http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?ColumnTitle=UliBlog en-us Copyright 2009 Baltimore City Paper http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17698 Yesterday´s rain in the lower regions has covered Namche Bazaar and above with a thin blanket of snow. Andi, Tina, Andreas and I gear up for an excursion to the Everest View Hotel. It lays a bit higher than Namche Bazaar and makes for a fine daytrip to help you to get used to the altitude. Alt ... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17675 Phakding, with an altitude of 2600 meters (200 meters below Lukla) is a perfect place to acclimatize oneself to the altitude. From here it's a one day hike up to the village of Namche Bazaar at 3420 meters. I slept really well and feel refreshed. I make sure I let the herds of trekking groups ge ... Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17603 The next day I get up very early, making sure I get a hot, sweat chiya (what the Indians call chai) into my belly before I am heading off to the airport in Kathmandu. I say good-bye to Satram and Dinesh leaving much of my things in the hotel storage and taking just a small backpack of about 13 kilos ... Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17211 I only have two and a half days in Kathmandu to get everything ready and organized for my trekking departure into the Himalayas. I decide it's time to get my hair trimmed and end up in a barber shop with a very skilled Indian barber cutting skillfully and fast. I have no time to resist when he i ... Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17192 I arrive in Kathmandu as the first rays of sun dissolve the morning mist. The humid hot air of Kolkata has given way to brisk mountain air. Kathmandu, with a population of 700.000 Inhabitants, lies in a valley in the southern foothills of the Himalayas at 1400 meters altitude. Since the valley is sh ... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17160 The overnight train ride from Kolkata to Patna does not feel as enjoyable and safe as all the other train ride adventures I have had so far. I am a bit concerned about my safety and the safety of my stuff. During the entire ride persistent beggars come through the train and people look at me with le ... Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17153 I spend only three days in Kolkata, as I have arranged to meet my friend Andi in Kathmandu, a mountain and expedition guide from Austria, who offered me to take me on a trek with him. On the day of my departure I hesitate and feel unsure about leaving. In the short time I have spent here I met a num ... Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17130 Further on, craftsmen with their tools laid out in front of them are sitting on the sidewalk waiting to be picked up for a job. I walk far into areas where rarely another traveler has been seen. My favorite visual moment of the day is when I end up in a labyrinth of narrow streets that are jam-p ... Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17097 I meet a family of at least five who live on a big bed outside a shop which sells traditional Indian embroidery. The father is already busy with hand embroidering a piece of fabric in mesmerizing high speed while some of his children are still sleeping and his wife is just getting up. ... Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17096      ... Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17089 I get up before sunrise, and am out on the streets taking photos by 6:00am. I encounter a world I would never see, if I got up a couple hours later. At this time of the day there are mostly only men out on the streets. The sidewalk dormitories have turned into bustling street markets, chai stands, r ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17045 Kingfisher Airlines brings me safely from Hyderabad to Kolkata in two hours. We touch solid ground after night has fallen. The airport is nothing like the spaceship in Hyderabad. It has the beige and brown lived in charm of a Mexican cantina from the 50ies. There is no point looking for public trans ... Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST