Lazy Day and Trek Day 5

So yesterday was a recovery day, in other words, a lazy day. (: We stayed in Ghoreponi and could sleep in (even though we still woke up at five because of time change). At our tea house we have this really good egg and yak cheese sandwich (which I had three times). All day we rested, walked around town, played Uno, and had tea. My favorite tea is definitely Mint Tea. It is not too bitter but not too sweet either and I can always rely on it being the same taste from tea house to tea house. Unlike lots of food items. 

    Some of the types of food is Dhal Bhat, which is rice with veggies- pickled and fresh, chicken, and curry sauce. That is what the porters (ones who carry loads up and down the mountain) and guides eat. They also use no utensils only fingers. Other popular things for lunch and dinner is- fried rice w/ veggies, soups, soups with noodles. For breakfast is usually eggs, gurung bread- sweet circular bread, and toast. While us is all really tasty it kind of gets repetitive after seven days. So a pepperoni pizza sounds pretty good now. Also, tap water isn't drinkable so we rely on bottled water most of the time, we have to brush our teeth with the bottled water too which is okay most of the times. I look forward to getting tap water at home. But all of this is definitely worth it.

     

      Another thing I'm looking forward to having is a nice bathroom with a toilet, a sink with soap, a warm shower, towels, and toilet paper. Only three out of the six teahouses we have stayed at have had a working and warm shower. It's definitely something we take for granted at home, so is a towel. Not one bathroom in a tea house has a had a towel for drying hands or after a shower, and we lost our one towel too... whoops!

   

      One of the best things about Nepal is the people. They are all very nice and are willing to go out of their way to help you. They almost always say hello (Namaste) and I always feel welcomed and comfortable even in a place so far from home. It's so so cool to hear them speak Nepali, it's a beautiful language and almost sounds like music. During our treks Kewal our guide has been teaching me a very small amount of Nepali, I can count to ten and say mountain, up, down, fast (which is cheeto) and slow. I am also working on animals- dog, cat, monkey, mouse, and rabbit. Ask me when I get back and I can show you. 

     Anyway, today we woke up well rested at 4:30 AM to hike to Poon Hill which is supposed to have really good views. It is an hour hike up and a mix with just waking up, altitude, and walking in the dark,  it was not easy. But finally we made it to the top where unfortunately it was a bit cloudy. But in five minutes the weather had completely flipped to crystal clear just in time for sunrise. We saw the sun, a bright orange color, peak from behind the mountain. It lit up the mountains and was the most amazing sunrise I've ever seen. You could see the entire Annapurna mountain range and the snow capped mountains. Breathtaking. We even got a view of a couple of the highest mountains in the world. It was also the highest up we would be on our trek. As we were watching the sunrise we met a woman from Iowa, small world. It's crazy how many people you meet and what there story is. 

      We hiked down, and got some breakfast, an egg sandwich and got hiking.  In total we hiked about seven hours today. 

     

     Before I came to Nepal I expected the treks to be amazing but look mostly the same. I was right that is was amazing but definitely wrong that the terrain would be the same. We have gone through forests, next to rivers and waterfalls, over bridges, on the sides of mountains with no trees, downhill, uphill, valleys, and ridges. All very pretty. We arrived in the village, Ulleri, to spend the night. We are the only people her so it's kinda fun. The power has been out for a while so we go by candle light at night. 

     Tomorrow is our last hiking day and we will arrive in Pokhara tomorrow. We are planning to go to some good restaurants, walk around town, and look at some shops. We will be there for a couple days before heading back to Kathmandu. 

      Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far, it's really nice to reflect on what has happened and a good way to remember what happened. Also thanks for reading all of this, it's a lot! (:

Trek Day 3-4

Sorry for the delay in blogs, the wifi has been very very bad but hopefully we should be able to post more regularly.

We left our tea house at about 9:00 AM and started to trek to Tada Poni (which means hot water in Nepali; there are hot springs there).  The start of our trek was a little hot but was okay.  We soon entered a forest which was cool, shaded, and very beautiful.  It was mostly just us the whole time too, except we ran into the couple that we played Uno with the night before!

We hiked the forest for about 2-1/2 hours until we reached Tada Poni.  We got into our tea house and had some lunch.  I had fried rice, but for some reason they put ketchup on it and it was really bad.  It was also very cold and everything was wet.  I felt so damp and chilled.  Not fun.  We wrapped up in our sleeping bags to rest and about an hour later I felt nauseous and uncomfortable.  For the next couple hours I had a little bug but we got it fixed with some meds.  It left me a little weak and not hungry at all.

Thankfully I fell asleep at 7:30.  Then at around 4:30 someone directly above us yelled then fell out of bed which was very very loud, and a tiny bit funny too!  I couldn't fall asleep afterwards but I wasn't really tired either.  We woke up and had some breakfast to get ready for a big day to Ghorepani.

Trek Day 4
We started our hike at 7:40 AM.  The hike consisted of lots and lots and lots of stairs next to a river, and through the forest.  About half way through we saw a wild monkey!  It looked kinda mean though.  We got to one part where there were lots of stacked stone statues and it was amazing.  We made one too.  Around then, we saw a lot of other trekkers coming down.  it was cool to see all of the different ages and nationalities.  We stopped in Durali for lunch.  As we ate, we watched a goat eat a mattress.  Yes, a goat eating a mattress.  It was pretty hilarious AND alarming.

The rest of the hike was on a ridge in the clouds.  Unfortunately it was cloudy so we didn't any view.  We arrived in Ghoreponi after 7 hours of trekking and are sitting in the tea house waiting for dinner now.

Five things I've learned about Nepal and trekking:
1.  You need patience - for trekking, airports, getting food in tea houses, internet, etc.

2. Do not expect bathrooms to be nice at all.  Most of the time it is just a hole, so bring your own toilet paper.  In one, there was a large clump of daddy long leg spiders.  it makes me shiver when I think about it!

3. No matter where you go, there is always Pringles and Coke - everywhere!

4. Trekking is easiest when thinking of how far you've gone, not how much farther you need to go.  It makes it so much more enjoyable and fulfilling.

5.  I prefer to go uphill instead of down.  Downhill is way more tiring!

Trek Day 2

We started the day in Ghandruk where we got to sleep in to about 8:00 am.  Unfortunately it was overcast so we only got glimpses of the mountains.  I had Gurung bread for breakfast, which is a bread that is sweet.  Very tasty.

We started to trek and about ten minutes into the trek, kewal brought us to a museum that showed us what a traditional Nepalese house looks like.  It makes me grateful for all of the modern appliances and tools we have today.

We hiked for 2-1/2 hours, mostly up stairs.  We saw almost no tourists, and unlike yesterday it was mostly just us the whole way.  There were many mules coming down though, it's funny, there are usually about 7-10 mules in a group and one mule just follows the path and all others follow it.  The human guide just stays back and keeps all the mules on track.  I bet if you just started the mule down the mountain they could make it the whole way alone.  We ascended about 1,000 meters today and finished our trek at 12:30 in a town called Kota Danda.

We are staying at a lodge with only two other tourists.  Thehotel owner has a daughter and she is about three years old.  Super adorable!  Her name is Gupsana.  She greeted us and I colored with her.  She loves to repeat things you say or do so you have to watch out.

Gupsana showing me some bunnies

While we were eating lunch she came and ate with us.  She ate half of her rice while she threw the other half on the floor.  Another time she was walking and decided to close her eyes.  She tripped on flower pots and fell.  It was scary at the moment but she was good 30 seconds after.  A good laugh.

We ate dinner with a young couple from Austria.  They are on a trip for three months starting with Nepal.  It was fun to hear their plans.  We also played Uno with them and my dad won every time!

So our original plan was to head up to the ABC (Annapurna Base Camp).  But Kewal has told us that there has been lots of snow whih leads to avalanches and rockfalls, He said he has also talked to groups coming down and ABC is just too risky to be worth it.   Instead we are going to Poon Hill which is supposed to have really nice views and we might even get to Pokhara a day early!

~Callie

(Photos to follow - can't upload great from the mountains :()  Posts may be slow too - like the internet!)

Trek day 1!

So today was a very very crazy day.

    We woke up in Kathmandu at 5:50AM to catch a flight to Pokara (only twenty minutes long)  Kewal,  our guide picked us up from our hotel to go to the airport. The plane was a propellor plane and could hold maybe twenty people. In the air I've got to say it was a little nerve racking because of turbulence but not too bad because that's when I got my first glimpse of the Himalayas. I saw one of the 8,000 meter peaks Mansulu. There are only fourteen 8,000 meter peaks (the tallest ones in the world) so that was cool. 

 

     We landed in Pokara and grabbed our bags and went to a jeep that that would take us to where we would start hiking. We also rode with our two porters that would carry most of our things to tea house to tea house. The car ride would be three hours long and here comes the 'fun' part. 

 

     The first part of the ride started low and paved which was okay, minor bumps, etc. We drove higher and higher and it was kind of scary looking down because at some points you were kind of on an edge of a cliff. Then about half way through the ride we turned to a road that was not even close to paved and was ridiculously bumpy. From there we drove higher and higher and the 'road' was very narrow. At points a big passenger bus would drive past us and it was very scary and unbelievable how it could fit. Keep in mind that on one side of the road was going up the mountain, a wall, and the other side was most of the time a steep drop. We were that way for about an hour and a half. We were rocking back on forth constantly. I was so thankful when we got to a little restaurant where we would stop, scariest car ride of my life. Also thankfully I did not get one bit car sick, if I was I would've been completely miserable.

    Once we got to the small restaurant this cute puppy followed us around and I named it Lunu. I wanted to keep it, so adorable.😍 I ordered fried rice and while we waited we taught Kewal how to play UNO. While we were playing five other Nepalese people came over and watched us and helped Kewal play. One of my favorite parts of the trip so far. The restaurant had nice views too. 

 

      We started to trek and today would be short, only about two hours. We walked on a stone path and climbed stairs most of the time. I saw cute chicks, mules, cows, dogs, a cat, and tiny birds. Very fun to watch. I also watch the locals literally run up the hill in flip flops, wow. We took two breaks and the views are incredible. Everything is just so big and tall. We then arrived In a villiage named Ghandrok and are staying in a tea house called Peaceful Lodge. We arrived at only 2:00pm, crazy day and it's not even over yet. Then that's where I am now, it's pretty amazing to finally be here!

 Porter carrying three duffel bags

~Callie

Day in Kathmandu

     This morning we woke up and ate some breakfast at the hotel. Afterwards Suvani, who works with the Book Bus / Quixote Cove project picked us up so we could go and drop off the books we had brought. We went to her office where we met others who work there and we talked about what the Book Bus organization was doing and what it had done. It was very cool to see what they are doing and I hope the books we brought are helpful!

       After the Book Bus went went to the office of the Himalayan Glacier (the company we are trekking with) to get everything ready. After we needed to grab some things so we got to walk around the street and WOW they are super chaotic and crazy. No sidewalks, dodging cars, motorcycles, and people. You need to be very aware of what's happening or something could go wrong. Most roads are the size of a large side walk and  cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes, and people all have to fit. There are many small shops with clothing, food, pashminas, souvenirs, electronics, etc. Also always honking going on, not really a mean kind of honk just a, 'I'm here', or 'go' honk. In the busy parts you can't go five seconds without hearing the high pitched honk, yes I counted. :)

     As we're we're driving in town I was looking around and I was very surprised when I looked up and a monkey was perched on the power lines. Also someone had hung there dripping wet laundry right over a crazy power line post. Another surprise was I was again looking out of the car window and saw a cow just sitting in the side walk, not expecting that.

      After waking around, we went back to the room to relax and nap. I actually woke up and asked when we should get ready for breakfast thinking I had slept through the night, it was only 5 pm, whoops. There is an eleven hour time change for you!

 

 

     For dinner Naba, who helped us get ready for our trek, his wife Goma and daughter- Jasmine, who is my age, and three other hikers (from Hungary, Dubai, and Poland) met at a pretty place in town. We watched traditional dancing and had Dhal Bhat- rice,veggies, and chicken or fish. It was tasty and really cool to talk to Jasmine and experience the dinner. When we were driving back to the hotel there was a lot of lighting and thunder and it started pouring as soon as we got inside. And that's where it leads to now!

~Callie

Jasmine and I

It Took 56 Years to Get Here

So technically it took 56 years and 28 hours to get here... kinda.

In Nepal the year is 2073, so you can see how it's fun to say how we went to the far future. But in reality it took about 28 hours, we had three flights, two layovers, and one destination.

The first flight was from Minneapolis to Chicago, about an hour. In Chicago we had a super long four and a half hour long layover that consisted of sitting in the airport and waiting and waiting. From Chicago we would fly to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) which is a 14 hour flight.

My dad and I were originally going to have four seats to ourselves until the flight filled up very quickly and we ended up sitting across the aisle from each other, while two crying babies were right in front of me but it was okay because they were very cute.

During the flight I slept, watched a movie and had rice and chicken for dinner and breakfast.  

The flight went unbelievably slow but we made it.

     
We landed in Abu Dhabi and there is pretty much nothing visible near the airport but lots and lots of sand.


From there we would board our final flight to Kathmandu, Nepal, about 4 hours. This plane was smaller than the previous one but way better because we had gotten upgraded to business class! The seats were huge and reclined, I have three windows to myself, you have very comfortable pillows and blankets, and we got a pretty fancy lunch and ice cream after! The seats even had a built in massager! Very different from the previous flight.

When we landed in Nepal we got on a bus to get to the main airport, which is very small compared to other airports. It definitely is not the most high quality but nothing unbearable.

     As some may know we decided to collect books to give to an organization called the Book Bus. They give Nepali students English books because it is usually hard to find or too expensive to get English books to them. Thanks to all who donated! But as we were getting our bags, the books we had brought were packed in two cardboard boxes which were almost completely destroyed when we got them... whoops!

200+lbs of books and trekking stuff

    Afterwards was the kinda crazy part, we walked outside where many Nepali were standing who were wanting to give you a ride, which we already had one. Thankfully we saw our guide for the rest of the trip, Kewal. My dad had hiked with him in previous trips but this was my first time meeting him, he was very nice and helped us get what we needed right away. He gave us flower necklaces with orange and yellow flower on it and it smelled so good after all of the bad and musty airplane
smells.    

Kewal and I

 We drove through the pretty crazy Nepal streets. ( it was night so I have still not seen the mountains yet, but there was enough lights to see the streets)

I am American so the steering wheel was on the 'wrong' side and so were the direction of the cars. Lots of honking going on, lots of people walking in the streets, and no stop lights. People seems to know the way it works though. But lots of very small shops and lights.

I also saw many very cute stray dogs out just walking around or laying on the steps. I won't pet them though, I think they are just kinda like squirrels are to us, doing their own thing and don't really belong to anyone or place.

We arrived in a nice hotel and that leads up to where I am now!

~Callie

Almost Time!

We are at 5 days away from leaving and all of the planning is finally coming together.



One of the ways we are trying to give back and help on our trip is to collect and donate books for school age children in rural Nepal that is serviced by a Book Bus program.  Link  We have 100 pounds of books currently and are hoping to double that by the time we leave on Wednesday, March 22nd to help as many kids as we can.  The books range from early readers to American History and geography.  All should be very helpful and informative for eager learners.

Our Journey

Our trip consists of departing from Minneapolis to Chicago, a layover in Chicago for a few hours and then continuing on a 14 hour flight to Abu Dhabi which is the Capital of the United Arab Emirates. Then we have a layover of about 2 hours and then onto a 4 hour flight to Kathmandu.

In Kathmandu we will meet up with members from the Book Bus / Quixote's Cove office and see those behind all of the good that is being done for the school children of rural Nepal.

A few days later we will head west and begin our 9 day trek to Annapurna Base Camp and topping off in altitude at around 4,130 meters (13,545ft).

We can't wait to get to meet new people, see some amazing sights, experience new cultures, challenge our minds and bodies and help those that we have the ability to!

It is March!

We are 3 weeks away from heading to the other side of the world with an 11hr and 45 minute time change and tackling the challenge of providing books for school children along with trekking to Annapurna Base Camp.

Stay tuned for more details!