Nepal - hiking adventure

[Dantas]

Welcome to my inaugural (and probably only) trip report! I’m off on a hiking trip to the Annapurna ranges with Adventure Nepal.

QF are getting me to HKG where I will have a 24 hour stop-over before catching CX to KTM. A quick overnight before boarding a U4 flight (you’ll have to look that one up) to Pokhara.

It’s just a small group of six including the group leader, plus porters. I’ll be with a mate from MEL and will meet the rest when I arrive.

I’m not the best photographer and my journalism is far from perfect, but I’ll do my best.

 

[kookaburra75]

Your trip sounds amazing, looking forward to your photos

 

[Dantas]

An early start on QF1290 with a pleasant surprise when I boarded. No one next to me in 1F. Breakkie smelt better than it tasted but did the job. The Lord Mayor of Hobart was in row 2!

Met my travel agent in the HBA lounge and she just happens to be on the same flights as me today. Only had a couple of minutes spare though thanks to the lengthy security screening time at HBAs new facilities…

 

[Dantas]

MEL temporary F lounge is a zoo… spa treatments available in the far corner (no massages) though! QF29 to HKG coming up

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Welcome to my inaugural (and probably only) trip report! I’m off on a hiking trip to the Annapurna ranges with Adventure Nepal.

QF are getting me to HKG where I will have a 24 hour stop-over before catching CX to KTM. A quick overnight before boarding a U4 flight (you’ll have to look that one up) to Pokhara.

It’s just a small group of six including the group leader, plus porters. I’ll be with a mate from MEL and will meet the rest when I arrive.

I’m not the best photographer and my journalism is far from perfect, but I’ll do my best.

You will love it.

I have trekked in Nepal three times with my wife (well the first two times she was my girlfriend). Loved each one.

• In my mid twenties Annapurna Dhaulagiri with a trekking company for 14 days..
• Then a year later organised my own Tea-house trek with a Guide and Porter that I hired myself. 26 Days from Jiri to Kala Patthar (5644m) near Everest.
• And then almost 3 decades later when turning 55 to do Annapurna Base Camp (4130m) over 16 days with again our own self-hired Guide and Porter, and again Tea-House style. We chose our own route to go off the beaten path a bit.

You go to Nepal initially attracted by the highest mountains in the world, but discover that the local people are just as big a highlight.

And while one can trek without Guides/Porters, it is a much richer experience culturally. and information wise if you trek, with them. Plus you see things you would miss out on without them. And in our case it always meant we had 4 people to play cards each night

 

[Gladstone Tim]

Welcome to my inaugural (and probably only) trip report! I’m off on a hiking trip to the Annapurna ranges with Adventure Nepal.

QF are getting me to HKG where I will have a 24 hour stop-over before catching CX to KTM. A quick overnight before boarding a U4 flight (you’ll have to look that one up) to Pokhara.

It’s just a small group of six including the group leader, plus porters. I’ll be with a mate from MEL and will meet the rest when I arrive.

I’m not the best photographer and my journalism is far from perfect, but I’ll do my best.

Oh so envious! Like lovestravellingoz, I have done three treks in Nepal, Annapurna and EBC and several other visits. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

 

[Dantas]

Yes, porters, tea houses and cards are all part of the plan. Stay tuned.

 

[Dantas]

QF29 MEL-HKG was rather uneventful in 4E. 30 mins or so delay. Food and wine were both excellent - Humpty Doo Barramundi has returned which is what I had. It was also offered as a smaller portion for the second service so I opted for a pasta.

Immigration, bag collection and customs all a breeze. I’m pleased I used an ATM at the airport though as the taxi we grabbed was cash-only.

 

[Dantas]

Last night I was at the Park Lane in Causeway Bay (Hong Kong Island). It's part of Marriott Bonvoy now so my status got me an upgrade although I think the only extra was a bath tub. Won't be seeing one on the trek so I probably should have used it! Good location though with plenty of shopping and restaurants nearby. There's a Decathlon store that interconnects so will be handy for some last minute supplies that I need.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for thr report, looking forward to the trekking part!

For others planning a visit to Nepal, there’s also a very reasonably priced Royal Nepal Airlines flight 3x weekly from BKK. Departs 445pm from BKK, fares are $662 return in economy, and only $831 return in business! But there’s only two of the cheap business seats per flight, then it more than doubles (so get in early). They also sometimes used their a330 on the flight with full-flats. Not essential, but nice to have for the 3.5 hour journey.

 

[RooFlyer]

The Lord Mayor of Hobart was in row 2!

Of course she was. No Green counting of CO2 emissions for her! State ministers travel economy ....

 

[Pushka]

If you haven't already, then get a buff. Kathmandu is very smokey. Peat fires.

Enjoy the experience.

 

[Dantas]

Of course she was. No Green counting of CO2 emissions for her! State ministers travel economy ....

Yes quite ironic after I read today where she is travelling to.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

QF29 MEL-HKG was rather uneventful in 4E.

When we last flew into Kathmandu in 2015, my wife and I were the only ones in Business Class on that last leg. The flight Attendants serving us outnumbered us. Needless to say, the service was outstanding

 

[Dantas]

Decided to try the in-town check-in but not sure it worked well for me. The quick train ride was ok, but busy of course but roads outside the station were all blocked off for a Filipino festival. Got there eventually (Hong Kong Station) and then the auto kiosk wasn’t happy without a Visa for Nepal which we get on arrival. Eventually had customer service check me in and my bags disappeared on their on journey to the airport. Had to buy a train ticket at $HK130 to get into the check in area which also gets me to the airport later. So free of bags and can explore HKG for the day.

Note in town check in is available for all CX flights and also QF30.

 

[Dantas]

With the check-in sorted, I spent that day walking around Victoria Harbour and had lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Wan Chai. Then topped up on some last minute supplies.

MTR to airport is very comfortable, with bucket seats. Express service about 40 mins.

Met a fellow trekker from BNE at the airport and had my first visit to the CX Pier First Lounge. It has an impressive layout and great food, wine and service. I’ve never been to Mott 32 but if the real thing is anything like the tasting experience menu they create for the Pier, then I need to do it. Menu attached. Washed down with a glass of Tattinger (first one was flat but was quickly replaced when I pointed it out) and then a couple of glasses of Californian Zinf with the wagyu. Showers here are good too - plenty of them and both clean and spacious.

The rest of our trekking crew touched down in KTM around midday and had their visa applications rejected (not sure why) so had to resubmit at the airport but managed to get it sorted. Will see what happens!

AirTags are showing my luggage has made it from the downtown check-in to the airport.

 

[Dantas]

The next part of the journey was CX603 HKG-KTM. My first experience on CX and was pleasantly surprised. A hot towel is no longer a distant memory! Full selection of drinks available before I even sat down and very friendly staff. 2-2-2 configuration in J on the A330 so not full lay down but it's just under an 5 hour flight. Also the captain was Australian which was unexpected.

I was late boarding as I was enjoying the lounge too much but meant that the CSM offered me an alternative seat than what I had originally chosen. So I'm in 11F rather than 12A with plenty of space and a baby change table should I need it :/ Note row 11 is the first row - not sure what happened with the single digits, but I'm sure someone will enlighten me.

Smoked salmon salad, chicken stir fry and strawberry Hagen-Daas has kept me busy so far. IFE is pretty good - but I'm not paying much attention as I'm busy writing this. Free wifi to J passengers too.

Had an hour or so nap after I reclined the seat as far as it can go. It caused my feet to touch the bulkhead and made me feel like a half-shut pocket knife. So 5ish hours is enough for this configuration.

 

[RooFlyer]

Did that 'salad' fall off a QF cart?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The next part of the journey was CX603 HKG-KTM. My first experience on CX and was pleasantly surprised. A hot towel is no longer a distant memory! Full selection of drinks available before I even sat down and very friendly staff. 2-2-2 configuration in J on the A330 so not full lay down but it's just under an 5 hour flight. Also the captain was Australian which was unexpected.

I was late boarding as I was enjoying the lounge too much but meant that the CSM offered me an alternative seat than what I had originally chosen. So I'm in 11F rather than 12A with plenty of space and a baby change table should I need it :/ Note row 11 is the first row - not sure what happened with the single digits, but I'm sure someone will enlighten me.

Smoked salmon salad, chicken stir fry and strawberry Hagen-Daas has kept me busy so far. IFE is pretty good - but I'm not paying much attention as I'm busy writing this. Free wifi to J passengers too.

Had an hour or so nap after I reclined the seat as far as it can go. It caused my feet to touch the bulkhead and made me feel like a half-shut pocket knife. So 5ish hours is enough for this configuration.

The regional configuration is better than economy for sure… but competitors are going to full lie flat for regionals, which puts cathay at a bit of a disadvantage.

Row 11 for business class to start means they can have consistency across the entire wide body fleet, particularly for aircraft substitutions. PEY starts at row 30 and economy at 39. SQ also starts at 11.

Rows 1-10 reserved for first class, although they only use 1-2 these days.

That is *not* a baby change table in front of you Although I think they rest the bassinet on it.

I found the IFE on Cathay to be very disappointing… a huge change from the past. Supposed ‘box sets’ were of random seasons, and some only contained three or four episodes… which could be episodes 3, 4 and 5… like where is 1 and 2?

Some shows only had one episode.

Did that 'salad' fall off a QF cart?

It’s the same salad I got on the flight from HKG to SYD!

 

[Dantas]

Arrival at KTM was fairly smooth, no aerobridge so a 2 minute bus ride to the terminal. We were told from the others in our group that arrived from BKK that our pre-arranged Visa applications wouldn’t work so we had to apply for new ones at the kiosks. Queues weren’t too bad and after paying $US30 we were on our way. Bag collection fairly quick. We were met by Dave, owner of Adventure Nepal and local tour guide Naran at the airport. Short walk to the Marinha Hotel where I had a long-neck Gurkha beer before retiring.

Hotel far from fancy but it’s all arranged by Adventure Nepal from now onwards. Google suggests it is a 2-star hotel.

Shower was good though after a reasonable rest. A couple of fried eggs and a black coffee was breakfast.