mountain rambles.

 

Leaving Pokhara, we too a taxi up what can only be described as a ramshackle of a road, and somehow where able to make it alive, although a bit carsick. We set out for our trek in the Annapurna Mountain Range, logging a few hours that first day and staying in a tea house in Sudame.
The thing about trekking in Nepal is that you don't bring your own camping gear, rather you stay in tea houses- locals who have turned their homes into makeshift hotels for passerby's resulting in the opportunity to meet the natives, as well as other trekkers stopping through. I was a bit apprehensive at first about trekking in such a style: how could staying in houses along the way be a true trek? But it turned out to be just fine, and in fact, quite splendid, allowing us to embrace and appreciate more of an authentic Nepali village life.

The next day we set out for perhaps the most strenuous bit of our hike; 3,000 plus rock carved steps IN A ROW. Unlike Forest, I am not in peak shape, it is not normal to walk more than 5 miles a day, let alone straight uphill and there were moments when I thought there was no way I would make it alive. Somehow, I was able to, but we realized that at this pace, there was no way we would make it back to Pokhara in the three days that we had expected...

 After much moral dilemma, I decided to hire a porter to carry my pack. It was a holiday, so most people scoffed and turned me down, but one man said that his son would be willing to help out. Forest and I got a bit of lunch, thinking that a 20 something year old man would be arriving to save the day. Wrong were we. Bimal Pun, a 14 year old who looked about 12, arrived, offering his service for the next few days. Long story short: yes, I supported child labor. And no, I am not particularly proud of it, but I am quite happy with the results.

Despite the severe language gap, we were able to make friends with him quickly, using many hand motions and gestures to help us out. He is an extraordinary boy who is a complete trooper and ended up tagging along for the rest of the trek;  it is also quite likely that Forest found a best friend for life.

Most days we woke before sunrise and hiked until 2 or 3, occasionally stopping for chai and roasties. Much of our free time was spent eating, writing, reading, hanging out with the village children, contemplating and playing cards. Making for a monumental adventure that left us quite relaxed and at peace with the world (a perfect getaway from the constant chaos and commotion of India).

 

The trip down the mountain was quite interesting...we ran into snow, and a lot of it, which we were not expecting at all. Of course, we had no snow gear whatsoever, and were constantly being passed left and right by trekkers with crampons, hiking poles and the like. I spent most of the journey down butt sledding, but it worked and aside from quite a few sore muscles, we made it unharmed.

The trek was absolutely amazing, and we enjoyed every minute of the adventure. We met loads of interesting (to say the least) people, refreshed our perspectives about life, lived simply, and were well fed and healthy the entire time, which will come into play in a blog entry soon to come. We returned to Pokhara around January 17, ready for the next leg of our journey, but also a bit bummed at having to leave the tranquility of the mountains and the fresh, clean air.