Now Ye're Talking - To a World Traveller

I've travelled the world, AMA

And with that guys, it's time to wind it down. Like all good journeys, it's time for this thread to come to an end, but it's been a surprise and a genuine pleasure to have been part of this AMA, and I'd like to thank everybody for their varied and insightful questions. I truly hope that some of you put those travel plans into action, and who knows, maybe our paths will cross somewhere along the way.

Regards,
M

allybhoy

Noo...

The Moldy Gowl

You're not allowed leave us. Let us live through you while drinking lattes.

FoxyVixen

Never have I had a true moment that could physically represent "lmfao", but that story of the country shutting down for your boys night out had me in stitches :pac: Excellant!! Not many people can say they had an experience like that

And the beach story!! Duuuude, what a bummer

Dav

I'm going to wrap it up there. I want to say a big thank you to our world traveller for giving up their time and providing so many excellent answers and tips. Tempted to pack a bag and head for a ferry now myself!

sporina

I've travelled the world, AMA wrote: »

As a guy, it can be hard to answer questions from the female perspective, beceuse there are angles that may not seem risky to me, but are to a female traveller. And yes, in both India and South America, bad things can, and have happened in the past, particularly in India, where there have been several high profile cases as of late. The best advice I can give you is to use caution and common sense. For the most part in both India and South America, the harrassment if it does happen tends to be of a verbal nature, usually from groups of men showing off in front of their friends. Even as a solo traveller, you will constantly run in to fellow travellers, and I'd suggest grouping up to go sightseeing, visiting temples and such. From what I can see, the Indian media have been pretty honest when it has come to reporting on rapes within the country. Verbal harassment happens on a daily basis, and gets brushed under the carpet.

All that being said, the number of solo female travellers who have had amazing and hassle free trips, far, far outweighs those who have found themselves in trouble, so don't let that put you off going there. Exercise common sense and you will be fine.



I didn't, though I was looking at it on the map only last night. I'm considering taking a job in Myanmar in a couple of months, and Bangladesh only being across the border, if the border is open to travel then I can certainly see myself traveling over for a visit.



If you are travelling fro any length of time like you are doing, it's impossible to plan it so you land in every single country at the optimum time - there are always going to be trade-offs somewhere along the way, and in your case it will be where you happen to end up during the rainy season. As to what you can do - not a whole lot really - if you have a lot of time then maybe you can detour on your way there, but fro the most part you just have to roll with it.

Having said that, rainy season in Nepal really isn't a big deal, and I actually preferred travelling and hiking there in the rainy season, as there were far less other tourists to contend with, and you have the place more or less to yourself. In the rainy season, tours and accommodation are also far cheaper - it's a buyers market, you just have to be willing to bargain. If you are hiking something like the Annapurna Circuit, or Base Camp trek, the best advice I can give is to readjust your daily schedule - get up as early as possible, as soon as day breaks, and hike through the morning while it is dry. You can pretty much set your watch by the rainy season in Nepal - it will downpour just after 2pm, but by then you may have 6-8 hours hiking under our belt. If that isn't enough for you, it's a warm rain and most Sherpas just walk through it, with an umbrella wedged into their carry packs, giving them shelter from overhead.

The biggest issue caused by the rain are roads getting washed out - the mountain roads in particular are prone to mudslide, and have been known to take a local bus or two full of passengers with them, down into the valley below. And you'll see plenty of evidence of that along the way, in the form of tangled metal poking out from the vegetation down below. I used to sit on the roof rather than inside - should something happen then at least I had the chance of jumping off. But the risks of being that unlucky are very low.

The second issue when you are actually hiking, other than your schedule being interfered with, are leeches - they are harmless for the most part, but if you are the squeamish type then you may not be too happy to look down and find three or four of them anchored to your legs. You can try to prevent them by wearing long legged hiking pants, keeping everything tucked in, but the heat and humidity will take their toll. I'd just hike in shorts, and not worry about them too much. Other than leaving wounds that take forever to clot though - leeches produce an anticoagulant in their saliva which keeps the blood flowing - they don't have any lasting effects.

thanks for that..

i love how you say its not a big deal but that would be an ordeal for me…

i really wanna do Nepal in prime time so I will leave it for another time.
I managed to change my flights cost free - so my flights are only booked as far as SEA - I am free from there on.. i will make a new plan in the near future…

I will do India/Nepal maybe even China on another trip..

the thread is awesome - I will take a few hours soon to read through all of the thread with a pen and paper in hand,..

well done on the thread and all the replies..

best of luck with the rest of your adventures and I look forward to reading about them again