On our way to Gudel, NE Nepal

Namaste! Greetings from the phrase book of Nepal
So far I can only remember that, and dhanybhad (dun-ya-bud) which translates as thank you.
The last week of the school year went as quickly as all the others. Now we've finished our classes and cleaned up the rooms ready for the painters.
That also demanded extracting all of the residual blu-tac from under our fingernails! Cleaned out the fridge and said goodbye to colleagues. 
We've packed our bags and repacked them again with half the stuff we started with. But we have included about 7 kgs of donated pencils and stationary for the school.
We've locked the door and we're off to the airport. We plan to meet up with some of the others at the airport and we will be including a guitar in my luggage allowance that will be left at the school. 

I'm listing the planned itinerary below and hoping that at some point I will be able to add some details and images along the way. Not very likely but who knows. On the map below you can find Kathmandu and Mt Everest to the NE on close to the border with China.

Now on this map you can see a yellow trail that is an indication of where we will trek, just south of Mt Everest.

Tue Dec 4 - Thai Airways depart Singapore 8:15 via Bangkok, arrive Kathmandu 12:45. On the final leg we flew across Myannmar and Indian airspace and, being in a window seat, we could see the Ganges Delta. The approach of the flight into Kathmandu was as stunning as any view we have ever enjoyed. The pristine white peaks punching up into the brilliant blue sky above the clouds was astonishing. The profile of Everest was picked out for us by the helpful flight staff at the back of the plane. Fortunately they waited until we had landed before going on to explain that the same flight from Bangkok crashed on approach to Kathmandu in 1992. Jim met us at the airport, he had arrived about 45 mins earlier on Malaysian Airways from Sydney via Kuala Lumpur. We also met up with our guides who adorned us with the first of many marigold garlands we will wear in the next weeks and transferred to Potala Guest House across town in the suburb of Thamel where we settled into our rooms. 

Fortunately for the rest of us we found all this very stress free but the same cannot be said for Peter who had a few frantic moments looking for the remaining US$8000 he needed to pay for our trek. He did find it (thankfully, since it was our combined payments) but in the meantime his complexion changed from pink, through ashen grey to white. From now on, no matter what, he will have to feel more relaxed than he did for that few minutes. And as for the rest of us, we think he has already won the 'wacker' award for the trip so we can all continue to relax. We have already arranged our sleeping bag hire and bought the essentials like a head torch and metal water bottle. The last will double as a hot water bottle in the evenings and then, after it has cooled down overnight, it will serve as a fresh water drink bottle. I also managed a couple of hats and a bird book. In the evening we ate dinner at Helena's rooftop restaurant. It's tradition for Peter as trekking leader but God knows why, it was bloody cold. Good excuse to wear one of my new hats.

Wed Dec 5 - Kathmandu (1400m) prepare for trek. We slept well on firm beds under a generous layer of blankets. After a fabulous breakfast in the lobby we walked to the Swayambhunath complex, better known as the Monkey Temple which takes us through the city and up a hill with more than 300 steps to the best lookout position in town. There are 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Nepal, 2 are in the natural category and 2 in the cultural category. The first of the cultural sites is Lumbini (birthplace of Lord Buddha), the second is a combination of 7 monuments in the Kathmandu Valley within 20 kms of each other, together counted as one heritage site. Swayambhunath stupa is one of the 7. The 2 natural heritage sites are Chitwan National Park and Sagarmatha (Mt Everest at 8,848m). The view from the temple was hazy unfortunately but we lingered there for quite a while enjoying the spectacle and watching the people pay homage. There seems to be a simple fusion of both Buddhist and Hindu icons here. 

Kathmandu looks better from up here than at ground level. The streets are choked with pollution-spewing cars and the buildings in the districts we've seen are not embellished with any ornamentation but are stark concrete boxes stacked together with dusty roads winding between. There is no room for gardens or side walks and any attempts are coated in dust anyway. Every corner is littered with plastic bags and it is not unusual to find a pig or cow muzzling its way through the piles. Despite that, the people make every effort to keep their small store-fronts clean by constantly watering the roadside in front, sweeping and dusting. The locals all appear very friendly and do not pester for a sale if you just look and move on. 

After making our way down the hill I went off in search of a local connection card which took me a long way across town. Thank goodness I had Noboraj with me, one of our assistant guides, so I could navigate and also manage the language. It was much further than expected so we took a rickshaw home. 

Meanwhile Eric went with the rest of the group to the Durbar Square, also known as Hanuman Dhoka because of the statue devoted to this god at one of the palace entrances. The buildings here have interesting architecture dating back to the earliest of ruling kings and it remains the home of the Divine Goddess, or Royal Kumari even now. The Kumari is a young, pre-pubescent girl who is believed to be the incarnation of the demon-slaying Hindu goddess Durga. Dating back at least to the Middle Ages, the cult of the Kumari is popular among both Hindus and Nepalese Buddhists - another notable example of the mingling of religious traditions in Nepal. 

In the late afternoon we helped make up bags of scroggin (trail mix) for the trek and stowed the sports gear and musical instruments purchased by the group for the school. We had dinner at Breggins Restaurant, once again outside but warmed by a brazier. An early night after the final packing.

Thurs Dec 6 - Fly to Phaplu(2413m) and walk on to Chelsa for overnignt stay. Our guide Narandra and the porters arrived to collect us after breakfast at 7:30. Who knows when we will get the chance to upload to this again? 

(Actually we didn't get the chance again until we returned home, but that was mostly because we were too busy. We managed to access the network pretty regularly after Dec 15, only 9 days completely off the page. In the meantime I kept notes and have added and edited since.)

Our flight to Phaplu was delayed due to fog, apparently a common occurrence, but after quite a long wait in a not-too-lavish departure lounge we got away.We landed a short time later, having once again enjoyed a bird's eye view of the wonderful peaks, on an amazingly short dirt strip after dropping quickly and doing a tight 180 deg turn. 

We met the rest of the trekking party who had arrived here in advance, having walked in with our tents, food and cooking equipment then lunched in the grounds of the Everest View Guest House. We now have a total of 24 assistants:1 guide, 3 assistant guides, 1 cook, 4 kitchen staff and 15 porters. Food was fantastic, if this is anything to go by we are going to be well fed. 

As we finished lunch we had the opportunity to witness a local marriage where the bride rode by on a donkey to much whooping and laughter from the rest of the village. 

Then we watched as all our equipment and belongings were assigned to the loads of each individual in the support group and they tied it into packs or baskets and began to walk. We needed some exercise too after all that waiting around and then eating, so we flung our light day packs onto our shoulders and followed. The village is very small and perched on a hillside, surrounded by more. How they managed to carve out a flat landing strip is a wonder. In no time we were beyond the village and walking on trails developed to cater for donkeys to haul loads to and from the airstrip. If you don't own a donkey, and most don't as they cost $US1,000, then you carry the load yourself.  We passed through Salleri where we came across the first of many games of tabletop snooker, this time keeping the local off-duty (?) police force occupied. 

Just before reaching the end of the walk for the day we passed a shop and Jim and I decided to poke our heads in. Lots of dried food, a cat on the lookout for rodents and some very inquisitive children who are unlikely to have seen westerners this way. We got by with charades replacing language but when Jim asked for 20 lolly pops the owner had a great deal of trouble calculating the cost. She has probably never had such an extravagant customer before. 

It was a short walk by the standards of the days to come and we all managed it well without any twisted ankles or swollen knees (well not much anyway). When we arrived at our designated spot beside a newly build monastery we found the tents had been erected for us, there were bowls of warm water for washing and a hot cup of hot tea to enjoy before a 3 course dinner served in another tent set up as a dining room. How good is that?  They even provided boiled hot water to fill our metal drink bottles. It is one of the loveliest camp sites you can imagine with a backdrop to rival the best.

Only problem was the deep chill that seeped into us all as the sun weakened and the shadows grew. The first of the Wacker Awards was presented to Peter, who won it with little challenge after misplacing the money, and a few other small mishaps on Day 1. Then Narendra told us what to expect the next day, his trip briefings became our nightly entertainment, such is his happy knack for understatement. "There will be a tiny climb," he says, followed by some "Nepalese flat" and some "gently up, then down", but overall it will be a "pleasant walk". We took to bed very early and I'm so pleased I took no notice of Peter when he said we were unlikely to need the thermals.

Fri Dec 7 - trek to Budhidanda
Woke to the most magnificent blue sky and vista that included views across valleys and foothills and the snow capped mountains in the background. We crunched across the frosty ground to get to the breakfast tent, pity those whose had to make it to the toilet tent during the night, I just hung on! We are not used to this sort of overnight temperature after 12 years in the NT and another one in Singapore. Our hired sleeping bags that are supposed to be suitable for -20deg are just not cutting the mustard. We slept in thermals, socks, hats and polar fleeces but were still cold. Tonight I will wear my slippers and gloves too!

Breakfast was served while our tents were dismantled and packed onto the backs of our porters. These guys are amazing. They overtake me while I stumble along as carefully as I can. They are often wearing thongs or slip-on sandals while carrying loads of about 70 - 80kg on their backs supported by a headband they wear across the brow. They skip over the rocks so sure footed and light on the ground. How do they do that? Some in our party have been caught reading books as they walk, studying or just reading for interest. Our bird book is popular.

Today we tackled about a 3 hr hike before lunch and another 2 hr one later. I did find the second leg testing as it was mostly downhill, about 1000m, so hard on my legs but the good news is it should be a lot warmer tonight. We found about 5 different species of birds today and are encouraging the local team to share the binoculars and help us with identification.

 That's Narendra above, our trek guide

 June, our goat whisperer

As we walk we keep meeting up with our porters who take off earlier than us but then have regular stops along the way. At the end of the day they are always well ahead of us and have delivered the tents and all our belongings so they can be ready for us as we amble in. 

After dinner the Wacker was awarded to June because along the way she had stopped to say hello to some goats and was shocked when they appeared to reply. Turns out a man building the frame of a new house nearby just happened to be answering his mobile phone at the same time.Most of the homes are very substantial, build of cut stone and rendered with mud, with wooden window and door frames. But occasionally you also find some very grim living conditions, especially  for this climate. 

Sat Dec 8 - trek to Sotang/Shivatar (1570m)
The porters are away early today so we dine al fresco for breakfast, our dining room tent already packed and in the docho of one of the porters already on the track.  

Have discovered my left knee does not like going down hill. It is fine on the up but giving me heaps going down. I'm so slow I try to walk out first each time the group stops for a rest but they soon catch me. One of the Assistant Guides, Dan (pronounced Dhan)  Bhadur has been given the duty of looking after me and he walks by my side and pays me a great deal of attention. 

Otherwise our fitness levels are fine. We are always tired by the end of the day but that's to be expected and everyone feels the same. Both of us had a stumble yesterday too but no damage done. I'm very frustrated that managing the pain means I am not enjoying bird watching at all as we walk. I've put the binoculars away in the back pack and only get them out when we pull up for the day but sometimes it is already too late for reasonable light. And this is where we are going......

Crossed this fabulous suspension bridge strung across a beautiful glacial blue river whose source begins at Everest.  Lunch was delivered to us in a paddi field, to the amusement of the local kids, beside a guest house where we had watched them preparing bagels. 

We camped just beyond Sotang, a day's walk from Gudel, which is the most substantial village we have passed with a lot of shops stocked with hardware and clothing and backpacks etc. There is a large Senior Secondary School here and a clinic.

Our camp is on a paddy field so nice flat ground and probably a bit softer than previous. The only trouble is getting up to the paddi above where our toilet tent is set up.  For supervising that small oversight I nominated Narendra for Wacker and he happily accepted.