Mountain Magic - Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp

The decision to trek to Annapurna Base Camp was made on a whim. We hadn’t really talked about it much or researched beyond reading a travel blog or two. It was just one of those things that fell into place, one of those “if-we-leave-Nepal-without-trekking-we’ll-regret-it” things. And because we wanted to do it independently, without a guide, we had to hit the trails before October. So the day after Nepal signed its new constitution, the streets still filled with celebrators, demonstrators and police, we made our way to the Department of Tourism to register and acquire trekking permits – 40$ per person and we were set.

After buying some walking sticks, dry fit shirts and “North Face” (or North Fake, as it was called by a few trekkers on the trail) pants with zipp-off-able legs, there was no turning back. Our backpacks were filled with the absolute bare necessities – a change of comfortable clothes, a rain cape and fleece jacket, an extra shirt for trekking, socks and underwear, snacks, kindles, headlamps, a first aid kit and a map – of which nothing was superfluous and everything was totally worth lugging up the mountain. We hopped on a bus to Pokhara, ate one last Steak and by the next morning (three days after making the decision) we were adjusting our backpacks to the maximum comfort level and starting our ascent.

Permits and Sticks.

24.09.15
Day 1: Fog This!
Start: 9am
Finish: 5:30pm
Skipping the first 2,5h of walking, we took a half hour cab ride from Pokhara (820m) to Phedi (1130m) and were let out at the foot of some stone steps. This being our first trek and us being absolutely clueless about what we were getting ourselves into, we bought some good luck bracelets from a persistent lady and began climbing the first of many (many, many, many) stairs.

We're really doing this?!

Starting off with some steps...

Leaving the valley behind us.

The weather was cool and cloudy, though that didn’t stop us from working up a sweat in that first hour and a half of stairs. They did eventually turn into a few beautiful patches of rice fields, but by then we were pretty much in Dhampus (1650m). We took a short rest, refilled our water bottles and chatted with the guide of some other trekker. He asked if we had any leeches yet – this was the first we had heard about them. After that, we started seeing them everywhere, including our shoes and socks.

Leeches. Why do they exist? To annoy trekkers.

After the next leg, we decided to stop for lunch in Pothana (1890m), where the clouds caught up with us and engulfed us while we waited for our Dahl Baht. After the shock of taking off my shoes only to find big bloody spots in them (and a squished something that must have been a saturated leech), we bought a little baggie of tobacco, which the locals mix with water and spread on their shoes and socks to repel leeches. I also made myself a little pouch of salt to get rid of those that managed to latch on. Persistent pesky little buggers.

Making sure we are on track.

Lunch with clouds rolling in.

Surprise at lunch.

Stuck in a cloud.

We continued through the incredibly thick fog, through forests that turned into something out of a fairytale. We did meet two Chinese girls along the way, but they were quite determined and sped past us in no time.
Deurali (2100m) was the highest point of the day. A charming little conglomeration of guesthouses, shrouded in fog. The sign that read “viewpoint” almost swallowed up by the white soupy mist. From there it was all downhill again. A relaxed stroll on a wide gravel path. I heard a rustling sound coming from above and stopped – as I did very often in general to take pictures or really appreciate where we were at that moment – and found some monkeys in the trees left and right. I love monkeys :)

Fairytale.

Monkeys!

So Greeeen.

The last stretch was a long way down some pretty steep steps. My notes for that day describe them as “relentless”. But in retrospect, they were harmless compared to what lay ahead. So I shall save that adjective for a more suitable set of stairs. These, however, did jellify our legs and by the time we reached Tolka (1700m) we were happy to stumble into the first guesthouse that greeted us.
The guesthouses, also called teahouses, charge very little for their very basic rooms, if you have dinner and breakfast there. Which makes sense, because, why wouldn’t you? Also, the prices of accommodation and meals are regulated by the government. They all have pretty much the same menu with a relatively wide selection of carbs. The menu stays the same (with the exception of meat after a certain altitude), but the prices rise as you do. Fair enough, since everything has to be transported up there somehow – that somehow being mostly by impressively strong humans.

1$ Room with a View.

After a refreshing cold shower, a good meal, an antihistamine (thanks to the musty dusty blankets) and half a page of reading, we were fast asleep (at around 9pm). A successful first day for first time trekkers. Disregarding the fact that we took 8,5h for a distance that our map had at 4,5h. We saw monkeys, okay?!

Surprise at the end of the day.

25.09.15.
Day 2: Rain Forest
Start: 9am
Finish: 3pm
We woke up to the sound of rain spattering on our corrugated iron roof. It was 6:30am and we had slept like babies. The weather really wasn’t very enticing, so we took our time with breakfast, packed up, lay down again and read a few more chapters… And just as we decided to get ready and just brave the rain (that had turned into more of a drizzle by then), it stopped. So we started our second day with a leisurely stroll along the empty road from Tolka to Landruk (1565m). Both were larger villages and both were very empty – ghost towns of colorful guesthouses.

Day 2. Geared up for Rain.

No View. Whatsoever.

After Landruk, our path got a bit wetter. Streams started cutting into our path. We used them to prepare some drinking water – guesthouses sell boiled water, but why spend more if you have an awesome filtration system and water purification tablets. Plus, the water from the streams was clear and wonderfully cold.

Filtering some drinking water.

Thank you for this handy gadget, Moni!

Dew covered hairy catarpillar.

Some were tiny, some wide, some looking like they had been there forever, some looking quite spontaneous. Some were made passable by stepping stones or suspension bridges. Two weren’t, so we ended up taking off our shoes and going barefoot for a while. Right after wading through the second stream and putting on our dry socks and shoes, it started raining again. Luckily, we were prepared for it, knowing that we had hit the trails a week or two before the definite end of the monsoon season – we had packed everything in our backpacks in plastic bags and waterproof bags, brought rain covers, rain jackets and even rain capes that covered our rain covered backpacks – we were prepared!

What to do when there is a river running accross your road...

...wade through it.

It ended up just staying a light drizzle though. And as we started getting closer to New Bridge (1340m), the sun even peered out for the first time since we had started trekking. We walked alongside a rushing river for a while, the vegetation lush and green and the smell of rainforest in the air.

Sunny Smiles.

Goat invasion.

Sometimes we crossed streams...

...sometimes our path was a stream.

Sometimes the stream was small...

...sometimes it was a raging river.

Relief. Every time I made it over one of these bridges.

On this day, a ritual was born: The Egg Break. We had ordered boiled eggs for breakfast, which we didn’t eat and brought along. Instead of having lunch – a time consuming and tiring affair – we stopped to enjoy our egg and some of our snacks (nuts, granola bars, cookies or such) and it was perfect. From that day onward, The Egg Break was one of our favorite times of the day.

The last leg of the day was a 2h ascent to Jhinu (1780m) via - how else would it be – stairs. We arrived panting and ready to sit down, lie down, never move again. But we had heard of the hot springs, not far from this little village. So we checked into a guesthouse and made our way to the “15mins” hot springs. Yeah right (more like 30mins)! Although it felt lovely to walk without a backpack on, we were a little peeved when the path lead us down some stairs. And then more stairs. And more stairs. All the way down, back to river level, back down the entire height we had just climbed. And the stairs were especially leechy – stopping for more than a split second resulted in one of them making its way up your shoe. But before I could get more than just a bit annoyed, we turned a bend and saw a steaming pool next to a raging river – what a right for sore muscles! I probably don’t have to tell you how heavenly it was to soak in that warm water. But I will tell you that walking back up those stairs, my legs all relaxed and wobbly, was torture. I just wanted a warm bed – instead both Mo and I got leeches between our fingers (they must have been hiding in our jackets).

Stairs.

More Stairs.

Our Doormat in Jhinu (and the actual doormat in front of our door).

Hot Springs next to Rapids. Heaven.

After a day without lunch, we wolfed down our dinner and crashed hard into a deep sleep. Our time showed a slight improvement - 6h for our map’s 4h. Whatever, we had to take off our shoes in between.

26.09.15
Day 3: Ups and Downs
Start: 9am
Finish: 3pm
We awoke bright and early… to rain. So again, we took it slow and waited out the worst of it. Again, it stopped the second we hit the trail, which greeted us with a steep climb that definitely woke up our circulation. Not only did we catch a short but sweet first glimpse of a snow peaked mountain (or more like snow covered peak), but we made it to Chomrong (2170m) in under 2h – take that, map! – and started yet another ritual: The Hot Lemon Break. Sweating and cold foggy weather don’t mix very well, so we stopped in the first guesthouse after the stairs and had a hot lemon. Need I say more? Yes, it was lovely.

A Mountain! Our first glimpse of peaks on day 3.

Our next stop was going to be Sinuwa (2360m) which was a bit higher up than Chomrong. So why, then, were we suddenly walking out of the town of Chomrong on stairs heading down? And why were these stair continuing to go down for quite a while? These were questions being muttered under our breath, over and over again, before we gave up and had to accept that we were going walk all the way down to river level – cross a hanging bridge – and walk all the way up again, and then some. So basically we ended up doing the entire climb of that morning (give or take 200 vertical meters) twice and adding a little descent of the same height in between.

No Meat starting Sinuwa. What the sign doesn't tell you, is that there are no more local women after that point as well.

In Sinuwa, we decided we deserved another Hot Lemon Break to help us recover from that ordeal. We enjoyed this one even more, probably because we were in the company of a goat that thought it was a dog (probably because its owners were treating it that way). A glance back at where we had come from showed a beautiful valley, the rooftops of Chomrong already shrunken to little blue dots by height and distance.

After the truly relentless stairs of the morning, we welcomed the relaxed rolling path through the intensely green rainforest. Even the tree trunks, covered in moss and vines, were deliciously green. Everything was alive. There were tons of babbling brooks, waterfalls of all shapes and sizes and bamboo, ferns and orchids everywhere.
At some point, we did get a bit confused, because a village (including a helipad) seemed to be missing along the way. We climbed to the 2540m where it was supposed to be, but instead, the path sloped down again and we descended into Bamboo (2310m), our goal for the day.

So pretty.

More Fairytale.

Here, for only 150Rupees (1,50$), we got to take a hot shower, thanks to a gas heater. At this altitude, it was definitely much appreciated. The higher we got, the colder the nights. And here in Bamboo, it was time to pull out the beanies and zip up the fleece jackets.

Our dinner consisted of pasta with everything – tomato, egg, tuna and cheese – and our first real conversations with fellow trekkers. And that day, we didn’t even have to reveal how slow we were, because we had beat the time our map suggested!

27.09.15
Day 4: Stepping Stones and Waterfalls
Start: 8am
Finish: 1pm
Stepping outside into the cool, crisp morning air we could hardly believe our eyes – blue skies and no rain! And the peaks of Machapuchre (or Fishtail as it is also called) peering out. I pretty much jumped out of bed – gone was the “let’s have breakfast in pajamas”-attitude and the getting ready at sloth speed. I was eager to hit the trails.

Fishtail Mountain.

And lucky us, the weather stayed like that most of the way to Dobhan (2600m) and though the last days had been quite enjoyable, this day brought with it a eureka-moment, the moment I truly understood why people go out and trek for fun. With light bouncy steps, we walked along the gentle sloping path through more wet rainforest. Every once in a while, a beautiful clear view of the valley opened up between trees. By then, my favorite sentence, uttered around every bend was: “It’s so pretty!” – and it really was. Pictures don’t even begin to capture the beauty of nature we encountered up there.

We followed more and more waterfalls, one more impressive than the other. Some small and close to our trail, some tumbling off bare rock cliffs in the valley. And best of all – real sunshine. Finally, the clothes we had washed two days ago were starting to dry, finally it didn’t get cold in our sweaty clothes. This was definitely our favorite stretch so far. We hardly noticed the over 300 altitude meter we climbed to Himalaya (2920m), but maybe that was because there were less actual steps and more rocky trails.

Waterfalls.

More Waterfalls.

Small Person on Large Rock in front of Steep Drop.

Tall Person on Small Bridge over Shallow Water.

Porters carrying goods up the mountain.

Sunlight. Finally. Drying wet clothes from 2 days ago.

On the last leg of the day, trees became more scarce and less dense. Instead, taller grasses and an abundance of wildflowers lined our path. Stopping along the way to have a drink of water, I had my first slight dizzy spell. Nothing alarming, just a bit of a woozy head – my body signaling that it had never been that high up and didn’t really know how to deal with the thinner air. But it passed after I caught my breath and reminded myself that I had been prepping against altitude sickness with hot lemons and garlic soup (a suggestion made by a local guide).
The bridges we crossed became more dodgy and less sturdy, the streams we crossed became wider and more violent.

Wildflowers.

The Cloud caught up to us.

The Valley.

That little Matchstick is supposed to be a bridge?

I crossed it. It bent and wobbled. I named it 

"The Bridge That Nearly Made Me Poop My Pants"

Less Trees, less oxygen.

But by 1pm, we arrived in Deurali (3230m) our goal for the day and were delighted by the excellent time we had accomplished. We might have been able to continue, but we thought it best to give our bodies a day to acclimatize a bit to the altitude. Plus, we were in no hurry, so why rush.

28.09.15
Day 5: On Top of the World
Start: 8am
Finish: 12:30pm
I did not sleep well. For the first time on the trek, I tossed and turned and woke up many times during the night. Maybe because we walked “only” 5h, maybe because of the altitude – either way, the ascent was definitely a bit tougher. We woke up to another promising morning and started relatively early, only to find a bit of “traffic” on the trails. Being spoiled by having the path to ourselves for the last few days (with the exception of a handful of people coming down, a few over taking us and the local porters), it was strange to overtake groups or feel groups gaining on us. Though I have to admit, it did feel pretty good to overtake people hihi.

The trail was partially rocky and we had to clamber around for a bit and then it turned into a lovely walk through the valley, next to the river. While the sun chased us from behind, we caught glimpses of snow covered peaks, teasing us with what lay ahead. We passed ice covered in mud and wondered if it was meant to be preserved that way.

Over our Rooftop in Deurali.

Good Morning, Day 5!

A Glimpse of our Goal.

Snow?

In no time, the blue roofs of Machapuchre Base Camp (3700m) appeared in the distance and before we knew it, we were taking a long Hot Lemon Break, enjoying the sun and the spectacular view of Fishtail mountain, darting in and out between the clouds.

A Picturesque Rest at MBC.

And then it began, the final ascent to Annapurna Base Camp (4130m). It was a comfortable path across plains of grass, along a little stream. I started feeling the altitude, but only due to the fact that my legs felt heavy, my backpack suddenly seemed to weigh more and I had the feeling my steps were tiny. Suddenly, some clouds that had been chasing us caught up and covered all. Gone was the view of any mountain peaks or anything in any distance for that matter. We were left to swim through the fog and let our curiosity go crazy on what might lie behind it.
It was a slow walk and it got colder by the minute. We spottet ABC in the distance – colorful roofs and gray stone buildings – but like a mirage, it just didn’t want to come closer.

Getting cold.

Those White Dots are Sheep.

No View of our Goal. But still Smiling.

As we approached the infamous sign, I could feel a sense of pride wash over me. We had no view, no mountains to marvel at, but we had made it to 4130m without a glitch while having genuine fun! We had our obligatory hot lemon, ordered a celebratory Dahl Baht (which was the best we had had in Nepal so far!) and tried to warm up somehow.

Made it! (Still no View though)

Traumsucht at 4130m.

Hot  Lemon to warm up.

The view of the gletcher behind the camp was mostly shrouded in mystery and so we spent most of the afternoon hiding in our room, reading, resting and keeping warm.

There's A Mountain Somewhere There.

Prayer Flags.

Annapurna Base Camp.

In the evening, we did get a short, but sweet view of Annapurna South, over the rooftop of our guesthouse.

Sleep was hard to come by... I guess the altitude did have its effect on us. Huddled up under double duvets – me actually wearing long pants, a scarf and a beanie in addition – we tossed and turned. At some point, we had to use the bathroom and ran outside, not wanting to take too long so our beds wouldn’t get cold again – it took way too long to warm them up. But running back to our rooms, we realized that the moon was high and bright, one day away from being full, and illuminating the peaks around now. The clouds were pretty much gone and the peaks gleamed tall around us. What a way to truly see the Annapurna mountains for the first time! Back inside, we took 30 seconds to put on our jackets and grab our cameras, but those 30 seconds were enough for a wall of fog to hide the spectacular sight once more. Oh well, I guess it was a special moment to be enjoyed by us alone.

G'Night.

29.09.15
Day 6: The Magical Morning and the Cursed Descent
Start: 10something am
Finish: 16:45pm
While my daily notes during this trek consisted of a mere few centimeters of keywords per day, our morning at Annapurna Base Camp took up almost two pages of my tiny handwriting. And boy am I glad I did that, because there’s no way I would be able to recall these thoughts and emotions at this point…

After a night of little sleep and bizarre episodes of dreams, our alarm rang at 5:40am. At 5:45 we slowly rolled out from under our 3 blankets and fumbled for more clothes (more than the many layers we were already sleeping in). Wearing everything we had brought with us, we crept into the early dawn outside. The thermometer read 2degrees Celsius. The sparse flora was covered in a thin layer of frost. Wow. Did I really sign up for 2degrees?!

Seriously?!

It was foggy and no mountain in sight. I was ready to turn around and crawl back in bed. But just as that though crossed my mind (in a slow, altitude muddled way), very suddenly and faster than I thought possible, the fog lifted. First on one side, revealing Annapurna South and Annapurna I, then the other, opening up to Machapuchre. And all of a sudden, we were in the middle of it, enclosed by giant, snow covered peaks! This was why we walked for 5 days, this was why we were standing there, freezing. It was truly magical. The morning continued to clear up to crisp blue skies without so much as a wisp of cloud – stellar luck! I was entirely enchanted by being where I was, when I was. Watching the sun slowly illuminate the 10th highest mountain in the world, the peaks turning golden. My toes were frozen – literally, covered in ice crystals – and my hands were getting numb from being unable to put my camera down – I managed to drain a whole battery that morning. But it didn’t matter and I didn’t feel the discomfort I should have.

I had seen mountains covered in snow before, but this was unique. This was raw beauty and majestic ruggedness, danger and madness – one of the roofs of the world (one of 14 peaks over 8000m). Close enough, if felt like I could just reach out and prick my finger on one of its ragged edges. Yet so far away that I could feel the warm glow, that was washing over the range, reflect the sheer impossibility of ever reaching it for a mere mortal like myself.
We tore ourselves away from the breathtaking sight to thaw our frozen limbs with tea and porridge…

…only to return right after the last bite for more gaping, more pictures and more exclamations of “Oh, so pretty!” and the incredulity of being there. After the sun had climbed over Fishtail Mountain and bathed Annapurna and the Base Camp in warm light, the temperature slowly rose and we sat outside comfortably, chatting with others and taking in as much as possible of this once-in-a-lifetime sight. I just did not want to tear myself away from it (though maybe I should have at least changed angles over the course of the morning, because I did get a pretty crispy sunburn on one half of my face). Maybe, by basking in its glory, some of it power would reflect onto me. I started to understand how some adventurous souls are drawn to these monstrosities. The are alluring and hypnotizing and frightening. You feel grand and insignificant at the same time, just standing next to one.

These pictures need no captions.

This cute little guy poked his head out...

...Just to see us...

...Jumping around like the weirdos we are.

As we watched more and more trekkers arrive at camp, we decided that we had just witnessed the PERFECT morning at ABC and no extra night would be able to top it. So we packed our bags and slowly, very leisurely started our descent.
As we walked, distancing ourselves from the object of our morning’s affection, clouds started slowly creeping up from the valley and over the neighboring peaks. We bid our farewells and started heading “home” with immense joy and the feeling of accomplishment lightening our steps.

Goodbye, Mountains!

On our way down to Machapuchre Base Camp, we got to appreciate what we didn’t get to see the day before – the stunning view into the valley. It was sunny and soon, all the chill from the morning was expelled from our bones and we were back to sweating.

After a lunch break, we made our way to Duerali. The walk took longer than expected – with the anticipation gone and our goal reached, this was probably the impatience of getting off the mountain kicking in. Plus, with the good weather holding up, it was hotter and more strenuous trekking. Steeper gravel paths that had been fine going up, turned into slippery slopes for me.

On the way to Himalaya, my knees went from whispering complaints to screaming in agony. But we decided to push to the next town of Dobhan to get closer to the finish line.

After 5 days of trekking, you can imagine that your limbs are just a tad bit tired. It took me a fair bit of concentration to make sure I was stepping on solid rocks, not slipping and not throwing my weight into every downwards step. This concentration faltered after we passed a little stupa surrounded by prayer flags. You are supposed to pass religious monuments and buildings on the right hand side - meaning clockwise, with your right hand (the clean hand) facing it. I had misinterpreted that and passed this stupa on the right. Mo brought this to my attention and just as I was arguing about the interpretation of “right”, I slipped and fell. Karma? I guess I lost that argument. And my consolation prize was a twisted ankle. I spent the rest of that day’s journey in silent concentration, focusing on not further injuring myself – a badly sunburned half-face and lips and a throbbing ankle was enough for one day.

Dobhan.

In Dobhan we enjoyed a lovely hot shower – our first shower in 2 days – a good meal and,after barely any sleep the previous two nights, we barely made it to 8 o’clock before falling into a deep sleep.

30.09.15
Day 7: Downs and Ups – Whyyyy?!?
Start: 8:30am
Finish: 2:30pm
We gave ourselves an extra half an hour of sleep – we were tired and in no hurry anyways. Though we were still tired when getting up and getting ready, the routine of it all made for a speedy departure. We knew the leg we had ahead of us and already dreaded it. Today was the day of having to go up to go down – multiple times!

Whyyy?!

We passed Bamboo and took a break in Sinuwa. Along the way we noticed more and more trekkers making their way up. Large groups of Chinese and Japanese, Russians and indefinable white folk. It was like people had read in their guidebooks that trekking season is “October-April” and hit the trails on the dot. We were glad to be heading down. Everyone gave and received the Namaste-Nod and continued on their way.

With the sun out and the valley clear, it was like a different trek altogether. The peaks of Fishtail followed us and the air tasted more of summer than autumn.
From Suwali we had a view of what lay ahead – the steep descent of a million stairs, the hanging bridge and the steep ascent of a million more stairs. It felt never-ending. It was hot and tiring, but we found fun moments as well. My ankle was somewhat bandaged and on fire, thanks to a muscle rub containing red pepper and it really didn’t enjoy this day. But we still made good time despite many breaks and my whining. And after those stairs of horror, we decided to call it quits in Chomrong and read for the rest of the afternoon.

Gas Transport System.

Traffic On The Steps.

Still Smiling.

What felt like a million steps later... Not smiling anymore.

Taking off shoes. Smiling Again.

01.10.15
Day 8: Ready To Get Off This Mountain!
Start: 8:30am
Finish: 4pm

Good Morning, Chomrong!

Breakfast with a View.

After Chomrong, we took a trail we hadn’t blazed before and headed towards Kimrong (1800). We should have been used to it by now, but it still had us huffing and puffing, when our first leg of the day turned out to be a dusty path going UP! It did go down eventually though. Down to a little village by a river.

After crossing that river and taking a short break, we started our ascent (yes, we were going UP again) to Komrong (2250m). And it was evil. A snake-like winding gravel path without stairs. Ever bend we turned, it just kept on going UP. Steep and with hardly any pats flat enough to stand and rest comfortably. This was definitely the most frustrating part of the entire trek for me. Though it was fun to watch another horse-caravan overtake us. Still, going UP to get down just didn’t want to sink into my rationale.

In Komrong I wanted to die a little. Instead, we had lunch – a most curious spaghetti dish prepared like Asian fried noodles topped with bits of omelet and cheese. And then comfortably strolled to Ghandruk, a larger town with a medieval feel to it. So large, in fact, that we got a bit lost and had to ask for directions multiple times, before getting back on track to Kimche (1640m).

Drying Corn, Ghandruk Style.

It was to be our last leg of the trek and it was a joyous one. We walked a wide path that gently sloped downwards, met some monkeys and many water buffalos, cows and goats and got to the little town just in time to get seats on the last jeep heading to Pokhara.

The driver seemed slightly blind, I was squished on the benches all the way in the back next to some Nepali men who didn’t seem to care less about my comfort and for 1h and 45min (the ride was supposed to take 3h), I feared for my life and that of others, as we sped down the mountain. It was the first time I have even been in a vehicle that was trying to overtake an ambulance for most of the ride.
But we made it back safely and happily embraced the relaxed atmosphere of Pokhara for a few more days. Those said days were spent doing nothing (after getting a massage from blind masseurs) – nothing in the hotel room, nothing hanging out in restaurants by the lake, nothing watching movies in a charming outdoor cinema.

We Did It!

Bye bye, Nepal!

Getting back to Kathmandu was easier than expected, in light of the fuel crisis that had broken out in Nepal. After signing the new constitution shortly before we left to go trekking, some issues between Nepal and India arose – we never got clear information on what exactly the reason was. India not supporting the new constitution, Nepalese opposing the constitution getting in the way… Whatever it may be, trucks filled with goods trying to cross the border into Nepal weren’t getting through. Nepal is very (VERY) dependent on India for many everyday goods – most importantly fuel and gas. Coming down off the mountain, we passed lines of cars, trucks, busses and motorbikes going on for entire street-lengths – all of them waiting for fuel. Gas stations were being guarded by the military. There were hardly any cabs anywhere and those that were running were charging crazy prices. Restaurants only served dishes that didn’t take too much gas to cook.

But we got back in a bus that only overcharged slightly and spent a few more days in Kathmandu – shopping, planning, booking, sightseeing, relaxing.

Swayambhunath - The Monkey Temple

And so our chapter in Nepal comes to an end. And what a glorious chapter it was. Filled with new and unique experiences, amazing acquaintances and new friendships. Nepal will always have a special place in our travels and in our hearts. I cannot wait to come back one day to explore more of this magical country.
Having this chapter come to a close, we have reached the point in our journey where the (or let’s say “an”) end is near. Like when you get to the second to the last chapter in a book and you can already feel that you are down to the last few pages. We shall fill these with India – our final destination!