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Published: September 14th 2008
Frantic Start 'Quick Mum, jump on!' shouted Joel behind me as I tried to climb on board the moving bus. We had been waiting at a little roadside cafe for transport to Naya Pul when we saw a bus rattling around the corner. We grabbed our bags and ran. The bus slowed down and just as we were about to board, it started off down the hill. I hesitated but everyone told me to jump on so I grabbed the rail and clambered on board. The fact that the bus kept stopping and starting as we boarded was a bit disconcerting as I was sure that the bus had faulty brakes and I wasn't sure I wanted to trust myself to this driver! As Joel jumped on board behind me I found my way blocked by huge sacks of potatoes in the doorway and down the aisle. I had to climb over the tops of the potatoes to find a seat, all the while thinking that maybe Joel wouldn't make it onto the bus and I would have to face the hair-pin bends on a bus with no brakes on my own!! Joel did make it, as did Lok and Sabin
but not many others! They were left at the side of the road and we careered down the hill with my heart in my mouth! It turned out that we DID have breaks but our driver was desperate to stay in front of another bus coming along behind us as he wanted to be first to pick up the passengers waiting at Naya Pul!
Sarankot Sunrise We had taken a more sedate bus the day before to Pokhara about 8 hours travel from Kathmandu and had organised a porter/guide to take us on a five day trek in the Annapurna Area. It is not easy to find one person who is willing to fulfil both roles as there is a clear distinction between who guides and who acts as a porter. Our guide, Lok, brought his 12 year old son Sabin along for the ride (well....walk!) as it was the Nepalese school holidays as well. We were so glad Sabin came as he was a lot of fun and very quickly became attached to Joel!
We had got up at 4.45 that morning to catch a taxi at 5 to start our trek at the top of Sarankot,
a mountain that overlooks the town and lake at Pokhara. We set off in the dark in a tiny old taxi; quite a squash with the driver, Joel, Lok, Sabin and me. As we made our way through the streets of Pokhara our driver stopped to pick up two MORE people!! I had no idea where they would sit but a few minutes later we set off again with Sabin on Lok's knee in the front and four of us squashed like sardines in the back seat! Our new passengers were delightful; two Thai ladies who had been to Myanmar recently as Election Scrutineers. About half an hour's walk from the top our taxi dropped us off and after we had got the circulation back into our legs we started to climb. What a wonderful panoramic view we had of Dhaulagiri (8167m) in the west to Machhapuchhre (6997m) and the rounded peak of Annapurna 2 (7937m) in the east. It certainly whetted our appetites for our up-coming Annapurna Adventure! Lonely Planet rightly says 'The view of the Annapurna Himalaya from Sarangkot is almost a religious experience.'
First Day From the top of Sarankot we started our walk along the
ridge to the village of Naudanda. It was a pleasant few hours of hiking through an area scattered with small farms and great views of the mountains. We reached the roadside cafe in good time and met a couple of Tibetan women very keen to sell us their jewellery. One of them also managed to jump onto the moving bus with us and we had a good laugh together! We alighted at Naya Pul and walked through the noisy, crowded streets to the official beginning of the trek at Birethanti, where we signed the trekking register. From there on the area is inaccessible by road; everything is carried in on backs: ponies, donkeys and people! It was extremely hot as we made our way along the river valley. I had to keep stopping to drench my hat and a scarf with cold mountain water! There were fewer trekkers than normal due to the recent elections in the country but everything seemed to have calmed down and we had a wonderful few days on the track.
We stopped for the night in Hille at a little guest house which cost us the equivalent of $2.50 for a room! We sat
Street Children in Kathmandu.
Note the two dogs curled up with the children for warmth!outside to enjoy the view and meet some fellow travellers. We had earlier heard some singing that sounded Jewish coming from the small dining room and when we went to eat later on met some Israeli people celebrating Passover! Nepal is a favourite destination for Israelis and we met many Israelis over the five days on the track. We were warmly welcomed and given some of their Passover wine which had cost them an arm and a leg!! We also met Elena, a Dutch girl, who was travelling on her own and had hired two Tibetan women as guide and porter. This was quite a novelty and was the result of an enterprising group who saw a need to cater for single women travellers! Elena's guide and porter were amazing and we met up with them at various points along the way.
Heading for Ghorapani We had a long day ahead of us so were up at 5.45 and after some delicious ginger tea we set off. We seemed to be getting up early every day but this was balanced with lots of early nights too! We crossed a suspension bridge at Tikhedhunga and then started a long, very
steep climb. We climbed most of the day; LP says there are over 3000 steps on that leg of the journey! It was with some relief that we stopped for breakfast a couple of hours later at Ulleri. As we climbed higher we saw our first rhododendron trees. I was expecting bushes but these were tall trees with a gorgeous display of many shades of pink and red flowers! We also saw lots of marijuana along the way, growing between the rocks and steps and also growing in pots at the various lodges when we stopped! We stayed the night at The Snowland Guesthouse, the closest lodge for another early morning start for Poon Hill. It was also the closest hostel that Joel had seen to an Austrian skiing lodge! It was wonderfully warm inside, heated by a 44 gallon drum that served as the hot water for the showers. You had to be quick if you wanted a hot shower!
Poon Hill Another early start at 4.35am saw us heading off for Poon Hill at 4.50am! It was pitch black so we used our head lamps and it was quite a sight seeing all the twinkling of headlights
making their way up to the top. It looked like fairy lights decorating the hillside! It took me an hour to get to the top but Joel was up there in a flash and gave me a warm welcome when I staggered in. I cried at the sight of the sun rising over the mountains; it was breath-taking. We took lots of photos and then headed down for breakfast and left by 8.10 for another heavy day of climbing! We actually descended in altitude and then ascended another ridge the same altitude as Poon Hill. There is certainly a lot of up and down climbing in Nepal. Some of the steps are very steep, at other times the track is gentle undulating slopes and at other times you carefully pick your way through tree roots. I was glad of my walking poles in many places. We passed through jungle-like terrain and then descended steeply to a river and followed the valley for a while. We crossed some landslides, a grim reminder of how dangerous the region can be in the monsoon season. Stopping for lunch in Banthanti (2666m), we could just see in the far distance the village of Ulleri,
where we had breakfasted the day before! I was quite impressed and encouraged at how far we had come!
Joel had his normal daal bhaat for lunch. This is the most popular food in Nepal and consists of rice, curried vegetables, beans and a lentil soup. If available, you might be lucky to get a couple of pieces of chicken. If you order daal bhaat (which is only slightly more expensive than other dishes) you are always offered more and Joel would eat about two whole platefuls at each meal! We were working at his regaining some of the weight he had lost in India! I usually had mixed vegetables and rice, sometimes with an omelette. The lodges and eating places are all regulated by the government so prices are fixed and the menus are all the same as well. Once you chose a lodge to stay in, it is expected that you will eat there and not go off to eat at another lodge.
We stopped at Tatopani for the night and were invited to join some Nepalese dancing. The room was crowded and we all sat around and were offered tea and some chocolate cake. I was
most surprised at the cake as we hadn't seen anything like that in our travels. Each of the visitors was decorated with a floral lay and invited to join in the dancing. It was a lot of fun and the locals loved it when we both joined some of the other visitors to try our hand, or should I say feet, at dancing!
Heading for Ghandruk We were so into early rising that Joel and I decided to get up early and head up the hill behind the village to watch the sunrise behind the mountains. It was a bit hazy but we did have some good early morning views of Mt Machhapuchhre. This mountain is commonly known as Fishtail Mountain and as it is a sacred mountain it is forbidden to climb to the top of it. After a leisurely breakfast we headed off. Most of the track was downhill so much easier going and we passed through some dense jungle/forestry areas. We reached our destination early so had a restful afternoon; Joel headed off further up the hill to explore and Lok and I visited a Tibetan monastry in the town as well as a small museum.
By this stage in the trek my legs were quite sore, especially my calf muscles. It is quite challenging using squat toilets when you have sore calf muscles!! My jar of Tiger Balm came in handy that night.
Final day of Trek As we walked through the forest area next day we were lucky enough to see some lemurs leaping about in the tree tops near us. They are the most amazingly agile animals and appear at times to be flying from one tree top to the other. We tried in vain to capture them on camera but to no avail! We stopped for breakfast in a small village where Lok's wife's family live and he spent time with them while we ate. We then set off before him, certain that he would catch us up, but we made really good progress and he didn't catch us until we had just about reached Biranthanti, where we had started our trek five days before! We signed out on the register and set off for Naya Pul where we celebrated with a cold Coke! We walked on to Naya Pul and decided to take a local bus from there back to
Pokhara.
Crazy Bus Ride We clambered on board an old rickety bus (we didn't have to climb over sacks of potatoes this time!) and took seats near the back. We had to wait until it was full before we left and Lok kindly gave us a banana each! I wasn't quite sure what to do with my banana skin and Joel told me to throw it out the window like everyone else! As the bus wasn't even moving yet this didn't seem like a viable option for me but there didn't seem to be anything else I could do! I hoped that the banana skin would make a tasty snack for some hungry animal! Eventually the bus pulled out and we wound our way up and down mountain-sides; I lost count of the number of hair-pin bends. We stopped at one point for a woman with about six goats and a couple of kids to get on. We watched in amazement as the goats were all pulled up onto the roof by their legs and then a big leafy branch was tossed up for them to munch on! The woman got into the bus holding the smaller kids. As
we turned sharply at one bend there was an almighty crash as we lost some luggage. It was some tenting gear and while this was being retrieved one of the goats escaped and someone had to chase up the hill after it before we could set off again! Not long afterwards we heard a terrific crash and smelt something burning. We had been side-swiped by another bus and one of the windows a few rows in front of where I was sitting had been taken out!! The buses didn't even stop and none of the passengers appeared in the least perturbed by what had happened! At the next stop six beautiful Nepali girls got on the bus and made their way down to the back where Joel and Sabin were sitting! They looked like they had stepped out of a Bollywood film set and there was excited chatter as they fertively watched Joel. It wasn't long before they were chatting to him and we heard they were all uni students, very interested to hear about Joel's travels. There was no on-road video entertainment supplied on the bus but I mean who would need it on a trip like that!!
Rainbow Children Home (The English teacher in me wants to write Rainbow Children's Home but that is not how it is registered!) On our return to Pokhara, Lok our guide, took us to the Rainbow Children Home. The evening we visited the home the heavens opened and it poured as we made our way through the streets of Pokhara. We were drenched and were certainly looking for a rainbow by the time we got there! The home is a non-profit NGO, described as 'dedicated to providing the poor, abandoned and orphaned children of Nepal with an education, shelter, food and most importantly a happy, secure, loving family.' RCH was established in March 2007 and is currently home to 18 children aged one to eleven. Many of the children have been abandoned and have been living on the streets; some have been exploited and trafficked for labour. The children all go to school.
We enjoyed our tour of the home and were made very welcome with some of the children dancing for us. the RCH depends on donations from sponsors. If you are interested in more information you can check them out at www.orphancarenepal.org
Nepal is a wonderful country to
A pony we met along the path
Note that it doesn't have a bridle and bit! visit; the scenery is some of the best you will find in the world and the people are warm and hospitable. I was so impressed by the way that the Nepalese cared for their animals. There seemed to be a great sense of co-dependency and trust with the result that we didn't see anyone mistreating an animal. Donkeys and ponies used for transport on the tracks rarely even had a bit and bridle; they just knew where to go. Animals we met along the paths showed no fear of humans. I would highly recommend a trek in Nepal and I felt very blessed to be able to spend this time with Joel exploring another country.
Stopover in Singapore What a treat to have another stopover in Singapore and catch up with Michael before heading home. The experience of spending time and travelling with one's children is not to be taken lightly. Each time I have had the opportunty of travelling with either or both Michael and Joel I have counted it as a real privilege. I was reading
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran in Singapore and was struck by these words:
'Speak to us of children.
You may
strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward or tarries with yesterday.
You are like the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.'
Thank you Michael and Joel for the wonderful way you have taken me along on some of your back-packing adventures. I have cherished every moment!
PS There are three sets of photos so do click at the bottom of the page to see them all.
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Ellen Around the World
Ellen
Good Read
Hey Barbara - I really enjoyed reading your blog. I intended to do Annapurna a few years back, but couldn't get out of Kathmandu owing to the riots. I'm putting it back on the list now! Your blog also made me want to travel with my mum! Thanks, Ellen