“I want to go for some holidays!” said Jitka one
evening when we sat drained after whole day at work. “Me too!” I commented,
“But where?” Our problem was not when to go, because we could apply for leave
basically any time, but the problem was what destination to choose! We knew, or
at least we thought we knew, plenty of places we would like to visit, but
suddenly when you are in front for the decision itself and you have to point in
the map, it is not that simple! And when you are two persons like this, it is
even more difficult ;)
So we decided to make a draw and let the chance
decide for us. Each of us made four suggestions of possible holidays and wrote
them down on a piece of paper. We eliminated one from option from the other
which we the least wanted to go, threw the rest into a box and draw. “Goa” came
out! We gave each other a quick look: “Naaah! Let’s try again!” and we drew one
more. “Sri Lanka” got more considerations, but at the end we cheated once more
and drew again. Phillipines, Zanzibar…none of it worked for us. So we got to
the last two which were the same, because we both suggested it…”Nepal!”. “Why
we haven’t chosen this before? It was so obvious” we both smiled J Then everything was easy. Book tickets, do some
rough planning, buy some gear and before we could say knife, we were
sitting in a plane to Kathmandu!
There is many things
you can do in Nepal from rafting, jungle safari or Buddhist meditation in a
monastery to Hindu pilgrimage or ice climbing expedition on one of the highest
peaks, but what the majority or tourists do in Nepal is just simple hiking and
trekking in the valleys hidden way below and between the towering giants.
Because it is easy, comfortable and safe, but also incredibly beautiful,
relaxing, rewarding and fun! Win win destination
So we chose exactly this, a
10-day trek around Annapurna range called “Annapurna circuit” considered one of
the most beautiful trek in Nepal and in the world. We would hike around 120
kilometers and climb from 800m above the sea level to one of the highest
mountain passes at 5400m. All that in a wonderful mountain valley full of
ancient traditional villages, culture, spirit and flooded by incredible views
of 8000m high snow covered peaks reaching towards the blue sky! All of that for
20USD per person a day with full board of local simple, but delicious meals J Two weeks to
remember!
Two weeks is just
enough for portion of adventure we planned. We had three spare days, but we
wanted to eliminate any risks of delays as much as possible, so we booked ahead
a taxi from Kathmandu straight to the start of our trek with one night in
Kathmandu because of our night arrival. It cost us 100US instead of 5 for a
public bus, but apart from incomparably better comfort we were sure that we
would reach in time
When you look at the local buses,
you never know. So our 200km ride took around 5 hours (instead of probably 8!)
and in a town of Besisahar we had even time to catch a small 4x4 bus to the
starting village Bhulbhule. 10km of bumpy dirt track squeezed between local
villagers which were small but with very local odour and carrying everything
from big plastic buckets or rice bags to even live chickens! You can imagine
that this one hour ride was more than enough and we wouldn’t be probably here
if we had to go all the way from Kathmandu like this!
And we were there!
This moment I was looking forward the most, because from there I could throw
away all the hassle of civilization and dive into tranquility of the mountains.
So the next day, after a nice sleep in one of the village lodges, we made our
first steps, crossed the river on a suspension bridge and we were on the way up J
The trek is scheduled for 10
days and it is taking it slowly because of proper acclimatization. Jitka has
never been in such high mountains and I also didn’t want to rush up and wanted
to enjoy, so we hiked exactly as per recommendations. And I have to say that it
was nicely planned and we never thought about the daily portion being too short J
We started rather
late around 9am, but it didn’t matter at all, because we were here in low
season and didn’t have to worry about finding a room in the villages if we
arrive late. So we lazily crossed the first suspension bridge across the river
Marsyangdi and started walking up. Almost the whole trek is along the river up the
valley from 800m to 4500m where the final climb starts. So we were easily
hiking on the wide gravel road, taking pictures and exploring something we
cannot see in Qatar and what we are missing much…green trees, plants, flowers, fields,
rivers, streams, waterfalls, animal sounds from the jungle cute villages with
small houses made of stone and wood or the silent stare of the mountains above.
And the life around is just embracing all of it! People walking around, yaks to
transporting materials, chicken running around the houses or kids playing with
wooden sticks and stones on the road…everything natural and seemingly in
harmony. And despite the life being definitely really hard there, everyone
seemed smiling and happy
We were like small
children discovering the garden around a new home. “Look at that flower!”, “Did
you hear that?”, “Did you see that?”, enjoying with full breaths. In this mood
we took a lunch in the village on the top of a small mountain ridge and
descended a bit down to our first destination, Ghermu. Village was empty, so we
could easily get a room in one of the nice but simple lodges, have a coffee,
relax, have a dinner and slowly go to sleep full of impressions. Around 20k and
500m of ascent was a good reason for it!
The beginning of June
is about a month before the monsoon season comes. It was getting quite hot
during the day and that results in a lot of fog and dust which blocks the views
of the highest peaks. So the next day we got up one hour earlier to be able to
see some mountains, but even at 8am the visibility was limited. “It will get
better once we get higher” we ensured ourselves, but then I saw it! Still a bit
covered in the fog, but visible, I saw the first snow covered peak! It might
have been Manaslu with 8000m or something smaller, but from 1000m of altitude
it looked absolutely massive! “So this is how it is going to look like!” I
whispered to Jitka, because I have never seen anything that big! “Hmm…nice” she
nodded and we continued walking towards one of many small Buddhist shrines. We
didn’t see any more mountains that day, because the fog rose quickly and we
were still too low to peak over the hills around to see mountains.
The next morning we
started even earlier and because we were already in 1700m we were starting to
see some higher peaks. Sometimes we were walking on a 4x4 road, sometimes on a
forest trail, but the mountain views, surrounding nature, life and discovering
new things were keeping us busy that we were not thinking about distance or
time. Just moving and enjoying! The hike to Chame on the third day was a long
one. At the top of the biggest climb to 2750m we felt pretty tired and
extremely hungry, but a big lunch on the sunny terrace with a mountain view let
us forget about any tiredness! Dinner and bed in Chame followed few hours later
and this time we were falling asleep below the Annapurnas themselves hiding in
the dark. “Let there be morning already” I wished and closed my eyes!
And it was really
like that. Since early morning the fog was gone and we could see one of the
highest mountains in the world in its full beauty. The trail was easy, so I
think I was looking more up to the sky than to the ground J After a long day we welcomed a shorter
portion and after a lunch in Lower Pisang where we found our lodge for the day,
we took a afternoon walk to the opposing Upper Pisang on the hillside.
And there, high
above the beautiful ancient village and deep below giant mountains in a perfect
clear and crispy evening, sitting on the steps of a silent Buddhist temple with
hundreds of colorful flags flapping in a breeze, the time just stopped! Caught
in the moment, we sat there for endless minutes just struck by the spirit of
Nepal! Peace, modesty, silence. The feeling was so solid and touching that we
wished to stay there forever. We left speechless, but the spirit stayed…and I’m
sure it will stay there as long as there are mountains watching over it…that
means forever
The next day in
Manang at 3500m, the capital village of this valley, we were in the half.
Weather was excellent so every day we saw all those incredible peaks with snow
and glaciers on the top contrasting with green forest, meadows and blue
waterfalls and rivers in the lower parts. Everyday we got up around 7am and
enjoyed hiking in fresh cold mountain air on soft trails, then had some lunch
on the sun and hiked some more with our minds wandering around or stayed just
chilling. Pure relax and pleasure.
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The sixth day we had
acclimatization. We hiked up to 3900m to a Buddhist monastery hidden under the
mountain cliff and then decided not to stay in Manang another day as per the
itinerary, but we hiked to Khangsar to 3750m to make it even better and then on
the next days to Yak Kharka at 4050m and Thorung Phedi at 4450m. Two short 10k
hikes to gain elevation not more than 500m a day to eliminate danger of
altitude sickness.
The weather was
slowly getting a bit worse and clouds were coming earlier every passing day. So
on the eight day when we arrived to our base camp at Thorung Phedi, the sky was
covered already from 10am and it started even showing in the evening to put
some worries into our cold night dreams before the summit day!
And that was it. The
Day D! The Summit Day. So after eight days of gradual a rather easy trekking,
we had to face a proper high altitude mountain trek. 20km and 1000m of
elevation gain in height over the Thorung La pass at 5416m was quite a
challenge. We started with dawn at 5am in super chilly morning. We didn’t pack
gloves so we had to put socks on our hands ;) There was a bit of fresh white
snow from the day before which made our initial climb to the last lodge on the
way at 5000m even more exciting. We knew this steep but short stretch already
because we hiked it the last afternoon to acclimatize so even when going slowly
step by step with backpacks on and each of us with one trekking pole to get
more balance on slightly technical trail, we reached the High Camp in about one
hour.
Sun was already up,
so we could take some of our layers off and continued further on a narrow path
cut into the snow covered landscape all around us. And it was the snow, sun and
blue sky what made hiking between the mountains in such height absolutely
stunning! The space, peaks and contrasting colors together with the fact that
you earned to be there was a priceless feeling which I have probably never
experienced! Sweet cherry on the top of the whole trek!
It took us three
hours more to climb another 5k and 500m up to the pass. Immediately after we
took our summit photos the clouds came, it got cold again and started snowing a
bit. We were lucky, because everywhere we went we were there just the day
before the weather got worse and spoiled the experience. Here on the very top
we got there 15 minutes before. Wake up two hour later and we wouldn’t see
anything from the hike or from the summit!
Descend down to the
other valley was long, steep and tiring and in was not much fun because of
complete cloud cover preventing any views. Without word we were going down
feeling that our amazing trek is going to the end and the weather around just
magnified it. Down in Muktinath at 3700m, in a famous pilgrimage village with a
lot Hindu and Buddhist temples, we found a room, had some food, played cards,
but it was different than the other days. We knew that it was the end and were
a bit sad about it! Like every time something great is ending!
The last day we had
to descend more to Jomsom to take our plane back to the lowlands to Pokhara. In
the morning we enjoyed our last views of the mountains, this time the Daulagiri
range, walked though the last typical local village with Buddhist temple in the
middle, crossed our last small ridge and descended to a wide dry river bed
leading to Jomsom. It was super windy, with many jeeps passing by and lifting
clouds of dust into our faces. In that moment we wished to be away…but deep
inside we didn’t!
And when the next
morning we were boarding a small 15 seater plane on a small airstrip deep down
between the mountains it was really the end. Not the end of our holiday, but
the end of our Himalaya adventure, because once we flew out from the valley and
landed in Pokhara, all mountains remained hidden from us for the rest of our
stay in Nepal. We could feel them towering on the horizon in the fog, but
couldn’t see them! Not even for one last time J
Everything was going
as per our schedule with not a single day of delay, so we had almost five days
to spend outside the mountains and once we arrived to Pokhara, the lakeside
trekker’s capital of Nepal, we immediately decided to stay two days in this
green and lush city. We got a room in the third floor of a terraced hotel
surrounded by trees and flowers, had breakfast in one of the open restaurants
on the main street and went straight for a walk to World Peace Pagoda on a hill
above the lake.
We took a detour and instead of taking a boat across the lake
we walked around. After a nice hike through the outskirts where instead of
gardens people had field and animals around their houses and an exhausting
climb on the sun we reached the temple, sat down in the shade a enjoyed the
view and peace.
It was afternoon and
there were some people around disturbing the feeling, so we decided to rent a
scooter and come here the next day early morning for breakfast J On the way back we took the boat which made
the return quick and easy, so we could enjoy a dinner on the street. This time
nothing typical and local, but a real beefy steak! Something I have been
craving for the last ten days
The next day on the
scooter flew quickly by. Not because the motorbike was that fast, exactly the
opposite because we almost didn’t make to the Pagoda again, but because all
those nice places we visited. First was a breakfast and morning meditation in
the clouds. No, we didn’t see any mountains as we were hoping for! Then we
drove about one hour in local traffic to Bengas Tal, a village and a lake. We
took a canoe and paddled for an hour around, but once there is fog all around
it is not as spectacular as it could be with the mountain view!
Definitely a bigger
spectacle and experience is the driving on local roads! It is like slow stream
of snakes passing and overtaking each other on a narrow bumpy road full of
holes and the snakes are basically everything what moves. Handcarts, horses,
cows, bicycles, motorbikes, cars, lorries, buses, trucks…everything you can
think of is just there and going somewhere. And on the sides are crowds of
people jumping on and off the vehicles, bringing and taking goods or just
standing there and watching, because the road heart of the life here J
On the way back we
stopped at Matepani Gompa, a Buddhist monastery and checked how are teenage
monks doing. Very peaceful place with nice view over the city. But the
lunchtime was approaching so we headed through the old Pokhara bazaar street
back to our lakeside touring area. Great timing, because as soon as we sat down
in one Indian restaurant it started raining. There is nothing better than
sitting under the roof and having a heavy rain pouring just next to you! It was
quite long afternoon shower so before going for dinner again we managed a power
nap too ;)
And that was it. After
two chilled out and peaceful days it was time to move further…further to the
end our holidays to Kathmandu. We saved 100 dollars for a plane ticket and went
for 7 dollars with a bus. It was a tourist bus with no standing people or
chicken running around, so the 6 hour ride was quite comfortable and fast. That
day we had just time to have dinner in the central tourist area Thamel, check
some shops and go to sleep.
But the next day when we
wanted to see some temples we got immediately hit by the Nepali city life. Same
snake like feeling when moving around, but this time increased by super narrow
streets rounded by high buildings and twice as many snakes, invoking feeling
of being trapped with no escape!
We held on around 45
minutes of walking through the city towards the big temple on the hill, but
then we gave up and saved the day by taking a taxi! We never walked in
Kathmandu again except for the area of few blocks around the hotel. And like
this continued our last two days. Driving taxis to see temples and seeking
their refuge from crowded life beyond, having meals in nice rooftop restaurants
overlooking the city and the busy life below…basically trying to stay in peace,
which it the crowded, dirty and poor city is harder that you might think!
The last day we saw
Bhaktapur, an ancient and former capital of Nepal. The old city center was
closed to most of the traffic, so it was very pleasant to walk on stony streets
between wooden houses and many different temples. We did a small tour, had
lunch on the roof overlooking the city and nearby pagodas and went for our last
hike to small hills just outside the town. It was cloudy and foggy so we barely
saw Bhaktapur, but it was a nice end of our stay in Nepal!
Actually the real
end was again at the magnificent Bauddha temple. That place is normally heavily
visited, but this time was crowded and a dense stream of worshippers was
circling around in the night making the sensation very spiritual! Again we were
just looking at all of it from the roof, but in our heads we were rounding with
them.
And further we were getting
away from the temple, our Nepali spinning holiday carousel was slowing down and
few hours later in the plane back to Doha it stopped completely! But something
deep inside was set to motion and something small at the back of our minds is
still spinning…we’ll be back J
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