Langtang Trek

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So, we left for the trek at 5.30am on Saturday 22nd January. We drove for 10 hours on a public bus along very winding mountain roads to reach the first point on the trek - Sharafrubesi. The driving is definitely not the safest - the mountain roads are so thin with no barriers to stop us falling off - but somehow whenever the bus meets another vehicle they manage to manouver past eachother (much to the distress of all of us!!) On the way back we actually saw an abandoned bus halfway down the side of the mountain!!
Anyway, we eventually made it in one piece and wandered around the village for the evening. It was such a contrast from Kathmandu - so peaceful, and the people seemed much more friendly. It was nice going to sleep without the sound of sirens in the background - and I was woken by a cockerel - not shouting! It was also noticeably cooler - it would get worse the higher we got!!
We had a large team of guides and porters (2 guides and 5 porters) who also cooked for us to make sure we didn't get ill, and they were all very friendly - we even had a small party on the last night.
The first day of the trek was the hardest - we walked for about 10 hours through rhodedendron forest which gradually got higher and higher. We also crossed lots of swaying bridges which were fun!
We arrived at our first lodge in the dark (there were no lights in the bedrooms, so torches all the way!) The main room was really cosy with the fire and we all ate good meals.
On the following days as we climbed higher some members of the group noticed the thinner air (I was alright though). Trees disappeared from the landscape and the river valleys gradually widened into former glaciated ones. The scenery was AMAZING, especially when we eventually reached the peak. The only bad thing was that at the higher altitudes it was extremely cold as soon as the sun went down. One night the water froze in our bottles and the toothpaste froze in my tube. Also, because there were no basins we had to brush our teeth outside - which was also freezing (I lost feeling in my hands) but one evening the sky was so clear and the stars were so beautiful - it was like looking at an imax projection in a planetarium, so despite the cold we sat outside for about 10 minutes (that night even my arctic sleeping bag didn't keep me warm).
Coming down was much easier than going up (but more painful on the legs) and we covered the same distance in 2 days that we had previously done in 3.
When we finally arrived back in Kathmandu, I was relieved by the basin and shower and warmth, but sad to leave the peace of the moutains.
I"ll do more photos next time. I have to go now as we have to visit one of the group who has appendicitis in hospital!!

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Photos

Bus up the mountain
Picture taken from the bus window of another bus as we drove up the mountain.

Base camp for trek
This is of the village where we were dropped by the bus to begin the trek.

Shrine in mountains
This shrine was in the first village on the trek (same as other photo).

Yam on the bridge
Our guide, Yam on one of the many swaying bridges.

Tea house stop
Nearly at the top by now.

First stop for lunch
Me by a river at our first stop on the trek.

We made it!!
Us at the top.

Comments

[Per]

peace in the cold!
Hi, thanks for the blog from Langtang Trek. How many days were you gone? How many in the group? Up to where did you go before returning back? Just curious! If you are still in Kathmandu these days you could come to our peaceful resort in Patan area. We have really good coffee! /Per (Prem) from Sweden, but we now live in Nepal...

[Juliet Hurst]

Hello!!
Lovely to read your blog, it all looks amazing!! and a little hair raising!! I have forwarded the news to school and will show 1H next week. keep enjoying yourself and take care. Much love Juliet

[EmuAbroad]

Hi we were walking for 6 days, with 9 in the group. We got up to a peak 4320m high (I forgot the name now!) Yes we are still in Nepal (staying until May) we're teaching in various schools at the moment. NOt sure if we're coming to Patan at the moment - have to talk to the rest of the group.