On the shores of Lake Phewa
After a couple of days of respite in Kathmandu while Ritu organised the necessary permits, we set out for Pokhara, which is at the end of the horseshoe of the Annapurna Circuit. The plan was to start here and venture a little north to Poon Hill, which we would have done anyway except in the other direction. This would allow us to do another five day of trekking.
Pokhara is a wonderfully laid back town with a holiday feel. Although it can get just as hot here, the air was much clearer than in Kathmandu. The emphasis is on tourism, which you can see in the main strip that runs parallel to the beach. But it's also a retreat for the Nepalese too, and of an evening, you can see families, couples and tourists alike promenading or riding hired bikes beside Lake Phewa. Some of the tourists looked so at home that they might have been there since the sixties. On a good day, I was told, the peaks of the Annapurnas dominate the horizon but unfortunately this year for some reason, the atmosphere has been very hazy and on this occasion we couldn't see much beyond the hills that surround the lake. Taking a break at one of the lakeside bars, I discovered the spicy Nepalese snack, chatpat, which is totally addictive.
Chatpat and beer
It's pretty damn good with a glass of cold Gurkha beer and a view of the lake. This recipe from Nepali Australian seems to come closest to what Ritu bought from the street vendor.
We didn't have long to admire our surroundings - the next day we took a jeep out to Nayapul and began the second leg of the trek, in reverse. Although we did follow the road, it felt so good to be trekking again. We crossed paths with a quiet, wisp of a girl from China who was trekking with a guide and no pack, just a tiny rucksack. She was wearing what appeared to be a pair of pyjamas and obsessively taking photographs with her phone. I couldn't help but worry about how cold she'd get as we got higher up in the mountains.
I'd brought a spare camera battery and also had my phone as back up but I'd given up taking excessive photos a while back - there's always a better angle and if you become too bogged down with photos you miss the view. Also, as keen as I was to take photographs of Nepalese life and the people in the villages, I can't help reversing the situation and wondering how it might feel if someone was hanging around outside my house in London, wanting to take a photo of me hanging out my washing.
For the first time that evening we encountered a thunderstorm of significant proportions - the rain as s heavy that it sounded like the applause in an Olympic stadium.
Tikhedunga guesthouse
The following day after the storm we finally got off the road for good and followed a footpath that consisted mostly of steps that went up and through a forest. I learned afterwards that there were 3,600 steps and I certainly felt them, particularly when the heavens opened again in the afternoon and emptied their contents on us, irrigating the fauna with gusto. Steps are particularly challenging as they prevent you from taking control of our own pace and method of ascent. But I'd still take them over the road any day. Stopping at Ghorepani (3,210m) that evening, I huddled around the wood burning stove alongside a friendly young Belgian fellow with hair like Sideshow Bob who was trying to do the Annapurna Base Camp trek in a reduced time frame (due to lack of funds) and a group of intrepid Indian bankers/lawyers, one of whom had done Everest Base Camp and was persuasive in telling me how achievable the trek is. We were all due to be heading to Poon Hill the following morning to catch the famous view of the Annapurna peaks, depending on the weather. Waking at 4.30am the next morning, Ritu took one, groggy look out of the window and advised against it due to the hazy conditions and we went back to bed. At the time I was doubtful but later I was very grateful for her canny judgement because the others came back at about 7am, severely disappointed. It seemed that at Poon Hill the same hazy phenomena as at Pokhara was rearing its head.
When we set out the mist still lingered as we walked upward and then along a ridge that was swallowed up at the edges. The path took us into a damp and verdant forest that time seemed to have forgotten - rhododendrons had bloomed before we arrived and some of the flower petals had fallen, creating a beautiful, deep pink carpet. Unfortunately my photographs just can't show the magical eeriness but I hope the below gives some idea. I fully expected a gleaming Galadriel to drift out of the foliage.
At Tadopani we experienced more rain and throughout the afternoon after the trek, sat beside the stove hoping that the clouds would clear. There I met an elderly couple from Devon, a couple from Holland and a young couple from London who had been travelling for eight months and planned to go on to Indonesia. Talk drifted to the UK and Brexit but I found myself wandering into the kitchen of the guesthouse and the owner promptly gave me responsibility for Tenzing, the youngest member of the family at about 18 months old, while she and the other aunts watched television. They seemed completely unconcerned about giving him to me, even thought I was a stranger. A jolly and enthusiastic baby, he was determined to climb all over the place as his namesake - so while the family watched TV, I happily kept him occupied.
Annapurna South
By early morning the clouds had scattered and the above was our view. As I gathered up my belongings, a great feeling of sadness overcame me - we'd be trekking to Jinu Danda and the hot springs there. It was the last full day of trekking and the beginning of our descent. The strength of the sun invested me with energy and the walk though the farms that perched on the hillside was invigorating. There was also an entertaining interlude; as we stopped for a tea break, we passed a French couple who were arguing wildly, the woman shoving her partner a couple of times. Ritu and a some of the other Nepalese guides who were walking with other groups were having a right giggle and when I asked her what was so amusing she said, 'The lady - she's like a Nepali girl - very strong!'
Another amusing moment occurred when we reached a restaurant at the top of another valley. I decided it was an appropriate moment for Ritu and I to have a photo together. After a couple of clumsy attempts, we'd gained an audience of trekkers who had stopped for tea and the staff of the restaurant. One of them rushed inside and came back with a selfie stick of all things - I hasten to say I've never used one before as I'd always thought of them as a bit silly ... but to be fair, it did resolve our problem!
We began to spot the stunning, silver mineral rocks I'd seen before, right at the start of the Circuit. I'm not sure what it is - having googled it I'm even more confused, so if you know please tell me! The rocks were everywhere and quite dazzling in the sunlight.
At one of the farms, an elderly woman gave Lal a sack of crockery to take down to her daughter who owned the guesthouse we were going o be staying in. I couldn't quite believe how he could balance himself with the pack and the sack in his hand while I was barely making it down over the boulders with the aid of two walking poles. We stopped at Jinu Danda for the night and headed straight down to reward ourselves with a dip in the hot springs at the bottom of the valley. There are three pools of different sizes but we arrived before most and had at least an hour in a pool with only a couple of other people. The pools overlook some rapids and it was wonderful to lie in there, nicely poaching myself while cool raindrops fell all around us.
The last day of the trek was really just a half day and it was with a heavy heart and legs that I dragged myself along, knowing that soon I'd be swapping the lofty, green hills for flat, concrete pavements. But there were still the odd moments of amusement.
Nonchalant bull takes a rest stop
As the path became road we stopped for lunch and then took a jeep the rest of the way, back to Pokhara. That evening, the three of us had dinner together and I said goodbye to Lal, who had been so patient and strong, carrying my pack for about 90 miles.
The next morning the air in Pokara cleared a little bit and I could just about see some of the peaks, peeking from behind the hills.
I almost gave myself an injury as we left Pokara through straining to see the Fishtail mountain, or Machapuchare, out of the back of the coach.
Ritu and I parted ways briefly in Kathmandu as I was going to Nagarkot, east of Kathmandu, for a few days to see if I could get a view of the mountains including Everest but unfortunately that side was also hidden behind thick haze. I waited patiently for three days, waking diligently at dawn every morning but it just wouldn't clear. On the final evening after some rain, the Langtang mountains revealed themselves so painfully slowly from behind the veil of clouds that I was hopping from one foot to another and dashing from one viewing point to the next because I didn't want to miss anything.
The next morning the haze set in again but you can just about make out the the mountains - they look like part of the heavens as they almost seemed to float so high above the hills. No wonder the Nepalese believed that the gods live there.
Nepal female guide
Ritu was great throughout. Friendly and welcoming, she has a gregarious personality and this worked; being more reserved in my style, we got along very well. In fact Heidi had commented on how, when she'd first seen us, she thought we were friends. That said, I also found Ritu very astute at knowing when to give me space. When I wanted to go off and do my own thing she was happy that I should do so.
I was particularly grateful that Ritu was there when I was ill as she made all the arrangements for me to get back to Kathmandu to see a doctor, as well as adjusting our itinerary. But she was also a companion and we had some very long and intriguing chats through which I learned about her life, her family and about what it is to be Nepalese. Guiding is still a predominantly male profession in Nepal but Ritu is a very canny and enterprising young woman who is just seeing her own trekking agency taking off, Nepal Female Guide.
I wish her all the luck in the world for its continued success.
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