the powder room

Early start. Again! But glad to leave Tatopani behind and move closer to Pokhara. A long day, boring because a road has been put in, so a long slog over dusty tracks, avoiding buses and lorries. Some nice moments and sights and fun chats, but by the time we reach Galeshwar, we’re bored and opt for a taxi or bus. One does not appear, so we slog on, eventually finding a taxi and negotiating hard for him to take us 5 mins down the road to Beni. We end up sharing with 2 kids who just stare all the way.

Hopping out at Beni, we avoid taxis and crawl onto a local bus. Exhausted but happy. Long bus ride to Pokhara with a kid on my bag/M’s knee. Finally back to Baglung bus station. Irritable haggling gets us a ride to the Gauri Shankar, sharing with a random Dutch guy who now lives in Spain. Fortunately Judy kept our room and we end up with a much nicer double. Korean food and penny pinching seal the day.

Very early and reluctant (for M!) start – short sharp climb up Poon Hill to watch the sun rise over the Annapurna range. Pleasant and uninterrupted views but can’t help but think we could have stayed in bed and avoided the crowds.

We say our farewells and troop off to Tatopani. Bimbling through enjoying the downhill and relative solace, the day rolls by. After stopping for lunch, we realise how far it really is – the indicated 6-7 hours turn out to be over 8 hours! I push the pace – long steep descent, we meet a Nepali man coming the other way – he works in Tatopani during the day and at a hostel in the pass at night. He seems happy to talk and kindly gives us some clementines – delicious! Tatopani seems to be further and further – the fabled hot springs sink out of our future. Arriving at well past 5pm, we make a false start, then stay in a mangy place with cold showers and a leaky toilet. But we do make the hot springs, which just about make up for the tortuous day! Twilight bathing eases sore muscles. Mediocre food and mangy, drooling dog provide our evening entertainment.

Tada! Annapurna

M's boot!

Unsure if we’ll make it, we set off early. Long and tough climbing first up – 3280 (allegedly) stone steps. Pauses for tea and water, but exciting glimpses of Annapurna through trees. It eases off, but not much – a long climb to Ghorepani and noticeably colder temps – we’re now around 3000m. We stagger through to Deorali and find the Mountain View guesthouse and a room with a view, hot water and a comfortable bed. Wrapping up warm, we scout the place out, finding Noel, Jess and Dave. Nice buzz to the place a surprisingly well stocked.

Nepali kids - sooo cute!

Mmm, dim sum.

Luxury seats

Early start and taxi to Baglung bus station. We are dropped off and not a sign of a westerner around. No idea which bus to get – not that there are any. Running the gauntlet of taxi-drivers again, we manage to find where to wait. Bus arrives, driver shouts 75 rupees and says ‘on top’ – unclear whether he means us or the bags, I clamber up and shove my bag into a niche. Concern, moments of fear – go with it and end up sitting on the roof, gripping for dear life. We are joined by David and Sir (his porter) – caught in a travelling moment we bond.

Making friends

Relaxing a little, I tense up again as Dave is side-swiped by a branch and I’m suddenly very aware of the garroting potential of electricity cables. Still, I soon sink into it, gripping bars with grubby feet. It’s windy and the temperature begins to drop. A few flecks of rain cause momentary panic, but the downpour never materialises.

We arrive at Naya Pul – a collection of shacks. A rather scrappy dismount and hasty booting up, then we are left in the relative quiet. We follow Dave and Sir to find the path to Birethanti, a pleasant and well equipped village that represents the real start of the trek.

View from Indra Guesthouse

A long day of steep trekking and some confused map-reading. We begin to doubt how sensible it is to carry our own things. Our destination seems to further and further away, but eventually Tikhedunga emerges and a glance at my watch reveals that we’re spot on time. We spot Dave at the Indra guesthouse and opt to stay there.

Hot showers, cup of tea and we meet Noel and Jess. More dal bhat, sleep and nerves about the next day.

Nepali quality bus

First of many early starts! Off to Pokhara and realised what that great cheap deal bought us, passing neat and clean buses to arrive, mildly despondent at a rickety green bus. Our bags unceremoniously hauled on top, street hawkers all round selling water, crisps and pastries. Were we going to get to Pokhara? As the bus set off, the unmistakable sound of metal on metal screeched up from below. Fortunately, after driving for a bit in Kathmandu traffic(!), we stopped to fix the brakes.

Terraced fields

Annapurna from the bus

A surprisingly pleasant journey up and out of the Kathmandu smog to look over the valley with its tall brick factory chimneys, changing to steep-sided terracing and winding mountain roads. A snooze. Our first glimpse of mountains. More sleep. Short dal bhat stop  by the river. Soon death defying overtaking manoeuvres, protected only by the magical power of the horn, rapidly eliminated the possibility of sleep.

Bear-shaped cloud over Pokhara

Exhausted but excited arrival in Pokhara Mustang bus station. Offloading into a melee of taxi drivers. NO I AM NOT JAPANESE. Hoisting overladen bags onto shoulders in blazing sun, we pushed through and started walking in defiance, ignoring claims of a 3 mile walk. 10 minutes later and sweating buckets, we checked into the Gauri Shankar, as much through heat exhaustion as recommendation.

Slightly eccentric Judy, our Australian host sees through my attempted name-dropping discount scam and Ram shows us our room. Showers (aah!) and preparation for trekking precede delicious Japanese food at Koto and a much needed sleep.

A leisurely jetlag-induced start sees us planning to organise the rest of the week. A pleasant ‘light and nice’ breakfast, then off to get bus tickets, ACAP permits and Swayambunath – the monkey temple.

Nepali protest

After finding the ACAP office closed and relocated to the Nepal Tourism Board, we asked for directions, didn’t quite understand, but set-off confidently, only to get caught in a demonstration of some sort. Blue camouflage-clad police with feeble riot shields and bamboo sticks scuffled rather than clashed with protesters. A lot of walking in midday heat eventually revealed the ACAP office where we were told that we needed more passport photos. A rather dusty and smelly walk in the blazing sun led us to a small photo lab, but not before a ‘helpful’ local ushered us into his place, tried to charge double and stole my one remaining photo. We were getting tired and irritable at this point, so were greatly relieved to finally receive our passes and TIMS cards.

Monkeys watching knackered tourists

Lunch at Ganesh, then a pleasant stroll to Swayambunath, the monkey temple. It was getting late in the day and the long wobbly staircase was a bit daunting, but greeted by energetic monkeys and with steady progress, we climbed up. Turned out to be perfect timing as the sun slowly set over Kathmandu – spectacular views and a beautifully peaceful place, in spite of the tourists and screaming kids.

Multicoloured prayer flags rippling in the breeze. Gentle warmth of a setting sun lighting up the stupa, bringing colours to life, radiating energy before fading to a dull blue and slinking into the night.

Sunset over Kathmandu

Prayer flags at dusk - the wind carries the prayers to the heavens

Dusk from Swayambunath

Colourful saris for sale

Wandered the streets of Thamel down toward Durbar Square. Very familiar feel and smell. Touristy Thamel with its constant calls and invites gave way to narrower streets with intriguing facades of withered splendour. Religion permeates the streets with shrines everywhere. No real hassle from anyone and very pleasant vibe.

Newari carving

Holy Cow

Durbar Square is really two squares, packed full of shrines and people. A rest from the relentless sun to enjoy some people watching. Beautiful carved Newari buildings that remind me of Indonesia and a little chess set that we have. Strange mix of sadhus, a 5-legged cow, pigeons, fat Americans, svelte locals, eager hawkers and some very out of place teenage girls. It was here that I began to notice the amount of stares we were drawing and was asked the question that has plagued me since – “are you Japanese?”.

Kumari Bahal

Looking over Durbar Square

Wandered over to the Kumari Bahal where the living goddess, the Kumari, lives with her family from about 3/4 until she reaches puberty. A beautifully serene courtyard with intricate wooden carving all round. Another retreat from the sun found us on the steps of the Maju Deval watching the ballet of traffic, cows, sadhus and tourists. Three gorgeous but filthy kids repeatedly pose for photos so they can ask for money and the perpetual angst of whether to give or not. Sheer humanity says it’s only a few pence and means more to them than me, but the behaviour it reinforces and dependency it creates coupled with a basic resistance to being treated as a cash machine generally results in a curt no thank you and ignoring their continued presence.

Garden of Dreams

Momos. Mmmmmm!!!

More wandering leads us to Freak Street and the Ganesh restaurant where I get my first taste of momos. Meandering back to the hotel takes us past Rani Pokhari where we witness a violent argument between a woman and man that draws a small crowd, but ends soon after.

Contrasted by the tranquil Garden of Dreams, where we relax and watch the world go by. Beautiful niches, secluded corners and a bamboo swing provide a calming end to our first real day in Kathmandu. Arriving back in Thamel, we’re too late for most places and settle for Korean food again.

Friday 31 October 2008

Leaving the UK was a bit of a rush as usual, cramming far too much stuff into my bag and heading for the airport. Tube was crammed, how and smelly – irritating schoolkids on the way to Heathrow – glad to be leaving it all behind. Check-in was smooth and flew in a brand new A380 – didn’t sleep much on the way, largely cos I was watching films.

Himalayas - 'The Abode of Snow'

Flying over wrinkled landscapes of green that gave way to deep folds and pretty terracing. I was scanning for mountains and suddenly realised that the long line of cloud on the horizon was in fact the Himalayas. Descent into Kathmandu skimming villages perched on impossibly steep hillsides and touch down.

The arrival hall was surprisingly pleasant, very calm and ordered. There were long queues, but the time passed quickly. The only downside was no promised pick-up from the hotel. After a slightly fraught conversation with some guy that left me feeling that I was about to be hustled, I was bundled into a taxi and whisked off into Kathmandu.

Landing at Kathmandu

First reactions? Not dissimilar to parts of Malaysia, dirty bumpy roads, food stalls, people, sheep, goats and dogs everywhere. Horns blaring, no real traffic rules. Strangely familiar.

An exhausted arrival at the calming Courtyard Hotel, greeted by Pujan and Michelle and a bottle of Everest. Introduced to others, David, a semi-retired Brit who had been evacuated from Makalu after a persistent cold. Convalescing at Courtyard and doing odd jobs around the place. Sofie, Portugese hotel owner who had guided in Verbier. She and her husband had designed and built The Castle in Pokhara.

After relaxing into arrival, headed to the Comfort Zone for some Korean lunch. M arrived just as my bibimbap did. Very quickly felt at home.