Transport prices. Bus from Pokhara to Kathmandu, 7 hrs R150 (but different standards of bus available on this route, this was lower middle). Bus from Kathmandu to Sunauli (Chitwan) 5 hrs R200. Bus from Sauraha to Sunauli (border), 5 hrs R160. Bus from Sunauli to Varanasi (Nepalese) R240. Train from Varanasi to Agra (15 hrs) about (Indian) R220 including R50 commission from travel agent. I say "about" because kids were lower price and we didn't write down individual price of the 4 tickets, just total cost (R774). Bus from Bharatpur to Jaipur 5 hrs R80. Bus from Jaipur to Ajmer (near Pushkar) 4 hrs R50. Train From Ajmer to Udaipur, 12 hrs total for 4 people R364 (again kids were cheaper, but our ticket doesn't say how much). Bus from Udaipur to Jodhpur 5 hrs R45. Bus from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer 6 hrs R80. Bus from Jaisalmer to Bikaner 5 hrs can't say price as other items written in with this cost. Train from Bikaner to Delhi 12 hrs total for 4 people R468. All trains were 2^nd class sleepers. More info on Indian Rail travel.

Trains in Thailand are more expensive than in India, but far better quality. For 2^nd class non-air con from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in March 1998, upper births were B331, lower births were B540, 12 hours. Buses were a bit more expensive too, but roads and buses also tended to be better.

Taxis are more expensive than auto-rickshaws which are more expensive than standard rickshaws. For both types of rickshaw, costs will be between about R5 to about R50 in both Nepal and India (usually cheaper in India), once you are aware of prices and are skilled at bargaining properly. So local transport is very cheap. A little more for Thailand.

How to carry valuables. Lots of people like money belts. We had one on our first trip in 1991/92, but they always got in the way of our backpack waist belts. Bum/fanny bags are just not secure enough either. We bought a jumbo neck pouch each (Gail and I) made by Korjo available in Oz at least. These are the larger sized ones, which were big enough to hold all our stuff (including ours and the kid's passports, airline tickets, 4 months traveller's cheques and credit cards). They were also more convenient than money belts as you can get to them either by pulling them up out from under your shirt, or reaching in under your shirt and they don't get in the way of backpack belts. We ended up slinging the money belt cord over our shoulder and diagonally, so they sat under our arms (we couldn't pull them up out of our shirts like this though). Quite comfortable. Also, put your tickets and money in zip-lock plastic cash bags so your sweat doesn't ruin them!!!!! Thomas Cook outlets have some that are long as cash and tickets so they don't have to be folded over. They're called foreign exchange bags, or something. Ask your local bank or Thomas Cook office for some, even if you pay for them, they are VERY useful. But not the standard short ones as these aren't as convenient.

Carrying money. We took traveller's cheques (both AmEx and Thomas Cook) AND a Visa card each. But, we used the Visa cards a total of only 2 times in 4 months, both times for our 2 slap-up meals at the Lake Palace Hotel in India and at the Yak and Yeti Hotel in Nepal. I reckon cheques are best. We generally thought of the Visa card as being for emergencies, plus we also had US$500 in cash too. Visa cards etc are virtually hopeless in India, and not much better in Nepal. In Nepal and India you also got slightly better rates for exchange with cheques than with cash. In Thailand, they charge B13 commission and fee for each cheque at the heaps of exchange counters all over the country. In Nepal and India you generally exchange at private places as banks are few and far between and their bureaucracy has to be experienced to be believed! So commission varied, but about R10 each, I think. Shop around for exchange rates!

Large denominations ($100) are best because of the fees for changing as you say. Only take US currency. Have some small denominations (a few $20 and $50), which are ONLY useful (we found) for changing near the very end of a country when you don't want to change a whole $100, or at the airport on arrival in countries where the exchange rate is worse than in most places within that country (e.g. Nepal and India). We found that travelers cheques were most useful for changing for daily needs, and we very rarely bought or paid for items with the cheques themselves (only once I think). We carried half in AmEx and the other half in Thomas Cook. We never had a problem exchanging either, however.

There are virtually no ATMs in India or Nepal. I have heard that in Thailand they are relatively easy to use, but we didn't use any (we were using the traveller's cheque option). Just ensure your Visa is a Cirrus card, as this network is in operation overseas too. If you're unsure, talk to your bank about it.