Tag: <span>Nepal</span>

Adventures

From Nepal to Culture Shock

Before leaving Canada for Nepal, I was warned by many people that I was in for quite the shock. I grew up in a suburb north of Toronto. Drinking water is not a problem for us, when it’s hot I wear clothing that shows my legs and shoulders and, we definitely have never had to deal with the aftermath of a deadly earthquake.

Kathmandu was unlike anywhere I have ever been. Incredibly dusty (an effect from the earthquake apparently), and very loud (the city implemented a honking ban a few days before I left), with cows everywhere (literally just hanging out in the middle of the road).

The most shocking thing for me was the drive from the airport to my hostel. Nepal doesn’t seem to have very many traffic laws. Instead of checking blind spots before merging lanes, drivers simply honk to let people know they are coming in. If someone is where your car is going, then that person honks to let you know they are there. No one seems to actually check for other vehicles, just listens for the honks.

Pedestrians are just as bad. Walking out into the middle of traffic with their hands up to stop the cars. It’s honestly a miracle there aren’t more accidents (I didn’t see a single one while I was there).

I actually had mentally prepared myself for some serious culture shock before leaving Canada but I was fine. After spending some time in Kathmandu, I even learned how to be a pedestrian there, crossing streets without looking, hand up to stop traffic. The few times I came close to being hit by a motorcycle was when I was being cautious. Looking both ways before crossing seemed to cause more harm than good and moments of hesitation at seeing a vehicle fast approaching almost ended terribly for me.

It wasn’t until I was on route to Cambodia, with a stop over in Bangkok, that I experienced a bit of culture shock. Although I don’t know if I would classify what I felt as culture shock, but more of “big city” shock.

After spending a month in Nepal, including two weeks on a mountain trekking to Annapurna Base Camp, seeing the bright lights of Bangkok and the tall buildings of the city was incredibly overwhelming.

The fact alone that I took a subway from the airport into the city was shocking to me. I hadn’t seen infrastructure like that in a month.

There were no more mountains looming in the background. Just tall buildings – buildings that exceeded five stories – looming all around.

And the most shocking thing of all? Bangkok has McDonald’s. And Starbucks. Nepal has Oreos and, even that, I’m not too sure of the authenticity.

I didn’t even realize until I was in Bangkok that part of the beauty of Nepal is the lack of big Western chains. All the Western influences that Nepal did have were aimed towards trekkers and even that was known to be “Nepali quality.” Meaning it was the best damn knock-off you would ever see but the product wouldn’t last.

It’s funny how going from Toronto, a big city in itself with Starbucks on every corner and buildings taller than five stories, to the dust and rubble of Kathmandu didn’t affect me. Everything in Kathmandu was so interesting to me because it was all so different from what I was used to in Canada.

But going from Kathmandu to Bangkok was entirely too overwhelming.

Adventures

Lessons from Nepal

Nothing is as scary as you think it is.

Nepal was my first real big trip by myself. It was the furthest I had ever been from home and the furthest I had ever been from what I was accustomed to. I was terrified before I left my home in Toronto. I knew this was the most uncomfortable situation I had ever put myself in. Yes, it was scary. But it was also exhilarating and exciting. While I do think having a little bit of fear is a good thing, it made me more cautious. This is a good thing because when traveling on my own, there is no one looking out for me, but me. I realize now that nothing is as scary as I thought it would be. Had I let my fears overtake me, I would have missed out on a lot of beauty.

Don’t eat the cucumbers

Or any raw fruits and vegetables for that matter. Unless you can peel it. Yes, I know. Rookie mistake. But after three weeks of eating nothing but Dal and curry all I wanted was an uncooked salad with raw vegetables. Should have let it go.

Fleas can bite humans

And it sucks.

I completely understand now why dogs scratch as much as they do when they have fleas. My final week in Nepal, I had flea bites on my feet and ankles, but had no idea what these bites were. The bites looked like red bulls-eyes (unlike any mosquito bite I had ever seen) and didn’t have a pattern to them (so bed bugs were out of the question). They also had gotten infected from the amount of scratching I was doing, so my feet were swollen and red with puss oozing out of the spots. Disgusting I know. And not knowing what they were was very unnerving.

I called my mom in tears one night because one of the bites felt like an insect was trying to scratch its way out of my leg. The itchiness was uncontrollable and, literally took over all my thoughts. Two weeks later, with three different antibiotic recommendations, I’m still trying to heal the bites (although, thank goodness, the itching has gone away and they do seem to be improving).

A new sense of direction

I don’t mean this in some sort of deep, philosophical way. I literally mean that I gained a better sense of direction.

I am amazing at getting lost. It’s a hidden talent really. If I can’t see the North Star or the movement of the sun in the sky, it is guaranteed that I will go the wrong way. Left instead of right, North instead of South, West instead of North. Wait… Which way is West again? That’s left, right? Even following Google Maps does nothing for me.

So spending two weeks hiking up to Annapurna Base Camp on trails that take you so far from where you started seems impossible, and was so confusing to me. Spending one week in Kathmandu where Google Maps says to turn left on Tri Devi Marg but you cannot find a street sign anywhere because, apparently Nepali people don’t believe in street signs, left me walking around in circles half the time.

And then I figured out that the temples, stupas and shrines were a good way of finding my way around the city. Next thing I knew, I was going left when I was supposed to be going left. I was walking by temples that would lead me home and shrines that told me I had to make a right. I wasn’t getting lost anymore! I knew where I was, how to get to where I wanted to go, and how to get home.

Maybe that was just because I was spending a decent amount of time in Kathmandu and Pokhara, but (knock on the North Star) I haven’t gotten lost once yet in Cambodia.

Adventures

Travelling Nepal – My Personal Guide

#HeyJo let’s go to… Nepal.

Nepal is very much an adventurers country. The grand majority of people that I met in Nepal chose it as a trekking destination.

It also has deeply seated roots as a stopover (or the final stop) on the hippie trail from Europe to South Asia. According to history, many hippies chose not to leave Kathmandu because they fell in love with the landscape and the relaxed attitude of the people. They also appreciated the free-thinking attitude there towards marijuana. Freak Street was known as the spot to go to and, although that area is no longer a destination for modern day hippies, there is still quite an impressive hippie culture in the north of Pokhara.

I’m writing this travel guide to give advice to anyone who wants to go to Nepal based on my own personal experiences, both good and bad. There are spots I loved and spots I disliked and spots I wished I had gone to, had I known about them ahead of time.

Kathmandu – In Two To Three Days

Kathmandu is loud, seriously dusty and busy. Many people I met during my time in Nepal chose to avoid Kathmandu as much as possible, myself included once I ventured out of the city. Kathmandu does have some impressive tourist sites though and they should not be skipped over.

I spent my time in the Thamel district of Kathmandu. It has pretty much everything you could need while in Nepal: pharmacies, shopping, trek-outfitting, and plenty of opportunity to find a guide to take you on the mountain.

It also has a lot of temples and stupas but, I found that after visiting quite a few that they begin to look the same after a while. A few stood out and have made it to my recommendations of places to go.

I would encourage you to go to the Garden of Dreams, the Seto Machhen-dranath Temple (Jan Bahal), and Swoyambhu Temple (the Monkey Temple). If you have more time, then you should also check out Tri Devi Temple and Durbar Square. All of this can easily be done in two days.

Garden of Dreams

The Garden of Dreams opens at 9:00 a.m. and it’s a nice spot to go to escape the city. The dustiness from the street is kept at bay because the garden is surrounded by high walls. It’s like walking into a calm, lush oasis. I personally spent an entire day at the Garden of Dreams. I wasn’t in a rush and had an infinite amount of time so I was happy to spend the day reading there. The garden can easily be seen within an hour (less if you’re not taking massive amounts of photos).

The entrance fee to the garden is 200 rupees (about $2USD).

I would recommend going for its opening at 9:00 a.m.  There are very few people there at that hour. In fact, there were three others when I first arrived at its opening. With so few people you can truly appreciate the calmness and peacefulness of the garden, admire the flowers and the stone elephant statues, all before the sun starts beating down.

If you choose to stay for the whole day, as I did, there are benches and grassy lawns to relax upon. Once the sun gets to its hottest point, shelter can be found at the cafe in the grounds, or under one of the many trees in the garden.

Seto Machhen-dranath Temple (Jan Bahal)

Before leaving on my trip to Nepal I had read that Jan Bahal was a great temple to visit, but when it came to my day walking around the city exploring the different temples, I completely forgot about it. I would have been disappointed if I had missed out.

Seto Machhen-dranath Temple is glorious for multiple reason. One is that it is massive. The second reason is that it is hidden away in a courtyard with no way of finding it or stumbling across it.

Looking back, I think I was very lucky to have stumbled upon this place.

I was taking photos of a different temple that was situated on a very busy street corner in Kathmandu, with tuk-tuks and motorbikes on one side and vendors selling fruits and flowers on the other. A lady came over and “told” me to go to the backside of the temple and walk through a teal archway.

Not sharing the same language, communication with her was very challenging, but her enthusiasm about where she was telling me to go (and her big camera) convinced me to follow her pointed finger to the other side of the temple.

I walked through the teal archway and came out at the Seto Machhen-dranath Temple.

There is no way of knowing there is a temple here because it is in the middle of a courtyard surrounded by eight-storey high buildings, which are very high for Nepal. The temple is completely hidden, and you have to walk through a teal archway and down a small alley to get to it.

It is incredible though and left me with my mouth hanging wide open. There’s so much going on outside of the temple, with motorbikes and dust everywhere, that it’s shocking to stumble into this serene place for worship. There’s still so much going on inside this courtyard but, in the calmest way possible. Locals praying and pigeons flying everywhere, different offerings being presented at every shrine, all in as hushed a manner as possible. And so much beautiful gold coloured decoration and architecture.

If you can find this temple, visit it. It is so worth it.

Swoyambhu Temple (Monkey Temple)

The draw of Swoyambhu Temple, for me, was that it was nicknamed the Monkey Temple.

It did not disappoint in being true to its nickname. The whole area of Swoyambhhu should be nicknamed “the monkey area” because the whole region has the little guys running about.

The temple itself is massive and, in a way, it’s unfortunate that the monkeys are the point of interest. The stupa is huge and sits on top of a hill overlooking Kathmandu, which is shockingly large. The temple covers a few blocks. There are so many different areas to the Swoyambhu Temple as well – different shrines, stupas, and places of worship scattered throughout the temple’s massive area.

It’s scale makes it big enough to be a small village and, with the clapboard buildings at the top selling knick-knacks to tourists as well as a coffee shop for snacks and refreshments, it very well could have been at one point. There are even stalls set up at the entrance with people selling trinkets. So as soon as you enter you have the feeling of it being a pseudo-village.

The temple also clearly suffered substantial damage from the 2015 earthquake and it is pretty shocking to see the rubble and broken down bits of structures surrounded by new bricks for the rebuild.

In terms of the experience with the monkeys at the temple (the whole reason I wanted to visit this temple in the first place), there were monkeys literally everywhere.

And they are aggressive little bastards.

I had been warned ahead of time to be careful of the creatures and to not have any food with me. They’re aggressive in the Swoyambhu area! They are accustomed to people. Not only that, but they are smart and will essentially perform tricks to get food from you.

Heeding the warnings and horror stories, I made sure I went over to the temple with nothing but my camera and some money.

It was pretty trippy to see people praying at the top of the temple with monkeys running around everywhere. You would be walking along and all of a sudden there was a monkey at your feet. Or one just hanging out inside a shrine, scaring you if you looked in. Who would expect to see a monkey chilling in there? Or swinging from the structures overhead? Or jumping from stoop to stoop?

Swoyambhu Temple is an incredible temple to visit simply based on its size, but the monkeys turn it into a unique temple experience.

Extras: Tri Devi Temple and Durbar Square

Tri Devi Temple is a temple dedicated to three goddesses. It’s across the street from the Garden of Dreams with no entry fee. Since it is very small, you don’t need much time to explore. I personally was a fan of Tri Devi Temple because of its dedication to “girl power” and, the lovely sense of calm and peace that washed over me during my visit. There are three little houses there with the statues inside, as well as a large bell you can ring to announce your presence to the goddesses. It is very small in comparison to some of the other temples and stupas I visited while in Nepal, but that’s also part of the beauty.

Durbar Square is a massive area with multiple temples scattered throughout. Many of the temples were damaged in the 2015 earthquake and look like they are being held up by pieces of bamboo, while others have been completely condemned. There are so many temples here that you literally need a map to navigate your way around. If you are willing to venture further into Durbar Square, you will come across Freak Street, the area of Kathmandu that used to be home to hippies making the overland pilgrimage from the UK to Thailand.

Durbar Square is also where the Living Goddess resides. She makes an appearance twice a day from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and again from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. My trekking guide informed me she is chosen by a selection committee, and then stays in the Durbar Square temple house with her family until she has her first period. She is only allowed to leave the temple house to make her twice-daily balcony appearances, and for religious ceremonies.

Pokhara – Three Days

Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal, second to Kathmandu. I stayed in the Lakeside Pokhara area which is a smaller, tourist area of the city. It was a welcome change after the loud, dustiness of Kathmandu as it was much calmer and serene. I spent a week in Pokhara however, three to four days would have been more than enough time.

When in Pokhara I would recommend visiting the Peace Stupa and the north end of Lakeside Pokhara, with a stop at the Movie Garden or for a little paragliding adventuring. I found that the caves or Devi’s Falls were not worth the effort. And it’s definitely worth taking advantage of the calmness while you’re there!

The Peace Stupa

I know, I know… Not another stupa. The Peace Stupa is worth it though, I promise. It’s located across the lake at the top of a hill so even the journey to get there is pretty magical.

You can rent a boat for half the day and paddle yourself for about 700 RPs or you can rent a boat with a driver so that you can just enjoy being rowed across the lake. Once you get to the other side, it’s about a 45 minute hike up to the stupa. After a two week trek I couldn’t believe I was doing those infamous Nepali steps again, and this time simply to see a stupa. Upon reaching the top though, I realized it was worth it.

The views from the top up are pretty incredible, including the unobstructed sight of Pokhara. Again, it was shocking to see how big the city actually is. I realized again how much of a small pocket I was staying in at Lakeside Pokhara.

The stupa is big and white and gold. It’s glorious in its beauty, and at its height, it holds true to its name by being surprisingly peaceful.

There are four statues in the round walls of the stupa, each facing a different direction and representing different events related to Buddha. People can be seen sitting around the stupa meditating. It does seem like a fantastic spot to meditate as the energy there is very calm and peaceful.

After the visit, it was nice to hike back down and row across the lake in the calmness of nature.

The North End of Lakeside Pokhara

I stayed at the south end of Lakeside Pokhara but would walk north every day along the lake. I wish I had ventured further north though because I had heard there was an interesting hippie community in that area — kind of like the new Freak Street of Nepal.

The furthest north I ventured was to the Movie Garden, which I would recommend going to one evening.

Simple in concept, it’s essentially a big screen with a video projector, set up in a tropical garden, playing movies at night. It’s similar to a drive-in movie, minus the cars but with alcoholic beverages available for purchase at the bar.

The night I was there they were screening The Grand Budapest Hotel. It was pretty nifty watching it under the Nepali night sky, surrounded by tropical plants.

Paragliding

The adventure tourism industry in Nepal is pretty big and this includes Pokhara. Every morning, if you looked up towards the mountains, you could see the sky littered with dozens of people paragliding.

I regret not having had gone paragliding while I was in Pokhara. I can imagine it would have had some amazing views with the Himalayas not too far off. Plus it was only 6000 RPs and that included photos.

Where I wish I had visited

You would think that spending a month in a country would have given me enough time to see and do everything I wanted. After two weeks trekking, and one week in Pokhara, my flight out of Nepal was quickly approaching and that’s when it hit me that there were still quite a few things I wanted to do before leaving but, unfortunately, no longer had the time for.

For a return visit, I would include another trek (because you can’t go to Nepal and not do a trek), visit the birthplace of Buddha and spend some time in Bhaktapur. And of course, I would go paragliding in Pokhara either before or after the trek.

The Trek

One thing I learned doing the Annapurna Base Camp trek is that I actually really enjoy trekking. As much as I may have hated parts of it at the time, it’s quite enjoyable.

Doing another trek in Nepal and with limited money to spend, I would not use a tour company. I probably wouldn’t even bother with a guide or porter to be honest (although the porters were incredible and made the trek so much more enjoyable).

Nepal is pretty well set up for tea house trekking so there are plenty of spots to stop for food along the way, as well as “hotels” on the mountain. I met a lot of people who didn’t have previous reservations or bookings at the hotels and still managed to get rooms upon arrival. If there are no rooms available, you are put up in the dining hall with the guides and porters for the night or, you have to trek back down to a different hotel.

Returning to Nepal, I would choose to do either the whole Annapurna Circuit, which is about 18 days or, the Langtang trek north of Kathmandu.

The Birthplace of Buddha

I didn’t even think about it until I had booked my flight out of Nepal but, Nepal is known to be the birthplace of Buddha.

Now I’m not religious in any way (which is probably why I didn’t think of it), but that’s still pretty monumental.

The birthplace of Buddha is in the south of Nepal in Lumbini and, had I thought about it beforehand and planned my “after-trek” better, I would have included time to visit the birthplace of Buddha in my itinerary.

It’s possible that it’s a huge tourist trap, but I also imagine it would be a pretty interesting thing to see while in Nepal.

Bhaktapur

Again, had I done more research into Nepal, instead of spending a full week in Lakeside Pokhara recovering from my two week trek and all the ensuing illnesses, I would have included a couple days in Bhaktapur. After about three weeks in Nepal, I heard from quite a few different people, tourists, and locals, about its beauty.

Bhaktapur is one of the three royal cities in Nepal and was founded in The Medieval Times in the 12th Century. It also has a Durbar Square filled with temples, monasteries, religious sites and palaces. It also has monuments made from terracotta.

Summit Adventures

Dal Baht Power 24 Hour, What Goes Up Must…

A.B.C. to Bamboo

“I can’t believe the trek is over,” one of my trekking mates said.

Oh, it’s not over. We have to go back down the mountain now, descend the 4,130m we just climbed. And going down is just as hard, if not harder than going up. I came to the realization during my 14 day trek that going up is hard on the muscles while going down is hard on the joints.

The Soundtrack of Descending: Mountainous Moves

Waking up at Annapurna Base Camp on this morning, revealed a clear, blue sky with big, majestic mountains. So those past six days, with all the trials and tribulations and challenges of hiking up 4,130m, proved to be worth it. A.B.C. is situated at the bottom of the Annapurna Mountain Range, right in the middle so, again, it feels like you are in a bowl, surrounded by mountains. And the mountains are so big you can’t help but feel like a tiny ant. It was a humbling experience.

After last night’s fresh snow on the mountain, everyone was in a playful mood. Groups could be seen throwing snowballs at one another down the mountain while others were running and sliding down the slope. There was less and less snow the lower we got, and the weather quickly warmed up as we passed back through the bamboo forest.

It was a very strange feeling to wake up in the shadow of the Annapurna Mountain Range, bundled up to combat the cold at that higher elevation and making snow angels in the freshly felled snow, only to walk down to a lower elevation where the mountains look, smell and sound like a tropical jungle.

 

Bamboo to Jhinu (Hot Springs)

Everything from here on down feels like it moved so fast. One minute we were at A.B.C., surrounded by these incredibly large and humbling mountains, the next minute we were back in a jungle, and then all of a sudden we were down below 2,000m, heading to a local hot spring.

The hot springs in Jhinu are right by a big, rushing river. With two pools, there’s plenty of space for trekkers, porters and guides to all splash around together. And the springs themselves were incredibly, well, hot. I honestly did not expect a natural hot spring to feel like a hot tub but these did.

After such an incredible (and exhausting) journey up to A.B.C., finishing off the trek (we only had a day and a half to go from Jhinu back to Pokhara) with a visit to the hot springs was a very special way of ending the journey. It was nice to see all the porters and guides having fun in the water with one another, and the springs felt amazing on the now, eight-day sore muscles.

Back to Pokhara

The final two days of the trek were pretty uneventful. The A.B.C. trek took us a different way down the mountain so we had different views to entertain us as we trekked along. At this point though, I was pretty sick (I developed a sinus infection at A.B.C. and was blowing snot rockets the whole way down the mountain) so by the time we passed the hot springs, and there were no more promises of amazing views, I was ready to get off the mountain. Having two blisters at this point and getting bitten by three leeches as well didn’t help matters.

While the trek was challenging (I definitely had no idea what I was getting myself into) and, especially towards the end as I got sicker and sicker, had more and more bug bites, and slept less and less, I think I should have hated the experience. I should have been miserable, especially during the last three days. My muscles definitely hated me (again, I learned I’m not as fit as I like to think I am). But I was happy. And pleased. And proud.

Hiking the Himalayas is something I’ve always wanted to do. Probably ever since seeing the movie “Vertical Limit” in 2001. I know. But after almost 15 years of wanting this experience, I’ve done it. And even though, two weeks later, I’m still recovering (my sinus infection turned into a cold which I just got over and I’m still trying to heal the infected bug bites that I got on the mountain, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would do it differently. I’m an experienced trekker now after all. But I would do it again.

So… Everest here I come!

My A.B.C. Experience Summed Up Like A MasterCard Commercial

10 days on the mountain
3,500 steps climbed in one day
160kms traversed (approximately)
4,130m climbed
19 “bridges” crossed
7 Dal Bhat lunches (Dal Baht power, 24 hours as the locals say)
3 sunrises
1 waterfall swim
1 hot spring
3 monkey sightings
2 mule crossings
3 goat crossings
1 bamboo forest
1 rhododendron forest
53 unknown bug bites
3 leech bites
2 blisters
2 rainstorms
1 hailstorm
1 snowstorm
1 snowball fight
2 snow angels
9 sleepless nights
1 sinus infection
2 glasses of whiskey

Adventures

Dal Baht Power 24 Hour, Summit Day aka A.B.C.…

Good lord what a day this was! Annapurna Base Camp sits at 4,130m, (the highest we were climbing) and what a mission it was to get there. “Summit” day was one of the most challenging days yet, not because it was 3,500 steep stone steps, but because we hit some interesting weather along the way that really tested our desire to make it to our end goal.

The Soundtrack of Summiting: Dig Deep

The day started early as we were expecting it to take about eight hours to get to our final destination. The first part of the day involved crossing quite a few “bridges.” I honestly think the last time I ran across a bunch of rocks to get to the other side (there’s a joke in there somewhere), was when I was 12 years old playing in the creek behind my parents’ house. And even then, it was a creek I was running across not a river with gallons of rushing water per minute that could sweep you away at any moment. It was a solid reminder of how much more respect nature deserves from us.

The views throughout the first part of the day were exactly what I was expecting when I signed up for this adventure. The snowy mountain pass was not too far off in the distance with water from the river rushing loudly beside us as we trekked along.

Everyone seemed to be in a pretty joyous mood as we were passing through all this humbling beauty. The porters even took time to play on the snowy mountainside, climbing up the hill beside the path to slide back down the icy pass.

The weather started to change after lunch though and, that in itself is a pretty incredible thing to witness. From big blue skies one minute to dark grey clouds rolling in over the mountains, completely changing the landscape and sobering up the mood of the morning.

As the heavy clouds rolled in, we prepared ourselves for an unpleasant final two hours in the trek.

And those last two hours, with the rain coming down so hard we could barely see the path in front of us, were very unpleasant. I was cold from the weather but hot from all the layers and from trekking. It was slippery pretty much the whole way up and the snow that we were walking on would give way beneath our feet, making us fall through in spots. It was a slow moving and a very long two hours.

When we finally made it to base camp, the rain changed to snow. And there was nothing to see. The clouds were still too thick and heavy. Tragic, I know. But if there is one thing I learned from this experience, it’s that weather on the mountains is entirely unpredictable. And I am nowhere near as outdoorsy as I like to think I am.

Thank goodness though, after we all made it to the top and warmed up in the dining hall with hot chocolate (yes, hot chocolate at 4,130m) the mountains had one more surprise in store for us. The clouds were dissipating. And we would get a first glimpse of what we had worked so hard to see over the past six days. The Annapurna Mountain Range.

That first glimpse was pretty mind-blowing, even with the leftover greyness in the sky from the storm. But it did not compare to what was in store for us the following morning and even that night when the stars came out. The constellations were all upside down from what I am used to, and there were so many stars in the night sky. As well, the stars just seemed to stop where the mountains “covered” the rest of the sky. It was as if we were in a little bubble on earth.

Adventures

Dal Baht Power 24 Hour, To Annapurna Base Camp…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… No amount of squats can prepare you for the Annapurna Base Camp (A.B.C.) trek. Looking back on my two-week trek, I definitely went into that experience unprepared and completely unaware about what it would entail. That being said, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The Soundtrack of Tadapani: Moon Mountain

The views throughout the A.B.C. trek are absolutely incredible. From panoramic mountain views to glorious sunrises, from a rhododendron forest to a bamboo forest, and the incredible geometrical “steps” up the side of the mountains that support the plantings from the local farming communities, A.B.C. awarded some of the most awe-inspiring views.

Each day on the mountain also provided new challenges to overcome and new beauty to look forward to. Here are the stories from those two weeks.

Pokhara to Tikhe Dhunga

The trek to Base Camp began in the tourist town of Lakeside Pokhara. After three days in the dusty madness of Kathmandu, the calmness of Lakeside Pokhara was a welcomed relief. Situated on the bank of the lake with beautiful sunsets, the Annapurna Mountain Range can be seen in the distance on clear days, reminding tourists of what is to come or what they just conquered. And after a horrendously long and bumpy bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a walk along the lake to watch the sun set was needed.

From Pokhara we took a van up and around the winding roads of the mountains, with a quick stop at a beautiful Tibetan refugee monastery, to get to our hike’s starting point of Nayapul.

This first day of hiking was fairly easy, especially in comparison to what was awaiting us the next day. Although, since we were still at a lower elevation, it was very hot. After a few hours of walking slowly uphill, we passed by a waterfall where three young boys from a local village could be heard playing and fishing.

A quick dip in the waterfall looked very inviting so our group hiked on down to the waterfall. That was probably the best decision we made. That waterfall was one of the most refreshing swims I’ve ever had. And with a crowd of people to watch them now, the boys stopped fishing and one of them leaped off from the top of the waterfall into the pool below, while the other two scrambled down the rocks to join him in the water.

Stopping shortly thereafter for a Dal Baht lunch, we could see dark clouds rolling in over the mountains, signaling to us that the weather was about to change. And what a change it was! From the hot, sunniness of the morning, the sky quickly got angry and opened up releasing a fury of hailstones. Fortunately, we weren’t too far from our rest stop for the evening, so we only had to run up a few steps for cover.

Stairway to Ghorepani

One of the things you will probably hear from anyone who has done an Annapurna trek is how many stairs there are. Seriously though, it’s neverending. And because it’s on the side of a mountain, each step is of varying height making the climb even more challenging. Some steps are big, some steps are small, some are cracked and some are wiggly. But all in all, they’re steep. And the steepest, most challenging day of steps was the second day of our journey. No easing into it. Just start climbing!

Local lore says that there are 3,500 steps during this leg of the trek. A guide counted them once. I think he was lowballing that number so as not to discourage the trekkers.

The only encouraging break from the steps is, halfway up to Upper Ghorepani you get the first amazing glimpse of the snowy peak of Annapurna South. I mean, it does take 1,750 steps to get that first glimpse, and even then its only visible on a clear day. But then you only have another 1,750 steps to go. And hopefully, not too many mules are heading downwards, needing to get by, because there are some pretty narrow, tight spots along the route.

Poon Hill

So I would be lying if I told you the steps got better after that “Stairway to Ghorepani.” They do get less intense (for the most part) and, personally, even just after that one day of climbing, I felt stronger so the climbing did (sort of) become easier.

After the previous day’s climb, I would have been quite happy to never see a stone step again in my life (honestly it was exhausting and no, I am not being dramatic). But with the promise of a beautiful sunrise at Poon Hill, I found myself climbing, yet again, more steps. This time at 4:30 a.m. Because… You know… Sunrise.


It was actually pretty cool doing that trek in the darkness of the early morning hours. Little headlamp specks could be seen dotting their way up the mountain, looking like stars that had fallen from above to guide the way, along with the light from the moon. As the dark night sky started to fade away into the first greys of the morning light, a sense of urgency washed over me.

I did not wake up at 4:10 a.m. to still be walking up steps when the sun shone its bright little face over the mountains.

I made it though. With plenty of time to spare.

I was fortunate as well to be one of the first few people to get up there so, I had the pleasure of experiencing a calmness at the top that quickly disappeared as the rest of the trekkers made their way up. Poon Hill is a destination for many trekkers. Some simply do Poon Hill because it is a shorter four to five-day trek, while most add it in as a side stop on their way to A.B.C.  Once the sun is really close to rising over the mountains, Poon Hill is covered with trekkers who are there for the morning show (and possibly a cup of joe, a nice surprise to drink at the top).

The sunrise truly was spectacular though. There is a beautiful view from Poon Hill of the whole mountain range with snowy peaks visible in the distance and the wind whipping the snow around making the peaks look like soft serve ice cream cones. The sun popping up over the mountains provided for some stunning contrasts between light and dark and accentuated the blues of the surrounding mountains and sky.

Ghorepani to Tadapani

After the must-see sunrise at Poon Hill, we headed back down to Ghorepani for breakfast before continuing on to our next destination at Tadapani, known for its panoramic views of the mountains.

The hike to Tadapani was a lot more pleasant than the Stairway to Ghorepani. It was more of a steady increase and decrease in elevation and not as steep. This hike also took us through a rhododendron forest which is one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen.

The trees themselves were twisted and warped and covered in moss. Not many trees were blooming while we were there but the few that did have the red and pink flowers on them were stunning. With the snowy mountains visible in the background, this hike was surreal for me. There’s a bit of a disconnect between seeing the mountains in the background, mountains that aren’t that far from where you are, and then walking through the eerie forest of rhododendrons, followed by hiking alongside cool rivers and through villages and farms.

Chhomrong to Himalaya

The route from Chhomrong to Himalaya was a beautiful and hot one. The first part of the day was completely out in the open, with no cover from the sun until we reached the village of Bamboo where, you guessed it, a bamboo forest provided cover from the hot, hot sun.

The bamboo forest was quite the sight to see. Tall stalks of green bamboo shot up amidst the old, warped rhododendron trees. With a waterfall on the opposite mountain, cascading down from the mist above, it was hard to believe how different the environment could be from one spot to the next.

We officially hit 2,900m in elevation. It was noticeably chilly up here and, with the proximity to the waterfalls, the cold was a damp one that got into my bones.

It took us this long to get here but we were finally at our last stop before trekking our way up to A.B.C. Although at this point the days had started melding into one and it was hard to remember where we were even just two nights ago.