It seems to me that when one thinks of visiting Nepal, trekking in the Himalayas must be one of the first activities that comes to mind. I knew it was something I wanted to do while we were here and it was less of a priority for Sandy, so I was off on my own for a few days.
We often relate the things we do now to this lifestyle basically being our new job, so this was kind of like a work trip out of town, which we both had plenty of while we were officially working. Dikesh and Narayan picked me up close to our apartment at 8:30am on Saturday and we took a taxi to a small village from where we would start the four-day trek. The starting point was in Birethanti, which is just outside Nayapul. We picked up some last-minute groceries in the village (guavas, apples, hard boiled eggs, nuts) and then set off on the trail around 10:30.
We stopped for a quick snack at a small shop that had oranges that come with a green peel. They tasted just like the oranges I am used to – just the peel being a different color. Lunch was at Mamta Guest House around 1:15. I had vegetable fried rice and lemon honey ginger tea while we overlooked the valley and rice paddies.
We resumed the trek around 2:30 and arrived at Super View in Ulleri around 4:30. Today’s trek was uphill, going from our startng point in Birethanti at around 3300 feet up to Ulleri right around 6,600 feet. Some of the route was on the dirt road. It was not too difficult and was a beautiful start to the four days. I had a room with an attached bathroom, which was a luxury I wasn’t sure I would find. I did not have hot water for the shower, but it was nice just being able to shower in my own bathroom.
Dikesh and Narayan met me at 5:30 for dinner – I had milk tea and pizza. I met and chatted with two couples from Australia while at dinner and enjoyed their game of trivia they had going. Not only was I happy with my room, but we also had wifi, so I was able to catch up with Sandy before turning the lights off at 9:30.
With breakfast planned at 6:45 on Sunday morning, it was an early start to the day. I had fried eggs, potatoes, toast, and hot chocolate before we hit the trail at 7:45. At breakfast, I first met new friends from Utrecht, Netherlands – Evi and Okke. I saw them briefly the evening before, but had the chance to chat for a few minutes at breakfast on Sunday morning. I pushed the pace today, not thinking that we needed to make as many stops as yesterday and I am glad we did push on with a few rest stops.
We arrived at our next stop, Ghorepani, right around Noon. We stayed at the Sunny Hotel for this one and I had chicken dal bhat for lunch.
Today was a day filled with gorgeous views of the main peaks we would be seeing and it was topped off with fantastic views from the dining room of tonight’s lodge. I got to meet and talk with several people today whom I will remember from this fantastic trek. Freddie and Julie from San Francisco, a couple from Madrid who I saw regularly on the trail but never got their name, and Susie from Colorado who is on her way to Bhutan next (so are Freddie and Julie). I am thrilled for all of them because they are in for something special. I also got to see Osaka on the trail again today. She is a 71-year-old woman from Japan who is tackling this trek and doing so good. Her name is not Osaka – that is just where she is from and I don’t know her actual name.
After lunch, I spent the afternoon sipping tea reading my Kathmandu book, admiring the awesome view, and chatting with Dikesh about his goals and how he is going to make them happen. I had vegetable curry rice for dinner, chatted with Sandy, and turned the lights off at 8:30. Today’s details had us starting around 6,600 feet and rising up to right around 9,500 feet – so another uphill day.
Monday was the trek’s highlight because it started with a 4:45am departure and doing the one hour hike up to Poon Hill in the dark. It was very crowded (I think it always is at this time of the year) – just a long line of people making their way up, with occasional spots for passing or resting. Sunrise occurred at 6:18 and it was pretty amazing to watch the mountains light up without a cloud in the sky. Dikesh and I took plenty of pictures and videos – Narayan stayed in bed. This was the high point (figuratively and literally) of the trek – Poon Hill is right around 10,500 feet. The mountains that really stood out to me were Dhaulagiri (26,795 feet), Annapurna I (26,545 feet), Annapurna South (23,683 feet), and Machupuchre (22,942 feet). It’s awe-inspiring to stand at look at the highest mountain range in the world.
We headed down at 7:30 and had breakfast at the lodge – I had eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast, and milk tea. The kitchen manager was an older lady and I enjoyed interacting with her. After breakfast, we packed up and we were on the trail toward Tadapani at 9:20. We stopped for about 30 minutes to enjoy the view at Deurali Pass and then stopped for lunch (vegetable fried rice) in Banthanti.
That put us in Tadapani at around 2pm and we checked in to the Hotel Super View. Dikesh and I had tea and chatted. A highlight here (and really of the trek) was that Okke and Evi were staying here and we spent time visiting with them and playing Uno and then also a Nepali card game called Kitty. It was a lot of fun. Dinner was served around 6pm and Evi, Okke, and I all had ordered spaghetti – you typically order dinners at the lodges a couple of hours before dinner time and tell them what time you want to eat. The three of us ate together and it was fun getting to know more about them. Lights went out at 9:30. Details today on the elevation – after leaving Poon Hill, it was a lot of up and down trekking. Tadapani sits around 9,000 feet so the net was downhill. This was my favorite day of the four. The terrain was fun, the views of the mountains were again brilliant, and there was more color in the leaves as they start to change.
Today was the last day and I was up again to see sunrise, but this time the mountains were somewhat blocked by clouds. It was still beautiful to watch.
Breakfast today was an omelet, potatoes, and toast and I was happy because Osaka was staying at the same lodge and I got to chat with her a little more. I learned that her name is Keiko and we traded contact information so that we can stay in touch as we go about our various adventures. Today was relatively short and downhill – leaving Tadapani at 8am and arriving to the village of Ghandruk around 10:30. We left Tadapani at 9,000 feet and finished at Ghandruk right around 6,600 feet.
I had lunch at a café at the bus park – ordered chicken momos but I am pretty sure I ended up with buffalo momos, which I like anyway. There were no jeeps available so the three of us hopped on the local bus at 12:25. The road down off the mountain is awful – very rough, very narrow, very windy – not a road that Sandy would have enjoyed in the bus. We only had one little accident coming down – a jeep tried to pass where they shouldn’t have and they ran into the back of the bus. Basically cosmetic damage and after the two drivers yelled at each other a little bit, we continued on. We arrived in Pokhara at 3:30 and then took a taxi to the apartment and that was the official end of my Poon Hill – Ghorepani Trek. Although it was sad to have the trek ending, it was wonderful to see Sandy when we got back. It was an outstanding experience and I would highly recommend it for anyone embarking on their first trek in Nepal or if you just don’t want to spend the amount of time some of the other well-known treks take. I hope this one won’t be my last. What were my favorite aspects of the trek? I can’t narrow it down to one thing. The landscape is beautiful, the air quality is great, the exercise feels good, but it really comes down (as usual) to the people. Seeing some of the same people on the trail each day and getting a chance to bond with new friends in the lodges along the way.
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