Trekking in Nepal
Trip Start
Jul 28, 2007
1
16
90
Trip End
Nov 10, 2008
Pokhara,
Nepal
Saturday, October 27, 2007
I spent one day to choose a guide and shop around for provisions then I left for the trek. Well actually, before leaving I had to do a short stop at the medical clinic! I had a cotton swab stuck in my ear again! I missed the bus and got into a very expensive taxi (I got ripped off one more time, but was in no position to argue). The clinic was very simple and there was mouse shit on the floor! I had to pay to get a ticket to get in, then the doctor gave me a bill for the consultation. The total cost was 800 roupies ($12) which is quite expensive for Nepal! It wasn't a good way to start the trek. Of all days, why did this have to happen this morning??? Finaly, got on the bus and walked 3 hours to the first guesthouse where I met a lot of people I would see several times again on the trek.
My guide seemed to be quite efficient. The other tourists thought he was the waiter. He was taking everyone's order, bringing the food and telling us to order for breakfast tomorrow NOW!
The Annarpurna circuit is the best and most famous trek in Nepal because of the variety in the landscape. We walked the first few days amongst rice terraces and millet fields. The view was very beautiful. I love when the rice fields are yellow and ready to be harvested. The millet which I saw for the first time was green and funny looking. We saw a lot of nice small villages with dirty little kids. The weather was great and the view clear until 2pm. I had a lot of energy and did some sit ups and yoga when we got to the guesthouse for the first 5 days. Then I stopped because of the altitude and the cold.
On the fourth day, we started to see some snow peaks in the distance, yeah! Then they were present everyday and always getting closer. So I started taking more and more pictures! Taking pictures is a good way to take a break and catch your breath! That was great because we kept climbing higher and higher. Luckily my breath was still normal and my legs were holding up. I must say I kept stretching so it helped. Usually it started to cover up by lunch and we couldn't see the mountains when we got to the guesthouse. But every morning when we got up they had suddenly come out of nowhere and we had a clear view. I walked with a couple from England for a few days. I started to feel a difference in my breathing when we reached 3000m. The scenery also changed. There were a lot of lichens and beautiful red shrubs. One place really reminded me of home with all the colorful leaves and the smell of pine trees.......
On the 6th day, my camera lens jammed! Shit! Very bad timing! I am sure my guide was happy thinking I wouldn't take as many pictures. He didn't know I had another lens, hi, hi! I was a bit upset though and as a result of the jam, I am not happy with my pictures of the trek. I took over 200 pictures on that day, my favorite day of all! The weather was great and we were surrounded by snow peaks the whole day! We also passed Tibetan villages with prayer walls and flags. Everytime I caught up with my guide I would take another picture and fall behind again! The poor guy must have been quite discouraged. Towards the end of the day, we arrived at a bakery! WOW! I was in the shop with 4 other tourists and we were acting like little kids in a candy shop! The carrot cake was so good............ Later I met a couple from Quebec. They work in Thailand in a dive centre. They told us some French paraglider had an accident. We did see a paraglider in the sky, but apparently his buddy got pushed back on the mountain and broke his back. They were somewhere on a 7000m peak and a rescue team had to go up and bring them a tent to spend the night. Apparently the guy didn't make it. The guides were appalled by the cost of the evacuation helicopter the next day. We heard it cost 14,000 euros!
I had to spend a day to acclimatise in Manang. My guide decided he was taking the day off to do his laundry. So I did the recommended thing (to acclimatise you should climb to a higher point and come down to sleep). I climbed up very, very, very slowly to the view point which is at 4000m. I was so glad not to feel any headache! The view was wonderful, mountains all around, a big glacier and beautiful turquoise lake. I had a great time! I wasn't too happy when I saw my guide again at 7pm though. He didn't ask where I went nor if I had any headache or how it went!!! Not good.........
In the afternoon I went to a lecture on altitude sickness given by volunteer doctors. The woman confirmed that when I did the Annapurna Base Camp trek and woke up with my face all swollen it was in fact a sign of altitude sickness, luckily nothing too alarming! But she suggested that people who have had problems before take Diamox pills as prevention. So I started taking the pills the next day when we reached 4000m. I am sure it did help, if not physically, mentally! The best prevention it to eat carbs (that's the main thing on the menu here so no problem there), drink a lot, and most importantly to ascend slowly. My guide didn't understand the last one............. Recently a tourist who wasn't feeling well kept ascending on a horse and died just before reaching the pass..........a bit scary! No horses for me! I told my guide I am crossing on my two legs or turning back! They also give lectures to the local people. A lot of them go on pilgrimage at high altitude and are not aware of problem caused by altitude. They actually think that the smell of the flowers is giving them headaches and making them sick. So they ascend faster to get to the temple hoping to feel better once they reach the sacred place! Apparently a good number of them don't make it!
The 2 days before the pass I walked extremely slow (something very unusual for me!) I really didn't want to have to turn back! We only had a few hours to walk anyways, so no rush. Plus, what was I going to do at the guesthouse for 9 hours? I ate garlic soup twice. According to Nepales, it helps with the altitude, so why not? I wasn't the only one eating it, for sure there are no vampires in the Annapurnas! 3 people from my guesthouse had to turn back because they were sick. I was so relieved to be feeling well!
The day before the pass I meditated for the first time in my life and in the restaurant! They were playing some Tibetan chanting and I really needed to relax and fill up with positive energy before attempting the pass. I was still nervous but felt better after that. Also, I was with 3 other foreigners I had met before and I was really happy to have someone to cross with me because I knew I was gonna have a fight with my guide. Fisrt he wanted to leave in the dark. I said no way! He could go by himself if he wanted. Actually, it would have made no difference since he was always so far ahead that I couldn't see him most of the time. I had to scream at him 4 times to make him stop to get my camera from my bag! He knew I was worried about getting sick so I really don't understand why he didn't stay with me and I was ready to kill him. I wasn't gonna run and start having a headache to catch up with him. He was worried with the weather, while I didn't care. I'd rather walk in bad weather with no signs of altitude sickness than in great weather and a terrible headache and pucking! I didn't sleep the night before and kept getting up to go to the washroom so I took some pills and was OK, but the girls crossing with me were really sick. The restaurant up there was really efficient and the food was OK, but apparently it's not very clean....... Rebecca dragged herself most of the way, but she kept getting worst and ended up on a horse for the last hour. It took us 4 to 5 hours to get to the pass at 5416m. We did take a few minutes here and there to enjoy the view and take a break. The weather wasn't too cold nor windy (there was a snow storm the next day). I coudn't believe we were there when I saw the prayer flags. We were so happy, but only stayed a few minutes to take pictures and started going down. We still had another 4 hours to walk and we could see big clouds in the distance. We stopped at a tea house an hour before the village for a well deserved break. There's obviously not many places to stop and nowhere to eat lunch on the way up. It was snowing when we left and we walked with my guide (miracle!) in the snow for the last hour. I was really happy to see some snow! We looked like snowmen by the time we arrived at the guesthouse. Luckily the place was really warm and the staff very friendly. We were exhausted and hungry after walking the whole day with not much food in our stomach. So I had a really big dinner and ordered an apple pie to celebrate. But when it came I gave it to someone saying I would get sick if I ate more. I didn't eat the apple pie but threw up all my dinner shorter after and went to bed with a headache. A sign of altitude sickness again??? Will never know. Got up feeling fine the next day, so no worries.
The next morning every one was very slow after the extenuating day! I visited a monastery before lunch and then started walking in the wind and a little bit of snow. The weather was cold and windy for a few days on. I was very disapointed because we were in the Mustang area and though I had a glimpse the day before I really wanted to see the scenery which was now covered by clouds. There is a "Yac Donald" restaurant in this village, ha, ha! The next day I backtracked without my guide. The view was better, but still not clear enough! Then I didn't know which way to go to meet my guide in the next village. I cut through a field and took a goat's trail and it took me forever to get back on the right path!
We kept loosing altitude for the next 3 days, but the path was quiet flat. Really nice and easy, but still cold and windy! We were in Marpha for Diwali, the hindu festival of lights. Small kids were going around from one shop to another with a plate on which they had 2 apples, incense sticks, rice, orange flowers and a few roupies. They were singing a song and asking for money, like Halloween without the costume! A little boy was struggling to get something out of a tiny pocket and asked me for help. I also struggled and managed to get a 5 roupie bill out of there. He unfolded it and was admiring it like a $100 bill! The same day, I got followed by a Nepali guy who was saying "fucking, fucking". At first I didn't get what he was saying and I was talking to him trying to understand, then he made an obvious sign with his fingers! Luckily my guesthouse was nearby. And I though I was safe from that kind of stuff in Nepal! Later on I had a fight with a tourist! I don't know what I did to him, probably looked at his handicaped hand too much??? But he kept picking on me and was rude so I got worst than him (I have good practice from India). Finally, I just thought I am on holiday and don't have to deal with that shit, I took my stuff and stormed out of the dining room and slammed my bedroom door. I had dinner in my room and stayed there until the guy left the next morning! That's one person I was happy not to see again!
The next morning I saw an American guy I had seen a few times before. I was relieved to have nice company. We had lunch with a British couple I had also met before. While we were waiting for our food, we saw ja goat beeing killed and butchered just next to us! I couldn't look, but they were still at it when we got our food and I could hear the noise....... They eat meat these days because of the festival. We saw a few more on the way.......
We went down a lot the next day, from 2500m to 1200m. We came back to green valleys and rice paddies. Tatopani is a village wellknown for its hot springs. I preferred having coffee and a brownie! And I did wash my hair! Then we had to go back up to 2870m in the next 2 days. The first day we got caught in a hail storm. Man! I have never seen hail so big and falling like that! We managed to get to a guesthouse without getting too wet, but it was cold and humid. I went back to see the sunrise in Poonhill, but as I had expected the first time is always better. The view was perfectly clear, but the sky didn't turn orange like 3 years ago. After that I was ready to head back to Pokhara which was another 2 days of walking. Eventhough I had walked this path before I could only remember the guesthouse where I stayed and a bridge, weird! The last 2 days went by very quickly and I was back in Pokhara after 19 days! WOW! I made it! I am so happy! It was a little bit long, but I would definetely do it again. Now on to India with good food and reasonnable prices..........
