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 Ram 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 said 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.