Monkeyrockworld

As I had to go through the process of applying for a Bangladesh visa in Kathmandu, Nepal, I decided to share my experience on Monkeyrockworld. After India enforced its immigration rules and applied a mandatory 2 months gap among two consecutive visits to the country on a double or multiple entry tourist visa, there has been a lot of imprecise information about travel to what are defined as “neighboring countries”. Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh all fall under this category.

My quest started back in Malaysia, as I was planning my Journey to the West’s Indian subcontinent leg: I wanted to enter India flying to Kolkata, cross the country westwards, enter Nepal from Uttarkhand state in India, exit Nepal at its easternmost side; then, continue to travel in Northeast India before finally entering Bangladesh. Read the rest of this entry →

Come qualcuno di voi sa o avra’ intuito, questo 2012, almeno per il momento, me lo sto riservando per un lungo viaggio senza prendere voli. Ho deciso di coronare un sogno che mi gira in testa da prima ancora daver lasciato l’Italia quattro e passa anni fa, ovvero di fare Asia- Europa via terra: e’ nato dunque il progetto Journey to the West, che si sta sviluppando lentamente per vie terrestri, senza ricorrere all’utilizzo di voli low cost.

Grazie a Sanba Radio e alla potentissima voce del mitico Fabio Zaca’ -  il vero Godzilla della radio indipendente Italiana – potete ascoltare ogni quindici giorni una decina di minuti di miei reportage dall’Asia, e in particolare in questi primi mesi, dall’India.

Qui di seguito trovate un player per ascoltare in diretta la Quarta Puntata di “Journey to the West”… mi raccomando non dimenticate di commentare, se avete qualcosa da dire, e di aiutarci shareando il link o il player sui vostri siti o social networks… eccola qua:

Buon ascolto e mi raccomando, non dimenticate che se ce la faccio io, ce la potete fare anche voi… realizzate i vostri sogni, qualsiasi essi siano, e viaggiate il piu’ possibile!!!

picture by Kit Yeng Chan, 2012

I have always been told by other travelers that Nepal is a cheap destination. A place where it is possible to sleep for 1 $ per night and indulge in great Himalayan hiking for next to nothing. I am definitely arrived in the country too late, as I found myself into a really different situation: Nepal is not that cheap, especially when it comes to hiking: being the most lucrative tourist business in the country, in Nepal you will be asked about your walking projects since day one. I was even offered tour guiding services by one of the immigration officers at the border J

If you try to get information in any of the guidebooks, you will find a quoted daily expense oscillating among $20 to $30 per person per day. To some people, this is not a lot of money, but for me, as I am on a 10 months long trip, every penny counts. Consequently, I had to try to make it cheaper… and I made it. Here are some tips HOW to hike the Annapurna region for around 5$ per person per day in 2012: Read the rest of this entry →