Monday, December 31, 2012

Chitwan National Park

 24 - 26 Nov 2012

We only had one sleep in at the Radisson before we were off again, this time to Chitwan National Park for 2days of jungle safari and Rhino spotting! We had to get up at 5.30am to leave by 7 for our 5hr drive, on that same road we drove on to start the trek. The windy and crazy rd. This time we were in a tiny car and the driver was mental! Because he could, he went faster around the blind corners and overtook every other vehicle on the rd, then had to slam on the breaks when another car was coming. It was insane. We got lurched forwards every time he slammed those breaks. It was impossible to sleep being thrown all over the place. I got insanely car sick and spent most of the drive with my head in my knees. Our guide who was in the front passenger seat vomited out the window. Gross.

We arrived at our resort just before 12 and were taken to our room for  nap. It was a nice little hut with a balcony overlooking the river and jungle. I loved it! Sadly though it was two single beds.

Lunch was at 1pm and was way too much food! We got a disgusting mushroom soup to start with which I barely touched, even Sam didn't like it and he likes mushroom. Then we got a massive plate of chicken, rice, potato, pasta and vegetables. I only ate half of it and said to please give me less next time.

We then had more time to relax before 3pm which was to be our jungle walk. We got a long tail boat accross the river to start the walk. Before we went on we were given the 'If we come across this animal you must do this" Speech for confrontations with Bears, Rhino's and Tigers. As nice as the walk was we saw nothing, except for a rhino's butt in the very far distance. Oh and we did see Rhino and tiger footprints - that was cool I guess. The walk was only an hr and soon we were back in our room snoozing again before dinner at 7pm.

After dinner we came across 3 adorable puppies who belonged to the resort. We very quickly fell in love with them and played with them every spare moment we had!



After breakfast the next morning we were taken for 40min in a jeep to the elephant camp where we climbed onto one of the elephants for our jungle safari. I didn't like this part because there were 3 of us on this square seat all squished in and so god damn uncomfortable. I ended up straining my back really bad and Sam's knee was bothering him. We were on that elephant for what felt like ages and only saw wild boar and a deer in the very distance. No fucking Rhino's. We did see a massive python on the ground and the elephant decided to investigate with his trunk but once he touched it he obviously figured out what it was and then freaked out lurching backwards. For a second that was exciting as we thought he was going to go ape shit. Lol.

When we came back to the camp they asked if we wanted to bathe with the elephants - how cool! Sadly I didn't bring any spare clothing so I couldn't, but Sam did. He rode the elephant bare back all the way to the river while the rest of us followed in the jeep. It was seriously entertaining to watch as the elephant kept trying to throw Sam off and succeeding! Poor Sam swallowed heaps of water and got scratched up from the Elephants prickly wrinkly skin. Still - he had a blast and was laughing the whole time!




We got back to camp in time for lunch, this time it was a much more 'Heather' type serving. We then had more time to relax until 3pm when we went on a bird watching and village walk which was boring as hell except for the cute puppies following us half the way! The village was pretty cool as well I guess, but we'd seen so many villages on our trek that we were more hoping for another jungle walk and more chance to see some Rhinos.

The walk was only an hr and soon we were back at the resort playing with the puppies, having dinner and off to bed. We left straight after breakfast in the morning, back along that windy and crazy rd. All in all we were both disappointed with a Chitwan experience. We barely did anything, we spent most of the 3days lazing around at the resort and we never saw Rhino's and that was our biggest wish. For $500 we felt severely ripped off. Still it was nice to relax after our 19day trek I suppose - and watching Sam bathe with the elephants was a huge highlight - very cool!

Tongba

 22nd Nov 2012

So we had two nights at the 5star Radisson after our grueling 19days of camping, and boy did we lap it up. We didn't leave the hotel except to eat. Our first night back we decided to check out a local restaurant down the road that would sell the Nepalese local drink 'Tongba'. Our guide Trin had told us where to find it after  we asked him about it. Sam had been told to try it from his Nepalese workmates back home in Sydney.

This restaurant was only 5mins down the road and was described so well by Trin that we no trouble finding it, the problem was it wasn't local. It was more touristy and expensive then we were expecting. And sure enough when we asked the waiter for Tonga he shook his head. They do not and never have sold Tongba.We were seriously disappointed... But still we ordered our favourite chicken chilly momo's and a Gorka beer so as not to waste his time. The momo's were by far the best we had tried yet!

When the waiter came back we asked him if he knew where to find this so called Tongba. He shook is head again and walked off. Sigh... We'll never get to try this local drink will we? We were starting to give up when all of a sudden he came back, and said " You really want to try Tongba?" We smile and nod eagerly. "Ok, follow me". So we paid our bill and then proceeded to follow the waiter out the back of the restaurant where the other waiters were sitting around smoking and staring at us, wondering why we were in their space. He led us through a back gate into a small alley and pointed to a tiny shop and said we could find it there. So off we went happily, into this dark and tiny place that ended up  being a real local restaurant. Inside there were a couple of wooden tables and no menu's anywhere. A Nepalese lady and a young girl stared at us, probably confused as to why two tourists had walked into their place. Well why one white girl had walked in with a Nepalese guy (that's right, Sam was mistaken constantly for being a local). It was obvious that neither of them spoke English. I just said "Tongba" which they both then nodded and pointed at a table for us to sit.

A few minutes later the young girl brings us this strange metal cup thing with a straw and a huge jug of boiling water. Sam and I just stare it and wonder what the hell? What do we do?

We stare at the girl puzzled and try to make out we need help. She just stares at us confused before running back to the lady who then calls something Nepalese in the back. A nice man comes out with a smile and says to us in English "New to this Tongba?" "Yes!" we both say. He smiles then lifts the lid of the jug thing, where we can see all the seeds, and pours the boiling water in to the top before closing the lid. "Now wait 5  minutes before you drink".


The whole thing was so exciting to us. We had never seen anything like it. The boiling water obviously soaks up the seeds and becomes alcohol! Its like 2minute noodles, only alcohol. Just add water! After waiting 5 minutes Sam took the first sip. "Yum, it's like a warm vodka or wine". He was hooked. I then had my swig and he was right, it was like wine! We then proceeded to take it turns and sip through the straw, refilling with hot water whenever we ran out. It took us hours. In that time we watched locals come into the restaurant, run in the back, then sit at a table and be brought their drinks or local food. There were no menus, no one sat a the table and waited to order. Every single customer went in the back first, obviously to tell them what they wanted before taking a seat. There were two groups of men that sat each side of us and ordered rum which they had with boiling water. They kept staring at me, probably wondering what I was doing in there, being the only obvious tourist!

After a few hours of sipping, we were both feeling all warm and relaxed. Finally the Tonga started to taste like just water. We did it, we sucked all the alcohol you could possibly suck from the seeds! We went up to pay "70 Rupees" The lady mouths.WHAT! that massive amount of alcohol is only 70 Rupees (75c)??

In our warm and happy state we set off 'Everest Steak House' for a big feast of red meat. Sadly we did not know where it was and no taxi drivers ever know anything either. We ended up on the other side of Kathmandu at 'Everest Hotel', a super ridiculous fancy 5 star hotel. Luckily the staff there were over friendly and helped us out. They rang Everest Steakhouse then gave the directions in Nepalese to our taxi driver. We eventually got there and found out it was in Thamel all along! Sigh... if only we'd known we would've saved alot of time and money. Ahh well, we got there and it was totally worth it in the end - yum!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Final week of the Annapurna Circuit!

 16 - 22 Nov 2012

Yes we're here! We're in our last week! Both Sam and I have decided that 19days was a bit eager and we don't think we'll do anything this long again. It sounds all good and fun on paper and online, but the real thing is way harder then anything you'd ever imagined.

So we walked 3 long and boring days after making the pass. It was like an anti climax, everyday had been leading up to 5416m, now that was over surely it was going to be a ride in the park? Even though we were going down and flat for those 3days it was miserable. Going down is alot harder on the joints and we were all aching badly. Sam ended up getting 'Trekker's knee' and was in excruciating pain. At first he just had a slight limp but by the end of the third day after the pass he could barely move. He was using two trekking poles just to keep going. Luckily the next day was rest day! We were in a small village by the river, only 1500m and much warmer. It was the perfect location for a rest day. Especially as there were hot springs 2min walk away!

As we hadn't had a shower in weeks we happily bounded down to the springs, paid the 50rupees (55c) entry and jumped straight into the boiling hot water! Omg it was so so hot. Sam overheated and almost threw up. I enjoyed the steam cleansing my skin. As great as it was to be clean, I couldn't help but notice the springs were filled with local half naked Nepalese men who were all staring at me. I was the only white person there, and female on top of that. Thankfully I had worn shorts and t-shirt over my swimmers, like I need even more attention. Sam and I noticed some locals who had bought shampoo, soap etc and were having proper showers next to the springs where the excess water was pouring out. We thought it was such a great idea and decided to bring our washing stuff the next day.

So our day off consisted of sleeping in til 10am when the tent got too hot in the sun, having a couple of beers for breakfast, lunch, more beers, afternoon wash at the springs then more beers for happy hr.



 Each time Sam and I walked down the main street of this tiny village, we kept eying the first pub which had the cheapest happy hr by a dollar or two, plus free popcorn. We were hesitant to go there because of the atmosphere. It was a real local place, super tiny with one wooden table and just a concrete room. It didn't have outside tables or balconies like the places we normally drink at. Finally for our last beer before dinner back at camp, we decided to give it a go. There were two guys sitting at the table and as we happily sipped our beer we noticed it was a spanish guy having a very broken conversation with a local Nepalese guy. Their conversation was bits of broken english and spanish. The Spanish guy knew extremely little English and the local guy knew extremely little Spanish. Soon we were joining in on this conversation and then the local guy was gone so it was just Sam and I with this Spanish guy. The communication between us was tiring. The Spanish guy starting gesturing smoke, and we were confused as to whether he wanted to sell us stuff or offer it to us. After much struggle between few words we finally just nodded our heads and all of a sudden we are sharing a hash joint with this random guy. It was enough to fuck us both up and we were soon heading back to camp for dinner giggling our faces off. We somehow managed to keep our cool in the dining tent, god knows how. Some giggles escaped me now and again but somehow I managed to make it seem normal. What a random night!

We were straight back into it the day after our rest day. Thank god for that day as all our aching muscles were able to re cooperate. Sam's knee seemed slightly better but he was still not back to himself. We went straight back up again to a village called Ghorepani which sat about 3400m. This place was famous for it's 'Poon Hill lookout' which was a steep 1hr climb up from the village. I was extremely looking forward to this view for its view of the Annapurna mountain range, but sadly, because of all the haze in Nepal it was foggy and not clear. Sam and I were disappointed.

The last 2days were agonizing as we walked down millions and millions of steps. They were seriously never ending and Sam's knee fucked up again.



Our last night of proper camping and full day trekking left us in this sweet little village surrounded by farms. Sam and I decided to get wasted and headed up to the bar which overlooked our campsite so our guides could yell out when it was time for dinner. Tonight was our last night with our porters and we would be giving out tips and thanking them for their hard work. So Sam and I proceeded to drink, and drink, and drink. At one point the staff had disappeared so we helped ourselves to beer by going behind the counter. When it was time for dinner we were well and truly shit faced. Mission accomplished. So we headed down, at our last camping meal then proceeded outside to gather in a line ready for our thank you and goodbye speeches. We had dispersed the tips into envelopes with the porters names out and each took it in turns calling them out one by one and shaking their greatful hands. It was really quite touching. Afterwards Sam and I decided on more beer and headed back up to the bar only to find out that I had left my camera there! God I'm terrible. If we hadn't wanted more beer we would have gone to bed and left the next day and I would have lost every photo from the entire trek! Thank god for beer thirst.




We finished up our trek in Pokhara where we camped in fixed tents on our last night. There were hot showers and real beds inside the tents. No more hard ground! Our guides took Chris and I on an afternoon excursion which Sam sat out because his knee was killing him. We took a small boat across the Fewa lake and climbed a 1hr steep climb up this hill to a Stupa and a magnificent few of all the mountain peaks we had just walked around in one big line up. It was magical!

That night our kitchen staff cooked us a massive feast which left us all feeling bloated and heavy. After taking the last bite I could possibly take in we get a surprise celebratory cake! As amazing as the cake was (it was to die for!) I could barely eat any. I then proceeded to fall into a food coma....ZzzZzZzzzz

We headed back to Kathmandu by air. A cute little mountain flight which had no safety instructions or announcements, you just hopped on and poof! Off it went. We could see the pilots the whole time as there was no separation between cabins which we thought was pretty cool.

We arrived in Kathmandu 3hrs later then planned due to huge delays in Pokhara, who cares though really, we were back! Back to 5star Radisson with it's massive king bed and hot shower!! We grabbed our bags from the front desk and headed on up to our room only to get inside and realize I had forgotten the combination on the padlocks to our bags. We spent an hr going through every combination one by one til we got it. Seriously an hr is not long, if I were a thief that would be a piece of cake surely? Stupid combination locks!


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Week 2 - Annapurna Circuit - Tharong Pass

 9- 15 Nov 2012

Days 9 - 11 were probably the hardest days of the whole trek. Day 9 we climbed to our camp which was at Yak Kharka, 4070m high. We got there at the usual time of 2.30pm and waited in the cold for camp to be set up so we could quickly jump into our tents and get warm. We lost the sun almost immediately which was becoming a regular thing, and at this altitude the temperature turned freezing as soon as it was gone. I really did like this camp site as we were more secluded then usual. We only had one little shack which became our dining room, thank god because the dining tent was freezing to sit in. There were yaks everywhere around us so I took some photos. I even chased a grey one down because his colour made him so different to all the other brown and blacks. Pity my pic came out blurry tho :(

We all struggled to get warm this night. We wore every layer we owned and got inside the sleeping bag and liner as soon as possible. It was too fucking cold to do anything. I couldn't even read my kindle because sticking my hands out the top of the sleeping bag to hold it would be too cold. I had started sleeping completely inside my sleeping bag by this point, head and everything. I know that would normally suffocate you but it was too fucking cold to even have my face sticking out. You would wake up with extreme sore throat and stuffy nose if you did sleep face out.

During dinner some locals who lived in the little shack told us that snow leopards were in this area. Oh cool! Too bad we'll never see them because none of us could stay outside long enough. It was straight from the dining room to our sleeping bags at 7pm and we all drifted into an uncomfortable sleep as you would in -10 in a damn tent.

As we woke up on day 10 to -11, our coldest morning yet, you could see the pain in everyone's face. Just packing up our sleeping bag and kit bags was extra hard as your hands were in agony doing anything. We eagerly ate our morning porridge and drank our hot cups of tea to warm up, but sadly that warmth didn't last long.

We started walking at the usual 7.30am but as we were now above 4000m, walking uphill was not just hard work, it was exhausting and difficult to breathe. Especially as my nose was still blocked from the flu. The cold wind against my face would burn on my stuffy nose. I don't understand how people cope with the flu in cold temperatures! It's so damn uncomfortable! At least Darwin is warm and your nose only hurts from you constantly blowing it. My feet took ages to warm up, my toes were hurting, my hands were hurting, my face,  my nose... Omg I was one massive complainer inside my head! Of course we were all in the misery together so no one actually complained out loud. You just got on with it. Within the first 10mins of walking on this freezing morning I started to get massive aches and pains in my side and back. It was like I had about 7 or 8 stitches all up my side then the top of my back which was probably from all the weight I was carrying. I wasn't very smart as I had a day pack on my back then a sling pack on my front with my heavy camera equipment in it which was putting real strain on my shoulders and top of my back. I guess because it was so cold this morning that the pain decided to really attack me.

I didn't say anything and instead fell behind everyone as I struggled to take each step. Eventually Indra, our leading guide at the front, noticed and demanded he take a bag off me. I didn't even argue and gave him my daypack, instantly pressure was lifted and I was able to keep up with everyone from then on. We climbed about 400m before we reached Tharong Pass Base Camp, where we were to have lunch. Thankfully we sat in full sun but it was of course still cold. The walking track just before base camp was very rocky and narrow, one wrong step and you would fall straight down the steep rocky mountain to your death below. I didn't want to look down as I walked but you kind of had to so you could watch your step. My stomach turned a few times as I imagined myself sleeping. There were crazy mountain bikers that had been following us the last couple of days and I watched them in amazement as they rode along these skinny ledges. Last time I did that in New Zealand I fell down and ended up with crazy bruises.

Most trekkers stayed at Base Camp, but after lunch we climbed another 400m up to High Camp, our rest stop for the night. It took us about 2hrs and was damn hard. It was incredibly steep and with the high altitude we could only walk for about 2/3mins before we had to keep stopping to catch our breath.I got a massive headache which strangely went away as soon as we stopped but came back when walking again. It was incredible to be climbing so high, as we watched ourselves get closer to the snowy peaks. We took some photos of the magnificent views which I can't wait to upload to face book! Here's a sneak peak :)

When we finally reached high camp it already felt like an achievement. We were at 4800m high! We're almost there! Just another 614m to climb and then we're going back down, to warmer temperatures and being able to breathe again! We could not stop thinking about it.

This was going to be our highest camp and coldest night. So we prepared for the worst. Before getting into our warmer layers though, we decided to climb up to this view point which sat at 5000m and looked back over the way we'd come, showing the incredible snowy peaks which use to be so much higher above us. It was a steep 200m climb but man was it worth it. The views were even more spectacular then earlier in the day!


It was freezing tho, the wind cut right through you. Sam found a friend in this guy from Melbourne called Dan. They started chatting all about the trek so far and how we're heading to South East Asia next. He apparently climbed the exhausting 600m from base camp just to get use to the altitude and see the view before climbing back down to the lodge he's staying at, only to wake up before the sun is even up and start climbing back up again. We thought he was a little bit crazy. After about 30mins up there I was getting cold, so we decided to go back down to camp and get warm.

Before it got dark the clouds drifted over us and we were completed covered in the white fog. It was soo cool! we're actually sleeping in the clouds tonight!

wake up was at 5am this time as we had to start walking by 6.30. I didn't sleep well though, maybe it was the altitude, or the cold, but I was up from 4am. I could hear people outside our tent talking and when I got up to pee I saw the mass of head torches of all the people climbing up from base camp. How sad that they didn't get to see our awesome view when we climbed it yesterday. I'm so glad our guide Trin decided on that.

It was so damn cold this morning but I have no idea what the temperature was because my travel clock froze over and was stuck on -11. Trin thinks it got to about -15. None of us could get warm. It was miserable. The pain in our toes as we walked was almost unbearable. But because we were climbing higher and had to keep stopping to catch our breathe, we just couldn't warm up! My gloves I bought in Thamel were useless and I ended up stuffing my hands in my jacket pocket which helped. My legs were frozen because I didn't have warm enough pants and of course the little bit of my face that was poking out of my hood was frozen. The worst though had to be the feet, it was like walking on knives every step you took. We were walking past snow and the sun was so far away. Still, we kept going. No giving up here. On the way we passed a couple of people suffering altitude sickness.One was a porter and he looked miserable. I was so grateful I was not in their position. It didn't look fun. The more we climbed the more exhausted we became. It took us longer to go less of a distance then normal, just because of the lack of oxygen and trying to breathe.

About 10mins before reaching the pass I felt like I was suffocating and then thought I was going to vomit. Oh shit. Nausea is one of the worst symptoms. The weight of my camera bag and my day pack starting seriously weighing like triple the weight. Every step was like I was lifting my legs through thick sinking mud. It was harder then anything I've ever experienced. We all stopped and Trin asked if I was ok, I said I felt like I was suffocating and needed to vomit. So he took my heaviest bag off, the camera bag and wow! It was like a massive weight was lifted and I was free. I was able to get up that last little bit. We made it! We reached the pass! There wasn't actually much of a view like there was leading up to it, but we were all so wrapped we made it. It was about 9.30am and the wind was harsh. Taking your hands out of gloves or pockets to take photos with the sign was agony. But we did it! And who turns up just behind us? Melbourne Dan of course! So we're all hugging and congratulating each other and taking photos nonstop. The sense of achievement was like nothing else I've ever felt before.

Then it was time to go down, down, down! We were so excited! Down meant oxygen, meant breathing again, meant no more headaches or nausea, and WARMTH!! Omg to be warm again... What does that even feel like?

Dan decided to walk with us so he and Sam had a great time talking. It passed the time quickly as walking up you obviously can't talk at all. We climbed all the way down to a village called Muktinath at 3800m which was our camp for the night. Going down was very slippery and we all had a few stacks. Sam the worst. He went completely arse up and fell on his side. He was ok, just a little sore afterwards.

We reached camp about 3pm, but as we had been walking since 6.30am it proved one of our longest and of course toughest days yet. Walking through the village to our camp we saw a few bars, so Sam and I decided to go have a few beers as a reward for such an achievement. We left camp and said we'd be back by 6.30 for dinner. We found a nice friendly guesthouse and ordered our favourite 'Tuborg' premium beer. The warmth of being inside the guesthouse was incredible - is this what we'd been missing? Slowly the afternoon moved on, we got a tipsy and more trekkers filled the dining room ordering food. This one European ordered a 'Yak burger', which Sam had been craving for days now since we saw a sign outside a guesthouse in the mountains. We were so tempted, but then we said we'd be back at camp for dinner so decided to be good and stick to that. Sam wasn't happy of course. We had about 2 long bottle necks each and we were wasted by 6pm. Maybe it was the altitude, the 5.5% alcohol or the fact we hadn't had a beer in weeks. Who knows but we were finally warm and relaxed. It was a good feeling! The guy that worked there ended up bringing us a massive plate of popcorn, I guess because we'd been there all afternoon and ordered so many beers. (4 is alot to them). It was so funny because the smell of our popcorn filled the restaurant and these Americans then wanted some! So they ordered thier own plate and probably paid...lol.

We got back to  camp at 6.30 and instantly we're freezing! Though we're quite drunk so we don't care as much. As we enter camp there were two porters standing there and Sam says drunkenly 'Good morning!... Oh I mean "Good Afternoon!... Oh "Good evening!"... Hahaha we started cracking up. They totally would've known we were drunk. We were pretty good once in the dining tent though, we were on our best behaviour. It was awesome we came back as well because we got yak momos for dinner! Our chef also baked us a chocolate cake for making tharong pass. It was really sweet.



The day after Tharong Pass was fucking miserable. It was even longer. It was mostly down and flat but the scenery was boring and we were all in agony from sore muscles of the day before. My calves, thighs and feet were so sore that every step down killed. Plus the ground was very uneven as we were mostly over rocks so it hurt your feet. Then on top of that the wind! It was hectic! You couldn't talk because it was so loud and it kept blowing dust and dirt into your mouth, eyes and nose. Sam had to take his contacts out at lunch because the wind had blown so much dust in them they were all agitated. We ended up making face masks and looked like ninjas! haha... The day was so long though and every muscle ache seemed to get worse as we walked forever. We didn't make camp til our latest time yet of 5pm. That night we were all slept like babies.


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Week 1 - The Annapurna Circuit

 3 - 8 Nov 2012

We're up at 5.30am Nov 3rd (well me earlier with my usual pre trip anxiety), Everything's mostly packed so it's just showering and breakfast before we're off at 7am on the bus. It's a rather large bus for only the three of us and Trin. Sam and I soon spread ourselves out, bags on one seat, we're on another. It's a chilly morning and I had decided to wear shorts stupidly. The windows on the bus were fucked and kept sliding open letting the cold air in so I was frozen. Eventually I took a spare couple of seats and put tights on under my shorts without the driver, his young helper and our guide seeing.

The drive was long and windy as we were driving through the mountains, following a river below. The rd was very rocky with huge potholes and it felt like we were 4wd for most of the way. It's insane how fast they go on these roads with sharp corners every couple of meters and they even have the balls to overtake on blind corners! a couple of times I felt my stomach drop but alas the driver managed to get us there safe and sound. We did stop for lunch on the way at this little local Nepalese place and had the traditional Thekali set which is a huge round dish with rice in the middle then little small bowls around the edge of different things, chicken curry, vegetables, dahl, chili sauce. It's actually pretty good. Sam and I had it our first night in Kathmandu.

After lunch, after maybe an hr or two we stopped in this little town where a whole bunch of Nepalese guys jumped on the bus. We guess these guys are our crew! (Porters, kitchen staff etc). We stayed in this town awhile and one of the porters sitting opposite the aisle of Sam and I, went to open the window quite harshly and the entire thing just shattered all over him! It was insane. There was glass everywhere! And our guide didn't even do anything about it. They just started driving and of course with the road being so bumpy and windy the glass started spreading everywhere! All the Porters had thongs on to and the glass was moving between all the aisles at everyone's feet. No OH&S standards here.

We arrived at our first camp, which was by the river just outside a local village called Bhulbhule. While our team of porters set up, Sam and I wondered down to the river to take some photos. It was quite peaceful down there and very picturesque with the mountains in the background. I ended up going back for my tripod and stayed past dark to get some nice water movement shots. Of course on the way down I somehow managed to touch a stinging nettle which fucking hurt! My whole finger swelled up and stung for like an hr but then it went away as if it never happened.

Dinner is at 6.30 in a small blue tent which became our staple 'dining tent'. There was a small camping table and chairs to fit the 3 of us and our guide Trin. We were served mushroom soup first with popcorn on the side. Now I hate mushrooms and I hate soup. lol. But this one was actually quite tasty! It didn't taste like mushrooms at all and the warmth of the soup was divine as the temperature had dropped when the sun went down. After soup we got served a few different things, fried chicken, beans, pasta with sauce and everything had the most amazing spices. Yum! Our dinner was served on metal plates which was steaming as they had obviously soaked it all in boiling water. We're definitely not going to get sick on this trek!

After our long exhausting day on the bus admiring spectacular scenery and listening to our ipods, you can imagine we were wrecked so it was an early night of bed at 8pm.

Wake up was 6am with tea and hot washing up water, then breakfast at 7am and start walking by 8am. This would be our new schedule for 19days. Though as there were only 3 of us we were ready earlier and started walking 7.30am instead.

It was a chilly 12c in the morning, but we were lower then Kathmandu so it was nowhere near our coldest yet.We start walking with all our layers on and within the first 10minutes we're all hot and stripping off to t-shirts. Already we're starting to go uphill. Not that steep but still going up. Some bits were steeper then others. As we were leaving the village some young local girls start singing and running past us then proceeded to block our path with some material so we couldn't walk. Apparently it's part of some festival at the moment where they sing and then you have to give them money to pass through. We didn't know this at that point though and were just laughing at the cuteness of it all. Our guides were talking to them in Nepalese, obviously trying to get them to move. It took alot but finally they did, only to run down further and block us once more. This time our guide Trin spoke up and so they let us through immediately but proceeded to block him and sing to him. I guess he gave himself up! He was smiling and giggling at the young girls so I think he enjoyed it!

Our first couple of days walking were pretty exhausting but we were rewarded with the spectacular scenery
 all around us. As the first week was all about going higher each night, you can imagine the mountains all around us and a few glimpses of the snowy peaks of the Annapurna range. The first 3days we wore shorts and t-shirts for the most of the days as the sun beaming down on you and going uphill makes you sweat! But stopping for lunch would be difficult as your sweaty clothes would then then make you cold.

We were provided a safe cooked lunch everyday somewhere along the way. Our crew would spend an hr in a borrowed kitchen or if we were in the wilderness then they had camping stoves and so we always got our lunch hot. I became a soup devotee as we were served it for lunch and dinner as a first course, and you always wanted it to warm you up.
We would usually reach camp by 2.30/3pm and our team of 14 porters (I know insane right for only 3 people!) would set up camp. The toilet tent always went up last which was frustrating as we were usually busting to go by the time we arrived.

It was nice to arrive in the mid afternoon so you had a few hrs to relax. In the first few days Chris and I were desperately trying to wash undies so that we'd never have to wear them two days in a row. There was never enough time for them to dry though and it would always take a couple of afternoons of hanging them out. I didn't worry about other clothes as I only had one pair of pants so they were worn everyday for the whole 19days. As we got higher and the temperatures got lower, I soon found my undies frozen when I'd return to my tent after dinner. I then had to give up washing them until we were lower again.

The days were long and hard going. Sam always managed to fly on up ahead with his damn fitness, while I hung back going at a slow pace with the guides. We walked on average 5-6hrs a day but some days were longer and some shorter. I think by our third or fourth day it was already too cold so we'd find ourselves going straight into our tents when we got to camp and keeping warm in our sleeping bags til dinner. We just couldn't stand outside as it was too cold. By our 3rd morning it was already 5c, and that was only at 1700m above sea level.

One of my favourite camps was day 3, after a long hard day of going up (me sick as a dog as I had the flu) and we stayed in a small mountain village called Timang at 2500m. We had the most spectacular view from the spot on the mountain where we camped and for the first time I was really grateful that we were camping instead of staying in the lodges like the other trekkers. I decided to climb on the roof of our dining room (which was inside at this place) and admire the view while I read my kindle and wrote in my journal. I had put on extra layers but as soon as the sun went down it instantly dropped. We were constantly losing the sun that week as it kept disappearing behind a mountain as soon as we'd get to camp. It was already 8c at 4pm! We always had tea time at 4pm when I'd have a hot chocolate to warm up. After that wore off I was in the tent trying to keep warm in my sleeping bag.

I barely ate dinner that night as my flu really started to kick in. I felt miserable. I had the whole body ache and my head and throat were killing me. My guide brought out his tiger balm which he put in a bowl of boiling water then I had to put my face over it with a towel blocking it's escape route. It was extremely intense but cleared my head up big time and helped me fall asleep at 7am. Too bad I woke at 10.30 busting to go to the toilet! Getting out of your warm sleeping bag in the middle of the night at those temperatures was not fun, but because we always went to bed straight after dinner it became a regular occurrence, needing to pee in the middle of the night.

You can imagine our getting up in 2c would feel. Well it was pretty hard, especially as my flu was in full swing and I felt miserable. Luckily there wasn't as much uphill today as we stayed pretty level, but the little sections of uphill we did go through was extremely difficult. I had no energy and I fell way behind everyone. Damn it, why didn't I bring my cold and flu medication? At least then I wouldn't have to deal with my constant runny nose!

The next few days are difficult as I have the flu and the temperature just keeps dropping as we go higher. We stay at some of the prettiest places, as we are in fact in the mountains. By the 10th November it was -7c and everything started to freeze. Our water bottles, our clothes, Sam's contacts... We would leave our hiking boots in the middle layer between our tent and the rain shield and find them frozen in the morning. You can imagine how painful it was to put our feet in our frozen shoes and then walk. Trying to keep warm became a mission. We all started dreaming of warmer places. Sam and I would talk often about Thailand, where we're heading after to Nepal, just to keep us going through each day. It was all leading up to Tharong Pass, our highest point on the trek, after that we would go downhill. But to get to Tharong Pass first was going to prove us more difficult then we ever imaged.

I remember camp on day 7 was at 3440m, (-4c early evening as soon as the sun dropped). That night was when I first felt the altitude. Just rolling over in our sleeping bag in bed would have us puffing and out of breath. I woke up that night with the most intense headache and nausea. I somehow avoided vomiting and fell back to sleep but it got me worried. I mean we still have another 2000m to climb! How the hell will I cope with the altitude? It was constantly on my mind that I wouldn't make it.

My hair was another nightmare. The weather dried it out so bad that it was the unhealthiest I've ever seen it. as we were obviously not having showers I would leave it tied up and not touch it day in day out. I couldn't even brush it. I need to condition my hair everyday just to be able to brush through it normally and even then it's usually agony. So camping back home I don't even touch it til I get back. I didn't even think that more then 2nights of not touching it would turn it into a huge matted mess. No joke, My hair was in this massive clump of matts, like you see on dogs. I touched it and it felt like a dread-lock in the making. I certainly couldn't brush it. I started freaking about that thinking I was going to have to get my hair all chopped off after the trek. Thankfully about 5/6days in, Sam spent hrs separating each strand of hair. It took forever! But eventually we did. It was still a huge tangled mess but at least it wasn't a dread lock anymore. After day 7 when we camped by the river again I decided to condition my hair. I went down and stuck my whole head in the river. It was agonizing! It felt like a million knives stabbing me. We were obviously even higher at this point and the temp was dropping to sub zero again that night. Luckily we had sun for the time I did it, but the wind was still bitey. As I came back up from the river Trin saw me and asked in horror what I had done, and I didn't dare stick my head in the river did I? He was shocked and ran off to get me a kettle of hot water so I could wash the conditioner out. I don't care how painful it was, it was 100% necessary. I have never seen my hair in that state before and I had to do something to save it being shaved off  into a buzz cut.

So the first week overall was definitely exhausting as we climbed higher each day, getting use to the colder temperatures each day and finding our own individual rhythms. I have never camped in such cold temperatures before and I don't think I ever will again. The scenery was spectacular tho, and it made it all 100% worth it. Being up in the mountains of the Himilaya's is like nothing else. Having to dodge herds of donkeys, horses, cows and goats, seeing the very different local villages, watching the local families and their daily activities all with mountainous scenery surrounding you is an experience I will hold onto forever.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

World Expeditions


 1 - 2 Nov 2012

So we arrived at the 5 star Radisson on Nov 1st and were greeted quite rudely by the World Expeditions help desk guy. We don't know what was up his arse but it must've been nasty. He did not smile and he seemed permanently angry with us. We were happy to get our room key and get away from him.

We dumped our bags and headed off down the street to find somewhere to eat. It wasn't like Thamel here, we seemed to be away from everything. We did manage to find a little restaurant though and ordered our fav chicken chili momos. The waiter said "You know, very hot?" He wasn't sure we wanted hot, "Yes that's fine" We smile happily, not aware of just how hot these momos were going to be. Sam and I are chili lovers, we eat it alot and can handle more then most people I know can. As if we wouldn't want these ones? ;)

As we are sitting there waiting for our food we suddenly hear all the kitchen staff having coughing fits and soon the bar staff are following them. We look at each other and in that precise moment a wave of chili wafts through the air and suffocates us both, leading us into coughing fits. Oh shit. Is that our momos? haha we are in for a treat! When the guy bought them out I waited patiently for Sam to have the first one. Watching his face careful, so as to see his reaction. Of course he shows nothing and raves about how amazing they are and devours one after the other. I soon join and realise how amazing they are! Wow! The sauce was delicious and I couldn't get enough! But of course they were fucking hot and the chili kept building up. Soon I was fanning myself and my lips were burning! Bloody good I have to say.

We had to meet our tour guide and other trek member in the lobby at 4.30pm. At 4.20pm our room phone rings, Sam answers, gives me a frown and says "we're coming!" in a tense voice before hanging up. It was our dear angry friend grumbling at us as to why we aren't in the lobby already. Umm hello, we still have fucking 10mins!

We get down there and meet our guide 'Trin' and an older lady by the name of 'Chris' who was from Melbourne. She seemed pretty nice but Sam was already hesitant about our trek because she was much older. Immediately Trin asks us for 2 visa photos, which we don't have on us of course. So back we go to our room. As we're in there the phone rings again. This time I answer it. The same grumpy voice snaps back at me "Are you going to the lobby!?"  I reply "yes we were just down there but he asked us to get our visa photos!". I hung up. What an arse. Seriously.

Our meeting seemed rather pointless. Other then the complimentary beer each which Sam and I fell in love with. It was Tuborg, a premium 5.5% beer we hadn't tried yet. Definitely our favourite so far. It was heavenly. We got one each and they are huge bottle necks. Chris asked for a Soda Water. Who in their right mind gets a soda water when you're given a complimentary drink??? Already we had doubts about this woman. Trin went over everything we already knew as I had read all the paperwork. Still a free beer and getting to know Trin was good. He was extremely shy and quiet and we had to keep probing things out of him, he didn't just talk on his own. It was strange.

After our meeting Sam and I caught a taxi to Thamel to find somewhere for dinner and Sam wanted to buy some light trekking pants while I wanted this fluffy jacket I'd eyed in the last few days. Most people had been asking for 2000 ($24) rupees or higher. I thought that was alot! They wouldn't go down so I refused to buy it. Again while Sam was buying his pants I tried to buy this jacket but still no luck.

We ate dinner at a Indian/Nepalese restaurant with amazing curries. I was pretty full from our lunch but still stupidly ordered anyway. My curry came with a mountain of rice and I couldn't finish it of course. After not finishing my plate the first night at the local Nepalese place I had quickly realised how they get offended as they think you don't like their food. So as I had a huge mountain of rice still on my plate Sam and I tried to sneak our when they weren't around. But as we were paying the waiter comes running over "Aww did you not like your curry?", Again we had to defend it and say I was simply too full, but it was delicious!

The next morning World Expeditions had organized a half day tour around Kathmandu. So we head down to the lobby ready for the 8.30am departure. Trin got me to hand write that Sam and I are going on the tour and sign it because apparently he was told by the Brisbane office that we weren't doing it. Wtf. How did they get that?

The tour was ok, but the guide 'Sri' talked too much crap and was really boring, so I kept zoning out. I don't think there is one thing I can even repeat on here. The first temple we went to was where the Nepalese carry out their funerals with a traditional cremation. So we are literally watching as these women are wailing around a dead body (which was covered in material). They were doing some ritual before they carried the body off to get cremated, which we could see to. It was pretty hectic. As we're watching this all of a sudden we see a monkey. I turn to point him out to Sam and as I do there is another one, and then another, and before you know it there are hundreds of them! What the hell. Where did they come from?

We walked past some gurus who were heavily dressed and painted, chanting with their legs crossed. Sri tells us that they come every day and have lots of Marijuana for breakfast before sitting here and chanting. You could pay them 100 rupee ($1.25) for a photo but I didn't like the commercial way about it.

The second temple we went to was the big Buddha. It was pretty boring here. The sun was hot as well and there was no shade. Our guide would not shut up and talked about heaps of crap we didn't care about. Eventually it was time to head back to the Radisson for our afternoon of chill out and take advantage of the free Wi Fi. We went to Thamel for lunch first then did more shopping. We had to get some more trekking items like walking poles plus I still needed that jacket as I didn't have a warm enough one and also some gloves. Sadly I had to pay 2000 rupees in the end but I got the guy down from 2,800, so thats better then nothing I suppose.

We had to meet Trin at 5pm to go over our morning plan. Again it was useless, all he told us was we had to be ready to go by 7am.

We packed our kit bags that night which included a sleeping bag, liner for the colder nights and a huge down jacket. We also charged all our camera batteries, ipods, kindle etc... Ready for 19days of camping. Who knows when we'll have power again. I fell into another restless sleep that night, wondering just how hard this trek was going to be. Little did I know then... Little did I know...

Touchdown - Kathmandu, Nepal

 29 - 30 Nov 2012


Wow, here it is - my new blog! Its way overdue as I've now been in Nepal a month but there are reasons for that other then my lazy arse. Internet was very difficult to find at first and also we did go on a 19day camping trek in the Himalayas. Luckily I kept a handwritten journal so I can relay everything in here now. Now for entry number 1 - enjoy :)

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I slept restlessly the night before we left (Oct 28th, 2012). The anticipation of our big trip weighing heavy on my mind. My boyfriend, Sam and I have been planning this since February and I cannot believe I'm finally here! His parents and sister took us out to dinner as a last goodbye meal. It was this beautiful local Italian restaurant in Bondi where everything was traditionally homemade and I had the best gnocchi I've had since my mother's Italian family made it. Sam's parents also love their wine so we were sipping some of Italy's finest red which was seriously divine. I felt truly spoilt!

After dinner we got home to Sam's bomb of a room. My shit was all over his bed as I had been sorting through it earlier and hadn't actually started packing. So of course we didn't get to bed til midnight. I had the worst sleep, like I do before any trip. Thoughts going over and over about what I still needed to pack in the morning. My alarm was set for 6am as we had to leave by 7.30, but of course I was awake every hr on the hr and then finally from 4am when I didn't actually fall back to sleep again. I eventually got up at 5.30 as I figured sleep was a lost cause. Sam was snoring away next to me as usual. Damn that boy is lucky that he never has trouble sleeping!

So after our goodbyes to his mum and sister, Sam's dad Steve drove us to the train station where we headed for Sydney International Airport. I was struggling with all my baggage already. How the hell am I going to last ex amount of months back packing through South East Asia with this much weight? I've never been that great at traveling light. My main back pack weighed in at 14.5kg, then I have my smaller back pack for carry on which we both agreed weighed almost as much as my big one, then of course my sling camera bag/hand bag type which was another few kgs due to my heavy equipment. I can see some major back problems coming ahead!

Our first flight from Sydney - Guangzhou (China) was 9hrs with China Southern Airlines who we were expecting to be a nightmare due to the bad reviews online. They completely overtook our expectations and were even better then Qantas! 9hrs was still long though, and the in flight entertainment cracked us up! Some movie with Nicole Kidman kept replaying over and over again,  but just the start of it. The movie would begin playing and roughly 5mins in the tv would fold up into the roof and disappear. Then it would happen all over again a few more times. Eventually the tv stayed down and the movie played all the way through. Sam watched it but I was busy reading 50 shades of Grey on my kindle which is extremely addictive!!

As we were coming into land the tv popped out of the roof again and had a 15min screening of exercises that you should do when flying for an ex amount of time. It was all in Chinese but had English subtitles. The funniest part was looking above the seats and seeing all the Chinese passengers with their arms in the air imitating the video! Sam and I were cracking up. I wish I got a photo....

We arrived in Guangzhou exhausted and hot as the humid heat was not something we were dressed for. Crazy to think that after a 5hr flight to Kathmandu we'll be freezing!

Guangzhou airport was confusing as hell. We got off the plane at 6pm and our flight to Nepal was departing at 7.10pm, Which mean we should've been boarding at 6.30. As we walked down the stairs of the plane we saw signs of other CSA flight numbers with Chinese yelling out to join them if your flight was one of them. After thoroughly looking we realised ours wasn't but still asked someone where we were meant to go. They yelled "Get on the Bus" so we followed everyone else, jumped on the bus and stood there nervously as we waited a 5 or 10min drive which took us to the arrivals and baggage area. Instantly we're like ahhh shit! We're meant to just be catching our connecting flight and our baggage was going to be transferred through. We started panicking a bit at this point thinking we were in the completely wrong part of the airport. Luckily there was a help desk inside which directed us the rest of the way. Far out it was confusing tho!

The flight to kathmandu zipped by as I fell into an exhausted sleep, I had been awake for over 24hrs now, plus running on only a couple hrs of sleep. Sam also drifted off and when we were woken to the cabin crew getting us ready for landing we both felt like absolute shit. We wanted bed bad.

The visa on arrival line was extremely long. I guess that's what you get for saving $75 USD each instead of organizing the visa in Australia. My bags were heavy and the airport was hot. There were pushy rude Europeans behind us trying to push in front and the whole thing was just so exhausting as the line barely moved. I think we were there for 1.5hrs in total. We managed to pick the slowest line of course and somehow that line split in two at one stage and people who were well behind us ended up passing us. It was a nightmare. We were one of the last people to be served in the end. But getting that stamp in our passport and we were on our way! Woo!

It was midnight in Kathmandu at this point, 5am in Sydney. We didn't even care anymore about trying to find a cheap place. We just wanted bed... fast. So the first guys that jumped on us with taxi for 750 Rupees and a room for $20 a night we just went with. The room had Wifi they assured us.

As we drove through Kathmandu we felt like we were in a ghost town. There was no one in sight and all the shop roller doors were pulled closed. It was really eerie... Our guesthouse was 'The Buddha Garden'. Our room was extremely basic, and definitely not worth $20 but hell, it was a room. The Wifi of course did not work, but we didn't care too much as we fell into a deep sleep.

The next day we woke reasonably early to people outside. Ahh to be in Asia, where you will never get a quiet nights sleep again. We decided to have breakfast at our guesthouse before checking out and jumping into a taxi with all our luggage set for 'Durbar Square, Freak Street", We wanted to stay at Monumental Paradise, where we were recommended to stay by my Danish couch surfer friend Anders. The taxi driver appeared confident in where we wanted to go and said 500 rupees ($6). Not knowing how far it was we just went with it. It was about midday at this point and was alot warmer then we thought it would be. Not hot by all means but it was a beautiful sunny day in the early to mid twenties.


The drive was very short, maybe between 5 or 10mins? We arrived in the middle of Durbar Square, no 'Freak Street' in sight. The driver did not know it afterall. So we paid the bastard the money and jumped out. Instantly we are asked for money as apparently you need a ticket to be in the square. We stand there looking at each other, hesitating. Luckily before we gave over more money a Nepalese guy ran over "You are staying on Freak Street right?" We both shout "Yes!" " Ahh no worries then, you don't need a ticket, follow me, I show you the way." We start to follow him and I am thinking we'll have to pay him at some point surely. He doesn't take us far, just around the corner and points down out of the square to the main street and says "Down there, go straight and you will find Freak Street!". We are extremely grateful and surprisingly he does not want any money! He was just being very friendly and helping us out. Well, even with his help we did not find Freak Street. We walked down straight as he said but it was maniac. There were locals everywhere! It was so hard to move in between all the people, scooters, tuk tuks etc. Both Sam and I suck at directions so it really was a disaster. My bags started weighing heavily down on me and I was sweating big time in the sun as I was wearing too many layers. We walked back and forth up several different streets, we asked taxi drivers, shop owners, random tourists and locals in the street. NO ONE knew this freak street. Finally a policeman directed us and we did find 'Old Freak Street'. We began walking down that but it didn't look right and it didn't turn into Freak Street. We see an Internet Cafe and hope to jump online to figure it out. But alas the line is currently down... No internet. Of fucking course.

After 2hrs of aimlessly wondering and not getting any answers from anyone who knew clearly, we decide to jump back into a taxi to Thamel, where we stayed the night before, the main tourist hub, where there are guesthouses by the bucket loads! This time it's only 200 ($2.50) rupee by taxi. Hmm, so that first one ripped us off! Of course.

We found a guesthouse for 1000 rupee a night ($12), our room had a double bed, hot water and it was very spacious so we were happy. This was our home for 2nights. I was happy to just get rid of my bags. My shoulders and back were in agony by this point. I need to do something about all the weight I'm carrying.

Our guesthouse was in the prime part of Thamel so we soon found a few places we fell in love with. 'Sams Bar' was where we had our first beer 'Ghorka'. We ate dinner at a traditional Nepalese restaurant that the locals go to on our first night and had the delicious Chili Chicken Momos for the first time (Nepalese dumplings). They have become our favourite Nepalese delicacy so far.

Both nights we went to bed at 7pm and were kept up most of the night by a raging nightclub outside our window. I guess that's what you have to deal with in the tourist hotspot of Kathmandu. We didn't do much during the day except for sleep in, eat and a little shopping for stuff for our trek.

Nov 1st we checked out and went to find a taxi to take us to the Radisson. A 5 star resort which was part of our trek package. We would be staying 2 nights there before we head off on the 19day camping and trekking in the Annapurna Circuit. As I waddled into the bustling streets of Thamel again, Sam decided to grab a tuk tuk to take us to Radisson as he agreed on our 200 rupees. I looked at this bicycle vehicle with a 2seat carriage on it and thought, "Are you Serious??". I don't know how but we managed to get on with all our luggage. My bag was half falling off the whole way and I had to grip it tightly. It was stressful. The poor guy couldn't even cycle us in parts because we were too much weight and he had to push the bike. It was insane.

Arriving at the fancy radisson in our cheap arse tuk tuk was hilarious. I wonder what people were thinking. Wow what a change tho! Every time we walked in and out of the doors there would be a well dressed Nepalese guy saluting us or putting his hands together in a praying position to say 'Namaste Madamme, Namaste Sir'. At first it was funny but then we started avoiding eye contact as we would go in and out constantly and didn't want them to keep saying it to us! Totally different to our Little cobbled streets of Themal with our budget guesthouse.

We were excited for the shower the most as we'd been dealing with no hot water or hardly any and hardly any pressure, it just trickles out so you can barely even have a shower. The Radisson was a normal hotel you get back home with super water pressure. It was heaven :)