Nepal - Once is not Enough

The title comes from a slogan that appears on most tourism posters for Nepal, and we have become believers. This is not only a trekker’s paradise but the laid-back vibe of Kathmandu combined with the friendly nature of the Nepali people and their charming mountain villages makes this a place that you will want to return to.

We just completed an 8 day trek in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayan mountains and we are still in awe. There are many different routes that one can take in the Annapurna region, and we selected one that looked great on paper, keeping Pocahontas below 3600 metres (12,000 feet above sea level) to avoid any altitude sickness issues and satisfying my aversion to freezing temperatures. The trek turned out to be a bit more challenging that we anticipated. For all we know the itinerary might have been written by Sir Edmund Hillary……’easy’ in his mind but perhaps not so much for those of us in our 60’s. The main thing we quickly learned is that just because the plan for the day calls for a drop of 500 metres (1600 feet) does not mean that you have a nice, easy downhill stroll. While our path sometimes followed river valleys from higher above, whenever you encountered a side valley it required a drop all the way down to the bottom where a suspension bridge was used to cross over the secondary river or creek, followed by another hike up a steep mountainside just to get back to the elevation that you started with. The trail also become more difficult in steeper areas, where rock-cut steps were used to traverse the terrain, taking its’ toll on your legs. One of the highest points we reached during the week was hiking up to the top of Poon Hill for sunrise (5 am departure, used our headlamps). At 3200 metres (10,500 feet) this would normally be called a mountain in other parts of the world but Nepal is home to the highest peaks in the world, many of them over 8,000 metres (26,000 feet), so when you reach the summit of Poon Hill, which provided a great view of the majestic mountains, it became easier to understand why they refer to it as a ‘hill’. Our days normally consisted of 6-7 hours of hiking with a break for lunch along the way, and any other time that we needed a rest.

In spite of the effort required, it was still something we were glad that we did, and the memories of our trek will last a long time. The village people, not the same ones who recorded YMCA, terraced the hillsides to grow their crops and relied on pack mules to bring in any necessary supplies they could not produce themselves. The sunny skies every morning provided magnificent views of the snow-covered Annapurna Range, and instantly re-energized us for the day ahead. The sunlight also highlighted the pink and red rododendrum trees (national flower of Nepal) which seemed to thrive in the higher altitudes. Staying overnight in tea houses was also a treat, with windows framing gorgeous views. The Nepali people are extremely friendly and constantly smiling especially when I used my limited vocabulary of the Nepali language. The rooms were tiny but our trekking company provided us with high quality down-filled sleeping bags that kept us warm when the temperature dropped to single digits every night (mid-20’s during the day). Towards the end of our trek I decided to sample the local liquor, raksi, which was a bit rough. I thought I was ordering a shot (only $1) but instead received a full 8 oz. cup, much to the amusement of everyone else in the tea house dining room. Our personal guide (Lax) and porter (Dharam) provided great assistance and were fun to spend time with, including involving Lax in some of our card games. The pictures below do not give justice to the panoramic views along the trails as they were spectacular, especially the sunrise views that we had as the sun rose and began to carpet the mountains, and visually changed throughout the day with more sun or shade being applied.

We are now back in Kathmandu, reunited with the clean clothes that we left behind for the trek, and more importantly my netbook computer, so that I can re-connect with the outside world. We have two more days to spend here before flying to Delhi for a few days to finish up our 3+ month tour of southern Asia. Kathmandu, especially the Thamel area that we have been staying in, has also been a nice retreat. It is a very walkable part of the city, clean and with smaller roads to limit traffic flow. There are lots of good restaurants and nearby cultural sights to see.  Our first night here (Mar. 17^th) was St. Patrick’s Day and after receiving our trek orientation, we stopped by an Irish pub for a pint. We ended up staying for the entire evening, listening to a live band that probably arrived here 40 years ago and never left the city, but still knocked out the blues and light rock tunes to keep the crowded pub entertained. Now that we are back in town we have decided to stay at the same hotel near the action. We have been relaxing, doing a bit of shopping, went to a cultural dance performance, and today we toured around the World Heritage Sites of Patan and Bhaktapur, exploring their ancient temples and palaces. Tomorrow we will see a few more sights walking around Kathmandu, and hopefully find my first Nepal geocache along the way.

Near Nayapul, just before the start of our trek. We didn't have to hike through any snow but we found it alongside our trail on several occasions. In the rainy season (June - August) this riverbed would have been overflowing, so we were also fortunate in that regard.

Early on in the trek when Pocahontas was still smiling when climbing the rock-cut steps (accompanied by Lax, our guide, and Dharam, our porter. We have since seen an amusing T-shirt in Kathmandu referring to the Annapurna Range as "Nepal Flats - a little bit up and a little bit down".

 

Terraced farming that took place in the mountain region. It was amazing how the Nepali people made the most of very limited resources.

The rododendrun tree (national flower of Nepal) that seemed to flourish in the higher altitudes.

Pack mules always had the right of the way, especially since they might have been carrying the Everest beer from Nepal that I came to enjoy. Following in their footsteps also meant keeping an eye out for fresh droppings with an unpleasant smell.

Mount Dhauligiri (8093 metres), part of the Dhaulagiri Range which ran next to the Annapurna Range.

Our typical tea house lodging for the trek. Thin walls without any insulation so our down-filled sleeping bags came in handy.

The mountain village of Tadapani where we stayed one night. It was similar to all the other small villages that we either passed through or stayed in during our Annapurna trek.

Came across this chicken salesman while passing through a village.

One of the many suspension bridges that we passed over during our trek. This one will hopefully have some renovations completed before you need to cross it.

Some impromptu live entertainment from guides and porters during one evening in our tea house dining room. Our porter, Dharam, is on the right, handling the tambourine.