Up and Down and Up and Down and Back Up

Trekking in Nepal

I was back in Nepal for a week. My main goal: to trek. There were many routes but my non-negotiables were easy level and no 8 hours of driving to and from the trail and 5 days max. I met with Peter's son's nanny's "brother", Ram, who is a trek guide. Turns out they aren't really related. It's Nepal after all. He was vouched for so I felt safe going into the mountains alone with him.

Pre-trek warm-up

Peter, Sonya, Matteo, Sorin, Sofia and I went on a 4 hour hike to the top of a nature reserve. It was pretty intense.

Spectacular views of Kathmandu at the cost of two hours straight uphill hiking and leeches.

Day 1: Up into the mountains of Helambu

We decided on the Helambu trek which is suppose to be easy. If this is easy, I hate to see what medium or even difficult would be!

Near the trailhead, women dressed for a festival

Passing two small towns. A cell phone bodega was here. No more towns after.

Gorgeous views that came at a cost. Day 1: straight uphill.

Our first night was at a teahouse, basically a home with extra rooms. They cooked us a great meal in their kitchen with TV on in the background.

Day 2: Up and Down and Up and Down

I asked if today would be flat. Ram laughed and said "Nepal is with a "N". The N has no flat, it is just up and down and back up again." This was unfortunately so true.

Up

Random stupa

Lantang Park

I had to get a park pass for ~$20 USD and of course provide several of those precious passport sized photos.

River crossing, the tame one. Oh Monsoon season.

I vowed to never trek in monsoon season again. Inconveniences:

1. Crazy water crossings

2. Mudslides washing out trails and roads

3. Leeches galore!

The rivers got larger and the "bridges" only slightly sturdier. We took off shoes to get a better grip with our socks. Good thing I have balance from gymnastics and am not afraid of heights.

Roads and trails were washed out so Ram kept asking every house (which appeared every 30 minutes to an hour) the conditions. At around 6 pm, a family said we better stay with them as part of the trail ahead washed away. They can show us the alternate route when they leave in the morning. I told Ram I wanted to get to know the locals. So what better way than crashing with a family.

First homestay: the locals welcomed us into their one bedroom home.

We slept by 8 pm and woke up at 5 am, naturally with the sun. Amazing.

Traditional breakfast

I saw many similarities to Tibetan culture as we were up north near the border. There were the shrines and food.

Cost for homestay: $3 USD.

Day 3: Onward and upward

The locals set off, showing us the way.

Beautiful scenery with prayer flags

Kids walking to school in their sandals.

They can walk over an hour to school. Meanwhile I'm slipping and sliding everywhere in my hiking boots.

Impromptu waterfalls abound

Ram cruising with his umbrella.

Often I fell way behind, losing sight of Ram and getting lost. I think he underestimated my Nepal-trekking-in-monsoon skills. He kept himself entertained catching up on the phone with friend and family while strolling.

A legit bridge, thankfully! Good use of park fees.

To lunch. I asked where is our next stop. Ram would point straight ahead. Then I would look down and see a huge valley between us and there. I pulled out two energy bars. It's going to be awhile.

We always made it to lunch. Deliciously warm dahl baht and tea.

Entertaining the kid with my water bottle.

 

One of the few pics of me on the trek. Only smiling because I'm resting and fed.

While at lunch we heard loud noises like gunshots. No, Ram said that they are landslides, then proceeded to point out big chunks of the mountain fallen out. Lovely.

The afternoon trek up was rough. I ended up thigh high in mud and Ram was no where to be found. We kept going up then hitting dead-ends. Finally, Ram asked if I wanted to continue up (to a shower and stupa temple) or find another local home. Local home please. Best decision ever.

Our homestay farm.

The 15 year old girl who helped host.

We hit it off right away. She showed me her favorite youtube video and we practiced English. She is serious about her education.

Me, daughter and mom: They were super friendly!

Cost: $2 USD. I think I gave them $20 and told them to put it towards the girl's education.

Day 4: Back to civilization.

Mudslide about 4 cars wide. There goes the road.

Even though we were on the main "road" it was no easy walk. Two memorable things:

1. Crossing rushing water thigh-high deep. One slip and over the mountainside you go.

2. Leech on my face. How it got there I don't even know. My hood was on and we were nowhere near trees yet the leech weaseled it's way inside still. The sad thing was that leeches were the least of my concerns by day 4.

Timbu: a town!

One restaurant, one guesthouse, one store, one school, one post office and importantly a bus back to Kathmandu!

We had to crash one night here for fear of taking a late bus that would get stuck and us spending a night in a bus.

All my goods I carried in my backpack.

Day 5: To Kathmandu! 

6 hr bus drive.

Passing through a town.

Enjoying the water much better being dry inside an automobile.

Total cost of 5 day trek less than $150. Ram charged $20/day. It turns out he is supporting his two sons through college. Tuition is about $70/year and total costs including living expenses in the city less than $700 per year. I gave him a $30 tip which covers a semester of college tuition. Crazy, but great how I could directly help the locals with education.

Last few days in Kathmandu hanging with the family. It was so special to be invited into their home and so welcomed. Such a blessing when traveling solo. I had such a wonderful time with all of them.

Local farmers market followed by a picnic in the gardens. We could almost not be in Kathmandu.

Peter's younger brother, Ben, just arrived so Peter had fun showing us around.

Back to Patan for a festival. 

I thought this picture characterizes the richness of Nepali culture.

With that said, I had an absolutely amazing time here. Thanks so much to Peter, Sonya and the family and all the people here that made my stay unique and incredible.