Kathmandu & Manaslu trek – 3rd to 27th October

Tuesday 3rd October

Villa Village, Changu Narayan – workaway

Today it’s Exercise Clean-up.  There’s rubbish everywhere around the house .   Then I go up to the garden to cut down the long grass with a sickle.  After a few hours I give up because I have leeches between my toes and all over my feet.

Rubbing salted water over our legs, feet and hands is supposed to be a deterrent but sadly no one’s told the local leeches.  Meanwhile Daz concentrates on laying the new patio.  We pulled most of it yesterday and this morning but now it needs to be relaid for the Dawali Festival where it will be the main dance floor.  We have another work-awayer join us this morning; Cynthia from the Netherlands.

 

Wednesday 4th October

Villa Village, Changu Narayan – workaway

Today there’s more weeding, more tidying and the patio laying continues.  

We’re up early (about 5.30am) not through choice but because the whole neighbourhood seems to be up at this time.  This is their washing and blessing time.  Menuka blesses plants, the Jasmin bush which is holy here apparently and even the water source or water Gods. She rings her bell to ward of evil spirits, scattering flower petals as she softly chants a few blessings.  Daz is overjoyed because he has the opportunity to lay a patio and he has a load of keen card players – Cynthia,  Claire and Johnny.  We also have another work-awayer join us – Chris from Belgium.

 

Thursday 5th October

Villa Village, Changu Narayan – workaway

More patio laying today, but first we need more soil to level the ground.  This entails digging into an earth bank in the garden about 100 metres up the hill.

I then fill sacks whilst the boys walk them down to the house… gruelling in the humidity,  at least the boys get a rest, I’m none stop shovelling for an hour!  We’ve had an awful lot of rain too so the leeches are legion.  My tolerance to the revolting creatures has not improved.   Finally Daz thinks we have enough soil and after a rest they start laying and I get on with clearing the upper level of the garden.

There’s old chilli plants and old sweetcorn needs pulling. The chilli is OK, but the corn has huge root system that takes huge amounts of effort to pull.  Daz comes up for a rest from the patio and I set him to pulling the last of them out because I’m pooped!

In the evening Daz volunteers to cook an egg curry to make a change from dhal bhat…  nice.  It such a relief to have something different to eat – the dhal bhat might be filling but it’s proving less palatable by the day.

 

Friday 6th October

Villa Village, Changu Narayan – workaway

Rest day!  And we need it, all the heavy carrying and weeding has made everything ache.  Unfortunately we all agreed, including Dylan, the new guy who arrived yesterday, to go on an outing with Dhruba.   After an hour on the bus and whilst waiting for the second of our intended 3 buses we all revolt and decide we can’t be bothered.

Back at the house Daz gets a lesson in Roti/chapati making and we have a relaxing afternoon for once!

 

Saturday 7th October

Villa Village, Changu Narayan – workaway

Our last day here.  We’re glad to be leaving; we’ve had a great time with the other workerwayers and numerous card games but we can only take so many Dhal Bhats and the bathroom the 7 of us share is gross.  We decide we need more soil for the patio laying and it’s only fair to do it now whilst we have so many men.  I fill the sacks and Johnny, Dylan and Daz have to carry them down to the garden.  A tough job and in total we shift 40 sacks.  

Then Daz and I have our last weeding frenzy and then call it quits.  We say goodbye to Dhruba and Menuka and head up the hill to the village to catch the local bus to Kathmandu.  Chris the Belgian is also leaving and travelling with us.  We have been told there is a bus at one pm, this passes. We are then told there’s one at half past one… yep you guessed it, there isn’t.  Finally at half past two we get on  bus.  It then proceeds down the hill at such a slow pace we could have walked quicker. Nevertheless some time later we finally roll in to Kathmandu,  back to the peace and quiet carnage and havoc of its bustling streets. We get back to the Brightstar hotel and they welcome us back.  Showered and refreshed we decide to treat ourselves and head out to a pizza/Italian restaurant, ‘Fire and Ice’.  Johnny and Claire recommended it, and Daz then remembered he went there in 2000 with his mate Nick.  It’s packed when we get there, a good sign, but we manage to get a table.  We then enjoy a wonderfully scrumptious pizza with beer. Later we meet Chris for a quick beer in Sam’s Bar before calling it a day. Welcome back to Kathmandu.

Sunday 8th October

Thamel Kathmandu

Today we have our pre-trek meeting with Himalayan Trails to go over admin points and meet the guide, porters and other trekkers.  There’s Esther and John, an American daughter and father (originally from South Korea.  Well John was but he hasn’t been back for 45 years and Esther was born in the States).  Then we have Nani, she’s a loud “possibly going to get on our nerves” type, originally from Luxembourg now living in Australia. Tendu will be our Nepali guide and briefs us over a map about the days ahead. It’s a 6am start tomorrow with a nine hour drive… great!  We have already done our shop for snacks and toilet roll for the trek, so we head off after the meeting and grab a bite to eat.  We end up in a Korean restaurant and have a gas barbecue in the middle of our table to cook our food on. It’s a nice idea but we end up stinking of grease from all the meat we cook!

Earlier Daz went looking for an ATM to make sure we have sufficient money for the next 15 trekking days.  He was gone ages as he ended up trying about 15 or 16 ATM machines around Thamel. This is the norm, as lots of them either don’t work or restrict the withdrawal amount to 10,000 rupees ($100) and then charge $5 for the pleasure! Finally he found one that gave him the maximum of $250 but the trouble is next time he goes to that particular ATM it’ll probably not work, so the process will start all over again!!  Today we also found ourselves near the Indian Embassy and we were told there’s numerous visa shops next to the Embassy.   We head over to see what we can learn about the Indian visa process.   We’ve just heard that Daz’s new passport is ready for collection so we’ll be ready to apply for our Indian visas when we return from Manaslu.   The good news is that it’s a relatively simple process; fill in an application,  provide photos and passports and then wait.  The bad news:  it’s going to cost around $200 each and it’s more likely that they’ll give us 3 months than the 6 months we want.  This is particularly annoying because the visa starts from the day of issue not the day of entry into India.  There is a glimmer of hope though – we can explain that we’re cyclists and show them our cycling plan and beg for their sympathy.

 

Monday 9th October

Thamel to Soti Khola

We are up and out in time for our transport.  We have two jeeps to carry the 5 trekkers, 3 porters and 1 guide (not including the drivers).  Nani, Esther and John are in one vehicle with Tendu and one porter whilst Daz and I just have 2 porters in ours. What then unfolds is the nightmare journey to the start of our trek.

The traffic out of Kathmandu is as heavy as we expected, but an overturned vehicle soon puts a stop to all the mad overtaking our drivers are performing to get us passed the long lines of slow trucks descending out of the city. We are stuck in a jam for quite a while.    It doesn’t help that vehicles overtaking the slow lorries don’t take into account the oncoming traffic and several times the road is blocked as the drivers have a standoff to see who will move first.  We also witness a woman fall out of a moving bus as it swerves onto the road, fortunately she bounces and seems OK. Then the porter sat in the rear of our vehicle starts throwing up last night’s dinner. At first I think he is eating as I can smell curry, then Daz points out the truth!! The stench is awful and we open all the windows.   The poor lad has to go and buy some plastic bags incase he needs a repeat performance!  Then finally when we do get off the main road it turns into a dust bowl of a track zigzagging up and down hillsides and through dust covered villages.

The road is being widened by diggers cutting into the adjacent hillside, but this is leaving a deep fine dust across the dirt road that covers everything and everyone travelling along it.  The houses we see along the roadside only have mesh windows – it must be filthy inside with blown dust! Everytime we pass a vehicle we wind the windows up to stop the dust coming in… this just leaves us sucking in vomit fumes instead!!  We then come to a river crossing that at first our driver refuses to cross.  Daz wades across to show the water is less than knee high, but it’s the drop off and rocks he is more worried about. Finally, having been shamed by Daz’s exuberant crossing, he jumps back into the jeep and crosses,followed by the second vehicle.  We all walk over a rickety wooden footbridge and mount up for the last stretch of road.  We arrive in Soti Khola and settle into our accommodation.

Tomorrow the trek will start in earnest and the weather is promising to be hot and humid, deep joy!!

 

Tuesday 10th October

Soti Khola to Machhakholagon

We are up early before the alarm.  Breakfast is supposed to be at 7 but it’s a repeat of last night’s dinner where we had an hour and a half wait for our meal. This time it’s only 30 minutes late but it means we don’t get on the track until 8… so much for the early start!

Hels and I set an early pace with the porters but they soon get told to slow down. Tendu wants to keep the group together today. There are lots of mule trains on the trail today and he doesn’t want any incidents (people in the past have been pushed off the cliff side by the mules).  We do actually get ‘stampeded’ at one point and also meet a train later in the day on a very very narrow trail with cliffs below us but we are able to scramble to a safe point to allow them past. We have only gone about 2 hours and 20 minutes when Hels and I hear a whistle. One of the porters has run after us as we have missed the turn off for lunch! I’ve only just had my breakfast!  Not feeling too hungry I only order a small dish, so does John, we will regret this later. An hour and 20 minutes later our food arrives, both John and I are now both starving but I only ordered rice pudding!! We are back on the trail 2 hours after stopping. We think the stop was very early and too long, but maybe it’s the only place to stop??  Chastened by Tendu for going too fast we decide to stay with the group for the afternoon.

We are climbing alongside the Budigandaki River, climbing up and down, sometimes on narrow trails sometimes wide. It’s a warm day and the humidity is high.  Sometime later, fed up with walking, stopping, walking, stopping, allowing the others to catch up we send ourselves to the back of the group. Tendu then asks us if we are tired!!! Can’t do anything right today. We all stop again for a 5 minute break. There must be time distortions in the universe because 20 minutes later we set off again.  Finally about 4 pm we arrive at our overnight stop. A very colourful and busy little village. There are lots of teahouses and the trail winds between them on a cobbled street.  Time for a refreshing shower and a brew before dinner.

Nani is proving something of a challenge:  if we try chatting to her about her experiences and life story every question is met by a blunt, evasive response.  But if we make general comments to the group she’s happy to contradict everything and give everyone the benefit of her extensive experience.   Admittedly she has been to Nepal ‘several’ times (she wasn’t forthcoming on the actual number) and has completed many treks some including an ascent to a peak (often requiring ice boots and crampons).  However as far as we can glean she has always walked in a group, fully supported with sherpas and guides so compared to our 2 years of cycling self-sufficiency and coping at altitude (The Pamir Highways) she’s really not that experienced.   Yet she certainly considers herself the expert of the group and treats the rest of us like dumb, travel novices.   And if the ‘expert’ doesn’t approve, you’ll damn well hear about it!!!

14km walked and height gain of 300 meters.

Wednesday 11th October

Machhakholagon to Jagat

OK, quite a good night’s sleep. I woke at about 5am and went to the toilet, the upstairs one was being used so I pop down in the pitch black. Relieved I go back upstairs and quietly bolt our door shut again and get into bed. About 2 minutes later I hear someone rattling our door. I think they will go away but they try again,  “wrong room!” I shout… then it dawns on me, it’s Hels trying to get back in, she followed me out and used the other toilet!! Doh.  We do manage to drop off again though.

Today the going is long and very hot, mid 30s with high humidity.  I’m sweating profusely and by lunch I realise I haven’t drunk enough water. I grab a full bottle and pretty much neck it.  Then once again we have the great luck to have picked a tea house with the slowest chef in the world. Our lunch break is nearly 3 hours long.   Each meal has ended with at least one of the group being presented with an extra bill.  Tendu tells us it’s one item per meal included in our package cost but Mads had said ‘don’t leave a meal hungry!’.  By the time we reach our destination at Jagat it’s getting dark. It took closer to 4 hours from our lunch break rather than the 2.5/ 3 hours Tendu predicted.   Hels and I are first in and the others follow quite some time later.  Maybe tomorrow we’ll have more luck.

16km walked with a height gain of 570 meters.

Thursday 12th October

Jagat to Philim

Oh dear neither of us slept well but we’re having a late start today because it’s a short day; just 6km.  We’ve asked Tendu if it’s OK to walk at our own pace today and having checked the route we set off.  We’ve tried walking with the group but their pace is a bit slow (well Hels finds it rather relaxing but for me it’s actually quite Painful).  We don’t see much today except lizards basking on rocks in the sun.  After 2 hours we hit our destination and it’s only 10.10am.  At least we’ll have a chance to wash and dry our stinky clothes.  It’s a nice relaxing afternoon and we have a snooze.  We pass up the opportunity to go to visit a Japanese sponsored school in the village.  The rest of the group go and the word is it’s just a big building…just an empty big building.   The children are on holiday.   Good choice not to go! Later in the day it rains for the first time, so we are glad we finished early.

6.6km walked with a height gain of 200 meters.

Friday 13th October

Philim to Dengi

Another shortish day, this time we are finished by 11.30am.  The rest roll in just after midday.   It’s been a nice walk, with one large waterfall of note.  We see a group of Americans we had seen at our first two nights accommodation.  It seems one is not feeling well so he is staying behind and will descend back down tomorrow.  We’ve been trying to engage Nani, ‘the obnoxious one’ in conversation but when we do extend the olive branch she is still disparaging in her comments and really we wonder why we bother !  Before dinner we sit in the dining room of our teahouse at a table as far from Nani as possible.   We play cards whilst she sits with Tendu.  We hear her making disparaging comments about the whole group to our guide, Tendu. She shows him a picture from the itinerary of a previous group at the Pass.  “This is a happy group, they are all smiling”, she declares and continues “whilst in this group Esther and John are too quiet; John’s English isn’t good enough so he rarely joins in conversations”.   We’re in the firing line too!  It seems we’ve committed a number of sins in her opinion (and fuck is she opinionated!!!).   “The Brits walk too quickly and will suffer for it later (altitude sickness) and should walk at the pace of the rest of the group and how ridiculous to attempt the Larke Pass at 5165m in bare feet (she’s referring to our crocs)”.  Actually it’ll be crocs with socks even we’re not dumb enough to trek barefooted.  I don’t know if she realises or even cares that we can hear her from the opposite end of the dining room.  But we can and what a sour taste that leaves in our mouths.  We think it best we stay out of her way but sadly this means we won’t (and don’t) ever get a real chance to talk to John and Esther.

12km walked with a height gain of 300 meters.

Saturday 14th October

Dengi to Namrung

Yesterday evening and throughout the night there was torrential rain.  The tin roof reverberated with the incessant downpour.  We really thought we would be digging out our waterproofs today. But as the morning light permeated into our wooden slatted room we could see the sun was shining, yay!  The plan today is to get to Ghap for lunch and if the weather is good then push on to Namrung.  Ghap to Namrung and on to Lho is actually scheduled for Sunday but that means  15km and 1100 meters of climb – a tough day! So we all definitely want to reach Namrung today.  Hels and I set off at a good pace again and soon the rest of the group is left in our dust… well, mud-tracks!

We now have bamboo walking sticks courtesy of last night’s teahouse.  But at the moment they are just something else for us to carry (Hels says she likes hers – she thinks it’s very helpful on the large steps!).  We probably won’t really need them until we cross the glacier and pass at the top in about 5 days time. Good to be prepared.  We enjoy the walk apart from crossing a recent dirt landslide.  The track here is narrow and the surface loose and the drop below is quite terrifying.

Just before Ghap a herd of cattle comes along the track.  We are used to the mules, but these cows really are very nervous on the track and take ages to come down the steep steps we are on.  Finally in Ghap we sit and wait for the others then have lunch together.  

The weather is still good so the decision is made to continue to Namrung.  Tendu Sherpa tells us it will take us 2 hours and the rest of the group about 2 and a half.  After an hour of walking we see a sign saying 2 hours to Namrung (all distances here are in times not kilometers).  

That would suggest it’ll take us 3 hours, thanks Tendu!  Fortunately we make good time climbing up the hundreds of rock steps as we climb above the river out to the head of the valley.   In the end we reach Namrung in 2 and a half hours. It’s a very nice teahouse today.  Hot showers as well, for 200 rupees each, so we have a cold shower!! Boy that was chilly!

In the evening we play a Nepalese card game with a Dutch couple, Fleur and Jacco, and their guide.  

16km walked and height gain of 852 meters.

 

Sunday 15th October

Namrung to Lho

Not a cloud in the sky this morning and I comment at the breakfast table that it’ll be a hot one.  Nani, ‘the obnoxious one’ says “no, we are too high, it will be cold’!!” Idiot!! Anyway I was right, it’s roasting hot as we follow the trail along through small little villages.

Women and children are out in the fields harvesting.  The scenery has really opened up now and we get our first sight of Manaslu peak, at 8163m it’s the 5th highest mountain in the world. It sits under the vibrant blue sky with a mantle of white snow blazing in the sunlight.

Stunning. As we near Lho we can see the new monastery that was built after the earthquake.  It sits on a hill above the village with Manaslu in the background. After lunch we will pay it a visit. Hels and I sit in the sun, taking in the views as we wait for the rest of our group to appear.

We are now above 3000 meters and the recommendation is no alcohol, a shame as a cool refreshing beer would be most excellent right about now!

9.1km walked with a height gain of 593 meters.

Monday 16th October

Lho to Sama Goan

Not much to talk about today. It’s overcast and chilly.  Hels and I are sent ahead with one of the porters to try and arrange suitable accommodation in Sama Goan for our 2 night acclimatisation stop.  After an initial climb through pine and juniper forest we cross a long suspension bridge and come out on a wide valley floor with Sama Goan in the distance.

Once in the village we find most of the teahouses are full with other trekkers staying over.  We end up  in a less than perfect teahouse, but a bed’s a bed.  When the others arrive Tendu says he will try and book a better one for the second night.

After lunch Hels and I take a walk through the village with no real direction in mind.  We cross a stream and cut across country towards a monastery on a small hill.   

Beyond the monastery there’s more of the old village then open pasture for cows and yaks. We wander across to a yak skull in a tree then see a path leading off.  We follow this for some time thinking it goes to a lake we have been told about. Sure enough we climb and cross a low ridge and there’s the glacier fed lake before us, resplendent blue.

 The glacier above has a waterfall tumbling down its side and into the lake.  We wander down to the rocky shore where a number of stone spires have been erected by visiting tourists.  We enjoy sitting on a rock watching the birds on the waterline and spot some mountain goats on the far side of the lake.  Later we wander back slowly into the village. We spotted some small furry mammals scampering away on the way up but nothing on the way back.

7.5km walked with a height gain of 455 meters.

 

Tuesday 17th October

Sama Goan

A rest day today but our late start is disturbed by the large group of Spanish trekkers who are very noisy in their pre departure preparations.   After our breakfast we pack up and head to another teahouse in the village.  The rooms are definitely better than the last place. So the big decision – how to occupy ourselves today.   The others are going to the lake but we’ve already done that so eventually we wander up out of the village and eventually find the turning to Manaslu Base Camp.  

 Initially the going is easy and we walk through the woods full of beautiful autumnal colours.  Then the track steepens and we climb, albeit very slowly, up and up.  

Finally we’re up above the woods and there’s beautiful views down over the lake and to the surrounding mountains.  Even Manaslu peak is clearly visible when the cloud clears.  

We walk higher and meet several trekking groups that have come up to try and achieve 4000m and acclimatise for the trek ahead.  We push on until we’re above 4000m.   We sit and enjoy the view.  We can clearly see the river coming from the glacier and watch the glacier above.  Yesterday at the lake we’d heard ‘thunder’ echoing above the lake.  It’s the noise as massive chunks of the glacier break away and crash down the slopes below.  Today we can actually see it happening – spectacular.   After our mini picnic of water and digestive biscuits we head back down. Back at the guesthouse it’s time for lunch and then an afternoon nap.  

 

Wednesday 18th October

Sama Goan to Samdo

Bloody dogs! Small white fluffy yippy ones,  Barking at 5 am until about 6 am! Oh well I’d had enough sleep. We all set of for Samdo.

It’s another short day only 3 hours walk, but we still have to start at 0730hrs. Why?  After lunch we all go for an acclimatisation walk up a nearby and very steep hill.  Hels and I leave the remainder of the group at a lower lookout point and continue climbing.  We eventually top out at about 4400 meters with magnificent views along 3 valleys and the snow covered mountains all around.

Rather than risk returning via the steep gravel path we traverse across the slope towards some high yak pasture land then follow yak trails down the mountain.

We are staying at the Yak hotel in Samdo and Fleur and Jaco are also here so we play some cards with them in the late afternoon.  They are planning to summit from here tomorrow (leaving at 2am!!). That’s a long day from Samdo to Bimtang but Fleur has had some altitude headaches and they think this will minimise further problems.   They’re both incredibly fit and fast so we’re sure they’ll smash it easily.  Sadly it means we won’t see them again on our trek.  Our group will climb to Dharmashala tomorrow and camp out under canvas.

7.7km walked and height gain of 350 meters.

 

Thursday 19th October

Samdo to Dharmashala

A good night’s sleep only interrupted by numerous wee trips (altitude makes you wee more apparently!).  It’s a chilly morning in the shade of a nearby mountain so everyone is wearing an extra layer.

But after 10 minutes walk we are back in the sun and soon sweating.  Extra gear off. There’s considerable climb today after the last few easy days but we still reach our destination in 2 hours 30 minutes, are we getting fitter? The rest of the group arrive half an hour later. Our accommodation tonight is a 2-man tent (there’s at least 30 set up) and there’s a single long stone teahouse / kitchen.  Yes tonight we will be under canvas again for the first time since Kyrgyzstan!

After lunch we do a short acclimatisation walk to a viewpoint above the camp. Our walking gear has attracted much attention.

Tendu asks when we’re going to use our boots even though we’ve told him repeatedly we only have crocs.  He’s also worried about us wearing shorts all the time, suggesting they won’t be appropriate for the Pass.  The ‘evil one’ even offers to lend Hels a pair of her trousers.  There seems to have been a thaw recently and the ‘evil one’ has been more receptive.   However that all ends at our nightly team brief.  Tendu wants us all up at 2am for a 3.30am start.  Yes, in the fxxking dark.  The reasoning – the wind picks up over the Pass later in the day.  Hels asks how long to the Pass – Tendu’s response 4 hours for us, 5 for the rest of the group.  Since we’re all supposed to gather at the Pass for group photos she asks what we’re supposed to do with the extra hour.   Tendu suggests we walk slowly.  So not only are we expected to walk in the cold and dark at 3.30am, we’re expected to walk slowly ensuring we fail to elicit any body heat.  We’ve had enough of being treated like the ‘hangers on’.  We’ve barely seen Tendu or the sherpas during this trek, always left to walk alone.  Since the initial team brief when Mads had said everyone should walk at their own pace and the guide and sherpas would be divided accordingly, we can’t understand why we’re always left on our own.  Hels refuses to accept the slow walk suggestion and Tendu says we can leave after the group.  Excellent idea.  We also insist that at least one Sherpa remain with us for our walk in the dark.  Tendu actually intended for us to walk alone!! He isn’t keen to give up a Sherpa but it’s something to do with them not having enough head torches.    The ‘evil one’ always ready with her unwanted opinion thinks we should walk with the group ‘because that’s the way it is!’  Well we’ve paid for this trip too and we’re as entitled to the same consideration as the rest.  Not that we’ve had any!!! So we’re not starting with the group although we still need to be up and breakfasted by 0330hrs.  And so ends the thaw with ‘the evil one’!

6km walked with a height gain of 632 meters.

Friday 20th October

Dharmashala to Bimtang – pass day!

Once the sun went down yesterday evening it got very cold.  50 or so trekkers all huddled into one long narrow dining room sharing body heat and waiting for food.  We had our briefing from Tendu after dinner then went to bed early.

 

It was an unpleasant night’s sleep as whoever set up the tents forgot to remove all the boulders!  There are huge stones under Hels’ mattress so she cuddles up on mine but apparently she woke about 1am and I was practically licking the tent canvas – she had nudged me so far over.  Finally ‘pass day’ has arrived.  It’s bloody early, a 2.30am wakeup for a 3am breakfast. Fortunately Hels and I are well practiced at packing up in the dark and we don’t seem to stumble around so much as the other trekkers. We still don’t understand why we are leaving so early, we know other groups are leaving at 6am when it will be light, and warmer. Anyway, as decided last night we are going to let the rest of our group get a head start so we don’t have to wait at the pass for them.   We give them a 40 minute headstart and set off at 4.10am.   We march off into the dark night, plenty of stars around but no moon to light the way. We have two of the sherpas with us for company and they follow behind.  

We can see occasional lights in the distance and try to stay on the right track with just our head torches to light the way. We pass quite a few groups then all of a sudden, only 1 hour 40 minutes since we started one of the porters says Tendu is ahead! What?! Sure enough we have already caught them up. Wow we had hoped not to catch them for at least another 90 minutes !  We are just coming up to the final ‘teahouse’ (really just a small stone hut)  where the entrepreneurial owner is charging double the going rate for hot drinks and snacks.  Two dollars for a cup of hot water!! Hels and I decide to let the group get ahead again and make 2 coffees using our brew kit, but then the group also decide to have a brew.  

Finally with the sun threatening to make an appearance they set off and we give them another 15 minutes before we follow.  We pass them soon after.  This is infuriating, we could have stayed in bed another couple of hours. Finally by walking slowly, stopping for a bite to eat and enjoying the scenery Hels and I reach the top.  It’s bedecked in prayer flags and has a sign welcoming all.  We take some pictures then the rest of our group arrives and we get the group pictures out of the way.

 Remember those cold winds and snow we had been told about, well there wasn’t any.  It was glorious in the sunshine and Hels and I are up here in our crocs and shorts… brilliant!   We had started out this morning with jackets and long trousers, but as soon as the sun came up we disrobed and carried on as before. After the photoshoot we check our destination and we’re off.   The views of the surrounding mountains,  a 360 degree panoramic picture are stunning.  

Hels and I start descending.   It’s a rocky, dusty track zigzagging down the mountain towards some dry glacier beds below.  We are constantly slipping,  the one drawback to the crocs, lack of grip, and Hels lands on her bum once or twice but we make it down the first part safely.  Now it’s more rocky but not as steep and we stop again to eat our packed lunch of Tibetan bread and boiled eggs. After about 3 hours we finally see our village spread out before us on a flat grassy plateau with a small river running beside it. Picturesque or what!?  

We are tired though.  The long, steep descent has been tough!! It takes us another 30 minutes to arrive and it’s still only 10 minutes to midday!! Really, why did we have to get up so early!  There’s a bunch of Spanish trekkers sitting in the gardens of the tea house enjoying a celebration beer so we sit out as well and have a Tuborg moment too.  Then we get the enjoyable spectacle of a Spanish group in tight lycra  stretching off on the grass before us.  Tight lycra gets even tighter as they perform some rather complex and unusual positions.  It’s enough to make your eyes pop, and it’s only through the strength of lycra that something doesn’t pop out and catch us in the eye!!  

The rest of our group finally arrives 1 and a half hours later.  By this time we are in conversation with the Spanish (a mountain biking group who go on organised adventure holidays together) and on our second beer!  Hels did suggest we stretch off too but I assured her lifting our beer bottle was sufficient exercise. Then it’s time for an afternoon kip, after a warm shower of course.

During the evening briefing Tendu tells us about our return to Kathmandu.  We still have 2 days of trekking – down the valley to Dharapani then we will get a jeep the next morning to Besisahar where we will then change vehicles.  Esther and John will be heading off to Pokhara whilst we’ll have to travel with ‘the evil one’  to Kathmandu (something we’re dreading!) .  The evil one asks what time we can expect to get in… Tendu, after some humming and hawing says 7pm. “Seven! Seven!?” squawks the evil one.  Apparently she was told 5pm.  She isn’t happy … more on this later.

15km walked with a height gain of 700 meters then a descent of 1500 meters.

 

Saturday 21st October

Bimtang to Gowa

Hels and I set off down the mountain, heading for Surki Khola our lunchtime venue.  It’s a pleasant walk through sun dappled pine forest and beside a tumbling river.  The sherpas are having a good day today as well.  The downhill is much easier for them and they keep overtaking us then resting until we pass them and then speed pass us again.  We enjoy the ‘tortoise and hare’ scenario whilst also enjoying the scenery.  We also pass a porter carrying crates of chickens.

 After 3 hour we arrive at our lunch stop and sit in the sun out in the garden.  We take bets on how long the rest of the group will take. Hels estimates 25 minutes and I say 45 minutes. 1 hour later they arrive. It seems ‘the evil one’ isn’t feeling well and is slower than ever. At least it’s keeping her quiet.  As we wait another hour for lunch to be ready she does however make up for the quietness by moving around trying to get comfortable:  in the sun, out the sun, lying down, sitting down! It’s so dramatic!  By the time lunch arrives and we have eaten 2 and a half hours have passed since Hels and I arrived.  We are cold and stiff now but we gear up and head off to our evenings stop, Gowa.  Fifty minutes later we arrive!! We should have just carried on and had lunch here!

Remember the plan we mentioned earlier for the return to Kathmandu?  Well it would seem it has changed again, to ensure we don’t get in at “Seven! Seven!?” Now the plan is to walk to Dharapani tomorrow then after lunch get the jeep immediately to Besisahar and stay the night there. Then we can get the transport back the next day to Kathmandu ensuring we arrive in good time for the evil one!! Talk about them and us! At dinner ‘the evil one’ is really milking the sympathy.   She has the cold we’ve all had but for her it’s more serious – ‘man flu’ perhaps?  

12km walked with a height loss of 1164 meters.

 

Sunday 22nd October

Gowa to Dharapani to Besisahar

Our last walking day – hurrah!  ‘The evil one’ is still poorly but bizarrely this morning they set the pace and we amble behind them and find a dog to adopt.   The dog keeps us company for several kilometers.   We also meet a very large group of Europeans carrying camera equipment and behind them a long trail of heavily laden sherpas.

 We stop them to ask what they’re filming.   Apparently we’ve just passed the famous Tyrolean climber, Hans Kammerlander, who is about to climb Manaslu Peak.  It’s actually his 2nd attempt, his first ended in tragedy. During his 1991 summit attempt, his two friends Friedl Mutschlechner and Karl Großrubatscher died in a thunderstorm. At that time Kammerlander declared that he would never return to Manaslu. Kammerlander has so far climbed twelve of the 14 eight-thousanders. Good luck Hans!

After only a couple of hours we spot our destination.   We’re almost there when we’re stopped by a German travel journalist who has heard about our travels.  He’s really fascinated about our travels; where we’ve been,  where we’re going and how we cope with long term travelling.  The Spanish group had told him about us and he recognised ua by our crocs.  We definitely need to read his article about his trekking experiences in Nepal.  In Dharapani we stop for lunch.  Tendu is still trying to arrange jeeps to take us all to Besisahar.   He has one jeep but the 2nd has mechanical problems.  We suggest that the others use the existing jeep and we’ll wait for a second but Tendu refuses to split the group and eventually we all cram into one jeep.  The alleged 2.5hr jeep journey to Besisahar turns into 5.5hrs.  Then Tendu struggles to find a hotel with available rooms and then when he finally finds somewhere there’s a restricted menu because it’s the last day of the Dawali Festival.   A bit of a disaster and worse still Nani seems to have undergone a miraculous recovery.  She is well enough to drink beer and loudly praise Tendu and the team on a fantastic trek!  Well I guess the team have pretty much done everything for her, bar wiping her arse (or perhaps that additional service was also requested!).

Monday 23rd October

Besisahar to Kathmandu

After breakfast we say farewell to Esther and John.   They’re off to Pokhara.   John offers to provide a camping spot or room in his hotel when we get to LA.  It would be great too see them again!  Then we have a 7 hour Hiace ride to Kathmandu with the ‘evil one’.  But once again she has taken a turn for the worse and can barely talk.  A shame for sure because we have so much to talk about! (Not!)

Finally we’re back in Kathmandu and a chance to sort out our bags and laundry.  In the evening Amanda from Himalayan Trails comes for a post-trek review.  Of course ours is less than positive.  Left to our own devices for most of the 15 day trek but with a hefty price tag for the pleasure.  And accompanied by an unpleasant,  loud, opinionated ‘self-acclaimed trekking expert’!  We consider it our worst experience in nearly 3 years of travelling.

Tuesday 24th – Friday 27th October

Kathmandu

Our first concern now we’re back in Kathmandu is to apply for an Indian visa.

Tuesday:

• Taxi to Patan to pick up my new passport
• Taxi to Indian Embassy
• Complete visa application,  take photocopies of passport and Nepali visa, pay $7 each.  We’re advised to request a 12 month visa and explain we’re cycling.  Apparently most Brits end up with only 3 months visa which starts from the date of issue!  
• We’re sent next door to the Embassy, visa applications grasped in our grubby mitts.  We take a ticket, number 43 and 44, they’re currently dealing with 18.  And now we must wait to be called forward.  We wait about 1.5hours – thank God for our Kindles and GoT.   
• Finally it’s time to submit our applications.   If we want to claim special cycling circumstances we must attach a letter to our application.   Hels is accepted and with $176, it’s ready to be processed.  She needs to return on 30th and submit her passport and on the 31st pick up her passport with an Indian visa.  My application is denied.  My new passport doesn’t contain a Nepali visa, it’s in my old passport.  We knew it needed to be transferred but were told the application would be accepted first.
• Taxi trip to the Immigration Office.  The place is packed with people queuing everywhere but thankfully visa transfer is dealt with swiftly (only 10 minutes) for only $2.  Unfortunately the Indian Embassy closes at 12pm so it’s too late to submit my application.  We’ll have to do it tomorrow.

I’ve been feeling really poorly since our return from the trek.  I’m hot and cold, ache all over, have a really bad headache and severe diarrhoea and feel nauseous most of the time but I’m never actually sick. So it’s back to the hotel to rest and recuperate.

Wednesday

• Hels is awake early.  She’s going to take my application to the Indian Embassy.
• 0805hrs I’m (Hels) queuing for entry into the Indian Embassy but it doesn’t actually open until 0930hrs.  DOH!  I thought it opened at 9am!
• For 1.5hrs I guard the Embassy gates and offer advice to numerous travellers regarding their Visa requirements – without fee.
• 0930hrs – Finally I’m through the gates.  Ticket numero Uno.  And I’m told, “No, No and No again’!.  Daz must be here in person to submit his application although he was here yesterday.   I explain that he’s really, really poorly but to no avail.  Her only consideration, after practically begging for her understanding,  is that he need not queue.  As soon as he arrives he will be dealt with.
• 0935hrs – I phone the Brightstar Hotel and Daz is summoned.
• 1000hrs.  Daz arrives, straight to the front of the queue and visa application submitted and another $176 paid.
• A breakfast stop for me and then back to the hotel so Daz can lie down/ sleep as required.

 

We had hoped to go to Patan for a quiz night tonight with Ben (we met him in Syabru Bensi with his family) and Mark C-J from the Army camp but Daz is just not well enough.  Another night in our hotel room.  Sadly our budget room isn’t the most pleasant place to spend such long periods of time but thank God it’s ensuite!  And we have time and decent WiFi so we watch a couple of movies – best so far ‘Glass Castle’.

Friday night Daz is feeling better (Hurrah) and we go out and meet Jacco and Fleur (the Dutch couple we met trekking).  It’s great to be out (fabulous Mexican fajitas – yup that traditional Nepali food Lol) and a few beers and hear about how their trek went.  I had Guide envy but apparently their relationship with their guide wasn’t so rosy either but at least it was cheaper.  It’s great to see them again and it’s nice to share a few beers and hear about their plans for their new house in Holland.   They’ve just moved from Amsterdam to a place in the country with a lot of land.  And now we’ve told them about workaway they might use that to get some help to put the new place in order.