Day 8 - Dhampus to Phedi (end of trekking)

Nov 30 Mon – Had our last cup of coffee from Gelu and we headed for Phedi (1.30hour) Very pleasant walk and even stopped under a Bodhi Tree and let Jangbu practise “Fairy Tale” again. He tried to sing along but only managed the few lines in the chorus bit. "Chang kai suang sou…"

The last 30mins after we heard that the van has arrived and is waiting for us, we walked very fast and soon reached the van. That’s the end of our 8 days trekking at 11am in the morning. We will go to our Pokhara hotel and will continue the day’s itinerary of Pokhara sight-seeing.

It was such a wonderful trekking experience! Most of us had wished that our trekking would carry on, and personally I will return again for more trekking in Nepal for sure.

Our appreciation to our guide, assistant guide and all the porters for their warm friendship and attentiveness throughout our whole journey in Nepal. They have made our experience that much more fun and interesting. A note about the Himalayas and the environment. The snow on the mountain peaks are fast reducing and we can see many black patches on the mountain peaks. It won't take much longer before all these natural wonders loses its beauty before our eyes. We should all do our part to protect eco-environment, every little effort counts.

read about Jangbu Sherpa, our guide and his porters in my next post!

Day 7 - Tolka to Dhampus

Nov 29 Sun - Dhampus 1770M (5hour) Breakfast time Ang Gelu brought our standard of the excellent strong coffee. The Nepali coffee is rather weak and Gelu has finally got on par to making a good cup of coffee by now. We shall miss Gelu’s coffee! Gelu personally takes care of our drinks to make sure we don’t get any tummy problems. He will fill our thermos and water bottles after breakfast and lunch with hot water or boiled water before we resume our trekking. Gelu has also become our photography model. In fact, all the boys and even Jangbu have been our models. They are all very photogenic.
Nice pleasant trek all the way almost flat and downhill with some gentle uphill. We reached the guesthouse at around 3pm, Hotel Panoramic Point.
Later we went out to the fields beside the hotel to watch a group of Nepali men play cards. We could not recognize their game. Our porters are playing volleyball. Every afternoon they will arrive the guesthouse at least 2 hours ahead of us. They will check in for us and organize our baggage and room. While waiting for us they will go into the fields to play volleyball with each other or the children there. They are brimming with vitality and laughter. We can always hear them laughing in the fields every time we arrive and their happiness is quite contagious.

On the very first day I realized I have not been laughing like them for some time. These boys who carry at least 20kgs on their backs and who walked thrice my pace can easily find many things to laugh about. I reflected on my life back home in the city and told myself I must somehow laugh more from now on. Too long living in tension in the cities can make us a very boring person. A thought came to my mind: We think we are rich with having more, but we have lost knowledge of our past and are blind to our future! Whereas the village people here; their grandfather has sat on the same old stone porch, looking at the same old lovely, balanced landscape across the terraced fields of his home valley, will probably see the same thing sitting on the same porch with their own grandchildren. Flat roofed stone houses on the terraced landscapes, with bundles of corn in husks hanging from the eaves of the house, with big rust-coloured roosters prancing on the stone walls, black dogs basking in the sun beneath hedges of marigolds and bouganvillas. A farmer plowing in his small field with his cow without any whip, talking quietly to the animal, guiding it back and forth. The animal obeyed perfectly. This place is so peaceful and beautiful it makes me want to stay and linger.

The boys saw us in the field and came to join us. Jangbu brought a big bowl of popcorn and we all sat down to eat in the field. Then we suggested to teach Jangbu a Chinese song, “Fairy Tale” by Guang Liang, a Malaysian singer.
After dinner, the singing and dancing starts again. This time, they are making it into a big party. The uncle of the inn came in, which really add life to the whole event as he forcefully and respectfully drew everyone of us from our seats to dance. Soon everyone is dancing in the small dining hall cum kitchen, the porters, the cook, the lady owner, everyone! Uncle consistently conducts quality check like our event director and made sure we really get into the groove of their dance. It lasted for one full hour and it was really fun. That uncle is a real entertainer. He sang with Jangbu and the boys the last 3 songs and then we all called it a night happily.

next day... Dhampus to Phedi

Day 6 - Jhinu Danda to Landruk to Tolka

Nov 28 Sat – Jangbu arranged 6am for those who want to go to the hot springs with Ang Gelu but in the end all of us opted to sleep in.


After breakfast of hot noodle soup and pancakes, we headed out for Landruk 1600M that estimates 5.30 hours. Nice journey all the way. Now all of us are getting accustomed to the trekking and are enjoying every moment of it.

We went GaGa when we came across a mustard field with the snow mountains and vast cloudless blue sky as the back drop. We all climbed into a field and took many photos. Crushing the plants for almost 30mins until the owner came with a concerned face. Feeling very apologetic and guilty then, we tried to restore our damages and quietly made our exit.

We arrived Landruk at 12.30pm to have Dal Bhat then continued to Tolka’s International Guesthouse (pic above right). There’s decent hot water shower and after dinner Jangbu and the boys sang and danced for us. Then Finzu came to drag people to dance with him. He tried to carry Pao Wen off the chair and eventually failed. So he came over to us and Lee Chin obliged happily. I tried to dance for a while following their way but gave up. Hong Leng did a video of the dancing and singing. At 9pm the sherpas went to bed but we continued to play cards till 10pm before heading to our bedrooms.

Day 5 - Ghandruk to Chomrong - Jhinu Danda

Nov 27 Fri - After a good breakfast of hot noodle soup, we got mischievous and started doing warming up in the garden with some yoga warrior poses. Someone started taking photos and we invited Ang Gelu to do yoga with us. We are a bit photo-crazy and we started taking photos of Jangbu and Ang Gelu, Finzu with Temba, Furba with Pasang, then all of them together and with us. The nuisance continued for half an hour before we all settled down to start our day’s trekking. Actually we were trying to lighten ourselves up because we know we have a tough day ahead of us to Chomrong (2020M) (5hours).

Chommrong is said to be the best place where you can see the Annapurna mountains very close and other traditional Nepalese houses in the villages. This place is the doorway to the ABC Trek – well, there was a slight change of plan and we will stay at Jhinu Danda (1730M) where there is a hot spring and Jhinu being lower it should be not as cold for us than Chomrong.

This was an amazing day of trekking! We trekked from Ghandruk down the valley to cross the river Modi Khola several times over different kinds of hanging bridges, then up the hill for lunch at Kumrong Khola’s Kumrong Guesthouse.

At 1pm the sun disappeared behind the clouds and it turned chilly. We felt quite tired and while we sat waiting for our lunch we started to feel sleepy. As there were 2 other bigger groups of trekkers before us so the kitchen is having a rush hour. Our lunch is finally ready after almost 45 mins. It’s Dhal Bhat as usual with everyone asking for extras as we were getting quite hungry after the long wait. Nice curry potatoes with papad, green cabbage, pickles and tasty dhal soup. After lunch it is 2 hours uphill to the peak to bypass the landslide area, then a long relentless downhill trek into Jhinu Danda. We trekked in the shape of a M or W on this day.

Total hours were like 6 hours (minus lunch time) and reached Jhinu Danda’s Namaste Hotel by 5.30pm. It was very tiring and our legs felt like they do not belong to us anymore. But we are getting more accustomed by now and just pushed on. For a moment, I felt that we were just like the mules and our daily routine is to trek trek trek… minus the bells going tong tong tong…

By the time we reached the guesthouse, none of us felt like going for the hot spring. It was too late anyway. After dinner, Jangbu came to join in our card game. We taught him our game and he taught us 2 Nepali games called something like Jiputi and another one called “Kiti”. Lee Chin also taught Jangbu some Chinese phrases. We laughed a lot the whole night and are enjoying every moment of our trekking trip in the Annapurna.

see next day...Jhinu Danda to Landruk to Tolka

Day 4 - Tadapani to Ghandruk

Nov 26 Thurs - Trek to Ghandruk (1970M) (3hours) This is the most pleasant day of our trek and we took an easy time taking lots of photos on the way. We started shooting at 6am to catch the sunrise as we can see the Machapuchare very clearly from our lodge. There are so many flowers everywhere we go – on the trail, in the villages, in every tea house – flaming red poinsettias, colourful bougainvilleas, hedges of bright orange marigolds, huge roses, chrysanthemums - they are all over the Annapurna treks and you can so easily take so many beautiful photos with the flowers, the mountains, the blue sky, the clouds and of course the Nepali people, old and young. Especially the look on the children’s faces – they are so sweet. On our treks, we keep running into children on their way to school. They will greet us with their cheerful laughing voices: "Namaste!" and will very obligingly stop to pose for a photo.

This morning we found frosts on the table tops, on the grass, the roof tops – everywhere it was frosted. In fact, when we went up Poon Hill it was close to zero degree Celsius. As soon as the sun sets, the temperature drops very quickly from 20 to 13 and then at night it drops lower and lower – around 3 to 5 degrees C.

We started to trek around 9am and reached Hotel Milan around 1.30pm. The village along the trek is so picturesque. After 3 days of 5 or 6 hours trekking, today’s journey was like a breeze. Lunch will usually be Dal Bat and at 3pm we went to see the Gurung Museum for Rs50 and then took a short tour in the village around the Hotel. It gets dark soon after 5.30pm as the sun sets around that time. Later we gathered in the garden with Jangbu and the porters and Jangbu started to teach us the song: Resam Feriri. Very soon I have to turn on my torch light to continue writing down the lyrics and translating the meaning of the song and singing it several times together with Jangbu and the porters. As I looked up in the circle of light, I found myself surrounded with delighted faces. It was a happy moment and have kept us warm in the garden which is getting cold as dusk sets in. Dinner time each of us ordered something different from the menu but always the same soup to make life easy for the cook. We had to make our order around 5pm so that it gives the much challenged cook ample time to prepare each and every dish. Salute to the cook! Hotel Milan topped all other guesthouse we have visited in serving the best food on the menu, and I mean all the food in their menu was yummy! Even before dinner finishes, we heard voices of singing and partying from the guesthouse nearby. There was a cultural troupe performing around the circuit and the singing and clapping and partying cheers went on until 10pm which is about time we all go to sleep.

see next day...Ghandruk to Chomrong

Day 3 - Poon Hill to Tadapani

Nov 25 Wed - Around 5am all our members are ready and we left our hotel into the cold darkness to start our morning hike to Poon Hill. We put on all our warm clothing and switched on our torch lights and followed Jangbu who was in the lead. Finzu walked in the middle and Ang Gelu stayed at the back of our single file assembly up the steep stone slabs to Poon Hill.

Halfway we stopped in the total darkness to gaze at the sky. It was full of stars and they looked so much nearer.

It took us about 55 mins to reach the top. It was 5 mins to 6am and still dark. But in 10 mins or so, the first light dawned on us, we started to snap away with our cameras. It was like a UN convention up there, with people from every nation as you can hear so many different languages being spoken. We are all there for the same thing, to watch the sunrise over the Annapurna Himal. The tower is already crowded with people. There is no way and too late to climb up there. The Annapurna range and Dhaulagiri peaks were very clear but until now I still cannot name all the peaks correctly. The golden rays started basking on the mountain tops. It was a solemn and breath-taking sight. And so very cold as our fingers are freezing and painful from being exposed for taking photographs. After one hour, when the light brought sanity back to us, we started to take our group photos.

We spent 2 hours on Poon Hill. Then trekked down back to the hotel for breakfast and get ready to move on to Tadapani 2700M which will take 5 hours to trek down a 510M descend, long way down. We had fried noodles for lunch at Banathanti’s Sunrise Lodge and stayed at Fishtail View Toplodge (2630M). That night some of us had pizza and spaghetti and some of us had fried potatoes with cheese and eggs. There was at least 3 hot pans beneath our dining tables which were full of red coals to keep us warm around the tables. Every hour the people from the teahouse will come with more hot coals to fill the pans and we kept our feet out of the range. We are beginning to laugh as well, which is a sign that we are adapting and enjoying it.

see next day... Tadapani to Ghandruk

Day 2 - Ulleri to Ghorepani

Nov 24 Tues – Woke up and felt much better. After breakfast of huge omelets and milk tea, we watch the porters who were bursting with energy like gladiators assembling our baggage and more or less sprinted away with our big backpacks doubled-up on their backs, poking fun at each other and laughing heartily. These boys are always in good spirits. Our legs reluctantly carried us up to Ghorepani (2860M), another 850M ascent with a conservative schedule of a 7 hours trek.

The itinerary said we will pass through large magar village then through giant rhododendron jungle. The shades in the forests are welcomingly cool and pleasant, but once we are under the sun it feels a bit warm again. It was all the way up up uphill!

Stopped at Nangathanti Green View Lodge to have hot honey lemon and toilet stop. Later we had lunch with fried rice at Banthanti (2660M) and continued with our uphill climb. Ang Gelu, our assistant guide, made a very nice straight walking stick from a green bamboo for YP immediately after lunch as she has no walking stick and she is dropping behind.

There was no rhododendron to be seen, only the tiny buds waiting to bloom in Jan/Feb when it’s winter. By 5pm we made it to Ghorepani’s Dhaulagiri View Lodge & Restaurant. They claimed to have hot water shower but it was rather just a cold bath, but at least we managed a bath. There was a very warm furnace burning in the dining room and so all of us sat round it for a long time to warm ourselves and dry our towels and wet hair.

There was steam coming up from our towels so you can imagine how hot was the furnace.

The boys played the Nadal and Temba taught me to count in Nepali. There was a kitten curled up cosily near the furnace and we all tried to play with it but it seemed only interested in sleeping.

Had some thukpa and momos for dinner and Jangbu brought us some raksee to try. It is a wine made from millets and tasted like Japanese sake.

Next day morning call at 4am for Poon Hill at 3210M.

see next day journal... Poon Hill

Day 1 - Pokhara to Nayapul to Ulleri

Nepal Trekking Trip Journal - Nov 22nd ~ 30th, 2009 (8 days)

(Nayapul-Ulleri-Ghorepani-Poon Hill-Tadapani-Ghandruk-Chommrong-Landruk-Dhampus-Phedi) Total distance trekked approx. 160km

Members of this trip:

From Malaysia (in alphabetical order) - Ai Lan, Ms Hing, Hong Leng, Hooi Hong, Lee Chin, Meg, Pao Wen & YP.

Our Nepal support team – Nigma Jangbu Sherpa, our guide, Ang Gelu Sherpa, our assistant guide, and our porters: Da Finzu Sherpa, Temba Sherpa, Ang Furba Sherpa and Ang Pasang Sherpa.

Note: All the height could be approximates as I get varied figures.

Nov 22 Sun - Bus ride to Pokhara (900M) from Kathmandu (1337M) at 7.30am. Stopped for lunch at Highway Restaurant at Gunadi around 12pm and arrived Pokhara bus stop at 3pm. From there our porters also arrived about 15 mins later on the next bus and took all our bags to the Base Camp Resort. We followed our guide, Jangbu to the trekking permit office to apply for the ACAP permit and we got the permits on the spot. We then walked from there to our hotel. Last minute shopping for those to get ready for Day I trekking next morning.

Nov 23 Mon - Drive to Nayapul (1070M) for about 45 mins and start our trek to Ulleri (2010M). It’s an ascent of 940M on Day 1. No small feat. Stopped for our first Dal Bhat lunch at Hille, Mamata Guesthouse. In mid morning around 11am we stopped for our first glass of Hot Lemon Honey, at Sanam Teahouse at Sudame, this will soon become our routine energy drink. Our itinerary said 4 hours but we took 6 hours to reach Ulleri. The weather is quite pleasant at 23 degrees C, but as we were going uphill all the way up 3,700 steps from Tikhedunga (1500M) very soon we started to sweat. By the time we reached the hotel, Meera Guesthouse it was close to 6pm and there was no more hot water from the solar heated shower! By dinner time, it was very cold. We sat at the table near the door as it was the only table vacant. The door is constantly being opened and left a gap with cold wind gushing in as people come in and out. The heater or furnace is crowded with guests who were here earlier than us. After a fried rice dinner, Jangbu came to brief us about tomorrow’s itinerary. Jangbu also ordered us a mustang coffee, which tasted like black coffee with vodka. We went to bed after dinner in the cold cold room as all of us were bone weary from the day's uphill climb. The blankets smelled of everything and the room reeks of the day’s smell on the trail. First day of our trekking experience in Nepal. Felt miserable.

Next day... Ulleri to Ghorepani