Our Favorite, Nepal
Our plan to get to Nepal seemed like a good
one. We flew into Delhi and traveled by
train to the border of Nepal, visiting Delhi, Varanasi, and Agra en-route. When we arrived at the India-Nepal border,
we heard that the roads in Nepal were closed.
We couldn’t tell if they were closed by the government or by the
Maoists. As hard as we tried, we couldn’t
tell from the web or from the US embassy if it was actually safe to visit
Nepal. A travel agent on the Indian
side told us that only Nepalese buses were shut down. That if we bought bus tickets on the Indian side we’d be OK. Indian buses can travel, he explained. We
should have known better.
As we crossed the border and bought our
Nepalese visas, we learned that the roads were actually completely shut
down. No one was leaving the border and
hadn’t for a few days. Numerous locals
assured us that we would be able to travel in the next few days. They claimed that the roads were shut down
because the king may travel and the roads were shut as a precautionary
measure. This really made no sense to
us and we didn’t believe it either after buying the bus tickets to
nowhere. We also learned that the roads
had been shut down regularly and that the last time they hadn’t reopened for 2
weeks. As they were only 2 days into
it, we figured the wait there could be a long one. To top it off, this is memorable the worst place we stayed in our
entire 6 months according to Kam. We
were bitten all night by mosquitoes and it was really hot.
Next day we decided it would be better to
fly rather than to wait for the bus. The
other tourists that were holed-up at the border planned to stay for the
duration. The cost of the plane ticket
(though just $50 more than the bus) was too much for everyone we talked
to. In the best of circumstances, the
road to Pokhara is described as a nice way to die. It’s a 9-hour ride on a hairy road that twists and turns around the
mountains evidently giving the passengers a nice view of those who have failed
to complete the trip. They lie in
burned out buses that have driven off the roads. Best not to travel at night if you are ever tempted to go.
Luckily the airplane trip went off without a
hitch. It was very scenic and took only
15 minutes on Buddha Air. We walked to
our hotel from the airport. Taxis weren’t
allowed to drive on the roads either.
We
were surprised to see that buffalo didn’t have to follow the same rules as the
cars. They pretty much get to go
wherever they want. Fortunately we didn’t
stay in the Hotel Fewa with our horned-friends.
I don’t
think the buffalo could read, but he seemed to be looking for a travel agent.
What
visit to Pokhara would be complete without a visit to the NASA Trekking
Equipment store? The Nepalese have
absolutely no qualms about copying name brand clothing. All of the stuff you see in the photo are
nice imitations of North Face, their favorite.
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We hung out in Pokhara for a few days,
waiting for the roads to open again. We
planned to hike the Annapurna Circuit, a 18-day tea trek around the Annapurna
range (filled with 26,000+ ft peaks).
Unexpectedly we had our first sickness too. Todd picked up a stomach parasite from the local food (we think
it was the cheese) that took the first dosage of antibiotics to fix. Finally started, we carried 30-40 pounds on
our backs.
The
local kids were very interested in us as we started the trip. They’re no dummies – a few hours into it and
your pack seems a lot heavier. We bet
most people unload quite a bit at the first town. The kids were fascinated by digital cameras and everybody wanted
to see their picture in the tiny screen.
Kam
had applied to law schools while we were in New Zealand. She took her last chance for a while and
called home to find out if she got in.
Karen, this is Kam talking to you from a teeny village in Nepal.
The
start of our trek looked much like this.
It was mostly dry and a little hazy.
The terracing you see is the way Nepalese farm, all by hand or by
cow/buffalo. There is little flat land
and most people live on the side of a mountain. They make due.
We
soon became accustomed to the donkey trains that used the trail we found
ourselves on. The donkeys were much
more afraid of getting hit by the donkey-driver though than they were afraid of
sending us pitching down the mountain.
We learned to take the inside track.
If you look closely in this photo, Kam is right there struggling up the
mountain with the best of them.
What
a place!
The
snow-covered mountains began to appear over the valley sides.
Kam
found herself a friend in this goat. We
thought it might be a blue goat at the time.
Later we realized it was just a regular goat, but a big one!
Kam
prepares to spin the prayer wheels and is blocked by the Yak-cows!
This
giant prayer wheel, aside from staining Todd’s back, put him in good stead with
God for at least a year!
Kam
shows off one of the first glaciers we saw.
Our
first rest day (without the packs) was a hike straight up a mountain to a
glacier viewpoint.
We
spent a few days in Manang. These yaks
visited the town every evening.
Unfortunately they carried huge bells around their necks and slept right
by our bedroom at night. Our guess is
that they talked all night and only answered yes and no questions with all the
gonging that was going on.
The
highest night we spent was at Base Camp, 14,400 ft. There were a lot of people there with headaches.
Some
people stayed at Base Camp the next morning to rest up. Others got up at 4 AM to make sure they made
it over Thorong-La pass (17,000+ ft) before dark. We were one of the last to leave around 8 AM to this beautiful
sight.
The
top of the pass, Tibetan prayer flags all around.
The
other side of the pass, generally the dryer side of the Annapurnas.
It
was certainly the windier side.
Everyone
has to eat at Yac Donald’s at least once.
We learned the next day though it wasn’t yak they were serving. It was goat.
Yac
Donald’s is very near to the longest line of prayer wheels we saw on the
trip. We had to tag team to make sure
we spun them all!
This
probably looks like fun to some of you.
Kam didn’t really think so at the time.
How could anyone walk over this and not get their feet wet?
Just
to give you a feel for what the houses look like. People actually live in these precariously balanced places. I don’t think they would be up-to-code here
in the US.
This
man carried the largest load of anyone we saw during our trip. HUGE!
The
Nepalese favored horses rather than donkeys on this side of the pass. Kam was none too happy about the extra room
they used on the trail.
Finally
nearing the end, we hiked up for another tourist-sunrise at the famous Poon
Hill (don’t know why they call it that).
But
the climbing wasn’t over yet!
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This
is the crazy man that Todd gave one of his climbing-poles to. Another tourist called it the Cadillac of
walking sticks.
Back
in Pokhara we found our tired selves in a freak hailstorm that broke through
business roofs. The restaurant we were
eating at during the storm filled with 2 inches of water after the tin roof
caved in.
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We
couldn’t go all this way and miss seeing Mt. Everest. As soon as we arrived in Kathmandu we took a scenic flight over
the mountains.
Back
on the ground, we witnessed a communist/Maoist demonstration. What we saw was pretty peaceful. However, numerous people claimed that the
police were using their clubs and shields wantonly.
