Nepal, part 2

Picking up from the last blog, we left the Australian camp to get back on the trail after breakfast.  Jackson and I are going to tell this story together…

On our way on the trail, we got stopped by a group of kids singing a traditional trekking song called Resham Firiri (you can see an example of a  group of kids singing it here).  They usually ask for money.

Here’s some pictures of us starting on the trail, walking through the forest.

At Pothana, our guide checked us in to the “Conservation  Area” (you have to get passes to trek in certain parts of Nepal).

We stopped and had a break at Deurali where there was many chickens and roosters.  Deurali is perched on a hillside where you can have an amazing view, including Annapurna South which you can see over Cameron’s shoulder through the clouds.

After our break we got on the trail once again and continued our hike.  We mostly went downhill from Deurali to Tolka where we had lunch.  Here’s a bunch of pictures of us along the trail.  In the third one, you can see just how vertical the trail can get, where we are quite close to that house, but way above it.  There were a bunch of suspension bridges that shook and rattled when you walked on them (Daddy was scared).  Cameron got a picture with a cow who was interested in us as we walked by.

This is where we stopped for lunch.  It’s another tea house in Tolka.  Many of the tea houses that we saw on the trip had really pretty flowers around them.

From Tolka we got back on the trail headed towards Landruk which is where we stayed the second night.  It was very downhill so we got to see lots of views farms and houses.  They look really amazing with all the green scenery and hills.

In October it is rice harvest time in Nepal.  We are used to seeing rice fields as very green, but these fields were all golden with the rice very high.  In the first picture, you can see a big chunk of the field has been cut down and is ready to be processed.  In the second picture, two girls were dancing and singing in the rice fields as we walked by.

We walked by this school where the kids were at recess.  There was a big volleyball match going on.  Another group of kids entertained themselves by climbing up a barbed wire fence and then sliding down the wooden light post.

Here we arriving at the Maya Guest House in Landruk, where we set up camp for the night.  But that’s a story for the next post.

Namaste! (said while holding your hands in a prayer-like position in front of you – it means “peace be with you” in Nepalese, which people use to greet each other on the trail).

-Jackson and Mark

Nepal

In October, we went to Nepal.  It’s a life long dream for me to go there.  Beyond youthful aspirations that I would climb Mt. Everest, Nepal has always held an alure for me.  When Jackson said 18 months ago, “hey Dad, I’d like to go to Nepal” I was all in.

We flew to Kathmandu (yes, Bob Seger was ringing in my head several times during this trip) through Bangkok.  After a quick overnight in the Hyatt, we headed back to the airport the next day to fly to the smaller city of Pokhara, nestled in the Annapurna region in North-Central Nepal.

You can see from the chaotic scene at the airport that most of the traffic is headed to points outside of Nepal to get out into the mountains for trekking.  Just a short 30 minutes flight on Buddha air for us, and we arrived in Pokhara.

This picture from Pokhara airport is taken with Machapuchare (“Fishtail”) mountain in the background, a pyramid spire nearly 7,000 meters high.  Tikendra, our main guide for the trip,is in the picture with Kirsten and the kids.

We then jumped into a tour van and drove about 90 minutes to on a windy and slightly maintained road to a small village called Kande, the starting point of our trek.  We jumped out of the van, the sherpas put our stuff on their backs, or actually their heads (more on that later), and off we went.  You can see below us beginning the walk, on a trail right out of town.

The trek we took is part of a larger one known as the Annapurna Circuit.  Per Wiki Travel: “This circuit is considered one of the best treks in the world…the scenery is outstanding…this trek takes you through distinct regional scenery of rivers, flora, fauna and above all – mountains.”

This is one of the maps along the trail, representing just a small part of the overall circuit (it’s possible to take 6+ week treks in this region).  You can follow our trail in the picture below.  From Kande, we went on the trail to Pothana – Deurali – Bhichuk – Tolka – Landruk – (crossed the Modi river) – Kimi – Ghandruk – Kimche – Syauli Bazar – Chimrong – Birethanti – Nayapol.

More than walking on a trail, the trekking in Nepal is more like walking on a bumpy sidewalk since the entire length of it is laid with stone.  A bumpy sidewalk with a heck of a lot of stairs that is.  Picture yourself doing 4 hours a day on a very old Stairmaster and I think you’ll start to get the idea.

We trekked a couple of hours, to a small village called the “Australian Camp”.  This village had a few tea houses (basically the motels of Nepal), and our crew pitched our tents in the big grass area in front of this particular tea house.

They met us with a hot lemon drink and fed us a late lunch.  You can also see Tikendra here filtering water for us (twice a day he would fill up our bottles, using a state of the art filter and then putting tablets in to make sure all the bacteria were taken care of).  This is a critical part of the process to keep healthy while on the trail – both keeping hydrated to avoid altitude issues and drinking clean water.

Here is a view inside the tea house where we ate dinner, and then did some reading.  Jackson didn’t know it, but a mouse ran up the wall behind him just after I took this picture .  You can notice from the lights that there was electricity throughout this trek, but often it would flicker and even go out for short bursts of time.

Due to the 2 hours and 15 minute time difference from Nepal to Singapore, Jackson woke up awfully early the next day, so he and I got to see the sunrise.  We were met by the water buffalo you see, and had to nudge ourselves around them to get to a good viewing spot.  We saw these water buffalo prevalently throughout the trek, a key part of the ecosystem that drives life in the mountains (and also a key reason the water is so polluted, as becomes evident from the immense amount of cow pucky on the trail).

From our camp site (you can see the blue tents on the bottom right) we had a gorgeous view of the sun coming up and touching on the top of the mountains (in this case, Annapurna South, another 7,000+ meter peak).  It was stunning.

The cows decided that we had a better viewpoint, and the grass was in fact greener on our side of the path, so they came up to check us out.  It’s a little weird standing next to animals so big with horns that look like that.  Jackson wasn’t too sure.

When you’re sitting with a view like that in the bright and warm sun, it doesn’t even matter that the coffee is instant.

And thus ends the first blog entry of our Nepal trip.

-Mark

Siem Reap, Cambodia — Part III

Our final full day of our Siem Reap trip began with a boat trip on lake Tonle Sap.  Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia and has been designated a UNESCO biosphere.  The lake flow changes direction twice a year, causing it to shrink and grow drastically.  There are thousands of Cambodians who live on the lake, and who regularly move their floating houses with the movement of the water.

On our way back into town we stopped at a local home where the owners breed alligators for sale—$25 U.S.  for a baby, and $1,000 U.S.  for an adult.  Sadly, we passed.  I think it’d be hard to fit a live gator into our luggage.

After the alligator tour, we headed back to Ta Prohm.  Here are some pix from our second visit:

 

We finished our trip with an excellent lunch in town before heading to the airport.

Cambodia is breathtaking.   We’re ready to go back.

Siem Reap, Cambodia — Part II

The next day began with a drive through the countryside on our way to see more temples.  As in Sa Pa, Viet Nam, rice fields are tended by buffalo and iron plow.

We stopped and took a stroll through a typical country town day market, where people buy and trade produce and other necessities.

      

From there we journeyed to the Banteay Srei Temple, or “The Pink Temple.”  The temple is carved from pink sandstone—more hardy than the normal gray sandstone—and is dedicated to the beauty of women. 

Outside, we stopped for awhile and listened to traditional Cambodian music played by a band comprised of landmine victims.  We bought the cd.  It’s awesome.

                                  

Our next temple was the Pre Rup temple, originally built as a funerary temple.  From the very top you can see a beautiful 360 degree view of the lush countryside.

As luck would have it, our last temple visit of the day ended abruptly due to a thunderous downpour.  We were so bummed because Ta Prohm was the temple we most wanted to see, so we made the decision to revisit the site on the following day for a proper viewing.  This Buddhist temple is known for the enormous jungle tree roots that have wound their way through the original structure, giving it a mysterious presence.  The movie Tomb Raider was filmed here.

         

   

Once again we ended the night with a fish massage for the girlies.

                             

Day two in Cambodia done.  Day three up next!

Hanoi at Night–a video perspective

Here’s a video I took one night walking the streets of Hanoi that gives a sense of the vibrancy and constant activity of the city.

 

Regards, MJ