Forums >General Running>Anyone got $12000 to spare? I would really love to do this. Thank you.
Trail running in Bhutan with Anna Frost.
Kalsarikännit
It is going to cost you enormous money with or without this group and/or Anna Frost. I'm dying to do the Snowman Trek, but it is one of those things that I don't see happening in this lifetime. Bhutan charges a set rate of $250/day to trek in their country. The government distributes this amongst the guides (which are required) and guesthouses. It is to keep cheap dirtbag hikers (hello) from coming in and creating some of the problems that neighboring countries have, such as Nepal, where you can sleep at a teahouse for $1.50/night up in the Himalayas.
Keeping tourist numbers low maintains the character of the villages. This is a country that has a Gross National Happiness scale. It seems fascinating. I need $12,000 too.
I want to do it because I want to do it. -Amelia Earhart
So you are telling me that you don't have an extra 12G? Oh man. I've been wanting to go to Bhutan since around 2000 after reading Beyond the Sky and Earth: A Journey into Bhutan (Jamie Zeppa).. until finding out about those crazy fees for hiking. Forget about it. It makes sense though, for them to do it. And it has kept me out! I did make it to Nepal, Tibet, and Ladakh since then but never did any running there. Hiking/trekking yes. The Himalayas continue to call my name. But alas, Bhutan is just a dream. GNH.. I like that.
MTA: I thought you were joking about the GNH scale. Just looked it up, you are serious! Wow.
Ha. I read that when I was in Nepal.
Ladakh is on the to-do list, but where I really (really) want to go is Northern Pakistan (Gilgit/Baltistan and the Karakorum). I am a solo traveler, and I suspect this is one area where I would really be best off with a partner. Ugh. With Bhutan off the list, this is probably at the top (of course that changes daily...Vietnam, Peru, Turkey, Jordan, Tanzania, Patagonia...).
I need to get to dreaming again. It's been a while. Mount Kailash and Mongolia call my name. Patagonia too. What's the appeal of Northern Pakistan? (honestly, I don't know much) Traveled last year to Ladakh with a male friend from India.. that was pretty ideal. It would have been nice if he were a bit more fit and a bit more adventurous, but it worked.
Sikkim is on my bucket list, but not going to happen this year either, maybe next summer.
What's the appeal of Northern Pakistan?
The Gilgit Valley is green and lush and has access to one of the longest non-polar glaciers in the world (Baltoro), and five of the world's 8000 meter peaks. (K2, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum I & II). They have the tourist infrastructure there to make accommodation and transportation available, but it does not have a bunch of tourists. It is a big jumping off point for climbing expeditions.
Nanga Parbat
Yep, I see the appeal.
Tanzania,
Yeah ... the Ngorongoro Crater, and nearby, during a migration is on my list.
The process is the goal.
Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.