Friday, November 23, 2012

21 days, 200+ miles, Thousands of stone steps and smiles


15 Nov
Day 13
Kagbeni to Jomson to Marpha
A relatively warm pleasant night at these lower altitudes-didn't freeze during the nightly excursions to the toilet. Departed Kagbeni at 7:30, walking on the road along the river back the way we came yesterday afternoon, but with no wind and little traffic. Saw a heron of some sort on the riverbank where we saw the eagles yesterday. Arrive in Jomson after about 2 hrs. It is a BIG city with an airport, army base and most importantly the only ATM  on the trek. Amazing how you can go from pauper to rich in minutes! Also recharged phone, replaced the map I lost yesterday and had a croissant at the German bakery. Ran into Malcolm and his crew trying to catch a jeep to Taopani, said goodbye and headed off across the river and away from the road. Took a nice 3 hr trek through a bucolic village with people plowing the barley fields with dzo and wooden plow (thousand yr old technology) singing. Followed a couple of dzo heading home from the fields on their own through the village of Thini (oldest village in this river valley). Continued on past a pretty blue lake by the village of Dhumba- except for the barbed wire fence around it...? And up to a monastery with great views of  the Nil Giris. Then had to head down and across the river as the afternoon winds came up around noon for the last 30 min walk down the road to Marpha. As we walked into town we were about to check I to a guesthouse near the beginning, but ran into our friend Walter on his way out .  He told us to stay at the Dhauligiri Hotel and so continued further into town and found it. Lunch with a half beer in the sun on the roof, a warm solar shower, washed clothes and then discovered free wifi. Have been posting the blog, catching up on email, etc.

16 Nov
Day 14
Marpha to Sauru ro Sirkung to Kokethani to Titi lake to Konjo to Chhoyo to Lehte
9 hrs, ?km
Guesthouse: Old Namaste- nice room with attached western toilet and a hot shower!
Views: Nil Giris and Dhauligiri
Animals: today I saw the national bird of Nepal, a Hoopoe flying away from me,through the forest along the river! Also, yesterday so e other trekkers at our GH are absolutely certain a Snow Leopard ran across the path in front of them near Kagbeni....?


Attrition since Muktinath: since Muktinath the numbers of Trekkers has decreased by 90%. From Muktinathn to Jomson to Marpha more and more people have taken jeeps or buses to Taopani, Ghorapani or even all the way to Naya Pul/Pokhara. Granted some  have injuries or limited time, but the majority of these Trekkers are abandoning because they have heard that the road has ruined this section for trekking. In fact, ACAP has produced wonderful alternate routes running down the east side of the Kali Gandaki (the  road is on the west side) so that there is almost no reason to know that the road is there  (except for the occasional bus horn). In fact, this section from Muktinath downriver may be the best section of trekking on the whole circuit. Today, besides Nepalis in villages and on the trail, we probably only saw a total of 12 Trekkers all day over 20+ km and 9 hrs and went through some of the prettiest country I've seen yet and  were not on the actual road for more than 30 min! So, if you do the circuit, don't skip this section!

Last night the wind howled out of the north all night and I was worried today would be a nasty one. It was still blowing pretty hard when we started at 7AM, but as soon as we crossed the river and headed into the woods we really didn't notice it much.

Long and hard with lots of ups and downs, but well worth it. Today we walked along the river (wishing I had a flyrod), in alpine juniper/ pine forests, saw the highest breeding lake for mallards, down into temperate deciduous forests (I saw chestnuts on the trail), and eventually back into areas with flowering plants, butterflies, lizards and green vegetable- even heard a few cicadas again.

A wonderful simple lunch of Maggi with fresh veggies  in the tiny village of Sauru in a tiny little restaurant on the banks of the Kali Gandaki with a Neplai man, his Tibetan wife and there 12 yr old daughter. Everyone laughing and joking and it felt so much like being with the Oktolliks in Pt Hope! The father had spent 6 yrs in Japan: 2 yrs learning Japanese and 4 working as an electrician for Hitachi and Sanyo....weird! Had also met the Dalai Lama in Japan and in Dharmsala.

17 Nov
Day 15
Lete to Tatopani (=hot water) (2480 to 1200 meters), 6 hrs
Guesthouse:Dhauligiri - 2 minute walk down the steps to the hot springs (60NPR) along the river, with a beautiful garden filled with orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime and guava trees (all filled with ripe fruits!)

 Guesthouse in Lete had good food and a nice room but the mattress was the hardest I've had the whole trip. Up at 6, breakfast and pay (they tried to charge us for a 3rd beer- the little girl claimed I had one before breakfast!) and off by 7. Made it down the road to to Ghasa by 8:20, before,any traffic. From Ghasa to Tatopani was again almost entirely on trails on the east side of the river, with almost no Trekkers and more small villages. Unfortunately, I gave Mike the option to cross over to the road  3 km before we needed to and so had a dusty 30 min into Tatopani behind a herd of about 100 pack horses.

Today met a 79 yr old Finnish cross-country skier doing the circuit- slow but steady. And, met the usual suspects we've been seeing for the last 2 weeks.

Incredible walk again through ever-changing biomes- started in juniper/pine forests and ended up back in the tropics over six hours! It,was amazing watching the vegetation and fauna change so rapidly to flowering trees with fruit, and hibiscus and poinsettias and so many lizards, small birds and butterflies, and of course the loud cicadas (the iPod did help drown out there noise). And warmth- by 10 I was down to t-shirt and pants rolled to above the knees- hard to believe we were in a place with icy streams and where the water froze 2 days ago!   And also, the return of amazing waterfalls everywhere. We are now down in the region where we should see monkeys, and  I met a man in the hot pool who did see a Langur this morning. Will need to keep my eyes peeled tomorrow.
We have also now left the Tibetan and Buddhist areas of the circuit and are solidly back into the Hindu section which seems to also match the transition back from yaks to water buffaloes.

We arrived in Tatopani by 1. Got the nicest room we have had so far in a little cabin in the amazing citrus orchard  2 min above the hot pools. This time it is a real hot pool! Headed down and soaked for an hour and had a beer and visited other Trekkers. Back up to the room. Washed out some clothes, had a cheese and tomato sandwich and walked around town and did some shopping for a few necessaries. - one of the pleasures of trekking is the daily getting rid of even the tiniest items (even scraps of paper you no longer need) decreasing the weight on your back and it is mentally hard to  replace them- even with something as light as a roll of TP or a couple of Snickers bars!

Now waiting for dinner. Heaven! Just wish Shannon was here with me, but at least she has been here and remembers it well.

Tomorrow is a huge climb (biggest of the circuit) to Ghorapani where we have to make a decision about going to Annapurna Base Camp. We could be in Pokhara in 2 days from here, but we both have 8 days before we planned to be there. Talked to a Brit this afternoon ( and more this evening at dinner) who thinks we can get all the way up and down in that amount of time, or even a day to spare. I think we (or at least I)  will probably try it.....

18 Nov
Day 16
Tatopani to Ghorepani (=horse water, 2870 meter- climb of 1670 meters)
Time: 6 hrs
Guesthouse: Dhauligiri View (proprietor- Om)
Fauna: Himalayan Bulbul, and one green parrot (blossom-headed parakeet?)- no monkeys or red panda
Flora: tropical mountain jungle(?)- huge bamboo, mandarin oranges, limes and lemons, guava and bananas, hibiscus, rhododendron

Bit of a rough night sleep-wise. I was stuffed up and sneezing and eventually took a sudafed, which worked. I think it was a combo of the dust I breathed in following the herd of horses into town and the cigarette smoke I breathed in from all the Euros and Nepalis smoking in the courtyard last night at dinner. Also had some tenderness in the front tendons of my left ankle, but IB-P seems to have fixed that. Sure hope so- except for my little toe blister, my still cold-nipped ring finger and a few stinging nettles it's the first time I haven't felt great....

BTW: during this entire trip in India and Nepal I have taken 2 probiotic capsules/day and have had practically zero stomach issues. Not sure if it really did anything, but.....

HARD DAY and I am a bit knackered! Left Tatopani at 7. Walked the road for 20 minutes, crossed 2 rivers on suspension bridges (one a sketchy wooden one) and started climbing and never stopped for 6 hrs! Passed through the villages of Ghara, Sikrah, Phalante and Chitre. All of which pretty much blended together with bits of jungles and terraced fields between. As you pass through villages and collections of houses you walk under occasional garlands of dried marigolds, chilies and other flowers like poinsettia, etc strung across the path (for good luck?)

Had a slight mishap after about 30 min. As soon as we started the climb I noticed the back of my legs getting wet and thought it odd that I was sweating so much. Turns out the hose on my camelback came off and a liter of water leaked. Luckily it somehow didn't get any of my stuff wet including my sleeping bag at the bottom....? Around then, I bought a banana and 3 mandarins off a little girl and then that was the last time I saw Mike until he showed up 90 min after I got a room ate lunch and had a shower. Also stopped in Chitre about an hour out for a piece of warm, fresh apple pie and a coke. Met a couple of young Belgian dentists doing a 2 week dental clinic in the village. Can finally see Annapurna I from here and in fact there are six 7000+ meter peaks out the window of our room, including two 8000 meter (Dhauligiri and A-I).

There is supposed to be Internet here but apparently the line to the entire region is out somewhere in Pakistan!

Today's Haiku (no music and by myself almost all day, so more time to observe and process)

Brilliant red poinsettia
Golden marigolds
Cerulean butterfly

(at least I think cerulean is a color and the correct one....?)

This evening as the sun sets and the temp drops all the peaks  turn pink and then lavender and the place is crawling with tourists (Japanese, Koreans, Euros). Where did they suddenly come from? They certainly weren't trekking the circuit with us. I think they have done a one or 2 day trek from Pokhara to come to Ghorepani and hike up to the top of Poon Hill for the sunrise view and then head back to Pokhara. Will have to ask at dinner tonight.

Spoke to Nuri this afternoon to see if he thinks we have enough time to make it to ABC and back to Pokhara in 7 days. At first he didn't, but when I told him how long it took from Tatopani today he said yes. Anyway, we will head to Chomrong tomorrow morning and see what progress we make. If it looks dubious we can always turn around early.

Ran into our Welsh friend, Malcolm, last night. They had some adventurous jeep rides down and now his French friends had left him in Ghorepani to head up to ABC while he tries to get over a nasty chest cold.

19 Nov
Day 17
Ghorepani to Chomrong (2185 meters,  15.7 km)
Time: 7 hrs
Guesthouse: Chomrong Cottage -amazing views is Annapurna South andFishtail
Dinner: rice,bean,cheese burrito and what Time magazine claimed is the best chocolate cake in Nepal: verdict- good Cake but I have had better and since it is the first chocolate cake I have had on the trek I can't compare. Up til now I've been sticking mostly to apple pies! Also, apparently the real cook, the mom, is now a science teacher in Pokhara and not here. I helped the 2nd grader son with his science homework while waiting for dessert.
Fauna: no mammals ( except humans and cows, horses and dogs, but tons of birds singing in the trees. Could not identify many. Did hear a woodpecker and could issue a scarlet minivet. One bird had a very loud and melodious 4 note song that it kept repeating for about 3 min and seemed to respond if you sang it back ( maybe an Indian Cuckoo)
Flora: so many Biomes, including a NW old growth rainforest with firs, ferns, moss and rhododendron bushes- I came over a ridge from a southern exposed bamboo/rhododendron TREE forest to a northern exposure and was suddenly hiking around Mt Hood!

Fell asleep by 7:30 and slept hard, except for the loud obnoxious Koreans next door. Woke up at 4 to loud cockadoodledoos, clicking of horses hooves on the stone steps and lines of Trekkers with headlights filing past the hotel on the way up to Poon Hill for sunrise. We got up and left by 6:30 in the opposite direction of the crowds towards Chomrong and the Annapurna Base Camp. Apparently the views we got from the ridge we went up were just as magnificent.

We have decided to make an "alpine style assault" on ABC, trying double days to get up and down in 5  days what most take 10-12.

Holy shit! I thought yesterday was hard with a steady 6 hr climb- nothing compared to the 7 hrs of UP over a ridge, DOWN endless stone steps into a steep river valley and then up and down again and again and again. It was a total drop of about 600 meters but I bet we actually climbed more than yesterday's 1600! On top of the climbing and descending it got pretty hot by 11 and the last hour was pretty painful for me. The first half of the day was pretty uninhibited and except for the Trekkers doing the short trek to Poon Hill I was mostly alone. The second half of the day wound through many little villages with unbelievably step and endless terraced fields in terrain you would think it impossible to farm in.

And the mountains! A lot of the time they were shielded by the jungle and forests, but when you emerged on a ridge suddenly Annapurna I (the big 'un) and Fishtail (Machapuchhre) and a whole ring of others are towering right over you and seem so close-Amazing!

Right now I am still waiting for Mike to show up-it's been an hour and a half. I hope he makes it and is still up for trying the blitz- but if not I plan to go still. (Arrived 2.5 hrs later)

I keep having visions of the descriptions of the filthy villages and especially the filthy children that both Herzog (1958) and Matthiessen (1975?) described. The contrast is pretty amazing between then and now. The kids are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen and they mostly seem very clean (except for the occasional snotty nose) and extremely well dressed.



20 Nov (Happy Birthday SMS!)
Day 18
Chomrong to Himalaya Hotel (2840 meters, ~12 km)
Time: 5.3 hrs
Guesthouse: Himalaya Guesthouse (in a steep river valley with high walls blocking any views of the mountains)
Flora: wet Bamboo forests (in the monsoon season there are lots of leeches on this part of the trail)
Fauna: lots of singing jungle birds. I did not see any, but not far behind me some folks saw a large troop of Langurs (monkeys) right on the trail.
Dogs: I had heard and read (and from Leh experience expected the same) about the vicious dogs on the trail and was a bit worried about rabies, etc. however, the Tibetan or Nepali shepherd type dogs seem very pretty and well cared for and even quite friendly. Just in case, I avoid trying to pet them, but it is tempting, especially when one joins you for a 5-10 min jaunt along the trail.

Did not sleep well last night. After dinner, I tried calling Shannon a few times since I had service and wasn't sure after this (turns out none). I kept missing her and leaving messages and hoping she would call back when she was free (she calls and I dismiss and them call back). I never received any calls (it seems that besides not receiving texts, I also now am not receiving incoming calls). Although she did try. I kept my phone on until late and started to worry that maybe something had happened on their trip to Portland over the weekend. Eventually fell asleep but woke up from a scary dream at 3 and called and got through and was able to get back to sleep for a bit.

Up at 6 and off by 7 again arrived here before 12:30 to get one of the last non-dorm rooms in the 3 lodges (tomorrow to be sure we get one- the owner here is calling to make us a reservation at the Gangapurna lodge in Machhupuchhare (MBC))

The trek today started out wrong-30 min down steep stone stairs is hard on these non-warmed up knees- followed by lots of climbing the rest of the day. After the long descent, getting my knees going for the up was a bit hard and I had the first knee real knee pain of the trip. Luckily after about 30 more min it mostly disappeared.

I admit it, I have officially turned into a trekking snob: I almost turned around during the first 3 hrs and abandoned the trek to ABC and headed to Pokhara! Not because of the knee. After almost 3 weeks of solitude (except for going over the pass) and hiking through quiet areas without few others, the assault of the masses on the Sanctuary trek is hard to take. There are MANY more groups making this much shorter trek, and it is in and out, so you see everyone and their porters and guides! I am sick of lines of overweight Americans, Koreans and their mobiles, and rude French groups carrying light day packs! Even passed a line of Frenchies, with full knee length gaiters (no snow for them for at least 3 days at their pace) and walking poles set to shoulder height! The masses were more than you see on a summer holiday weekend at Green Lakes. Not what I was expecting. It seems that they come in waves, and luckily after 3 hrs I was able to have the trail mostly to myself for most of the last 2 hrs to HH. I also rand into a Finnish couple we had spent time with in Manang returning from ABC, and they convinced me the view was worth it. So, on I go. I almost changed my mind again when I arrived at HH at lunch time to crowds of people. But they were mostly having lunch on their way down and the place is quiet now. The evening actually turned out to be quite pleasant, visiting with a young Dutch couple I have been seeing on the trail, a few Germans and a young Chinese guy until late (almost 8!)

Small world stuff: met a couple last night and today from Vernon BC who know Becky Scotts mom, and then in a group of fourteen 20-something Trekkers from all over I met an Aussie who had been housemates in OZ with the Vordenberg brothers (Bend skiers)
       
21 Nov
Day 19
Himalaya Hotel to MBC (3700 meters, ?km) ABC (4095 meters, no pack) to MBC
Time: 2:10 (HH to MBC)
Guesthouse: Gangapurna
Fauna: giant beehive that they harvest the comb for honey in a cliff above the lodge, looking for Thaar ( mtn goat like with long sweeping horns) and pheasants - saw herd of 7 Thaar on a ridge on way to MBC and a  pika at ABC. Also, what the owner said was a mongoose that ran out of the guesthouse (all I saw was a brown rodent like streak.
Flora: started in a bit of a bamboo shrub forest and climbed to tree-line. Mostly high steep rocky cliffs with bits of snow. Grasses and shrubs. Walked through one field of blue poppies all gone to seed.

Up at 6 and tried to call S for her birthday. The cell battery was almost dead and there was no place to charge. There was a small place on a cliff that got intermittent coverage-enough to get her voicemail but then cut out. Was able to send a short text.
Headed out at 7. Today started with a climb, which was nice for me. Spent the first hour to Dheurali mostly alone. Stopped in Dheurali to charge the mobile for 20 min(but no service) until Mike showed up. Then another hour climb to MBC and arrived before 10:30. Beautiful views of the mountains. Mike came in about 30 min later and said he was going to eat and head to ABC and back today. I will hang out here, take a hike, look for Thaar and pheasants, wash,etc and do it early tomorrow for sunrise. I should be back by 7:30 and then we will head out/down.

New plan: on my walk I ended up heading towards ABC and it was such an easy pleasant walk without a pack and the views were so awesome so I just kept going. On the way I ran into Mike on his way down and he decided to just keep going and not stay. He seems to be getting tired of trekking and getting even slower and the constant climbing has seemed to have gotten  to him. Maybe we will meet in Katmandu for a beer.

Most of the way up to ABC I saw 2 Nepalis behind a rock on a ridge  looking at something so I climbed the ridge and they were watching a herd of 7 Himalayan Thaar across the river climbing another ridge- 6 tan females and one large black male. Unfortunately they  we're too far to see the large swept back horns. As we were watching them, a wind blew a stream from a waterfall and it made an amazing rainbow against the rocks. I continued up the ridge with the guide and he pointed out all the climbing routes on the various peaks. At ABC I walked past the lodges to the viewpoint on the ridge and the Anatoli Boukerev memorial (died climbing A1 in 1997 a year after the Everest disaster). On the way a little grey pika ran in front of me and grazed for awhile. The view from ABC is definitely worth the trek and even more worthwhile watching the changing light and listening to the rock and icefalls off the huge ice fields. However, I won't go back up for the sunrise.

On the way up I spent a little time talking to Einer, a German circuited we got to know, and he convinced me that the idea I had been floating in my head to hire a porter to carry my pack down the long descent back to Chomrong would definitely be a worthwhile investment to save my knee! When I got back to the ABC lodge, I went in and met the Dutch and Canadian couple we had been meeting with on the Sanctuary trek. Last night we had gotten friendly with the Dutch couples guide and he found me a porter to carry my pack back to Chomrong tomorrow. From there I will be down the steepest stuff and will finish off carrying the pack again for one more day to the bus to Pokhara. I think I am ready to be done.

When I got back I went through my wallet to make sure I have enough for the porter, lodging,etc and somehow my wallet fell behind a table in a dark corner. Spent a frantic 15 minutes going through all my stuff multiple times. The owners were going through everything also, and even had the 3 young Swiss empty their packs (I felt bad). Eventually the owner found it-phew! Relief but I sure felt stupid.

Surprises:
How many young Nepalese from Pokhara are doing the Sanctuary trek. Largish groups of 4-15, and it seems for the first time. I just have a diamox tab to one of them having headaches and didn't sleep well. He should be OK, since ABC is just 400 meters up and then he will head back down.
How many guides and guesthouse owners are well educated and know multiple languages besides Nepali and English-French, German, Japanese , etc. and how many have family or have been to the west and now are back here guiding or running a guesthouse. The current guesthouse owner has 2 brothers and his parents (dad a retired Gurkha) living in US. Sometimes I get the same disconnect  here as I did sitting on the ice in Pt Hope in caribou skins, waiting for whales and having an Eskimo hunter tell me stories about Vietnam and Haight Ashbury during the 60s.

22 Nov (Happy Turkey Day to all!)
Day 20- heading home (sort of)
MCB to Chomrong (16.5 km)
Time: 6.5 hr
Guesthouse: Chomrong Cottage (again because of the great hot shower-first since last here)
Fauna: One Thaar (just after starting came around a corner and there were people stopped looking across the valley. A guide said there was a bear but nobody else could see it. I found it and identified it as a Thaar with my binocs and of course I had to wait around while,everyone looked) Did not see any Langurs again, but everyone else here at the GH did right behind me-jealous.
Flora: same as going up

Was up and ready to go early but the guide, Dutch couple and my porter didn't show up until 8:30. I paid 2500NPR for the one day of a porter and I can only say even if I overpaid-it was absolutely worth it! The porter was a little guy (as are most) who,didn't speak English, but except for one long uphill stuck with me like glue. We started out in rush hour traffic of people leaving ABC and MBC, but quickly made our way through and left everyone else far behind. With only a small day pack I,could easily make my way rather nimbly down the steepest stairs and without the extra weight pounding on my knee we were able to complete 2 days worth in less than one whole day. I quickly discovered, that the porter (with 2 or 3x my weight) could easily go faster than me on all but the steepest and longest uphill stairs. He would sometimes stop to rest or talk and fall back and  then suddenly and effortlessly be on my heels again.

I was curious why he wouldn't just use my pack, but instead put it in his basket with a head-strap. I realized that he must be taking the basket so he has something to carry supplies back up to MBC so he isn't just earning money in one direction.

Tonight I have cell service again and will try to make a short call to Shannon for her late Birthday/thanksgiving. I booked a room in Pokhara at the Hotel Stupa- recommended by  my Sherpa friends in Katmandu and will have wifi there so can FaceTime with S and the kids!

Interesting evening. Somehow there ended up being 7 Americans staying at the same hotel(probably the first time "we" have been a majority) so we had a mini-Thanksgiving. 2 of us even had the fried chicken, potatoes and veggies. Fun conversation and the latest I've been up in awhile.

Best sleep in ages! Probably the combination of being alone (no snoring in the room or coming through the walls) and being back down at lower altitude- the kidneys can slow down their acclimatization work! and a lot warmer.

23 Nov MBC to ABC (4095 meters, no packs) to MBC
Day 21
Chomrong to Siwau (~7km, 4 hrs) and Bus to Pokhara (4hrs)
Fauna: lots of wrens and  some green warblers that I could actually see today (not sure kind) and a huge flock (50-100?) of parakeets. But, no langurs or Himalayan pheasants. Tons of singing birds in the jungle all morning- sure would be nice to have, old friend Philip Martin here. He could probably ID them all.

Flora: back to jungle and big sections of flowering: Strobilanthes wallichii, commonly known as Kashmir Acanthus, Hardy Persian Shield, Wild Petunia, or Kandali, is a herbaceous perennial which is native to the Himalayas. In its natural habitat, it purple blooms appear only once every twelve years.

Hotel: Hotel Stupa

Best sleep in weeks last night and up and off before 7. Up the stairs for 30 min and then down thousands of steps to the banks of the Modi Kola past the Hot Springs (I hear they are very nice, and I was actually hoping to get there last night) and on to the village of Siwau where the road starts. The early start beat most of the rush hour trekking, and I only had a few large groups to make my way through today. The bigger problem today, as we descended more into village farms were the water buffalo on the narrow trail who did not want to get out of the way.

Walking through the jungle this morning was a symphony of many bird songs, locusts and river sounds. As one species or groups of birds would die out or quiet a new one would chime in. It just would have been nice to be able to see and identify more of them. Unfortunately, watching them meant taking your eyes off of the many uneven descending steps and rocks, but at telecast the sound was pleasant, soothing and distracting.


Early on in the morning I ran into the young Spanish couple I met on the way out of Ghorepani. They had been told that you could get a taxi/jeep in Siwau, and we agreed to share a cab if they were running from Siwau, instead of walking the extra 2 hrs down the dusty road. They arrived first and were negotiating a fare which started at 8000NPR! As soon as I arrived a bus pulled in and the price immediately dropped to 6000. The bus cost 400 and the decision was easy. And what a ride! Luckily we got on here, because we had our choice of seats (not the most luxurious, comfortable or even very padded to be sure!) at the beginning of the road and later people ended up standing (nobody on the roof or hanging on the sides though), or at least trying to! We quickly took important stuff out of our packs and they were thrown onto the roof and tied down and off we went down the narrow, windy and extremely uneven "road"- I've been stuck with DA in a big 4WD out hunting on roads better than this!  Bouncing along, I suddenly realized the GPS was strapped onto the outside of my pack on the roof, and when we stopped to pick up  new passengers I quickly climbed onto the roof and rescued it- it was fine and turns out the packs were secured very safely. At the next stop I bought 2 mandarins off the tree and out the window for 20 NPR. The young Tibetan refugee from the refugee community in Pokara, sitting in front of me, made the woman give me another-apparently I had overpaid. We quickly became friends as he tried to tell me his history and names of places over the noise.

The bus was a typical Asian affair with decorations and mirrors all over the inside and loud Nepali/Bollywood music blaring out of the speaker under my seat. It takes 3 people to run the bus- the driver and 2 helpers. The helpers take care of things like showing our permits at the checkpoints, collecting tickets, loading and unloading luggage and handing out "plastic" (barf bags). But their most important jobs involve hanging onto the outside and jumping off, running ahead of the bus and moving boulders, etc. They also direct traffic, maneuvering other buses and cars that we meet on the narrow one lane road so nobody ends up over the cliff in the river!

It took about 2 hrs to go about 10 km to reach Nayapul, where the "paved" road starts and then another 2 hrs to go the 40 km and reach lakeside in Pokara. Passing all the trekkers walking down the dusty road made us glad to be bouncing along. In the village just before Nayapul a young Nepali grad student from Katmandu sat with me. He had  done a short trek into Gandruk and was returning to Pokara to hang out and try paragliding(big attraction here). He was quite entertained by my GPS and gave me a lot of information and help about getting around Pokara and where to get off.  Just before coming into the sprawl of urban Pokara, the young Tibetan (born in Nepal, parents came in 59) suddenly banged on the outside of the bus and as it rolled to a partial stop, he said goodbye and jumped out the window to climb the hill to the Tibetan Village.

We arrived at Lakeside, got out and in front of tons of knockoff trekking gear stores, restaurants, clothing, etc and immediately were inundated with hotel people trying to book us. Said goodbye to the Spanish and not knowing where my hotel was I began wandering down the street. Eventually I called the hotel and told him where I was- he said wait there. Suddenly a young man appears on a motorcycle and I hop on the back with my big pack and ride 3 min to the hotel. Just as we were turning into the hotel, there is Irish Mike talking to some people! He had just arrived that morning and was looking for a place (ended up staying across the street from my hotel).

Hotel is relatively luxurious, compared to the last 3 weeks: fast wifi, TV, real shower, clean sheets and towels, breakfast,etc for $20/night. Unpacked, showered, dropped off laundry, checked emails,had a beer and some food and headed into town. Found an ATM and finally have some cash, recharged the phone, and bought some cotton Nepal clothes (maroon hoodie and drawstring pants) for $15-all my other clothes are getting washed!

Later, met Mike for a drink, and the special Shashlik dinner at Zorbas and caught up. Met a few of our former fellow Trekkers and shared stories and then wandered around town checking out bars , music and other restaurants for awhile before returning to hotel. Talked to S. on FT and eventually went to sleep. Lakeside in Pokara is a lot like the touristy Thamel section of Katmandu, and so different from the last 3 weeks!

Will probably stay here for 3 days and then head to Katmandu to go back to Delhi and Corbett Sanctuary on the 29th and then HOME on the 8th! Not sure what I will do here, besides not carry a pack and walk up and down steps for awhile-maybe rent a kayak on the lake or a bike and ride around. The rafting is supposed to be great here.....




Small World: just before arriving in Siwau, I passed a group of older (than me) Trekkers  going over the last suspension bridge and for some reason asked one couple where they were from. They were from NY. When I told them that I was from Oregon, the woman said, "we know someone from Oregon. Oh yes, our guide is from Bend, Oregon!
Their guides name is Leighla Thompson. She came by just as the bus was pulling out and we chatted for a bit through the window. She recognized my PPP shirt and we both recognize each other but couldn't place how....Anyone know her?

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