Hi All, grab a drink and get comfy! We're afraid it's a long one...
Having packed for the hot climate of India and South East Asia, I wasn’t prepared for the week long trek Ross had been planning. My flimsy sketchers, unlike Ross’ shoes that he had spent months researching, weren’t up for trekking in the Himalayas. So with this we spent a day trying on every size 6 hire boot in Pokhara, finally deciding on a really beaten up old pair. We paid a roadside shoe mender to patch these up instead of buying a new pair of ‘genuine fake’ ones bound to give me blisters or fall apart on day one. We brought puffer jackets (to double up as sleeping bags); hired trekking poles (which we thought only old people who take it too seriously use); and borrowed a 40 litre rucksack each. Now fully equipped-ish , we made a plan to trek in the Annapurna region, deciding on a 7 day hike to the Annapurna Base Camp at 4130m high.
Day 1:
Off we set from Pokhara on a bus to Nayapul where we caught a jeep to Kimchi (1640m) and began our uphill hike! After 10 minutes, we felt that perhaps we had underestimated mountaineering - who knew the Himalayas would be so steep? Thankfully, the path was well marked and we managed to navigate easily between villages. During our day, we walked up the side of a forested valley and passed local people at work. These jobs ranged from: ladies carrying baskets of crops on their heads; men herding donkies carrying calor gas; a two man powered saw mill cutting floor boards from red wood; and a team of 4 men wrestling a wild yak up a rocky mountain pass.
Our optimism at reaching our planned destination began to dwindle following a steep decent into the valley (all the way back down what we had climbed) which, even with our now indispensable trekking poles, knackered our knees. Unaware of what time the sun set and with at least another 2 and a half hours trekking ahead of us, we made the sensible decision to call it a day after 9 exhausting kilometres and checked in to our first tea house at 4:30pm. Our ‘Tea House’ (the name given to basic trekking lodges) in Kimrong (1715m) exceeded all expectations. We were given our own room which surprised us as we thought all were shared. It also had a hot shower, well a bucket of hot water! Moreover, we received quilts not just the grubby blankets we had been led to believe we would find - a good job really as all we packed were sleeping bag liners. We had a great nights sleep, dinner and breakfast all for £20 between us!
Day 2:
We set off up the steep path that yesterday our tired legs would not have managed (especially as it got dark at 5:30pm). After 2 hours of climbing we rewarded ourselves with a chocolate danish twist from a bakery we stumbled across. We sat on a ledge taking in the view as teams of donkies passed and prayer flags fluttered overhead. We climbed further and Danielle started to feel light headed; potentially due to the altitude or maybe just a lack of water. A stop for lunch at another incredible viewpoint and we both felt revitalised. We don't think we'll tire from views of rolling mountains in the horizon! As we pressed on, we moved from sparse woodland to lush green bamboo forest. Our stop for the night after 14km was aptly named Bamboo (2320m); another tea house with our own room and a real hot shower this time!
Day 3:
We started our day with a pot off ginger and honey tea, chocolate porridge and potato rosti. Throughout the morning, we climbed out of the bamboo forests and by the afternoon had left the tree line behind. Then in more barren terrain, the paths were looser and much trickier to climb so required us scramble over rocks. As we hiked, we passed powerful waterfalls and crossed over crystal clear rivers and streams. In order to cross, we had to balance on wobbly log bridges with only a few rusty nails holding them together!
After only 7km and a day of tricky terrain, we decided to stop for the night at Deurali (3200m) so we were ready for the final push to base camp the next day! We had to hunt for a room as the first tea house was full; the second offered a dark and damp basement; whilst the third and final tea house offered a plywood shed with a thin tin roof. This was the best of a bad bunch. It was so small that when we pushed the beds together to keep warm we could no longer open the door! Although the room was freezing and draughty, the communal area was lively and filled with people from all over the world - all wrapped up in duvets and clasping steaming mugs. We stayed as long as we could, playing cards and chatting but by 8:30pm we were so tired we were falling asleep at the table. We headed back to the shed for a cold night of broken sleep.
Day 4:
Today we achieved our goal of reaching Annapurna Base Camp! Our day started as usual by rolling out of bed into a freezing cold room, frantically rummaging in the rucksacks for clean-ish clothes and sitting down for a warming pot of ginger and honey tea. Our trek for today was again short we but climbed 930m over just 7km. The altitude was beginning to affect us when walking. Small 5 minute climbs felt like a half hour set of stairs. We stopped for a short tea break where we were told that, despite it only being 11am, there were no beds left at Annapurna Base Camp as they had all been pre-booked by organised trekking tours.
We climbed the final stretch as fast as our knackered legs could carry us, only stopping to fill our bottle in a stream on the way. When we arrived we split up in the hope of finding a room. The first three were fully booked but luckily the last had one 9 bed dorm room left. We took beds 4 and 5 and the remaining 4 filled up in the next 10 minutes. That was the base camp full at 12:30pm, when other locations have beds until at least 4:30pm! We were so relieved to have a bed at the foot of the world’s 10th highest mountain, it was just a shame the clouds had rolled in and we couldn’t see any of it! The snow started to fall and again everyone huddled together in the dining room with tea and mountains of food. We stayed until about 8pm when we all went to bed aiming to be up in time for sunrise over the mountain. All fingers and chilly toes were crossed for clearer skies.
Day 5:
So it turned out that even with 9 in a room, it was still absolutely freezing during the night. We wore every layer we had, climbed into our sleeping bag liners, huddled close together and pulled the quilts over our heads. Still the -5 degree chill made it into the room. Neither of us slept well but didn’t care when our room mate woke us all at 5:30am with the news that the sky was clear! We were already fully dressed in all our layers so put on our boots and headed into the snow. Sure enough the view was spectacular. We had a panoramic view of the Annapurna mountains . We gathered to watch the sun rise over the valley; taking photos and watching in awe as the peaks glowed orange in the morning sunlight. Even Danielle agreed that the early mornings, aching feet and freezing nights had all been worth it!
After breakfast, we began our descent back down the mountain. The views offered a different perspective as we could see the Modi Khola River flowing down the entire valley and had snowy peaks to our backs. During the day we spotted shaking trees and moments later a family of grey langur monkeys crossed the path in front of us. We expected the downhill to be quicker but we even managed to surprise ourselves at the time it took us to reach Dovan for lunch. Our aim was to reach Bamboo where we had stayed two nights previously. We arrived here at 2:30pm and with plenty of daylight decided to keep going. As we passed Sinuwa, our aching legs were ready to stop but we worked out that in the remaining 2 hours of daylight we could just about make it to the larger village of Chhomrong. Knowing this would be the most exhausting part of the descent, we were keen to get it over and done with.
We made it down to the valley floor, across a Gurkha built suspension bridge and back up the never ending, steep staircase to reach the town around 6:20pm, just as the last of the light had disappeared. Our legs felt like jelly, our shoulders were throbbing from the weight of our rucksacks and our feet were chumfing (an Angella term) from our boots. We were thankful that we managed to find a room easily, get a beer (for Ross) and have a hot shower (for Danielle as it ran out just as Ross got in)! Our not so Nepalese chicken and chips was a great end to a tiring day. After 10 hours of walking, we flopped into bed exhausted but very pleased with ourselves that we had managed to get down 2300m in one day which had taken us almost three to go up!
Day 6:
For the first time we awoke aching all over. Knowing there was a bakery waiting for us just 100m up gave us the motivation we needed to get up from our cosy beds. We demolished chocolate pastries, chocolate cake and fresh coffee (something Ross has missed since we left the UK). Feeling full, we headed higher still out of Chhomrong and then down to to Jhinu - a different route to the way we came. Danielle had been particularly looking forward to the rumoured hot springs in the base of the valley. We were excited to arrive at bathing pools fed by geothermal springs nestled at the edge of an incredible roaring river. It was amazing to dip into the warm, soothing water.
Feeling revitalised we got back on track. As we descended, the landscape transitioned from dusky rocky paths to dense green forest. On our way down, we came to the settlement of New Bridge. We were faced with another Gurkha built bridge, this time measuring a whopping 293m! We made our way across while Ross tried to keep his eyes firmly forward to avoid looking at the drop below. It was then Danielle’s turn to feel uneasy as we had to cross paths carved into old landslides with uprooted trees, loose gravel and sheer rocky drops. Thankful to be out of the landslide risk area, we walked parallel to the river through many rural villages and passed several beautiful waterfalls. We arrived at a tea house in Tolka (1700m) - this time before dark! For dinner we had a local favourite of Dal Bhat; a hearty Nepalese lentil curry served with a heap of rice, stir fried veg, a popadom and pickles (and unlimited re-fills!) Our room for the night was in a converted barn- just as rustic as the plywood shed but much, much warmer!
Day 7:
We awoke from a warm night sleep to the sound of goats and chickens in the farmyard behind our room. We had a Nepalese breakfast which included crispy Tibetan bread, spiced potato rosti and slices of yak cheese (a cross between a strong parmesan and emmental). We set off along the road passing more villages. The further we got from our mountain tea house, the less isolated each village felt. We were shocked to see a motorbike and then a car for the first time in a week. About 20 minutes into our journey we came across 3 very cute dogs, they looked very well cared for but were without collars. One took to Ross and enjoyed her head being scratched. She then proceeded to follow us for the next 3 hours! She lead the way for us up steep stairs and back down into the valley. For what we thought would be an easy final stretch back, it was a long day in the hot sun (no longer cold at this altitude).
We finally made it to our last stop - Phedi (1100m) where the crowded bus pulled in to let us and our rucksacks squeeze on. It should have taken half an hour to get back to Pokhara but 20 minutes in we heard a loud clang followed by a scraping sound. The driver pulled over to inspect the underside of the bus, he was clearly not happy and ordered everyone off. Just as we were wondering what to do, a taxi pulled in and offered to take us all the way back to our hotel for just a few pounds.
After and incredible but exhausting week trekking we were more than ready for a well overdue hot shower. Pleased to see the back of our trekking poles and Danielle’s battered boots, we returned all our rental kit. The last port of call was taking 8kg of laundry to the local launderette as it was just too sweaty to hand wash! We collapsed into bed and were asleep in seconds.
Our final day in Pokhara was spent enjoying some Italian food- the best beef cannelloni we have ever had (high praise from an Italian!) We explored the touristy area and headed down to the lakeside for some much needed relaxation. Our treat to ourselves after the longest ‘walk’ we’ve ever been on was an hour long Ayurvedic full body massage for only £7 each! Our aching muscles couldn’t have been happier!
Hope everyone is well at home. Now we are back to WiFi and civilisation drop us an email to keep us updated. And finally Happy Half-Term to all our teacher friends!
Love R and D xxx
Comments