What My Clients Says:
Blown away by the Himalayas in Nepal
Wow. I’ve spent time in the Alps, the Andes and even the Japanese Alps near Nagano. Although all are special in their own right, the Himalaya has a genuine feeling of magic about it, that’s difficult to put your finger on. We jetted out to Nepal at the end of September 2009, and had planned a 10-day trek in the Annapurna region, in central Nepal. This was our first trekking holiday, and we didn’t really know what to expect. What we didn’t expect was to be planning our next trip, on the flight back home.
We landed in Kathmandu – Nepal’s capital – just after lunch, and to unexpected heat and humidity. It was bright and sunny but we were at the end of the monsoon season, and the atmosphere was heavy with humidity. We jumped in a taxi for a night of luxury at the beautifully restored Dwarika’s Hotel, for a bit of R&R before flying out into the mountains the following morning. Our room was filled with chocolate-brown ornately engraved furniture, and in the distance the mountain peaks beckoned us from afar.
The next morning, we had an early flight to Pokhora, a lakeside town in the Annapurna. The rest of the day was spent wandering around the lakeshore, taking in the clean air and generally getting in the mood for life in the mountains. The following day, we had another early start – a short 15-minute flight to Jomsom. We had a few minutes before departure, so we headed up to the airport roof to take a closer look at the mountains we were heading towards. It was a cloudy morning, but the snowy peaks flickered between the clouds. It was a teasing sight. We couldn’t wait to get started.
We landed in Jomson to a brilliant blue sky, and air filled with a cool freshness. As I jumped from the twin prop onto the tarmac, I looked straight up at the immediate mountain peak. Its scale was incredible. It stood towering over the valley, with cirrus clouds swirling around the top of its snowy peak. This wasn’t even the largest – an unnamed minnow at 7000m – there were other bigger brothers in the distance. This was just the start.
After meeting our guide Ashok and porter Gopal, we picked up a steaming mug of tea, en route to the start of the trail. Both were real characters – even Gopal who didn’t speak a word of English. Walking with them was like catching up with old friends – the conversation was easy and free flowing – and Ashok’s dry sense of humour and enthusiasm was infectious. The hours passed by as we wandered along the bankside of the (river) Kali Gandaki. Here the terrain was largely dry and rocky, being in the rain shadow of the mountains. The trail then levelled out onto the pebbled valley floor, and we walked alongside the small trickling river, snaking across toe valley from side to side. All around the scenery was incredible – bright blue sky, against black rock, and white snow peaks.
As we started ascending, we saw various villages dotted on the hillside, beckoning us from a distance. Often we’d see “gompas” or monasteries peaking above the rooftops. The monasteries themselves were fascinating – often painted bright white on the outside, with flat overhanging roofs, and decorated with rainbow coloured prayer flags and ornately engraved spinning wheels. Inside, the walls were painted with vivid illustrations depicting the ever revolving cycle of birth, death and re-birth. Some of the images – particularly of hell and purgatory – were incredibly vivid, with burning bodies, twisted in pain and torture. It seemed at odds with the quiet and peaceful environs surrounding it. Nevertheless it was fascinating to get an insight into Buddhist life, and to meet some of the happy-faced monks dressed in their elegant saffron robes.
The little villages themselves were unexpectedly beautiful, and the influence of nearby Tibet evident in its architecture. The small stone cottages were clustered around cobbled alley ways. The villages themselves were clean, with little or no littler on the pathways – another pleasant surprise.The food too was delicious, with all the vegetables grown in irrigated fields. Dhaal bhat – curried lentils with pickles and rice – was the staple diet. Veggie momos – similar to Chinese dim sum – were also a tasty alternative.
The daily routine of walking, eating and sleeping was incredibly relaxing and therapeutic. We would wake up each morning at dawn, with the sun clipping the tops of the snowy peaks with bright white light. Breakfast would be a light snack – usually a chipatti style flatcake, with a cup of steaming chai tea. The main meals of the day were actually around our brunch and late afternoon – two rather than three meals. We would walk for around 5-7 hours a day – along paths, river beds, and through villages. Some days were tiring with multiple ascents and descents, but it just made relaxing at the end of the day so much sweeter. The meals tasted so much better with a ravenous hunger, and once the sun set behind the mountain peaks, there was little else to do than head to bed to fall into a deep sleep. We stayed in teahouses in villages each night – each room was fairly bare, and snuggling into our 5-season sleeping bags was like bedding down in a cocoon for a season of hibernation. We were fast asleep by 8 every evening – something that was unimaginable back in the hussle of London life.
Ten days in the mountains flew by. The reality was that we were slightly unlucky in our timing in that we had caught the end of the monsoon, but for the handful of days where we had unobstructed views of the mountains, the mountain peaks were mesmerising. You could look at the views all day, hypnotised by their grandeur and scale. They had a genuine presence which you felt every step on trail.
Prior to Nepal, I had made a conscious decision not to revisit places I had been to previously. As well as having numerous other places that I wanted to visit, I also worried about the disappointment of a second trip not matching a great first trip. We had been told repeatedly that Nepal would be different, and that it would only be a matter of time before we were back – that was what always happened.
So, remaining sceptical, I was sure it would be a great holiday but didn’t expect we would return any time soon. But no sooner had we left for our flight back home, we were busy planning which region of Nepal to see next. They were right and I was wrong. I had been truly taken under the magic spell of the Himalaya, and can not wait to return.
My Next clients says:
Trekking al Campo base de los Annapurnas (Nepal)
Mi caso es un poco especial, ya que nunca había realizado un trekking y por tanto mi experiencia en todo este mundo era nula. Siempre me ha gustado viajar (supongo como a la mayoría de gente que esta leyendo este escrito en este momento), conocer gente con prioridades en la vida muy distintas a las tuyas, disfrutar de los paisajes y la mezcla entre estos y la gente que vive en ellos...
No obstante mis últimas experiencias me habían dejado un gusto agridulce, ya que como a la mayor parte de la gente, los días que puedo dedicarle a un viaje son bastante limitados y no dan para mucho. Así que en un principio le dí prioridad a la cantidad de sitios que pudiera visitar en detrimento del tiempo que pudiera disfrutar de estos. Esto me llevo al extremo que en el anterior viaje antes de hacer este trekking me pasara la mayor parte del tiempo montado en un minibus (de 6 a 8 horas al día) y que las visitas fueran express!
Así pues, decidí probar de realizar un viaje con algo más de actividad física, con un grupo de gente más reducido y que me permitiera disfrutar con tiempo los lugares por donde pasara, aunque esto significara reducir la zona geográfica a visitar. Y que mejor manera que hacerlo a pie?
Y como no, Nepal es uno de los países más atractivos para realizar este tipo de viajes, con gente muy hospitalaria y generosa y con unos paisajes únicos. Decidí hacer el trekking al campo base de los Annapurnas (también conocido como el Santuario de los Annapurnas), aunque hay una gran variedad de trekkings que se pueden realizar. No obstante por los días que disponía y por no tener experiencia en este tipo de viajes me pareció el más apropiado. Y puedo decir que hasta el día de hoy es el viaje que recuerdo con más afecto. No solo porque todo el trekking es precioso y el campo base a 4.100 m esta formado por un circo majestuoso con 14 picos de más de 7.000 m de altura, sino porque el grupo no estaba formado solo por los 10 o 11 españoles que hacíamos el viaje sino también por un grupo igual de numeroso entre porteadores y serpas, con los que compartimos todo el viaje. Las caminatas podían durar una media de siete horas al día como mucho y siempre llegábamos al sitio donde íbamos a pasar la noche por la tarde con tiempo de sobra para relajarnos, disfrutar del paisaje bebiéndote una cerveza si te apetecía, pasear un poco y conocer más a fondo los porteadores y serpas que nos acompañaban. Llegamos a hacer un vinculo muy fuerte con todo el grupo, hasta el punto que cuando llego el momento de la despedida tanto ellos como nosotros no podíamos contener las lagrimas.
Ashok fue el guía de todo el grupo y nos reímos muchísimo con él! Tiene un sentido del humor fantástico, es un trozo de pan, es muy curioso y siempre quiere saber más... resulto ser un compañero de viaje estupendo. Aunque su aspecto físico no corresponde al típico serpa que podemos tener en la cabeza, en los momentos que tubo que hacer avanzadas para confirmar la reserva de algún lodge donde íbamos a dormir, te das cuenta que tu a su lado estas oxidadísimo! Se esforzó al máximo para que no nos faltara de nada en todo el viaje y la organización con los transportes y las reservas fue perfecta. Y que decir de la comida... aunque parezca mentira, en ningún otro lugar del mundo he comido tan bien como en ese trekking. Tal es así, que con toda la caminata aún volví con algún quilo de más!
Lo mejor de todo es que me lleve un buen amigo de ese trekking. Después de 2 años y medio del viaje, Ashok nunca ha dejado de escribirme periódicamente, lo cual siempre le he estado agradecido. Siempre he pensado que hay muchísimos sitios en el mundo a visitar como para repetir uno, pero ya hace un tiempo que quiero volver a Nepal, y realizar otro trekking con Ashok. Me encantará volver a verlo...
Solo me queda recomendar este pequeño país, es precioso, su gente es maravillosa y si lo podéis hacer al lado de Ashok os garantizo que lo vais a disfrutar mucho más!
Buen viaje!
Gerard
