End of a Journey

Day 23 – Saturday, 7th November 2009

We got up very early in the morning to catch our plane to Delhi, where we took a connecting flight to London. The journey was tiring, but fascinating. It’s amazing how you can physically travel from one distant corner of the world to the other in a flash. It’s more difficult to emotionally get used to the idea that you’re once again back home, facing your everyday life. For the next few days after returning from such a long trip you walk like someone numb, without being able to find your own place. You’re happy to be home with all its comforts, but at the same time you miss the adventure, the wonderful places you visited and the lovely people you met. It’s like living in a parallel reality.

My three weeks in Nepal have taught me many important lessons. Lessons about myself, my strengths and weaknesses. I’ve learnt how to appreciate what I’ve got and how to be more humble. I proved myself in the most difficult and strange situations, I was able to adapt to the new reality of demanding physical and mental challenges and to conditions, which I thought would be unbearable for someone not used to these kinds of adventures. But I made it and I am proud of myself. I am also proud that I could see and experience a different world, a world that is slowly fading away, being replaced by modernity and all of its horrors.

Nepal is a wonderful, complex and fascinating country. Its people warm, unpretentious and spiritual. The many colours and images of Nepal and the Himalayas can sometimes overwhelm and outsider, but they will never disappoint. It is a world so different from ours. It is a world, in which you can find peace and in which you can experience the adventure of your life.

Namaste.

Last Day in Nepal

Day 22 – Friday, 6th November 2009

We woke up at 7:00 am out of habit, with a strange feeling that something wasn’t right. There was no Sherpa offering us morning tea, no frantic bag packing and no need to rush to get anywhere. We then remembered that we were in Kathmandu, in a lovely hotel and that we could lie in bed for as long as we wished. Pure bliss. We did, however, start to feel extremely hungry, I guess our stomachs were still in the trekking mode. We decided to go down for breakfast, despite the early hour. This was a brilliant idea, because not only was the food excellent, but we also met a few of our friends in the hotel restaurant.

After breakfast we went on a trip to Swayambhunath with two of our friends from the group. We took a taxi there and agreed with the driver that he would wait for us for an hour and then take us to the city centre. Swayambhunath is a Buddhist temple situated on the top of a hill west of Kathmandu and it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal.

The temple is colloquially known as the ‘monkey temple’, and the reason for such a name becomes obvious, when you notice the large groups of monkeys wandering around the complex. The monkeys are usually harmless, but you have to be careful, as the naughty ones might snatch any food or valuables that you carry around.

There are many small buildings and shrines scattered around the Swayambhunath complex. Ancient stones with inscriptions, prayer wheels and statues of Buddha are also familiar themes.

The soaring central stupa is topped by a gold-coloured square block, from which the watchful eyes of the Buddha gaze out across the valley. Unfortunately, during our tour those eyes were covered by scaffolding due to some renovation works. We enjoyed the building, nevertheless, as it is a stunning example of Buddhist architecture. The stupa’s white painted base represents the four elements – earth, fire, air and water.

Prayer wheels are an essential part of Buddhist beliefs and culture. Set all around the temple complex, they are spun by pilgrims as they pass by. Each prayer wheel carries the sacred mantra om mani padme hum.

The site was full of pilgrims presenting their offerings to the gods, tourists intrigued by the ceremonies they witnessed and overwhelmed by the beauty of Buddhist art and religious architecture, and finally temple keepers, who swept the streets regularly made sure everything was in its place.

From its hilltop setting, Swayambhunath offers spectacular views of the Kathmandu Valley. The prayer flags fluttering from the lines stretched out between buildings seem to carry people’s words and wishes away to the sky, to the gods. It seems as if the breeze defines people’s destiny.

The taxi driver was waiting for us outside of the temple, just as he promised. He then took us to Thamel, a lively Kathmandu district famous for its many hotels, restaurants and shops. We wanted to wander around for a few hours to get a feel of the real Kathmandu, away from the posh Patan neighbourhood. We had a small lunch in a cafe on a roof of a building near the Shri Tibet Hotel. Afterwards we went to Tiwari’s Pilgrims Book House, the best bookshop in the city, where we bought a few albums, books and other souvenirs, including beautiful Nepalese shawls and pashminas.

After our little shopping spree we took a taxi back to the hotel. The ride through the crowded and narrow alleys was crazy, but we could see another interesting part of the city and our driver was a very nice man.

On our last evening in Nepal our whole group decided to stay at the hotel and attend an organised barbecue and buffet. This was the last meal we wold have together after our three week journey. We had a lovely time, joking, exchanging e-mail addresses and of course, thanking our guide, Matt, for being such a great companion and for looking after us in the mountains.

That evening was also a chance to say a proper goodbye to Kathmandu and Nepal. I didn’t have a prayer flag to hang, but hoped that the gods would hear out my wish. I wished to one day return to this enchanting country and the mighty beautiful Himalayas.

Back in Kathmandu

Day 21 – Thursday, 5th November 2009

We started our journey back to Kathmandu very early in the morning. We had a very long way ahead of us. The Sherpas managed to put all our bags and camping equipment in the bus and on its roof, we took our seats, a few porters joined us and we were eventually ready to go. The road was much better than the one we travelled at the beginning of our tour.

We stopped in a town called Mugling for brunch at around 10:00. The meal was simple but tasty and nourishing. We had dal bhat, that is lentils with rice and vegetables. Mugling was a proper town, full of life and with thriving local businesses – people were constantly either buying something or selling something.

We spend a couple of hours in a huge traffic jam in the Kathmandu Valley. This was very unpleasant, as it was hot, the smog was unbearable and we were tired in general and couldn’t wait to get to our hotel. Finally, we reached Kathmandu, were we could once again catch a glimpse of the city’s people, architecture and street life from our bus windows. This is a poor and chaotic city, noisy, crowded and absolutely crazy. The Patan district, where our hotel is situated, is completely different to the rest of the city, with its European styled villas and gardens.

We got to the Summit Hotel around 14:00, but it took a while before we got our bags and room keys. It was so strange to suddenly experience the luxuries of having a bed, a wardrobe, and a shower again after three weeks of living rough! Rafael immediately went for a swim in the hotel pool and I stayed in the room to sort out my clothes, take a bath and call my parents after three weeks of no contact. They were over the moon being able to hear my voice again and knowing that we were safe and sound.

We went down to the hotel bar and had a little snack and drink before meeting the rest of the group for dinner at 18:30. We went to a restaurant near our hotel, called Masala, which served mostly Indian food. We spent a lovely evening laughing and recounting the last three weeks and all of our adventures. Group photos were obligatory, of course. The saddest part was saying goodbye to our Sherpas. We will miss them!

Refrigerators, Donations and the Goodbye Cake

Day 20 – Wednesday, 4th November 2009

We began the last day of our Himalayan trek around 7:00 am. It was no joy ride, as we started with a steep climb uphill. I enjoyed the first couple of hours immensely. We passed vast golden fields and were surrounded only by the sound of cicadas playing their morning song and the voices of children singing in a local school. It was truly magical.

We passed a few villages on our way, in which we could witness the daily activities of the local Nepalese people. We could also observe how they gathered wood and corn for the winter and how they go about storing their supplies.

Our next drink stop was due in a village called Bahundanda, which is located on a hill at 1,310 metres. During our walk we could admire the spectacular rice terraces, which glowed in the morning sunshine. The way up to Bahundanda was very tiring and the climb was long and quite steep. I was exhausted and anxious to finally get to the top and relax.

The village was certainly worth the effort. Not only did I receive a bottle of Coke and a Snickers bar as a reward, but the village itself was very pretty and interesting. We sat down in front of a small shop, which offered nicely chilled drinks. The owner couldn’t resist showing off his huge refrigerator, which he was extremely proud of. When Rafael went to Nepal ten years ago on the Annapurna Circuit, he also visited Bahundanda and met the same shop owner, who then claimed that it took only one strong man to bring the refrigerator up to the village.

Opposite us was the village square with a huge tree and bench underneath it, marking the social centre of Bahundanda. A few local girls were washing sheets by the stream, neatly dressed children were on their way to school and tailors in their workshops were making new clothes for their clients.

After finishing my energising snack, I took a walk around the village. The main street was very clean and organised and the people seemed happy and relaxed. I passed a medical centre, various workshops and finally reached the village school. I was watching children of all ages saying goodbye to their parents and entering the courtyard. Rafael and Sheila joined me and we were then approached by one of the teachers, who invited us inside on a tour of the school. We were introduced to the principal and the rest of the teaching staff, with whom we had a brief chat about the school and the pupils. Then our guide showed us a small library, full of colourful books in various languages for the younger students. At the end of our visit the teacher took out a receipt book and asked us for a donation for the school, which we of course offered with pleasure.

The rest of the walk was fairly easy, and in the afternoon we reached our final camp in a village called Bhulbule. We occupied a camping site just by the river. For the last time we organised our camping bags, washed in a bowl of hot water and sat in front of our tents, relaxing and waiting for the sun to set. Our porters were also chilling out in the sun. They certainly deserved a rest after so many days of assisting us on our journey around Manaslu.

Dinner was wonderful, as always, but this time our cooks surprised us with a cake, which they prepared to celebrate our last night on the trek. We couldn’t believe our eyes. A real cake with frosting, and all that without an oven!

After dinner we gathered together with all our Sherpa guides, porters and cooks and had a little party to celebrate the end of our trek. Our Nepalese friends sang traditional tunes and we all joined in the dancing. We had heaps of fun and were happy we could express our gratitude for the porters’ help. After the party we only had a few hours of sleep, as we had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to take a bus back to Kathmandu.

Heat and Dust

Day 19 -Tuesday, 3rd November 2009

Not much to report on the 19th day of our trek. We left Tal early in the morning, beginning our walk with a steep climb out of the valley. We trekked along ridges, re-crossed the river once again and passed a group of donkeys on our way, which almost trampled on poor Sheila. We also met some local women who kept a flock of tiny goat kids, which were absolutely adorable. I couldn’t take my eyes off them, they were extremely cute and sociable.

We took a short break for tea and soft drinks in a small village. The owners of the cafe had a small deer, which they kept in a cage outside the shop. Apparently they found the little one somewhere in the woods and decided to take care of her. I just hope that didn’t mean having venison for dinner.

We had our lunch in a village called Jagat, after which we continued the walk through beautiful rhododendron and pine forests. Unfortunately, after a while we walked into another bit of the building site. The trail was awful, and the dust and noise of pneumatic hammers were everywhere. Finally, we reached Syange, the village we were staying in. Actually, Syange comprises of a group of houses and shops on one side of the river, and our camp was on the other bank, so we had to cross yet another suspension bridge to get there. The afternoon was so hot that we decided to take a ‘bath’ in the river. We spent the rest of the evening chatting, laughing and consuming may litres of beer.

Sprinting to Tal

Day 18 – Monday, 2nd November 2009

We started off earlier than usual, with a wake up call at 6:00 am, in order to avoid the scorching sun later during the day. We left Surki immediately after breakfast. The group divided into a few smaller subgroups, as some of the men rushed forward to warm up. Our target was a village called Tal, with a lunch stop in a popular town of Dharapani. The views were spectacular, as usual, as we crossed the Dudh Khola and trekked alongside the riverbank.

The scenery kept changing every few minutes. We walked through a forest for a while and then we crossed some fields. I was determined to catch up with the guys in the front, which was not easy, because I couldn’t even see them on the horizon. As we were now descending quite rapidly, my physical condition was much better and I could keep a very fast pace. I ended up almost running for nearly three hours. I passed a village called Tilije, which was very picturesque with its narrow alleys, shops and beautiful houses with glass windows and balconies. There was even a hospital and a few lodge houses.

Finally, just before a bridge leading to Dharapani, I noticed Rafael and the other guys and was ecstatic that I could join them. Dharapani lies in the Marsyandi Valley and the town itself is quite well developed, with many tourist shops and hostels. We sat down in the garden of one of the hotels to have lunch, prepared as usual by our brilliant cooks. We had a chance to relax in the sun, before the rest of the group joined us.

The second part of our walk was less pleasant, as the remainder of our trek was to follow trails used on the first few days of the Annapurna Circuit. Once one of the grandest treks in the Himalayas and a wonderful adventure, has now lost most of its charm due to a huge infrastructure investment in the country. The government decided to bless the people of Nepal with a new road crossing through the mountains. The only problem is that these plans are useless – they are spoiling the natural environment and killing the traditional trek routes. The road is not really that beneficial for the local populations, because the Nepalese do not produce anything on such a big scale that they would need to transport by road. What is more, thousands of people have already lost, and more will still lose, the only source of income, generated by tourism, as Westerners will no longer come here to trek. Sad. And extremely ugly. We were literally walking through an enormous building site, surrounded by rubbish, dust and noise. I understand the need to develop infrastructure, but at the same time a big part of the unspoilt, remote and beautiful world is disappearing rapidly before our eyes.

Somewhat depressed by the changes we were witnessing, we climbed up and away from the river and hiked through a broad, flat valley to the village of Tal (1,675 metres), where our camp was based for the night. The village was strange, it looked like a European beach resort with tens of hotels and lodge houses all painted in the subtlest of pastels and creams. Purple seemed like a popular colour here. It was very quiet, hardly a soul in the street. The highlight of the village for us though, was a very simple, but absolutely wonderful hot shower – the first one in about two weeks!

Downhill from now…

Day 17 – Sunday, 1st November 2009

The next morning after breakfast we made our way to a village called Surki, where we would stay for the night. This time I remembered to put sunscreen on my face… Firstly, we had to climb a ridge, which would take us out of the valley and then almost crawled our way through a rocky moraine, passing a glacial lake on our way.

The trail led us through a pine forest, at that time painted with autumn colours, red and gold. It must be beautiful there in the spring, when rhododendrons are in bloom, flooding the forest with pink, orange and white flowers.

The walk that day was relatively short, but the scenery was magical. We walked along a river called Dudh Khola, with its enormous glacial rocks and silver sand shimmering in the sunlight. Our campsite was located in Surki, a tiny village hidden in the national park. The evening passed peacefully and everyone was contemplating the fact that we had only three days of trekking left, before returning to Kathmandu…

The High Pass

Day 16 – Saturday, 31st October 2009

The porters came to wake us up with morning tea at about four o’clock. It was still dark and very cold. We had to get up quickly, get dressed, pack our stuff and leave the tents, so that the porters could clear the campsite and leave for the pass before us. We had a quick breakfast and got our packed lunches for the day.

We began our march at about half past five. It was still before sunrise, so we had to use our head torches to see where we were going. The beginning of our trek was quite chaotic, with other groups walking with us, some trying to overtake us, and porters from different groups passing by, trying to rush to the Larkya La with all the camping equipment and luggage.

The crossing of the Larkya La, which lies on 5,213 metres above sea level, is the high point of the Manaslu Circuit. Our route started with a long, gentle climb beside a moraine. Afer a while we managed to lose the other groups and were able to enjoy the stillness and silence of the area and the spectacular views of the Himalayan ranges. We then crossed a small ridge, descended a bit to a lake and kept climbing the ridge until we reached the top of the moraine at 4,695 metres. The trail then became rougher as it crossed the moraine to the south of steep slopes.

There was a bit of snow, which creaked under our boots. We were very lucky, because the weather was beautiful, the sun shining brightly and the air crisp. But remember, just because the scenery is wintry and it’s cold doesn’t mean you can forget to put sunscreen on your face. I did, unfortunately. That turned out to be a big mistake. I burnt my face, couldn’t touch it for the next few days and then had my skin come off. All that just because a) I forgot to put sunscreen on b) I hate the feeling of sunscreen on my face. But please, don’t repeat my stupid mistakes.

We descended a bit again and then, after noticing prayer flags on the pass from a distance, we made our final steep climb to the pass at 5,213 metres! We made it! This was our moment of glory! I had never been so high before in my life! After all the effort, tiredness, illness and fear I had reached my goal, both the physical target and my psychological objective, which often requires more bravery and strong will to achieve. To complete such a journey had been one of the best adventures and challenges of my life so far and the climb to the Larkya La pass was to become a symbol of that quest.

It was beautiful on the pass, and the views from there were tremendous. We could see the peaks of Himlung Himal (7,126 metres), Cheo Himal (6,820 metres), Kang Guru (6,980 metres) and Annapurna II (7,940 metres). This was my personal roof of the world, and standing on it gave me new strength. I’m not referring to physical power, but the feeling that I can achieve anything if I only put my heart and mind to it.

We took a short break on top of the pass, enjoying the experience and the stunning views, taking photos and eating lunch. I must admit I was too excited to even think about food, and I managed to eat only half of a Mars bar. Although we had such a nice time, we couldn’t stay on the pass, because of the long way down still ahead of us. The descent continued along the top of a moraine to the west, then dropped steeply and traversed scree slopes. The route proved to be very difficult for us due to the snow and ice. We were walking very slowly, with the help of our Sherpa guides, who tied to clear the trail for us. Every now and again one of us would land on their backside, despite using trekking poles or holding on to a Sherpa. It was quite a funny view, but to be honest, these conditions required wearing crampons, really.

We made a long set of steep, rough switchbacks to cross the moraine. Then the trail descended more gently again. There was a final long, steep, slippery descent on loose gravel to Taubuche, another grassy moraine at 4,450 metres. We managed to drop 650 metres in little more than an hour. We had another break on the plateau, this time to regain some strength and energy after the long hours of climbing and then descending the high pass. Our Sherpa guides and cooks prepared a lovely meal for us, hot soup with noodles to keep us going. We still had a couple of hours till the campsite. I felt very good at that point and I was happy, despite being tired at the same time. I even had a good appetite – the soup was very comforting.

The last hour and a half of the day were very difficult. Suddenly, after the short break for soup, I felt so tired of walking that I barely made it to the end. The trail became easier, it wasn’t as steep as before, but it was very rocky and uneven. My legs, especially my knees were hurting and I was growing impatient. I was hoping to see the campsite from a distance, just to know that our goal is near. But when it finally appeared on the horizon, I had the impression it was even further away than I had imagined. I was very anxious and knackered, and worst of all, I turned my anger towards my husband, blaming him for all my suffering, although he tried to support me as best he could. I just kept on going, with tears in my eyes, until we finally reached a large meadow, a mani wall and our blue tents.

We were in Bimtang, whose Tibetan name means ‘plain of sand’. Bimtang lies on 3,720 metres, which is a significant drop in height from the Larkya La pass. The village, situated in a huge valley surrounded by high peaks, was once prominent as a major trading post. During the season more than 3000 animal loads of goods were traded here.

Once we reached the campsite and found our tent, I crashed on its floor and almost fell asleep immediately. Rafael insisted, however, to prepare my mat and sleeping bag. I managed to wash myself in a bowl of hot water, although I could barely stand at that point. I finally crawled into my sleeping bag and stayed there for the rest of the night. Once again, I skipped supper. A few hours later I managed to have a cup of tea, which my husband kindly brought me and a muesli bar, before going to sleep again…

Last Stop Before the Big Challenge

Day 15 – Friday, 30th October 2009

We left Samdo in the morning and walked to our last campsite before the high pass, Larkya La. I felt better that day, as the antibiotic had properly kicked into my system and I had the chance to rest the previous day. I still couldn’t eat much, which was the only problem given that you need a lot of energy during a trek like ours. Nevertheless, I managed to eat a little something to keep me going.

At the beginning of our walk we descended on a wide, gentle trail to the river. Although the route was fairly easy, I struggled to keep up with the rest of the group. I had to walk slowly and needed to take my time. I’m an ambitious person and quite competitive, so I felt awful being the last. But one has to remember that trekking on such heights requires a lot of humbleness and common sense. If you try to race others to prove yourself, it will be the easiest way to get ill, so better be last than suffer from altitude sickness. 

After the first hour of our gentle walk, we began the climb towards the Larkya La. We climbed in and out of a huge gorge and finally reached our campsite. The walk that day was fairly short, but still required a lot of effort, especially for a person like myself, recovering from a stomach bug attack. I was touched how Tensing and other Sherpa guides kept me company, making sure I was alright and suggesting I stopped now and then to catch my breath. Tensing was a very responsible and caring guide, always keeping an eye on everybody, and always protecting the weaker.

Our campsite was about 4,500 metres above sea level. It was an open space, with no other signs of life apart from numerous groups of trekkers and their tents. It suddenly got very crowded up there. So far we passed only a couple of groups and individual trekkers, and on our last  stop before the Larkya La the place was full of adventurers. It was important to leave for the pass very early next morning, before dawn, for various reasons and one of them was to avoid crowds on the trail!

The next day proved to be the longest and the most difficult of all. About nine hours of climbing and descending again after reaching our highest point yet.

Recovering

Day 14 – Thursday, 29th October 2009

There’s no better cocktail than a strong anti-AMS drug and a good night’s sleep to make you feel like a human being again. My fever disappeared in the morning, and although I still felt very weak, I managed to put on some warm clothes and leave the tent for breakfast.

Eating something was a whole different story though. I had a few spoonfuls of porridge, but bread with scrambled eggs just didn’t work for me. The smell of food made me feel nauseous again and I developed a stomachache, so Matt decided to give me some antibiotics being sure at this stage that I had a bug. Obviously, I couldn’t join the group for the second acclimatisation walk. I stayed in Samdo, trying to regain some strength for the following days and my loyal husband accompanied me.

I spent the day reading, writing my diary and simply relaxing. Our lovely guides and cooks took good care of me, bringing fresh hot  tea and biscuits and some soup later in the day, when I could actually eat something more substantial. In the afternoon I felt tired of sitting around and decided to take a walk around the village with Rafael .

We organised a little tour around Samdo and one of the highlights was meeting a baby yak. He or she was adorable, and completely defenceless, like all babies are. I couldn’t resist patting it on the head.   

Samdo’s location is spectacular, with the mighty Himalayan ranges surrounding the village. Life gets really tough here during the winter. The village is cut off from the world by heavy snowfalls, and people have to gather necessary food supplies, primarily corn, and wood and dried yak manure for fuel. Despite the hardships of everyday life, the Nepalese people seem very relaxed and cheerful. Seeing this makes a Westerner more humble. Experiencing a fraction of what life is in this remote area makes one truly appreciate what one has back home.