|
 |
|
 |
| Get all the latest News,
Events & Special Departures |
|
|
|
 |
| Tailored Adventures! Friends,
Families & Schools |
|
|
|
 |
| Understanding, appreciation
& conservation |
|
|
|
 |
| Find out how much your dollar
is worth |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food
There's plenty of it and often our clients say that food on
trek is even better than meals in hotels. Certainly it is important
to eat and drink as much as possible on trek, as you will be
using a lot of calories each day.
Menus vary from one country to another, but a typical day's
meals would be as follows:
Breakfast
– cereals or porridge, eggs to order – usually scrambled
eggs or fried eggs, toast or chapatis, honey or peanut butter,
tea or coffee. Sometimes tinned bacon or sausage.
Lunch – in many regions the trek chef
will provide a simple hot meal for lunch if there is water at
the lunch stop for cooking. This could be, noodles/potatoes,
curry, salad, rice and dhal, fried tinned meat and vegetables,
chapatis or bread, tea or fresh Himalayan organic coffee/fruit juices. Sometimes when
crossing high passes or drier regions a packed lunch will be
provided which may consist of some of the following: bread and
jam sandwiches, chapatis, chicken, boiled eggs, oranges or apples,
chocolate, cartons of juice. Arriving in to camp – usually
there will be tea and biscuits, sometimes cake if available.
Evening meal – pop corn , papadums and ocassional audorfs such as Danish blue cheese, olives, salami, salamite etc followed by soup and the main course.And sometimes a glass or 2 of Imported wine is offered. Responsible Adventures provide the varied menu in the Himalaya. Meals vary from typical 'trekking food' to Thai Green/red curry, yak/buff rendang curry, pasta carbonara, tuna pizza with a sprinkle of himalayan oregano to Yak/Buff steak with cream and mustard sauce. We are looking to adding more gourmet dishes to our food list according to it's availabilty. Condiments often include salt and pepper, tomato ketchup, chutney,
brown sauce or hot chilli paste.
It is amazing what our trekking chefs can produce on occasions.
With quite basic equipment they manage to produce very good
cakes with icing, apple tarts, pizzas, fried chips, spaghetti,
pasta and we have even known them to produce jelly. On the majority
of treks most of the food is carried in from the road head,
and depending on the area, this may be supplemented by the trek
cook/sirdar purchasing additional vegetables in villages.
It should be understood that on long strenuous treks some of
the food items would not last the whole distance, such as eggs,
and fresh vegetables like cabbage or cauliflower. Our chefs
are well versed in producing a variety of menus and will almost
always be able to accommodate specific requests. The most common
of course is chips, chips and more chips.
Meat occasionally is taken on trek ‘on the hoof', and
occasionally chickens might be purchased on route. In most countries
tinned meats/sardines are carried to supplement fresh meat.
Although trekking companies provide ‘snacks' such as boiled
sweets or chocolate bars we highly recommend that trekkers bring
their own little supply of ‘goodies'. Responsible Adventures also provide a variety of ‘goodies' such as chocolate
bars, nuts and raisins, fruit bars or perhaps a variety of ‘treats'
such as cheesecake mixes, fruit cake.
Whilst we do not advocate consumption of huge quantities of
alcohol on trek many people like to have the odd ‘wee
dram' in the evening in the mess tent. We suggest the purchase
of half bottles of duty free spirits in plastic bottles. Drinking
does not aid acclimatisation! Only when you are acclimatised
should you consider drinking alcohol. Very often local spirits
such as Rakshi or Chang are available for purchase in local
villages – they are acquired tastes! Invariably a source
of these ‘interesting' liquids is discovered for the end
of trek parties.
The trek chefs and assistants are trained to prepare the food
hygienically and antiseptic water is provided for you to wash
your hands before mealtimes. Special diets Vegetarians can be
catered for quite easily. Other special
diets can be accommodated with plenty of advance notice.
Will I get a stomach upset?
If you take sensible precautions you should maintain a healthy
balance. Your trek chefs are trained to prepare the food hygienically
and antiseptic water is provided for you to wash your hands
before mealtimes. The main danger comes in eating and drinking
in cities. Untreated water is the main cause for difficulties.
In cities drink only water you know to be safe or treated, do
not brush your teeth in the tap water and keep your mouth closed
in the shower. Virtually all hotels provide a jug of drinking
water which they claim to be boiled and filtered but our advice
is to treat this with caution.
The initial International flight is often a cause of problems,
in that it can cause mild constipation. Try and keep yourself
regular! Other tips are to wipe your knife, fork and plate with
a paper napkin or handkerchief, particularly if they look wet.
Do not eat anything from street vendors unless it is fried up
in front of you, certainly do not eat cold, sweetmeats or ice-cream,
cream cakes and trifles as they are sometimes sources of strange
bugs. Do not eat fruit unless you can peel it. Do not eat prawn
dishes unless you are in a 5 star hotel.
During the day as you pass through remote country you may well
meet locals, shake their hands and then unthinkingly eat sometime
afterwards - this is not a good idea! Always try and wash your
hands before eating. . Wash your hands after going to the toilet.
On trek remember to bring your drinking bottle to the mess tent
at night to be filled with boiled water. This can then be used
as a hot water bottle and consumed as drinking water the following
day. If you have to fill up with water the following day on
trek then use iodine drops. It is very rare for anybody to suffer
serious stomach trouble and this inevitably follows a lapse
in prudent caution.
There is no reason why you should contract stomach trouble if
you take sensible precautions, those people that do encounter
‘travellers tummy' will usually find that this is merely
an inconvenience, a loose bowl movement, but with rarely a feeling
of illness as well. We do not advocate the use of Imodium, which
does not serve to cure an illness but merely provides another
problem – that of constipation if too much Imodium is
taken. Anyone going on trek should take the precaution however
of carrying with them a course of antibiotic suitable for countering
any major stomach trouble. |
|
|
|
