Trekking in the Himalayas!

Deciding which trek to do in the Himalayas was not an easy task. Originally we tossed around the idea of Everest Base Camp, which is about as high as Kilimanjaro. We also talked about doing Annapurna Base Camp or Annapurna Circuit, and for a shorter trek we considered Poon Hill. One thing all of those treks have in common, however, is that they are very popular and therefore very crowded. We wanted a trek where there were fewer people, so that we really felt as if we were walking amongst the world's tallest peaks without hundreds of other tourists along with us for the trek. After a fair amount of searching online and communication via email with trekking guides, we decided on the Mardi Himal trek in the Annapurna region. The trek could be done over a period of 5 to 9 days, and we picked a 6 day route. We decided to use a guide but not a porter, as we wanted to carry our own bags, something we had been unable to do on Kilimanjaro.

About 1.5 hours after we departed Pokhara, our taxi driver decided to do some off-roading on what definitely seemed more like a landslide or waterfall rather than a road. Turns out, because we were starting the trek so late in the day, he was trying to get us as far along the trail by car as he could. We ended up getting dropped off about 10 minutes short of the town Dhampus, where we would begin our trek.

Our driver and guide made some adjustments to the road ahead so that we could pass through!

Unfortunately, once we reached Dhampus, we were suddenly in the middle of a torrential downpour. Luckily there was some shelter at a local teahouse, where we hung out for about an hour before the rain lightened up and we went on our way. We only had about 1.5 hours of trekking to do, but it was nearly 5pm, so we were quickly losing daylight.

Waiting for the storm to stop

The short trek was done in the rain and in the dark, but we made it to Pothana, where Gore (our guide) picked a teahouse where we would have dinner and spend the night. The absolute best thing about trekking in Nepal versus other places is the teahouses. Having a room with a bed is SO much better than sleeping in a tent on the ground after a day of trekking. Some teahouses at lower elevations even have hot showers and Westernized toilets! After a warm shower and a tasty dinner, we enjoyed a good night of sleep in our own single beds (the set up in most teahouses).

Our first night in a teahouse

Fortunately, the rain cleared overnight and we woke up to blue skies and a sweet mountain view out of our window. It was Erik's birthday, and Gore served us breakfast outside so that we could enjoy the view of Annapurna South while we ate brekkie.

View from our bedroom window

Annapurna South

Breakfast with a view

After eating we resumed our trek along a paved path, hiking for just one hour before stopping for a tea break (again, this teahouse trekking thing is pretty good!) in a town called Deurali.

Getting read to head out for Day 2 of trekking

This map shows many of the treks in the Annapurna region and also the peaks in the area.

A glimpse of Annapurna South from Deurali

From there we trekked 4 hours to Forest Camp, our home for the night. That part was mostly through the jungle, where we learned the disadvantage of trekking after rainy season -- leeches. They were everywhere! Leeches are not easy to get off and they are sneaky at finding their way under a sock or hiking boot, so we had to check for them regularly. We also encountered our first wild buffalo that day.

Off the paved path and onto a trail. Life is good!

We noticed many mushrooms along the way. Some are edible and some are poisonous.

Leeches will stick to just about anything!

Buffalo

When we arrived at Forest Camp we met two German guys, our first tourist sighting of the trek! This teahouse was more basic than the first night, but still better than sleeping in a tent. In the evening after dinner, we sat around the fire and chatted. Gore, at my request, had secretly prepared a birthday cake for Erik (impressive considering there was no refrigeration, only solar power, and only a wood burning stove to cook with). We all sang to him before he shared his cake with the group.

There are three teahouses to choose from at Forest Camp

Erik eating traditional Dal Bhat, which means he is using his hands to eat. Most Nepalese people eat Dal Bhat twice a day, both for lunch and for dinner, as it is a cheap and filling dish.

Enjoying dinner together

Birthday boy!

On Day 3 we trekked from Forest Camp to Low Camp, which was supposed to take 3 hours but only took us about 2. There were fewer leeches and it was a really pleasant hike. Low Camp was not as nice as Forest Camp, which made me a little worried about what High Camp was going to be like! There was no cook at Low Camp, so Gore got in the kitchen and made us lunch, our first try of Tibetan bread, which we then had at nearly every meal after that because it was so tasty! We relaxed for about an hour before continuing our trek to High Camp, a 3 hour walk. This part of the trek was also really nice, as we started to get out of the jungle, but it was cloudy so unfortunately we did not have any views of the mountains.

A leech on Erik's hiking stick. Crafty guys!

Relaxing at Low Camp

We arrived at High Camp around 4pm and we were impressed with the facilities. It was a very nice teahouse (particularly for 3500 meters!) and the guy running it, Pradeep, took great pride in making everyone feel welcome. There we found excellent food, a warm fire, great "milk coffee" and eventually, once the clouds cleared, amazing mountain views! We also met our second group of tourists on this trek, ironically a couple from Melbourne. They are also ex-pats, one being Swiss and the other a Brit. That night it was so clear that I witnessed the most spectacular view of the stars I have ever seen.

The mountains finally came out of the clouds!

Machhapuchchhre or "Fish Tail", a sacred mountain, with prayer flags in the foreground.

Even Gore is excited to see the mountains!

Because Fish Tail is sacred, it is one of the peaks that cannot be climbed.

Our next day was dedicated entirely to trekking to Mardi Himal Base Camp. We woke up just before 5am hoping to get an early start, but Gore was not happy with the weather conditions, as it was still a bit cloudy. Because this trekking route is not very popular, the trail is not as clear as the others (treks like Poon Hill and Annuapurna Base Camp are referred to as "highways" by the guides), and I think Gore was worried about getting "lost" in the clouds. At any rate, we started our trek at 6am, a little later than what we had hoped. In our previous trekking experiences, the earlier we left, the better the conditions, as the clouds would likely get worse as the day went on.

A view back towards High Camp during our trek

Our views of the mountains early on were awesome. We also came across sheep, goats, and most excitingly, yaks! During our trek we heard an avalanche in the distance. There were a few harder, steep sections, but overall it was a pretty easy climb. It took us 3 hours to get to the "Upper View Point" which is apparently about 4200 meters high (still 1700 meters lower than Kilimanjaro, so fortunately no altitude sickness on this hike!).

Gore was excited to have his picture taken too!

Amazing views early in the day!

Yaks

Trekking amongst huge peaks with no one else around

We had the trail to ourselves, a welcome change from Kili.

Starting to get deeper into the Annapurnas meant more peaks appeared!

Fish Tail still towering over us, with Mardi Himal Base Camp not too far away.

Gleaming white peaks still poking out from the clouds!

We had a rest and a snack at the view point and the clouds started to close in on us. It was pretty clear that Gore was happy to go back to High Camp at that point, however, we wanted to find Base Camp, which should have been only another hour past the view point. Unfortunately, 2 hours later we were still trekking and had not found Mardi Himal Base Camp. There were no trail markers and we were on some sort of animal trail, so we decided to snap a picture of our stopping point and head back.

The search for Base Camp was not going well at this point!

Our own "Base Camp"

We later learned from Pradeep that someone had apparently moved the sign for Base Camp, and we actually walked right past it on our way from the view point!!! Oh well! Our walk back was done partially in hailing conditions, but luckily we made it back before the heavy hail started. The Germans (from Forest Camp) were there when we arrived, so we played cards, enjoyed the fire, and drank "Mardi Himal tea" with the Germans, the ex-pats, and our new Nepalese friends.

In the morning we said goodbye to High Camp and started our trek down towards Sidhing. We encountered our only other tourists of the trek on the way down, a couple from Israel on their way to High Camp.

High Camp has a pretty amazing location!

Where's Erik?!

Predeep

The trail splits to go back towards Forest Camp OR towards Sidhing

We stopped at Low Camp for lunch, where this time there was a cook. There was also a group of local men who were heading to higher altitude to buy goats for the upcoming Dashain festival. Goats from the mountains are worth quite a bit of money because the meat tastes better, likely due to the quality of grass that they eat. After lunch we continued through the jungle and moss covered trees to Sidhing. We came across a few porters on our way down carrying food to High Camp.

Love this guy!!!

By mid-afternoon we arrived at Pradeep's parent's teahouse, where we would get a shower (albeit cold) and a double bed. It was a lovely place with beautiful landscaping and amazing views of rice fields and of Machhapuchchhre.

Brand new teahouse

Our room for the night

A fun Nepalese snack!

Such a cool-looking mountain!

It's hard to tell in photos, but the rice fields are build on very steep hills!

Our final day of trekking was also relatively easy, down along a wide track. We encountered waterfalls and also landslides, which Gore referred to as "broken road". Our trek took us through some local villages along stone pathways and eventually to Lumre, where we would get a Jeep to the closest town.

An interesting find along the trek.

One of the villages we walked through

We arrived in Lumre around 10:30am and were told we would leave around 11am, but we actually left at noon. There were about 8 of us in the Jeep to start, which we assumed would be it for the trip. However, along the way we stopped and picked up over 20 other people!! People were hanging off the roof and the back, and we were going through water crossings and into massive potholes. It was quite an adventure! Once we reached town, it was hustle and bustle and we were immediately missing our teahouses in the Himalayas.

This Jeep actually carried 30 people inside/on top/hanging on the sides.

I'm amazed by the stonework. Love the hearts!

Hanging out in Lumre

Gore tracked down a taxi for us, which was a 42 year old car! We arrived at the Green Tara Hotel in the afternoon, and Erik and Gore set out for a short trip to some caves while I strolled the streets of Pokhara enjoying the scenery and doing a bit of shopping. That night we invited Gore to join us for dinner at a fantastic pizza place...we were a bit excited to be eating some Westernized food!

Our 42 year old taxi. I wish I had a picture of the control panels up front!

Our home for the night

Our first meal after the hike...Tibetan bread and hard boiled eggs!

Greasy, delicious pizza!

Sunrise view of the Annapurnas from our hotel. A little cloudy for a good picture but still a cool view.

Overall we were extremely happy with our choice of the Mardi Himal trek. It was awesome to get "off the beaten path" in the Himalayas, and despite a bit of rain, we were fortunate enough to get some amazing views of the Annapurnas on several occasions. I don't think Mardi Himal will remain unknown for long, as there are several new teahouses being built along the route. Ten years ago there were no teahouses on Mardi Himal, as it was strictly a camping trek, but much has changed in that amount of time. Even though some teahouses were nicer than others, they still provided shelter where we could walk around, get warm, and not have to wear a hat, gloves, and down jacket to sleep, which was really nice. Trekking in the Himalayas was such a positive experience, and I can only hope that one day we have the chance to visit those mountain peaks again!