Morning in Pokhara

This was the view from the rooftop of my hotel in Pokhara. Annapurna South (7226 m) is the left, Huinchuli next to it and the sharp peak is Machhapuchhre, the holy Fishtail mountain) It rained yesterday in the mountains and this morning was fairly clear. My ABC trekking group called this morning to say they had some great views in Landruk. I know they are in for many more amazing views of this part of the Himalayas.

More later,
Neil

TIHAR festival 2011

 
Yesterday was the start of a great celebration for TIHAR (the festival of lights, same timing as Deepwali in India) here in Pokhara with lots of lights (like Christmas) candles, local kids dancing for money, singing at all the businesses. Families got together to sing, drink and dance. Very festive. Even at the hotel, the owner's relatives came and danced in the courtyard for a few hours. They even made me dance with them, but fortunately did not make me drink rakshee, the home-made wine! It is like turpentine, awful stuff.
 
I went to the Blue Planet lodge yesterday to check out the new lodge where we will have 3 nights in February for the Yoga retreat. Had tea with Ram the owner, and Sabine (lady from Belgium married to him) invited me to a Tibetan singing bowl meditation. About 15 people showed up and it was to celebrate the new moon, setting healing intentions, etc. Walked home in the dark and past many mandalas with candles, more singing and dancing. I would have missed some of this if I was trekking. Sabine said there may be a chance to join the family festivities on the most important day tomorrow on a local mountain called Sarankot, provided there is room on the bus. 

A wee update for you. After trekking 12 days on a sore knee in the Langtang, I developed an inflammation and numbness in my left knee. Went to the Westerner's clinic and they xray'd, and with consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, suggested Voltarin, an anti-inflammatory drug, physiotherapy, exercises and not to trek for at least a week. I was most disappointed to not be able to go with the group, so I am waiting in Pokhara for them to finish trekking. The doctor said I have Yoga knee (similar to housemaids knee - I said it must be yoga knee, then! It results from overuse and of course being on my knees so much in yoga. It is slowly getting better.

Namaste,
Neil

Dhading School Update

Here is my annual update on the Nepal school project. Plenty of work has been completed this year on re-building the school in Dhading. A number of folks including those on my treks have helped with generous donations and we raised over $6000 US (over 420,000 rupees) to provide a much improved facility for the children in this area.

The first project 2 years ago was to build toilets for the school. Up to then the children simply went to the bush. Now they have 2 toilets with running water - a hose from the ground with spring water. The second project was to level the hill beside the school to build a playground and now the soccer balls are easier to play with and don't disappear down into the forest as much!

When I saw the condition of the school in 2008, I knew that it did not need repairing, it needed to be re-built. With donations from travel talks and slideshows my sister Gail and I did over the past 3 years we were able to pay for the supplies to re-build 3 rooms and add 2 more in a new wing. The school now is able to attract more children and is nearly 60 students.

In Nepal, the government provides teacher salaries, the village provides the labor and our donations pay for supplies.


Krishna, the teacher, is now teaching at the high school an hour's walk up the hill, and his assistant is now the teacher at our school - the Jaleswari Primary School, Banjagara, Nalang Dhading, Nepal.

We have received some more donations this year and it is my vision to turn one of the rooms into a library! This is not just for the students at the school but also for the parents. The space could also be used for a community meeting room where the mothers of the village can meet, learn, read and socialize. As almost anywhere in the world, it is the women who really keep the village running here!

Included here are some photos showing the progress of building and what the result is - a beautiful new school for this remote community! Dhading is about 3 hours by jeep from Kathmandu and 2 hours trekking up a big hill with some amazing views of the Annapurnas!)

Namaste
and thank you all for your kind donations and interest,
Neil

Fall 2010 trek in the Langtang

I was fortunate to have a great group trekking in October to the Langtang valley. It was amazing to see fall colors, snow in high places on the Himalayan peaks and great to see the wonderful Tamang people of the Langtang. As you will see it was stunning weather (albeit with a few short showers on several days) and amazing views from some high places.

My third time in the Langtang and fifth time to Nepal, again enjoying some dal bhat (rice, lentils, curry potato, achar pickle, papads), interesting pizza, muesli and buffalo curd (yogurt), black tea, jasmine tea, ginger tea, green tea, nepali chia, soups, saag (spinach) and many tasty meals shared in the cozy tea houses (stone lodges) on the trail.

Life is casual - sleeping 10 hours, trekking for 4-6 hours a day, eating healthy foods, occasional showers - what more could one want for a healthy vacation?

Thanks to my group another trek in the Langtang was smooth and everyone departed Kathmandu after 17 days to other parts of the world after experiencing some cultural aspects of Nepal including Pashupatinath, Boudhanath and a delicious Nepali dinner and culture show.

Namaste,
Neil

Spring 2010 Langtang trekking

Seven enthusiastic trekkers from Edmonton descended on Kathmandu in mid March to experience trekking and the culture of Nepal. After arriving in the international airport, they were loaded on a bus and taken to the area of Thamel in central Kathmandu. Learning not to drink the water nor brush teeth from the taps was the first order, but after a good sleep and a breakfast in the hotel, they were ready for whatever the day presented. This included dust, noisy cars, rickshaws, taxi, dogs, people hawking wares, diesel fumes, street food cooking, bicycles, spitting and discovering some surprisingly good coffee!

After gaining their bearings over several days, touring Swayambunath (monkey temple) and a bit of shopping, everyone loaded up the bus and endured an 8 hour joint-rattling ride to Dhunche. The days became fairly routine with packing up, eating breakfast, trekking, stopping for tea, meeting locals, taking photos, and really enjoying the scenery which is very beautiful. Arriving most days at our destination mid-day, or mid-afternoon, allowed for time to do yoga, wash some socks & underwear or to have a tea and a nap. Dinner was usually done by 6pm and we were taking another breakfast order for the next day. Off to brush teeth, read and into the sleeping bags for most everyone by 8pm and a nice long sleep, interrupted only by visits to the toilet (too much tea!) or by barking dogs nearby.

Some spectacular views enjoyed by Isobel, Deb, Don, Gary, Steve, Donna and Kay were Langtang Lirung (7219m), Langshisa Ri, the Ganesh Himal, mountains at the Tibet border and as far west as the Annapurnas. What a fun group to trek with. Good humor, lots of stories, trekking hours on the trail, sharing interesting conversations, and good food in most areas helped everyone to connect. (oh yeah, Don, where's your lens cap?) Everyone was flexible, adapted and became very comfortable with the various conditions each day presented. Some special comforts of the trail included a portable toilet, a gallon jug of hand wash, pounds of missionaries (prunes,) and more toilet paper than most of the shops carried! The best extra was the peanut butter, of course. I carried far more than I really needed - adding a solar charger, iPod, Via coffee packets, unnecessary layers, and more books than I could read in a few months.

Well, everyone survived the elevations at Kyangjin and Gosainkunda lakes, as well as the intense sun. With good memories of trekking days on the trail, peeling noses, and a desire for a good shower (for some a bubble bath was desired, but alas, not very available!) we arrived back in Kathmandu surviving another bumpy 8 hour ride and set sights on the Hindu and Buddhist temples, the city of Bhaktapur and more last minute shopping in Kathmandu. On April 3, we loaded the mini-bus and headed for the airport. The next hurdle was getting all that gear through security and I am sure customs in Vancouver was a breeze.  To my group: thanks to you all for a fun time in Nepal, and hope to see you in 2011 on the ABC trek.
Namaste,
Neil

Observations of Nepal

Some observations to record for 2010 -

• Prices - food costs increase substantially the higher up one goes on the trails. On the ABC trek, one liter of boiled and filtered water goes from about 40 rupees in Dhampus to 70 rupees in Landruk. This is a mineral water (plastic) free zone, which other National parks should adopt. Dal bhat averages 270 rupees.
• many Koreans trekking in Nepal. The French used to dominate but I think Korea now is the biggest country of origin.
• spring is browner overall than fall but the national flower is the rhododendron, Laliguras, is in full bloom in many forests, creating a sea of red. There are also pink and white rhododendrons.A shrub in full bloom for spring is the Lokta from which Nepal artists make paper. It is a pink flower with a strong fragrance resembing lilac.
• the Modi Kola is one of the big rivers of Nepal but running low this year due to low winter snows and very little rain.
• Micro hydro plants are in many villages now as no one can rely on power being on at any given time. Although Nepal produces enough power for the country it sells much of it to India and causes deliberate shortages throughout the country. In Kathmandu, often 8-10 hours of power shedding each day. Every hotel has a backup generator offering limited power, but this adds to the pollution problems.
• Tea house rooms are still the same - two single beds, a table, window and a door. If one is lucky a clean vinyl floor, or stone or wood. Some with spiders, a compact florescent light and paper thin walls. None are heated which creates cold sleeping conditions at higher elevations above 3000m.
• Porters - the backbone of Nepal! No trekking, camping, or climbing group could be successful without their strength and knowledge. They are keen, observant and nearly all have either a cellphone or MP3 player for the latest Indian or Nepali tunes or calling their friends and family.
• Food - dal bhat, rice and curry veg, muesli with hot milk or local curd (yogurt) called dahi, Gurung or Tibetan breads, chapatis, Rosti with fried egg and nak cheese, mushroom or tomato soups, tomato cheese macaroni and some variations on Pizza round out many of the menus.
• Drinks - water (boiled, filtered), lemon tea, ginger (adwa) tea, black tea, Nepali masala chia, black coffee, and fresh mint tea all available nearly everywhere.

Annapurna Base Camp

The past 10 days have been incredible. Lots of up and down on challenging trails up into the Annapurna Sanctuary. We took 6 days to get to Annapurna base camp at 4130m and 4 days to come back down. Have met many great trekkers from Britain, Korea, Japan, Israel and New Caledonia as well as a very nice couple from Nelson in BC.

I am in Pokhara for a rest day today and catching up on e-mail and then return to Kathmandu Sunday, March 14 in time to meet my group who arrive late evening. I can't wait to see their first impressions of this wonderful and crazy place.

As usual the people are great, good food (all vegetarian) and my little via starbucks coffee packets have kept me full of caffeine! I cannot upload any photos for a bit so stay tuned. The group will have 2 days to get their legs in Kathmandu and then we take a 8 hour bus ride to Dhunche to start our trek.

More when we get back.
Namaste,
Neil