Trekking – Part 2

Photos: Mine and Marits 🙂

Soundtracks: O.C.M.S – Wagon Wheel & George Ezra – Budapest 🙂

Trekking, Day 5: After some days with downhill it was now time to prepare for uphill and going towards the highlight of the trek: Annapurna Base Camp 🙂 After Chomrong at 2100 masl our next goal was Himalay Hotel at 2820 masl. The day started out so good, the sun was shining and it wasn`t too hard trekking it was just perfect! It is so extremely beautiful walking  in the mountains of Nepal; the views of the mountains on the clear days, going through villages, moving into the forest, crossing the horrifying suspension bridges, listening to Ram and Khisna sing along the trail, it couldn`t have been better 🙂
After lunch I got really sick. Might have overeaten on dal bhat. In anyway, I was extremely nauseous and dizzy, it wasn`t exactly pleasant going up. Every step felt like the end of the world and it took me much longer to reach the top than it normally would have. But I started to feel better eventually, drank a lot of water with electrolytes and slowly got back to normal. The accommodation was a bit more basic going further up, so Marit and me shared a room with Lucia and Kathrine for the night. Actually warmer to sleep more people together and we loved our new room mates 🙂

Trekking, Day 6: Summit day. Base camp summit that is. A very early start to the day, and I was completely fine again and super ready to head up! We started as early as we did due to the small (yes mum, small) chance of avalanches along the trail. Which didn`t happen 🙂 First part of the trek was in the shadow down in the valley, and when we reached the sun and the river of the valley I was struck by the spectacular view surrounding me. My word, how beauty can be paralyzing. It was really tough going up, and the closer we got to the lunch stop the more exhausted I got. We were so lucky with the weather on summit day, clear blue skies and a glowing sun all the way. The gods in the mountains were pleased 🙂 The last 400 m to the top was the hardest. For every two steps I took I was completely out of breath, weirdest thing! Just stopping to drink water was exhausting. But, we all made it to the top safely! 😀 Summiting Base Camp at 4130 masl!
Madhu took us over to the glacier below Annapurna 1, but we couldn`t see much due to the clouds. But those mountains. Have no words, it is just majestic.  For the rest of our time on the top we hung out in the dining hall, eating, reading and relaxing.

Trekking, Day 7: Going down from ABC. Hadn`t really slept much, and I wasn`t feeling too good in the high altitude, so I was glad to go down.  We went back the same trail at the day before, first part of the trek was beautiful! It`s a whole different thing going down, you see things in a different perspective and it`s  sooooo much easier 😉 Someone along the trek must have pissed off the mountain gods, cuz by lunch it was pouring down. Which means further up it would have been a whole lot of snow. But our group was filled with good karma, so the worst of it lifted when we were starting again after lunch. Our goal for the day was our lunch place a few days before, Bamboo at 2300 masl. Long way going down from 4130! I was extremely tired, my body was so angry at me for the treatment the last week, but with the promise of the hot springs the next day I had a good night sleep.

Trekking, Day 8: Going down, down and down, and then up, up and up. And down again.  Hard on the body, but the most awesome day at the end 🙂 We went a long the same trail going up from Chomrong, an endless amount of stairs. No. More. Stairs! Reaching Jhinu just before lunch, this was our one and only stop for the day, hurray! It was also Richards’s birthday, and Madhu had promised us a party. But first off, a dip in the nice and much needed hot spring! Sooo good and warm! Until it turned into a soup of humans and our skin almost fell off, time to climb back up. And also, the first shower since day 4 🙂  Madhu is a man of his words,what a party we had that night! The birthday kid first got a tasty birthday cake, singing and some good luck powder too, and Candy also as is appropriate for the wife. Then we of course had some Nepali singing and dancing, led by our amazing team ❤ And like in school, everybody want to hang out with the cool kids, and soon there were so many people joying us in dancing, singing and having fun, just such an amazing evening! 😀 Now, party while trekking doesn`t mean an all nighter, so by 10.30 pm I was more than done and headed to bed extremely happy 🙂

Trekking, Day 9: Last full day in the mountain, nooo!! Didn`t want it to end! 😦 After some gradual up and downhill, it`s always gradual no matter how steep, we finally go to some real flat ground. And there were cars, felt like it was the first time ever seeing a car! Being in the wild does something to you. Well, flat ground is just as painful as going up and down, and what an amazing feeling it was to reach Pothana that day, have mercy on my feet! A cold Everest (or was it three?) was in order, and we could celebrate making it all the way! Yes, we still had some hours left the following day, but this was the last day with our entire team. So we all had a big dinner together, and changed the roles around. Candy, Dario and me we the designated waiters for the evening, confirming that I would be a horrible waiter. But everybody got their dal bhat and beers in the end, what could be better? 🙂 Then we had an awesome camp fire and sang songs (so sorry for Marit`s and my performance of Idyll), and danced until we couldn`t go on. And we also had a round of apperception for our amazing porters and for Ram. These guys have helped us make it through the trek and been so kind and loving the whole way. Just the PERFECT ending to the most incredible adventure I have had so far.

Trekking, Day 10: Going all the way down to civilization. No 😐 Make it stop! Even though I could barely walk anymore and desperately needed to get my hands on some clean clothes, I didn`t want it to end. I`m such a sippy softy, and when we all of the sudden had to say good bye to our guys, both Marit and me were sobbing in back of the bus back to our hotel in Pokhara.

Driving back to Kathmandu: The following morning we headed back to Kathmandu, an 8 hour drive in in deep thought of the amazing adventure. In the evening Madhu had booked a restaurant for us, a beautiful place in an old home turned restaurant. Excellent food and with traditional dancing, last one being our theme song for the trek; Resam Firiri 🙂 And of course it was way over due to give our hero in the mountains, Madhu, the gratitude from us he deserved. Our fearless leader who had brought us save through the trek, this funny, kind and amazing man who I`ll miss so much! Can`t wait to go on another trek with you, Madhu! 🙂 And the rest of the team of course 😉

Other things I will miss: Masala tea, ginger lemon honey tea, dal bhat, Madhu telling us to “please” start moving (“please means NOW),  singing Resam Firiri along the trek (all we know is resam firiri, resam firiri, I am a moneky you are a doneky, resam firiri), saying “Namaste” when greeting new people,  the Nepali flat, Madhu asking how our meal was, donkeys in the trails, eating as much chocolate as I want cuz I need it and will spend the next day walking for 7 hours, listening to Ram and Khisna sing, walking behind Ram and Khisna, listening to Khisna yell “NAMASTE!” to everybody on the trail, Madhu asking us to please order breakfast/lunch/dinner, Ram asking who ordered what, Corrie with her fabulous South African accent asking: RRRRaaaaam, could I have…? (and then whatever she needed at the time), Marit keeping a good mood even though I want to give up, listening to the Rummy players, getting warm by a fireplace, Harry laughing, dancing and singing in Nepali even though I don`t know how to, serious talks along the trail, not so serious talks along the trail, the stunning views in the mountains, dogs following us along the trail, all the wonderful people in our group and team and finally, that everything still is possible 🙂