Getting into the lap of Mt. Annapurna
SAHADEV KHATRI
‘ABC- heaven on earth’ – well said
The Annapurna Sanctuary is famous for its unique beauty and spiritual significance. Encircled by a colossal ring of Himalayan giants, it is an incredible experience that attracts trekkers from all around the globe.
Getting to know much more about the base camp through internet and friends, a thought to be in the lap of those beautiful mountains hit my mind. It was month of October and Nepal had just finished celebrating Dashain which is celebrated for 15 days.
A quote by Sir Edmund Hillary ‘It’s not the mountain we conquered but ourselves‘, we had in our mind, me and two of my friends Sashank Shrestha and Swopnil Singh Bhandari, which made this trip a success.
DAY 1: FROM KATHMANDU TO POKHARA TO SIWAI (4 K.M DOWN FROM GHANDRUK)
Getting to Pokhara was not that difficult, it was only 200 km west from Kathmandu Valley. You can travel by bus, micro or even a flight. We got into the bus from Kantipath at 7 in the morning. Since it was a tourist bus you can imagine how slow it would be. The best way to elude its slowness was to put on your headphone and use your imagination while glazing down at the beautiful Trishuli river below the road. We reached Pokhara at 2 pm and we were in a rush to get a Jeep or a local bus to get to Ghandruk Via kalopul.
We managed to get a local bus. The local bus had attracted a lot of crowd. It was a struggle to even get some air while in the bus. Finally we reached Siwai, just 4 km down from Ghandruk at 8 pm .We got ourselves room Rs.800 and it had one of the best cuisine I ever had in my life.
आगो माथि फलामको कन्ति , कन्ति माथि लोकल कुखुरा को मासु, अनि त्यो थाल मा मासु र ढिडो अनि छेउमा भाको गुन्द्रुको अचार
THIS IS HOW IT WAS MADE
MAGICAL HANDS
There we met a group of four people, Milan dai, Sahadev dai (same name though) ,Aniket dai ,Suraj dai’bhai timro ghar hetauda kaha nira’ re was enough to make us close.
DAY 2 : SIWAI TO LOWER SHINUWA (2340 m)
Sometimes it’s better to look back especially when someone is taking your photos.
It was the most difficult day. We had to walk for 12 hours from Siwai to lower shinuwa following traditional paths used for centuries by Tibetan traders. Walking for an hour, we met a boy who was really innocent.
His eyes are telling a story,just listen it through your heart.
Moving ahead through remote villages, terraced fields, and forests of bamboo and chestnut trees we met countless of people but there is a saying that you only tend to remember certain person who will be able to leave a mark in your heart. The best part of travelling is of course trying new food and meeting new people.
Since age is just a number.
We reached Jhinu and had our dal bhat and the most difficult part was to climb up the horizontal trail to get to Chomrong. It took us nearly 2 hour to get to the top. I would call this trail a knee breaker.
Struggle was real.
We somehow managed to get our bags up there in a khachhad and they charged 200 r.s per bag, Amazing! As we go up there is a thin amount of oxygen and thick price for everything.
Finally Chomrong-a village with a long history
We were so tired that we decided to have a lunch in a near hotel of Chomrong , and you won’t believe me but we paid RS 340 just for a Wai wai soup.
This is how local rakhsi is made.
A Copter landed on the ground of the hotel where we were having our lunch. All the villagers ran just to see the Heli. We too ran as we had never saw a helicopter till date as if it was a race.
We went there and found out that the copter was chartered to bring a foreign lady back from base camp as she was having an altitude problem. Then the copter flew and within 10 min it came down and again stopped at that place to refuel and I approached the pilot and said him that dai aghi hamilai helicopter ma abc lagdinu hunthyo?we would have pay you 5000 bucks, the pilot smiled and said he would have taken us in free of cost as it was already being chartered. then we realized Nepali ko budhiii pachi matra aauncha.
We were finally able to reach lower Sinuwa at 8 p.m and we somehow got the hotel. Our legs were feeling heavy. We decided to take a hot shower and guess what R.S 200 per person. If you guys are planning to visit ABC then make sure you get DFO gel in your bag.
DAY 3: FROM LOWER SHINUWA TO DEURALI (3290 m)
We started to walk at 7 am in the morning. The hyperactive sun was already up shining as young as always. We woke up to catch the sunrise over the mountain –a breathtaking view which was not to be missed. The owner said that it was hard to get a room up there in Deurali so better make a call and book a room and we actually did that. Thanks dai without your suggestion we would have been sleeping in a kitchen or something like that.
Serious by look, kind by heart-THE Owner
Then we met a group of nearly 10 people. They all were of age of 28 and luckily nearly all of them were DOCTORS, so we named them Dr. toli. Then we three mingled into their group and now we were the group of 13.
Oh yes, WAIT I forgot to introduce Mr. Nicholos Herzberg from Norway, such a good man he was. He came here all alone all the way from Norway and we met him on the way to Deurali when he asked a lighter from us. The fire was hot enough to make us close. Nevertheless, we were able to teach him some nepali words like Black tea means kalo chiya and lemon tea means kagati chiya. He ate dal bhat and slept in our room for the whole trek. For a couple of days I thought that he was a Nepali.
Mr. Nicholous HerzbergThe doctor Toli-Thanku All
Though the road was not tough like we had in our day 2 but we were so tired that we had to take a rest after walking 15 mins because we were struggling to breathe. Make sure you have got enough chocolates especially snickers because they will charge you RS.560 for a snicker which cost RS.60 in Kathmandu. So basically whenever you feel low and hungry grab a snicker.
A serious warning-Just make sure you have enough snickers in your bagDo not go with the size, I can give you energy said this small pack of happiness.
Very sad news for meat lovers like me which might give you a mini heart attack. From the place called Bamboo meat is strictly prohibited so from this point NO MASHU BHAT and I was like yesha kya guna kiya jo lutgaye.
NO meat from this point. I repeat NO MEAT!!
GO WITH THE FLOW
We reached Dovan and had our lunch. It was the time when my friends were busy taking snaps and I was taking a nap on the floor of the kitchen of the hotel where we had our lunch. I had never got such kind of satisfaction ever before.
DOVAN
Our Nicholous was happy enough. We told him about MO: MO and poor him he had never tried it before. We promised him to get a plate of local jhol momo when we get back to pokhara or Kathmandu. It was easy for us to get the room as we have booked it before.
That look from that guy as if i had asked his kidney. If you have ever played Temple run, then is not this place same like that?
DAY 4: DERURALI TO ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP (4130 m)
We woke up 6 in the morning and the water was freaking cold that it was hard for us to wash our face. It was a tough war between hand and water.
Let me remind you your phone will stop having a network so Deurali will be your last station to call your family, friends and loved ones.
Better to call your mother because you know the reason
We then headed for Macchapuchrey base camp (MBC)
Machhapuchhre Base Camp(3700 M)
After going through a thin forest and after walking for 3 hours we reached Machhapuchre base camp from where we could see Mt. Macchapuchre in south and Mt Gangapurna at south-east. The view was astounding.
Do not touch me am cold as F
Though we reached MBC at 10 am we were in a rush as we had to reach Annapurna base camp within 1 p.m. and if we did not reach there within the stipulated time then we couldn’t get any rooms so only spending half an hour we then headed towards our final destination-Annapurna Base Camp.
Only an hour or 2 left to reach the final destination
As we headed up more fog could be seen which was making it difficult for us to find our way. It was too windy. It looked as if nature got insane or something similar to that but something was not good there, not at all. The fog was so thick that we could hardly see people 5 meters ahead of us so seeing mountains was just a dream at that time. A thought was frequently striking on my mind that we came in a wrong time.
If someone asks me bhai ABC me kya chalraha tha? Then i would say FOG chalraha tha.
We kept on walking and we reached ABC at around 1 30 pm and we got the room. We and our DR. toli were in one big room. We were 13 people and they gave 11 blankets and asked us to manage. A thought was frequently striking on my mind that we came in a wrong time.
What was hurting me?My own thoughts.
We could clearly see mouse running below our bed. one mouse spoiled our 1 packet of RARA noddles like one whole packet.
There was no electricity and only available option to substitute it was CANDLES. We were given candles and the best part was we were playing UNO with the help of candles and flash light.
We were called for a dinner at 8 p.m and it was like a feast up there in 4200 m. We ate tuna pizza(too expensive though) mushroom pizza, noddles some local drinks and a good music in that hall. We were having a good time but there was no sign of fog to be clear so we went back to play UNO and in the meantime someone shouted ‘oe ayo ayo‘ I thought it was an earthquake and ran outside and I could not believe what I saw at that instance- Annapurna II right in front of me.
TAAADAA, Surprise
I shouted and began to dance like crazy and who won’t when one had walked for 4 whole days to see these mountains. The fog got clear and we could see Mt. Himchuli, Mt. Dhaulagiri, Mt Annapurna, Mt.Annapurna II, Mt. Annapurna south and Mt. macchapuchre. We were circled by all the Himalayas on the four sides and we were in the middle. Since it was a full moon night, the moon was lending its light to the mountains which made it glow like sliver. The scene was one of the breathtaking beauty.
A big family.
This kind of foot was too mainstream so we decided to go topless at 11 p.m. at -6 degree because you only live once. YOLO. Sounds crazy though!
The brave ones including me
DAY 5 ABC TO BAMBOO
Walking for 4 days was worth it to see these kind of view. Waking up at 6 am we could see sun lights were making those mountains to change its color into golden. We were lucky enough to see those mountains half golden and half silver. The slivers mountain we saw yesterday night turned into a golden mountain in a blink of an eye.
Morning view the first ray of sun on the top of those mountains
I had taken a flag of Nepal with me and I took it out of my bag and dug it there in the ground. All the people present in the base camp including foreigners did not miss the chance to take a photo with it. We decided to give it as a gift to the hotel where we had been staying. We wrote our name in it and reminded the owner to say about us whenever someone asked about the flag.
If you are planning to go ABC please check whether this flag is there or not.
We left the base camp at 9 am and walking 20 mins down along with my friend Julian who had been playing FADED OF ALLAN WALKER in his speakers. I do not know what made me to turn back but i just turn back as if someone was calling my name and it was those mountains which looked so appealing that I did not want to go back. That music of his speaker still plays in my mind as I look around and bid a good bye to all those beautiful mountains.
That were those mountains calling my name.
My friends were ahead than me as I was busy picking those wrappers of chocolates, chauchau kurkure etc. I do not know what made me do it but I collected all those wrappers I could see from ABC to Deurali
On my way, I met a man who was in his mid-40, came to me and said ‘Hey buddy you are doing a great job’ and put his hands in front of me for a handshake and I said that my hands were dirty and he just hugged me and said that’s not a big deal. I got so many thumbs up more than I could get on Facebook. The happiness was different from that I had ever felt. It was mixed with satisfaction. Good work are always appreciated, be it small or big because there’s no standard of measuring the word GOOD.
I felt like I was holding an award rather than a bag of litters
We reached Bamboo and had a night over there.
LIGHT or LIFE?
DAY 6: BAMBOO TO JHINU DANDA
We are like two people from two dimension, hope this bridge could join our hearts.
From Bamboo, we walked to Chomorong down the same trail that we used to trek to ABC few days earlier. We had a lunch at Chomorong( not that Wai Wai soup) .
On our way, we met a girl who was in her early forty but believes me I have never seen such beautiful eyes. We were talking all the way and then she asked me what my religion was? I paused and stared at her then in order to make me comfortable she asked which god I follow. Without taking much time I replied to the god that lies within me, in my heart he lives and I do whatever he wants me to. Then I said to her that god within me wanted to have this trek so without thinking much I came here. She appreciated me for having such thoughts. For that moment I regret for not being 40 hahha if you know what I mean. Just kidding!
Home calling Home
We were so tired to walk up that trail that we spend almost 3 hrs over there, so we cancelled the plan to reach Siwai that day and decided to spend a night a Jhinu Danda so that we could enjoy natural hot spring located at the edge of the glacier river that was 20 mins from our lodge.
Follow Me
Day 7: JHINU TO NAYAPUL TO POKHARA
Everything is temporary including our trek.
From Jhinu it was an easy walk as the trail was not as steeply as the other days. We can see a beautiful waterfall, green farming terraces and bee hives hanging on the cliff. We reached Siwai at 2 and took Jeep from Jhinu to Pokhara. It was as crowded as the earlier local bus. We reached pokhara by 5 but decided to have a rest that day. Our hotel was near to the lakeside so we could clearly see the evening view of lake fewa.
ONE OF THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING SINGLE IS YOU CAN SHINE ALONE.
DAY 8 POKHARA EXPLORATION
Since it was my 9th time in Pokhara, there was no any new place to be explored. We went to fewa for a peaceful boating and had our lunch near lakeside. We 4 including Nicholous were desperately waiting for that night. We went to almost all the pubs of Pokhara and the real fun started when we gave a heroic entry in Busy Bee. It was more like a LA night cause most of the people over there were from LA. Coincidence though.
COME ON COME ON ITS FRIDAY NIGHT
DAY 9 POKHARA TO KATHMANDU
The hangover was still there for me and same the was going with the other three. We were in rush to reach the tourist bus park of pokhara from where we could get our bus to Kathmandu.
TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT.
We drive back to Kathmandu from the same highway we took last time. That 6 hours in a bus we could still observe many small village through different angle.
WE THREE MADE IT POSSIBLE
After a few days, Nicholos also went back to Norway. We went to the airport to bid farewell to him. He told us that he had an amazing trip and will recommend his friend to visit Nepal. Well, what more one could ask for? Raconteur is a storyteller of the place that guest has visited. The provide excellent service to the guest. Life is a journey and it never ends.
