Travelers' Tales: Nepal

TRAVELERS’TALES

SHARE YOUR STORIES AT WWW.AUDLEYTRAVEL.COM/US/SHARE

NEPAL

Linda Dale and her friends traveled to Nepal with Audley

L inda Dale, Ann Brown and Maggie Edwards have returned from their adventures in the Nepalese Himalaya. Here are some diary extracts from part of their five-day mountain trek in the foothills, which took them on a loop from Pokhara through the Annapurna range.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23RD

Sun was forecast for today, so we made an early start to escape some of the heat. By 7:30am we were on the steep staircase up to Himalaya Lodge Ghandruk, 6,500 feet

above sea level. The sun was going to be strong and our legs certainly had to be too.

When we booked this trip, we said we wanted a challenge, and we were certainly rewarded with one. Looking up as we trekked was not an option, as the sight of rows of steps fading into the distance was somewhat discouraging. It was always best to look out across the river, which gradually became smaller. The vastness of the mountain slopes became more and more apparent, and at times the scale and beauty was almost too much to take in.

Himalaya high

Treks here weave amid the world’s highest peaks

We saw monkeys, an owl and an eagle, and watched advancing mule trains as they managed their staggering loads on the unstable scree of the pathways. As we climbed higher, the people seemed more wearied, more sun-lined and stooped in their daily battle to maintain shelter, food supplies and warmth in such a beautiful but harsh environment.

We reached our destination of Himalaya Lodge after seven hours. The mist had already settled and as we fell early into bed aching and exhausted, my mind kept

42 | AUDLEY TRAVELER

TRAVELERS’ TALES

returning to one particular conversation. Earlier in the day, we had rounded a corner in one of the many villages we passed, and encountered an old lady sitting on the terrace of her one-roomed house. Her legs and feet were awkwardly twisted beneath her body. Sanu, our guide, sat beside her and talked at length in Nepalese. Sanu explained to us that an illness in childhood had caused the malformation of her limbs.

By the time we left, she was laughing and waving, and phone numbers had been exchanged. Sanu had explained to her that she was now the woman’s adopted daughter and, if she wanted to talk, she was to ring. Later in the day Sanu’s phone rang and our new friend was anxious to pass on her greetings to us. It was wonderful to see the warmth and care between the generations of the Nepalese, and to witness the true meaning of family here.

Village views Settlements perch high in the Nepalese hills; Linda, Annie and Maggie with their guides and porters

SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH

Tranquillity prevailed today. We were woken at 5:45am by a tap on the window and a steaming cup of tea at our door. “Sunrise on the mountain ma’am.”

We threw on some clothes and staggered out to the grass veranda. The mountains, which had been obscured by mist on our arrival, stood towering into the deep blue sky. A small shaft of sunlight brushed the top of Annapurna II, creating a glistening diamond on its peak.

It was impossible to take in the vastness of these 23,000 foot monsters, but we gained some sort of perspective by glimpsing the pinpricks of buildings on top of a forested mountain half its size in the foreground. As the minutes passed, the light grew in breadth and intensity, gradually easing its way across and down the mountain sides, throwing broad lines of alternating shades across the peaks and beyond. The air reverberated with bird song. Nature could not have painted a more perfect setting. Yesterday’s climb had tested our reserve to the limits but this moment was our reward.

Breakfast was served on the terrace and my gaze never wandered. Then the sides of one of the mountains started to slide. Within seconds a vast cloud of snow swirled into the air, creating a massive white shroud, which fell slowly and silently down into the valley. It was over in a couple of minutes.

We sat looking at our porridge, wondering how many other people could say they ate their breakfast while watching an avalanche on one of the tallest mountains of the world.

AUDLEY TRAVELER | 43