By now my anticipation of returning home had heightened. I enjoyed the last few days in Kathmandu, but I was not looking forwards to traveling to get home. I did feel like I had finally seen a lot of Nepal. It was time to say goodbye to Navaraj and Ram, who had basically been my best and only friends for the greater part of 2 weeks.
Return to Kathmandu (May 26)
Another bus ride back. We got up early and took a taxi over to the Pokhara bus station. It didn't look like there would be another strike this time, so things were a little more relaxed. Pretty uneventful first few hours of the ride. I sat next to Navaraj on the bus and Ram sat a few rows up. I couldn't think of anything to eat when we stopped for lunch other than Fanta and Snickers, so that's what I grabbed! There were no strikes this time, but we did encounter another unanticipated stoppage....
The early onset of stormy weather had meant flooding over some of the road back! Our bus came to a stop just in front of what looked like a newly formed river. Some dozen buses on both sides of the flood waters were surrounded by a hundred or so people trying to figure out how all the buses were going to safely cross. One bus had already tried and got stuck. Eventually people pulled their pants up and tried to push the stuck bus out of the water, but to no avail. I was hoping to come up with some brilliant solution, implement it, and have a great story to tell. Alas, I was useless.
Finally the bus directly in front of us decided to gun it and "Jam jam" through the water. It made it, but almost washed out at one part! A few motorbikes tried to gun it and some didn't make it, causing the riders to wipe out. They were okay, just wet. It was then my bus's turn to dash across. I took one hand to brace myself and the other to record a video of the crossing. We made it, but not without having to stop pretty close to the end and try again. The rest of the way back to Kathmandu was very uneventful.
I returned back to the Hotel Shenker, and it was time to say goodbye to Navaraj and Ram. It was awkward and sad. I think Ram and I both understood that you don't really know how things will work out later in life, so there was a chance that this was it. We did all exchange contact info in case I do return to Nepal, or they ever make it to the U.S. I figured I'd give them my deck of playing cards we'd used the past few days. And that was that. I grabbed a "Matt" dinner of a burger and coke. It had been a while. I checked in with work, read the letter my dad had left and called it a night.
Chilling in Kathmandu (May 27 - 28)
Adventuring was way down these days. As was my energy level. I had been so used to the trekking lifestyle that I'd be ravenously hungry every 2 hours and only have energy an hour or so after a meal. Fortunately there was a surprise on the first day, Ram returned, and took me out to a restaurant in Thamel and we enjoyed momos! I felt encouraged that I was the only tourist at the restaurant. It was great to see Ram again, too.
After changing to a new hotel in Thamel, I dropped back into an old Matt routine of chilling at a coffee store with my laptop. There was a perfect spot across the street with wifi, mochas, and some great music. I ended up spending maybe 1/2 of the rest of my time there. The rest of my time was spent shopping for souvenirs for friends. I'd learned JUST enough Nepali to bargain down to about 60% of the initial price which was still well over the 40% items were probably worth.
Return Home (May 29 - 30, 30)
May 29 was the big travel home day. There was another surprise in the morning as I ran into Ram at the hotel, and he made sure I was set to get to the airport. This was very helpful, because I was mildly worried about transportation. The deadline for the Constitutional Assembly of Nepal to reach an agreement was May 28, and the CA was still at an impasse, so the country had been on strike for 3 days. Transportation was down across Kathmandu, although tourist vehicles were generally allowed through with a small risk of being pelted by rocks. Fortunately just that day, the CA was extended another 3 months and the strike ended.
I hung out with Subechya's brother Sabal in the evening, and he noticed I'd lost a pretty considerable amount of weight. I guess trekking will do that to you! I think his exact words were:: "Oh you look trim now, like Andrew." Sigh. Sabal dropped me off at the airport and I prepped for the flights. Of course not being able to check in online meant I got the last pick of seats on the plane.
At Hong Kong, I figured I'd need to get some exercise in since the next flight was 12 hours, so I made my way via MTR and walking to the Victoria Peak tram. Pretty cool, and I was glad to have something to do. The flight to SFO was LOONNNNG, especially since last pick of seats meant I had the very last row of the plane by the bathroom and didn't sleep a wink. Btw the 30, 30 is because we re-crossed the international date line. Cheryl and Adam picked me up in SF, I bought them some Chipotle, and then returned home to crash in my bed for 15 hours. I was "back," but it would take a week before I really started to feel home again. It was great to make the rounds at TV night, TNT track, and finals watching shocking my friends with my beard.
Nepal was two different trips for me. A family event which went remarkably smoothly, being it was the first one in 17 years, and a great chance to meet my brother's friends. Then it was an epic adventure and a window into the world of simplicity and self-reliance. I thought I'd feel more alone not being with my friends there, but the only time I was lonely was after the wedding and before the trek. I'm not sure what all I'll take with me, but it is very comforting to know life can return to the simple way it used to feel. My highlights of the trip will be hanging out with the wedding attendees in Nagarkot, the reception, being in awe at the first site of the Himalaya, but most of all spending the evenings in village towns with pouring rain pounding on the tin roofs and playing cards with Ram and Navaraj. I'll miss that. But there are other card games near Annapurna in the lives of men.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Nepal: Journey back to Pokhara (May 23 - 25)
There is of course no road from ABC back to a trailhead, at least not now. I would hope not for a while. It might mean an increase in trade opportunities for the villages which would be positive, but it would also bring more rubbish, erosion, and would decrease the feeling of being in an isolated paradise. Being isolated means you have to journey back, too, and for me it was a mix of anticipating my return as well as trying to enjoy the last few days out.
To Jhini Dandu (May 23)
We took a different route back after Sinuwa, which was nice because we saw diff
erent parts of the area. We returned to Chomrong, then took a NICE easy descent to Jhini Dandu. After depositing gear for the night we took a 30 min walk down to the hot springs for a relaxing afternoon. We ran into the other 6 trekkers we'd met up in ABC and decided we'd take turns jumping from the hot spring to the very cold river and back. Sort of like hot tub to snow and back. I got a tip from the trekkers that the chicken tasted very good, so for dinner that night I ordered it. My first meat in over a week! I joined Ram and Navaraj for our traditional post-dinner hearts games and drank some whiskey provided by Ram. We were on a break! (a rest day)
To Pothana (May 24)
Woke up thinking about how much I'd miss the nights in the hillside villages with rain pouring on the tin roof over me. I think the only
time in my life I didn't really like pounding rain was college, since I spent so much time casually walking outside. But these storms were awesome. Our trek for the day began crossing a "new" suspension bridge. Definitely the most unstable one I'd been on.... adventure! After, it was yet another down then back up hike to Landruk. After lunch and a brief nap it was a pretty solid climb to Jolka. PHEW I thought I was done with the climbing! There was a great photo op though as I saw a goat who'd climbed a tree to eat some leaves. Fortunately the hike to Pothana was very level. We enjoyed our last village town dinner for a while as the next day we would return to Pokhara. I was both not ready to return and anticipating being home simultaneously. Life had been a lot simpler and more peaceful when my daily goals were merely hiking through a few villages.
To Phedi and return to Pokhara (May 25)
One last mountain morning. Porridge and black coffee. Then one last packing and we were off. We enjoyed a nice gradual slope down (ohralo in Nepali) to the town of Dhampus.
Along the way we ran into the Canadian couple we'd met at ABC again. Signs of civilization (well, relative signs that is) were increasing, including jeeps and electricity. The last stage of our trek was a VERY steep downhill back to the town of Phedi. We passed some trekkers who had just started their journey, a neat perspective. I fully deet-ed up, but I could NOT manage to save myself from getting caked by a layer of bugs! Then, just as I was getting sick of going downhill, we saw our taxi that would take us back to Pokhara. Crazy. The longest period of my life I'd been sans vehicle.
After arriving in Pokhara, I joined Navaraj and Ram for a lunch of momos.
Then I couldn't resist the urge to check email any longer (maybe the first time I'd identified myself as a Silicon Valley geek) and dropped into an Internet Cafe. I had a lot of things on my mind that actually would be answered by reading a few emails: had my brother and Subechya returned home safely? How was my dad's trek going? How was stuff back home? Had anyone poked me on facebook? Most things were predictable, but I received a bit of a shock. My dad had decided to not do the base camp trek all together and returned home with Andrew and Subechya. I'd heard of the delay of flights, but it turned out my dad had actually been on TWO flights that left Kathmandu and could NOT land in Lukla due to thunderstorms, so they returned to Kathmandu. Thank god they didn't try to land. Over aggressive landings had caused flights to crash, killing all aboard, as recent as last October. The Lukla airport is no ordinary airport either, only STOL (short takeoff and landing) planes can land, and due to altitude these planes have NO chance at aborting an approach, circling, then trying to land again. You get one shot to land.
My dad made a very wise decision. Due to the flight delay, the program was attempting to speed up the acclimatization process to hit the May 29 marathon date, a VERY dangerous and risky idea for even the goal of reaching EBC, let alone running a marathon. I guess my gut had been right about choosing Annapurna. I loved the experience, there's a good chance I would've done nothing if I tried for EBC, and I can anticipate going back to EBC some day.
It was time to grab my essential shopping items in the downtown of Pokhara: a T-shirt, a shot glass, and a poster. Walking around, I heard a somewhat familiar voice, and realized it was Saga, the Swedish girl I had met at ABC. It was good to run into her and we exchanged facebook info. Returning to my lodge in Pokhara, I ran into Ram and Navaraj who were watching some volleyball. It was a bit sad realizing this would be the last night we'd hang out together, but we enjoyed our traditional game of hearts. Later that night I was treated to a violent lightning storm.
To Jhini Dandu (May 23)
We took a different route back after Sinuwa, which was nice because we saw diff
erent parts of the area. We returned to Chomrong, then took a NICE easy descent to Jhini Dandu. After depositing gear for the night we took a 30 min walk down to the hot springs for a relaxing afternoon. We ran into the other 6 trekkers we'd met up in ABC and decided we'd take turns jumping from the hot spring to the very cold river and back. Sort of like hot tub to snow and back. I got a tip from the trekkers that the chicken tasted very good, so for dinner that night I ordered it. My first meat in over a week! I joined Ram and Navaraj for our traditional post-dinner hearts games and drank some whiskey provided by Ram. We were on a break! (a rest day)To Pothana (May 24)
Woke up thinking about how much I'd miss the nights in the hillside villages with rain pouring on the tin roof over me. I think the only
time in my life I didn't really like pounding rain was college, since I spent so much time casually walking outside. But these storms were awesome. Our trek for the day began crossing a "new" suspension bridge. Definitely the most unstable one I'd been on.... adventure! After, it was yet another down then back up hike to Landruk. After lunch and a brief nap it was a pretty solid climb to Jolka. PHEW I thought I was done with the climbing! There was a great photo op though as I saw a goat who'd climbed a tree to eat some leaves. Fortunately the hike to Pothana was very level. We enjoyed our last village town dinner for a while as the next day we would return to Pokhara. I was both not ready to return and anticipating being home simultaneously. Life had been a lot simpler and more peaceful when my daily goals were merely hiking through a few villages.To Phedi and return to Pokhara (May 25)
One last mountain morning. Porridge and black coffee. Then one last packing and we were off. We enjoyed a nice gradual slope down (ohralo in Nepali) to the town of Dhampus.
Along the way we ran into the Canadian couple we'd met at ABC again. Signs of civilization (well, relative signs that is) were increasing, including jeeps and electricity. The last stage of our trek was a VERY steep downhill back to the town of Phedi. We passed some trekkers who had just started their journey, a neat perspective. I fully deet-ed up, but I could NOT manage to save myself from getting caked by a layer of bugs! Then, just as I was getting sick of going downhill, we saw our taxi that would take us back to Pokhara. Crazy. The longest period of my life I'd been sans vehicle.After arriving in Pokhara, I joined Navaraj and Ram for a lunch of momos.
Then I couldn't resist the urge to check email any longer (maybe the first time I'd identified myself as a Silicon Valley geek) and dropped into an Internet Cafe. I had a lot of things on my mind that actually would be answered by reading a few emails: had my brother and Subechya returned home safely? How was my dad's trek going? How was stuff back home? Had anyone poked me on facebook? Most things were predictable, but I received a bit of a shock. My dad had decided to not do the base camp trek all together and returned home with Andrew and Subechya. I'd heard of the delay of flights, but it turned out my dad had actually been on TWO flights that left Kathmandu and could NOT land in Lukla due to thunderstorms, so they returned to Kathmandu. Thank god they didn't try to land. Over aggressive landings had caused flights to crash, killing all aboard, as recent as last October. The Lukla airport is no ordinary airport either, only STOL (short takeoff and landing) planes can land, and due to altitude these planes have NO chance at aborting an approach, circling, then trying to land again. You get one shot to land.My dad made a very wise decision. Due to the flight delay, the program was attempting to speed up the acclimatization process to hit the May 29 marathon date, a VERY dangerous and risky idea for even the goal of reaching EBC, let alone running a marathon. I guess my gut had been right about choosing Annapurna. I loved the experience, there's a good chance I would've done nothing if I tried for EBC, and I can anticipate going back to EBC some day.
It was time to grab my essential shopping items in the downtown of Pokhara: a T-shirt, a shot glass, and a poster. Walking around, I heard a somewhat familiar voice, and realized it was Saga, the Swedish girl I had met at ABC. It was good to run into her and we exchanged facebook info. Returning to my lodge in Pokhara, I ran into Ram and Navaraj who were watching some volleyball. It was a bit sad realizing this would be the last night we'd hang out together, but we enjoyed our traditional game of hearts. Later that night I was treated to a violent lightning storm.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Nepal: Reaching Annapurna Base Camp and back to Sinuwa (May 21-22)
At last, it was time to reach Annapurna Base Camp. The point of the trek, of course, was the journey, but actually reaching ABC was fun and rewarding itself.
Reaching ABC (May 21)
Breakfast at Deolari was again porridge and coffee. I was definitely anticipating the day. We began by ascending
to the "base camp" of Machhaupuchhre. I put base camp in quotes because no one actually climbs the mountain as it is sacred (one team came within 50m of the summit in the 1950s.) We were joined for the entire day by a dog from Deolari. The dogs there generally just roamed freely from village to village, I assume taking food from anyone willing to give them some! We reached Macchapucchre base camp and took a snack/drink break. The climb to the first base camp was somewhat steep and wet so we still needed the bamboo poles. Time for the final leg!
About 30 minutes into our walk to ABC we noticed a Nepali man crouched o
n a hill and crawling forwards. Ram and Navaraj decided to join him. I thought he might have lost a contact lens or something. Instead, it turned out he was looking for a pretty rare "Catterpillar fungus" known by its Tibetan name Yartsa Gunbu. They invited me to join on the search and showed me what one looked like. It was pretty fascinating as the fungus actually parasitically takes over the larva of a type of moth, so the end product is actually part insect and part fungus. Have that bite someone while
exposed to radiation and you have a new super hero. The Yartsa Gunbu is actually prized in Chinese and other Eastern medicines for its medicinal properties, which are thought to counter insulin resistance. Apparently, one sells for $1500 in Dubai! After searching for a few minutes I ended up finding one myself. Too bad I couldn't keep it!
The rest of the way was smooth and scenic. We reached the official ABC sign, took the obligatory celebration pictures, and set our gear down in the teahouse for the day. I had to do something to celebrate, so I ordered a Tuborg, basically ignoring the "alcohol inhibits acclimatization" rule. Oh well, it tasted great. We shared the table with 6 other trekkers: a young couple from Canada, a couple from Australia, a girl from Sweden, and an ex-pat from New York originally and in a VERY different walk of life from me. He had some very strong opinions that the Federal Reserve should be abolished and that Obama was essentially the same as George Bush. I relied on my best "agree to disagree" social skills.
Post Tuborg I joined Navaraj and Ram for a walk around base camp
. We did some mild rock and snow climbing then slid down patches of snow on our butts. We were also joined in the snow by the dog that we met in Deolari. I thought about how accustomed I'd grown to waking up at sunrise and calling it a night at sunset, the mountain life. It feels very natural. I also thought about how glad I was I had the season of Team In Training to strengthen my legs for the trek. And perhaps even our "hypoxia" swim drills to help with acclimatization. I literally had NO altitude issues at all at ABC and slept like a baby. Following our explorat
ion of the area, we joined a few other trekkers and guides for a game of volleyball. In other words, a pretty sweet Sunday afternoon :)
An ABC Sunrise (May 22)
I'll let the video/pics do most of the blogging here :) We awoke at sunrise to capture absolutely beautiful pictures of the panorama at base camp. Awaking there makes you feel a bit like you're in some remote promised land. You can't see most of the trail you hiked in on since there's a sharp bend west after the Machhapuchhre base camp, just a 360 degree view of peaks. Cool. Oh, and cold. I put on all my sub-freezing layers and I was still pretty cold. As cold as I felt, it wasn't cold enough for the village to turn on its heaters! We left ABC and returned to Sinuwa. When cell phone reception returned I used Navaraj's phone to write a facebook update to let friends/family know I had not been eaten by a Yeti.
The GPS data for this part is largely inaccurate due to many losses of signal.
Reaching ABC (May 21)
Breakfast at Deolari was again porridge and coffee. I was definitely anticipating the day. We began by ascending
to the "base camp" of Machhaupuchhre. I put base camp in quotes because no one actually climbs the mountain as it is sacred (one team came within 50m of the summit in the 1950s.) We were joined for the entire day by a dog from Deolari. The dogs there generally just roamed freely from village to village, I assume taking food from anyone willing to give them some! We reached Macchapucchre base camp and took a snack/drink break. The climb to the first base camp was somewhat steep and wet so we still needed the bamboo poles. Time for the final leg!About 30 minutes into our walk to ABC we noticed a Nepali man crouched o
n a hill and crawling forwards. Ram and Navaraj decided to join him. I thought he might have lost a contact lens or something. Instead, it turned out he was looking for a pretty rare "Catterpillar fungus" known by its Tibetan name Yartsa Gunbu. They invited me to join on the search and showed me what one looked like. It was pretty fascinating as the fungus actually parasitically takes over the larva of a type of moth, so the end product is actually part insect and part fungus. Have that bite someone while
exposed to radiation and you have a new super hero. The Yartsa Gunbu is actually prized in Chinese and other Eastern medicines for its medicinal properties, which are thought to counter insulin resistance. Apparently, one sells for $1500 in Dubai! After searching for a few minutes I ended up finding one myself. Too bad I couldn't keep it!The rest of the way was smooth and scenic. We reached the official ABC sign, took the obligatory celebration pictures, and set our gear down in the teahouse for the day. I had to do something to celebrate, so I ordered a Tuborg, basically ignoring the "alcohol inhibits acclimatization" rule. Oh well, it tasted great. We shared the table with 6 other trekkers: a young couple from Canada, a couple from Australia, a girl from Sweden, and an ex-pat from New York originally and in a VERY different walk of life from me. He had some very strong opinions that the Federal Reserve should be abolished and that Obama was essentially the same as George Bush. I relied on my best "agree to disagree" social skills.
Post Tuborg I joined Navaraj and Ram for a walk around base camp
. We did some mild rock and snow climbing then slid down patches of snow on our butts. We were also joined in the snow by the dog that we met in Deolari. I thought about how accustomed I'd grown to waking up at sunrise and calling it a night at sunset, the mountain life. It feels very natural. I also thought about how glad I was I had the season of Team In Training to strengthen my legs for the trek. And perhaps even our "hypoxia" swim drills to help with acclimatization. I literally had NO altitude issues at all at ABC and slept like a baby. Following our explorat
ion of the area, we joined a few other trekkers and guides for a game of volleyball. In other words, a pretty sweet Sunday afternoon :)An ABC Sunrise (May 22)
I'll let the video/pics do most of the blogging here :) We awoke at sunrise to capture absolutely beautiful pictures of the panorama at base camp. Awaking there makes you feel a bit like you're in some remote promised land. You can't see most of the trail you hiked in on since there's a sharp bend west after the Machhapuchhre base camp, just a 360 degree view of peaks. Cool. Oh, and cold. I put on all my sub-freezing layers and I was still pretty cold. As cold as I felt, it wasn't cold enough for the village to turn on its heaters! We left ABC and returned to Sinuwa. When cell phone reception returned I used Navaraj's phone to write a facebook update to let friends/family know I had not been eaten by a Yeti.
The GPS data for this part is largely inaccurate due to many losses of signal.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Nepal: Ghorepani to Tadapani to Sinuwa to Deolari (May 18 to 20)
With the longest ascent of the journey out of the way, and being fully in the trekking groove, it was now time to enjoy the approach to Annapurna Base Camp over the next few days. The feeling of adventure was increasing, while the number of western toilets, dry clothes, and showers were decreasing. I had become friends with Ram and Navaraj, which proved very valuable for the downtime.
To Tadapani (May 18)
Following the morning excursion to Poon Hill was a nap until the usual trek starting time of about 8 am. The hiking was very
much up, then down, then up again. Very foggy, so unfortunately not much visibility for the scenery. Still kind of a neat, somewhat eerie feeling being in the fog. The day was a relatively uneventful trekking day (for being in the Himalaya that is, still plenty of fun was had.) Lunch was eaten in Banthanti. Yes, there are 2 Banthani's!
Our afternoon approach to Tadapani did have a pretty funny incident though. We ran into another trekker who was somewhat lost, complaining about climbing some reasonably steep steps, and trying to decide on where to stay for the night. He had his own guide/porter who knew Ram, but for some reason decided to ask for Ram's and Navaraj's opinion, too. Except he completely confused them by using the terms "up" and "down" rather than "North" and "South" to describe positioning on his map, so Ram thought he was talking about elevation. The trekker appealed to me as if the confusion were caused by a language barrier, so I tried to hint that he needed to be clear about his map directions.
Upon settling in Tadapani for the night, we again encountered the afternoon Nepal rain. This time it evolved to pounding hail! Neat! I made a pretty quick dash from the outside non-western bathroom back to our teahouse after being caught off-guard. I enjoyed my last Dal Bhat for the trek and joined Ram and Navaraj for some more slapjack. They'd picked it up very quickly and I was regularly losing.
To Sinuwa (May 19)
The theme for this day's hike could be "Wow, a level bridge would make things a lot easier." There was even more up, then down, then back up again. Elevation wise, that is. No climbs were as hard as the climb to Ulleri though. We passed a school on the way to Chomrong, our lunch stop. I thought about how different life would be hiking on a trail to and from school every day. Navaraj decided it was time I learned more Nepali (other than "Namaste dai") so he taught me to say "Thik cha" which means "fine". I slightly mispronounced it and said the Nepali equivalent of "F___ You," but in a cheerful, friendly way. I felt like Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America."
Following a lunch of pizza and coke, we descended AGAIN to a suspension bridge, crossed, then prepared our final ascent of the day to Sinuwa. Except, this time we were met by an obstacle of 500 goats! My first instinct was to stay to the side of the trail and let them pass, but I realized Ram and Navaraj were just heading directly through them. So I followed. Most avoided me on my way up, but a few stopped, sniffed, and "baa"-ed at me.
The afternoon hike was plenty wet. I spent some of the time thinking about how my dad must have been about to start his trek, too, as he was scheduled to fly to Lukla on the same day. I later heard from Ram that flights to Lukla had been canceled for 3 days due to bad weather! So I had no idea where my dad was at the time. At dinner I met a couple studying at Michigan. Coincidentally, the girl was actually originally from Los Altos. They had returned from ABC that day. I made a comment that all my clothes are now wet and don't seem to dry overnight anymore, then heard from the couple that I shouldn't expect them to dry until I was well on my way down. My teahouse room was shared that night by at least 30 bugs of some form or another and I had a harder time sleeping.
To Deolari (May 20)
THIS was a great trekking day. I woke up a little nervous about the 900m ascent for the day and took 1 Diamox tablet. Ram
provided us with bamboo poles as some of the trail would be steep and slippery. The terrain definitely proved to be a bit more challenging and thus more fun! I did my best to manage my wet clothes and we journeyed off to Bamboo and Dovan. We stopped at the Himalaya Hotel for lunch. The climb to the hotel was just fine because I could see where we were headed, something that wouldn't be true the rest of the day. I decided I was done with Dal Bhat for the time and that I'd stick to eating spaghetti and noodles.
The afternoon trek was full of
adventure. We saw waterfalls that had trickled down from glaciers a bit higher up. We crossed a river at the base of one of these waterfalls, as well as glacier a bit higher up. We also saw absolutely breath-taking views of Machhpuchhare on our approach to Deolari. I had been having a lot of fun and enjoying the whole experience so far, but I think this day's hike was maybe the first WOW moment I had on the trip. Honestly, it's sort of hard for me to be writing this blog now, as I realize how spectacular everything is compared to my ordinary life. And I consider myself lucky being so close to Yosemite, Tahoe, even the coastal mountain range.
At one point in the afternoon I stopped to add a Nuun salt tablet to my water. I'd learned the value of salt tablets from my experiences with long distance running and biking, so figured they'd be of use hiking too. Navaraj somewhat surprised me by asking if the tablets had B-vitamins in them. I checked the ingredients, and they did. We then discussed Glycolysis and Oxidative Respiration. Turned out Navaraj actually teaches high school level science! Both he and Ram were very highly educated. Ram worked as a pharmacist as well.
The evening came with some good news. We were a bit ahead of schedule and were actually going to head straight to Annapurna Base Camp the next day! This news offset the fact that I was drenched and cold. Since they no longer had showers at that elevation, I purchased a bucket of hot water to wash up for the night. After I decided it was only a matter of time before Navaraj and Ram consistently beat me at slapjack, I taught them hearts. I would enjoy the advantage of experience for the next 2 nights while they caught up with the strategy. But I think playing cards with them was one of the highlights of Nepal for me. After prepping for bed, I pulled somewhat of a MacGruber and turned my headlamp on and propped it on the other side of the room. The bugs were drawn to the light and left me alone! Time to sleep before ABC.
To Tadapani (May 18)
Following the morning excursion to Poon Hill was a nap until the usual trek starting time of about 8 am. The hiking was very
much up, then down, then up again. Very foggy, so unfortunately not much visibility for the scenery. Still kind of a neat, somewhat eerie feeling being in the fog. The day was a relatively uneventful trekking day (for being in the Himalaya that is, still plenty of fun was had.) Lunch was eaten in Banthanti. Yes, there are 2 Banthani's!Our afternoon approach to Tadapani did have a pretty funny incident though. We ran into another trekker who was somewhat lost, complaining about climbing some reasonably steep steps, and trying to decide on where to stay for the night. He had his own guide/porter who knew Ram, but for some reason decided to ask for Ram's and Navaraj's opinion, too. Except he completely confused them by using the terms "up" and "down" rather than "North" and "South" to describe positioning on his map, so Ram thought he was talking about elevation. The trekker appealed to me as if the confusion were caused by a language barrier, so I tried to hint that he needed to be clear about his map directions.
Upon settling in Tadapani for the night, we again encountered the afternoon Nepal rain. This time it evolved to pounding hail! Neat! I made a pretty quick dash from the outside non-western bathroom back to our teahouse after being caught off-guard. I enjoyed my last Dal Bhat for the trek and joined Ram and Navaraj for some more slapjack. They'd picked it up very quickly and I was regularly losing.
To Sinuwa (May 19)
The theme for this day's hike could be "Wow, a level bridge would make things a lot easier." There was even more up, then down, then back up again. Elevation wise, that is. No climbs were as hard as the climb to Ulleri though. We passed a school on the way to Chomrong, our lunch stop. I thought about how different life would be hiking on a trail to and from school every day. Navaraj decided it was time I learned more Nepali (other than "Namaste dai") so he taught me to say "Thik cha" which means "fine". I slightly mispronounced it and said the Nepali equivalent of "F___ You," but in a cheerful, friendly way. I felt like Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America."
Following a lunch of pizza and coke, we descended AGAIN to a suspension bridge, crossed, then prepared our final ascent of the day to Sinuwa. Except, this time we were met by an obstacle of 500 goats! My first instinct was to stay to the side of the trail and let them pass, but I realized Ram and Navaraj were just heading directly through them. So I followed. Most avoided me on my way up, but a few stopped, sniffed, and "baa"-ed at me.
The afternoon hike was plenty wet. I spent some of the time thinking about how my dad must have been about to start his trek, too, as he was scheduled to fly to Lukla on the same day. I later heard from Ram that flights to Lukla had been canceled for 3 days due to bad weather! So I had no idea where my dad was at the time. At dinner I met a couple studying at Michigan. Coincidentally, the girl was actually originally from Los Altos. They had returned from ABC that day. I made a comment that all my clothes are now wet and don't seem to dry overnight anymore, then heard from the couple that I shouldn't expect them to dry until I was well on my way down. My teahouse room was shared that night by at least 30 bugs of some form or another and I had a harder time sleeping.
To Deolari (May 20)
THIS was a great trekking day. I woke up a little nervous about the 900m ascent for the day and took 1 Diamox tablet. Ram
provided us with bamboo poles as some of the trail would be steep and slippery. The terrain definitely proved to be a bit more challenging and thus more fun! I did my best to manage my wet clothes and we journeyed off to Bamboo and Dovan. We stopped at the Himalaya Hotel for lunch. The climb to the hotel was just fine because I could see where we were headed, something that wouldn't be true the rest of the day. I decided I was done with Dal Bhat for the time and that I'd stick to eating spaghetti and noodles.The afternoon trek was full of
adventure. We saw waterfalls that had trickled down from glaciers a bit higher up. We crossed a river at the base of one of these waterfalls, as well as glacier a bit higher up. We also saw absolutely breath-taking views of Machhpuchhare on our approach to Deolari. I had been having a lot of fun and enjoying the whole experience so far, but I think this day's hike was maybe the first WOW moment I had on the trip. Honestly, it's sort of hard for me to be writing this blog now, as I realize how spectacular everything is compared to my ordinary life. And I consider myself lucky being so close to Yosemite, Tahoe, even the coastal mountain range.
At one point in the afternoon I stopped to add a Nuun salt tablet to my water. I'd learned the value of salt tablets from my experiences with long distance running and biking, so figured they'd be of use hiking too. Navaraj somewhat surprised me by asking if the tablets had B-vitamins in them. I checked the ingredients, and they did. We then discussed Glycolysis and Oxidative Respiration. Turned out Navaraj actually teaches high school level science! Both he and Ram were very highly educated. Ram worked as a pharmacist as well.The evening came with some good news. We were a bit ahead of schedule and were actually going to head straight to Annapurna Base Camp the next day! This news offset the fact that I was drenched and cold. Since they no longer had showers at that elevation, I purchased a bucket of hot water to wash up for the night. After I decided it was only a matter of time before Navaraj and Ram consistently beat me at slapjack, I taught them hearts. I would enjoy the advantage of experience for the next 2 nights while they caught up with the strategy. But I think playing cards with them was one of the highlights of Nepal for me. After prepping for bed, I pulled somewhat of a MacGruber and turned my headlamp on and propped it on the other side of the room. The bugs were drawn to the light and left me alone! Time to sleep before ABC.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Nepal: Nayapul to Ghorepani and Poon Hill (May 16-17)
Alas, after nearly 2 weeks in Nepal and not having a solid view of the Himalaya, save the tease from Nagarkot (which was beautiful yet unsatisfying), it was FINALLY time to begin an adventure.
Pokhara to Nayapul to Hille (May 16)
Up at 8:30 and off to the village of Nayapul via taxi. Then before I knew it, we were out on the
trail and started hiking. A definite sense of "Wow, are we really starting this 10 day hike?" hit me. Also it hit me how hot it was. A humid heat. Was this really the base of the Himalaya? Did I really need sub-freezing temperature clothing? After a few hours we stopped for lunch and I enjoyed some spaghetti. Also I drank 2 Fantas. Navaraj demonstrated his knowledge of American music to me, mainly some Bryan Adams, "Hotel California" by the Eagles, and some Justin Bieber. Go figure.
Following lunch we continued on to the town of Hille. We were met at first by a slight drizzle. I thought, "eh no big deal, feels nice after the heat." This drizzle picked up into heavier rain, then pouring rain in about 15 minutes. We pulled out the ponchos, and R
am made the decision to take shelter and stay at Hille for the night, instead of our planned Tikhedhunga destination. Knowing the next day would be almost 1300 m of elevation gain, I did NOT want to stop early! But it wasn't worth getting everything soaked the first day.
I experienced my first tea house room. Not luxurious, but nice enough for me! I enjoyed a meal of Dal Bhat (the Nepali staple dish consisting of lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry, and unleavened bread) then spent a low key evening staring at the houses on the hills across the trail, chatting with Ram, Navaraj, and the tea house owners, and reading my Lonely Plantet. Pretty darn relaxing. I can't do justice to how peaceful the hill towns are at night.
To Ghorepani (May 17)
Not thrilled and mildly nervous about our 1300 m ascent, I woke up and enjoyed some porridge and coffee. Then back to the trail. We crossed a suspension bridge, then began the 3000 step ascent to the town of Ulleri. The day was still hot, so pretty glad I had 2 L of water. Also pretty glad I had the months of hill
repeats on my bike and dish runs in my legs for the climb. I heard some moderate complaining from 2 other trekkers and did my best to zone it out. We reached the town of Ulleri where I THOUGHT we would take a break, but since we were making good pace we went ahead to Banthani for a snack (Snickers and Fanta) and then Nagathani for lunch. I saw some pretty unusual things approaching Nagathani: the remains of a ritual goat sacrifice, which similar to the Hindu cremation ceremonies of the Bagmati was WAY off limits for my camera, and also a certain plant that is ubiquitous in the hills of the Annapurna region. NOT off limits.
I was in high spirits at lunch (completely unrelated to the picture.) We'd finished most of the ascent and I actually wasn't that tired. I was starting to get in the grove of trekking. Our afternoon hike was pleasant, journeying through Rhododendron forests, and I
got my first glimpse at the peak of Annapurna South. Awesome! Ram, Navaraj, and I talked briefly about sports. Navaraj mentioned that our destination of Ghorepani had a basketball court. After we reached Ghorepani I decided that I was feeling energetic and not too affected by our 9500 ft elevation, so I decided to join Navaraj and shoot some hoops along with another Nepali man and a trekker from Israel. Somewhere it is a universal law that 4 guys shooting hoops will eventually begin a 2 on 2 match. It is corollary that sai
d 2 on 2 match will eventually become competitive.
We played a few matches until the afternoon rain of the day poured down. We took shelter, enjoyed another meal of Dal Bhat, and then I took a nap. As I laid down, I realized I had a pretty moderate headache. Definitely not a cerebral edema, but the altitude gain and basketball had taken a mild toll! After resting, I joined Navaraj and Ram for some cards. They taught me a traditional Nepal game, and I taught them Slapjack.
Poon Hill (morning May 18)
Poon Hill stands about 10,500 ft and affords some of the best views of the Annapurna Panorama (if you wake up at 5 am to hit the sunrise.) As I was a little groggy and taking in the scenery for myself, I neglected my camera some. Fortunately Ram picked it up and snapped some great shots.
Pokhara to Nayapul to Hille (May 16)
Up at 8:30 and off to the village of Nayapul via taxi. Then before I knew it, we were out on the
trail and started hiking. A definite sense of "Wow, are we really starting this 10 day hike?" hit me. Also it hit me how hot it was. A humid heat. Was this really the base of the Himalaya? Did I really need sub-freezing temperature clothing? After a few hours we stopped for lunch and I enjoyed some spaghetti. Also I drank 2 Fantas. Navaraj demonstrated his knowledge of American music to me, mainly some Bryan Adams, "Hotel California" by the Eagles, and some Justin Bieber. Go figure.Following lunch we continued on to the town of Hille. We were met at first by a slight drizzle. I thought, "eh no big deal, feels nice after the heat." This drizzle picked up into heavier rain, then pouring rain in about 15 minutes. We pulled out the ponchos, and R
am made the decision to take shelter and stay at Hille for the night, instead of our planned Tikhedhunga destination. Knowing the next day would be almost 1300 m of elevation gain, I did NOT want to stop early! But it wasn't worth getting everything soaked the first day.I experienced my first tea house room. Not luxurious, but nice enough for me! I enjoyed a meal of Dal Bhat (the Nepali staple dish consisting of lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry, and unleavened bread) then spent a low key evening staring at the houses on the hills across the trail, chatting with Ram, Navaraj, and the tea house owners, and reading my Lonely Plantet. Pretty darn relaxing. I can't do justice to how peaceful the hill towns are at night.
To Ghorepani (May 17)
Not thrilled and mildly nervous about our 1300 m ascent, I woke up and enjoyed some porridge and coffee. Then back to the trail. We crossed a suspension bridge, then began the 3000 step ascent to the town of Ulleri. The day was still hot, so pretty glad I had 2 L of water. Also pretty glad I had the months of hill
repeats on my bike and dish runs in my legs for the climb. I heard some moderate complaining from 2 other trekkers and did my best to zone it out. We reached the town of Ulleri where I THOUGHT we would take a break, but since we were making good pace we went ahead to Banthani for a snack (Snickers and Fanta) and then Nagathani for lunch. I saw some pretty unusual things approaching Nagathani: the remains of a ritual goat sacrifice, which similar to the Hindu cremation ceremonies of the Bagmati was WAY off limits for my camera, and also a certain plant that is ubiquitous in the hills of the Annapurna region. NOT off limits.I was in high spirits at lunch (completely unrelated to the picture.) We'd finished most of the ascent and I actually wasn't that tired. I was starting to get in the grove of trekking. Our afternoon hike was pleasant, journeying through Rhododendron forests, and I
got my first glimpse at the peak of Annapurna South. Awesome! Ram, Navaraj, and I talked briefly about sports. Navaraj mentioned that our destination of Ghorepani had a basketball court. After we reached Ghorepani I decided that I was feeling energetic and not too affected by our 9500 ft elevation, so I decided to join Navaraj and shoot some hoops along with another Nepali man and a trekker from Israel. Somewhere it is a universal law that 4 guys shooting hoops will eventually begin a 2 on 2 match. It is corollary that sai
d 2 on 2 match will eventually become competitive.We played a few matches until the afternoon rain of the day poured down. We took shelter, enjoyed another meal of Dal Bhat, and then I took a nap. As I laid down, I realized I had a pretty moderate headache. Definitely not a cerebral edema, but the altitude gain and basketball had taken a mild toll! After resting, I joined Navaraj and Ram for some cards. They taught me a traditional Nepal game, and I taught them Slapjack.
Poon Hill (morning May 18)
Poon Hill stands about 10,500 ft and affords some of the best views of the Annapurna Panorama (if you wake up at 5 am to hit the sunrise.) As I was a little groggy and taking in the scenery for myself, I neglected my camera some. Fortunately Ram picked it up and snapped some great shots.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Nepal Reloaded: a new Kathmandu and to Pokhara (May 14 - 15)
If you stopped reading the last entry when the pictures stopped, I don't blame you! I promise more adventure and less self-indulgence.
Kathmandu from new eyes (May 14)
If someone asked me what living in the Bay Area is like, I would probably mention some of my favorite restaurants in Mountain View, some good bike ride/running spots, commuting on the highways, maybe a bookstore or two. I wouldn't talk about how I took a cable car across the Golden Gate Bridge to get lunch at Fisherman's Wharf before I hung out at Delores Park listening to Counting Crows to unwind from my Silicon Valley work week. So while seeing Kathmandu from Subechya's family's point of view was maybe more "real," I wanted the tourist perspective too!
The first part of my Nepal experience with Nepal Vision was a tour of 4 famous spots in Kathmandu. Our first visit was to Swa
yambhunath, the "monkey temple" and sight of Buddhist stupas intermixed with Hindu temples. My guide Navid gave me the option of either climbing about 365 steps to reach the top or taking our car up the road. I think he was surprised and somewhat annoyed I chose to take the stairs. As we ascended I learned of the 13 steps to reach enlightenment in Buddhism as symbolized by the dome atop the stairs, as well as the three eyes on the dome representing wisdom, compassion, and cosmic rays emanating as Buddha preaches. Navid explained the fundamentals of Buddhism and I was fascinated by the Buddhist notion of 5 sins and transforming these faults into strengths, as I understood it. We're all guilty of envy at some point. I see the wisdom in recognizing that and trying to deal with it. I also saw a lot of monkeys.
Next we drove to Darbur Square in Patan, a site of many Hindu t
emples. I had been there a few days ago, but was able to more thoroughly enjoy the square as Navid pointed out the significance of the temples and the depictions of the Hinduism trinity: Brahma (the creator), Shiva (the destroyer), and Vishnu (the presever). I also got the chance to see Kumari, the 5 year old "destiny princess" of Nepal. The selection process of Kumari is somewhat parallel to that of the Dalai Lama.
Next stop on the tourists view of Kathmandu was Pashupatinath Temple, the most sacred temple in the world dedicated
to Shiva and located along the Bagmati river. Navid explained the 4 stages of a traditional Hindu life to me: learning, managing a family and career, retiring, and rejecting life to lead a solitary, spiritual existence. I found places that both yearned to be photographed (the alignment of Shiva statues) and that I had no business even pointing a camera at (Hindu cremation ceremonies at the banks of the Bagmati.)
Our final destination was the Buddhanath stupa, one of the largest in the w
orld. Navid and I broke for lunch near the stupa. As we ate, I learned that he was actually from the same group of people as Sabal's girlfriend Kunchhang and knew her father. Small world, as there are 4 million people living in Kathmandu! We discussed Thangka art as well as both Nepal and US politics, specifically the recent assassination of Bin Laden. I mildly surprised myself by taking a somewhat patriotic position on the issue and defended the way it was executed by our government. I acknowledged that denial of basic human rights, such as trial and respectful burial, should be avoided at nearly all costs (Bono is my idol) yet I had to argue that Bin Laden needed to be stopped by whatever means necessary and this manner was appropriate.
Following a conversation of lighter topics, we visited a Buddhist monastery near the stupa and I viewed 8 pillars representing the stages of Buddha's life. I learned about the 4 noble truths of suffering which form the core of Buddhist teachings. Navid also took me to a Thangka art school and singing bowl shop where I purchased a moderately sized bowl after being fascinated by a demonstration. A pretty sweet day!
To Pokhara (May 15)
Up at 5:45 am to catch a bus from Thamel to Pokhara, the staging point for the Annapurna trek. I met my guide, Ram, and my porter, Navaraj at our hotel and we journeyed to the bus stop. Ram scrambled to the driver of each bus
trying to gather information on whether or not there would be a country-wide strike by the drivers for the day. After Ram made an educated guess there wouldn't be, we boarded and began the ride. The 6 hour ride made for a boring day, but there was some action (or inaction) around noon. 2 busses had decided to blockade the road to Pokhara, causing a massive impasse! There was indeed a strike.
I witnessed Nepali citizens fiercely arguing with members of the Nepal MP. It never seemed like a physical altercation was about to break out, but I was somewhat worried that if one did it would escalate very quickly. I decided to stay put in the bus, shut up, and take shelter as a "naive, innocent tourist." And of course snap a picture of the impasse. Fortunately after an hour or so everyone decided it was okay for us tourists to move through the impasse, and we rode onwards to Pokhara. I spent the evening double checking my trekking inventory and enjoying my last few hours of electricity. Time to begin the adventure!
Kathmandu from new eyes (May 14)
If someone asked me what living in the Bay Area is like, I would probably mention some of my favorite restaurants in Mountain View, some good bike ride/running spots, commuting on the highways, maybe a bookstore or two. I wouldn't talk about how I took a cable car across the Golden Gate Bridge to get lunch at Fisherman's Wharf before I hung out at Delores Park listening to Counting Crows to unwind from my Silicon Valley work week. So while seeing Kathmandu from Subechya's family's point of view was maybe more "real," I wanted the tourist perspective too!
The first part of my Nepal experience with Nepal Vision was a tour of 4 famous spots in Kathmandu. Our first visit was to Swa
yambhunath, the "monkey temple" and sight of Buddhist stupas intermixed with Hindu temples. My guide Navid gave me the option of either climbing about 365 steps to reach the top or taking our car up the road. I think he was surprised and somewhat annoyed I chose to take the stairs. As we ascended I learned of the 13 steps to reach enlightenment in Buddhism as symbolized by the dome atop the stairs, as well as the three eyes on the dome representing wisdom, compassion, and cosmic rays emanating as Buddha preaches. Navid explained the fundamentals of Buddhism and I was fascinated by the Buddhist notion of 5 sins and transforming these faults into strengths, as I understood it. We're all guilty of envy at some point. I see the wisdom in recognizing that and trying to deal with it. I also saw a lot of monkeys.Next we drove to Darbur Square in Patan, a site of many Hindu t
emples. I had been there a few days ago, but was able to more thoroughly enjoy the square as Navid pointed out the significance of the temples and the depictions of the Hinduism trinity: Brahma (the creator), Shiva (the destroyer), and Vishnu (the presever). I also got the chance to see Kumari, the 5 year old "destiny princess" of Nepal. The selection process of Kumari is somewhat parallel to that of the Dalai Lama.Next stop on the tourists view of Kathmandu was Pashupatinath Temple, the most sacred temple in the world dedicated
to Shiva and located along the Bagmati river. Navid explained the 4 stages of a traditional Hindu life to me: learning, managing a family and career, retiring, and rejecting life to lead a solitary, spiritual existence. I found places that both yearned to be photographed (the alignment of Shiva statues) and that I had no business even pointing a camera at (Hindu cremation ceremonies at the banks of the Bagmati.)Our final destination was the Buddhanath stupa, one of the largest in the w
orld. Navid and I broke for lunch near the stupa. As we ate, I learned that he was actually from the same group of people as Sabal's girlfriend Kunchhang and knew her father. Small world, as there are 4 million people living in Kathmandu! We discussed Thangka art as well as both Nepal and US politics, specifically the recent assassination of Bin Laden. I mildly surprised myself by taking a somewhat patriotic position on the issue and defended the way it was executed by our government. I acknowledged that denial of basic human rights, such as trial and respectful burial, should be avoided at nearly all costs (Bono is my idol) yet I had to argue that Bin Laden needed to be stopped by whatever means necessary and this manner was appropriate.Following a conversation of lighter topics, we visited a Buddhist monastery near the stupa and I viewed 8 pillars representing the stages of Buddha's life. I learned about the 4 noble truths of suffering which form the core of Buddhist teachings. Navid also took me to a Thangka art school and singing bowl shop where I purchased a moderately sized bowl after being fascinated by a demonstration. A pretty sweet day!
To Pokhara (May 15)
Up at 5:45 am to catch a bus from Thamel to Pokhara, the staging point for the Annapurna trek. I met my guide, Ram, and my porter, Navaraj at our hotel and we journeyed to the bus stop. Ram scrambled to the driver of each bus
trying to gather information on whether or not there would be a country-wide strike by the drivers for the day. After Ram made an educated guess there wouldn't be, we boarded and began the ride. The 6 hour ride made for a boring day, but there was some action (or inaction) around noon. 2 busses had decided to blockade the road to Pokhara, causing a massive impasse! There was indeed a strike.I witnessed Nepali citizens fiercely arguing with members of the Nepal MP. It never seemed like a physical altercation was about to break out, but I was somewhat worried that if one did it would escalate very quickly. I decided to stay put in the bus, shut up, and take shelter as a "naive, innocent tourist." And of course snap a picture of the impasse. Fortunately after an hour or so everyone decided it was okay for us tourists to move through the impasse, and we rode onwards to Pokhara. I spent the evening double checking my trekking inventory and enjoying my last few hours of electricity. Time to begin the adventure!
Nepal: Nagarkot and down time (May 9 - 13)
The after party of the wedding was held at a resort in the hills of Nagarkot, a town a few hours bus ride away from Kathmandu. After nearly a week in the confines of the Soaltee hotel, the fresh air, scenery, and chance for outdoor adventure were extremely welcome!
Kathmandu to Nagarkot (May 9)
A nice, super hilly bus ride along some narrow, winding roads took us to Nagarkot. It was a huge relief to FINALLY be seeing some of the hills of Nepal. The wedding was spectacular and the trip as a whole already incredible, but to be THAT close and not yet have a glimpse of the Himalaya was a tease!
Upon arriving at the resort, we checked in to our rooms, took in the hills for a few minutes, and grabbed a bite of lunch AKA suspect #2 of digestive misfortune. I retired to my room for a brief nap, then joined my dad, Andrew, and Ayush for a 4.5 mile run to a lookout tower. As my dad was planning to run the Everest Marathon in 20 days time, getting out to run was a must. For me, a must too, as it's hard to just stop the training momentum from 3 months of working out 6 days a week for Team In Training. Plus it was a great chance to use my Garmin 310 XT on the other side of the world. My dad chatted briefly with a group of Indian tourists at the top of the tower who were heavily impressed by his training. While running back, we encountered a squadron of the Nepalese army crossing our path in a military exercise. A friendly "Namaste, dai" from my brother assured the mildly puzzled army that we had no intentions of causing trouble (recreational distance running is far less popular in Nepal.) Following our return was a dip in the pool and a nice dinner back at the resort.
Return to Kathmandu (May 10)
May 10 began with an early morning rise to TRY to catch a sunrise glimpse of the Himalaya (perhaps even Sagarmatha/Everest or Annapurna.) Unfortunately, clouds greatly dampened the view of the recognizable peaks, but I did manage to take a few photos. There was another quite exciting event for my brother's good friend Johanna though, as she accepted a proposal from her boyfriend Chris. How can you beat a sunrise in Nepal for a proposal setting?
After returning to bed for another 2 hours of rest, we boarded the bus and returned to Kathmandu. Sigh..... back to Soaltee. The Soaltee of course was a beautiful resort and highly luxurious, but maybe that itself was a problem. I felt like aside from the crazy monsoon afternoon rains and some slightly different electrical outlets, I could be staying at a Crowne Plaza hotel in Sacramento and not have known a difference.
If the wedding reception and Nagarkot were the Act III climax of a Shakespearean/Braveheartesque play for my Nepal experience, returning to Kathmandu definitely FELT like the falling action in Act IV. The planned activities were through. I had seen most of Kathmandu. I had ambitions and plans to begin a 10+ day trek, but I was at least 5 days away from reaching any trail heads. I, along with all other non-Nepali wedding attendees, had succumbed to intestinal misfortune and was exhausted with little appetite. The next few days were somewhat of a lethargic crawl.
The crawl and the "decision"(May 11-13)
With the wedding attendees slowly trickling away towards their journey home, I had the first few twinges of missing home. My mom left for California on the 11. I spent the next few uneventful days hanging out with my dad at the Soaltee. I slept and took a lot of fluids mainly. These times weren't completely a waste though, as the crawl was intermixed with exciting Chuck Norris movies, daily swims, and evening trips to Thamel highlighted by shots of a Cambodian imported rum infused with cobra and scorpion carcasses. I had a solid 10 minutes of, "Matt THAT was dumb," as I felt the shot to be far more toxic than ordinary rum, before I snapped back. Cheers!
And my dad got a great opportunity: the chance to meet with Maiti Nepal , the organization established to prevent trafficking of Nepal females and to provide support and help for survivors of trafficking. My dad was planning to race in the Everest Marathon and fundraise on behalf of the organization, so it was an honor for him to visit them. Much of his impetus for fundraising was following in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary, who spent much of his energy post Sagarmatha summit improving living conditions for people of Nepal, especially in the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar.
Ruminating in the back of my mind was a decision to be made. I had traveled for 35 hours and was a mere bus ride from an epic, life-defining adventure in the Himalaya. Yet I was tired, sick, missing parts of my California life (friends, TNT, even my job) and longing for jamba juice. I was done with Kathmandu. But not Nepal. It was either take an earlier flight home, go with my initial plan to trek to Everest Base Camp, or alter my plan and trek to Annapurna Base Camp.
How could anyone NOT desperately long to reach Everest Base Camp??? It's the highest mountain in the world. I had meticulously studied the Lonely Planet route to EBC and anticipated the journey even more. Hiking to Namche, then the Buddhist town of Tengboche. Even the mountain plane ride to Lukla sounded like a great adventure. But in my gut.... something was telling me, "Matt, not this trip. There will be another time for EBC."
So I decided to "take my talents to South Beach." Um... I mean... I TRIED to logically resolve this decision. I had a few pretty solid facts to aid me: 1) I didn't travel around the world to miss out on a chance at an epic adventure to ONE of the famous Nepal base camps. 2) I was sick, but about as sick as having a cold, and I could still handle activity. 3) People from the wedding were traveling to Pokhara, the staging point of Annapurna trekking. 4) In spite of my carpe diem attitude I usually let handle my decisions, there actually would be another shot at EBC.
But maybe all that was bullshit anyway. There was something wrong about me growing up staring at my dad's extensive Himalaya book collection (the man actually MET Sir Hillary) and reaching Everest base camp days before he would (the starting point of his marathon.) And there was also something wrong about reaching base camp alone.
Did that lead to me choosing Annapurna base camp as my trek? Maybe. Was it the right decision? I'm pretty sure. Do I still wonder though? Yeah. Did I enjoy the Annapurna trek? Hell yeah. I told the agency I was trekking with I wanted to officially change my destination to ABC. They obliged and I was on my way. I began taking Cipro, shared a final dinner with my dad, and prepared for Nepal part II.
Kathmandu to Nagarkot (May 9)
A nice, super hilly bus ride along some narrow, winding roads took us to Nagarkot. It was a huge relief to FINALLY be seeing some of the hills of Nepal. The wedding was spectacular and the trip as a whole already incredible, but to be THAT close and not yet have a glimpse of the Himalaya was a tease!
Upon arriving at the resort, we checked in to our rooms, took in the hills for a few minutes, and grabbed a bite of lunch AKA suspect #2 of digestive misfortune. I retired to my room for a brief nap, then joined my dad, Andrew, and Ayush for a 4.5 mile run to a lookout tower. As my dad was planning to run the Everest Marathon in 20 days time, getting out to run was a must. For me, a must too, as it's hard to just stop the training momentum from 3 months of working out 6 days a week for Team In Training. Plus it was a great chance to use my Garmin 310 XT on the other side of the world. My dad chatted briefly with a group of Indian tourists at the top of the tower who were heavily impressed by his training. While running back, we encountered a squadron of the Nepalese army crossing our path in a military exercise. A friendly "Namaste, dai" from my brother assured the mildly puzzled army that we had no intentions of causing trouble (recreational distance running is far less popular in Nepal.) Following our return was a dip in the pool and a nice dinner back at the resort.
Return to Kathmandu (May 10)
May 10 began with an early morning rise to TRY to catch a sunrise glimpse of the Himalaya (perhaps even Sagarmatha/Everest or Annapurna.) Unfortunately, clouds greatly dampened the view of the recognizable peaks, but I did manage to take a few photos. There was another quite exciting event for my brother's good friend Johanna though, as she accepted a proposal from her boyfriend Chris. How can you beat a sunrise in Nepal for a proposal setting?
After returning to bed for another 2 hours of rest, we boarded the bus and returned to Kathmandu. Sigh..... back to Soaltee. The Soaltee of course was a beautiful resort and highly luxurious, but maybe that itself was a problem. I felt like aside from the crazy monsoon afternoon rains and some slightly different electrical outlets, I could be staying at a Crowne Plaza hotel in Sacramento and not have known a difference.
If the wedding reception and Nagarkot were the Act III climax of a Shakespearean/Braveheartesque play for my Nepal experience, returning to Kathmandu definitely FELT like the falling action in Act IV. The planned activities were through. I had seen most of Kathmandu. I had ambitions and plans to begin a 10+ day trek, but I was at least 5 days away from reaching any trail heads. I, along with all other non-Nepali wedding attendees, had succumbed to intestinal misfortune and was exhausted with little appetite. The next few days were somewhat of a lethargic crawl.
The crawl and the "decision"(May 11-13)
With the wedding attendees slowly trickling away towards their journey home, I had the first few twinges of missing home. My mom left for California on the 11. I spent the next few uneventful days hanging out with my dad at the Soaltee. I slept and took a lot of fluids mainly. These times weren't completely a waste though, as the crawl was intermixed with exciting Chuck Norris movies, daily swims, and evening trips to Thamel highlighted by shots of a Cambodian imported rum infused with cobra and scorpion carcasses. I had a solid 10 minutes of, "Matt THAT was dumb," as I felt the shot to be far more toxic than ordinary rum, before I snapped back. Cheers!
And my dad got a great opportunity: the chance to meet with Maiti Nepal , the organization established to prevent trafficking of Nepal females and to provide support and help for survivors of trafficking. My dad was planning to race in the Everest Marathon and fundraise on behalf of the organization, so it was an honor for him to visit them. Much of his impetus for fundraising was following in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary, who spent much of his energy post Sagarmatha summit improving living conditions for people of Nepal, especially in the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar.
Ruminating in the back of my mind was a decision to be made. I had traveled for 35 hours and was a mere bus ride from an epic, life-defining adventure in the Himalaya. Yet I was tired, sick, missing parts of my California life (friends, TNT, even my job) and longing for jamba juice. I was done with Kathmandu. But not Nepal. It was either take an earlier flight home, go with my initial plan to trek to Everest Base Camp, or alter my plan and trek to Annapurna Base Camp.
How could anyone NOT desperately long to reach Everest Base Camp??? It's the highest mountain in the world. I had meticulously studied the Lonely Planet route to EBC and anticipated the journey even more. Hiking to Namche, then the Buddhist town of Tengboche. Even the mountain plane ride to Lukla sounded like a great adventure. But in my gut.... something was telling me, "Matt, not this trip. There will be another time for EBC."
So I decided to "take my talents to South Beach." Um... I mean... I TRIED to logically resolve this decision. I had a few pretty solid facts to aid me: 1) I didn't travel around the world to miss out on a chance at an epic adventure to ONE of the famous Nepal base camps. 2) I was sick, but about as sick as having a cold, and I could still handle activity. 3) People from the wedding were traveling to Pokhara, the staging point of Annapurna trekking. 4) In spite of my carpe diem attitude I usually let handle my decisions, there actually would be another shot at EBC.
But maybe all that was bullshit anyway. There was something wrong about me growing up staring at my dad's extensive Himalaya book collection (the man actually MET Sir Hillary) and reaching Everest base camp days before he would (the starting point of his marathon.) And there was also something wrong about reaching base camp alone.
Did that lead to me choosing Annapurna base camp as my trek? Maybe. Was it the right decision? I'm pretty sure. Do I still wonder though? Yeah. Did I enjoy the Annapurna trek? Hell yeah. I told the agency I was trekking with I wanted to officially change my destination to ABC. They obliged and I was on my way. I began taking Cipro, shared a final dinner with my dad, and prepared for Nepal part II.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Nepal: Andrew and Subechya's wedding (May 5 - 8)
Andrew and Subechya's wedding took form as a traditional Nepali wedding, more specifically a Newari (the ethnic group indigenous to Kathmandu valley and to which Subechya's family belongs) wedding. This meant multiple days of ceremonies, celebrations, and delicious food!
Supari - bridal shower (May 5)
The significance of Supari was a chance for Andrew and Subechya's close family and friends to get to know each other (when a wedding is on the other side of the world, such a gathering is indeed necessary!) as well as for the groom's family to provide the bride with engagement gifts. Of course we Persons had no idea what constituted appropriate Supari gifts (save Andrew who impressed us with his firm grasp of Nepali culture,) so these gifts were prepared by Subechya's family.
At Supari I met most of the attendees for the first time, except for two of Andrew's friends I recognized from before. I was at a disadvantage because EVERYONE knew who I was immediately. The guy that looked like a slightly taller version of Andrew. I had a good time though and chatted with Subechya's cousin Ayush who was awaiting replies from med schools as well as Andrew's friend Maren who was 1 week away from taking the MCAT. This chatting was enhanced by some Johnnie Walker provided by Subechya's dai (brother) Sabal. We then enjoyed delicious Nepali catered food in the yard of Subechya's multi-generational home. No major journey for much of her extended family as they simply lived on a different floor of the house! Following the feast the men were fitted for topis (hats) and the women for saris for the ceremonies of the next day. The women also were adorned with Henna art. I finished the day by dining with my mom at the Soaltee, then checking up on a 30 hour task I had run for work.
Jhanti - groom's arrival (May 6 morning)
Jhanti marked the occasion of Andrew marching from his home (the Soaltee, as it'd be hard to travel the entire 8000 miles in a morning) to formally meet his new bride and family. This procession traditionally announces the wedding to the town, so of course it had to be somewhat boisterous! We joined Andrew in his march along with the marriage vehicle and a Nepali marching band comprised of mainly drums and Scottish bagpipes (bagpipes, Scotch whiskey, seeing a theme here?)
Swaymabar - ceremony (May
6 afternoon)
Swayambar is the main event, the equivalent of the Western exchanging of vows and rings. It was conducted by a Hindu priest speaking ancient Sanskrit in Subechya's yard. I had ALMOST no idea what was going on the whole time, but I did understand that Andrew sprinkling Subechya's head with Sindoor powder officially meant they were married. I also understood that Subechya presenting her family members with betel nuts signified her departure from the family and arrival in a new unknown family. Of course, Subechya's cousins tried to prolong the departure by stealing Andrew's shoes and demanding bribes for their safe return. He wouldn't leave the ceremony barefoot, after all.
Pita Biee - bride's farewell (May 6 afternoon)
After ransom was paid and Andrew was allowed to leave the ceremony, he and Subechya prepared to enter their marriage "getaway" car. But not before one more Newari custom. Sabal hoisted Subechya on his back and chased Subechya's father and my brother, who were holding hands, counter-clockwise multiple times around the getaway car! Quite entertaining. And presumably dizzying.
Mukh Herne - family visit (May 6 evening)
So, we relaxed and enjoyed the views from the new house, until it was time to call it a day. I got in a quick swim at the Soaltee pool, a run on the treadmill, and then restored my energy with a pizza.
Reception (May 7 evening)
The day of the reception began with my usual Soaltee breakfast (delicious) followed by a few hours of work and then a trip with Andrew and our dad to the Durbar Square in Patan. Andrew served as our guide and showed us some of the Hindu temples. I also got my first chance at some shopping, so I picked up a journal book and a book of Kathmandu Valley folk tales. I'm definitely a sucker for local folk tales everywhere I visit. They're more interesting than Lonely Planet guides and way more readable than Wikipedia pages. Following some rest, it was time for the reception. The biggest party of the week!
The reception was not so different from Indian weddings i had been to (or really any wedding for that matter) as it was essentially a big party with a lot of food. At the beginning my parents were presented with a very nice sha
wl by Kunchhang, who is Sabal's girlfriend. Her father is a highly accomplished Thangka artist. We then enjoyed another delicious feast of traditional Nepalese cuisine. I've always had a taste for the spicy curries of South and Southeast Asian food, so I had not tired at all of the food. There was however a remarkably limited selection of beer and wine. Upon advice from Sabal, I had settled on Tuborg as the drink of choice. And of course a few Johnnie Walkers. Following the feast was dancing by the attendees. Among the featured performers were the "basketball dance trio" consisting of Subechya's friends Faith and Bruno, and myself, the "crazy chest bumping" Uncle, and even cameo appearances by none other than my parents. My dad even busted out some social dancing. There was a lot of praise that my parents were able to share the scene in a "civil" manner. Well, at least publicly! Bottom line was people had a great time. A few people had too great of a time...
May 8
Originally the date Mukh Herne was scheduled, May 8 ended up being a relaxing and recovering day. I awoke with some energy so I decided to venture on foot to Thamel, the tourist/shopping district of Kathmandu. I got about 5 minutes into the journey when Sabal and Kunchhang found me and made me rethink my "venture on foot" decision. I took a ride from them instead. This was a smart move! The streets of Kathmandu are chaotic and unmarked, so getting lost would be extremely easy. Plus I avoided PBAs (potential bovine altercations.) After exploring Thamel, the wedding attendees reconvened for a group dinner at the Soaltee. While absolutely delicious, this dinner was suspect #1 of 2 of causing food poisoning for non-Nepali digestive tracts. After the dinner many of us enjoyed the Manchester United vs. Chelsea match. It was then time to pack for our trip to Nagarkot.
Supari - bridal shower (May 5)
The significance of Supari was a chance for Andrew and Subechya's close family and friends to get to know each other (when a wedding is on the other side of the world, such a gathering is indeed necessary!) as well as for the groom's family to provide the bride with engagement gifts. Of course we Persons had no idea what constituted appropriate Supari gifts (save Andrew who impressed us with his firm grasp of Nepali culture,) so these gifts were prepared by Subechya's family.
At Supari I met most of the attendees for the first time, except for two of Andrew's friends I recognized from before. I was at a disadvantage because EVERYONE knew who I was immediately. The guy that looked like a slightly taller version of Andrew. I had a good time though and chatted with Subechya's cousin Ayush who was awaiting replies from med schools as well as Andrew's friend Maren who was 1 week away from taking the MCAT. This chatting was enhanced by some Johnnie Walker provided by Subechya's dai (brother) Sabal. We then enjoyed delicious Nepali catered food in the yard of Subechya's multi-generational home. No major journey for much of her extended family as they simply lived on a different floor of the house! Following the feast the men were fitted for topis (hats) and the women for saris for the ceremonies of the next day. The women also were adorned with Henna art. I finished the day by dining with my mom at the Soaltee, then checking up on a 30 hour task I had run for work.
Jhanti - groom's arrival (May 6 morning)
Jhanti marked the occasion of Andrew marching from his home (the Soaltee, as it'd be hard to travel the entire 8000 miles in a morning) to formally meet his new bride and family. This procession traditionally announces the wedding to the town, so of course it had to be somewhat boisterous! We joined Andrew in his march along with the marriage vehicle and a Nepali marching band comprised of mainly drums and Scottish bagpipes (bagpipes, Scotch whiskey, seeing a theme here?)
Swaymabar - ceremony (May
6 afternoon)Swayambar is the main event, the equivalent of the Western exchanging of vows and rings. It was conducted by a Hindu priest speaking ancient Sanskrit in Subechya's yard. I had ALMOST no idea what was going on the whole time, but I did understand that Andrew sprinkling Subechya's head with Sindoor powder officially meant they were married. I also understood that Subechya presenting her family members with betel nuts signified her departure from the family and arrival in a new unknown family. Of course, Subechya's cousins tried to prolong the departure by stealing Andrew's shoes and demanding bribes for their safe return. He wouldn't leave the ceremony barefoot, after all.
Pita Biee - bride's farewell (May 6 afternoon)
After ransom was paid and Andrew was allowed to leave the ceremony, he and Subechya prepared to enter their marriage "getaway" car. But not before one more Newari custom. Sabal hoisted Subechya on his back and chased Subechya's father and my brother, who were holding hands, counter-clockwise multiple times around the getaway car! Quite entertaining. And presumably dizzying.
Mukh Herne - family visit (May 6 evening)
Following the farewell, we joined Andrew and Subechya in their "new home" to welcome them and return gifts from Supari in preparation for their new life together. Oh, yeah, I actually, literally, mean "new home." Subechya's family provided the new couple with an actual house. A mansion by California standards. Man, when can I marry a Nepali girl?
The couple's new house
The couple's new houseSo, we relaxed and enjoyed the views from the new house, until it was time to call it a day. I got in a quick swim at the Soaltee pool, a run on the treadmill, and then restored my energy with a pizza.
Reception (May 7 evening)
The day of the reception began with my usual Soaltee breakfast (delicious) followed by a few hours of work and then a trip with Andrew and our dad to the Durbar Square in Patan. Andrew served as our guide and showed us some of the Hindu temples. I also got my first chance at some shopping, so I picked up a journal book and a book of Kathmandu Valley folk tales. I'm definitely a sucker for local folk tales everywhere I visit. They're more interesting than Lonely Planet guides and way more readable than Wikipedia pages. Following some rest, it was time for the reception. The biggest party of the week!
The reception was not so different from Indian weddings i had been to (or really any wedding for that matter) as it was essentially a big party with a lot of food. At the beginning my parents were presented with a very nice sha
wl by Kunchhang, who is Sabal's girlfriend. Her father is a highly accomplished Thangka artist. We then enjoyed another delicious feast of traditional Nepalese cuisine. I've always had a taste for the spicy curries of South and Southeast Asian food, so I had not tired at all of the food. There was however a remarkably limited selection of beer and wine. Upon advice from Sabal, I had settled on Tuborg as the drink of choice. And of course a few Johnnie Walkers. Following the feast was dancing by the attendees. Among the featured performers were the "basketball dance trio" consisting of Subechya's friends Faith and Bruno, and myself, the "crazy chest bumping" Uncle, and even cameo appearances by none other than my parents. My dad even busted out some social dancing. There was a lot of praise that my parents were able to share the scene in a "civil" manner. Well, at least publicly! Bottom line was people had a great time. A few people had too great of a time...May 8
Originally the date Mukh Herne was scheduled, May 8 ended up being a relaxing and recovering day. I awoke with some energy so I decided to venture on foot to Thamel, the tourist/shopping district of Kathmandu. I got about 5 minutes into the journey when Sabal and Kunchhang found me and made me rethink my "venture on foot" decision. I took a ride from them instead. This was a smart move! The streets of Kathmandu are chaotic and unmarked, so getting lost would be extremely easy. Plus I avoided PBAs (potential bovine altercations.) After exploring Thamel, the wedding attendees reconvened for a group dinner at the Soaltee. While absolutely delicious, this dinner was suspect #1 of 2 of causing food poisoning for non-Nepali digestive tracts. After the dinner many of us enjoyed the Manchester United vs. Chelsea match. It was then time to pack for our trip to Nagarkot.
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