Nepal

Nepal. I was finally here but what a state i was in. I had been ready to leave India for a while and Nepal felt like the right place to be. Suprised by the lack of mountains on the start of my journey from the boarder to Kathmandu, i sat back on the crampt local bus and chatted to some indians. The foot hills started to appear in the distance as we stopped to eat and as we departed the bus i could see ppl sitting on the roof this was an oppitunity not to be missed. I climbed up onto the roof and wedged myself in between some bags as the bus pulled out of the stop. The foot hills inveloped me with there beutiful greens and thounderous roar of the river we followed whinding through the mountains. what a view. As the scenery changed so did the ppl with the nepalese ppl blurring the line between the indian and chinese races. I stayed on the roof of the bus all the way to Kathmandu taking it all in.
The day after arriving i awoke taking a look in the mirror revealed the impact of the last few days. I had lost the tan i had picked up in india and was a pasty white and it looked like i was wearing make up, making me appear like a corpse. Kathmandu was difficult to appricate in my present state but it is still a very beautiful place the decaying wood carved architecture fits perfectly in Durber Sq. The bright lights and live music of Themal pulls u this way and that even if it is a little touristy. Afetr 7 days spent mostly on the toilet i admited the defeat that my body couldnt deal with this alone and i got some antibiotics prescribed.

Off to Pokhara for the sanctury trek and we arrived to something out of a fantasy novel. The main part of Pokhara is a tourist run city but everything around it is amazing stone carved steps asscend the roling hills that are over looked by the 7 snow capped peaks of annapurna range. We hired bikes once more and headerd down the siddarta highway. The roads r bumpy as hell and the lorries speeding past make it dangerous to look at the view but it is a lot of fun. Most of the time before treking was spent by the lake drinking gren tea in the hot december sun and recovering. I began to feel better and we hiresd our equipment and packed our bags ready to start our epic trip
We excited the taxi in Phedi to be greated by a mammouth set of stone steps. We powered our way up them setting totally the wrong pace and after 4 hours we reached Pothana 1890 m up. We had climbed about 1000 meters and i felt really wierd a few thoughts crossed my mind that matybe i was getting the early signs of AMS (accute mountain sickness) but that shouldnt start affecting u until 3000 meters. in the end i think i was exhausted and still recovering. After the cold night set in around us and wew settled down in a room that seemed to have been knocked together by 4 year olds we sleept.
An early rise to get in a good day and as i went outside the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the ever closer mountains was jaw dropping . As we walked thick forest opened into vast clearings where the nepalise have cleared the trees and cut thousands of small paddy fields into the mountain that look like steps from a distance. The Nepalese ppl truly r and industreace race. Most other races would of moved on to find flater land for agreculture but not these guys. We pushed on at a better pace this day and we walked for 8 hours going all the way from 2100 m to the river bed where waterfalls blasted the valley floor and long unstable rope bridges traversed the raging river. when we finally stopped at nightfall in New Bridge we where both aching and in a bit of pain and at this point we began to realise how unfit both of us where. The dhal bhat did ease the pain a little as the endless refills and variety with a dhal, rice, veg curry, and some spicey pickel. After eating we spoke to a nepalese porter who explained how they carry up to 90kg through these mountains. I was amazed to say the least, I must have been carying 10kg and that seemed like far too much. He was up at the crack of dawn and o his way down the path as we opened the window of our room to the world. These guys up here r hard as ails
The showering options arnt great in some places, ICE cold mountain shower or none at all, but in the end it dosent really matter up here. So we set off again without washing and pushed on, for there was a hot spring up ahead, and we arrived there about lunch time. These places r dangerous for trekkers cos once u get in and it starts to sooth those aching limbs you can lose quite a few hours. Its right down on the river bank cut out of stone by workers who where building 2 more pools not the most natural thing in the world butstill amazing. After leaving we walked to chomerong up too 2170 m and found a place with a few ppl and sat down ate and played poker with some spanish girls and there guide.
When the morning arrived we walked onto our balconey WOW! A snow capped mountain towered over us close enough to touch although i sure it was furtherr away than it looked. Machhapuchhre was to the right it was nicknamed fishtail and u can see why from the photos. We started the day with smiles plastered across our face. But this smile was soured a little by the knee crunching stone steps that lead all the way back down to the river bed and 1400 m and then back up the other side too 2360 m. I started to have stomach issues again and we decided to lay in wait at the top for a couple of days and let things pass, the views where stunning so it wasnt so bad. In the 2 days we where there rob got close to the daughter of the guest houe owners learning some nepalese along the way. It never seems to take him very long with these foreign girls.
The time came to leave and with the sun our back we walked the ever tightening path which seemed in some places about as safe as an unexploded land mine. Avalanches had fallen in many places and we had been told not to wait anywhere for to long just in case. The vegitation turned into jungle with mose cling to the trees and bamboo growing high into the sky. Occasionaly packs of white faced monkeys would cross our path and quickly scurry off into the brush on eye contact, as the river blow grew and revealed it cutting energy on the rocks around it. As we got closer to Deurali 3200m we entered the clouds teh trees and bushs disappeared and all we could see where boulders and small shrubs. The top of the vally was not visibale and the air was so damp and cold that it felt like it was raining. We pushed on slowly over raging rivers with no brdges until we made it. That was the coldest night by far in Deurali and when we awoke the blanket i used was covered in moisture from the clouds. It didnt matter i was excited, that feeling like a kid on christmas morning just to open those windows and take a look outside. Slight let down but still stunning no mountains in view but barron like a desert.
We packed up and took off after a pancake breakfast in search of base camp. This is where i started to notice the lack of oxygen, moveing is slower and u stop more often but we didnt slow to much. Piles rocks started to appear as the snow started to get closer. Rob pointed out that they where placed there by trekkers so wer added our own for good luck and carried on. We accendedthrough a valley up to MBC (fishtails base camp? 3800m and the views when we got there where outrages
On the way to MBC we bumped into 2 guys a dutch man and a canadianwho we walked to to MBC and then ABC (Annapurnas base camp). The pace really slowed down after MBC and the 4 of us had to stop every 5 minutes to get more oxygen into our bodies. The trail really isnt steep but u have to concentrate on your breathing and this keept us silent when we where moving. During this silence i realised just how quiet it was up here true silence, and the only thing that breaks it is the occasional bird sounding like bulliet as it flys through the oxygen depleated air.
ABC appeared in the distance and we lowly made our way pu as the river turned to iceand the little vegitation there was had turned yellow and looked dead. Finally we made it to ABC 4130m up what a thrill although i was drained.
The 7 peaks of the Annapurna range surround u like being in the center of a giant bowl, with the glacierthat runs up 1 side leading all the way up the side of Annapurna 1. The glacier looks like a giant quarybecause it runs under ground and breaks up all the rocks. It appears when it starts to make its way up the slops of 3 of the Annapurna mountains. U can really feel how hospitible it is up here no oxygen, no life and every so often we heard a distante crack and a rumble as piece of the glacier broke off and avalanched down the mountain. Hats off to anyone who has summited a himilayian mountain.
After watching the sun fall and turn the mountains from yellow to orange to red topurple then blue we retired to our dinning room where every1 was celebrating making it to ABC. Gavin the canadian guy gave us a manderin lesson but my brain was dead from lack of oxygen and then we drank 2 bottles of Kukuri the local rum and the 4 of us played cards nothing like booze and gambeling at 4000 m to make u feel a bit heady.
With only a couple of hours sleep we where up early for a good days walking. Going back down is so much easier than coming up, your lungs feel so much bigger and stronger. And in 3 days we had made it to Ghorepani and Poon hill 2860m
On the way a dog followed us for 2 days and as we reached different small villages things got a bit messy. The dog was very well mannered until we entered another dogs territory. At 1 point the dogs got so violent with each other blood was flying everywhere. It happened right under our feet i pushed the dogs away with my stick and jumped off the path into a paddy field in fear of rabbies. I dont imagine it would be to easy to get to a hosptal from here.
Poon hill is another beutiful place with probably the best views out of the whole trek becaus the hills r so low and and u can see so far acroos the himalayes. We watched the sunset here which is mind blowing and after dark we sat around a fire and ate. We could hear music in the distance and after asking what was going on. We where told a marrage was being celebrated and the friendly locals duely invited us down and we drank with them and danced the same dance to the same music over and over again. Some kind of tradition i guess or maybe they only know how to play 1 song and do 1 dance.
While walking we hardly saw any trekkers due to being out of season and i think that this turned what we did from a trek into an adventure. I have been bitten by the treking bug.

After arriving back in Pokhara we cellebrated hard and eat well. I lost my phone which had all my music on which pissed me off no end and after a week we where back in Kathmandu for christmas. I caught some illness and so christmas was the least alcholic in years. So i booked the bungy jump they have here to celebrate. A gorge 160 meters deep with a suspension bridge to jump off of and u dont imagine it being as high as it is until u see it with ur own eyes.
We hired bikes to get there because it would be faster and far more fun and we set off at the crack of dawn. I hadnt been up this early and the mist was dreadful and freezing and before long we got split up. I stoped to look for rob and he just carried on riding. I watced the minutes tick by and he didnt turn up so i decided i dint have time to wait around any longer and pinned the throttle of the yamaha cruzer i had rented and disappeared off into the mist.
The pokey 125cc Yam was a joy to ride, as manuverable as a slightly over weight bumble bee and as comfortable as a arm chair. As i spead along the best roads i had ridden on, on this trip so far. twisting through mountains and along valley floors i couldnt help singing the words

"Get your motor running"
"Head out on the highway"
"Looking for adventure"
"Or whatever comes my way"

I arrived without rob hoping he was somewhere in pursuit and sat down for the saftey briefing. They weighed us and we where split into 2 groups. My group had to go 2nd and we watched the 1st group herrling themselves off the bridge which was rather nerve raking. My group went up and stood on the bridge. A large group of locals had gathered to watch us crazey foreigners and i suddenly caught sight of rob he had made it. I was second in my group and as i stepped up they fastened my harness so quickly i woundered if they had missed anything. I moved out onto the platform over this gorge making sure not to look down and i jumped! You start to fall quite slowly but u pick up speed really fast and in the 3 or 4 seconds of free fall a lot of things flashed through my mind. The ground speed towards u and then u lose sight of it as u bounce back up nearly twice as high as u have fallen. After u stop bouncing they pull u to the grounsd and with all the blood in my body in my head and my eyes i felt rather dizzy and a little sick but maybe my body was still trying to work out why i was still alive.Afterwards we saddled up and rode back to Kathmandutogether. Nepalese rush hour was crazy and the pollution was the worest i have seen but what a day
2 more days in Kathmandu and the flight to China and Shanghai. I couldnt wait to leave jump into china. Nepal is too small really too spend as much time here as we did it was fun, a lot of fun. If i ever get a chance to come back to Nepal i think everest base camp will be next.

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