Advertisement
Published: January 10th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Preplanning ...
- while preplanning my trek in nepal, i've read in LP n in chatrooms about how difficult the jiri to lukla stretch was as opposed to flying into lukla. Apparently, the ups n downs in this stretch r like .. 1000m++ up AND 1000m++ down everyday!! n the LP estimated trekking time on average per day on this stretch is abt 7-9 hrs.. vs the lukla to gokyo or EBC trek which avg at most 5+hrs a day n ascending n descending at most 700m a day. In fact , some guide books list this as the most difficult main trek in the whole of nepal. it is not too difficult to c why as ive flew into lukla before n looking down on the steep valleys n trails while on d flight sends a shiver down my spine.
- so, Y i do it knowing how difficult it is? plus i will b looking at crossing 2 major mountain passes above 5400m in the gokyo n khumbu valley.. n i wanna do it the real alpinist way.. carry my own pack..
1st reason.. its the "classic trek which Sir Edmund Hillary n Mr Tenzing Norgay did
on the way to everest summit b4 there was an airstrip @ lukla
2nd reason .. Becoz .. "only sissies pussycats will fly into lukla "but I M "a singaporean n no singaporean dude will find anything too tough.. " hehehe!!
3rd reason.. becoz ive had d time n want to experience a less trodden route.. plus a stamp of recommendation from a friend that seals "my fate".. hehhehe!!!
- only thing is.. when i m into only day3 of this part of the trek that i find reason 1 & 2 a bit absurb.. HEHHHee!!
Day 5 - Trek Begins!!!.. jiri - shivalaya
- woke up to roosters crowing n birds chirping.. the last time i heard that was on the BC coast on Galiano isle..
- met AG n Ruth n their porter(kumar) n my guide (kumar too!)outside the lodge.. we r all smiles (guess we r quite excited, + its AG N Ruth first trek in nepal)
- In fact , we r smiling so broadly that we make perfecto advertistment for "darlie or colgate" hehe!!
- The true fact is.. we r more like a bunch of naive, clean shaven , nice
smelling , ignorant "poultry" waiting to "go into the slaughterhouse n get "slaughtered!! " heheehehe!!!
- the trek to shivalaya or to lukla was very much different from trekking above the treeline.. here, in the lowlands , u get to c real settlements n villages who farms, have lifestock that primarily serves the community rather than geared towards tourism.
- passed by many lifestock n padi fields.. n fruit farms too.. n of cos.. cute little children running around, u hear nepali music all around u too.. "the hills r alive with nepali music"(wrote this in my journal book)
- in short , u get a real taste of true nepali life in the lowlands...
- reached shivalaya in abt 5 + hrs .. didint feel too hard though n thats when kumar(my guide) corrected me n say "today's trek is only
appetiser".. hehheeh.. aniway, had a blast @ shivalaya.. their banana pie is so good that i had it for both lunch n dinner. =D
-met some other trekkers here too.. all of them were coming down, a kiwi, an aussie, a french couple(who has done Grashberun 2 in pakistan),
-a fiesty lady from belgium who shared with
juicy rabbit?
take a look at this monstrous rabbit.. real cute, yeah? chew on this.. r the rabbits being harvested for meat or their fur or kept as pets? =P aint so cute animore, huh? me tips on gd lodges n great places to eat along the trail.... and all has no porters.. i took this opportunity to ask abt trail conditions .. in all, great companionship n good fun...
- slept witha WIDE grin across my silly face .. =P
Day 6 - shivalaya - Bhandar
-Woke up again to roosters crowing... had rara instant noodle n was out of the lodge in a jiffty...
- The real test of the trek begins in earnest today.. there were some steep ascend n descend.. the trails here quite rocky n slippery as well.. compared to the trails above lukla, those trails above lukla were like a walk in d park...
- On the trail, had a gd chat with AG N Ruth.. found out that they were staying in TW for a gd 7 mths n were raving abt the great trekking scence n the great hospitality they received. I couldn't agree more .. i found that TWs n Canadians r a real great bunch. real sincere n hospitable...
- Kumar(my guide) n Kumar2(their porter) were gd companion for each other too...
- Reached Bhandar to witness a festival going on in the monastry.. apparently, some high lama is in town to conduct a puja and all residents in bhandar turned up in droves... however ,it was at the tailend of the puja n d locals were queing to go into the monastry..
too crowded for me to go in n decided to skip this n head straight to d lodge.
- ordered dal baht for dinner n retired early ...
Day 7 Bhandar - Sete
- this part was tough... the only entry in my journal on this day was only 3 lovely words.. "S*#! O^ B*!" heheh
-the trail to sete was indeed a hard climb... compared to namche hill.. namche hill is like child's play..
- thruout the trek, one thing astonished me greatly was the level of deforestation this area suffered.
- there were plenty of barren hills devoid of all vegetation n trees.. it is truly shocking.. the level of deforestation somehow reminded of my "clowning glory" everytime i look into the mirror.. HEHE!!he!!
- an interesting part to sete was that we passed by an orange farm!!! heheh.. under the hot sun n perspiring from all that walking.. no one could resist plucking some oranges direct from the trees n sinking one's teeth into its juicy pulp.. =D .. it was a real treat..
Advertisement
Tot: 0.082s; Tpl: 0.021s; cc: 5; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0473s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Travelfan
S.K. Dahal
No Preplanning for Nepal
Being from Nepal myself, I have some advice for people visiting for the first time. One does NOT pre-plan a visit to this beautiful, laid-back country. I always recommend to my US friends that they go and enjoy without making an itinerary cast in stone. In most of the Western world, schedules are a must. Not in Nepal and many other smaller countries. You have to "go with the flow." Buses and even planes are not always on time. Try to get a good local guide and follow him. When out of Kathmandu Valley, time does not matter. Give yourself plenty of time because hours and days go by fast. Make a very loose plan and try not to adhere to it strictly. For more, you might be interested in the following link: http://skdahal.blogspot.com. Enjoy!!