Nepal 2014

Day 1: after leaving Sofia at 09.30, I stocked in Istanbul airport for some hours waiting for the night flight. Long wait and not enough time to go down Town. So sufficient time to watch some movies, chat with friends from the airport lounge I could hang out like 5 hours for 15 euro all inclusive.

20.00 time to get on board of Turkish airlines destination Kathmandu. I was comfortably seating and suddenly a nice smell of garlic came over. My neighbour, an Emergency doctor that had to bring back a patient from Kathmandu to Israel. The doctor was Indian with Israeli nationality. Nice chat before good night sleep.

Day 2: cruel wake up! Voice of the captain  preparing for landing. Already there! Debarquing in the morning of Kathmandu. First thing visa. 45 minutes wait, 2 forms to fulfil, 1 month, 50 $. Out of the airport with my bag happy to find the hotel driver. A lux you appreciate when arriving somewhere unknown! Hotel, shower and bed! I slept even so access Nepal hotel is located in the centre of thamel and with the noise that goes with it. I slept like baby.

Alone in this hotel room started to get bored and depressed. Time to go out and face the pollution of Kathmandu. I went for short walk in thamel. Was a bit lost in this huge bazar. Met a Guy that started to explain me thamel and the 10 main things to remember. I can only remember 4, temple of fertility, magic garden, three main streets, the first alcohol bar in Kathmandu and the 1000 rs he wanted from me.

Time to go back to hotel for beer and pasta. Still jetlagged. Bed. What ever was the noise around! I slept.

Day 3

Met the yoga teacher for a brief and he gave me a bag for maximum things I could bring. I did not tell him that I would not fit even the half of my luggage. After short brief I was again on my own. So I decided to visit the square by foot. Fun no map and gps but smiling police officers to direct you. Arriving at the square nice surprise a young smiley lady waves you, sure about you  you approach her. She wants 750 rs as fee for tourist that want to visit the square. Going at the tourist office on the square you get it prolong for free and for the time of your stay in Nepal. After a Long Walk in the centre not knowing where I was I found my way back to the hotel. Last shopping before trek and pizza before the packing casse tete!

After 1 hour of trial and error my bag was finally ready knowing that it is too much but ok.... So shower and go to bed.

Day 4

After a short night mainly because I had the felling to have my bed in the middle of Metallica concert hall, was ready to go out of Kathmandu. The yoga teacher picked me up at 07.00 with the lady that will be doing the trek with me. The bus is a good opportunity to get the sleep I lucked during last night. We arrive to besi sahar, where a jeep is waiting as well as the 2 porters, a guide and an other client, a Scottish guy. After one hour and half jeep we arrive in buhlbule where the trek will start. We have a le on, ginger and honey tea this is good fuel. Small starting a long a non pleasant road where trucks are delivering for a Chinese electro concern.   We arrive at Ngadi 930 m for the night. Nice place along the river if you forget the road. People are preparing the dinner with minimum but it seems delicious. Sumit the guide. Ruba the lady. Maheswar the yoga. David the scotish guy. Denish long haïr porter. Pribini short hair. We had a nice surprise about the briefing of next day. Wake up at 5.30 fall down from the chair making a joke... No non the Guy is serious. We should wake up, drink tea and medidate starts at 6.00. Walking starting at 8.00. Clearly here the future belongs to the one that wake up early! En lying nice dinner along the river and maybe a last beer! Watching the kitchen it looks like a factory. Waiting for thé dalbat with rice before good night sleep! Suverat tree!

Day 5

After a difficult first night mind still not relaxed and body still jet laged, thé sound of the river and the good morning call brought us out of sleep. Time to get out with a ginger tea for a yoga session....it is 5.44!

First 10 minutes meditation. After 90 minutes yoga cool at the beginning just hard to get focused with flies around.

After breakfast with nice Apple pie and eggs, we are ready to go... Still on this road made by chinese bydroelectro company with trucks so the start is not that nice but surounding is amazing even if with the fog at this altitude we barely see the mountains of Himalaya. After some climbing we arrived in a small village bahundanda. There was a Guy called yuvraj, which means prince. Hé invited me to visit his house and garden. Particularly proud of his garden with tomatoes, bananas, garlic, and also pot for the all village. He told us see I hate the city I prefer to stay in my village and smoke grass. At the Chinese factory they proposed me to work for 1 month for 300 euro. Money not important I declined. I decided to call this nice Guy Bob Marley the Nepalese. After nice chat we left bob to his house occupation preparing rooms for the evening.

We moved on to upper part of bahundanda where we had lunch but  before streching. A soup and some potetoes will do... Small rest before moving on...saw the first tibetan flags above the homes or the picks. Blue for sky, white for water, red for fire, green for brise and yellow for earth. On each of them there is a mantra. The highest, the wider the mantra will be spread as a prier. The afternoon is with a lot of up side down. Finally we found the pass and go through nice villages. The vegetation is luxurious mainly corn. We see bicks and cows...nice finally the feeling to be out of time is real. After the village of ghemu we crossed a bridge to start the horror road to jagat with dust and jeeps. About 5 km and 400 meter denivelation.

Finally arriving in jagat nice village and making us relax and comfortable. After shower we had meditation session of 45 minutes! And dinner guess what dalbat! Still dinner outside different lights coming from the villages in the mountain. Nice and ready to sleep. Tomorrow looking to Tal.

Day 6

Today nice sleep during the night. My body feels for more sleep but finally could manage 7 hours in a row. Looking at the forest and listening to the morning sound from the village waking up. Birds signing so early. We went next to school for our yoga. Starting the lesson with some cocorico. After yoga we went for breakfast. Strange muesli was waiting with hot milk. We packed and moved on direction chyamje at 1400. On the way a mix between waterfalls and buterflies, the spirit is great. Moving to the village 10.00, kids started school till 16.00. After crossing a bridge we ended in à cannabis garden. Probably the paradise for bob the nepaly. Reaching the spot of citalla on top of marshyangdi rivers for lunch. This restaurant if we could call it like that is amazing. A Fireplace and some wood and the lady started to cook. Unbelievable what she was able to cook with just fireplace. Everyone was served after 45 minutes. First time momo for me. We left the place. Was a kind of magic. 1 hour till Tal with really nice surprises like a vautour flight and we arrived on a beach along the river. We arrived in Tal with a lot of children coming back from school. Evening like usual meditation with yoga nedra. It is a the limit of getting asleep and awake. Nice but I need more relax. Hope get better tomorrow. The evening is nice we chat and make jokes. We are getting closer the nearest we come to the Day d.

Day 7

Wake up as usual 5.30 with cocorico. Nice sleep! The Countryside is waking up as well. This morning yoga was intense with new posture. In the meanwhile an ONG was setting a small camp to start a campaign on abandoned dogs with castration and vaccination. This was called Himalayan muttproject. Impressive how in middle of nowhere that put real this type of campaign. After breakfast with strange scrambled eggs we hit the road and left Tal. We joined the village of dharapani where had to check. Some statis were there. Number of tourists is rising yearly. In 2013 21000 tourists with top scorers from Israel 3000 and France 2000, Czech are 300 and Bulgarians 14. Staying for lunch in nice place called the three sisters.

It started to rain...after stretching and spaghetti, we had a short chat with a Swiss guy that was planning to stay in Monas tier for the night. After 60 min walking we saw the first mountain called manasulu above 7000. Massive! Snow seems to be a lot ... After some hesitations in Danakiu, 2200 we chose a a nice pension next to the temple and the prier weal. The idea is inside the wheal there is a tantra/prier and to make it roll diffuse the tantra. Finally a bit of time as we arrived early so I could test the water filtering pump. Working! We started then relaxation. It is starting to be chilly at this altitude. Dinner dalbad and garlic soup apparently it is good for altitude and ginger mint tea and quickly go to bed with a nice book. It seems we start an other phases of the trip.

Day 8

As usual waking up at 5.30 with ginger tea. Getting ready for yoga session. After a strange porridge as breakfast we started todays game at 9.00. Nice start with steady path and after charming way to Koto with some rhododendrons blooming. We followed the road to Chame along a river. We arrived in Chame 2700 nice quite city and administrative capital of Manang district at 14.00. In the village, in credible, wifi after 17.00 when they plug the electricity in the village. We are resting in a nice hotel called Mona Lisa with this time a bathroom in our room and not a hole for toilet for real toilets. We call it the deluxe hotel! Nice stretching session on the roof terrace and lunch. We spent the afternoon chatting with other trekkers from Germany or new Zeeland. Came the question of Diamox and if people will use it or are using it. Different opinion on the subject some say yes and other let see. From our guide point of view so long no symptoms and the urine is clear no need but it is good to have some in reserve in case. After 17.00 we went for relaxation and dinner. I had a chat with guide and yoga teacher about normal Life thing. After some time Suverattree: good night.

Day 9

The night was not so sleepy because of cramp. Wake up call was difficult... After yoga and eggs we are heading to Pisang. The view along the gorge is fantastic. We went through  bhratang where we had the regular hot mint. After the pass continued after crossing the bridge through a forest.  After we could see a massive mountain with on the top of it a rock that looked like a House. The pass up there is called the way to heaven. We reached dhukurpokhari at 3150. We had lunch and stretching. We continued through a forest that could be everywhere in Alps but not at 3200 and surrounded by mountains over 6000 m. After a while we arrived in upper Pisang at 3350. There we had a rest looking at Annapurna 2. On the fields a lot of Nepalese were collecting yarshagumba a sort of caterpillar, plant becoming animal. It is dried and sends to china as the Nepalese Viagra. It is sold 100 euro.

After we went to lower Pisang  to find the lounge and regular program shower, ginger tea, relaxation. Dinner was prepared again in a super organized kitchen and everything was cooked on the fire place. With all the effort you do not want to left aside. Along the regular dal bad with Apple pie the guide recommended us for altitude sickness garlic soup so for every meal we have garlic soup. We will see if it helps. Anyway good that all of us takes it. After to bed!

Day 10

Night was ok. In the morning some light headeake. Wake up as usual. The sun raised shortly on Chalu. On the other side Annapurna 2 top was seeing and flirting with the sun. This makes you forget all bad dreams. Yoga session and then after breakfast we are heading to Manang. Should be 5-6 hours walk in the dried upper part of Manang district. Leaving Pisang we had the trail south of the Marshyangdi river by Hondge and continues through Mungji and picturesque village of Bryanga at 3475 and we arrived in Manang at 3500 m. Everyone is staying in Manang to acclimatize. There is even a cinema where most of the people go to kill the evening. We have relaxation as well.

Day 11

Night was chaotic but get some rest till 6.00. Today is rest Day in Manang. Yoga was intense like 2 hours. After breakfast we went up to view point at 3800. It was intense. Lunch and relax to acclimatize. In the afternoon we went to a briefing on altitude sickness given by an ngo Himalaya rescue association Nepal. Very helpful with clear indications on symptoms and what to do. After they tested the blood oxygen and heart beat. Interesting to know is the oxygen at 3500 is 64% while at sea level it is 100%. Thoroung la pass will be 50%. The body needs to adapt to this low level of oxygen. After the briefing, refilling the bottles and relaxing waiting for dinner. Some went to see a movie " thin air". I had a discussion with the guys preparing the dinner as I went for my x cup of mint tea. The speciality of Manang is the yack steak. One yack costs 15 000$. Apart from the meat they produce also cheese. Tests like kachkaval bg cheese.

Day 12

Wonderful morning! Sun is rising on Annapurna 4 and 2! We are making picture of the present given by nature! So happy! This morning feels like without energy and the stomach is playing wild... Not feeling like yoga today! We start the trek. The surrounding is wonderful but the air is getting low at this altitude. We leave Manang and heading up... With the altitude we start to see some yaks. They look peaceful but with my red jacket, the guide tells me that I could be a target...moving forward the Annapurna range is completely without cloud it is magic. We see wild Life it is like a dream. This gives me the energy to move and take pictures. Arriving at the village, I feel low with energy. The guides recommended me to eat and to see. Haven spoken with a couple coming down and weather condition at la pass not being very clement; start to think if the body will follow. After discussion with the guide we decided it would be better due to the burn out feeling to call a shopper next Day.

Day 13

Next Day. The decision is taken. I feel sorry I cannot finish with the rest of the group. The stomach is not letting peace and overall feeling is powerless. The guide informs me the heli should come within an hour. The group leaves up. I waited the heli 4 hours but we are in the Himalaya. Climbing in the heli generated a kind of news of the Day for the inhabitants of the village. After it went quite fast. Within an hour we went down what took us 10 days to climb. The view of the Annapurna is stomaching if we can say so. The heli is moving to Annapurna base camp to pick up an other guy but the pass is closed. Then the heli makes a uturn inbetween two rocks. I think I ll die...but the pilot knows what hé is doing... We land in pokara. The crew ask me to go out and wait. It is 34 degree. More than 30-degree difference with this morning. The pilot tells me the pass is open we will try it again. They just start to eat a dal. Incredible Nepal! After 45 min they come back with an other person suffering like me from AMS.

After 45 min we land at Kathmandu airport. An ambulance is waiting for us. Direction hospital. After check the doctor recommend me to stay overnight. Nothing severe but to make sure. To bad. With the expérience in Nepal for sure it is not last time it is a real trek paradise but new infrastructures should preserve the trek trails and not destroy the Spirit for passing quickly tourists with jeeps!