Alex in motion

Traveling from Kathmandu to Pokhara took 7 hours by bus and unfortunately that day was the first and most important day of Holi, a colourful Hindu festival that celebrates spring and love. Basically everyone throw packages of exploding paint or water balloons loaded with dyes, into each other while yelling, “Happy Holi”! It’s a joyous occasion that requires new clothes when over, since it’s hard to remove the paint (there were people hiking with dyed hair for the following week).

Ratna, my guide for the next 10 days, and I quickly became friends. Although his English was poor, the constant smile on his face and the deep warmth of his heart were always fierce. Mind you, he was not just a guide, but a translator, facilitator, food-order-taker and server – not just to me, but also to people I was having dinner with – and companion. He spoke in detail about the challenges of living in Nepal, about his family struggling after the earthquake – his parent’s home was destroyed and they now remain in a tent – and the lack of proper schooling and well-paying jobs. Above it all, his main concern is to ensure the welfare of his two young children, so they have more opportunities than him. He was easy to love 🙂

Since the trek involved ascending to over 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level, which is taller than most mountains in Canada, I needed to break a promise to myself of not seeing less than 10C during this sabbatical and to buy winter clothing. This included proper hiking boots, snow pants, hat and gloves; the down-filled jacket and arctic sleeping bag were already included in the price of the tour. Note: since I didn’t need these items after the trek, I gave them to Ratna so he could sell them.

We started early one morning, hiking a well-known route called Annapurna Sanctuary. Apparently over 60% of first time trekkers to Nepal follow this trail, which has multiple paths depending how long you want to invest. We did the complete circuit, from Nayapool to Poonhill to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) and back to Nayapool. ABC is at the base of the the 10th highest mountain the in world, and only 800 meters less than Everest.

The highlights:

• We passed along cascading waterfalls, steel suspension bridges, terraced farmlands, lush forests, breathtaking mountain vistas and beautiful villages
• Most villages were a couple of hours apart, each with at least a guesthouse and/or restaurant, so you can rest, have a meal or spend the night
• Guesthouses had minimal facilities, such as squatting toilets, but did have warm showers and fresh and delicious home-cooked meals
• Prices increases as you ascend, since it was challenging for mules and porters to carry supplies
• The slopes of the Himalayas tested your stamina and your legs, and I admit to using walking poles to help reduce injury
• The weather varied daily, and sometimes even changed mid-day, from warm and sunny to cold and wet
• Although there was mostly fog while ascending, there was only a single instance of rain, and we had shelter for those 45 minutes
• People of all shapes and sizes were following the same trek; individuals, groups and families with kids. I bumped into a lovely elderly lady multiple times, as she motored along as quickly as anyone else. She’s been doing the same trek for 30 years now. How old is she, you ask? Nearly 78! Thank you, Pat, for showing the rest of us how it’s done 🙂
• Ratna and I climbed the last two hours to ABC right before dawn, struggling to breathe deeply with each step. The reward was glorious views of the glacier, crystal clear skies (Ratna said he’s never seen it so clear), lots of selfies and most importantly, hot chocolate
• During the descend, we spent a few hours in a hot spring, which felt nourishing after so many days on the road. I also made it back to Pokhara in time for full massage, which further accelerated the healing process

In Patagonia, I discovered I love trekking. Nepal took the activity to a whole new level. Between the long days enjoying the wonderful sights and sounds and smells, to being present in the moment, to thinking deeply about many facets of my life, I can safely say coming to Nepal was the right decision. Unfortunately I don’t feel I’m properly expressing my gratitude to Ratna or properly describing the overall experience, so let’s say it was 10 on 10.

Although the adventure cannot be accurately captured in pictures, here are a few to set the mood. Once again, sorry for the blurriness.

At first glance, Kathmandu resembles India; the streets are more than busy, there’s tons of pollution (it’s actually one of the most polluted cities in the world), there is only a slightly less honking, street signs are randomly and haphazardly placed, and the people are quite friendly.

Nepal is still struggling to recover after the huge 8.3M earthquake in 2015. Many, many people lost their homes, and the government is not reacting quickly enough to rebuild. Other countries are trying to help, but most of the imported goods are confiscated by border guards or are just not being distributed properly. Nepal thrives on tourism, and are hoping for a strong fall season to bolster their fragile economy. If you love trekking, I urge you to travel to Nepal and sight see.

The district I stayed in Kathmandu was littered with white people. After spending so much time in India and Sri Lanka, it was funny, and rather weird, to not being around fellow Caucasians. Most come for trekking, but there are plenty of other outdoor activities (rafting, zip-lining, climbing, hot springs, volunteering) as well as great restaurants. In fact, I ate a delicious Mexican burrito on the first night! One of their local specialties is called momo which are dumplings made from chicken, vegetables or cheese. They are always made fresh and remind me of my favourite Polish pierogi.

On the second day, a local guide escorted me to the city’s sights and attractions. Most of his sentences began with, “before the earthquake…” or “after the earthquake…”. Sadly, many of their monuments were destroyed or severely damaged. And as pleasant as the guide was, I had a really hard time understanding his English, so I just nodded my head in agreement. I know I missed information, but I simply wasn’t in the mood to have him repeat everything twice.

Highlights from the day were the Monkey Temple, where he hand-fed some tame monkeys; the Golden Temple, which had a genuine and peaceful aura; and the temple of the living goddess. In the Hindu religion, they believe pre-pubescent girls are manifestations of a divine female energy. Girls are chosen based on several physical attributes and must pass several challenging tests before being promoted to the status of a living goddess. They remain isolated in a temple until their first menstrual cycle, after which a new girl is chosen. The previous girl is then able to live a normal life, and even get married.

FYI, my camera that was supposed to be repaired in India wasn’t actually repaired properly, so most of the pictures here are slightly blurry. I’ll buy a new camera once in Japan.