Day 1: Meeting Our Guides From Earthbound Expeditions

After arriving in Kathmandu and leaving our belongings in our hotel, we relaxed a bit as we waited to meet our guides from the Earthbound Expeditions trekking agency.

Per their site, Earthbound Expeditions was founded in 1997 by Mr. Rajan Simkhada. Mr. Simkhada started his career in tourism as a Front Desk Attendant at a Hotel in Thamel in 1994. In 1996, he joined a reputed trekking company, as tour and trek leader. During this period, he led the tours to entire Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India. After leading many such tours and treks he established himself as a senior guide and later partnering with few of his friends, started an independent company with the banner "Earthbound Expeditions".

My friend AD who had researched and planned this trip had selected Earthbound after reading through many reviews. The big selling point though was that the price per head was roughly half of what Western companies like REI might charge for essentially the same trek. We paid roughly 30,000 Indian rupees, or approximately $600 USD for 15 days including all our lodging, more than 90% of our meals, and the services of 1 guide and 3 porters/sherpas. It is hard to imagine finding a better deal elsewhere.

The office for Earthbound Expeditions was located in the Thamel district as well, just a few blocks from Hotel Manang, so we strolled down the winding roads to the turn off alley for their office. We proceeded up some dimly lit stairs, with walls plastered with posters of breathtaking vistas from around Nepal and the subcontinent. Once inside the office, Rajan greeted us with chai and a brief summary of our trek. We listened pleasantly, half hearing what he said, half imaging the sights we were about to see. Ultimately though, it came time to transfer payment to Earthbound. Because of counterfeiting, the government of Nepal has banned denominations Indian currency greater than 100 rupees. Which means, we had to pay our 30,000 charge... in 100 rupee bills, or 300 bills in total. When we put our fees together, it was easily the most paper money any of us had ever seen!

The "Money Shot"

I gotta admit, one has some reservations handing over that much money in cash, but they were very professional about it and gave us a receipt on the spot. After the transfer, we actually could breathe easier and lazily sipped our chai before preparing to leave.

Afterwards, we proceeded to explore more of the Thamel district. It has a similar feel to an Indian city center, constantly bustling with people, cycles, cars, and all modes of transportation. However, as Kathmandu draws a fairly cosmopolitan crowd due to the tourism industry, there was an eclectic mix of stores catering to individuals from all around the world. The lighting might strike some as a bit garish, but the colors served to emphasize the buzz in the air. Our merry group eventually settled on a Thai restaurant for dinner, where we enjoyed a pleasant meal on the second floor overlooking some of the commotion below. We returned to our hotels with our stomachs filled and eyes heavy, ready to sleep and begin our adventure!