Going on an Adventure (INOV Contacto)

HOW I ENDED UP WORKING ABROAD IN MACAU

A bit of Backstory

Back in 2013, I came to Asia for the first time. I was finishing my Master at NTNU in Norway and our class had to be a couple of weeks in Xi’an for a project with a Chinese University. Me and a friend of mine decided to travel some time before that and we chose Hong Kong and Macau to start this adventure.

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Trip to Scotland (Edinburgh and Highlands)

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Edinburgh

Before beginning my road trip to the Highlands, I flew in to Edinburgh and explored the city for one day. You can get a good look at the major sites and the way the city flows in one day if you’re not afraid of walking.

Detailed Road Trip to the Scottish Highlands

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10 EUR ≈ 8,89 GBP ≈ 12,22 USD

Day 0

I’m gonna start by saying that you can do this even cheaper than we did if you want to, just bring more people. The biggest expenses are the car and gas and you can divide those comfortably by four people in a small car.

I made this trip with just one friend, and we are both used to travel cheap and camping in the wild, so that’s what we did. We did it in November so it was pretty cold and we even got snow at a point during one of the short hikes we did, remember to adjust your clothing depending on the weather you’ll get.

If you’re planning on camping, like we did, you need to bring some extra stuff with you when you travel to Scotland. As I flew in, I had to pay for an extra bag on the plane, some stuff you can’t bring on your hand luggage, and you won’t even be able to fit everything you’ll need in such a small bag.

Trekking to the Gosainkunda Sacred Lakes (4550m)

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Why this trek?

I’m going to start my blog by posting about my third trek in Nepal. I chose to blog about it because it was a major adventure for me, I’ve never been at this altitude (4550m), much less hiked to a place that high up, alone!

I chose to do this trek because it was one of the areas most affected by the huge earthquakes of 2015 (spend your money where it is most needed). I started from Dhunche because it was the nearest village to Kathmandu, which meant less hours riding the crazy budget buses. Also, some Nepali friends, that I met on my first days in Nepal, recommended this trek to me as it was more remote and much more peaceful, with more Hindu and Buddhist devotees than foreigners. I should say that I did this at low season so I’ll be complaining a lot about the cold! 😛

Detailed Info About my Trek to Gosainkunda

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1000 NPR ≈ 9,83 USD ≈ 8,22 EUR

Day 0

Before the Trek Expenses:

• 250 NPR – Aquatabs
• 100 NPR – Altitude Emergency Medicine
• 2000 NPR – TIMS Card as a Solo Trekker
• 3400 NPR – Langtang National Park Permit
• 500 NPR – Langtang, Helambu and Gosainkunda Map
• 1000 NPR – Supermarket Extra Food and Drinks
• 450 NPR – Bus ticket to Syapru Besi
• 95 NPR – Bananas and Apples

TOTAL: 7795 NPR ≈ 76,65 USD ≈ 64,15 EUR

Check my post with more before the trek advises here!

Before the Trek Info (to Gosainkunda)

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Checklist before leaving Kathmandu:

• TIMS Card as a solo trekker (2000NPR) and Langtang National Park Permit (3400NPR), you can get both of them at the Tourist Service Center in Kathmandu (see images below);
• extra food and drinks from the supermarket (they will be much cheaper in the city);
• AQUATABS to purify the running water and some emergency medicine for the altitude (you can find both in pharmacies);
• map of the area where you will trek (yes, I also have GPS on my smartphone, but a map is always more fun and never runs low on battery);
• extra batteries for your devices (I also have a solar charger that I keep on top of my backpack);
• choose a place to leave all the weight you won’t need in the mountains (either at your accommodation in the city or at a restaurant near the starting point of the trek, you’ll regret having the extra weight with you, trust me);
• get enough money in hands, bank cards won’t be of any use during the trek;
• bus ticket to the place where you choose to start trekking.

TIMS Card for Solo Trekkers (outside)

TIMS Card for Solo Trekkers (inside) and Langtang Park Permit (yellow paper)

TIMS Card for Solo Trekkers (inside) and Langtang Park Permit (yellow paper)

Bus from Kathmandu to Dhunche (for Gosainkunda Trek)

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The Options

You can get a taxi or a private jeep to take you there from Kathmandu, although if you’re on a budget, the bus is your best option.