This morning we set off on our overnight hike in the foothills of the Himalayas. The morning was beautiful and clear, so we got a fabulous view of The Annapurna Range as we headed out of Pokara. It’s times like this that you really appreciate how amazing our planet really is.
Our hike started near Sundarindanda, a tiny town overlooking Begnas Tal, the biggest lake in Nepal. For the first couple of hours we headed downhill, and into a valley of rice paddies. The hills on either side had been terraced by many generations of farmers, and it reminded us how hard the people in rural Nepal must work.
Our photographer works pretty hard too 🙂
Rural areas also remind us how to keep it simple. This bridge might was made of a few slabs of concrete on some pylons. There really isn’t a need for anything else, other than some common sense by those who cross it!
The farm shacks in the valley are very basic, but all have these large haystacks out the front. This is their way of storing the hay for their animals, and at times the animals live underneath the hay and have food on tap.
After about an hour at a leisurely pace we stopped for lunch in a rice paddy beside a little village. Our chef and kitchen team put on a great spread of Puri (flat wheat bread), potato curry, veges and coleslaw – all made on site, and only a few minutes ahead of us… this was hardly the tough trek we’d expected!
Thankfully, the trail turned skywards as we climbed to Cisepani, 1300m up. In many areas the locals have built stone steps as this is their quickest route to their village. It was lovely to climb in the fresh air, and see the hills poke through the trees.
Our porters were an incredible bunch. We were only required to bring day packs, so our sleeping bags, spare clothes, and everything needed for the campsite was carried up but the team. In total, there were 31 people to support our group of 15…crazy!!!
The porters tied a couple of big backpacks together, and the carried them using a strap on their head. One backpack would have been too heavy for most westerners on the trail, but two, with the weight in their head was unbelievable. In some ways, it seemed quite exploitative for the westerners to leave their heavy work to locals.
5 1/2 hours after we set off, we reached our campsite at the top of the hill, all set up and ready to go. Not only were the porters tough, they were quick too!!! The site was near Cisepani, at the top of a hill at about 1300m. The town allows tour companies to use the area for a small fee – they are very entrepreneurial!
I quizzed our guide about the financial support for towns. Apparently a group of small villages are collected in a VDC – village development committee. The government supplies support collectively, and it’s up to the village to determine the best way to spend the funds.
Our tents were simple and old style with steel poles and heavy fabric, and we even had foam mattresses inside. They certainly wouldn’t have been this luxurious if we’d had to carry them up the hill!
In the corner of the campsite there is a run down old stone building that became the makeshift kitchen. Everything was carried up, and all the food is made fresh. The logistics are incredible when you realise that every porter and kitchen hand is an extra mouth to feed and an extra sleeping bag, and there was definitely no rationing or shortage.
The team went to extra effort to celebrate the new year. The dining tent (carried up the hill!) was decorated with balloons and candles, and the chef had made a ‘Happy New Year’ cake. We opted to celebrate Sydney new year at 6:45pm, knowing that we were very unlikely to make it to midnight.
And with that, we bid farewell to 2016. Dinner and sitting around a campfire at the top of a Himalayan foothill!
Love theBunch x
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