Monday, March 26, 2012

The Himalayas - Trekking

THE HIMALAYAS On Monday, March 19th, we caught a plane to the small town of Jomsom, located on the west side of the  Annapurna Circuit, in the Kali Gandaki Valley. The plane was a small & seated 18 people. Our flight was somewhat turbulent, luckily only lasting 25 minutes.   The scenery from the plane is spectacular as you see your first glimpses of the Annapurna range. At times the plane flies so close to the mountains, you feel that you could reach out and touch them. The planes only fly early in the morning as the wind shifts around 10 a.m.  and they simply cannot fly any longer. Upon landing we could not help but notice the bleak terrain around us... reminded me of a Star Wars episode where Luke goes to a far off planet.....I was just waiting for the weird creatures to arrive.  This valley is desert like and the majority of the houses are built in the Tibetan style .   Jomsom is the start off point for local trekking.  In the past five years a road has been built into this area. Our friends Elsie and Ramesh commented that the road was good for the locals, but somewhat harmful to tourism. This area had once been cut off from the rest of Nepal and only accessible by foot either from Pokhara or via the Annapurna circuit. Large trucks bringing goods from southern Nepal and local jeeps/motorcycles create dust and pollution to a once pristine area. Having said this, the scenery took our breath away. We were surrounded by the  Dhaulagiri range with Dhaulagiri mountain itself rising to a height 26,795 feet (8,167 meters). It is the World's seventh highest peak and was first climbed in 1960. It's name means " dazzling, white, beautiful" which it certainly is. We were also surrounded by numerous other peaks of the Annapurna range, it's highest peak at 8091 meters. The Kaligandaki river flows between these two ranges and this gorge is said to be the World's largest.  At one point we reached the Upper Mustang which is the conduit to Tibet. A rugged area of the Himalayas, which in its' own way is very beautiful and very dramatic everywhere you look. Believe we had mentioned that the Nepal part of our trip was planned by a friend from Calgary, Elsie James, who lives in Nepal for about 6 months of the year, doing charity work for Medical Mercy Canada. Her Nepalese son, Ramesh, owns a travel and trekking company, in addition to working part time for Medical Mercy.  Elsie had contacted us when we were still in India and asked if she and Ramesh could join us for the trekking part of the trip, as they both needed a break, as they had been working hard for the last few months without a break.  We were delighted. They also brought along a young Nepalese man, Nakel, who works for them part time.  By the way, Elsie is now 77 and still very vibrant, an example to us all. On her 75th birthday, she hiked the Everest Base Camp trek, quite a feat for a young person, let alone a 75 year old.  Ramesh also hired a local porter,  Mongole, to carry our bags.  We simply carried day packs.  This is the norm when hiking here. The porters do carry some very heavy loads.  When you travel in the Annapurna area you need special permits and there are checkpoints along the way, manned by the Nepalese Army. Elsie told us that whenever someone has gotten lost, they are normally never found.  After landing, we had breakfast at a local guesthouse, then headed off to the small town of Marpha, about a  1 1/2 hour hike from Jomsom. The weather was certainly cooler than Pokhara, where we had been for the previous 3 days, but putting on our fleeces did the trick early in the morning. We quickly warmed up and  soon after starting our walk, the sweaters came off. We arrived at the Paradise guesthouse in Marpha where we stayed for the next two nights. Guesthouses in this part of Nepal are very basic, but comfortable. Rooms are usually made up of twin beds with a sheet on the bed. You sleep in your own sleeping bags  ( we rented sleeping bags in Pokhara) and you are supplied with a pillow and only sometimes a blanket.  We had brought our silk sleeping bag liners from home which provided extra warmth. The floors are usually just wooden and the bathroom is an all in one toilet and shower; so when you take a shower the whole bathroom gets wet.  We normally had our showers in the late afternoon, after returning from our hikes, as the water is solar heated, so only hot water later in the day. One of the guesthouses we stayed in had squat toilets, not my favorite, but what a great way to build up your thigh muscles!   After settling in, we  headed off to discover  the wonderful little village of Marpha. A very narrow, winding main road with trucks and jeeps having to take another road around the town. You only have to contend with the local donkeys and cows carrying their supplies along the street to another town. You can always hear them approaching due to the tinkling of the bells they wear. The village of Marpha is surrounded by terraced fields of buckwheat and apple orchards. The apple blossoms were just starting, as spring has arrived. Lots of locals working in the files either tilling with a team of oxen pulling a hand made plow, hand sowing the crop or weeding by hand. These people work very hard and lead a very simple . There is also several Tibetan refugee camps all along the valley.  We walked around the town then hiked up to a point above the town where a meditation cave was built into the hill. Quite steep just below the cave, where we stopped at a chorten. A chorten is a Buddhist sacred monument. You can see them in the fields, the entrance to a village and most incredibly, at the top of some mountains. You have to wonder how they can build them on some of these high locations, let alone bring up the supplies. The majority of the houses in Marpha are painted white, with dark burgundy doors and windows. All the roofs of the houses are piled high with firewood, which is used for cooking and mainly heating in the winter. The following day, we hiked to Tukuche (2,580 meters) a small village some 2 1/2 hours Marpha, then back to Marpha on the other side of the river through a juniper forest. Tukuche along with several villages in the valley, were stop overs for the salt and spice traders from China. They would buy goods along the way and sell them further down the line. Superb views of the Dhaulagiri range here.   The next day Wednesday, saw us heading off early, before the winds started, going further north to Kagbeni. We followed the river bed of the Kali Gandaki river, which at this time of year was only a small stream. During monsoon season the river widens to a kilometer wide. Also some hiking along the dusty road. Fortunately, Robin bought himself a face mask when we first got to Nepal (could have used it in India) and it has definitely helped him. Our destination was some 4 1/2 to 5 hours away. We stopped for a snack in a small village along the route, Eklibhatti, a junction for roads leading to Jomsom, Kagbeni and Muktinath.  We stayed the Asia Hotel Guesthouse in Kagbeni. Robin and I walked through the town and found a YakDonald's and a 7Eleven.....Nepal style. The village of Kagbeni is 2,800 metres in elevation and is the gateway to the North Mustang area, which leads to Tibet. As an aside, the Mustang area was closed to foreigners as late as the 1960's because of border issues with China. Even today, if you want to hike in the North Mustang area, you need to pay an additional $500 U.S.  per person. The whole town of Kagbeni is an ancient fortress and overlooks the Eastern band of the river. Also a very old Monastery and Temple.  The next morning, Ramesh, Robin and Mongole started trekking up to Muktinath. Our hike took 4 hours and we climbed over 1,000 metres. At times we had to deal with very steep and narrow paths, a little scary! We came across porters carrying goods and one told us his load was 65 kilos! Along the way, passed the ancient village of Jharkot, which was along the salt and spice trading route. This town juts out over the valley, quite a sight. Then our final destination,Muktinath.  We met Elsie and Nakel, who rode up in a jeep. The town was awash with Pilgrims, who come here as one of the sacred sites of Buddhism. The temple has a permanent natural flame. We decIded that it would be best to travel back to Jomsom this same day, as transportation the next day could be difficult to find, due to the feast/festival that all the Pilgrims were attending in Muktinath. We found a jeep that took the six of us back to Jomsom, a 1 1/2 hour trip over a very bumpy and at times scary road. The jeep driver did not look old enough to drive, had music blaring and went around the hairpin curves like he was a race car driver.  These sturdy jeeps are made by the Mahindra automobile company of India, who also make buses, large trucks and Tuk Tuk's. These jeeps are based on an old Willy's jeep design; and are intended to seat about 10 passengers, but some this day had up to 20 due to the holy day. The ride back was so dusty and we were glad to get back to Jomsom in one piece. The following day, Elsie and I took a 2 hour hike and went to visit the small village of Thuni, across the river from Jomsom. It was a little eerie when we got there....no one in the town. On our way down and back to Jomsom, we realized they were all working in the fields. Robin and I treated ourselves to hot chocolate apple crumble and tea and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Should mention that each night, we played crib or hearts with Elsie and Ramesh; always lots of laughs. The next morning, Saturday, we caught a small plane back to Pokhara and had about a 3 hour wait for our plane back to Kathmandu. Robin took the opportunity to go for a shave and haircut, which also included a facial massage all for the princely sum of $12. Pokhara has so many barbershops catering to Trekkers who have not shaved for weeks. Back in Kathmandu early Saturday afternoon; almost felt like home. On Sunday, we treated ourselves to a massage........yeah! Caught up on downloading pictures and spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel. Today, Monday the 26th, we are spending the last of our Nepalese currency on "needed" purchases. Robin is actually bargaining, something he doesn't normally do, and he is pretty good at it. I was interested in a cotton shirt and the vendor wanted 550 rupees, I said it was too much, so he said buy two for 1,100......they must think we have lost some brain cells in the high altitude! Finally got 2 shirts for 800 rupees or $10. Stopped for coffee, then for lunch at Garden of Dreams. This is a restored palace belonging to the former Prime Minister of Nepal. It is an oases among the chaos of the Thamel tourist area. You can sit amongst the gardens for as long as you want or have lunch in the cafe.   Flying to Delhi tomorrow, Tuesday and we have a very late flight to Amsterdam on Wednesday night and back to Calgary on Thursday afternoon. We have enjoyed our trip to both India and Nepal, but will be glad to get back home to our routine, especially our work outs. We would recommend both countries for visits, however we know that most of our friends and family would not be willing to travel in this manner. For us, traveling to these countries makes us realize how privileged we are and how challenged other parts of the world are to maintain the basics of life. Looking forward to seeing our friends and family. Hope you have enjoyed our pictures and blog. Claire and Robin

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