a bit of a departure - walking in #Nepal - part 2

On Monday we were driven from Pokhara to the start of our trek at Nayapul  with some gentle uphill walking passing a suspension bridge in Tikedhunga and shortly after arriving at our overnight stop at Ulleri (1,960m).

On Tuesday our walking was far more up and down hills and stairways to get to Ghorepani  (2,750m).  On the way there we got our first view of Annapurna South. 

Over this week its amazing how much I have learnt about walking up and down tracks and stairs.  Put simply you quickly learn where the best place is to put your feet to get the maximum grip and to minimise the effort you need to put in.



On Wednesday we got up pre-dawn for a vigorous hike up to the top of Poon Hill for sunrise over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna Range.  

After returning to our tea-house for breakfast, our hike followed a ridge for a while before a steep descent and then a final upward climb to Tadapani (2,590m).  Each day our porters would set off before us with 3 or 4 of our main bags on each of their backs.  In the mornings and evenings they'd prepare food for us and at midday we'd stop at one of the many trek side "tea" stations.

On Thursday we continued going down steeply and then climbed the opposite side of the valley we then entered the larger Modi Khola valley which leads up to the Annapurna Sanctuary. A short distance further up that valley we arrived at Chhomrong. 

On Friday we descended again to cross the Chommro Khola, then climbed up into the Modi Khola valley and up to the main ridge high above the river. 

On this day we were walking near a village at the time that school ended.  As we laboured up the steps on the trek with our light rusksacks and special walking boots small infants would go racing past us with only flip fops on their feet. Kinda made you a bit humble.

Following more walking up steep hills we reached the village of reach the village of Sinuwa (2,340m) and followed the valley climbing steadily uphill to Doban (2505m) and then onto our overnight destination, Himalayan. 




One of the customs I really liked on the trek was that of saying "Namaste"to others you met on the trek as you passed them.  As you say "Namaste" you make a slight bow with your hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. I was told that in Hinduism it means "I bow to the divine in you" which seems a wonderful tradition to me.

On Saturday we had a shorter climb slowly gaining altitude going through Deurali (3,170m) and Hinko (3,100m) to reach the narrow entrance-way into the Annapurna Sanctuary and onto Machhapuchare Base Camp at 3,700m.  

On Sunday we rose early before dawn to trek up to Annapurna Base Camp (4,100m)

and then descended along the trail to Doban we retraced our route as far as Bamboo.