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Hi everyone,
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I have just returned from 10 days trekking in the Langtang National Park in Northern Nepal.
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My guide Lanka came to meet me in the morning and we headed to the local bus station. I was informed the 9 hour bus journey to our starting point was bejeweled with spectacular views. What I was to find out on the journey was that these views were only so stunning because of the roads proximity to huge sheer drops. Our seating arrangement did not help either and my existing fear of heights was intensified by a front row seat by the driver. It was one of those rare situations where the nightmare occurs whilst awake and you pray for sleep to come. Unfortunately it didn't come for me but I was amazed to see a large number of passengers sleeping including the slightly inebriated guy with his head on my shoulder. The large number of chicks on the backseat couldn't sleep either so I wasn't alone. Â
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When I was able to wrench my thoughts from the omnipresent threat of death it was interesting to observe the villages we passed through. I was struck by the number of people idling away the hours chatting or relaxing. I also noted the number of children doing very little with their time. Both education and employment in rural Nepal is at a premium so these scenes were not uncommon over the duration of my trip.Â
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We eventually arrived in Shyabru Besi which was to be our starting point for the ten days of trekking. The following morning we set off for our first days trekking. We followed the Bhote Khosi River through a steep sided, heavily forested valley. Although the vegetation made visibility difficult it was very peaceful walking through the forest with only the sounds of birds and the raging river for company. En route there are a number of basic guesthouses and restaurants so you never feel like you are totally in the wilderness. At one particular restaurant we stopped for lunch and whilst I was settling down to some spaghetti and tomatoes the young girl who worked there came over for a chat. She asked me about my nationality, education and marital status and seemed particularly interested upon hearing I was single. Just as my ego began to swell she asked me whether I had a highly paid job and when she discovered I didn't, she abruptly walked off leaving my self-confidence in tatters and my heart broken. The afternoon's walking restored my spirits somewhat and, although not a huge fan of flowers per se, I could not help but admire both the quantity and diversity of plant life on display. The Lama Hotel where we stayed that evening also had a solar shower so all things taken into account it wasn't a bad first day.
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Over the next four days I trekked with a Danish guy called Bo as our itineraries were similar. I love this aspect of traveling because you get the chance to meet a person of different nationalities, cultures and beliefs which is always fascinating. The majority of our conversations dealt with Buddhism, football and women so very cultural.Â
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After the first two days we began to get some views of huge Himalayan peaks in the distance. Even from far away you could tell they were immense especially considering we were viewing them from an altitude of around 3500m. At the end of a short third day of trekking we arrived in a place called Kyanjing Gompa. The sun was out and you could see right down the valley towards the Tibetan border. There were numerous snow-capped peaks and glaciers in view, and it was lovely to put your feet up and enjoy the spectacle. I was also aware of the sun's ferocity and put numerous layers of sun cream on. The sun still got the better of me as I managed to badly burn my bottom lip but miraculous the top lip escaped any sort of punishment.Â
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From Kyanjing Gompa,  Lanka and I took on the challenge of climbing a peak called Tsergo Ri. A number of maps put it at around 4980m but I saw one which put it at 5033m so I am going with that height. It was non-stop climbing for about three hours and often very steep. The first two hours were tiring but reasonably comfortable. The last hour was really tough though because of the shortage of oxygen. I found I was hopelessly out of breath after only 10 or 20 paces. I found trekking at altitude is tough both mentally and physically. Physically it is tough because you are constantly struggling for breath and mentally it is tough because you are constantly overriding your body's natural inclination to stop. Eventually I made it to the top but sadly it was very cloudy and visibility at the summit was very poor. I'm told on a clear day you can see right across the Tibetan border. I felt really pleased to have made it so I wasn't overly disappointed.Â
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By this point I had said goodbye to the Danish guy, his guide and his porter and we retraced our steps through the Langtang Valley. We passed through small villages and all of them had very Tibetan culture. Some villagers were Tibetans who had crossed the border either through choice or exile and others were of the Tamang caste which has a very similar culture to the Tibetans. The traditional dress is very distinctive and the facial features are unique and unmistakable. They introduced me to nak (a female yak) curd which tastes a lot like natural yoghurt. If someone offers you yak curd or yak cheese just say no.Â
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We made reasonably light work of our return to Lama Hotel and then we headed to our next destination called Thulo Shyabru. Most trekkers take the relatively straightforward route along the side of the river followed by a short, sharp ascent to the village. We took an arduous trail along an unworn jungle path and it was hot, humid and rarely flat. The most demoralizing aspect was losing all the altitude we had gained in order to get down to the river for the final steep ascent. The hotel was awesome though and I was able to shave, shower and wash some clothes. In the evening I settled down with my guide and the hotel owner to some chow mein whilst weighing up the pros and cons of the Maoist regime.
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The final part of the trek involved climbing to a lake called Gosainkunda. I can not remember the exact religious significance of the lake but it is a very important pilgrimage spot for Buddhists and especially Hindus. They believe that the water has the ability to purify the soul and wash away the sins. As I began the two days walking to Gosainkunda I joined up with an Israeli couple (Yossi and Atara), two Israeli girls (Natali and Daphne) and a Belgian girl (Hilde) who was heading the same way. I ended up getting on really well with them and we all spent time chatting and chilling at restaurants and guesthouses along the way.Â
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After an early morning wake-up call from the resident chickens we set out from a place called Sholang Pati to Gosainkunda. The clouds occasionally unveiled stunning peaks and we climbed to a monastery at over 4000m. We then followed a narrow trail along the side of a mountain and as I surveyed my trekking companions snaked out in front of me I was reminded of the Fellowship of the Rings. I brought this to the attention of one of the group but they didn't seem nearly as excited about the observation. We arrived at Gosainkunda and it turned out to be a really stunning place. Mountains rose up from the lake on all sides to create a stunning geographical amphitheatre. That afternoon I trekked to a viewpoint at the top of one of the peaks and the views were breathtaking, I really didn't know in which direction to aim the camera. The following morning we trekked up to a high altitude pass and another lake and it was at this point that I had to say goodbye to the others and head back.
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Initially I felt rather melancholy to be trekking alone again. I tried to dispel this feeling though and just appreciate the final few days of trekking and the wonderful, fresh mountain air. Our final destination was a place called Dhunche where we would be catching the bus again. We passed many Hindu pilgrims heading to Gosainkunda and they were all incredibly friendly. One particular friendly elderly man with a mammoth beard, upon hearing where I was from, informed me that he was going to be reincarnated as an Englishman in his next life.Â
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Once we arrived in Dhunche we were treated to a Maoist march through the town. We then checked into the hotel and I was given an en suite room. I made the mistake of looking in the mirror and recoiled in horror at the shabby-looking Neanderthal staring back at me. Some trekkers seem to be able to pull off the unshaven look but unfortunately I am not one of them. Any facial hair I acquire has an irritating dirt collecting quality and any dust or grime in the air has an almost magnetic attraction to my face. Fortunately I had a razor with me and scythed down the offending fuzz. For anyone considering trekking in the Himalayas I will just warn you that being unshaven (for men), smelly and dirt is a fact of life and the only comfort lies in the fact that most other trekkers are just as bad.
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All that was left was the hair-raising journey back to Kathmandu. I was careful to avoid a window seat. It was only after some hours when the steering started to fail and we stopped for two hours to have it fixed that I realized how blasé I had become about the journey. As the mechanic bashed away at some part with his hammer it amused me to see some twenty blokes gathered around to watch the spectacle. I resisted my masculine urge to join them and give the impression I knew what was going on. I was slightly alarmed to see that whenever the mechanic came to a dead-end his solution was to hit the part really hard until the problem resolved itself. Eventually the part was 'fixed' and we were back on the road again. Apart from someone throwing up in the gangway the rest of the journey was fairly uneventful and we arrived in Kathmandu only two and a half hours late.
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When I began the trek it came to my attention that snow leopard's lived in this particular part of Nepal. To see one was an absolute dream of mine and for the first few days it played heavily on my mind. We saw two sets of prints in the Kyanjing Gompa area and my guide even thought he'd spotted one only for the binoculars to confirm that it was in fact the much more common Stone Leopard. I never really believed we would see one and duly gave up the search. Then on the 8th day of the trek I was walking ahead of my guide near Gosainkunda to a viewpoint at around 4700m. I wasn't really paying attention when suddenly I caught a glimpse of something fairly large and light coloured moving between clusters of large rocks. I then ran across and towards where I had seen the movement to try to get a better view. This was probably not a good idea in hindsight but in any case the creature had disappeared. As I was unable to see the creature again I can not say for certain it was a snow leopard but at that size and at that altitude there is nothing else it could have been. The local people believe the snow leopard is an evil spirit and rarely do they get a good enough look at one to counter this belief.
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Overall, it was a great trip and I would highly recommend it. You don't need to be super-fit to do a trek in the Himalayas and whenever it does get tough just stop and take a look around and you will soon find a reserve of strength. My guide Lanka was excellent, and extremely friendly and helpful. I'll even forgive his sometimes dubious wildlife spotting which included a red panda (a red rock), a forest pigeon (a woodpecker) and the snow leopard (a stone). The scenery was breathtaking, the flora and fauna was both beautiful and diverse, and the escape was great for mind, body and soul. I also met some really nice people who helped to make the trek even more memorable. The thought that I may have seen a snow leopard is the icing on the cake.
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I'm now back at the orphanage for my final three weeks in Nepal so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into work here and then seeing some of you guys when I get home.
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Take care,
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Graeme
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