Distance covered since last blog: 350km (by bus), 80km (on foot)
After a 13 hour bus journey from Varanasi, I arrived at the Nepal border at 6am. I have heard that the border is rather lax, and easy to cross - this is an understatement. I waved goodbye to India, and sauntered across the border without even being asked to show my passport. I had to actively track down the border officials to get my visa. Unfortunately I didn't have any cash, and the ATM didn't accept my card (as usual) - cue a helpful Nepali chap to appear over my shoulder and offer to take me to the neighbouring town which had more ATMs for me to try. So I jumped on the back of his motorbike, found a working ATM, withdrew 10,000 rupees, and was driven back to the border. A great start to Nepal, and a perfect example of the friendliness of the people.
It was a 7 hour bus journey to the city of Pokhara, which was a fantastic way to see the incredible landscape of Nepal as the bus wound its way through the mountains along perilously thin roads. In an act of true English chivalry I gave up my seat to a young girl who was very grateful - I didn't think this through however, and standing up on a bus that is constantly rounding hairpin bends is almost impossible. When a seat eventually freed up I made a dart for it, only to find that a child had been sick on the floor. I was exhausted so sat there anyway.
Pokhara is an incredible place. To come from the crazy streets of India, to this calm, relaxed town was quite a shock. When walking down the pavement (yes, Nepal has pavements!), I found myself questioning where all the tuk tuks, beggars and mounds of cow poo were. And it smells normal! And the people don't stare at me! As you might have guessed, I am a fan of Nepal and its people. I spent a couple of days chilling out in Pokhara, while I organised my 10 day trek into the mountains. I spent my final evening in Pokhara with a huge plate of vegetable noodles, watching Blackpool vs Arsenal which was a real treat (I'm so bored of cricket).
My trekking experience started off bright and early at 8am. Things got off to a terrible start. I was under the impression that my guide would be carrying my huge backpack - this turned out not to be the case, so I had 5 minutes to frantically cram as much as I could into my woefully undersized other backpack. I forgot the following:
- All my toiletries (except a deodorant)
- Gloves
- A towel
- Water purification tablets (and indeed any other medication)
- Anywhere near enough t-shirts, boxers or socks
Of course I managed to remember essentials such as both my iPods and my 900 page novel which took up half the bag. Putting this rough start behind me, I met up with my guide and we got on a local bus to the start of the trek (we sat on the roof which was fun - I didn't want to leave the Indian subcontinent without riding on the roof of some public transport at some point). My guide's name was Yam and he seemed like a decent lad.
We began trekking at about 10am, and by 10.30am I was coming to the realisation that I had maybe bitten off more than I could chew. In my 10 days, the plan is to hike up to the Annapurna base camp, which is 4,000m above sea-level. The trek started at 1,000m, and I was exhausted after climbing up the smallest of inclines. We walked for about 6 hours, and by the end I was a mess. We arrived at our accommodation for the night, and I was greeted by a smiling Nepali woman: 'Hello! How are you?'. 'F*****g knackered' I responded with no smile on my face. Luckily she laughed her head off.
Many of you will know that I don't eat breakfast. I have no appetite in the mornings, so don't eat. Yam wasn't hearing of this though, and so forced me to eat something. On Day 2 I rashly ordered a cheese omlette. It was vile, and when he wasn't looking I stuffed it in my pocket. This set the tone for a really unpleasant day. After about 30 minutes of steady uphill trekking, we came to the bottom of a set of seemingly never ending steps - there were 4,500 of them. It took me two hours to get up them, and by the summit I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower I was so drenched in sweat. I remember thinking to myself as I climbed, 'I'm sure I'm meant to be enjoying myself - why am I hating every single second of this so much?'. Shortly after reaching the summit, I stepped in a fresh pile of buffalo s**t. It was one of the most depressing moments of my entire life - I was roasting hot, dripping wet, stinking of BO and manure, and I still had 9 and half days to go.
Day 3 was the pivotal day of the trek. Nice relaxing start? Nope! Up at 4.30am for a quick hour trek up the brilliantly named 'Poon Hill' to see the sunrise. I was feeling a little queezy when we started, and by the time I got to the top (3,210m) I was feeling properly unwell. I was sick after being there for about 3 minutes, the sunrise was hidden behind a huge bank of cloud, and the howling wind was making me freeze in my sweat drenched t-shirt. I trekked it back down the hill (my spirits were lifted slightly when a Japanese woman fell over in front of me) and sat in front of the fire in the guest house feeling sorry for myself. All I wanted to do was sit there all day, but no, I manned-up and we set off at about 9.30.
And I'm jolly pleased that we did, because the first half of this day was some of the most enjoyable trekking of the entire trip. It was pouring with rain, but that didn't concern me as we walked for hours along the ridge of a high peak. I was loving it.
As was often the case however, my morale soon came tumbling down as my weak body started to give up. After 5 hours of walking, we reached the edge of a steep gorge. We had to trek down one side, then up the other - both sides having something in the region of 3,000 steps. Walking down one side totally exhausted my legs, then walking up the other side finished them off. If I had have been moving any slower on the climb up, I would have stopped. I was overtaken by an elderly man carrying a huge basket of bamboo on his back. It was humiliating. The '20 minute' climb took just short of an hour. I say that this day was 'pivotal' because the damage I did to my legs set me up for what happened the next day. The steps led to the village of Tarapani, and my word, what a view!
All my pains were forgotten, as I sat back with a cold bottle of 'Everest' beer and marveled at the sight in front of me for almost an hour. The sheer scale of these mountains is staggering, and any amount of trekking depression and leg pain is worth it.
This enthusiasm didn't last long however, and on Day 4, I threw in the towel and admitted that I wasn't going to be able to make it to base camp. My legs were in agony with every step I took, and even with my rather cool walking stick, I knew that making it to base camp was unrealistic. This was confirmed to me about 5 minutes later when my legs gave way and I collapsed on the trail. My legs had absolutely nothing left to give, and I couldn't stand up for a few minutes - it was a very odd feeling. The mind was willing, but the body capitulated. I dragged my exhausted body the remaining hours to the village of Chhomrong, where I was granted a blessed 'rest day'.
Incidentally, on the rest day I did my first laundry of the tour! 50 days after leaving England! I say 'laundry', but really all I did was dunk three t-shirts into a bucket and halfheartedly scrub them with a brush.
Now that the dream of getting to base camp had died a rather feeble death, we could take the days a lot slower. Getting up at a reasonable time, strolling for a couple of hours in the morning, stopping for a lunch beer or two, then getting to our lodge at about 3pm. I could relax and read my massive book over some lentil curry and some 'Raksi' (the local wine) - now this was more my sort of trekking! Nuts to base camp!
There are little stories from each of the remaining days:
On Day 6 we arrived at our lodge at the ridiculously early hour of 9.30am! I had barely had time to sweat through my t-shirt! There were some nearby hot springs to visit though, which I liked the sound of, and apparently they would help soothe my tired legs. I got down there and was immediately ordered to strip down to my boxers. The water was very pleasant and did indeed help to relax my legs. I couldn't relax too much though, because I had to spend most of the time making sure that 'Mogsy Junior' didn't flop out of my very loose fitting boxers.
The evening of Day 7 saw the most incredible storm I have ever witnessed descend upon the valley. I could see menacing looking clouds rolling towards us, but the force that they hit with was incredible. We were 'safely' in the lodge by this time, which was a good thing because at 2,500m you are in amongst the clouds and the the lightning is striking around you. Not the mention the massive hail stones coming in from the side.
Once again, Day 8 saw us get to our destination rather early. I read for a few hours, then went for a nap. I was woken up at about 2pm by the sound of very well-spoken English girls. I lept off my bed, and went to check them out through a crack in my door - and what would you know, they were smoking hot! I had to get involved. I sorted out my hair, straightened my 'trekking beard' and opened my bedroom door. They all glanced up. I pretended not to see them, put on my coolest face, and walked towards them. I picked out the best looking of the bunch and fired her a smile and a nod - she responded in kind. I hadn't thought much further ahead than this though, so when I walked past them, I realised I was in a dead-end corridor. I panicked, pretended to read a non-existent leaflet on the wall, then scurried back to my room, red faced, passing all the girls. Needless to say, that was as far as my involvement with that lot went.
Day 9 saw me stationed in a lodge in the lovely village of Dhampus, with 68 20-23 year old Nepali private school girls on a trip from Kathmandu. Usually chatting to local girls is like shooting fish in a barrel (!!), but I was so shell-shocked by the previous days experiences, that I hid in my room and read a trashy girls novel that I had found called 'An Affair before Christmas'.
Day 10 was a simple stroll to the main road, and a bus back to Pokhara. So - thoughts on my trekking experience? It is quite clearly split in two parts. The first four days were some of the toughest things I have ever experienced, but even now, safely back in Pokhara, I know there was no way I could have continued on to base camp. What was I thinking!? I haven't exercised in years, or ever been trekking in my life! No wonder my legs packed it in! The remaining days were chilled out and much more my thing. I'm pleased I did it though - it was one hell of an experience, and something I won't ever forget!
After a 13 hour bus journey from Varanasi, I arrived at the Nepal border at 6am. I have heard that the border is rather lax, and easy to cross - this is an understatement. I waved goodbye to India, and sauntered across the border without even being asked to show my passport. I had to actively track down the border officials to get my visa. Unfortunately I didn't have any cash, and the ATM didn't accept my card (as usual) - cue a helpful Nepali chap to appear over my shoulder and offer to take me to the neighbouring town which had more ATMs for me to try. So I jumped on the back of his motorbike, found a working ATM, withdrew 10,000 rupees, and was driven back to the border. A great start to Nepal, and a perfect example of the friendliness of the people.
 |
| Motorbike lift to the ATM |
Pokhara is an incredible place. To come from the crazy streets of India, to this calm, relaxed town was quite a shock. When walking down the pavement (yes, Nepal has pavements!), I found myself questioning where all the tuk tuks, beggars and mounds of cow poo were. And it smells normal! And the people don't stare at me! As you might have guessed, I am a fan of Nepal and its people. I spent a couple of days chilling out in Pokhara, while I organised my 10 day trek into the mountains. I spent my final evening in Pokhara with a huge plate of vegetable noodles, watching Blackpool vs Arsenal which was a real treat (I'm so bored of cricket).
 |
| Sunset over Pokhara |
- All my toiletries (except a deodorant)
- Gloves
- A towel
- Water purification tablets (and indeed any other medication)
- Anywhere near enough t-shirts, boxers or socks
Of course I managed to remember essentials such as both my iPods and my 900 page novel which took up half the bag. Putting this rough start behind me, I met up with my guide and we got on a local bus to the start of the trek (we sat on the roof which was fun - I didn't want to leave the Indian subcontinent without riding on the roof of some public transport at some point). My guide's name was Yam and he seemed like a decent lad.
We began trekking at about 10am, and by 10.30am I was coming to the realisation that I had maybe bitten off more than I could chew. In my 10 days, the plan is to hike up to the Annapurna base camp, which is 4,000m above sea-level. The trek started at 1,000m, and I was exhausted after climbing up the smallest of inclines. We walked for about 6 hours, and by the end I was a mess. We arrived at our accommodation for the night, and I was greeted by a smiling Nepali woman: 'Hello! How are you?'. 'F*****g knackered' I responded with no smile on my face. Luckily she laughed her head off.
Many of you will know that I don't eat breakfast. I have no appetite in the mornings, so don't eat. Yam wasn't hearing of this though, and so forced me to eat something. On Day 2 I rashly ordered a cheese omlette. It was vile, and when he wasn't looking I stuffed it in my pocket. This set the tone for a really unpleasant day. After about 30 minutes of steady uphill trekking, we came to the bottom of a set of seemingly never ending steps - there were 4,500 of them. It took me two hours to get up them, and by the summit I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower I was so drenched in sweat. I remember thinking to myself as I climbed, 'I'm sure I'm meant to be enjoying myself - why am I hating every single second of this so much?'. Shortly after reaching the summit, I stepped in a fresh pile of buffalo s**t. It was one of the most depressing moments of my entire life - I was roasting hot, dripping wet, stinking of BO and manure, and I still had 9 and half days to go.
Day 3 was the pivotal day of the trek. Nice relaxing start? Nope! Up at 4.30am for a quick hour trek up the brilliantly named 'Poon Hill' to see the sunrise. I was feeling a little queezy when we started, and by the time I got to the top (3,210m) I was feeling properly unwell. I was sick after being there for about 3 minutes, the sunrise was hidden behind a huge bank of cloud, and the howling wind was making me freeze in my sweat drenched t-shirt. I trekked it back down the hill (my spirits were lifted slightly when a Japanese woman fell over in front of me) and sat in front of the fire in the guest house feeling sorry for myself. All I wanted to do was sit there all day, but no, I manned-up and we set off at about 9.30.
And I'm jolly pleased that we did, because the first half of this day was some of the most enjoyable trekking of the entire trip. It was pouring with rain, but that didn't concern me as we walked for hours along the ridge of a high peak. I was loving it.
 |
| At 'the peak' |
All my pains were forgotten, as I sat back with a cold bottle of 'Everest' beer and marveled at the sight in front of me for almost an hour. The sheer scale of these mountains is staggering, and any amount of trekking depression and leg pain is worth it.
This enthusiasm didn't last long however, and on Day 4, I threw in the towel and admitted that I wasn't going to be able to make it to base camp. My legs were in agony with every step I took, and even with my rather cool walking stick, I knew that making it to base camp was unrealistic. This was confirmed to me about 5 minutes later when my legs gave way and I collapsed on the trail. My legs had absolutely nothing left to give, and I couldn't stand up for a few minutes - it was a very odd feeling. The mind was willing, but the body capitulated. I dragged my exhausted body the remaining hours to the village of Chhomrong, where I was granted a blessed 'rest day'.
 |
| The moment I 'threw in the towel' |
Now that the dream of getting to base camp had died a rather feeble death, we could take the days a lot slower. Getting up at a reasonable time, strolling for a couple of hours in the morning, stopping for a lunch beer or two, then getting to our lodge at about 3pm. I could relax and read my massive book over some lentil curry and some 'Raksi' (the local wine) - now this was more my sort of trekking! Nuts to base camp!
There are little stories from each of the remaining days:
On Day 6 we arrived at our lodge at the ridiculously early hour of 9.30am! I had barely had time to sweat through my t-shirt! There were some nearby hot springs to visit though, which I liked the sound of, and apparently they would help soothe my tired legs. I got down there and was immediately ordered to strip down to my boxers. The water was very pleasant and did indeed help to relax my legs. I couldn't relax too much though, because I had to spend most of the time making sure that 'Mogsy Junior' didn't flop out of my very loose fitting boxers.
 |
| Me and Yam in the hot springs |
Once again, Day 8 saw us get to our destination rather early. I read for a few hours, then went for a nap. I was woken up at about 2pm by the sound of very well-spoken English girls. I lept off my bed, and went to check them out through a crack in my door - and what would you know, they were smoking hot! I had to get involved. I sorted out my hair, straightened my 'trekking beard' and opened my bedroom door. They all glanced up. I pretended not to see them, put on my coolest face, and walked towards them. I picked out the best looking of the bunch and fired her a smile and a nod - she responded in kind. I hadn't thought much further ahead than this though, so when I walked past them, I realised I was in a dead-end corridor. I panicked, pretended to read a non-existent leaflet on the wall, then scurried back to my room, red faced, passing all the girls. Needless to say, that was as far as my involvement with that lot went.
Day 9 saw me stationed in a lodge in the lovely village of Dhampus, with 68 20-23 year old Nepali private school girls on a trip from Kathmandu. Usually chatting to local girls is like shooting fish in a barrel (!!), but I was so shell-shocked by the previous days experiences, that I hid in my room and read a trashy girls novel that I had found called 'An Affair before Christmas'.
Day 10 was a simple stroll to the main road, and a bus back to Pokhara. So - thoughts on my trekking experience? It is quite clearly split in two parts. The first four days were some of the toughest things I have ever experienced, but even now, safely back in Pokhara, I know there was no way I could have continued on to base camp. What was I thinking!? I haven't exercised in years, or ever been trekking in my life! No wonder my legs packed it in! The remaining days were chilled out and much more my thing. I'm pleased I did it though - it was one hell of an experience, and something I won't ever forget!
 |
| The final leg of the final day |
