Gulphu Bhanjyang to Sundarijal to Kathmandu

Day of the second earliest departure of the trek: 0800.

Swear I saw a 2 inch bug on the door jamb last night when I was up to use the toilet, but it was gone when we woke later on. Probably better that way; as it stands now I can pretend it was a dream, that bugs that large don't exist in the world.

Warm, sunny -- better weather than we've had for several days.

We agreed that we would walk as far as we could today in order to be in a good position the next day to hike to the end of the trail and catch the bus home. Turns out, catching the bus isn't a big worry; they run all day several times an hour. So we ended up pushing through to the end, Sundarijal, and getting home two days early.

The last uphill was a dozy (doozy, duzy...?), but the training paid off (i.e. the previous 11 days) and I made it faster than Mark expected (damn runner, walking up the hill like it's nothing!).

P.S. – I'm gonna write and complain to Lonely Planet; what they don’t tell you is that the last 2km of the trek is downhill via stone stairs. Lovely to look at, terrible on the knees. I was sore for several days afterwards. But more on post-trek life in the future.

Tharepati to Gulphu Bhabnjyang via Kutumsang

Elevation: 2141

Departure: 0700 = very early.

Today we played trail tag with the Israeli, his guide, the Australian couple, their guide, and the pair of New Zealanders and their porter. And then we couldn’t find anyone with whom to consult when we hit Kutumsung and couldn’t quite figure out the trail. So we hiked on knowing we’d either find more of Kutumsung or find Chanauti from which we could take the bus back to Kathmandu.

We found the Israeli man and his porter and were joined by the Aussies shortly after ordering lunch. We never did see the Kiwis again; wonder if they got swept away by the downpours that afternoon?

This afternoon has the auspicious honor of beholding the worst trail I have ever navigated on any continent. It was a trail cum rain gully lined with slippery, red mud down a hill with a grade of 70-ish%. In how many languages can you say ‘miserable’?

That night, for the first time, lodging was a challenge. There were two lodges in town we passed up in favor of finding the gompa, which has an affiliated lodge. ‘Course no one knew what we were talking about when Mark asked about this lodge, but we got what we thought were reliable directions uphill to many lodges. Up we went. Mind you, I was ready to stop once we hit town, so I was not thrilled to be continuing, but I had agreed to search for this mythical gompa.

One stupa, too many steep hills, and a giggling group of girls later, we came to what seemed to be a new, clean lodge staffed by three girls under 10. Onward to the Lama Hotel, where the guide of the Israeli man was trying to save rooms for the Aussies and their guide. Onward to a private home where the residents looked at us askance when we asked for a room. Onward to a very pathetic, dark lodge we just kept walking past. Onward to another modern, but very locked up lodge at the top of the hill. We sat after agreeing to give her 15 minutes and in 13 she, her son, and their buffalo had turned up to let us in.

Laurebina Yak to Gosainkund

Elevation: 4380

In the background is Gosainkund the day we were leaving -- blue sky finally!

Elevation: 4380

Dreadful up hill. Made worse by the clouds that accompanied us and then hung around all afternoon. Took a walk around Gosainkund [Gosain Lake]. Legend has it that after Shiva rid the Kathmandu Valley of snakes, he took a drink from this now sacred lake. Not sure about the legend, but I know there were many, many underpants strewn about the lakeside. Many more than one would expect in such a sexually repressed society... or maybe that's exactly what one would expect at a secluded lake in the mountains in a sexually repressed society? Quite a hike for some nookie!

Managed to beat off the hoteliers in order to walk through town to check it out. Ended up choosing the same lodge as the two Canadians (different people than from Langtang Valley), whom we had also encountered in Laurabina Yak, and we exchanged stories and heckling.

Also of note were the three Nepalis in their mid-thirties who joined us for the night at the guesthouse. These were not the noisy ones the proprietor of yesterday’s lunch spot had warned us against, but Mark did have an interaction with one of them that left a sour taste in his mouth. What to do?

Life on the trail has settled into a familiar rhythm: Breakfast. Walk, walk, walk. Snack. Walk, walk, walk. Lunch. Walk, walk, walk. Snack. Walk, walk, walk. Collapse. Dinner. Play cards/knit/read. Sleep. Repeat.

Gosainkund to Tharepati via Laurebina La

Elevation: 3600m

Photo: One of the Gosainkund area lakes

Warmer and warmer and warmer. But still wearing two shirts and the down vest. No long johns under the skirt, but that’s cause they’re still wet – the joys of doing laundry too late to catch the sun and in high humidity to boot.

Played ‘tag’ with the group of Nepalis. They hadn’t slept much the night before due to headache, probably caused by the speed at which they ascended 1500m the day before. At the lodge the night before, I advised them to stay put for the day to acclimatize, but they ‘don’t have time for that’. We played tag again today, but had lost track of them once we climbed the first half of the 10-minute-long stretch of up hill.

We stopped at the only hovel on the trail for second lunches where three Tibetan guys were hanging out playing chess. They ended up passing us on the trail a few kilometers before Tharepati, therefore closing their lodge. Hopefully the other lodge near the hovel remained open so the Nepalis had somewhere to stop.

Stopped for the night at the first lodge we encountered (the other two were up hill where I was just not feeling able to go). Again encountered the Canadians, and added two Aussies, two Kiwis, an Israeli, and a gaggle of guides and porters to our rag-tag circle.

Thulo Syabru to Laurebina Yak

Buddha’s Birthday
Elevation: 3925m

Rained all day, although not the downpour variety from a few days’ back; United States Pacific Northwest sort of rained all day. Lots of moss on the trees. Mist and fog floated by. Threat of leeches high, though none sighted.

Knew we were in Sing Gompa because of the cheese factory. It’s not actually a factory, the cheese is made somewhere downhill; it’s just sold at the factory. No use asking additional questions, I’ve found; they don’t translate well. We bought cheese, had lunch at a local teahouse and shoved on after receiving a warning from the proprietor of the teahouse not to stay at the same lodge as the large group of Nepalis who passed by during our lunch. “Very noisy. Bed late, up early. Two a.m.!” Having not encountered any trekking Nepalis on the trail to date, we had nothing to which to compare. We ended up ahead of them on the trail and never saw them again.

Dreadful up hill.

Managed to beat off the hoteliers in order to walk through town to check it out. Ended up choosing the same lodge as the two Canadians (different people than from Langtang Valley), whom we had also encountered in Laurabina Yak, and we exchanged stories and heckling.

Also of note were the three Nepalis in their mid-thirties who joined us for the night at the guesthouse. These were not the noisy ones the proprietor of yesterday’s lunch spot had warned us against, but Mark did have an interaction with one of them that left a sour taste in his mouth. What to do?

Life on the trail has settled into a familiar rhythm: Breakfast. Walk, walk, walk. Snack. Walk, walk, walk. Lunch. Walk, walk, walk. Snack. Walk, walk, walk. Collapse. Dinner. Play cards/knit/read. Sleep. Repeat.

Rimche to Thulo Syabru

‘Thulo’ means ‘big’ in Nepali, so I was wary of this place, and its hills, with good reason. The entire town is built on the side of a small mountain, which we climbed to the top of before stopping for the day. I don’t remember removing my boots at the end of the day because I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the one to do it; I think I passed out from tired before that happened.

On the way to Thulo, we managed to acquire a stray dog, which followed us for five kilometers or so before deciding that the group with the woman formerly on a horse smelled better, or worse, or something. Mark and I carried on sans dog after checking our directions with some locals and then backtracking for 20 minutes to the correct path.

Looked for the lost map as we backtracked. Map china. [Map I haven't got.]

Kyangjin to Rimche

Elevation:

Early on in the planning for this trip, it was decided that we wouldn’t risk taking the Ganja La [Ganja Pass] south, as it can be complicated by snow even in May and there are no lodgings along that route. So, today we started backtracking down the Langtang Valley. We saw Steve’s water project, which you can see more of on Mark’s website. From there, we ran to a nearby teahouse to escape what ended up being a two-hour downpour. Unfortunately, this afternoon set the tone for the rest of the trip; the afternoon rains followed us through Gosinkund and Helambu until we got to Shivapuri National Park on the last day of the trek.

We stopped at a lodge we had by-passed on the way up – the proprietor had been very confident in her cooking, her lodge, and the view it afforded. Of course it was cloudy the next morning. Turns out it was nearly a full house, complete with an outspoken Italian man, two Americans from Seattle, WA, and two French-people who would later save me from my hiking boots.

The female from Seattle is getting a Masters degree in international development some such from a university in London and doing her practical experience in Nepal. The project involves empowering Nepalis through video. Her male counterpart, like so many others we met on the trail, was on a longer tour of Southeast Asia. As it turns out, she was involved with the Room to Read crew in Seattle in its nascent days; it was enlightening to discuss both ‘Leaving Microsoft to Change the World’ (about the development of Room to Read) and ‘Three Cups of Tea’ (about a man who starts schools in Pakistan) with her.

Kyangjin, from a more philosophical perspective

Elevation: 3750m
Time on the trail: Day hike

This pretty view comes at a price. For me right now that price is an uncomfortably cold temperature, but I leave tomorrow. For the folks who live up here, it’s more than just temperature; it’s limited gastronomic, reading, and recreational choices amongst many others. Is that worth a pretty view?

Maybe not, for me as an over stimulated Westerner, but for a person who hasn’t known any differently, is it worth it? The Tibetan man, Lhakhpa, owner of this evening’s lodging, prefers the settlement of Kyangjin to Langtang Village, just two hours’ hike from here. He also has a price to pay, however.

His wife spends much of her time in Langtang Village where their families live, so he sees her only when he takes time away from the lodge. His elder sons, ages 16 and 14 go to school in Dhunche, which is a three day walk from Kyangjin, and the 9-year-old goes to school in Kathmandu, which is a three-day walk and then a nine hour bus ride from home. For Lhakpa the cost of the view includes separation from his family.

Another factor is money – how much is it that he likes the view and how much is it that this is where he can earn a livelihood? Private school is expensive, but the public schools are viewed as worthless, so his sons must be in private school. Then again, getting supplies up here is expensive since everything is carried on a human’s back or head for three days. So maybe it really is a love for the environment that keeps him this far into the mountains?

Langtang Village to Kyangjin

Elevation: Really high
Time on the trail: 1½ h

So cold, but the view is beautiful, breath taking, awe-inspiring. There is a ¾ moon illuminating the mountains, which are ringed by fog at their peaks. There are distant voices from other guest houses in the village, and the dull roar of the Bhote Koshi [River from Tibet] to the southeast.

There are probably a dozen lodges up here – more than one would think humanly possible given the difficulty in getting supplies, the cold, and the isolation. It is this plethora of lodgings that make it possible for Mark and I to have the entire place to ourselves, even though we’ve been playing ‘tag’ with four groups of people as we travel up the valley – two Canadians and their guide, three Dutch, a Swiss/French team of two and the group with the woman on the horse. Today we’ve seen all but the group with women on a horse ‘round town; wonder where they got to?

Because we had a short day – only two hours, but up 500m and into the zone for altitude sickness (we’re both fine), so it’s necessary to ascend slowly – we took a short hike into the foothills of the Himalayas. I saw my first glacier, a handful of new types of wildflowers, and weather changes that rival those of New England. No wonder people die in the mountains! (Not us, though, I’m writing this blog upon our return, remember?)

Tomorrow, after waking up to see the sunrise and then taking a nap (I’ve been promised a nap!), we’ll take another day hike, probably in the opposite direction of today’s hike and towards Langtang Glacier. I could stay up here hiking, knitting, and taking in the scenery for weeks, but we head back down the mountain, and on to Gosinkund area, in two days’ time. Speaking of knitting, check out the socks I’m making – follow the link for photos on the right side of the first page of the blog.

Riverside to Langtang Village

15 May (or 16 May according to the Army Checkpost Guard)
Elevation: 500m
Time on the trail: 5½ h

Easier hike today, or maybe it just seemed so because the pack and I weren’t fighting? Or because the blisters had already formed? Or because the cows started morphing into yaks?

One gets many recommendations for lodges on the trail, mostly from the friends and family of those who run the joint. We don’t usually shop around much, so it’s difficult to judge if there really are differences in accommodations, but Peace Full Lodge is nice as lodges go. Dinner has been had; the magazines delivered; and stories traded. We’ll wait on seeing the water project until we return this way, as we’re anxious to get to the top of the valley to see what we can see.

Steve and his wife got married earlier this year after five years of on-and-off long distance relationship from Nepal to Australia. They’re applying for citizenship for her in Australia and the plan is to spend half the year in Sydney (I think) and the other half in Langtang Village. It has yet to be seen if she’ll like Australia, Lord only knows what will become of them if she doesn’t.

If you’ve read one of my first blog posts about feeling at home in places where one has keys, then you’ll know I’m a bit jealous of these folks. Ah, to arrange such a life for myself. Wonder if I’d enjoy it in reality, though. For the past seven year I’ve moved every year; wonder how 2-3 times per year would suit me?

Syabrubesi to Riverside

Elevation: TBD
Time on the trail: 8½ h

Moved and moved and moved. My feet hurt lots. The usual spots on my collarbone are sore from the pack and I did something to my left shoulder. All in all, a good day of hiking.

Went two hours past our original destination, so that’ll make for a shorter day tomorrow – hopefully leaving enough time to do washing of body and clothes. (I originally wrote ‘selves’ instead of ‘body’, but the self, according to Buddhist philosophy, doesn’t exist. I’m trying to be mindful of my wording and how it impacts my perception of the world.)

Mark ended up a courier, or sherpa, if you will, when we stopped at a teahouse/lodge in Rimche to escape the pre-monsoon rains. This Englishman’s girlfriend had brought him current scientific magazines when she joined him in Nepal for holiday. The Englishman met up with an Aussie who wanted to read them, but the Englishman wasn’t done with them when time came to head downhill, so he agreed to leave them at this teahouse where the Aussie could pick them up at his leisure. Turns out the Aussie, Steve, is working with his Tibetan-Nepali wife, a German friend-volunteer, and local Nepalis on a water diversion project to bring running water to Gumpa, a village 200m above Langtang Village. And this teahouse was chosen as the post office because the proprietor is the aunt of Steve’s wife.

Had two helpings of spicy pasta a.k.a. chow mien for dinner and now, at 1950, I’m ready to sleep. Gonna try to stay up past 2000 so as to sleep through the night (like timing a kid’s bedtime, eh?). We’ll see how that goes for me. Yawn.

And Mark lost the map.

Kathmandu to Syabrubesi

Elevation: TBD
Time on the bus: 10¼ h

Ten and a quarter hours bus ride up, down and over. Had a very full bladder, which nearly made me cry, particularly when the bus conductor (like a train conductor: collects money, keeps track of folks’ stops) told me we didn’t have time at that stop for me to find a loo! I went anyway and, no, the bus didn’t leave without me.

Got rained upon before we got the tarp up and even a bit afterwards, too. Oh, and rode atop the bus, hence the getting rained upon. Beautiful scenery, cautious bus driver, but very crowded bus. Had to haggle over the price of the ticket once we reached Syabrubesi (yes, yes, should have figured it out before we got on the bus…), but were comfortable with the final outcome of 460 NRs for both of us.

Walked ‘round the stupa, found a rain cover for my pack (a kid’s rain poncho, we got a picture), and ate our first trail meal.

On the road... by foot

1... 2... 3... TREK! Mark and I leave tomorrow for a 14 day trek in the moutainous area north of Kathmandu, actually two areas -- Helambu and Langtang. We will see mountains. We will breathe mountain air. We will not get lost, dismembered or hassled by the Maoists (well, the former actually could happen, but they just want money).

I am bringing the socks I'm knitting that I swore I would finish in Nepal (I work best under pressure, four weeks' worth seems sufficient) and a light paperback Murakami book. And of course my mind, with which I can meditate.

[/meditation]

After ten days of learning, two days of silence and then hanging out all day Saturday to catch up on all we didn’t say for those two days, my meditation friends and I parted ways as I leapt out of the taxi we were sharing in favor of catching a Ring Road bus to Mark’s house. But I’ll see them tonight for dinner in Thamel.

So now it’s back to Nepal-flavored life as usual. Except that I’m trying to incorporate meditation into my daily life. Already difficult, as I didn’t leap out of bed at 0545am to drink tea at 0600 to meditate at 0630, breakfast at 0730, etc. How to do this?

To make matters more complicated, because my work at the clinic is complete, I had to move out. So I’ve relocated to Patan (Mark’s flat) and don’t really have space to call my own for the next month. And we’re going trekking. Hm. Maybe I’ll put meditation on hold and work to maintain the five layperson vows of Tibetan Buddhism:

1. No killing
2. No stealing
3. No sexual misconduct
4. No lying
5. No drinking, smoking, drugs

Well, ok. I’ll work on four out of five; the ‘no drinking’ is out of the question; a beer is a rare pleasure, but one I’m not willing to renounce quite yet.

[meditation]...

The young monk's chanting has begun and our first day of silence is coming to an end. For me, it hasn't been complete silence as I've spoken to shop clerks. But the folks in the class aren't supposed to talk to each other, including making gestures, smiling, etc., and as far as I'm concerned, I haven't. Any and all communication is off-limits in favor of introspection.

As one is not supposed to boast about one's meditation/Buddhist practice, I shant say much about it. I will say that I understand why people meditate, as I do feel calmer and more focused, after only eight days of practice. It has also, as last night's guest speaker observed, filled in some of the gaps in Christian teachings in regards to applying one's goodwill to benefit others, albeit with a slightly different bent than Christianity would recommend.

I have added numerous books to my 'Read List'; I particularly recommend 'The Perfect Mirror' by Adrian Feldmann for an accessible, explanation of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and religion. Turns out there are at least two publishers of Tibetan Buddhist materials in Easter Massachusetts -- Weston and Somerville, so I'll have more books to add to the list once I've visited those fine establishments (didn't make sense to pay Rs. 100 to cover shipping of a book that's available in my home state!).