We got bad news on Wednesday morning from Wayne and Pauline at Eric's Punggol Branch. A number of our friends from Butterworth days know this couple as they were also there at the same time. They had been riding bikes at Pasir Ris Park on Tuesday when Pauline fell, trying to avoid a collision with reckless children. She badly injured her knee and had to be operated on straight away. Dr tells her she wont be weight-bearing for 2 months. Like her knee, their holiday plans are in tatters. On Thursday Eric took Michael back along the Kallang River bike trail, I warned them to ride defensively! This is the trail that requires you to carry your bike up and down the 6 overpasses. I did't feel I need to exhaust myself again, so took the easier option of a gym and steps session to fulfil my daily trek preparation. Thankfully they returned unscathed and at lunchtime we all met up for the final Mahjong lesson. There were only ever meant to be about 6 of these but the others keep requesting more and it has been fun. I suspect mahjong sets might be found under the Xmas tree this year.
On Friday morning we went for our regular walk in our local bird watching site, Bidadari. We should have expected something special when we found a male Common Goldenback in our street, not more than 100m from the condo. This woodpecker is labelled uncommon here, but this is the second time we have found it in the trees on our street.
We were then blessed with our first sighting of a family of three Oriental Pied Hornbills once we got to Bidadari. We have seen them once or twice before on the island, but never here in our local bushland. What a thrill.
Then we discovered a bevy of real bird watchers, with massive camera lenses, who were busy snapping the chestnut winged cuckoo. This bird is a scarce or uncommon winter visitor and passage migrant in Sg from the Indian Subcontinent and China. We had seen it earlier, but without binoculars had mistaken it for something else, size of a coucal but silhouette more like a flycatcher. That was a real day out for any birdwatcher.
After work on the Sunday we began our weekend with an MAE get together at Walla Walla Cafe Bar in Holland Village. This has become a popular spot for us as it is fairly central for branches as far flung as Jurong and Bukit Punjung to the west, Tampines to the east and Punggol to the NE. Judy and Roger may remember meeting up with our colleagues at the same spot. Some will be making a very quick getaway after classes next Sunday so we won't be seeing them again until early January.
Guitar practice has gone right out the window, too busy playing the ukulele. We are taking Eric's and the 2 that Peter owns with us on the trek so have been searching for songs with chords on the internet and printing off a songbook to take. I'm enjoying it so much I don't want to give Peter back the one he lent me to perform with at the Annual Dinner, so I have now purchased one of my own which will be delivered just after we get back from Melbourne. This week we will need to buy some spare stings to take with us.
Monday saw the trekkers (we have dropped off the casual walkers) tackle the longest trail on Bukit Timah again. The only good thing about this is that it is the last time for the year! It is very hard work, much harder than I did on any day of the trek last Dec. We all sweat like mad and are desperately in need of a big lunch when we finish. Then a lazy afternoon was spent tying up loose ends like printing off visas, confirming the lease arrangements for this place and tracking progress on our faulty laptop. Stayed home and watched the last episodes of Serangoon Rd.
At last we were able to collect the laptop on Tue afternoon, it has been frustrating wanting to use images or docs saved on it that we don't have anywhere else. Like the itinerary for our trek! I'll paste it below so you can keep track. We don't expect to have connectivity very often so details will follow, all in good time. If anyone needs to contact us and we are not online via skype call you can leave a message at the guest house where we begin and finish. Potala Guest House, Thamel, Kathmandu Tel: 977-1-4226566 or e-mail: potalagh@wlink.com.np
ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP (ABC) TREK
2013
Proposed Itinerary
Dec 3 Arrive Kathmandu and transfer to Potala Guest House/same day visit
Kathmandu Durbar square and/or monkey temple and back to the hotel, overnight.
(Maybe) Day sightseeing
Soyambhunath, Pashupatinath, Boudhanath and back to hotel
Dec 4 Kathmandu – explore township/ shopping / hire gear/ trek preparation
COMMENCE TREK
Day 01_Dec 5 Early in the morning transfer to the domestic airport and fly out to
Pokhara same day drive to Nayapul and trek to Tikhedhunga (1540m) overnight.
Day 02_Dec 6 Wake up early morning
at 7:00am to have breakfast at the hotel and at 8: 00 O’ clock start to climb up hill
through small village and forest about 6 to 7 hours to Ghorepani (2870m) overnight (expected to be the hardest day)
Day 03_ Dec 7 Wake up early in the morning at 5:00am and
climb up to Poon Hill (3210m) for the sunrise and to see the
panorama of mountain views and trek back to the hotel and to have breakfast at the hotel and
same day trek up hill and down hill through rhododendron and pine forest to Tadapani, (2710m)
overnight.
Day 04_Dec 8 Wake up at 7:00am and to have breakfast at the
hotel and around 8:00am start to walk about 700m down hill to
Kimrung khola (river side) and about 100m uphill to Larjung lunch there and walking up
and down hill to Chhomrong, (2210m) overnight.
Day 05_ Dec 9 Wake up at 7:00am to have
breakfast at the hotel and start trek to dawn hill about 150m to Chhorong khola (river side)
and 200m uphill to Sinuwa lunch at Sinuwa and trek via rhododendron and bamboo forest to Dovan,
overnight.
Day 06_ Dec 10 Wake up at 7:00am and start gradually uphill via riverside to
Deurali, (2710m) overnight
Day 07_ Dec 11 Wake up at 7:00am to have
breakfast at the hotel and going up hill about 4 to 5 hours,
to Machhapuchhure Base Camp (3700m) overnight.
Day 08_ Dec 12 Wake up 7:00am and trek about
3 to 4 hours to Annapurna Base Camp (4130m) overnight
Day 09_ Dec 13 Wake up early in the
morning at 5:30am for sunrise and to have breakfast at the lodge and trek back to Dovan, overnight.
Day 10_Dec 14 Wake up 7:00am and to have breakfast at the hotel and trek to
Sinuwa and lunch break
and trek to Chhomrong, overnight.
Day 11_Dec 15 Wake up same time and trek to via Kimrung River and to have lunch
at Komrong Danda and trek to Ghanduruk, overnight.
Day 12_Dec 16 Wake up same time Trek downhill to Kimrung River side and going
uphill to Landuruk
have lunch here and trek to Tolka, overnight.
Day 13_Dec 17 Wake up same time and trek to Deurali to have lunch here and
going down to Dhumpus, overnight.
Day 14 _Dec 18 Wake up same time and trek downhill to Dhampus Phedi and drive in
Pokhara (1990m).
END OF TREK
Day 15_Dec 19 One day rest/ sightseeing, Pokhara overnight
Day 16_ Dec 20 Fly back to Kathmandu and transfer to the Potala Guest House
Day 17_Dec 21 Depart, return to Singapore.
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