, and it focuses your mind. Due to a landslide our trip took almost 11 hours instead on 7. But we were on time on the return drive to Kathmandu. Here's a video [fasten your seat-belt!]...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS68tu9lLpU

- Pokhara is a great place to chill-out for a few days, the air is clean, and you are almost 100% certain to get excellent mountain views of the Annapurna Range from Pokhara and Sarangot.

- The drive from Pokhara to Lumbini looks interesting too [we never went there]...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgyRLX2EYIw

There's loads more videos on google.

We never went to Lumbini or Chitwan. We were going to go to both but while we were in Pokhara we decided that it would be too hot [April], and decided to go back to the Kathmandu for the Nepalese New Year festivals at Bhaktapur, called Bisket Jatra, and went on for a week, a very interesting week...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6oyCmKVM-Q

Never did the Everest/Himalayas flight either. But if you fancy it, you've just got to be aware that the weather on the day dictates whether the flight is on and how good a flight it is.

Any questions fire away. If I can't answer from personal experience I'll find an interesting you tube video.:)

Doshwaster

MasterPoo wrote: »

Dosh are you a contractor? I finished my contract on the 18th December and I'm enjoying the time off!

Yes, I am. My contract was due to finish on Dec 31 but they gave me a 3 month extension so it's possible that they will do the same in March.

There are good and bad things about contracting but it does make long term holiday planning a little difficult since I don't know what I will be doing later in the year. When I was a full-timer I'd have holiday booked up months in advance. Now I tend to rely on last minute deals when I can spare the time off.

I'm not that worried about money as I could easily afford to take a few months off and do some proper travelling (I haven't had more than 2 weeks off work in one go in 15 years) but I really enjoy where I am currently working and would be sad to leave.

I've just been looking at some BA Club Europe weekend breaks (http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/flights-and-holidays/club/club-europe-deals). I've had some excellent value from their deals in the past .

DUKE

Wow thanks Pete, definitely want to go now!

I'd previously read about the Kanthmandu pollution & hoped it wasn't as bad.

Call me sick if you like but I love the morbid theme park thing

MasterPoo

Doshwaster wrote: »

Yes, I am. My contract was due to finish on Dec 31 but they gave me a 3 month extension so it's possible that they will do the same in March.

There are good and bad things about contracting but it does make long term holiday planning a little difficult since I don't know what I will be doing later in the year. When I was a full-timer I'd have holiday booked up months in advance. Now I tend to rely on last minute deals when I can spare the time off.

I'm not that worried about money as I could easily afford to take a few months off and do some proper travelling (I haven't had more than 2 weeks off work in one go in 15 years) but I really enjoy where I am currently working and would be sad to leave.

I've just been looking at some BA Club Europe weekend breaks (http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/flights-and-holidays/club/club-europe-deals). I've had some excellent value from their deals in the past .

Aaahhhh the joys of contracting! I know what you mean about taking time off whilst in Contract. I've worked 6 months straight for the last part of this year, I'm burnt out, plus the travelling has really knocked it out of me. last year I worked 9 months straight and crashed and burnt due to exhaustion.

2016 I'm going to be more selective and time more time off (I may have already got a new gig but they seem disorganised so I'm not holding out much hope).