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| Waking up to sun-drenched Himalayan Peaks |
Magical. That is probably the best word I can use to describe our four day trekking adventure here in Nepal. I’d have to say the trekking has been my favorite part of the Honeymoon so far and I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Nepal for more. Hopefully next time we’ll go for longer and higher treks, preferably a peak or two. In the future I’m sure we’ll write more about our experience but I wanted to get the overview down.
Day One
We departed Pokhara on the 22nd of September for a two-hour bus ride to the village of Naya Phul where we commenced our four day trek. Day one had us trekking up through the foothills for approximately six hours until we reached the village of Ghandruk. During the day we followed a stone and dirt trail with many-many steps. Per our guide the trail system was built approximately 100 years ago and in our opinion has held up very well. This first day we also experienced some monsoonal rain for an hour or so which soaked us, thankfully we had our waterproof jackets and rain cover for our backpack. The whole day trekking on day one was spent in overcast or foggy skies which really limited our views of the mountains.
We departed Pokhara on the 22nd of September for a two-hour bus ride to the village of Naya Phul where we commenced our four day trek. Day one had us trekking up through the foothills for approximately six hours until we reached the village of Ghandruk. During the day we followed a stone and dirt trail with many-many steps. Per our guide the trail system was built approximately 100 years ago and in our opinion has held up very well. This first day we also experienced some monsoonal rain for an hour or so which soaked us, thankfully we had our waterproof jackets and rain cover for our backpack. The whole day trekking on day one was spent in overcast or foggy skies which really limited our views of the mountains.
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| Pamela crossing a bridge along the trail in the rain. |
Day Two
Day two arrived with the gift of clear skies and incredible views of the mountains called Annapurna South, Hiunchili and Machhapuchare (Fishtail). The site of these snow capped, sun drenched peaks brought us to a standstill. Never in my life have I been so awestruck and blown away by a natural view. I instantly knew what draws people back to these mountains year after year.
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| Early AM views of Annapura South from the village of Ghandruk |
The clouds move in fast and by 7:00am the mountains were a memory. Following this we went to a Ghurka museum and had some breakfast before starting our trek. This day’s trek had us descending one side of a steep valley and ascending the other side where the trail flattened out. All in all we trekked about 5 hours on day two. We stopped for lunch in a village called Landruk, then trekked on to Tolka and stayed overnight in a lodge.
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| View of the terraced rice paddies which are very common along these parts of the trail. |
Day Three
Another early wake-up call (5:45am) greeting us with more awe-inspiring views of the mountains. We took a bunch of pictures, ate some breakfast and were on our way. Day three’s trek was pretty easy with some climbing up to our lunch stop at the village of Pothana ( which also was the highest point on our trek at 2100 meters) and continuing on another hour to the Paradise View Lodge in the village of Dhampas. Our four hour trek on day three was pretty easy, the hardest part was the slippery rocks and the leeches. Both Pamela and I were visited by the little buggers on this day.
The night of day three we had a big party to thank our porters and sherpas who helped us along the trek. We all had a Nepali set meal of Dal Bhat, tipped our porters and sherpas then danced to some traditional Nepali music. I (DW) was thankful there were other “rhythm challenged” people around so I didn’t look that dumb trying to dance. Pamela on the other hand picked-up the dancing style right away. Some people are just born with it I think J It poured rain for hours and hours that night and we fell asleep listening to the rain and thunder.
Another early wake-up call (5:45am) greeting us with more awe-inspiring views of the mountains. We took a bunch of pictures, ate some breakfast and were on our way. Day three’s trek was pretty easy with some climbing up to our lunch stop at the village of Pothana ( which also was the highest point on our trek at 2100 meters) and continuing on another hour to the Paradise View Lodge in the village of Dhampas. Our four hour trek on day three was pretty easy, the hardest part was the slippery rocks and the leeches. Both Pamela and I were visited by the little buggers on this day.
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| Pamela crossing a suspension bridge along the trail. |
The night of day three we had a big party to thank our porters and sherpas who helped us along the trek. We all had a Nepali set meal of Dal Bhat, tipped our porters and sherpas then danced to some traditional Nepali music. I (DW) was thankful there were other “rhythm challenged” people around so I didn’t look that dumb trying to dance. Pamela on the other hand picked-up the dancing style right away. Some people are just born with it I think J It poured rain for hours and hours that night and we fell asleep listening to the rain and thunder.
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| She loved her baby goat |
Unfortunately we didn’t get those tremendous views the morning of day four as the skies were still grey from the thunderstorms. We trekked about two hours downhill that morning to the village of Phedi where we were met by a bus to take us back to Pokhara. Unfortunately this was the end of our short trek. Back in Pokhara we ate some good food, did some laundry and were off to our next adventure.
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| Every few minutes you'd come across sights like this. |
Looking Back
Trekking in Nepal was much-much easier logistically than we initially thought. There are small villages full of hotels and restaurants along many of the trails which really make it easy to stop and rest , maps are easy to come by and the trails seem to be well signposted and even if you did get lost there are locals who can point you in the right direction.
Trekking in Nepal was much-much easier logistically than we initially thought. There are small villages full of hotels and restaurants along many of the trails which really make it easy to stop and rest , maps are easy to come by and the trails seem to be well signposted and even if you did get lost there are locals who can point you in the right direction.
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| The mountain trails are how the locals get around. They are to them as our highways, streets and sidewalks are to us. |
While walking along the tracks we passed many children going to school, many farm animals, adults going to work, and porters carrying everything from food to mattresses on their backs. Instead of highways, these mountain trail networks are how many Nepali people transport their goods and get from place to place. I will try to keep that in mind the next time I’m whining about being stuck in traffic.
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| Porters carrying gear up the trail. |
All the photos (more like the best 25%) from our trek can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/TrekkingInNepal?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Cheers for Now -
Pamela and Dave
Cheers for Now -
Pamela and Dave
