Around the world by bike
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Nepal Annapurna Trek 2006 |
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Namaste Everyone,
7 March Why’s it always that when you go somewhere everything is such a rush at the last minute? At least I have my bags packed, and what’s not in I’ll just have to do without. I’m sure I have far too much stuff, but I’ll take it along and sort it out when I get there.
8 March Well, I should have known better! Got to the running club at around 20h30 (which I thought was safe), but only left after midnight (I’ll blame it on Esther and Phillip - you guys are a bad influence - I have to blame someone!). Getting up at 05h00 with a hell of a hangover was no fun, but at least I got to the airport on time. The flight only left at 09h50, but traffic is bad at that time of the morning so we had to leave early. I flew via Doha, Qatar, where I arrived at about 21h30. There I met some fellow trekkers from South Africa, as we had about a 5 hr wait for a connecting flight to Kathmandu. We did last minute shopping at the airport, and I sat around with Pauline and Henriette drinking coffee. David and Joyce were also on the flight, and I would meet the others later on.
9 March We departed from a very busy Doha airport at around 02h30, and by now I could really do with a bit of sleep. As if it isn’t difficult enough to sleep on a plane, they served breakfast at 04h00 (very nice food, I must admit). I even managed to sleep a bit before we arrived in Kathmandu at 09h30.
The ride to the hotel was straight from hell. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out on which side of the road they drive, or if they just go wherever there is a gap. Against all odds we arrived safe and sound at the Vaishali Hotel, which turned out to be a very nice hotel right in the centre of Thamel, and close to everything (a very good choice). At the hotel we met up with the rest of the trekking group, and it was real nice to see Eddie (from Tour d’Afrique) again.
The group consisted of Henriette, Pauline, Joyce, David, Jonathan, Eddie, Pat, Alfred, Heinz, and myself. Also included were Hannu and Tania who organized the trip. We all went down the road to a local restaurant for supper and then it was straight to bed, as by this time I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.
10 March
We had a free day in Kathmandu in
order to sort out the last minute trekking
We returned to our hotel at around 17h30 to meet our guides, Ramesh and Susan.
11 March
We had to take a local bus to
Besishahar where the trek would start. The bus terminus appeared to be in
total chaos but at last we
The countryside is extremely hilly (it is the Himalayas), but every bit of mountainside is being farmed extensively with terrace farming (I wondered how on earth they get up there). Eight hours and many roadblocks later, we arrived in Besishahar and found a tea house to overnight. We even had some drama with the local police, who had just enforced a curfew from 20h00 till morning. Not that we wanted to go anywhere, the place was really very small.
12 March
That morning we woke up and packed
our kit. Now I felt really shit about all the clothes I’d brought (there was
one porter between 2 of us, who carried up to 30kg). It was quite something
to see the porters loading the large bag with a strap around their
We arrived in Ngadibazar around 15h00 and found a tea house for the night. The room was very small, especially with 2 people and their bags. I think they sawed off the end of the bed so the door could open, because my feet were hanging off the end. Hey, at least it was a bed and I didn’t have to pitch a tent.
13 March
We were on our way again at around
08h00 on a beautiful sunny day. I was still wearing my long pants and long
sleeves and only took it off at the lunch stop. The scenery was
breathtaking, and the very small villages appeared hundreds of years old.
The path runs along the ancient trade route between Tibet and Nepal, and the
local people look more Tibetan than Indian. We continued crossing those
damned swing bridges, which gave me the hibbee-jibbees. We could see snow on
all the mountains around us, and it seemed to still be snowing up in the
higher parts. We also met a number of trekkers coming in the opposite
direction. We heard from them that it was snowing heavily in the higher
I was once again amazed at the large amount of terrace farming in the high mountains. The land seemed quite fertile, and there were also a few rice fields close to the river. It appeared that they were growing mostly potatoes, corn, wheat, cabbage, and tomatoes.
The path was now becoming very narrow with steep drop-offs to one side and steep mountains to the other. Also, there were many donkey caravans going in both directions (the best thing to do was to push yourself against the mountain face and let them pass). We even encountered a large herd of goats, packing the trail for hundreds of metres (with us squashed against the side of the mountain - too scared to move). At last we reached Jagat, which at 1330 m was still quite low and the walking still fairly easy (I didn’t want to speak too soon).
14 March
We were up at 06h00 and had
breakfast at 07h00, which consisted of pancakes, japatis or Tibetan bread
with jam. On this day we would head for Dharapani (1 860 m). I must admit
that the food wasn’t bad at all, as I quite enjoy that type of food. In
general it was fried rice with curried veg, fried noodles with veg, or
spaghetti with veg. It was quite something
The walk was once again beautiful, with the mountains towering above us. Later that day the weather closed in a bit, and we walked in the rain for the last half an hour or so. It got really cold, and by the time we reached the overnight stop I was shivering uncontrollably. However, I warmed up quickly after a hot meal of fried potatoes and cheese. Outside it was absolutely pitch dark, as by this stage there was very little, or no electricity in the villages. I just had a little wipe down before bed, as there was no way I’d subject myself to a cold shower.
15 March
On this day
16 March
Getting out of bed in the morning
was quite a mission, but as I’d slept in all my clothes it was a little
easier. I bought a local Nepali beanie and geared with that, cloves and rain
suit I ventured outside. It was a fairly short walk to Lower Pisang at 3 240m, but we still left at around 08h00 and soon reached the snow level. What a
sight! Everything was a
17 March Wow, what a morning! It was just the most brilliant morning, with all the clouds gone and the sky a brilliant blue. What a sight, everything was snow white! We had to be really careful now on the slippery swing bridges, and the path was also very narrow and slippery. Therefore it was a slow but beautiful trek to Manang, 3 560 m. I could really start feeling the altitude now, getting out of breath very quickly on the up-hills. It seemed a bit like the pictures of Everest, with people walking behind one another, bent over and moving very slowly. The middle of the day felt quite warm and I could even strip down to short sleeves, but as soon as I stopped walking it was freezing cold again. We reached Manang shortly after lunch, and because it was so cold I just jumped straight into bed. I could feel a cold coming on so I did what I could with the vitamin C, but it was probably already too late. Supper was once again a nice surprise and I had a vegetarian steak, delicious! After supper it was early to bed, as by now I was really all blocked up and coughing.
18 March
We stayed in Manang for two nights, which allowed us the opportunity to walk halfway up the mountain and meet the Lama who lives there in a cave. We had tea with him, and he blessed us for a safe trip over the pass (we had to pay 100 rupees though!). The Lama is quite old, and he lives there with his wife who is nearly totally blind, and his daughter who is a nun (wonder if that’s by choice?). After we descended I went straight to bed where I stayed for the rest of the day. It was freezing, and my cold seemed to be getting worse (I hoped to be better on the following day).
19 March
We again awoke to a brilliant
morning, with blue skies and snow white mountains all around. After that we
prepared to leave for Yak Khara, 4 110 m. It was a fairly short 4
20 March
21 March
We were up at 03h30 and left at
04h00 that morning. We packed very quickly, and had a small breakfast
consisting of coffee and toast. I was now dressed in 4 pairs of pants, 4
tops, beanie, scarf cloves, you name it I was wearing it (quite a sight!).
My day pack was fairly light because I was wearing everything (the pack
contained only drinking water, as your mouth gets very dry in the thin air).
The trek up the
By now Pauline was really weak, and after some consultation one of our guides (Ramesh) and a porter accompanied her back to the village. When the rest of us reached the top of the pass, it looked to me as if everyone was very close to hyporthermia. Eddie even had his scarf frozen to his nose. Heinz and Alfred, from Germany, were looking worse for wear with ice sticking to their faces. Even the water in our water bottles was frozen! Eddie and I decided to head on down the mountain as everyone was there except for Joyce and David, but the other quide (Suzan), was with them.
Now for the downhill trek (and I
thought the worst was over!). Little did I know what a long, hard trek that
was going to be. The path was slippery, the snow soft, and the drop-offs
steep - and it just carried on and on! At least by this time we were out of
the wind, and Eddie and I just went down as quickly as we could. I had
become very hungry, as the day’s trek had taken way longer than we had
expected. The only food we had between the two of us was a spring roll from
the previous night,
We still had to cover one last stretch to Muktinath, which took about an hour and a half. When we arrived there I was as happy as hell to see the Bob Marley Hotel where we stayed. They even had a hot shower, and I removed my clothes for the first time in I don’t know how many days. By nightfall we were all very worried about Joyce and David, but I thought they would somehow make it, as they looked pretty tough to me. Eventually at 19h30 they reached the hotel, tired but very happy to be there! I will allow Joyce to tell her own story about a very nice, young, and friendly German guy along the way (is that what took you so long, Joyce?).
22 March
We decided to stay in Muktinath for
another day. Can you believe it, now that I had the chance to sleep late I
was awake fairly early, typical! We had a well deserved breakfast, and there
were lots of stories to tell about the previous day. The day was spent
walking around the town and visiting some of the well known temples in the
area. We could also do some shopping, as even there
23 March Our last day of trekking, and we started very early as here the wind tends to pick up and howl through the valley. The wind comes straight from the snow capped mountains and is normally icy cold. We started down the mountain on a very nice road where we could even walk next to one another. The scenery had changed completely, and it was now extremely barren. We walked along a gorge, with the river way below us and steep barren cliffs rising up the sides. This was the Kali Gandaki River, where one can still find fossils of sea creatures. However, we didn’t waste any time there as we were trying to beat the wind, and we arrived in Jomsom just as the wind started blowing. We stayed in the Zanadu Hotel which was extremely nice (or maybe it seemed like that after the very basic accommodation of the previous days). The Hotel is, however, known for serving excellent Jak Steak and Indian curries, which was enjoyed by all. At this point we said goodbye to our porters, as we would fly out of Jomsom to Pokhara the following day. The Hotel was conveniently located, about a 50m walk from the airport.
24 March
At 05h00 we were up again, to catch
the plane to Pokhara. Take-off was at 07h00,
25 March
We always seemed to be getting up
early. On this morning it was "rush, rush", as we still had to catch the bus
back to Kathmandu. The roads were really narrow with numerous road blocks
(due to the political situation), so the trip took nearly the whole day. But
the bus stopped for lunch, and as always I enjoyed the local food. On our
arrival in Kathmandu
26 March The river rafting people picked me up at around 07h00 for a 2 and a half hour trip to the river. As usual they were late, but what the heck, I had all the time in the world. The little bus was extremely slow as the traffic was terrible, the roads narrow, and again there were many road blocks. We only arrived at the rafting camp around lunch time, and after a quick bite we were on the raft. So, together with 3 Russians, 2 Mexicans, and an Australian I headed down the river.
The water level in the river was quite low, so there were lots of obstacles - needless to say, not everyone stayed in the boat. I hung on for dear life, and managed to stay inside for the rest of the day. Then it was back to the camp. The camp was quite nice, consisting of tents, as well as a large open-sided shelter with pool tables, bar and a large fireplace (a really cool place to hang out). True to tradition the Russians had a bottle of Vodka which they shared around, solving the communication problems (by now we all spoke Russian!).
27 March
The next morning it was "go, go, go", and we were up and on the river again. The river was a bit wilder than on the previous day, fast-flowing all day long. Again, not everyone stayed dry, but that’s part of the fun. Although it’s not the Zambezi, it was great to be on the water. A pity it’s so short, as after lunch we were back on the bus to Kathmandu. This was to be our last evening in Nepal, so it was off to the Rum Doodle for pizza and beer.
28 March
We were up at 05h30 to get all our
stuff packed, but we couldn’t fit all our shopping into our bags. There was
no time to waste as the taxi would pick us up at 06h15 for our 08h15 flight
back to Cape Town via Qatar. We arrived at the airport in good time, and I
thought I may
As if that was not enough, I
discovered that in the process I had also lost my credit card - how on earth
did I do that? Now I was really in the shit! All I could do was to go back
to First Environmental Trekking who had organized the trip, and explain my
predicament to them. I discussed the matter with Nava, the owner of the
company. It seemed like no problem to them – "sit down have some tea, do you
want something to eat?" Everyone seemed quite relaxed about the matter. Nava
offered to book me back into the hotel in which we had stayed (and he
paid!), and he got one of his people to take me around. So whalla, there I
went on the back of a motorbike though the streets of Kathmandu, past the
markets, over the tomatoes, and past pigs, and in no time we were through
the traffic
Nothing is as easy as it looks, so it was a good thing I had the man from First Environmental with me. Besides solving the language problem, he also seemed to know the big boss in the office. After some explanations and discussion we were off to take photos and to make copies of my passport, etc. Then it was back to immigration for more discussion and explanations. I was very happy to have this man with me, as it appeared that other people with a similar problem were in a holding cell! Eventually, after visiting a few more offices and paying a further $75, I had my visa (this time I made sure that it was stuck in). Hallelujah! Then it was off to Qatar airlines to arrange a flight, again on the bike. At the airline office there was a lot of discussion in the local language (all I could do was stare stupidly at them). However, the next available flight was only on 2 April - what the hell was I going to do for 5 days in Kathmandu without any money?
With the bike we went back to First Environmental’s office, where they again offered me tea and food. Then I had an idea, and I e-mailed my office from there, requesting some money. Now I felt a lot better. (Little did I know that Val had to run around like crazy to organise that). Heading back to the hotel (which was just around the corner), I suddenly realised that Eddie may still be there, as his flight was only at around 16h00. After rushing to the hotel I just caught Eddie with seconds to spare, before he grabbed a taxi. At least now I could tell someone what had happened. In a split second he decided to cancel his flight, and to stay on in Kathmandu till the 2nd. I just have the best friends in the whole world. Thanks Eddie, you are great.
29 March
I was very anxious about the money
situation, as I feel totally insecure living off other people. So, first
thing in the morning I popped in at First Environmental’s office, but there
was no one there as people only start working
30 March Guess what the first thing was that I did this morning? I headed off to the bank as fast as I could, and whalla, there it was! With money in hand and a smile on my face I was ready for the next few days in Kathmandu. Now nothing could get me under, and we had a late breakfast in the hotel (included in the room price - this is really a great hotel). Then it was back to the crowded Gulf Air office to confirm Eddie’s flight, but we could only pick up the ticket on the following day. After paying First Environmental back for the hotel and visa fees, I bought a skirt, pants, and top to wear (I had been in the same clothes for days). I should really have gotten some sandals as well, as I looked ridiculous in a skirt and hiking boots. I decided to rather spend the money on nicer things, so we went to Tom & Jerry’s for a beer, and then off to the New Orleans for supper (good food and music). Life felt great in Kathmandu.
31 March
1 April Our last day in Nepal had arrived, so we could spend whatever money was left (I didn’t know if that was so wise, but what he hell!). We spent the day wandering around the streets, picking up some books, clothes, and other bits and pieces. Then we were off for our last night out in Kathmandu.
2 April
This was a great trip. Thanks to everyone at First Environmental Trekking, and in my office. Thanks Eddie for keeping me company (I’m sure you had your doubts about that one)
Lots of Love, Leana. |