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Published: October 17th 2005
Some memorable moments from 20 days of trekking through the Himalayas with Bernadette, Elizabeth and Kendra. You asked how far we walked in 20 days - apparently somewhere between 300 and 400km. But I also heard that all the ups and downs totalled approximately 10,000 metres in altitude changes.
"Nepali Flat?? - A little bit of up and a little bit of down!!!"
Pre-Departure
*Hired down jackets in Thamel, Kathmandu (we heard it gets cold on top of Everest!). The Nepali man who we hired the jackets from told us that his name in English meant World King. He then asked where we were from and wanted to know what we did in our own country. Given that he was the "World King" we wanted to make sure he was impressed so I told him that I was Hillary's (Sir Edmund) daughter. When Bernadette regained her composure again, the "World King" was ready to go out and get a ring to marry me. Just for the record - "I'm not taking the jackets back to the shop when we get back to Kathmandu!"
Day 1
*4.30am rise to get our own private landcruiser to the start of the trek
Nepal 2005!
Pumba, Piglet, Linda & Donkey!at Besisahar. A hair raising journey with screeching brakes and use of the horn was a frequent occurance.
*30 degree heat - just as well we hired those down jackets!
*Kendra saved Bern from trodding on a cobra which crossed our path with a frog in its mouth.
Day 2
*The Maoists (Nepal's communist party who tell you that they are in government) caught up with us in Jagat. We had to pay them 1200 rupees each (about AUS$24) and told them we were completing the trek in 12 days (flying out of Jomson). They were very polite and didn't have guns but we had already paid our trekking permit fees to the government (the real government).
*Some of the team had apple pancakes for breakfast! Starting to get some great views of the mountains.
Day 3
*Still quite hot walking - as fast as I was drinking I was perspiring it out.
*Fields of marijuana!
*10/10 toilet at the Hotel Monalisa in Tal.
*Great washing area at the base of a beautiful waterfall in Tal except for the leech which ended up between my toes.
Day 4
*Finally using my sleeping bag at a height of
Donkey Caravan
Watch out Kendra! 2300 in Danagyu. Lucky I carried it unlike 2 other Aussies we met who were trekking in the clothes on their backs and had nothing else!
*Best apple pie at Potala Guest House in Danagyu!
Day 5
*Kendra has a cold and a bit of altitude sickness. Bern and Liz may have carried some of the items in her pack! (thank goodness for pack carry points!!!)
*I'm noticing increasing shortness of breath as we get closer to 3000 meteres.
*Watched a piglet at breakfast time being chased around by a toddler nepali girl (she wasn't chasing our breakfast!)
*Enjoying the snow capped peaks coming in to good view.
*Walked through large landslide areas - chose not to stop walking through these areas.
Day 6
*Lovely walking through pine forrest.
*Huge rock face (smooth looking like a "skate park" as Kendra named it) formed by a glacier.
*Reached Lower Pisang (3200 metres).
Day 7
*October 3rd - my grandmother's 91st birthday!
*Realised that the diamoxx we are taking to help adjust to the increasing altitude is a diuretic and is making us 'need to go' a little more frequently.
*A small aircraft passed through the valley today below
Local Porters
Check out their loads! We thought our bags were heavy. the height that we were hiking at which was close to 4000 metres.
Day 8
*Acclimitisation Day (at Braga - 3360 metres) and suppposedly a rest day! Climbed 400-500 metres towards an ice lake to allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude and then came back down. Some who don't understand meaning of rest (not Kendra or Lou) climbed for much longer.
*Stunning views of Annapurna Ranges.
*Kendra's cold is spreading.
Day 9
*Keeping up the fluids as we continue to climb higher. Drinking lots of hot lemon at the tea houses in the hope that it will also cure our colds.
*Saw 2 snow avalanches high on the mountains across the valley. By the time the sound reached us the avalanche was almost over.
*There was a crazy Yak on the trail today that we had to quickly clear the path for before he cleared us off the path.
*Now at Yak Kharka (means grazing Yaks) at a height of 4018 metres.
Day 10
*Reached High Camp (4660 metres) which is the last village before the Pass. Another acclimatisation walk from high camp to a lookout. Slight headache and not a very good appetite.
*The
A little bit Chilly!
Bern & Liz braving a wash at the base of the falls in Ngadi. down jackets have come out and are now appreciated at this height.
Day 11
*Resting heart rate is definitely up but not over 110 beats per minute.
*It was a slow and steady climb up to the Thorong La Pass (5416 metres). Apparently it is the biggest pass in the world.
*The Cadbury Blackforest chocolate from home was cracked (literally - it wasn't that easy to break!) open.
*Just before we reached the top there was an almighty roar and we looked behind to see a big snow avalanche on a not so distant mountain.
*Kendra broke open the twisties (thanks Harry!) that she'd been carrying all the way. Linda (the Koala) too made it all the way and was wearing her red scarf that Kendra made.
*Not the best views from the top but good to be there - even better to be descending again.
*Descended to Muktinath (3760 metres) where we stayed and where there was a big Yak slaughter happening. A few yak heads passed by our lodge windows. A very long day!!!
Day 12
*October 8th - Mum's Birthday!
*I declared it "National Day of No Walking" (it wasn't observed as we walked on!!!)
*Arrived in Marpha - the cleanest village we have stayed in. Rang mum for her birthday (possibly the most expensive phone call in the world from the middle of the Himalayas!)
Day 13
*Desperately needing to do washing again. My shorts look as though they could walk the rest of the trek on their own!
*Now in Kalopani (2530 metres). Under the dining table at the guest house they have dug out areas where they put hot coals to keep our feet and legs warm - very nice!
*Rob (fellow trekker from the States) tried to teach us how to make animal balloons after dinner. Rob had been making them for children he met along the trek. We all decided that Rob had a very special talent given that we couldn't even blow up the balloons to make the animals. We tried to blame the altitude! Kendra had success after much persistence and a headache and made a blue dog.
Day 14
*Fantastic views of the Dhalurgiri as we left Kalopani.
*Kendra was knocked over by a donkey with a wide load today and landed on a sharp rock. It was a good thing she was walking hillside
and not cliff side! How would I have explained that to Spike!
*Reached Tatopani (1190 metres) today and enjoyed the hot springs with some popcorn and Everest Beer. It was so hot in the springs that we had to alternate between the springs and the river.
Day 15
*REST DAY - The "National Day of No Walking" which was supposed to by Day 12 was finally observed. It truly was a rest day!
*Enjoyed hot springs again and sampled some local cakes!
Day 16
*Big climb today of approx. 1600 metres to Ghorepani (2750 metres). Lots of stone steps.
*Great views of Dhalugiri - the 7th highest peak in the world (8167 metres). Only about 700 metres short of Everest!
*Lou's socks were banned from staying in the room tonight!
*Carlie (fellow trekker) was knocked off the trail today by a young boy on a horse - she is okay apart from a few bruises and a graze on her head.
Day 17
*Climbed up to Poon Hill from Ghorepani for sunrise. The down jackets came out again!
*Now at Tadapani (2590 metres). First views of Fishtail (not the mountains real name) peak this trek.
*Long tailed
No Bulldozers In The Himalayas!
The trekker with the blonde hair stopped to give them an extra hand! langur monkeys in the trees in this village.
*There were 2 pieces of apple crumble left in Tadapani - Kendra demolished one piece for lunch on arrival and the second for breakfast the next morning!
Day 18
*Now in Chomrong (2170 metres). Awesome views of Annapurna South and Fishtail. "So close you could almost touch them!"
*Saw a black and red snake on the trail coming in to Chomrong.
Day 19
*Now in Ghandruk (1940 metres). Although we are supposed to be descending there still seems to be more up!
Day 20
*Walked out to Naya Pul - the snow capped peaks gettting further and further away now.
*Levels of concentration were a bit down today among the team - Bern slipped over, face planted a rock, winded herself and was pinned under her pack. It wasn't the best timing as the donkeys were going past! She's okay but got a big fright. Carlie (fellow trekker) had 2 spills - she slipped on some stone steps and then tripped an hour before the end of the trek, taking quite a tumble and making her previous head injury (from the horse pushing her off the track) bleed more.
Lots of children came to watch as Carlie's husband performed some first aid!
*Local bus to Pokhara from Naya Pul. Can't believe we've been out trekking for 20 days.
**Apologised profusely to hotel staff in Pokhara for the stench from the dirty laundry bag we left them but it wasn't going to be staying in our rooms!
Awesome Trek!!!
Day 21
2nd National Day of No Walking, No Socks and No Closed in Shoe Day!
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