Each day was pretty much the same, exhausting, going up and down a couple or three mountains to have lunch at a village, then repeat before dinner, rest at night! All the while, ascending higher and deeper into the mtns. The villages were quaint, basic with Indian-style squat toilets and solar powered hot showers, shared by all who stayed in the lodge/guest house. The meals were included in my package and I mostly ate porridge in the morning, Daal Bhaat (National dish eaten twice/day by most Nepalese: rice, lentil soup, curry veggies, salad, and a lentil cracker), and a rice or pasta dish for dinner. Meals and accommodations are very inexpensive but you must bring your own sleeping bag and walking sticks.
The guide was a ginormous disappointment as more than his language skills were limited. Eating with his hand was not the issue (local custom), but the acoustic slurping sounds, stereophonic burps, off-key singing, frequent harking and spitting in HD, were annoying me in the worst way! He'd also leave me to fend for myself to cross waterfalls, rivers, mudslides, etc. alone. Scary! The trek to ABC had turned into the most physically challenging thing I've ever done in my life! I grew tired of being cold, wet, tired, and vulnerable (thanks to my guide I mentally called, "Useless"). I'd fallen multiple times and he'd only been there for 2 falls. Meanwhile, Useless was so far ahead or behind me, I was alone 80% of the time.
My entire body hurt, especially the day we trekked 9hrs and 15mins! It rained everyday of the first 4 days and as we ascended, it got colder. The views were sometimes stunning even under cloudy rainy skies.
Other trekkers on the path were mostly friendly and encouraging, and when I could breathe and speak simultaneously, I'd humor them and myself and ask '...are there elevators or escalators ahead?' which brought a chorus of laughter!
I wasn't having fun and just wanted to get it over. My stubbornness and dedication to my angel Eva inspired me to keep going in spite of the pain, rain, cold, wet clothes and shoes, blood-sucking leeches, treacherous terrain, and pure agony.
Photos: rice, beans, corn, Himalayas, mountains, waterfalls, and rocks!
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