Nepal 2017

Wednesday1stNovember

First day of our 15-day trek. 15 days where we will hike along the Annapurna range with the highlight being the crossing of the Thorong La pass at 5416 meters altitude. It's a bit of the unknown for us. We have never done a trek this long, let alone this high! Our main fear (if we set aside physical endurance, of course): "acute mountain sickness," a mix of headaches and nausea that must be taken seriously. When it happens, you have to quickly descend into the valley... But for now, we are only at 1200 meters altitude and there are no risks at these heights. We will have to exceed 4000 meters to feel potential symptoms.  

Facing this unknown, and to put all the odds in our favor, we chose to go not only with a guide, but also with 2 porters. We will thus be more serene but above all accompanied by 3 Nepalis, one of the most pleasant ways to discover the country!

For your information, you can find out the altitude at which I took the photos by hovering your mouse over them (at least when the phone's GPS was on).  

So here we are at the meeting point at 6:00 AM at Gongabu bus station. Narayan is accompanied by Man Bahadur Tamang who will carry one of our two bags for the next 15 days. Subash Gurung will take care of the second bag; he will join us during the day on the bus journey.

After 1 hour of waiting, our green bus takes the road that will lead us to our first stop at the foot of the Himalayas, 200 kilometers away, in the small village of Bhulbhule.

A few stops are planned along the way.

Halfway through, a 30-minute lunch break is scheduled. The national dish is offered to everyone: dal bhat! The recipe is simple: rice, lentil broth, and some vegetables or even a little meat to accompany it all. Nepalis love it! Me, a little less... let's say once in a while will be more than enough... 

Back on the bus, which gradually fills up with each stop. The goal is simple: fill this bus as much as possible! The best way to make the fuel spent profitable...

Stop in the middle of nature. A sudden urge from the driver???  

We are almost in Bhulbhule. A small group of young schoolchildren appears before us. The bus is full but the aisle is clear. That's all it takes for the driver to open the bus door. And presto, we are transformed into a school bus...   

Fortunately, no multiple stops to let the schoolchildren out one by one, as we quickly arrive in Bhulbhule.

The small village has everything necessary to accommodate and feed hikers like us. This is the case for all villages located along the trail we will follow, which runs along the Annapurna range.

Game of "Langur Burja", a kind of casino roulette with dice. Note that gambling is forbidden in Nepal!  

If you are a trekking hen, no worries, guesthouses will also be offered to you!

A Royco soup, momos, and pasta for dinner.

True to its appointment, the gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) will spend the night sheltered with us!

Thursday2ndNovember

When the tourist does his little morning wash outside, the indigenous Nepali woman lights one up...  

After breakfast, the real two-week walk begins. This includes our first suspension bridge, the first of a long list!  

After the first bridge, here is the first snow-capped peak. This is Himalchuli.

No motorized vehicles will be used for the next 13 days. Promised!

Man Bahadur and Subash carry our 2 large bags and sleeping bags, but also their own bags... It's hard to have someone else carry your belongings. But this work benefits them in many ways: it saves them from other even more physical jobs, they are in the great spaces of the Himalayas and they love it, they are well paid and sometimes even, they are with nice foreigners!  

A dam built by the Chinese. The latter are very present in Nepal to help the country catch up technologically. The main reason is obviously to have economic control over this small country, facing the other great country that is India...  

To each his own carrying method. Traditional with the head for Man Bahadur. Modern with the shoulders for Subash...

As for us, we carry our small bags with the bare necessities for the day (water bottle, light sweater, batteries...). Narayan, meanwhile, carries his large bag.

The Marsyangdi River. This small 150 km river will accompany us for a good part of our trek. It originates near Manang, the 8th stage of our journey.

For now, we are walking alongside deciduous forests. Indeed, we are below a thousand meters. We were higher when we were in Kathmandu. The ascent to 5416 meters will therefore be done in stages, little by little, so that the body gently acclimates.  

We also cross a few small villages, but there isn't a crowd. This trek is one of the most frequented in the world but it doesn't feel like it at all!

Are we alone in the universe? No. There are also monkeys.  

The caterpillar of the butterfly Asota plana.

High in the mountains, terraced villages seem inaccessible.

This praying mantis immobilized itself to go unnoticed. Failed.

Almost 4 hours we have been walking when we cross the village of Ghermu.

Finally, lunch break arrives in the village of Syange, at the small Blue Sky restaurant. A little foray into the kitchen where our momos are being prepared.

Culinary experiment. Not really a Nepali specialty, rather an attempt by the chef to achieve the ultimate sweet dessert... Judge for yourself, inside this donut, it's simply a Snickers with its peanuts that have been fried... We'll have to add an extra day to lose all the calories ingested...   

We hit the road again. This afternoon's walk won't be long, as in less than 2 hours we will have reached the day's stage.

The village of Shirchaur.

Short break at 1200 meters.

We needed good shoes, they said... Not even true, it's useless!  

Christmas stars (Euphorbia pulcherrima). All the red needed to attract passing wasps...

Drying pepper on corrugated iron...

Jagat. It is in this small village perched high on the cliff that we will spend the night.

We drop off our luggage at the Garden Hotel, rooms 101 and 102.

It's only mid-afternoon, plenty of time to go for a walk around the area.

Steps lead 100 meters down to a hot spring. Locals have built a pool where you can swim.

This pool is a landmark for trekkers stopping in Jagat. Relaxing your legs in this warm water is not unpleasant at all!

Back up, a little outside the village.

A suspension bridge connects the two mountains. It was at the end of this very bridge that Adriana Karembeu began her little journey with Mike Horn in the show "A l'état sauvage"  . Adriana had to climb the rock located just at the end of the bridge, to reassure Mike Horn about her physical abilities... or not... 

Back to the hotel for our usual momos and a small soup...   Then Narayan teaches us the traditional Nepalese card game, Dhumbal. This game will accompany most of our evenings!