Lonnie in Nepal #7

Photos: French/African sista, cultural show, artist, children, Tharu woman

Useless advised me that we couldn't continue onto Jomsom due to a landslide. This was a lie and I knew it but I wanted to return to Pokhara just as quickly as he now did, by any means necessary. He said it would take 2 days to get to a road. (What chu talkin' bout Willis?) It would take 5 hours to simply go down the mountain and another 3 to get to a road. I did the whole thing in 6 and 1/2 hrs, often leaving Useless in the dust behind me. While descending baby Everest, I ran into herds of mules, trekkers, porters (each carrying the backpacks of 2-4 people), bulls, snakes, and grasshoppers...all while crossing waterfalls, bridges, landslides, boulders, etc.

We reached a waiting taxi and zoomed into Pokhara where I stood in the hotel shower and cried. This was not the birthday trip i'd imagined, instead, it was a nightmare that I barely escaped. I still ended up overtipping Useless (regretfully) and furious with the lying jerk who was ultimately responsible for the trip from Hell, the hotel manager, Laxya of Macchupucchre Guest House.

I recovered in Pokhara for a few days but my feet/legs were still swollen and leech-bruised. And if my Spirits weren't low enough, I connected my camera to a computer to download pics and a virus deleted all 240 pictures? Later, I was able to find a wonderful Nepali geek, Devi, who recovered them. At dinner, I met a wonderful traveler, Carla, from Chile and we hung out. I was long overdue for a conversation with someone other than me and Lonnie.

The trek was life altering and I'm already feeling changed, evolved, resilient, and more connected with The Source, and everything, even rocks...

Namaste

Lonnie in Nepal #6

By the 4th evening, we reached MBC (Macchupucchre Base Camp) and were over 11,000ft and I was suffering. Breathing was a job, my head ached, and even after I dried and covered myself with my down sleeping bag and 2 doubled wool blankets, I could not stop shivering for more than an hour???

Great, total body pain, altitude sickness, and now hypothermia!

I forced myself to the dining room which was as cold as my room, but had people sitting around the table. Somebody had to know CPR! I tried to sit at the table but had to lie down on rest areas. Each time I tried to sit at the dining table, shortly, I had to lie down again. Then the Kerosene heater was placed in a pit under the table which had a clothes line around the perimeter. I hung wet clothes on the line then had to get horizontal again. I ordered food and pushed it away upon arrival - definitely Altitude sickness. I forced down water, garlic soup, and tea. Some women from Oregon had a wonderful guide who gave me motion sickness pills. The first one worked within an hour and I was able to get vertical for a while. Meanwhile, Useless seemed not to care that I was sick and had nothing to offer for me to get better. (All guides are supposed to have a first aid kit w/meds).

It was a sobering moment as I realized my safety and well-being was of no concern to Useless. I made the decision not to continue to ABC (over 13,000ft). We would go backward and toward Jomson where we would catch a flight back to Pokhara. I knew Eva would understand.

It took over 9hrs to reach the town (Chomrong) but it was the first trek day of no rain and the Altitude sickness was gone after we descended, but not the dangers. I knew I was only a sprain ankle, bad fall, or landslide away from certain tragedy, possibly, my last birthday trip. (Most knew that there were 3 Japanese trekkers and a porter still missing though the rest of their party had been rescued).

It would still take us 2-3days to reach Pokhara! Meanwhile, I saw no bikes, cars, internet, tv, signs of civilization (as I know it), but there was plenty of bulls, dong, rivers, waterfalls, and great big ol' green mountains!

Photos:Himalayas, landscapes

Lonnie in Nepal #5

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!

Lonnie in Nepal #4

Started the first day of my trek with a guide who spoke limited English so I was not happy as I specifically asked for an English speaker. I was told by the boss, 'oh he speaks better English than I do' which turned out to be a lie, but it was too late to do anything different as I'd already paid my money...a refund wouldn't happened so here goes...

We took a taxi to the point where we would start trekking and I begin my assent up a mtn that was around 7,000 feet and this was just the warm up! 20 minutes into it, I was sweating, 40 minutes into it, I was drenched in sweat! What the hell had I gotten myself into? and I had 9 more days to go...and go I did as there was no turning back. So I trekked over and thru waterfalls, rivers, boulders, wet rocks, mud slopes, jungle vines, trees, and grasses, while it rained nearly the entire time.

I needed more than faith and willpower to get through this so I called on my angel Eva (with stage IV cancer who has more life and light in her than the majority of so called healthy folks). I would dedicate the entire trek to Eva. When I needed her inspiration, I'd touch the pink ribbon on my necklace, breath in Eva energy, say a silent prayer, and keep trekking.

The first day's trek was around 8hours, Whew! ...not fun and a whole new level of insanity!

9 more days to go!

Photos: trekking along the way meeting Americans, Thai lady, Koreans gone wild, local baby, trek map (check out the distances between villages...passed thru a few villages/day) rain, clouds, mountains, mountains, mountains....

ps: just found out that my photos are small enough to upload more per blog.....yipppeee!

Lonnie in Nepal #3

The food here is acutally pretty good and very International as Nepal is on the spice route so the food influences are diverse. Tibet's big culinary contribution are Momos which are steamed dumplings (or fried) stuffed with veggies, or meats, cheese, etc. The National dish is Daal Bhaat which is rice, lentil soup, curry veggies, a salad and a crunchy lentil cracker. The cost is around $1-2 and you can get as much refill as you like. There are many Indian, Italian, Chinese dishes on the menus also. I sat down at one lakeside restaurant and it was all Mexican food. I didn't stay for that but opted for local food at the "Laughing Buddha" restaurant which has excellent food!

Breakfast cost around $1.30, lunch $1-2, dinner $2-3 and my room with cable tv, ceiling fan, and a mtn/lake view cost around $9/Day.

Liliam introduced me to some of her local friends who were fun and entertaining. The sunset at the lake was beautiful as I watched people come and go in long row boats. The waters were calm, the air was fresh, and the people were chilled.

photos: Nepali club, Pokhara, peace pagoda, devil's fall, live bull walking

Lonnie in Nepal #2

After a failed attempt (due to landslides and huge boulders) to reach Pokhara by bus, spent all day (12hrs) on a bus before reaching Katmandu again! I got a plane ticket and left the following day to the majestic city of Pokhara. Arrived and was treated to a welcome lunch by a Couchsurfer (International travel network) friend Liliam. Made plans for a trek and had to cancel the Tibet part due to insufficient time and complications.

Still, Pokhara is like Berkeley, CA on a lake as it's very laid back with plenty of backpackers in town to do trekking, rafting, hang-gliding, etc. I signed up for a 10day trek to ABC (Annapurna Base Camp), a vantage point to view sunrise in the Himalayas. From my hotel room, I could see the lake and surrounding mtns. When it was clear in the morning, I could even see Macchupuchre (one of the Himalayan snow-covered peaks)

On my 2nd day in Pokhara, I took a rowboat across the lake and hiked up to the Peace Pagoda (a tribute Stupa to friendship between Asian countries). It was an exhausting vertical climb. I later found out that I'd hiked up 3,800 stairs!!! It took an hour and bucket of sweat but the views were stunning. The whole of Pokhara, the lake, mtns and the huge Golden Buddha.

I allowed a local youngster to show me a 'short cut' down the back of the hill so I could visit 'Devil's Fall' and he literally took me over the rivers, thru the woods, and down the backside of the mtn. All I can say is, next time, i'm taking the long way.

Enjoy the photos in Pokhara

Lonnie in Nepal, #1

Namaste all!

I am overjoyed that my 31hour trip to get here has already proven to be worth it as Katmandu has a little bit of everything! After spending a 7hr layover in Hong Kong, an hour stopover in Bangledesh, I got a ride from the airport, checked into my room, took a shower and passed out! Surprisingly, I only slept for 6 hours?

The air quality is aweful and many people wear nose/mouth masks. I've put mine on a few times. The streets are narrow and packed with cars, trucks, pedestrians, shops, street venders, but thankfully, no cows!

Anyway, the Nepali people have been quite hospitable and offered good info on what to do, where to go, etc. I already have plans to leave chaotic Katmandu (Nepal's capital) and head for another city called Pokhara (on a lake) tomorrow. There, I will meet up with a travel network friend, Liliam, from Portugal.

Meanwhile, enjoy the Katmandu photos of Burbur Square Temple, Monkey Temple, and African refugees that I had the pleasure of sharing wonderful conversations about almost everything.