My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I agree Chris.......Nepal is all about the people.......

I've been wanting to complete my trip report (from March 25 to March 30) when I didn't have good internet access and I was unable to make my posts but it just seems inappropriate at this time. I've been speaking with Shambhu this morning and the aftershocks (which occurred east of Kathmandu yesterday) that rocked Nepal have partially destroyed his parent's home. You may recall that they live close to Mount Everest and this is the area where the aftershocks were centered. He's pretty upset (obviously) and he says that now his parents and younger siblings can't return to their house and that they are living outside. He's also telling me that his family in Kathmandu is living outside as well, and the weather has turned for the worse (he says "there is big rain now"). And all I really can do right now is listen and.......

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/25/world/nepal-earthquake-how-to-help/index.html

More pictures that I've received recently.........

 

[ClayH]

Just now getting to catch up from Friday. When I heard of the quake sat. I immediately thought of you and your new friends. I had no idea you had already left. Such a horrible event.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks Clay. I've continued to stay in touch with my Nepali friends daily and have been able to offer them some assistance. It's really been a blessing for me.......

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Alright........this is the part of the trip that I was unable to report on due to lack of internet. It's Day 9 to Day 12 (03/26 to 30/29). If you go to Page 49 you'll see a void.

As usual we were up early and Sandeesh was ready to go. We hiked out of Chame along the river and through the broad valley. But not far out of Chame the trail departed the flat valley and ascended into the mountains. We hiked through pine forests and the sights here were outstanding. Not far out of Chame we passed through of our first village, Talekhu (8,920'). As I recall we stopped at a teahouse and I had a coffee and I bought Sandeesh a tea. Sandeesh loved these morning breaks but he was in high gear for the remainder of the days. We passed large apple orchards which were carved out of the pine forests. We continued on and made our way to Bhratang (9,380'). Here we stopped at a police check point (as I recall). They check my permits and all is fine so we move on. I believe it was here that I told Sandeesh that we would take the high trail to Upper Pisang and not the lower road to Pisang (these are different villages). Sandeesh said no he wanted to stay on the road and I said nope and that was it, we took the high trail and what a great decision that turned out to be. Here's some random pictures along the trail.........

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I really loved hiking this section of the trail so here's some more pictures prior to arriving in Upper Pisang...........











Viewing Pisang from the upper trail......





Entering Upper Pisang......

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We got ourselves settled in at the tea house, had a quick meal of Dahl Bat, but all I had on my mind was visiting the monastery. I headed up and grabbed a few pictures on the way........









The gate that leads to the Upper Pisang Monastery.....



As you pass thru the gates and look to the left you immediately notice that there's been a recent fire. The monastery lost quite a bit of books and statues and what not. Really sad and as I type this I wonder what the earthquake did to them.........



Signs of the fire can be seen in this picture.....



As I looked back towards Upper Pisang and Pisang.......





And then looking towards the mountains. The monks have some amazing views of the Himalaya mountains......

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

As it turned out I was the only one visiting the monastery when I arrived. That would change later in the day but it turned out to be a great opportunity for me. There were two monks living there when I visited. Kanche (19) was outside when I arrived and he spoke OK English so we started up a conversation that lasted for at least an hour. He served me hot lemon tea and we talked about all kinds of stuff. Kanche was from the mountains of Nepal, had left home when he was nine years old to become a monk and had only returned to his home once. One of his brothers was also a monk. Kanche was really cool and had a great smile. The other monk, Dorje (22) was inside watching a movie. Eventually he came out and the three of us talked and drink hot lemon tea all afternoon. Dorje was from Bhutan and had only been a monk for a year. He told me that prior to being a monk he had a girlfriend and all the stuff that a normal kid had. But he said he always had a desire to be a monk so he finally made the move. He had a great sense of humor and I loved every minute hanging out with these guys.

Kancha on the left and Dorje on the right.....



The inside of the monastery......













Later in the afternoon tourists began to arrive and Kancha and Dorje had to entertain their guests. I waved goodbye and Kancha came to me and said please don't leave......we'd like for you to stay after the tourists leave. Well that was pretty cool for me because I was feeling a little special. I spent a few hours just hanging around, sipping hot lemon tea, and people watching. One thing that stood out to me was how tourists would grab these guys and take their pictures with them. Later on I asked about it and they said they hated it. So I said I've got to have at least one picture of them for my memories and they said gladly, that I was a friend. Again.....I was feeling special on this day. And the views of the Himalayas were awesome as I waited for the other tourists to leave and continue my visit with the monks......

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

At 5:00 p.m. the monks led a prayer service which I attended with quite a few of the other guests. The guests, one by one, seem to become bored with the prayers and the monastery began to empty. Once it was over there were only a few of us left and they were gone shortly after that. So it was me, Kancha and Dorje again. They asked if I'd like to stay and have dinner with them which of course I accepted. By now it was dark and we ate in a small room with (2) head lamps. It was awesome !

The monks lived in this building.....







As we sat and ate our dinner we looked up to see Sandeesh entering the building. He was upset with me because I should have been at the tea house having my dinner. Most tea houses provide rooms for next to nothing but there's an unwritten understanding that you'll eat where you sleep. I settled Sandeesh down and left after about ten minutes. But before I left the monks gave me a beautiful scarf and a CD with Nepali Buddhist music. This was an amazing day for me......therefore lots of pictures and the long story......





Sandeesh and I returned to the tea house and I decided to have a second dinner. At that point everybody was happy and I was stuffed. I slept well as we had hiked ten miles and I had quite a busy day. Up early the following morning and back on the Annapurna Trail......

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So now we are hiking on the trail from Upper Pisang to Manang (11,610'). On this day we covered approximately (9.4) miles passing through several beautiful villages, Ghyanu at 12,380' and Ngawal at 12,005'.



Sandeesh and I have really got into a groove as we hike together yet alone. Typically now we have maybe 500 to 1,000 feet between us along the trail. With the language barrier it's just easier that way. And to be honest I'm a loner most of the time so I'm fine with it. We passed some amazing Mani Wheels and Mani Stones. I found myself photographing way too many but it's just unreal to see the work that goes into these things.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I passed a European couple along the trail and asked if they'd mind taking a picture of me.I think I wore that shirt and shorts nearly everyday on the trail. I took way too much clothing but my excuse is that I took the advice from the guide book. Poor Sandeesh......

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I think this area was probably my favorite part of the trail. It just seemed as though every turn of the head brought an amazing sight. The Buddhist kids were beautiful.....they loved to say "chocolate" as they looked at you with those innocent eyes. I hope that the earthquake was not too devastating to these villages made of stone.....









We stopped in one village for coffee and tea and eagles were everywhere. It was almost surreal.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Now we were really getting high and into the snow. The air was thin, cool and clear, everything I saw and felt was a real blessing......







This was a common sight along the trail. Always collecting wood. The Nepali people are very industrious......



Loved this cool little store along the trail.As I recall we stopped near here for our lunch of Dahl Bat.....



Random shots.....

 

[longhorn1]

What a great trip. Glad you got back safely. I was camping in Big Bend National Park and had no communication. A day after we left I saw the story on the earthquake and my first thought was about you. I does take the wind out of ones sails and the thoughts of all the lives lost. Thanks for posting a great trip report. Longhorn

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks Longhorn......

The next day we hiked from Manang to Yak Kharka (13,185'). We only logged 5.6 miles for the day but we really had no choice since we needed to acclimate. We had already skipped the typical rest day in Manang and I didn't want to push it too hard. Yak Kharka was a really small village but the people here were super friendly. I shared a bunch of my protein bars with these guys and it was fun watching them eat as they had never had it before. We saw the chopper pass through again today which means another hiker was taken down. We've also passed quite a few hikers today that have said that the pass is snowed in so they're headed back. You kind of get caught up in the hype but then I guess I know better so I pretty much ignore them.

My hotel in Yak Kharka.....





And my room.....







Downtown Yak Kharka.....







The views.....

 

[Wainiha]

More earthquakes in Nepal. A lady from Kauai is there.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/loc...cle_ff976715-cf7c-5fbc-9a77-cf7ece3d657d.html

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hey Wainiha..........yep another earthquake. The last one took down Shambhu's parent's house for good. Their house was actually located at the epic center of the last earthquake. It also made his cousin's house in Kathmandhu uninhabitable. And yesterday I got a call from a Nepali woman that lives close by and works in the U.S. and she told me that her parent's house in Kathmandu came down with the second large quake. Everyone of these families are now living in tents. Here's a picture that Shambhu recently sent me of his parent's house prior to the earthquake.......