Handful Of My Scribbles: travel

travel

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Day 4 could have incorporated the visit to Tatopani nearby but everybody was busy snoozing, especially the boys. Tadapani offered us a crystal clear remarkable sight of Macchapuchre and Annapurna once again that looked gigantic as it was even closer. The sun rays made the snow sparkle like they were made of tiny shiny diamonds.

On the contrary, that might not charm all. A friend in our group chose his nap over the view with a silly remark that he could see sunrise from his home in Kathmandu every morning. We probed him to find a better excuse. The foreigner Mama and Maiju, as the guide named them were from Argentina. Standing beside a German guy, a gentleman from Russia was smiling at every conversation of ours though I'm sure he didn't understand a thing. Doesn't sun rise in their country? Sure, it does but this exquisitely carving the shapes of the Himalayas. No.

Five hours of downhill, hunger, low energy level, spirit still high, basically we fulfilled all the necessary requisites for trekking though it was short to be called a real trekking.

We even got lost, but isn't that the whole point of travelling?

The sun shone brighter, making the white disappear and greens and browns and blacks reappeared. The more we descended the less snow the branches held. With the slated roofs of beautiful dwelling Ghandruk in sight, snow was out of it. We were still accompanied by the Himalayas as we traced our way back leaving the trails and hitting the bumpy jeep ride till Nayapul that found its continuity till Pokhara.

THERE AND BACK AGAIN (no hobbits included*)

Ask me for travel tips, please do. I suggest to negotiate the costs wherever you can.

In average, the charges are NRs.200 for breakfast, NRs.300 for lunch/dinner, NRs.200 per room at Tea-houses.

Plus conversations, laughter and stories around the fireplace-Absolutely FREE.

Do not litter, there are rubbish bins at regular intervals though they were filled with snow when we passed across them. Travelling in a group is always fun, plus, you can split the expenses.

With pocketful of memories, here's one last terrific tip that I can think of: Make your time. Pack your bags. Go Explore.

(Published: ESSENCE Magazine, Year 4, Vol. 01, January 2015, Unleash.)

Our routine was fixed right from dawn to dark. We were so over and done with snow when we had to find our way up to Poonhill even before day-break. Above the thick dollops of snow, searching for the walking trail which once existed, we traced our way to our final destination of the trip to eyewitness the much-heard-about Sunrise. People from around the world assemble here for this spectacular view. But, Google misguided me as much as others did. I’ll explain.

Do not, I repeat, do not ask the guides or villagers how far a certain place is. If you do, multiply it by at least 2, their one hour equals our two. After three times the fifteen minutes, we reach the top and yet after playing peek-a-boo for anther 25 minutes, the spectacular range comes in view from the hilltop. Perfectly lined up, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Macchapuchre and Nilgiri accompanied by a veil of the fogs were not as clear as I expected them on the basis of Google's Image search but it could not have been any better. The intensifying sunlight added an attractive golden gleam on the absolute silver linings. One hand with a cup full of hot tea that could freeze any moment in that given condition, I called home. Though telephone network teases your cell-phone antenna quite a lot all the way, the signal at Ghorepani-Poonhill is durable. Thanks to the Nepal Telecom tower which we kind of mistook for Poonhill tower. Gprs and Wi-Fi works there too. Facebook Check-ins? Anyone?

Best for breakfast is the Tibetan bread, Once we had it, we bid farewell to the friendly owners and set off for our return. Though we could have taken the same route back, we chose a different one instead. Either way it would take 2 days, why not explore? The all-snow covered trail was named by us - the never ending kingdom of our very own personal Narnia.

Excited with all that snowfall, we let an important fact slip out of our heads. It rains partly before snowing and snow melts on our body because of our body temperature. Thus we purchased some warm mittens and wrapped big sheets of green plastics like raincoat preventing ourselves from getting wet. Looking like massive balloons in the snow covered woods we made our way to Ghandruk.

The path challenged us but we carried on with a big fat smile plus greetings to and from every individual we came across. There was concern followed by laughter when anyone of us skidded. It was easy to lose a whole day enjoying the picturesque path that was similar to the posters of Switzerland we had seen that reminded us of the purity of paradise and it was easier to lose one because the way was quite tough to get through.

We let ourselves have a breather at Tadapani as we couldn't make it to Ghandruk that day before sundown.

'It’s cold' is the first remark you will make if you wake up at this altitude in the month of February. Imagine the struggle to brush your teeth and wash your face. Day 2 started like that, soon engulfing us in the wet woods, ferns and big rocks boulevard. The sound of waterfalls, chirping birds and dripping water droplets from the branches above is only trounced by a distinctive sound of bells tied to the neck of the asses used primarily for transportation. Safe Drinking water spots are available at every next settlement but take this suggestion of mine if you ever hike, carry a small bottle of Water purifying tablets or solution and taste the natural spring water.

You can guess how excited we were for snow when I let you know that we bothered almost every person we came across asking about what lies ahead of us and what they left behind them. Some agreed to our enthusiasm, some presaged but each person replied with warmth. Drenched enough in the rain the earlier day, none of us wished for a rain yet it showed up, like everything that we don’t want happens.

Almost immediately, our annoyance melted as the rain droplets started freezing and transformed itself to tiny white ice crystals. SNOW! We danced, jumped, slipped, played, photographed and carved snowmen out of mud mixed snow. We were witnessing snow, first time in our existence of 22 years (in average). Warming up our internal system with a cup of black tea cost us Rs.20 each cup. Still in budget.

The greens were slowly covered with white as we climbed up. Cold Clean Cottony White. Whites overlying the blue roofs, white where once used to be red rhododendrons, white above the yellow grass blooms, white wherever our eyes dwelt. No differentiation between any elements of nature; all white.

Our trekking poles supported us while we passed small bunches of tea houses still comprehending the first feel of snow; and then we reached Ghorepani, approximately six hours later we started.

Bargaining mode on. We reserved a warm cozy place and looking out of the window at that heavy snowfall, thanked our decision of staying at Banthanthi instead of Ulleri the previous day. Despite the weather outside, we passed that evening warm, not just because of the burning woods in the central heating system, but because of the affection and matchless generosity of the Tamang couple who looked after the Guest House where we were the only guests that night. Paying a little more for a stomach-full won't seem a big deal considering how difficult it is to carry food up there where nothing grows.

It was a trip of a lifetime.

When you sit down to write a travelogue, I read somewhere to never use these words as a narrative beginning. Because it said, you will be overselling your experience. But there is no room for taking cautions as you know the ones showing an interest in your travel journal are as much as wander lusty as you are, maybe even more. The next thing I am sure of that compelled me to use the sentence above is that every place you observe at a certain point of time had never been that way and will never ever be the same, until of course the concept of parallel universes holds true.

Else, everyplace you visit, every trip you take, it's truly once in a lifetime.

I use these 131 words before starting an account of 6 days long, better put as 6 days short, trek to a stunning hill station concealed in the hazy mist on the lap of snow roofed Himalayas which my country has been blessed with. Christened as Poonhill (Poon being one of the family names in Nepal), this hill stands tall at an altitude of 3210 meters, pretty easy to remember if you recite numerical from 0 to 3 from opposite.

Getting there is quite easy too. Kathmandu to Pokhara is not a new highway to any of us. Allow me to impart the details of my journey here onward.