I long consider nepal as one of the exotic place I must visit when I have the resources. The himalayas has got the most spectacular mountains in the world with scenic panorama views. So, after planning & saving for > 1year, I went for a 11-days visit that includes a 5-days trek to the Annapurna, Poon-Hill area.
It is hot, dusty, and highly-polluted city with masses of people, and the roads full of vehicles which do not seem to obey any traffic rules. Dust & pollution particles float in the air & made worst when passing cars stir them up. I regret not bringing my face-mask for this trip, & I had to constantly cover my mouth & nostrils when I breathe. Also, I cannot understand why some foreign tourists still prefer to cycle-sight-seeing in such an chaotic environment.
Electrical power is scare in this country, even in the city. Regular power shutdown is a norm here. Many hours are spent without tv, air-conditioning, lights, fan,......and when you need the light at the crucial moment, they shut down the power........can someone out there,........... please accelerate your R&D in green, clean & free energy sources & help mankind ?
For our trek, we need to take a 7-hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara valley, through the long and winding mountain roads. This ride journeys through many villages, rivers, mountains and it offers many spectacular and beautiful mountain views.
The views were capitvating for the eyes, but our ears and minds were constantly disturbed by the high-pitch squealing sound of the bus severely worn-out brakes whenever the driver pressed his brakes along the winding road.
Can you imagine 2 metallic-objects constantly rubbing on each other ? If not, I tell you, it sounds like : EeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,........eeeeee........eeee.......eeeeeee.......eee .......eee
I just wonder if the bus is ever serviced and maintained for their road worthiness. Especially, the brakes.
The mountain road is a narrow single-lane road in 2-direction with very limited barricades at bends with huge drops. But this did not stop the bus driver from over-taking other vehicles, trucks, horse-carts,.......& his actions gave us constant anxiety.
In life, sometimes, we put our own safety and well-being in the hands of strangers. The pilot, flying your plane, the captain steering your ship, the bus driver manoeuvring your coach,.....are total strangers we let them have control of the outcome of our journeys,........& we just pray that everything would turn out right & we could reach your destination safely.
We finally reached Pokhara Lakeside (823m) in the afternoon after a tiring ride.
It is a quiet place & time seems to pass very slowly in here. This made me check my watch constantly to see if it was still working & ticking alright. But the air is fresher here with less pollution as traffic is light & with less people. Tourists just laid down at the lake, or sit for hours at the many cafes.
This trail starts and descends steeply into Birethanti & follows the east bank of Burundi Khola to reach Tirkhadunga (1,577m), a small village. This first-day trek was easy, the terrain was relatively less strenuous & we took slightly > 2.5 hours to reach our planned stop. The rest of the day was just rest, rest, & more rest,.........& to "hang" around the guest-house we were staying for the night.
There were not many guests here as it was not the peak season for trekking.
My first "victim" was our porter, Mr Sundar, who looked more like a malay than nepalese. He is a young and strong man who helped carried our bag of > 10kg. I believe he was amazed when I asked him to be my subject model, & I guessed he had never thought that this old man can draw,.......something.
My 2nd "victim" was another nepalese trekking guide who happened to travel with us with our group. He looks more like a school boy than a trekking guide,......I never asked for his age.
Day 5 was the most strenuous trek as we climb the whole morning to ascend to Ghorepani (2855m) through a suspended bridge, forest ridges, streams, dried rivers, rocky steps, fields and villages. I had many leg muscle cramps along the way, & I had to stop to "massage" my thighs,.........
I should have brought 2 walking-sticks, instead of only one.
Many people said : "it's all in the mind"., but I say, this is "_ _ _ _ shit".
The mind is ready to go, but the body is not,.........& the real thing is you need both to continue this trek.
At some moments, I felt embrassed to let 3 persons watching & waiting for me to recover before continuing. Taking small steps, and with "perseverance", we reached our guest-house for our scheduled rest stop.
Day 6, we woke up at 4am to make our climb to Poon Hill (3200m) to witness sunrise.
At this height, we consider this a mountain. To the nepalese, Poon Hill is only a hill. Ou-la-la ! We've learned to respect the nepalese people more.
I had wanted to do some self-reflection while waiting for the sun to wake up. But my eyes were occupied with the spectacular panorama mountain views, my ears were disturbed by the noise & excitment of the many foreign trekkers on the hill top.
Learning tips : If you want to meditate or self-reflect, choose a quiet and boring place.
After breakfast, we left Ghorepani, & trek to Tadapani (2590m), several ascending & descending trails, passing through several villages. Overnight at a guest-house.
Day 7, we departed Tadapandi, and trek down to a very quiet place called Syauli Bazar (1220m). At this quest-house where we stayed for the night, we can see only 3 other trekkers staying the night. The night is dead quiet except for the noise of the rushing water flowing in the nearby river.
Here while waiting for dinner to come, I chose my next "victim" who was our nepali trekking guide, Mr Manoj. He is a young man who looks more indian than nepalese.
My last "victim" was another nepali trekking guide who happened to stay in the same guest house for the night. Here, for the first time, I learned to use both my hands in my caricature drawings. The right-hand to draw, & the left-hand to wave and chase off many houseflies that keep bothering me constantly during the session. Strangely, when night falls, when the temperature drops, all the flies disappear suddenly.
Before I "close shop" for the day, our porter pestered me to draw another caricature for him as he said he liked my drawing very much. After carrying our bag, and walking with us for 5 days, he shows no fatigue & looked just as fresh when he started the trek with us.
I hereby confirmed the saying by someone : "Your youth is your asset. Use it to your advantage".
My AAR (After Action Review) :
Nepal is a place worth visiting and for trekking. Be prepared for the environment, power shutdowns, the physical demands (if you trek).
This 5-days trek is considered as an easy trek to the nepalese people. But it was quite a challenge to me on Day-2 for the ascend. So, be physically conditioned for the trek, & drink lots of water with salt.
This trip would have be better if our trekking company in Thamel could update us daily on the following day's activity & schedule when we were in Kathmandu. The good point is, this company is located just outside our hotel, & we kept going there to look for the boss to ask for details & information.
It was a 10-days package with a one-day extension in Pokhara. The company was supposed to provide for our sleeping bags for the entire trek, & we keep reminding them as we knew we would need them in the mountains. But it was only at Pokhara, 1 day before our trek, that the guide was forced to rent the sleeping bags for us. Also, on our return trip from Pokhara to Kathmandu, there was no arrangement made to pick us from our hotel to the bus pick-up point. We had to take a taxi there.
Overall, this trip is exciting, challenging, and spectacular. Thumbs up !
The only shortcoming is we did not get to see Mount Everest. We had a chance to see the world's tallest mountain when we flew to Kathmandu, but we were on the left-side in the plane.
Perhaps, the next time,..........as the nepalese tourism slogan says : Once is not enough".
