Trekking the Himalaya

Nepal is a trekker's paradise. The entire range of the mighty Himalaya is there to be explored on foot, or scaled if one is so inclined. Hootoksi and I were so very fortunate to have this opportunity literally in our backyard! All we had to do was step out of our house and walk uphill for as far as we wished, or take the winding road past our house and keep driving. Before long, we would see a vista of snow clad mountains across the next valley.

Nepal offers many bigger, more ambitious treks too. To embark on these, one needed many days or even weeks, and one had to have a permit and at least one Sherpa porter to ensure that one sticks to the correct pathway and to help carry one's personal belongings. Most of the trekking routes are dotted with tea houses and even lodges with bathing and dining facilities. All one has to do is keep going, enjoy the unique experiences, the crisp air and savour the views.

Click for more information on trekking in Nepal

Hootoksi joined friends on a trek towards the Everest base camp in October of 2001, described below. Then, immediately following my retirement in March 2003, she and I embarked on a 9-day trek in the Annapurna range, see below.

No Wheels to Heaven: Trekking the Everest Region

by Hootoksi Tyabji, 18-26 October 2001

I was finally ready, my backpack stuffed to the brim with trekking gear and winter clothes, sleeping bag, sunscreen, boots, hat, towel, torch and a borrowed down jacket, without which I would have turned into an icicle! Not being a great walker and having spent the last week debating with myself whether I should or should not do this, I threw caution to the winds, gritted my teeth, and decided to go for it! With a steely resolve in my heart and a spring in my step I arrived at the meeting point, the Vaidya Residence. 

Suresh was trekking to Namche Bazar to introduce his wife Annie and his two children Vijay (9) and Sophie (5) to his Grandmother, Uncle, Aunt and other family members who live there, high up in the Everest region of the Himalayas. He motivated me into tagging along and promised to have two ponies in tow just in case I couldn’t make it! One for his five-year-old daughter and one for me!  Also accompanying us on the trek were Andrew (Annie’s brother), his wife Anu and their two children Anouksha (13) and Akshath (9).

There was much excitement in our group as we boarded the little Twin Otter plane for our flight into the high mountains.  We buckled up and were soon in the air and away! The scenery around and below us was breathtaking and I was so thankful that it was a bright sunny day with superb visibility.

While my eyes were glued to the scenes around me and my mind lulled, I suddenly got a fright as the plane was heading into this huge mountain straight ahead. As a scream started in my throat and my heart continued to pound against my ribs, the little aircraft banked steeply to the right and abruptly landed on a tiny bit of tarmac among the vast mountains around us. Suresh was laughing as he saw my face, everyone who travels to Lukla for the first time, has a similar reaction to mine! Three cheers for Captain Lucky Shah who made the perfect landing at the Syangboche Airport in Lukla! Watch video landing at Lukla Airport

With that exciting flight behind us and anticipating the trek ahead, we were happy to be introduced to Aunt Neema Dolma who had walked down from Namche Bazar to welcome us, and henceforth she was in charge!

She hired two ponies and two Zopkios to carry the children, our food and trekking gear. Zopkios are a cross between a yak and a lowland cow, they have shorter hair and less distinctive horns and are comfortable below 3000 m. unlike yaks which are found at much higher altitudes.

Never having been on a trek and not knowing what to expect, I laced up my new hiking boots, laid on the sunscreen, donned my hat and was ready for adventure! We had decided that each of us would walk at our own pace and the children took turns on the pony, all except our little Sophie, who feared the beasts and refused to sit on them. Her dad and uncle did a fine job of hoisting her on their shoulders from time to time, and I was most impressed with all the children who never complained and walked along happily for hours on end!

Once the animals were loaded and our Sherpas were at hand our trek began. We walked through Lukla bazaar and on to Phakding (2640m/8661ft), an easy walk. The trail was busy and crowded with Zopkyos and mules carrying huge loads, as well as porters, Sherpas, trekkers, and residents going home or to Kathmandu. Many of the paths are narrow and I quickly learned to give way to the animals who can be dangerous if you do not move out of their way quickly enough. Their loads are heavy, and they look down as they walk using their horns to butt anything that hampers them, humans included!

The Sherpas are amazing! They are fast and nimble and often carry heavy loads of up to 110 Kgs in Cone Shaped bamboo baskets held with a strap around their foreheads. Some young, some old but most of them looked frail with no more than flip-flops or tennis shoes on their feet! Every so often they stop and rest their load on a stick with a Y at the end of it. They charge by the kilogram and will carry anything from huge chunks of raw meat to crates of beer, sacks of grain, trekking and camping equipment and anything and everything needed by folks living up in the mountains. Described in a word Sherpas are AWESOME!

Our first night was spent in Phakding at a lodge on the banks of the Dudh Kosi river and it was cold, but I was snug in my down jacket. We had a pit latrine indoors and washed outside in icy water piped directly from a mountain spring!  

At 7.30 in the morning after a hot breakfast of momos we began the long and difficult climb to Namche Bazar. We walked over the first suspension bridge and alongside the river, passing streams, waterfalls, tiny tea houses and lodges along the way. At Jorsale (2810m/9234ft) we stopped to have a hot bowl of RaRa noodles at a tiny teahouse perched precariously on a hillside with the most spectacular view!  At 11.30 we began walking again and we entered the Sagarmatha National Park where we had to purchase our trekking permits.

We then walked following the river till we came to a steep climb near the confluence of the two rivers, the Dudh Kosi and the Bhote Kosi. Across and way above them, high in the sky it seemed to me, was this long suspension bridge that we had to walk over. It was quite scary as lots of people and animals were crossing at the same time and it swayed this way and that making me feel quite dizzy! The children had no sense of fear at all, and watching their joyful striding, kept my fear at bay! As we continued to trek for hours on end, my legs and back started to ache and  when I thought I couldn’t take another step I would pause, look at the beauty around me and draw my energy from it to keep going! As the trail got harder, we slowed our pace, this is especially important to prevent altitude sickness and to aid in acclimatization. Not being a good walker at the best of times, this was a hard trek for me, and I was the slowest in the group.  Just when I thought “I can’t take another step” I heard the children shout out my name from around the corner where they were perched on their ponies. “Aunty, aunty come soon, see who is here!” beside them stood Nima with a welcoming smile and a hot cup of tea in the middle of nowhere! She explained that Aunt Maiju from Namche had sent her to this spot, to greet us with a large flask of tea and a snack to help us along! That was the best cup of tea, the nourishment and rest fortified us all for the last and most difficult two hours of the trek to Namche Bazar. We arrived at the family owned Lodge in the late afternoon, it was already getting dark and there was a curtain of mist that prevented us from seeing our surroundings; but we witnessed the joy written over the faces of the families being re-united!  Mamaji (uncle), Maiju, (grandma), Bouju, great-grandma and cousins all gathered around and gave us a rousing welcome. From that moment on, and for the next week we were treated like royalty and ate around the clock! There were always people in the kitchen, chopping, cooking, or boiling pots of tea on a wood stove. There was laughter and love and I was immediately made to feel a part of the family.

The Lodge is built in the traditional Khumbu style and the family live on the ground floor. Above their living quarters there was a large, sunny living/dining area and a kitchen and rooms to let on the two floors above. The bathing area was a room on the ground floor with a shower head but no basin. It was located directly below the kitchen where hot water was boiled on the wood stove and poured into a small barrel from where it was fed into the shower below. Namche gets all its water from a spring, there was no piped water supply. There was a pit latrine outside. At the best of times I am challenged with the cold and it was it was well below FREEZING!  I lay in my down sleeping bag with my down jacket, two vests, trekking pants, tights, socks and a balaclava, & fervently hoped that I would not need to visit the loo in the middle of the night!

Namche Bazar (3450m/11,319ft) is the gateway to the high Himalayas, the main trading hub set in the Khumbu region. It used to be the staging point for expeditions over the Nangpa La pass into Tibet when manufactured goods were carried there from India. It has a population of around 1,647 people (2001 census) and most of them cultivate barley, potatoes, and a few vegetables in the barren fields. The main income of the Sherpas comes from guiding trekkers and carrying goods and equipment to Everest Base Camp and onwards to the peak for those brave souls who attempt to climb to the top!

I had a wonderful rest and at around 5.30 in the morning, I woke to the most glorious sight! All around me were the spectacular snow-covered mountains and the mighty peaks of the Everest range. I was told that one could catch a view of the Everest peak from Namche but in the week that we were there, she never once showed herself, she was always covered in cloud and mist! It was a privilege to be brushing my teeth in icy-cold water with this stunning panoramic view of the high Himalayas!

Above Maiju’s lodge is the beautiful Namche Monastery where we were told that you can see a part of the head of a Yeti. The children were so excited by this, they were ready to walk up the long and steep path at the crack of dawn! We finally got there and were most disappointed by this dried out piece of furry hide!  The monk who proudly showed it to us had no idea when or how it had arrived in the Monastery, but he assured us that it was “the real” head of a Yeti and the children were convinced,  so we were happy!

On our first day in Namche we walked around town with cousin Nima who pointed out each mountain peak and told us the names. Everest, known as Sagarmatha in Nepal, Amadablam, Thamserbu, Khumbila, Kwengde, Kusum Khang and many others. We stopped in the market for coffee at the famous German “Backerei und Conditorei” owned and run by Hermann Helmer. Everywhere we went, people recognized Suresh and greeted him and his family with so much affection! For the few days we were there, we got invited to their homes for a meal, and if that was not possible, they visited us at home with gifts of produce -- eggs, potatoes, carrots, cans of Coca Cola,  biscuits and butter tea! 

We continued to explore some beautiful areas around Namche on the five days we spent there. We walked up to Syangboche (3900/12,795ft) to Kunde and then on to Khumjung which is a very picturesque village with beautiful houses and a school that was funded by Edmund Hillary at the request of his Sherpas. Today it is a large high school where many prominent Nepalese were educated. We saw splendid views of the mountains with wild ponies and mountain goats grazing on the distant slopes. We added our prayer flags to the thousands already up there fluttering in the breeze and sending prayers out to the Universe for peace, health, and prosperity.

Leaving the children behind with the family and Anu in charge, Suresh, Annie, Andrew and I decided to trek to Tengboche (3,870m/ 12,697 ft) which is dominated by the largest and most active monastery in the Khumbu region. It is also the first stage of three, to Everest Base Camp. The walk was tough, and it took 6 hours of which the last two were steep climbs all the way! Even the yaks that passed us had their tongues hanging out in a pant and their eyes bulging and red from the strain of their loads and the steep climb. We arrived in Tengboche at 5 PM as the sun was setting behind the fabled monastery and we looked for a place for the night, but this was not easy to find. All the lodges were full of trekkers who had booked in advance or come in before us. We were freezing cold, exhausted and hungry and it was only because of a call to Suresh’s uncle in Namche, who knew the owner of a guesthouse in Tyengboche, that we were able to get floor space in a newly constructed room which was earmarked as a bakery!

While we waited for arrangements to be made, we sat shoulder to shoulder in a tiny tea house with a wood burning fire and a hoard of trekkers sipping the best hot lemon tea I have ever tasted! That night we slept on mattresses on the floor with three other young American trekkers and it was freezing cold. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning when my bladder woke me, I found myself an inch away from an un-kept, red bearded face. Stifling a scream just in the nick of time as I remembered where I was, I stumbled outside into the freezing cold for a pee. It was quite a production getting out, lacing up my boots, putting on my gear in the dark and doing all of this without waking anyone up. I had my flashlight focused on the ground which was covered in snow and ice. Something caught my eye and I looked up for just a moment and gasped in wonder at the sight before me. There was Mount Everest in all her icy glory, bathed in the light of a full moon, her stark beauty unabridged! The peak was black and the shape quite angular, foreboding against the shimmering white of the snowcapped mountains that surrounded her. I was treated to the most amazing view of both Mount Everest and Amadablam and I was lost drinking in the splendor of the incredible sight before me. It was awe-inspiring and there are no words that I can find to describe any of it!

 I have no idea how long I was out there and I only remembered the purpose of my visit when the thick clouds moved in obscuring the light of the moon and the breathtaking beauty of the mountains in front of me!  Now there was only darkness and the biting cold, I quickly finished what I had come out to do and hurried back into my sleeping bag, forever grateful for the unforgettable and exhilarating experience of seeing “Sagarmatha” in all her Majesty in the full moon light. After a breakfast of butter-milk tea and rice, we walked up a steep hill to the monastery, which though small, was beautifully painted and decorated. We sat through the morning prayers and received the blessings of the Rimpoche. We lit butter lamps and incense sticks and later in the day, walked back to Namche, an easier walk going downhill for me!

Our last day in Namche was enjoyed with Mamaji, Maiju, Bouju, Nima and all the cousins and friends. I was so thankful to Suresh for inviting me on this wonderful adventure (my first trek in Nepal) and for allowing me to share in the joy of his family!

We decided to trek back to Lukla in one day, a 9-hour walk but most of it downhill. It is much too steep and difficult for the ponies, but we had the Zopkio’s carrying all our gear and one extra one in case the kids got tired and needed a ride!  

It was a beautiful morning and the first 4 hours we came down slowly, chatting with people along the way while drinking in the beauty of our surroundings. We sat around singing “Incy Mincy Spider” with a bunch of Nepali kids, they chatted away about their lives while we enjoyed the sound of a waterfall in the far distance. It drizzled and rained for the last 4 hours of the trek and we began to get tired and were cold. Suresh & Andrew who had been carrying Sophie on their shoulders were exhausted and needed a break, it was also becoming dark and we began to get disoriented. Sophie refused to sit on the Zopkio even though she had seen all the other children on it. One of the Sherpas offered to carry the child and Annie managed to convince the little one by telling her how in days gone by, queens and princesses were carried in palanquins on the strong backs of men. That resonated with her and she finally agreed to sit in a straw basket on the back of a Sherpa who carried her sleeping through rain and darkness to the warmth and light of Lukla.

Once there, we soon found a comfortable lodge with a flush toilet, and we put our tired feet up by the wood burning stove and waited for the yaks to arrive with our backpacks so we could change into something warm and dry. We knocked back glasses of hot rum and tea while we waited, and then someone came to tell us our yaks were lost. People from the lodge had gone out to look for them but they could not be found! At this point we were all so tired and sore we really didn’t care! We ate dinner and slept soundly in our damp and dirty trekking clothes and in the morning the yaks and our luggage appeared, and all was warm and well again

It was time to go home agian! At the Syangboche Airport there were many fellow trekkers waiting to catch a flight back to Kathmandu. Because of the weather conditions, all planes must leave Lukla by 10.30 in the morning, so passengers hop on to the aircraft as soon as it lands and once strapped in, they take off immediately! The flight was smooth and beautiful, and Robert was waiting for me in Kathmandu to hear about my adventure.

Getting home and standing under a hot shower I recalled the last few days. The trek was long and hard, it was cold, there were times when I felt I couldn’t take another step; but the beauty of the mountains and the warmth and simplicity of the lives of the people who live in them, beckon. I promised myself that I would take every opportunity that came my way to trek in Nepal for the next two years that we would spend there, and I hoped that Robert could take time off work and join me.

Just the Sound of Our Hearts: An Account of Our Trek to Annapurna Base Camp, 16-25 March 2003

Hootoksi Tyabji, 2003

The mountains in Nepal speak - they tell stories, keep secrets, perform miracles, harbor lies and are shrouded in serenity and mystery!

Our time in Nepal had come to an end and we decided to go on one last trek before we said goodbye to this beautiful part of the world.

We chose The Annapurna Base Camp trek as it was spring, a good season to witness the great biodiversity of the Anapurna Sanctuary, but we were also cautioned about avalanches that occur during this period from time to time!

Annapurna in Sanskrit means “full of food” and is viewed by Nepalis as the Goddess of Harvests, the Mother who feeds. The massif sits between two major river system in Nepal, Marsyangdi and Kali Gandaki. Apart from being the tenth highest mountain in the world, Annapurna massif has 13 peaks over 22965.88 ft and 16 peaks over 19685.04 meters high.

The Annapurna Sanctuary is a high glacial basin lying 40 km directly north of Pokhara. This oval-shaped plateau sits at an altitude of over 13,123 ft and is surrounded by a ring of mountains, the Annapurna range, most of which are over 22,965 ft With the only entrance a narrow valley between the peaks of  Hiunchuli and Machapuchre, where run-off from glaciers drain into Modi Khola river, the Sanctuary was not penetrated by outsiders until 1956. Because of high mountains on all sides, the Annapurna Sanctuary receives only 7 hours of sunlight a day at the height of summer - Wikipedia

From Kathmandu we drove 5 hours west to Pokhra where we rented our trekking gear and hired two Sherpas, Hari & Ranjeet, to guide us and carry our equipment. We parked our car at the Meera Hotel and got into a rickety taxi which drove us to Birethanti one of the main gateways to the Annapurna Conservation Area. Here our trekking permits were checked, and we were signed into the sanctuary. 

That day we trekked for six hours. The trails took us through a variety of vegetation from rice fields to shrubs and flowering bushes and we came across small hamlets with cultural diversity among populations, some no more than a 100 persons per village.

The last hour of our walk was hard, we climbed hundreds of very steep stone steps to Gangdruk, the largest village in the area, where we stopped for the night. From here we were able to see beautiful views of Machapuchare, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli peaks. Machapuchare or the fish-tailed mountain, is revered by the Nepali because they believe it to be the home of Lord Shiva.

That night I suddenly came down with a cold and flu, but we ate and slept well so fortified, we began walking at crack of dawn.

The trek along this route was well organized and there were little tea houses efficiently run which offered clean beds, buckets of hot water and a varied cuisine to suit every pallet! The tea houses were always strategically situated, generally commanding the most spectacular views especially from their dining rooms! Most were dominated by a large table covered with blankets under which kerosene heaters were placed for warmth. There was a string tied all the way around the table on which one could dry wet socks, hats, or underwear while you ate! Everything used or consumed at the tea houses was carried up these difficult mountain trails on the Sherpa porters' backs! 

The Annapurna Base Camp attracts people from all over the world. Trekkers stagger into the tea houses, exhausted, hungry, and cold but full of stories to share with strangers who soon become friends along the trails. We met some wonderful people both young and old and exchanged stories of our walking adventures. We met an elderly Japanese man who treks regularly in Nepal and carries his neatly packaged Japanese sauces which he generously shared with us; a 76-year-old Austrian who had been climbing mountains since he was a child, a retired French primary school teacher who walked three times faster than anybody else, a young couple from New Zealand who had been walking for 27 days, a German musician, Koreans, Chinese, Taiwanese, Israelis and a retired Church of England pastor and his wife. If it hadn’t been for the pastor’s wife, I might still be standing and shivering at the bottom of a 15-foot-high snowbank unable to climb any further! A group of young Taiwanese kept overtaking us and seemed in a great rush every time we met them. Robert asked them over dinner one night why they were always in such a rush, and one of them replied “It’s a national characteristic!”  We met a Japanese team who were doing Annapurna on their way to scale Everest, 29028 ft, and had a team of 180 porters to carry their gear!

On the second day of the trek we climbed 7,400 ft and then down again to a little place called Kimrong at 6,900 ft where we had a delicious bowl of thukpa (traditional Tibetian soup). The views were fabulous, my flu was worse, I was running a temperature and my body ached. I was having difficulty walking but the Gods were kind because just as we were slurping the last bit of soup, the skies opened up and it POURED so we stayed at the tea house where I borrowed a bed, swallowed two Asprins and was dead to the world for several hours. When I awoke, the rain had stopped, I felt better and ready to tackle the steep, rocky climb to the Fish Tail Guest House in Chomrong. As we approached it, our younger Sherpa Ranjit, was chased by a pretty village belle from whom he couldn’t escape! She gave him a true HOLI welcome and pinned him to the ground while she covered him in red powder to the shrieks and delight of all the village folk around us! After a good wash, dinner, and a sound sleep, we awoke refreshed but aching, and feasted on cheese omelets and chapati with honey, our standard breakfast order.

Day three dawned and thankfully my flu was a lot better. We began walking down thousands of steep stone steps leading to the Modi River. We stopped at Sinuwa for hot lemon tea and were welcomed by a very neglected but beautiful Siamese cat. Nobody knew how he had arrived in this remote part of Nepal!  Once we passed Sinuwa, we were in the Anapurna Sanctuary. The next three hours we trekked through the most beautiful dense forests with tall oak trees ablaze with rhododendron and many different varieties of bamboo! The colors were startling! Bright reds and pinks among the green foliage and at one stage we were entertained by a group of monkeys, grey, with striking black and white faces. They literally flew through the trees.  If only we could move like they did! We felt like rusty old machines desperately in need of oil! We stopped for a bowl of soup at a little tea stall and then continued to Doban, the last lodge where we enjoyed electricity and hot water. As we approached Doban there was snow and ice all around us.

Another good night’s rest and then we set off at 5 in the morning before the sun began to melt the snow, walking then would have been difficult! It was dark but we were guided by the light of the moon. The path was steep and slippery, and we had to traverse snowdrifts, glaciers, and narrow ledges. One wrong step could have landed us in the raging Modi river far below! We carried bamboo staffs which were a great help and 3-1/2 hours later the gorge we were walking through suddenly became very wide and we stood still.  Right there in front of us were the towering ramparts of the spectacular Machhipuchre peak. This mountain has never been climbed to its summit; no permits have been issued because it is considered a sacred peak. After enjoying the view and a steaming cup of yak butter tea, we continued walking and arrived exhausted, at the Annapurna base camp.

Our tea house was opposite the Annapurna Glacier and we were exhilarated by the spectacle of the snow-covered mountains all around us!

We woke up around 3 in the morning and aimed to trek to the edge of the glacier from where we were promised a fabulous view, weather conditions permitting! 

That last trudge along a pathway with 7 feet of snow piled on either side was TOUGH, and it was the thought of a hot cup of coffee and breakfast that kept us going!  After the best tasting breakfast and a short rest, we continued our trek

The morning was glorious! There was bright sunshine and snow, snow, and more vast expanses of snow.  The trek was uphill all the way and the snow was unevenly packed so that every so often it would give way and we would sink into it as far as our waists! At an altitude of over 12,000 ft we had to stop for every third breath. There was no respite from the climbing; we went from 12,100 ft to 13,580 ft. in three hours through the snow. The mountains around us were bathed in the most beautiful light and the silence was so complete that we could hear the beating of our hearts!

There were several people in front of us and the last bit of the climb was up a steep hill. Robert scurried up while I stood below unable to take another step! and then I saw the English pastor’s wife and she shouted down at me “You haven’t come this far to miss the best view of all” she cheered me on and as I trudged up willing one foot in front of the other, she came rushing down halfway, held my hand and dragged me to the top!

From the edge of the glacier we were treated to a 360-degree view of the Annapurna massif, Annapurna I, III and South, Gangapurna, Gandharvachuli and Machapuchare. It was a spectacular sight and we were able to feast our eyes on it for just a few minutes. Then the clouds rolled in, and within seconds, the scene in front of us was completely obscured. You would not know there were mountains out there if you hadn’t seen them!

We rested for an hour in the cold, crisp, clean and silent air and then began our trek back home beginning with a long walk down to Machhipuchre base camp where we spent the night.

This part of the trek was even more difficult because the snow was melting, and the steep pathways were almost impossible to traverse without slithering and sliding in all directions, If you did slip, you would end up in the raging rive below. At one point Robert lost his grip on his metal water bottle and we heard it clang against the rocks as it slipped out of his hand into the gorge below!

We heard the frightening sounds of avalanches in the distance and their crackling boom was scary!  Behind me was a fluttering sound and I turned and saw a flock of blue-black birds come sweeping down towards the ground. They looked fabulous against the background of the pure white snow!

The descent to the Machhipuchre base camp took just over an hour and we stayed at a tea house with very basic amenities. There was little hot water, no electricity, and a hole-in-the-ground loo with a cracked old plastic barrel where the water was mostly ice so washing hands and brushing teeth was quite a challenge!   

That night around the dining table someone managed to rig up a radio using a metal coat hanger as an antenna and we heard on the news that President Bush and his allies had begun their war on Iraq four days ago. All of us around that table were from different countries, of different nationalities and unanimous in our horror and disbelief of what we had just heard! Surrounded as we were, by the beauty and majesty of God’s creation, I was reminded of the words of Martin Luther King: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only Love can do that". Click here to watch President Bush's anouncement.

We were up at 6 the next morning and off by 7.30 retracing our steps and going back the way we had come. As the sun rose, it lit up parts of the mountains in a surreal, golden glow and it was pure magic! We crossed wild streams as we descended 5000 ft in 6 hours. After a break for lunch we descended to Sinuwa for the night. We had walked a total of 9-1/2 hours that day! The tea house had hot water and we relished a shower after two days! In the dining room were photographs of the beautiful young lady who owned and ran the little tea house. She told us she had starred in two Nepali films!

From Sinuwa we decided to take a detour to the famous natural hot spring in Jhinu Danda and to walk there took us over 8 hours. After our strenuous trek nothing sounded better than a soak in a hot pool! We checked into a tea house and then had to walk down a steep path for 30 mins through a lush forest to the pools. They are built into the bank of the Modi Khola river and as you soak in the hot therapeutic water, you feel your muscles relax and the aches and pains fade away, at least for a while. You can see the mighty river raging past as you loll around and take in the beauty around you. I closed my eyes and willed myself not to think of the trek back up, a steep 45 minute climb to the tea house! On the way amidst the loud warbles and whistles of birds we met dozens of primary school children. They were skipping along the same steep pathway with a spring in their step, chattering away while I huffed and puffed and moaned and groaned.

From Jhinu we hiked the last leg of our journey through forests above the Modi River passing charming hamlets with friendly people all cheering us on, and we also crossed many streams.

We had lunch at Suauli Bazaar and had to wait two hours for the torrential rains to pass before we could continue our trek through the slush and drizzle to Birethanti. We signed out at the check post and said goodbye to our porters Hari and Ranjeet. They had been wonderful, caring and kind and took care of all our needs in addition to carrying our trekking gear. They found us another rickety taxi and we drove to Pokhara where we checked into the posh Meera Hotel with our muddy boots and dirty gear in tow. After the luxury of a hot shower we went to the Boomerang Restaurant with some of our trekking friends and enjoyed a wonderful meal and a cultural show of Nepali songs and dances.

What an amazing trek! We had covered 67 Kms in ten days. We started the trek at just over 7,300 ft and climbed up to 13,550 ft to reach the Annapurna Base Camp.  On the fifth day of the trek, the trail rises over 4,000 ft over a distance of 10 km!  It had been a tough walk especially in the snow and ice but an experience we are so thankful for and one etched in our minds forever!

At 10 AM the next morning we set off on the 5-hour journey to Kathmandu in our trusty Nissan Patrol. About halfway through the journey when we were having lunch by the mighty Trisuli river, we heard there had been a landslide further up the road and traffic had backed up for miles on end. We had no choice but to join the hundreds of cars, trucks and buses in a 30-kilometer long line that took 12 hours to clear! As night fell there was no food or water and no toilet facilities! We could not dose or sleep because we had to be very alert as huge buses and trucks kept trying to overtake us moving along within a hairsbreadth of our car. Robert was deft at the wheel and we finally reached Kathmandu at 3:45 am.

It had been a grueling, drive back and a most memorable trek, a wonderful way to end our stay in Nepal, the land of the Mighty Mountains.

Map of Our Route