Day 17 - Back to Pokhara

Happy New Year! May 2017 be a year of opportunity, health and happiness!

I'm sure Cisepani is normally a quiet little town, but it certainly celebrated the New Year in style... Nepali pop music until 4am that echoed around the hills. When 'Gangnam Style' appeared on the playlist at 3:45 there may have been a couple of Aussie expletives escape from our tent...

It was a beautiful sunrise through the clouds. We just don't take the time to appreciate these things enough when we're at home.

We packed up early to head back down the hill. Before we left, we grabbed a group shot, even though about 10 porters had already headed down the hill. It's a huge group that makes these trips happen, and they really do an exceptional job.

I particularly like the resourceful way they ensure the Intrepid brand is retained. A bit of velcro and a strip of fabric, and all of a sudden 'Intrepid' can be Peregrine or Gecko!

Our guide, Padma, is an avid bird watched, and is a qualified naturalist.  Halfway down the hill he noticed a tiny bird (Black Lored Tit) in the bushes, so stopped us all to look. When he got closer, he realised that the bird was trapped in some nylon wire, so carefully freed it. The bird looks relaxed here, but he was pretty cranky throughout the process!

Lots and lots more downhill on the other side of the hill. Apparently this side is not as steep as the side we climbed yesterday!

Back in the rice paddies, and the simplicity of life is clear. 

There's a tiny school in the middle of the valley, which looked like it took kids right to the end of secondary school. The kids were all very excited to see the group of Westerners and we're hanging out the windows yelling 'Namaste'. It's been a common call from everyone we've seen - the Nepalis have been such a welcoming bunch.

On the way back to Pokhara we finally managed a picture of one of the strangest vehicles we've seen. Looks part tractor, part ute, and part lawn mowers. These are on the roads everywhere in Nepal - not sure if they would ever take off in Brisbane!

It's been a great experience and a lovely way to see in the new year. Definitely got us thinking about the next hiking trip that we might do in Nepal...

Love theBunch x

Day 16 - Hike to Cisepani

This morning we set off on our overnight hike in the foothills of the Himalayas. The morning was beautiful and clear, so we got a fabulous view of The Annapurna Range as we headed out of Pokara. It's times like this that you really appreciate how amazing our planet really is.

Our hike started near Sundarindanda, a tiny town overlooking Begnas Tal, the biggest lake in Nepal. For the first couple of hours we headed downhill, and into a valley of rice paddies. The hills on either side had been terraced by many generations of farmers, and it reminded us how hard the people in rural Nepal must work.

Our photographer works pretty hard too :)

Rural areas also remind us how to keep it simple. This bridge might was made of a few slabs of concrete on some pylons. There really isn't a need for anything else, other than some common sense by those who cross it!

The farm shacks in the valley are very basic, but all have these large haystacks out the front. This is their way of storing the hay for their animals, and at times the animals live underneath the hay and have food on tap.

After about an hour at a leisurely pace we stopped for lunch in a rice paddy beside a little village. Our chef and kitchen team put on a great spread of Puri (flat wheat bread), potato curry, veges and coleslaw - all made on site, and only a few minutes ahead of us... this was hardly the tough trek we'd expected! 

Thankfully, the trail turned skywards as we climbed to Cisepani, 1300m up. In many areas the locals have built stone steps as this is their quickest route to their village. It was lovely to climb in the fresh air, and see the hills poke through the trees.

Our porters were an incredible bunch. We were only required to bring day packs, so our sleeping bags, spare clothes, and everything needed for the campsite was carried up but the team. In total, there were 31 people to support our group of 15...crazy!!!

The porters tied a couple of big backpacks together, and the carried them using a strap on their head. One backpack would have been too heavy for most westerners on the trail, but two, with the weight in their head was unbelievable. In some ways, it seemed quite exploitative for the westerners to leave their heavy work to locals.

5 1/2 hours after we set off, we reached our campsite at the top of the hill, all set up and ready to go. Not only were the porters tough, they were quick too!!!  The site was near Cisepani, at the top of a hill at about 1300m. The town allows tour companies to use the area for a small fee - they are very entrepreneurial!

I quizzed our guide about the financial support for towns. Apparently a group of small villages are collected in a VDC - village development committee. The government supplies support collectively, and it's up to the village to determine the best way to spend the funds.

Our tents were simple and old style with steel poles and heavy fabric, and we even had foam mattresses inside. They certainly wouldn't have been this luxurious if we'd had to carry them up the hill!

In the corner of the campsite there is a run down old stone building that became the makeshift kitchen. Everything was carried up, and all the food is made fresh. The logistics are incredible when you realise that every porter and kitchen hand is an extra mouth to feed and an extra sleeping bag, and there was definitely no rationing or shortage.

The team went to extra effort to celebrate the new year. The dining tent (carried up the hill!) was decorated with balloons and candles, and the chef had made a 'Happy New Year' cake.  We opted to celebrate Sydney new year at 6:45pm, knowing that we were very unlikely to make it to midnight.

And with that, we bid farewell to 2016. Dinner and sitting around a campfire at the top of a Himalayan foothill!

Love theBunch x

Day 15 - Bandipur to Pokhara

A blanket of fog covered the valleys around Bandipur this morning. Even though the town is only 1000m high, it felt like we were a long way above the fog. 

In the distance, we could see the peaks in the distance as the sun hit their eastern side. It's such a pretty sight, and a shame that we haven't been able to capture in photos.

We stopped a couple of times along the way from Bandipur to Pokhara to take photos of the mountains. The Annapurna Range is only about 50km away, so seems to be visible from everywhere.

According to our guide, Padma, Fishtail Mountain in the picture below is one of the only mountains that has not been climbed in the region.

In the foreground, the locals are farming rice. This area achieves 2 crops per year, so is one of the more affluent.

Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal. It's on the edge of a large lake, and has fantastic views of some of the highest peaks. In other parts of Nepal, these are hidden by lower peaks.

It's hard to believe it's winter as we headed out on the lake to see a small Hindu temple where locals and tourists were making offerings on an island in the centre.

These little pedal boats were ferrying people all over. I think our pedallar would have been very pleased to have only 5 people on his boat!

December 30 is a public holiday in this part of Nepal, as the Gurung Community celebrates Tama Lhosar. Along the drive this morning we saw small street parades, and many community areas decorated with colourful flags. Men, women and children were dressed in local costumes and marched along the main highway, inches from the buses and trucks!

Meanwhile, the streets of Pokhara are blocked off for the celebrations which will also flow into New Year's Eve tomorrow. , The hotels are packed, and all the restaurants have brought their chefs into the main street to contribute to the food festival.  They're also selling cans of beer and vodka from trestle tables on the kerbside - quite strange to see. 

The Boomerang Restaurant was an interesting sight... not sure if they serve something resembling kangaroo, but it would be a fascinating combo with the Nepali cultural show!

Tomorrow we head into the hills for our 2 day trek - can't wait! This means that it will be 2017 before I post the next blog, so enjoy you new year celebrations. It will definitely be a quiet one for us!

Love theBunch x

Day 14 - Nuwakot to Bandipur

Out the door at 5:30am... almost sounds like we're home! We had the option to head to the top of the hills in Nuwakot to see the sunrise - Andrew and I took it, Emma and Alex opted to remain in their cosy little room at the farm.

The 2 hills in Nuwakot, Malika and Kalika, are just behind the farm, and provided he perfect vantage point for a pre-dawn walk. It was great to watch the local people start their day, with kids and adults hauling water up the hills.

As the sun rose, we could see a blanket of fog far below us, with more hills in the distance.

 The temple that we visited yesterday was just above the fog and, creating a very pretty scene...

Back to the farmhouse for breakfast. The team do an amazing job of of looking after their guests, particularly considering this place is well off the beaten track. The kitchen is completely open and tiny, but pumped out some fabulous food.

Leaving Nuwakot, we had no choice but to return down the hairy road (precipice) from yesterday. There's nothing nice about a bus sliding down a hill... thankfully we are all here to tell he tale!

We followed the Trisuli river West to Bandipur. The Trisuli River runs from the Langtang Range, and its name comes from the stories of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva's weapon is a trident, known as a 'Trisul'. When he came to the Himalayas the demons had created enough poison to destroy the region, so Shiva drank the poison to destroy the demons. He hit the Langtang Range with his trident to get water, and this formed Gosainkunda Lake, which then overflowed into what is now known as the Trisuli river.

We left the Trisuli River at the intersection of the Marsyangdi River, which flows from the Annapurna Range. The current bridge is an old suspension bridge that would be well past its use-by date in Australia. A new bridge is under construction, and judging by the construction we've seen so far could take a while to complete!

Bandipur is a hilltop settlement, about 150km west of Kathmandu. About 15000 people live in the region, and it's clear that they have worked hard to attract tourists to the area. The main street is lined with guest houses and coffee shops selling pastries and offering free wifi!

We're staying in a sister property to the Farm from last night, and again, it's a beautifully renovated old building.

For the next 3 nights the town is celebrating the new year with a food festival. It's decked out with bunting and music, and you can tell they're all geared up for a bug few days!

Climbing the hill on the edge of town gives a great vantage point of the town and surrounding villages. This is a pretty part of the country.

From here we also had better views of the peaks of the Himalayas. They are so majestic.

We could see the Manaslu Range pretty clearly, and then Annapurna further West, and Langtang to the East. It's hard to fathom that this is the 8th highest mountain in the world, at 8163m. The peaks look like they are floating in the distance...

So, it feels like we are getting warmer in terms of proximity to the mountains, but it's definitely getting cooler! 

Another great day in Nepal!

Love theBunch x

Day 13 - Into the hills

The Nepal part of our trip is a small group tour of the hills, valleys and mountains to the West of Kathmandu, and then rafting through the Chitwan National Park to the South.

Our morning started with a trip to the Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple), high above the Kathmandu Valley.  It's a great way to get a sense of how far this city stretches.

According to legend, the Kathmandu valley was once a lake, and the site of the temple rose spontaneously - hence the name swayambhu, meaning 'self-arisen'. 

Swayambhunath Stupa is a striking Buddhist temple, with a huge white dome symbolising the universe, topped by a gilded spire. The eyes of Buddha appear on each side of the stupa, and symbolise compassion, while the nose symbolises unity. 

Buddhist prayer flags feature throughout the site, and hundreds of Chiatya (tombs) surround the stupa. These are the resting place for monks and the most senior royals.

People file around the stupa in a clockwise direction to spin the prayer wheels and make an offering. Nearby, people make offerings at the temple of Harati Ma.  Buddhist legend says that Harati Ma (meaning mother) originally kidnapped children, but when her own children were kidnapped she sought help from Buddha. Buddha highlighted that this was a lesson for her, and made her the protector of all children.

It's not hard to see why this is nicknamed the Monkey Temple... they're everywhere. They might look cute and cuddly, however we were under strict instructions not to eat around them, and not to make eye contact. They're vicious!

We started the drive out of the Kathmandu Valley, and were quickly surrounded by beautiful hills and countryside. The rivers snake through the valleys and eventually end up at the Ganges. The length and height of this bridge gives an idea of how high the water can get after the monsoon.

This area of Nepal was felt the full impact of the earthquake in April 2015, so many of the buildings are in the process of being rebuilt. The new houses all have steel reinforced pillars, and while the lower storeys are inhabited, the building continues above.

The road to Nuwakot is one lane, steep, winding - pretty hairy at the best of times! It proved to be quite a challenge for our bus as we tried to pass muddy roadworks. The locals are putting a lot of work into retaining walls to ensure that the road doesn't fall away,

A couple of times we opted to get out and walk while the bus driver tried to get out of a boggy patch. Slipping and sliding along the side of a precipice was more of an adventure than we bargained for! 

The trip was worth it, as we reached the Nuwakot Famous Farm. Perched on the side of the hill, this gorgeous little renovated guest house is filled with quaint rooms with low doors as the Nepalese are not tall people. The food and hospitality is homely, and exceptional.

Nuwakot Palace was built in the 18th century by a King from Ghorka.  When the King from Ghorka  arrived in the area there was an existing King, but he wanted to create one great Nepal, so he dressed as a farmer to gain access to the area without conflict. The King from Ghorka went on to marry the local King's daughter, so the two lands were united.

Again, this Palace and town suffered extensive damage in the earthquake.  The people are steadily rebuilding, and while it will take time, they are making good progress with the support of the government, and commitment of the community.

From the palace we watched the sun set over the hills. We aren't anywhere near high peaks yet, but the mountain scenery is still magnificent...

Love theBunch x