Nice Nepal
- Thread starter jaxxb
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No need for tandem paragliding but could do a 10 day course for the personal license, its very comfortable in the 'seat' compared to skydiving. But my pilot Victor (from Russia) kept going further up (yes, up) from where we took off. As a result, my tummy was really feeling it after 15 mins of 'catching the thermals', i became concerned i would have my breakfast all over camera.
I love your pictures... beautifully. Thanks for sharing the travel information of Nepal, want to see more.
Amazing photographs. I can imagine you would've had a fabulous time.
Do post more photographs and I look forward to your writeup too.
What you wrote here means a lot. Its a valuable tip for any travel photographer. Thanks for sharing. In my case too, I enjoy the research that goes into planning the travel - the actual travel experience is just the icing on the cake.
Here are some more.
P11 Swayambhunath Bathed in Golden Sun
P12 Baktapur Durbar Square
P13 Massive Tibetan Prayer Wheel
P14 Holy Men At Pashupatinath
P15 Bhairava (Lord Shiva) Wooden Carvings
P11 Swayambhunath Bathed in Golden Sun
P12 Baktapur Durbar Square
P13 Massive Tibetan Prayer Wheel
P14 Holy Men At Pashupatinath
P15 Bhairava (Lord Shiva) Wooden Carvings
P16 Fishtail Mountain (a holy mountain, no climbers are allowed)
P17 Alternative Viewing Site Of Annapurna Range
P18 Poon Hill Viewing Platform (yes, that little dot on the left)
P19 Poon Hill Viewing Platform (now, i'm on it...)
P20 Poon Hill Viewing Platform (now from below it...)
P17 Alternative Viewing Site Of Annapurna Range
P18 Poon Hill Viewing Platform (yes, that little dot on the left)
P19 Poon Hill Viewing Platform (now, i'm on it...)
P20 Poon Hill Viewing Platform (now from below it...)
P21 Phewa Lake at Pokhara (taken from a paraglide, it gets quite misty most times)
P22 More of the Mountains
P23 Farmers Tending to Farm (near Gorkha)
P24 Devi's Fall (ok... what.. that is the falls?)
P22 More of the Mountains
P23 Farmers Tending to Farm (near Gorkha)
P24 Devi's Fall (ok... what.. that is the falls?)
maybe wanted to change nick.... but need to be careful.
one of the very best threads here, inspired me to come up with a post of the inspiring threads in this subforum.
Thanks for your compliments, now for the write up.
Firstly, Namaste! Tapalai Katso Char?
Where, When And What?
Started in Kathmandu, then a drive to Pokhara to trek around Poon Hill, back on flight to Kathmandu in Jan 2007 for about 10 days. Poon Hill is a common trek that is perhaps the most basic trekking that involves about 4-5 days but with spectacular views, details can be found inside of Lonely Planet as well but I went with Mountain Monarch (highly recommended) which provided more or less everything we needed from start to end for rather reasonable prices (but i went in low season). It was just myself and my sister but it included a sherpa, guide and a porter, great for photographers who want their own time etc but also possible to do alone (peak period, they would bunch people together); my guides are quite fun too, good way to learn the language and other things Nepalese or Hinduism. Trekking is quite established in Nepal so it's best place to trek, plus the view is not bad and lots of options. Please check on political situation, Maoist rebels never harm anybody but sometimes causes inconvenience (i was looking forward to taking pictures of them with their AK47 but alas, they lay down their arms but still had my route from Kathmandu to Pokhara blocked by insurgents who burned a bus and would attacke any vehicle that would approach the bridge; however, they were very nice to tourist by forcing on local car to turn around to drive us into Pokhara after we walked quite abit)
What To Expect
Kathmandu (Street, Portrait, Architecture) : is a medieval-like old city packed with rather modern people with sometimes heavy traffic but old small roads. Lots of shopping with tremenduos amount of outdoor gears (mostly fake), some nepalese goods, even tibetan ones (you get more tibetan materials here than in Tibet tiself) and mountaineering books (saw Khoo Swee Ciao's book). The old architectures here are plenty but not well taken care of except for three Durbar Squares around the valley. However, they wear Nike and not too many traditional costumes, try to spend more time in the Durbar Square, Pashupatinath and Bodhnath (where you'd see the most of Tibetan people, and they are a character if you've not met them. i've been to Tibet so the people here are not too exhilirating) It can get very dusty, plus misty as well so expect creating those shots too. Each of the Durbar square specialises in particular traditional trade e.g. carvings, or silver or pottery so you can experience these at the right places, think its quite good for shopping too.
Pokhara (Landscape) : has a more backpacking vibe that serves as a launching pad for trekking into the Annapurna regions. Sites around Pokhara are ok only but should also try the paragliding because they would also take you up Sarangkot which has the best view around the area. Minutes makes alot of difference to the scene here (or Annapurna) from pure whiteout to clear skies.
Annapurna (Landscape, Portrait) : is quite massive with numerous options to go to. Easiest would be the one i took (Poon Hill) but i took the reverse direction from the regular route (Nayapul-Ghandruk-Tadapani) which is highly recommended. The TWO absolute best spots are near Ghorapani: one being Poon Hill itself and the other near Ghorapani (bout 1km) from Tadapani (those were where the clear pictures were taken from), otherwise its easy to see the mountains but difficult to get the full picture. Typically, the guest house would be located at good location, enough for you to get good shots but prepare for the cold.
What To Prepare
Photography Equipment: Tripod is almost a must, lighter the better because you can get pictures at random locations. Ultra-Wide (12-24mm) is useful for architecture but mostly i'm on my Wide zoom (17-55mm) for landscape, portrait shots while you'd be surprise how much Tele zoom (70-200mm) you'd be doing for landscapes and or course portrait. Polarizer (had other grad fitlers) is almost a must and the sun can get intense quickly, remember to stay 90 degree angle, also, I highly recommend flash for fill in for portrait (i did not take one along). I also saw a need of those bags that you'd put btw tripod legs to store all these things on the fly as I saw a Japanese Mamiya photographer had. Tripod bags in case it gets too inconvenient for you to carry with your camera, can pass to guide. Bag and the decision on what to bring is the biggest headache, I only had shoulder bags and a CompuTrekker so I splurge on DryZone Rover and boy was it great (and waterproof), i was carrying dSLR, 17-55mm, 70-200mm, another panaromic SLR (that is about 10kg) and fitlers etc with my 12-24mm stored carefully in my other bag. IMPORTANT to get bag with a good waist strap to ensure it rest on your waist rather than your shoulders, although its not the best solution for quick accessibility but you learn to adapt quickly. Power supply is available at most guest house but cannot be guranteed so have to ensure two days supply at least with sufficient memory space and the cold is NOT cold enough to cause your batteries problem. Watch for contrast between snow-capped mountains and everything else (e.g. portrait would definitely need flash to capture both details), highly recommend pictures in RAW and bracket (think the advancements of RAW manipulation is getting better by the month... I wouldn't be surprise cameras would have inbuilt HDR in future). Also, watch for reciprocal failure that seem to affect me quite abit with horrible color shifts, i.e. zoom into your pictures and not trust your histogram at these altitudes.
Other Equipment: Bring a fitter YOU if possible because not only do you want to survive this trip but you also want to be able to last longer and move further to get into spots (often i explore further while my sister rested). Make sure you have necessary gears to keep you warm (not those from WinterWonderLand, which my sis did), buying there in Nepal isn't a bad idea but my agency also provided equipment for a free but i had most of mine. Goretex can be very useful because it's windproof yet breathable. I would recommend energy gels, bars (the food might be terrible), electrolyte rehydration solution e.g. Hydralyte (good for any trip from Unity Pharma), hand warmers (i hate wearing gloves for photography), compass / altitude capable watch (the ONLY watch I own is a Suunto X9i, it even has GPS) and lots of wipes. If you use porter then they would carry the larger bag while you carry a lighter one, need at least 1 litre of water with you (get Nalgene so you can sleep with hotwater in your sleeping bag). Mostly less than 2500m so no worries of AMS just dehydration without realising because you won't sweat.
What Else?
Can always try Mount Everest Base Camp which is a tougher trek for about 18 days including some acclimitisation but accessible from Tibet (another Base Camp) by car. In Annapurna, lots of options to go even deeper into Annapurna Base Camp (possible to rush within 9 days, according to another swiss girl on my flight there). Otherwise, the other side of Nepal is that they have sea-level lands as well, e.g. Chitwan National Park which jiven went to. Of course, you can always go up Everest... or try one of the Peak Climbing first.
Fwah... lor sor... so pack for Nepal... and if you meet guide that shout 'Malaysia Boleh' then it would be my doing!!!
Firstly, Namaste! Tapalai Katso Char?
Where, When And What?
Started in Kathmandu, then a drive to Pokhara to trek around Poon Hill, back on flight to Kathmandu in Jan 2007 for about 10 days. Poon Hill is a common trek that is perhaps the most basic trekking that involves about 4-5 days but with spectacular views, details can be found inside of Lonely Planet as well but I went with Mountain Monarch (highly recommended) which provided more or less everything we needed from start to end for rather reasonable prices (but i went in low season). It was just myself and my sister but it included a sherpa, guide and a porter, great for photographers who want their own time etc but also possible to do alone (peak period, they would bunch people together); my guides are quite fun too, good way to learn the language and other things Nepalese or Hinduism. Trekking is quite established in Nepal so it's best place to trek, plus the view is not bad and lots of options. Please check on political situation, Maoist rebels never harm anybody but sometimes causes inconvenience (i was looking forward to taking pictures of them with their AK47 but alas, they lay down their arms but still had my route from Kathmandu to Pokhara blocked by insurgents who burned a bus and would attacke any vehicle that would approach the bridge; however, they were very nice to tourist by forcing on local car to turn around to drive us into Pokhara after we walked quite abit)
What To Expect
Kathmandu (Street, Portrait, Architecture) : is a medieval-like old city packed with rather modern people with sometimes heavy traffic but old small roads. Lots of shopping with tremenduos amount of outdoor gears (mostly fake), some nepalese goods, even tibetan ones (you get more tibetan materials here than in Tibet tiself) and mountaineering books (saw Khoo Swee Ciao's book). The old architectures here are plenty but not well taken care of except for three Durbar Squares around the valley. However, they wear Nike and not too many traditional costumes, try to spend more time in the Durbar Square, Pashupatinath and Bodhnath (where you'd see the most of Tibetan people, and they are a character if you've not met them. i've been to Tibet so the people here are not too exhilirating) It can get very dusty, plus misty as well so expect creating those shots too. Each of the Durbar square specialises in particular traditional trade e.g. carvings, or silver or pottery so you can experience these at the right places, think its quite good for shopping too.
Pokhara (Landscape) : has a more backpacking vibe that serves as a launching pad for trekking into the Annapurna regions. Sites around Pokhara are ok only but should also try the paragliding because they would also take you up Sarangkot which has the best view around the area. Minutes makes alot of difference to the scene here (or Annapurna) from pure whiteout to clear skies.
Annapurna (Landscape, Portrait) : is quite massive with numerous options to go to. Easiest would be the one i took (Poon Hill) but i took the reverse direction from the regular route (Nayapul-Ghandruk-Tadapani) which is highly recommended. The TWO absolute best spots are near Ghorapani: one being Poon Hill itself and the other near Ghorapani (bout 1km) from Tadapani (those were where the clear pictures were taken from), otherwise its easy to see the mountains but difficult to get the full picture. Typically, the guest house would be located at good location, enough for you to get good shots but prepare for the cold.
What To Prepare
Photography Equipment: Tripod is almost a must, lighter the better because you can get pictures at random locations. Ultra-Wide (12-24mm) is useful for architecture but mostly i'm on my Wide zoom (17-55mm) for landscape, portrait shots while you'd be surprise how much Tele zoom (70-200mm) you'd be doing for landscapes and or course portrait. Polarizer (had other grad fitlers) is almost a must and the sun can get intense quickly, remember to stay 90 degree angle, also, I highly recommend flash for fill in for portrait (i did not take one along). I also saw a need of those bags that you'd put btw tripod legs to store all these things on the fly as I saw a Japanese Mamiya photographer had. Tripod bags in case it gets too inconvenient for you to carry with your camera, can pass to guide. Bag and the decision on what to bring is the biggest headache, I only had shoulder bags and a CompuTrekker so I splurge on DryZone Rover and boy was it great (and waterproof), i was carrying dSLR, 17-55mm, 70-200mm, another panaromic SLR (that is about 10kg) and fitlers etc with my 12-24mm stored carefully in my other bag. IMPORTANT to get bag with a good waist strap to ensure it rest on your waist rather than your shoulders, although its not the best solution for quick accessibility but you learn to adapt quickly. Power supply is available at most guest house but cannot be guranteed so have to ensure two days supply at least with sufficient memory space and the cold is NOT cold enough to cause your batteries problem. Watch for contrast between snow-capped mountains and everything else (e.g. portrait would definitely need flash to capture both details), highly recommend pictures in RAW and bracket (think the advancements of RAW manipulation is getting better by the month... I wouldn't be surprise cameras would have inbuilt HDR in future). Also, watch for reciprocal failure that seem to affect me quite abit with horrible color shifts, i.e. zoom into your pictures and not trust your histogram at these altitudes.
Other Equipment: Bring a fitter YOU if possible because not only do you want to survive this trip but you also want to be able to last longer and move further to get into spots (often i explore further while my sister rested). Make sure you have necessary gears to keep you warm (not those from WinterWonderLand, which my sis did), buying there in Nepal isn't a bad idea but my agency also provided equipment for a free but i had most of mine. Goretex can be very useful because it's windproof yet breathable. I would recommend energy gels, bars (the food might be terrible), electrolyte rehydration solution e.g. Hydralyte (good for any trip from Unity Pharma), hand warmers (i hate wearing gloves for photography), compass / altitude capable watch (the ONLY watch I own is a Suunto X9i, it even has GPS) and lots of wipes. If you use porter then they would carry the larger bag while you carry a lighter one, need at least 1 litre of water with you (get Nalgene so you can sleep with hotwater in your sleeping bag). Mostly less than 2500m so no worries of AMS just dehydration without realising because you won't sweat.
What Else?
Can always try Mount Everest Base Camp which is a tougher trek for about 18 days including some acclimitisation but accessible from Tibet (another Base Camp) by car. In Annapurna, lots of options to go even deeper into Annapurna Base Camp (possible to rush within 9 days, according to another swiss girl on my flight there). Otherwise, the other side of Nepal is that they have sea-level lands as well, e.g. Chitwan National Park which jiven went to. Of course, you can always go up Everest... or try one of the Peak Climbing first.
Fwah... lor sor... so pack for Nepal... and if you meet guide that shout 'Malaysia Boleh' then it would be my doing!!!
Wow so many beautiful pictures in this series & interesting info.
Great job! Amazing.:thumbsup:
Looking at them I immediately start dreaming to travel over there.
Thanks for sharing.
Great job! Amazing.:thumbsup:
Looking at them I immediately start dreaming to travel over there.
Thanks for sharing.
Shuttergraphy, great photography !!
Ani ma chai thik thak chu. Timi le ta Nepalko photo ek dam ramro khichecha ni. Ek dam khusi lagyo, timiley Nepalko photo yeha rakhada. Aba Sabai Singaporeko photographer haru haru Nepalma thupreney bhayo :bsmilie:
Namaste !!!
Ani ma chai thik thak chu. Timi le ta Nepalko photo ek dam ramro khichecha ni. Ek dam khusi lagyo, timiley Nepalko photo yeha rakhada. Aba Sabai Singaporeko photographer haru haru Nepalma thupreney bhayo :bsmilie:
Namaste !!!
Wow so many beautiful pictures in this series & interesting info.
Great job! Amazing.:thumbsup:
Looking at them I immediately start dreaming to travel over there.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. Nepal is naturally beautiful place (but there are also lots of other beautiful places in Asia)
Thanks. Ma ali nepali bolchhu ("Malai ramru char", "Theo himal ..." and other phrases i'd say to Nepali girl, constitute my limited nepali vocab) but i can tell you that i'm Malaysian living in Singapore.
Namaste!
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