So a little peruse (not to say hog-wrestle) of the Indian railways website throws up the following intriguing possibility.
Dhaka-Kolkata on the Maitree Express (after perhaps a little arsing around in Bangladesh - I for one would like to travel to the banks of the Jamuna a little to the south of Dhaka, which is pretty much the Tropic of Cancer). Cost $20 for a sleeper.
Kolkata I have heard is basically Dhaka with pubs. An experience to have but have quickly, perhaps.
Kolkata to Delhi (and you wanna try beating the difference between Delhi and New Delhi out of indianrailways.gov.in - Delhi alone has 7 different stations). Overnight, about 24 hours, cost £48 for an express in an AC1 seat (according to our friend in Seat 61).
Then train from Delhi to Gorakhpur, $55 says Seat 61, mixing his currencies. Takes about 13 or 14 hours.
Then a bus ('or jeep'!) from Gorakhpur to the Nepali frontier (and incidentally, we should no longer talk about borders on this trip but frontiers. Manifest destiny, bet your ass). $1, 3 hours, to a town which the Indians call Sunauli and the Nepalis call Bhairawa, except when they call it Sunauli.
Walk across the border. Bus or jeep from Bhairawa to Kathmandu 12 hours, $2.
That way we see the landscape change beneath our feet. Or beneath someone else's wheels.
Though Delhi isn't by any means mandatory - we could stop at Allahabad, or actually stop at Gorakhpur (probably need a branch line to do that, but no biggie).
So. Depending on whether we want to to Delhi, we're looking at £100 tops to get from Dhaka to Kathmandu via India.
LIKE IT
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Sunday, 31 January 2010
How brave do you feel?
After this Kashmir and Telmand province could be a breeze: http://www.ssqq.com/ARCHIVE/vinlin27d.htm
China... home of Walls, Forbidden Palaces... and PANDAS!
Yeah, that's right, Pandas. Lhasa-Xi'an VIA Chendu? Then we can go to Wolong National Park (official site) I'm going to take a Faberge egg, just to please Ellie Bailey.
Kathmandu - Tibet
Right, at the moment it looks like we can only cross Kathmandu - Tibet, and the Chinese only allow you in on an organised tour. So, just for a brief idea, I emailed one comapny that does the trips. Here is there email:
Dear Mr Ollie Jones,
Greetings from Kathmandu and Lhasa.
Thank you for your interest in the 8-Day Kathmandu to Lhasa overland tour.
We have budget tour that start every Saturday from Kathmandu from March to November. From December to February tours are available on request. Please note that you have to book in advance and arrive in Kathmandu two days before tour date.
Please find the details of the 8-day Kathmandu-Lhasa tour in a file attached with this message (in PDF format). Do let us know if you have difficulty opening, saving or printing the document.
We are happy to offer the following special price list for the 8-day tour as listed below.
Prices shown below will apply for you – not the ones listed in the attached pdf document.
----- o0o -----
08-Day KATHMANDU-LHASA Overland Tour - 2010
BUDGET GROUP TOUR (Group Tour with Budget Hotels):
Every Saturday Departure Ex Kathmandu (March to November, 2010)
Transport by comfortable 10 to 20-seat bus depending on group size.
Minimum 8 persons required for Group Tour to operate.
Budget Tour Cost: US$ 460 per person (share basis).
Single Room Supplement: US$ 150 per person
Single rooms are available in Shigatse, Gyantse and Lhasa only.
--- 0 ---
China/Tibet Group Visa:
USA National: US$ 200 per person
Other Nationals: US$ 120 per person
For those who want to continue travel in China:
Surcharge for 15-day Individual Visa good for Mainland China: US$ 50 per person
(15 days total for Tibet and Mainland China)
--- 0 ---
Note: All passengers need to have confirmed plane/train tickets to travel out of Lhasa on the last day of the tour.
Airfare Extra (as applicable):
We can arrange a flight out of Lhasa for you at the end of the tour.
- Lhasa/Kathmandu: US$ 380 (subject to change)
- Lhasa/Chengdu: US$ 250 (subject to change)
- Lhasa/Beijing: US$ 420 (subject to change)
Train Fare (includes booking agent's fees):
We can arrange train tickets out of Lhasa for you at the end of the tour.
- Lhasa-Beijing soft sleeper (48 hours): US$ 290 per person
- Lhasa-Chengdu soft sleeper (48 hours): US$ 290 per person
- Lhasa-Xian soft sleeper (40 hours): US$ 250 per person
----- o0o -----
We will arrange the China Visa, Tibet Permit and Lhasa-Kathmandu flight. You will have to arrange the flights up to Kathmandu and back to your country once the tour ends.
We require an advance deposit of US$ 100 per person (plus Lhasa airfare), in order to confirm a place on the tour. As soon as you are ready to confirm your place/s we will email you instruction to send in your advance deposit. The balance to be paid on your arrival in Kathmandu.
We can assist you with hotel accommodation and other services you may require in Nepal. Our trekking groups stay at 3 star hotel with all amenities located centrally in Kathmandu called Nirvana Garden Hotel. Special offer: US$ 50 per night. Complementary airport pickup is included in this cost. Many other luxury to budget accommodation is available in Kathmandu. Please let us know your preference.
Hope that this is of interest to you and as soon as we hear from you again we will be happy to e-mail further details and answer your questions. We look forward to hear from you again soon.
'Namaste' and best wishes.
Devendra Basnet
for Getaway! Himalayan Eco-Trekking
Masonry
So it turns out that 'The Great Wall Of China' is actually incredibly extensive network of walls covering several thousand miles. My ignorance aside, I'm gobsmacked that at one point there damn near actually was an actual wall around the actual country. Incredible.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Map_of_the_Great_Wall_of_China.jpg
Not so much use as a navigational aid, that, but it shows where it is. It depends which dynasty's work we want to see, to be honest, but there are routes between Xian and the western border which take in 3 or so of them. No Ming, which for the first time indicates something regrettable, but still some imposing work. Then on to the Jade Gate and Uzbekia. So we'd go out of Tibet, down to Xian, double back and start with the heading west.
With appropriate digressions, diversions and, um, dispepsias, of course. Haven't got a big vision for getting lost in China at this point tbh, but let me do some reading and I'm sure I'll acquire one. Gonna have to hide my bible tho ;)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Map_of_the_Great_Wall_of_China.jpg
Not so much use as a navigational aid, that, but it shows where it is. It depends which dynasty's work we want to see, to be honest, but there are routes between Xian and the western border which take in 3 or so of them. No Ming, which for the first time indicates something regrettable, but still some imposing work. Then on to the Jade Gate and Uzbekia. So we'd go out of Tibet, down to Xian, double back and start with the heading west.
With appropriate digressions, diversions and, um, dispepsias, of course. Haven't got a big vision for getting lost in China at this point tbh, but let me do some reading and I'm sure I'll acquire one. Gonna have to hide my bible tho ;)
Record of Facebook convos II
O: Found it! First, look at this:
dhaka-nathulapass
Make sure you're ...in terrain view and zoom in, there's a road that crosses the border. Follow that for a bit until you eventually get to Yadong
at which point:
nathulapass-lhasa
Then, get this, train it from Lhasa to Xining. Then depends if we want to go to Xian (terracotta army, f'shizzle) or straight to Urumqi/Turpan, thence to the 'Stans....
pekingtoparis
D:You're insane. I love it. Let's read up to see whether these roads actually exist, then I'm in.
Though I do notice that road 2 seems to go into (or perhaps constitute) the Bhutanese border. The $200-a-day-for-a-visa Bhutanese border.
we go to the terracotta army because I want to see the photos you take of them.... See more
My task for this trip is to come up with a better name for this region than 'the stans'. I predict this will get me hired by the Economist on our return.
O: that route doesn't go through Bhutan, but you have to zoom right in before you can see it skirts the border... that said, at the moment the border is only open to indian and chinese nationals, though this might be changing this year. otherwise, it's back to the Nathu La Pass in Nepal/Tibet...
and by Nathu La I mean not Nathu La, as that's the Sino-Indian one.
You know what I mean.
I have a book now. It's pretty.
dhaka-nathulapass
Make sure you're ...in terrain view and zoom in, there's a road that crosses the border. Follow that for a bit until you eventually get to Yadong
at which point:
nathulapass-lhasa
Then, get this, train it from Lhasa to Xining. Then depends if we want to go to Xian (terracotta army, f'shizzle) or straight to Urumqi/Turpan, thence to the 'Stans....
pekingtoparis
D:You're insane. I love it. Let's read up to see whether these roads actually exist, then I'm in.
Though I do notice that road 2 seems to go into (or perhaps constitute) the Bhutanese border. The $200-a-day-for-a-visa Bhutanese border.
we go to the terracotta army because I want to see the photos you take of them.... See more
My task for this trip is to come up with a better name for this region than 'the stans'. I predict this will get me hired by the Economist on our return.
O: that route doesn't go through Bhutan, but you have to zoom right in before you can see it skirts the border... that said, at the moment the border is only open to indian and chinese nationals, though this might be changing this year. otherwise, it's back to the Nathu La Pass in Nepal/Tibet...
and by Nathu La I mean not Nathu La, as that's the Sino-Indian one.
You know what I mean.
I have a book now. It's pretty.
Record of Facebook convos I
O: Thought: to avoid Afghanistan and Pakistan, how about something along the lines of Dhaka --> Deli? --> Nepal --> Tibet --> China --> Ulann Batur in Mongolia --> Trans-Siberian express to Moscow, then back through Europe to London...
D: Thanks Jones, another hour lost to the man in seat 61.
I love it but as an alternative how do you feel about the silk route? I know a guy whose mum lives in Samarkand (yeah, THAT Samarkand) in Uzbekistan, and who wouldn't want some proper Uzbek hospitality? Get to China thru Tibet then Silk Route to Omsk and train across as before. But I think we ... See moreshould stop in Belarus so we can have a hat trick of Unashamed Dictatorships.
Downside is we'd miss Lake Baikal. Not to mention the broader downside that our 19 year old selves would be ashamed of us for planning a trip two and a half years in advance. Wither spontaneity? they would cry, and we would give them a slapping for such pretense.
O: OK, so I had to look up some of these places (I'm Asia-ignorant).... But Silk Road FTW... Maybe we should go Dhaka-->Mongolia-->Baikal--> back to Urumqi for the start of the Silk Road.... or maybe we'll have to make a few trips!!
Also, we tell our 19y.o. selves to go f@!* themselves - travelling was wasted on me then! could have done sooo much ... See moremore... anyhow, this kind of trip we'd need to plan meticulously, allowing plenty of time for changes and other problems - i don't think we'd have contemplated Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan or any of these when we were 19.
for ideas of route only: http://www.silkroadandbeyond.co.uk/index.html
could we do a Charlie Boorman thing - the Silk Road by any means - loads of different transports... Or drive... from Dhaka... is that suicidal?
we could do a channel 4 documentary
D: BUWAHA - you know, our 19 yr old selves would only have said that in jest. Let's write some letters.
Driving will be very problematic (cars expensive, not to say inconveniently requiring consciousness at all times, but I say we load an ipod and ftw) - I don't even know if there IS a road route north from Dhaka. The Himalayas might get in the way. But that would buy us into a whole other level of hardcore. I could look Exam Macgregor in the eye again. I mean, not again, just in the eye for the first time. I mean JUST SHUT UP.
This could be pretty epic. Slash life ending....
O: OK. Less death. More camels/trains. Will get google mapping.
Also, crossing the Himilayas may be a problem.
D: Pah. Pair of walking boots and some good old English (Scottish Welsh Austro-Hungarian Danish) stiff upper lip will do the trick.
Although I did hear tell that there are buses in Nepal. To get to which, I meant to say, we don't have to go anywhere near Delhi unless we want to.
O: Danish?
Google maps and Lonely Planet Thorntree are our friends.
OK, here's the plan. We get to Kathmandu. We climb everest. we basejump into Tibet. Jobs a goodun. Morris concurs.
D: I am Danish insofar as I like cakes. REALLY like cakes.
Base jumping into Tibet is the best idea since the idea of the best idea was first mooted. We'll have to take our own skyscraper but why the hell not. Eff Tee Doubleyou.
O: Sure the Chinese will have built one by then. For your delectation: http://www.travelthesilkroad.org
--Ollie
D: Thanks Jones, another hour lost to the man in seat 61.
I love it but as an alternative how do you feel about the silk route? I know a guy whose mum lives in Samarkand (yeah, THAT Samarkand) in Uzbekistan, and who wouldn't want some proper Uzbek hospitality? Get to China thru Tibet then Silk Route to Omsk and train across as before. But I think we ... See moreshould stop in Belarus so we can have a hat trick of Unashamed Dictatorships.
Downside is we'd miss Lake Baikal. Not to mention the broader downside that our 19 year old selves would be ashamed of us for planning a trip two and a half years in advance. Wither spontaneity? they would cry, and we would give them a slapping for such pretense.
O: OK, so I had to look up some of these places (I'm Asia-ignorant).... But Silk Road FTW... Maybe we should go Dhaka-->Mongolia-->Baikal--> back to Urumqi for the start of the Silk Road.... or maybe we'll have to make a few trips!!
Also, we tell our 19y.o. selves to go f@!* themselves - travelling was wasted on me then! could have done sooo much ... See moremore... anyhow, this kind of trip we'd need to plan meticulously, allowing plenty of time for changes and other problems - i don't think we'd have contemplated Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan or any of these when we were 19.
for ideas of route only: http://www.silkroadandbeyond.co.uk/index.html
could we do a Charlie Boorman thing - the Silk Road by any means - loads of different transports... Or drive... from Dhaka... is that suicidal?
we could do a channel 4 documentary
D: BUWAHA - you know, our 19 yr old selves would only have said that in jest. Let's write some letters.
Driving will be very problematic (cars expensive, not to say inconveniently requiring consciousness at all times, but I say we load an ipod and ftw) - I don't even know if there IS a road route north from Dhaka. The Himalayas might get in the way. But that would buy us into a whole other level of hardcore. I could look Exam Macgregor in the eye again. I mean, not again, just in the eye for the first time. I mean JUST SHUT UP.
This could be pretty epic. Slash life ending....
O: OK. Less death. More camels/trains. Will get google mapping.
Also, crossing the Himilayas may be a problem.
D: Pah. Pair of walking boots and some good old English (Scottish Welsh Austro-Hungarian Danish) stiff upper lip will do the trick.
Although I did hear tell that there are buses in Nepal. To get to which, I meant to say, we don't have to go anywhere near Delhi unless we want to.
O: Danish?
Google maps and Lonely Planet Thorntree are our friends.
OK, here's the plan. We get to Kathmandu. We climb everest. we basejump into Tibet. Jobs a goodun. Morris concurs.
D: I am Danish insofar as I like cakes. REALLY like cakes.
Base jumping into Tibet is the best idea since the idea of the best idea was first mooted. We'll have to take our own skyscraper but why the hell not. Eff Tee Doubleyou.
O: Sure the Chinese will have built one by then. For your delectation: http://www.travelthesilkroad.org
--Ollie
First post - mainly a test
So this is where I thought we could plan our trip, post links to useful websites, and all that jazz. I've been perusing various sites; as ever the Lonely Planet Thorntree has some good tips and is often the most up-to-date source of information, so worth keeping and eye on. I've also acquired a few books and maps in hard copy; I might attempt to scan the map in and post it here, though it doesn't cover everything we need...
The route I was looking at that went through Sikkim, India and crossed through the Nathu La Pass into Tibet seems not to have opened to foreign nationals, despite Wikipedia's optimism. So, it looks like we'll have to go to Kathmandu and take a tour across to Lhasa, links forthcoming...
Anyhow, that'll do for a first post.
--Ollie
The route I was looking at that went through Sikkim, India and crossed through the Nathu La Pass into Tibet seems not to have opened to foreign nationals, despite Wikipedia's optimism. So, it looks like we'll have to go to Kathmandu and take a tour across to Lhasa, links forthcoming...
Anyhow, that'll do for a first post.
--Ollie
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