Tips on bagpacking
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Sometime back, a few young friends asked me about backpacking. Well, since I can't sleep, I'll tell you my story. With that story, I'll share with you the tips.
My first backpack experience was way back in 1987. That year, SIA opened a direct flight to Kathmandu and had a special 5 days package tour to Nepal. I only had to pay for the air ticket fare and they will pay for the 5 days tour package. I took the opportunity to extend the next 10 days into Tibet from Kathmandu. It was an opportunity because China opened its door to Tibet for foreigners in 1985 but it was simply impossible to go to Tibet via China. This way, I thought I could save some money and see more places.
Back then, internet was almost unheard of and I had to rely on books and I was refered to 2 ladies travellers who had came back from Tibet to share their experience. Thinking that with all these informations, I was ready. I tried to gather friends who would be interested but all my friends thought I was crazy. Finally I convenice my girlfriend and her classmates to go. So there were 5 of us. 4 ladies and a gentleman. With that, I became the unoffical leader of the team unknowingly.
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How ill-prepared i was. Firstly I did not understand the terrain and environment I would be facing. Next, I did not understand the team mates physical and mental status. Then, I did not know how to pack the luggages. I didn't think too much about transportation, afterall I heard from the 2 travellers. I didn't think too much about the timing and finally I didn't understand myself.
The 5 days in Nepal was a breeze. Afterall, everything was taken care off. Posh hotels, aircon mini-bus, clean hotel food, tour guide. Everything was taken care off. When the 5 days was over, suddenly I realised I was the leader of the team when everyone stared at me for instructions.
We had to leave the posh hotel and relocated to Kathmandu guest house (still it was the best of the guesthouse). Things weren't as expected. They weren't as clean as the hotel. The bed was clean but simple. I can't remember if there was aircon but it was already cold then. Then I discovered that everyone was carrying luggages (samsonite....). We weren't suited to climb mountains.
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Backpacking or bagpacking?
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Originally posted by Chew Bakar:
Backpacking or bagpacking?
you got me right there. this is the result of not writing for too long. -
Fortunately the shops around Kathmandu guesthouse had plenty of shops selling and renting camping stuff. We manage to find a shop that was willing to rent us his backpack and stuff but we had to leave our empty luggage bags with him as guarantees. Problems solved. It was just as well otherwise we had to find a place to keep our luggages.
As we had asked the Nepal agency to arrrange for the China visa, Tibet permit and a one way air ticket to Lhasa, we didn't have any problem flying into Lhasa. The flight into Lhasa was exiciting as we look out of the window to glance at Mt Everest and all the other mountain ranges.
Upon reaching Gongkor airport in Lhasa, I immediately step out of the plane only to run into the plane again. OMG the air was so thin and I could hardly breath. As the plane was pressurized, I didn't feel a thing until I stepped out. We have no choice but to get out of the plane. 3 of us immediately felt sick (we didn't know it was altitude sickness even though we had read so much about it).
All the reading went out the window. I couldn't think straight. We left the airport and there were touts inviting us to their hotels. There were 2 five stars hotel and we went for the 2nd best (different by a couple of tens) which was a China government operated one. We still couldn't get used to the idea of guesthouse (guess we thought we could afford and unused to the idea of shared toilets).
We soon realised that it was a mistake to chose the government operated hotel. Breakfast operates from 8am to 10am, lunch operate from 11am to 1pm and dinner operates from 6pm to 8pm. Any earlier or any later and you get nothing to eat because they were government's servants and they practice "afternoon nap".
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Altitude sick overcame the 3 of us and we slept the whole day in the hotel. We couldn't eat as we thought that it was their cooking the can't get used to but it was the same even with a "Made in Singapore" chocolate bar, We still didn't know it was altitude sickness.
On the 2nd day, the 3 of us gradually acclamitize and was well again. Then we proceed with our planned program. A visit to Potala palace !!! (guess that was the only place well known is Tibet). Argh!!!!! It was close on that day (didn't pay attention to the guide book opening time to Potala Palace). As most of the places we wanted to visit were within Lhasa, it was witin walking distance but altitude sickness took the toll and even make walking 50m a chore
It was expensive to take a cab everytime so I suggested to rent a bike only to find out that one of us couldn't cycle so we walked most of the time. All was not disappointing but my girlfriend was starting to get the effect of tha altitude sickness (it came on the 2nd day and she was sick throughout the trip back to Kathmandu.) She was so sick that I had to call a doctor (western medicine) to see her. When the doctor came, she told us that it was very expensive and was it OK with us. "Expensive? how much?" Guess I don't have a choice even it cost a bomb, "US$20" I was relief. Anyway the injection and medication worked and she was well enough to continue the journey.
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We spend 4 days in Lhasa and ventured into a guesthouse. We looked into a notice board there and saw a notice of a Hong Kong couple who hired a bus (40 seater) going to Zhangmu (border of Tibet and Nepal) on the very day we planned to leave Lhasa for Kathmandu. They were inviting people to join them southward. I immediately left my contacts on the notice to join them southward. I have met a real leader and a seasoned backpackers.
On the day of departure, we met up with the couple and the bus. Lo and behold, they have managed to recruit 25 passengers. Their conditions for us to join them was that he will assume leadership and we will have to follow their programme for the next week. That was a relief to me as i was having problem getting a bus southward due to departure timing (another timing mistake) and our flight back to Singapore was fixed.
Anyway things went smoothly after that. The Hong Kongers were very persistent in what they wanted. We spend 5 hours looking for the site to the sky burial and I was about to give up but their persistence paid off. I managed to witness the sky burial ceremony afterall. They were also real bargainers. We stayed at guesthouse, army camps along the route. They could bargain until our bed cost us SGD$1.00 per day. Meals are like $0.60 per meal
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Travelling nowadays is slightly different. Do make sure you have the following packed with your passport.
1) International Driving Permit
2) Travel Insurance Card
3) Namecards of your lawyers, travel agents & insurance agents
4) Your own namecard and next of kin name cards
5) Printed out itinery of your flights, especially the return flights back to Singapore.
6) Spare passport size photographs
7) A writing pen.
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However, I did not like their attitude against non-HKer. It's not that they were bad to us. In fact we became good friends. We offered the Bee Cheng Hiang Bak Kua and stuff and had a hearty chat throughout but they are pretty cruel against non Chinese (even to a HK lady with her caucasion husband). They will only pick up passenger if the passenger agreed to pay a price fixed by them. (of course the fare will be divided among all of us as we pay lesser with more pasengers). Still I find it cruel to leave hitch hikers in the open high mountains with the next stop hours away.
Anyway we reached Zhangmu to Nepal. We had to hike down the mountain to the friendship bridge which seperate Tibet and Nepal. More problems arises. There was a landslide and the road was closed. More hikes!!! We hired porters to carry our backpack to unload ourselves but these Nepali barefooted porter were walking so fast we were afraid that the will just run off with our bags.
But the Nepali were pretty honest. Along the way, we hitch a hike from a lorry. We simply looked like refugees on the run.Finally we reached Kathmandu with a day to spare for river rafting before flying home. And 2 weeks after we left Tibet, there was a riot in Lhasa which saw many victims and death. I wondered what happened to some HKer as they were suppose to go back to HK via Tibet again.
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With every household now equipped with scanner/printer. Do have the following documents copied and keep in your handcarry:
1) Passport
2) Flight itinery or boarding pass if you have them already
3) Credit cards
4) Various documents you think will identify & help you should the originals goes missing.
Rationale:
Should you get robbed, passport stolen, luggage misplaced. The copy of passport will help identify you at customs and police stations.
2) Being able to show itinery or copies of boarding pass, will help put you back on the plane even if originals are stolen (No garantees, but I've known cases that it happened.)
3) Should your wallets be stolen/lost. copy of credit cards can still help you pay some bills, or it can save you time to cancel the cards. Just fax the copy to the bank instead of waiting for a call to get thru.
4) As mentioned, it help to identify you should your originals got stolen.
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This was my first backpack and I had learnt alot after that. I have also fall in love with backpacking but after I started a family, it was always a guided tour.
My other backpack includes
Hong kong
Teochew / Swa Tow (my Honeymoon)
Fuoshan
Australia Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast (driving with family)
Cambodia
India
Sri Lanka
and Tibet again in Sep 09 if things goes well
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its good experience i must say. lol
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Question : Where should I go for backpack holidays?
Someone asked me this and told him that it could be anywhere they wishes. For me, I love nature therefore I love places that are not so commericalise. But the principle behind it should be to prepare yourself by reading up alot (not one book only). Lonely planet is a handy book to have. You must have one.
Question : Why backpack?
For me, I love natures, history and arts. Therefore I don't like to be hurried by tour guide like chasing a brood of chicken. By backpack holiday, you decide what you want to see, how long you want to stay, what you want to eat and how you want to travel. However you need to do your homework, such as timing of buses, opening hours of the place you want to visit. Furthermore backpack tour can be kept small to cater to people of common interest. Backpack holidays can be for places that are not commonly visit by tourist and you can have a picture of the whole scenery without a single soul inside.
Question : Who should backpack?
Anyone can but you should be bold. You should be a problem solver and is flexible. You should be able to adapt to change and to love their culture to be like them. You should be able to live in their environment such as guesthouse or even their residence. Be prepare to give up comfort like aircon and even toilet!!!
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Question : Is backpacking cheaper way of holidaying?
Backpacking is not necessary cheaper but can be if you are able to accomodate cheap guesthouse, public transport, cheap local food and no tour guide. I like that because you live like their people, eat their food and more able to communicate with the local.
Question : Who should i go backpacking with?
Anyone. In fact you can also go alone if you want but it's good to have company and someone you can discuss with. Learn to know the your partners strength and weakness. Have a common understanding and common objective. Backpacking is not like package tour whereby you pay your agency, meet him at the airport and off you go. We would normally have meeting and dicussion to trash out problems and also to know the person better, such as his experience/inexperience toward high altitude etc.
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Question : What are the things I should do for backpacking?
- Travel Insurance. I think this is a pirorty. Imagine if you don't have one but need to do medical evacuation. It will cost you a bomb if you don't have it. Furthermore it insure you with loss of luggages and others too.
- Medical Checkup. If the trip is going to be a rugged one, go check your conditions. Typhoid and malaria injection if necessary.
- Exercise. If you don't exercise regularly, you have to start to do so. This is so that you won't hold your partners up. It's at least your responsibility to do so.
- Read up, check air ticket price, write your own itinerary, plan the dates. With internet today, you can even copy their programme to suit you.
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For malaria don't need injection, prophylaxis should be sufficient. Injection of yellow fever is a must for travel to tropic Africa.
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Very interesting read
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oboy
i wanna backpack tibet so badly
thanks for the tips man
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thank you for the read guys.
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Question : What are the things I should have in a backpack?
It depends on where you are going. It should be as compact as possible especially if you have to carry them around. Since I have given Tibet as an example, I'll pack something suitable for that.
1) Personal Hygiene
- Tooth brush, tooth paste,razor shaver, liquid soup and washing powder
- Under-clothing. I prefer to use disposal underwear
- 1 or 2 towels
- picky heat powder, toilet paper, tissue paper and wet tissue
- lip gloss to prevent crack lip
- sun block lotions with spf 50
2) Essentials
- Consumable Medicine - charcoal for diarrhea, paracetamol for pain and fever, Anti Vomit pills, Diamox for Altitude Sickness(need doctor prescription)
- Non consumable Medicine - plasters, medicated oil for sprains and ache, vicks vapour rub to keep nose moist preventing nose bleed and even hand wash alcohol
3) Clothing (since temperature ranges from 1 to 17 degree C)
- long sleeves tee shirt x 3 and short sleeves tee shirt x 2 (they dry up easily)
- long pants x 3
- long jean x 2
- long john x 1
- winter coat x 1, gloves x 1 pair
- rain coat x 1 (disposal type)
- 1 short pant (usually I do not recommend as alot of places may not allow you to enter)
- 1 comfortable pair of shoes and 1 pair of slippers
- thermal socks x 4
4) Useful Items
- sleeping bags (it can be quite cold in a guesthouse at night)
- torch with batteries
- calculator, camera with spare batteries, money belt, a small bag for day outing
- small thermoflask
- ziploc bags
- UV sunglass
- jockey cap
5) Avoid bringing valuable and expensive items
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Vk suggestion is also good. It is also good to have useful information like Singapore Embassy contact number and medical evacuation number etc. Others may like to input their suggestion for the benefit of all.
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That's all I can offer. Happy backpacking !!!
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I was waiting for you to list out the medicine and the clothing to bring.
I have similar list.
And yes, I forgot to add in those embassy phone numbers and bank phone numbers to load onto your handphone.
And for those new generation travellers like we are. Handphone chargers is a must!
A notebook for surfing at some newer hotels or even star bucks is a god send.
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Originally posted by viciouskitty74:
I was waiting for you to list out the medicine and the clothing to bring.
I have similar list.
And yes, I forgot to add in those embassy phone numbers and bank phone numbers to load onto your handphone.
And for those new generation travellers like we are. Handphone chargers is a must!
A notebook for surfing at some newer hotels or even star bucks is a god send.
don't call me. i'm on a holidays -
Sorry for sidetracking, but I do not wish to get a new topic for such a trivial question.
I'll be heading to Japan for about 6 months, during which 3 to 4 months will be in winter. It doesn't snow very often there but it does go as low as negative.
Where can I get something nice to wear for it? And also, whats the likely damage? Plus, should I just getting a winter jacket or a winter coat? Coats are like those that stretch down to the knee or something.