Take A Hike & Kathmandu, Nepal

Lakeside Pokhara, view from Hotel Tulsi

Pokhara:

Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal and filled with outfitters touting adventures to suit just about anyone. Trekking, kayaking, white water rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing, paragliding, hang gliding, and more. I arrived two weeks after Sheryl (who came early to start yoga teacher training) and I wasn't sure what to expect. But upon arrival, I fell instantly in love with the vibe, the people, and the beauty of the Annapurna mountains rising above this city. Pokhara is divided into three parts, the old town, dam side, and lakeside. Lakeside is the area where most of the tourists hang out and prepare for or decompress from their treks or other adventures. It is filled with bars, live music, cafes, and hundreds of shops selling jewelry, bags, and knock off trekking gear. While it may not be name brand, it does what it needs to do and you can't argue with the prices. I spend these two weeks mostly by myself, since Sheryl's classes take up most of the day and into the early evening. I do see her at all the meals and for a little time after, but she's exhausted, and she mostly just takes naps. Don't worry I get plenty of nap time in as well. I use my time for much needed relaxation, since we've been on the move for 3 1/2 months constantly. It was some much needed down time and my body needed the break. I also committed to no alcohol and a vegetarian diet for the entire two weeks. This wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, but believe me, after the two weeks was up I was definitely ready for some meat and a beer.

My days were mostly filled with wandering the city, going to the lake or a cafe (mostly for faster internet), or getting our trek in order (permits, gear, etc.), add in naps and watching movies the two weeks flew by. One of the best parts of Pokhara had to be the new friendships we made with the classmates from the yoga school. We have met some of the most amazing people from all over the world and hope to continue theses friendships for a life time. As a group we went paragliding together, which was so much fun. We were such a large group that we had to break into two 8 person groups. You could tell that everyone had a great time by the huge smiles when stories were told of their day.

We also started our trek with a couple from Canada, Issa and Claude, two of the nicest people you could meet. They have so much energy and love for what they do, it rubs off on you, at least for a little while. We tried to keep up with them, but they were gone like the wind. Afterwards, they did tell us they wish they would of gone a little slower to appreciate their surroundings a little more, so maybe it was a good thing we didn't try to keep up.

Pokhara is such an amazing place. Being able to see some of the worlds highest peaks everyday (well almost everyday, I did get there at the end of monsoon season, so there was still a lot of rain and cloud coverage) and just to feel the energy of this city that has so much to offer makes me definitely want to come back. Who knows, maybe for an even longer trek, even though my legs are telling me to go fuck myself. This place just energizes you and pushes you to do what you think may not be possible. I say it is magical to see these magnificent mountains and maybe there is something in seeing the Himalaya mountains that pushes you to be a better you, whatever it is, I need to bottle it so I can be the better me all the time.

Poon Hill Trek:

As soon as I registered for the yoga course in Nepal I realized that I would be having a birthday there, the last of my 30's. I informed Jason that I would like to trek in the Himalaya, suggesting the Annapurna Circuit. He wasn’t thrilled. We agreed on a nice 4-5 day trek, on the beaten path, with excellent views, not overly strenuous and self-guided. Being the amazing man that he is, he did the research, bought the permits and TIMS cards (needed if you trek without a guide) and it was decided, we’d leave on October 5th for four days in the Annapurna range. The Poon Hill trek!

Day One: We shared a taxi van to Nayapul with friends from the yoga course and headed out for our first mountain town of Ulleri. Taxis from Lakeside will cost $20 per car to this trailhead town and three Sheryl size people would fit comfortably, or a shared Jeep (a.k.a. van) was $15 per couple. Both will take about 1.5 hours. The ride is picturesque and not too bumpy. Herds of goats were being led from the mountains on our drive up, slowly our pace minimally and offering interesting stuff to look at. Their horns are painted with different colors and designs to tell them apart. They are cute, compliant, calm and seemingly happy. We wonder where they are going.

Nayapul is a small town with many of the last minute items you may need for the trek: a pharmacy, snack shacks, laundry, restaurants and souvenirs. If you need hard core trekking stuff, like a warm puffy, sleeping bag, base layers, you are out of luck at this point. Nayapul is a swarm of people piling out of taxis, tour busses and local busses. There is excitement in the air with a hint of trepidation for the 3500 steps we'll need to climb. We put on our dorky sun hats and extend our hiking poles and started walking. Roughly three minutes later we stop, because we are lost. The men look over the map and agree to the direction and we are off...just behind a large group of 70-something Europeans. I wonder if "on your left" works out here.

The next two hours are on a dirt road. You can pay extra to have a jeep drive you up this portion, but it's a nice, easy and beautiful walk along the river and through a valley. Soon enough we are at the base of "the steps", although I didn't know this was happening on the first day. I thought "the steps" were tomorrow's portion and happily, ignorantly, take one step at a time. About an hour into this stair master workout, I ask Jason if these are in fact, "the steps"... he just shakes his head, sideways to acknowledge my ignorance and then up and down to validate their significance. Oh good, I think to myself, we'll get this out of the way first thing. Two hours later, as the sky darkens and the temperature drops we arrive to the first guest house in Ulleri. Jason's leg has begun to cramp, his head hurts and we both daydream of sipping a pot of tea and taking a nap. I take a look at the available room, on the third floor, of ladder steep stairs. She says: "the room is free if you have dinner and breakfast here". The sheet and quilt look clean and warm, so we agree, order a pot of tea and enjoy the view of the valley from which we just hiked, far, far below. It starts raining as I pull on my cozy pants (a last minute purchase in Lakeside, and worth every penny) and sip tea while Jason showers. We quickly learn the way of the guest house: your room number is written in a notebook, you write down your dinner order under your room number and what time you'd like to eat. This must be written down at least one hour prior to when you'd like to eat. After you've finished your dinner you write down what you'd like for breakfast and at what time. You pay as you head out on the trail. Cash only folks.

Donkeys, on "the steps"

Day Two: It poured rain all night, hammering down on the tin roof. "Poured" is putting it lightly, it was a torrential downpour. At one point I woke up, worried that the guest house and the entire town of Ulleri may be swept down the mountain by a massive mud slide. Often enough we hear about massive mud slides taking out entire villages in Nepal and this is evident on the drive up to Nayapul and throughout our trek. We don't see where villages have been wiped out but we understand that mud slides are frequent and powerful. It's still dumping when we wake up. I have a cold and wonder if continuing is a smart move. At breakfast we ask the others if they will hike in the rain, one guide tells us they will wait another hour and then head out. We do the same and decide that once we're wet, we're wet and it's no big deal. We wear shorts, rain jackets and waterproof our daypacks and head back out to "the steps".

Word is, there is only 30 minutes more of "the steps" and then it's easy ups and downs to Ghoripani, between 4 and 6 hours away, depending on who you ask. "The steps" take us about 45 minutes and the remainder is a bit easier but still a climb. The landscape is lush, thick with vegetation and dotted with waterfalls. Less than three hours later, we arrive with some patchy blue skies to Ghoripani. Our friends just happen to be walking down the path and meet us with smiles and info on the price for a room, 200 Nepalese Rupee (less than $2). Jason walks up ahead and books us a room at a different guest house and we are shocked to get a room with a private bathroom. Listen up folks, if you require comforts of the western world, this is not the adventure for you. Guest houses offer the bare minimum: a springless mattress (yet comfortable) on a wood platform with a bottom sheet and a thick, heavy quilt. If all you need is friendliness, great food, other people stoked to be doing the same as you, physical challenge and breathtaking views this is totally your thing. We meet up with our friends for lunch and they surprise me with a slice of apple pie with custard, and sing me Happy Birthday. This will be one of the most memorable birthdays of my lifetime.

Ghoripani

Day Three: We overhear a guide tell his clients the night before that if the stars are out, then the Poon Hill (10,531 ft) sunrise hike is on for the morning. We set our alarm clock for 4:00a.m. We are dressed and out the door by 4:20, joining other headlamps for the morning climb. One hour, two 50NR tickets and 1,312 feet elevation gain we reach the top, covered in sweat. Bring extra money and enjoy a cup of coffee, or tea up here (no one told us this and we didn't have any money)...and the coffee smelled so good, even if it was only instant Nescafe. Even in the early morning darkness we can make out the magnitude of the mountains that surround us. As the sun slowly peeks, they begin to become alive and remind us of our smallness.

Sunrise from Poon Hill

The tallest are: Dhaulagiri (26,794 ft), Annapurna I (26,700 ft) and Annapurna South (23,684 ft). I can't put words to what this feels like, to see the sun rise on some of the world's tallest and most magnificent mountains. I dream of being here again.

On Poon Hill sunrise mornings, the guest house greets you upon your return, and because you have put in your breakfast order the previous night, they ask what time you'd like to eat. We told them one hour, and ran upstairs to take a nap and pack up. Today we plan to get to Tadipani, which is about 4-5 hours from Ghoripani, and if we have energy, we will keep going to Ghandruk. We've been having large breakfasts (a pancake and veggie omelet with tea) at about 8:00am, some nuts and dried fruits about 1:00, we usually share a noodle or rice dish for lunch around 2:00pm and have a smaller dinner, with more tea at about 6:00pm. Interestingly, we aren't very hungry, which is peculiar since we are burning a ton of calories. We climb more stairs for about 30 minutes out of Ghoripani and then enjoy some ups and downs (mostly ups) in to the tiny town just before Tadipani. To get to Tadipani you must climb down a steep section, cross a river and then climb straight up the side of a mountain. It's a cute village but we are feeling energized and keep going, and agree to get to the next town, about 30 minutes down the hill. When we get there, with it's one guest house, we eat a quick lunch of dal soup and black tea (with cinnamon, a sneaky, delicious surprise of the cook) and agree to keep going. We share our meal with a young Chinese man who states it took him 5 hours to get to this point from Ghandruk (this should have taken no more than 3 hours) and he inquires as to a shuttle from Tadipani back to Nayapul. He's a bit in over his head and Jason advises that he turn back now, or commit to making the entire loop, but lets him know that it is not easy. The young man complained that there wasn't wifi and the accommodations were sub-par. We are speechless but mostly concerned for his safety.

From this small town, it's all downhill, through dense forest and riverbeds to Ghandruk. We've been hiking for nearly 8 hours when we arrive just outside Ghandruk. Our knees are sore and my left, ACL-less knee, is screaming at me to stop. The path brings us right into the center of the town where all the locals live. We get lost in her maze of paths, through front and back yards, to dead ends and right back to where we had just been.

The labyrinth, Ghandruk

There are two guest houses here, both up more steps, and because we can't figure out how to get out of here we check in to the one with less steps. The sign says 700NR (less than $7 but still, super expensive in our minds, after spending no more than $2 for lodging up here) and he takes us to look at a room. It's stunning! With an attached large bathroom with a warm shower! He agrees to 500NR and we move in, order a pot of black tea and sip it while sitting in chairs on the large deck overlooking the labrynth town below. We are the only guests, we discover over a quiet, tasty dinner. Waking early (of course we wake early, we were asleep before 8:00pm) we are lucky to be greeted by the Annapurnas and admire them before they are slowly hidden by clouds as we eat our breakfast and sip our coffee.

Breakfast with a view

Day Four: It takes us an hour to make the climb down to Kimchi, where we hop on a bus, rather than walk on the road for an additional 2-3 hours. This cost 350NR per person all the way to Lakeside Pokhara. You can opt for a jeep (similar to a very large Land Rover) for 1500NR per couple, but they pack these too, so we opt for the bus and creep along the steep mountainside, passing hikers coming up and going down, and stop often to pick up locals. Soon we are packed in and decide to hop off about 20 minutes walking from Nayapul, thinking we'll hop in a cab there and get back to Lakeside quicker and more comfortably. We had read that taxis were at least half price from Nayapul heading back, but this is definitely not our experience. They held firm to their 2000NR and we just aren't willing to pay that price. The lowest we get someone is 1800NR. I see a super nice bus unloading passengers and with the help of the tour guide he negotiates with the bus driver to let us return with him for 200NR each, but we need to be sneaky as the taxi drivers have a monopoly on the area. So we get on and promptly duck until we are out of town. We have the entire bus to ourselves and ride back to town in luxury, including reading the local newspaper, in English.

We quickly learn, from the newspaper in English, that it is the 14-day festival of Dashain and today is the day during the festival that families come to pick out their goat. Remember all those goats we saw on Day One being led into town from the mountains? They are clustered here, just outside of Pokhara, on the side of the road, causing a clusterfuck of cars, people, goats, scooters and bikes. We are stalled here for some time and I watch in disbelief as children hit and kick the goat they will be eating in less than 48 hours. I watch as a girl hits her goat with a plastic bottle, then runs to the side of the road and throws the bottle into the stream. I watch as a little boy kicks the goat in the genitals, and then laughs. I'm not an animal rights activist, but I do have a soft spot for goats and generally believe that you should treat your animals with kindness, even if you'll be eating it later. It's Day 8 of Dashain: animal sacrifice. With that in mind, I just observe and think to our very own Thanksgiving. It's easy to sit on a fancy bus and judge and kinda sucky to be reminded that my own culture has it's own celebrations involving animal sacrifice.

We make it into Pokhara and the bus driver's assistant requests a total of 200NR! I thought he had say 200NR each! That's crazy cheap, so I hand him 500NR and stoke him out. We start walking, and melting under the sun's abusive rays, toward Lakeside and a taxi pulls over, commenting that it looks like we are melting and he'll take us the rest of the way, for a minimal fee. We thank him as he drops us at Hotel Tulsi, where we get our large bags (the hotel stored them for us for no extra charge). We are sore, dirty and it feels like a whirlwind. We can not believe we just did that! Two hours later, I'm back in yoga, for the first ashtanga class of the new group. He went easy on them! I'm actually able to do this class, whereas four weeks ago, in this same class, I was cursing his name. We meet up with a friend for dinner and I enjoy my first beer in five weeks. On our way to dinner we run back into our friends we started the trek with, they tell us a hilarious story of hiking all the way through from Ghoripani to Kimchi yesterday, getting a jeep there back to Lakeside. They too got lost in Ghandruk's labyrinth and feel pain from the waste down. Its nice to be back in Lakeside. It's nice to pull into a town that is familiar, where people know you and you know them.

Pool Hill Trek Essentials:

A day pack is sufficient for everything you need, trust us on this, and take only the bare essentials, which are:

Toilet paper (stores and guest houses sell this, if you run out)

Silk travel sheet

Light down jacket with hood (I have the Mtn. Hardwear Ghost Whisperer and Jason has the Gerry climbing version...wait, what? You've never heard of Gerry? Strange, us either but it's a kick ass jacket.)

1 long sleeve breathable base layer shirt (we bought these in Lakeside, $26 for both, UnderArmor)

2 short sleeve breathable t-shirts

1 pair hiking shorts

1 pair conversion pant, water resistant

2 pair undies

2 pair quick dry socks

1 waterproof rain coat with hood

1 pair pj / lounge pants (buy a pair in Lakeside, they are cheap, cute, pack light and are super comfortable)

1 pair flip flops

1 small bottle hand sanitizer

Headlamp

Neem soap (natural mosquito repellant and use it for shampoo too, you can buy this in Lakeside)

Chapstick

Hat

Water bottle (there are plenty of places to purchase filtered water to refill it, less than a $1 for a litre)

Cash (Nepalese Rupee, not US dollars)

Permit and TIMS card

Snack, we highly recommend nuts as we did not see these in any of the little mountain shops / guest houses

Sunglasses

Sunscreen

Camera

If you have room, I would bring a pair of knitted booties, found in Lakeside, they're super cheap and would have been such a nice treat for our feet at the end of the day. Depending on weather, also buy a beanie and mittens (these would have been nice only once, watching the sunrise on top of Poon Hill.)

Kathmandu:

After my 24-hour stint here five weeks ago, I swore Kathmandu off. It's dirty, chaotic, polluted and overpopulated. After talking with others throughout the past month we decided to give it another chance and arrived in style via luxury bus the next day. Let's discuss this bus. I saw the brochure Jason brought home one day and thought, yeah right, this is what they sell you but what will arrive will be the local chicken bus. Reclining, large leather seats, breakfast, tea, coffee, snacks, lunch all served by on board hostesses. The cost for this is less than $24 per person. Unbelievable. We were instructed to stand on the street corner and the bus would pick us up at 7:30 in the morning, we do as we're told. Sure enough, right on time the bus pulls up, the door opens and a beautiful young woman greets us and leads us to our seats. It's real! And so comfortable. Breakfast, tea, lunch at a roadside luxury restaurant and six hours later we arrive just outside the Thamel area of Kathmandu.

Remember, it's still the Dashain festival. What this means in Kathmandu is that nearly 2.5 million people have fled the city for their hometowns. The streets are quiet, most of the shops and restaurants are closed. There is little traffic and the city is calmer and more manageable. Our goal is to spend some time wandering through the Thamel area, eat some good food and then get outside of the city center to see temples, monasteries and the crematoria.

Patan

Patan is the third largest city in Nepal. The most popular place to visit here is Durbar Square, a UNESCO site with about fifty Buddhist and Hindu temples. It was heavily affected by the 2015 earthquake and is under some massive rebuilding efforts, largely funded by sympathetic first world countries, including the US. There is an entrance fee of $10 per person, which seems steep, but well worth it once you realize the damage and the rebuilding effort. A young man, lingering by the ticket gate, wore us down and we agreed to hire him, also for $10, for a tour. He was worth every penny, until he wasn't. He was so excited to tell us how much the US has helped and how grateful he is. The worthwhile part was that he was able to explain why there was a small buffalo (they are called buffalo but resemble young bulls) tied to a stake in the main court of a temple and also why there was blood staining the other side of the court. Again, it's Dashain and there must be sacrifices. Because cows are considered sacred and are protected in Nepal, the buffalo is slaughtered and offered up to the goddess Kali. The blood is then offered to statues and smeared by the entrance to the room that houses the statues, with the intestines draped over the door. The animals are purchased by the government, usually 108, (an auspicious number in Buddhism and Hinduism, per city/town) but this year they could only afford 89. The meat is then distributed to the poorer families throughout the city. This is what we were told by our guide, I haven't fact checked most of what he told us.

Blood from that morning's buffalo sacrifice

Durbar Square is actually quite small, at least what we were shown by our guide. We spent more time at his song bowl guy and mandala guy, both offering beautiful things at tourist prices. It's worth the trip (about 7k from Kathmandu).

Durbar Square

We didn't stay here, because most places were closed due to the festival. I had wanted to come here because they have a large store selling Fair Trade goods. I had wanted to buy bags, jewelry, scarves, blankets to send home, but they too were closed for the festival. So after about two hours, we were headed back to Thamel.

The singing bowl guy

We very nearly bought a singing bowl from this guy, just look at how cute he is. I'm sure his story was legit, but it just felt forced and our guide was interested in learning what price we had agreed upon, surely calculating his cut. I decided to wait until we visited the stupa and check them out there.

Boudhanath Stupa

This is one of the largest stupas in the world. There is a large population of Tibetan refugees in and around this UNESCO site and have built more than 50 monasteries in Boudhanath. There is a nominal entrance fee to get in. When visiting a stupa remember to walk clockwise around it. Tara.org explains it: It is most beneficial to circumambulate a stupa, walking in a clockwise direction, at least three times, while reciting mantra or making heartfelt prayers for the benefit of loved ones, the state of the world, or all sentient beings. Or you can also simply sit in front of a stupa and generate good thoughts, compassion and loving kindness for all beings. It is also beneficial to make offerings on the altar in front of a stupa. It was also rumored that if you walk counterclockwise you invite unpleasantness into your life.

This place is so peaceful, clean and inviting. The store owners aren't pushy, the atmosphere is relaxed even though this is one of the most popular tourist spots. We immediately find a singing bowl guy and found one that sang to us both. We bought a singing bowl! I am so excited about this and will demonstrate it's awesomeness the next time you come over. It is currently triple wrapped and on it's way to California, via slow boat from Thailand. We also purchased Tibetan prayer flags here and request a blessing from a buddhist monk. Our singing bowl guy makes a call and takes us to a small monastery where we receive a blessing, both for our stuff (singing bowl, flags and a variety of bracelets and bags I brought along) and ourselves. Despite the rice and water being thrown on us, this was an enlightening experience and I continue to feel protected from illness, injury and bad guys.

Boudhanath was a place I wish to have spent more time at. When I return to Nepal I will book a room here either in a hotel or a monastery. It just felt good. It was also what we needed to get mentally prepared to witness the outdoor cremations in Pashupatinath.

Pashupatinath (The Crematoria)

At our good friend's wedding, twelve years ago, one of Jason's high school buddies, John Reynolds, told us about observing an open air Hindu cremation. He was so excited to share his experience with us that although I was creeped out, I just smiled and nodded as he went on and on about the process, the significance and the beauty of the ceremony and tradition. I quickly noted to myself not to put this on my "things to do before I die list" and then I forgot about it. Flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara you fly right over Pashupatinath and Boudhanath. Of course I had no clue as to what I was looking at, but thought, hmmm, maybe I should have spent more time in Kathmandu. As we flew over I saw several plumes of smoke rising from the riverside, with groupings of people near the plumes. I make a mental note to find out what I was observing. Luckily there were several people in the yoga training who spent time in Kathmandu and explained that the plumes of smoke were from the burning bodies. That we had flown over the crematoria. This is when I recalled the conversation with Jason's buddy...and my close minded mental note. As I listened to more stories of those who had gone, I remembered one of my favorite love stories of all time in the novel, Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet. This too describes non-Western burial, or lack of burial, practices and I knew this was something I needed to witness.

We arrived, via taxi, and paid our $10 per person entrance fee and again a cling on followed us down to Pashupatinath Temple, explaining that because we are not Hindu we are denied entrance to the historical site. We walk up to the threshold, peek in as much as possible (not much is possible) and head out to the river. While trying to find the best way to the river and trying to ditch the cling on, I turn my head slightly to the right and realize I am standing at the back of the ambulance that delivers the bodies for cremation. One body, covered in a white sheet, waits in the back. It doesn't affect me as I thought it would. It doesn't freak me out. It doesn't smell like a rotting carcass. It's just a body, with a large belly, wrapped in a sheet. As we walk away I tell the cling on that although I appreciate not only his rotting teeth but his knowledge of the place, I have not, in fact, requested his services nor was I going to give him any money. He smiled and abruptly left.

This place is eerie and it is not because there are bodies being burned in the open air here. It is because the people who hang out here are creepy. There is a lingering sense of evil. The place is not well kept, garbage is littered throughout. There is an underlying disrespect for the site. I don't like it, Jason doesn't like it. We cross the river and sit in a kind of viewing area. Wondering how long it will take to build the pyre, prepare the body, convene the family. The body I had seen in the back of the ambulance now rests on the stairs leading to the water. Two young men sit near the body. One seems heavy, heartbroken. On the other side of the bridge the ashes from the morning's only cremation are being spread. We walk past the guys in the picture above, who pose for a number of tourists. Two of them make eye contact with me and I am captivated. These guys have a pull, a kindness, a mysteriousness and beauty. They entice me to sit for a picture and then promptly request 500NR (about $5). I laugh as I give them 200NR while thinking they should actually pay me for allowing those nasty dreads touch my body. Word is these guys were friends with the Beatles.

Temple sadhus (religious ascetic)

Pashupatinath is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. There are more than 500 temples and monuments in the temple complex. We, however, felt such darkness here that once we saw that we would not be able to witness any cremations we found a taxi and headed back to our hotel. I had expected this place to be one of honor and respect for the dead. I had expected there to be a feeling of peace, calm, quietness. This was not our experience. While standing on the bridge, looking out at the river and all the designated spots for funeral pyres, I made eye contact with a young man who held my gaze with such violence and hatred that I lost my ability to swallow. I looked at him again, hoping to have misread his first look, but it intensified, he made sure I saw him eye ball Jason (who was totally unaware) before he propositioned me with his eyes and mouth. My heart was racing as if I'd just sprinted a mile. How could this five foot tall guy not be scared of Jason? I poked Jason to move it, telling him I'd had enough and needed to leave, explaining what I'd just experienced as we high tailed it to a cab.

On the way back to our hotel Jason reminded me that the same people who had recommended that we come here also commented on the type of people who linger here. Many of them are high, super high. On what I don't know and the Google won't give me a solid answer. It's some strange shit. Even with this terrible first impression, I look forward to returning here in the future, with a real tour guide. If you are interested in learning more, there is an informative, and graphic, Youtube video titled: Hindu Cremations at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu Nepal.