What Did I Get Myself Into?

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Yesterday, while waiting for our guide, we were met in the lobby of our hotel by an Asian looking man, named Ashok who said he was our guide. We were expecting a guide named Krishna, so this proved confusing. Turns our Ashok was our guide from the trekking company for the following two days. He was coming by to brief us and deliver what we needed for our adventure. He began explaining, what to pack, and what to leave, where we were meeting, going, etc. Then he said the words, “mud” and “leeches”. After that, I heard nothing! Actually, I didn’t remember much of what he said before ‘leeches’ as well.

Although I slept well, I was now anxious about this portion of our trip. I couldn’t get leeches out of my head. We were met by Ashok (our guide), MB (our porter, aka Sherpa) and a driver. We took a beautiful hour long drive up into the foothills of the Himalayas.

At a small road, the van stopped and we all got out. Our porter loaded our bags (including Leo’s laptop) into a basket that he supported on his back and with a strap across his forehead. We began our trek. Unfortunately, the skies were overcast and shortly into our trek it began to rain. I was glad to be using the walking stick provided by our guide as the path was lined with slate rocks and quite slippery when wet.

Despite the weather, the views were still beautiful. We passed several beautiful waterfalls, many terraced rice fields just being planted, and had stunning views of the valley below. However, you could only enjoy the view when you stopped walking. You always had to keep your eyes focused where you were walking to avoid, slippery rocks, mud, cow patties, water puddles, leeches and the cliff edge.

5 km later, we arrived at the Gurung Lodge, nestled on the hillside at 5100 ft with stunning views of the mountains above and below. Our accommodations were rustic, but lovely. Our guide settled us into our room and then helped us check for leeches. Apparently, blood sucking leeches, like me just as much as blood sucking mosquitoes. We found three on my right foot and leg. The good news, they don’t hurt at all, the bad news, GROSS! It is amazing how well the anticoagulant injected by the leech works, these bites slowly bled for hours. Leo found it amusing that the Leeches got me and not him. I did not.

We were the only guests in the lodge. After a delicious lunch of soup and samosas, we sat on the porch outside our room and gazed into the valley and mountains. The snow covered peaks of the 25,000+ ft Annapurna were obscured in the clouds. It was wonderful to watch the clouds and fog roll in and out of the valley.

Our afternoon hike consisted of a walk through the neighboring middle village. The closest road to this village is the 5 km walk we took this morning. There we met the locals, purchased some candy, and viewed life in a hillside Himalayan village. The rural Nepalese, lead simple and hard lives. Daily activities focus on survival. Their way of life is so very different than the life we lead.

Back at the lodge, afternoon tea was served on our porch. There we sat and peacefully watching the scenery. Our patience was rewarded by a brief clearing of the clouds, tempting us with a partial view of the glacial mountains. They were so large I felt we could touch them. We are told the best time to view the mountains, is in the spring and late fall.

Happy hour and dinner were served in the same dining hall as lunch. We were the only guests at the lodge. Our guide joined us for our meals, allowing us to really have some good time for conversation. Ashok was open to answering all our questions about Nepal. Some tidbits included: He grew up in a remote village in the eastern part of Nepal. Getting to his home from Pokhara, involves a 33 hour bus ride, followed by an 8-10 hour walk. He only gets home once each year. His village just got electricity 5 years ago. They have no cell phone or local phone service and his sister must walk 3 hours to a neighboring village to make a phone call. He did not start primary school until 13, because the school was a 3 hour walk from home and he was not deemed old enough to handle that round trip until age 13. He finished his primary schooling at the age of 23. He held some odd jobs and then worked as a porter for 7 years prior to becoming a guide. Most of younger generation of Nepalese, now practice “love marriage” versus the traditional arranged marriage. The staff at the lodge earned between 8000 rupees and 17,000 rupees ($85-$180) per month, for a waiter to the hotel manager respectively. These and many more tidbits were shared over our delicious meals.

The next morning we woke early hoping for a view of the glaciers. Once again, the clouds did not cooperate. After breakfast we hiked back to the road to catch our van back to Pokhara. FYI – This time the leeches got Leo!

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Photos

Along the Trail
A local villager

Our Sherpa
MB was a great porter.

Leech Wound
I survived

Happy Hour
Everest Beer

Post Trek Goodbye
With Ashok