...I would not have a boring vacation (Part 1)

Peace Pagoda

            A couple weeks ago was Dashain, the longest holiday in Nepal, so a few friends and myself decided to head off to Pokhara for our time off, a city in central Nepal near the Annapurna mountain range. It took about 6-7 hours by bus to get there from Kathmandu. Our first full day in Pokhara, Peter, Sumbal and I decided to hike up to the Peace Pagoda, one of 80 Peace Stupas around the world that were built to represent world peace following the bombing of Hiroshima in 1947. There are two ways to reach the stupa, either a 2-hour hike from the back of the hill, or ferry across Fewa Lake and climb up the stairs. We opted to try both, hiking up and going back down to Pokhara by boat.

            The next day, I began a five-day trek with my friends Juliana, Luzianne, Peter, and Lisa in the Annapurna Conservation Area. We started from Nayapul, just over an hour’s drive outside of Pokhara. We went with a guide and two porters. We asked our guide if we can push ourselves more during the trek and were able to fit a 6-day trek into 5 days. About an hour into the trek we stopped and filled up our water bottles and I set my camera on the ground to put in iodine drops (to kill any bacteria in the water that might upset our stomachs). And being my usual forgetful self, I left the camera there and when I went back 5 minutes later it was gone. Fortunately it was an old camera and not a big deal but it means all the photos from the trek here are stolen from my friends.

The Route: Nayapul-Ulleri-Ghorepani-near Tadapani-Jhinu-Nayapul

The first day was mostly stairs and by the end of the day we’d climbed more than 3000 stairs. Our guide kindly warned us not to get too close to the donkeys on the path as sometimes they are prone to shoving people off. We were passing lots of people as we went, which became a theme of the trek, and I was absolutely drenched in sweat and actually wrung out my headband halfway through. The villages we passed through during the trek were absolutely picture perfect. As we climbed higher and higher, we could see the rolling hills of forest and rice terraces and as tired as I was by the end I just didn’t feel it because of how amazing it was to be there. The lodges we stayed at turned out to be much nicer than I expected. I’d been anticipating very basic lodging and food but they ended up having showers (although freezing cold from the glacier-fed water- unless you paid for a hot shower), cozy lounge areas and a delicious variety of food.

Enjoying the rain!

            The next two days of the trek consisted of constant rainfall, mud, leeches and a serious lack of mountain views. During these days I was grateful for the group of friends I went trekking with. Although the weather was miserable and we were soaked through even our rain gear, for the most part we were still in great spirits, making jokes about the situation. Rain during this time of year is extremely abnormal and October is supposed to be one of the best times to hike in Nepal. Our guide let us know that it was the muddiest conditions he’d ever walked the path on, despite having hiked the trail too many times to count over the past 18 years. At times, the path had even turned into a stream from so much water. Personally, I think the rain almost made it more beautiful at times because we were hiking through the rainforest, passing countless waterfalls and streams. With all the water, most of us got leeches. I was lucky and only got one on my foot. Lisa somehow managed to get them on her stomach.

Poon Hill photo as I imagine it

We were also supposed to hike up to Poon Hill on the third day from Ghorepani at 4:30am to get a sunrise view from the hill. It’s supposed to be the most picturesque sunrise views of the Annapurna range. However, we wouldn’t have been able to see anything because of the weather, so got some extra sleep instead. To make up for the lack of picture, I created my own picture about what I imagine our photos would have looked like.

            On the fourth day, the rain cleared a bit but it was still too overcast to see anything. However, our day really brightened when we reached Jhinu, where there is a natural hot springs. Of course we spent the entire afternoon there. The spring was about a 20-minute hike from the lodge (which I did four times due to a mid-afternoon beer run) and we had a much-needed relaxing day. When we first got there (around 1pm) we were the only ones at the spring for over an hour. Near the end of the afternoon when the pool was pretty full, the hot springs attendant came over and pointed at each of us in our group to get out. Yes, we got kicked out of the hot springs. I’m not sure why we got kicked out, maybe we’d been there too long, but we did a walk of shame out past everyone else and hiked back up to the lodge.

Morning of the fifth day...finally sunny

            On the fifth and final day of the trek the sun finally came out! Unfortunately for us, we were past the best mountain views so never actually got any good photos of the mountains. The last day ended up being the longest and we were completely exhausted for such a short trek. We had our celebratory last meal together and all (except Peter) ate our daal bhaat lunch with our hands as the locals do. Daal bhaat is a plate with rice, daal (lentil soup), vegetable curry, saag (steamed greens), and pickle, and when you order it you can eat as much as you want and they will keep bringing you more. Although we didn’t have the most ideal situations for the trek, I think we got quite a more exciting experience and loved every minute of it.

And here's some more photos...

Enjoying the hot springs

View from the Peace Pagoda

...I would finally get into a routine...and then leave on holiday

I’ve now been in Nepal almost exactly a month and I feel I’ve finally started getting into a routine. This week is my second actual week of work and although it started pretty slowly, I’ve now got work to do now keeping me busy. I’m currently working on updating our organization’s website content because it has not been updated since Nafisa (an Indev student from last year) was here. The organization is getting a completely new website made and it’s my job to update and prepare the content for the new site. During the week, I work from 10-5, Monday to Friday. Typically, the Nepali workweek is Sunday to Friday, but we are able to take Sunday off as well, which allows us to see more of the area. I’m luckier than most of my peers here because my commute to work is only a 5 minute walk. This means I have a lot more free time that I can use to get things done or explore the neighbourhood (or lay in bed and sleep longer!). I can leave the house at 9:55am and still make it to work on time.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Last weekend, we celebrated Thanksgiving here early. I was surprised at how easy it was to get most of the supplies for our dinner and we spent the day cooking a huge Western feast with chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, two kinds of beans, honey glazed carrots, stuffing, cauliflower, fresh bread and Nutella cheesecake brownies and apple crisp for dessert. We ate by candlelight on the roof of the CECI Passage House. It was really nice to have that taste of home. On Sunday we also went shopping, which I’ve been looking forward to, and I bought 2 kurtas (typical Nepali dress). I’m also looking forward to going sari shopping soon.

In Nepal, it’s currently Dashain, the biggest holiday of the year. It started on Saturday but most people still work during this week. It’s a Hindu festival but is celebrated by everybody in Nepal, regardless of religion. Most people here compare it to our Christmas and lots of people leave Kathmandu to go back to their villages to be with their family. On the 8^th day of Dashain, there are lots of animal sacrifices to the goddesses across the country and after rituals are performed at the temples, the meat from the sacrifices are cooked and eaten. Even many people who are normally vegetarian partake in eating the meat sacrifice during this feast. There are other aspects of Dashain that I have already seen. Buying and wearing new clothing is part of the festival, and while shopping last weekend, the streets were packed and many shops had “Dashain discounts”. As well, across the country, large swings are set up for the children to use. There is one large bamboo swing just down the street from me. Dashain is a large festival here and it’s amazing that we are able to be here during this holiday.

Bamboo Swing in our Neighbourhood

For our Dashain holidays, Peter, Sumbal and I are headed to Pokhara on Friday. Peter and I are heading on a 5-day trek starting on the Sunday with three other Canadian volunteers, Juliana, Lisa, and Luzianne (Sumbal opted not to do the trek). We may also try to fit in some other fun activities like rafting or paragliding. Pokhara is a city just south of the Annapurna mountain range in Mid-Nepal. It’s supposed to be beautiful and there are tons of adventure activities to do there. I’m sure when I get back from our adventure I’ll have a lot more to tell about it.