BECOMING CULTURE VULTURES OF THE EAST

Saturday, April 25, 2009 9:08 AM

Idalis:

We love Thailand. From the rich culture to beautiful wats, from spicy food to lady-boy winks, Kevin and I are soaking it all in, often glancing at each other with looks of amazement, jaws dropping, unable to believe our good fortune. Traveling here is so easy, with multiple air conditioned (!) buses running all day to different destinations, signs in English, and friendly, helpful staff. It really is the Land of Smiles!

Sukhothai, Central Thailand








We were sad to leave Bangkok, which quickly became one of our favorite big cities, but knew that good things were on their way. Our next stop was Sukhothai, about 7 hours north of Bangkok, to see the ancient city and its amazing wats (temples) and Buddhist ruins. We stayed in a cute little guest house with teak wood floors and a room so hot, you felt that they had thrown in a sauna package for free! In the evenings, we got to know some fellow travelers (hello, Steven!) and shared a few cold Chang beers and many laughs.

The historical park (or meuang kào) was truly amazing. From our guest house, we took a sǎwngthǎew (small pick-up with rows of benches in the back) there, and rented bikes for the day to ride around the site. We loved Wat Mahathat with its lotus-bud stupas, Buddha images, and broken columns. Our favorite was Wat Si Chum, which contains a gargantuan seated Buddha, looking serene with its eyes half closed and barely-perceptible smile. By the afternoon, we were dying from the heat, but forced ourselves to cycle the several kilometers to Wat Saphaan Hin, where we walked up a hill (so many steps!) to see the large standing Buddha which looks back towards Sukhothai. Kevin and I wiped our sweaty brows, lit incense sticks, and gave thanks for our many, many blessings.

One of the things that we have already grown to love about Thailand is the fact that you will never go hungry here. Wherever you look, there are epicurean entrepreneurs selling all kinds of delicious food in outdoor markets, as pushcart vendors, or from makeshift stalls. It's the only country I know of where you can be run over by a restaurant! This country is food heaven. We found the local night market, pointed to what looked good (or just interesting), and feasted like kings on rickety plastic chairs. We had: chicken, beef, and pork skewers (with grilled veggies and pineapple, some soaked in a spicy coconut milk sauce) and pork and rice (with lime, coriander, and red chillies). Desert included iced coffee with a dollop of ice cream (OMG!), sweetened rice with coconut milk and filled with egg (imagine our surprise!) and wrapped in banana leaves, a jelly-like sweet, and the best one yet, Thai snow cones, which consists of shaved ice, syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and a variety of toppings: grass jelly, beans, corn, glass noodles, and a whole bunch of other things we couldn't identify. It sounds gross, but tastes terrific! All of this cost us only 150 baht (about $4.50) and three trips to the bathroom! If you don't mind the flies and the heat, it's definitely the way to eat!

Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand









We are now in Chiang Mai, considered by Thais a national treasure. It is Thailand's cultural center and foodie capital of the country. Needless to say, I'm in heaven. Last night, Kevin and I found the local night market and gorged on some of the tastiest food yet: fried chicken and shrimp, two spicy stews (one beef, one pork) with assorted veggies, spices, coconut milk, and chillies, rice, two ice-cold Chang beers (courtesy of 7-Eleven, which is everywhere) and a gelatinous/bean thing we're not quite sure of. All yummy, for less than $5.

While here in Chiang Mai, we plan to soak up in some Thai-ness and take advantage of our surroundings. We will visit some beautiful wats, pop into a museum or two, experience the famous night bazaar, and take some courses: me, Thai cooking and Kevin, muay thai boxing. We're loving it!

Monday, April 27th at 15:42

Kevin

Well, not much has changed since our last post, with the exception of the fact that we have fallen in love even more with Thailand! Our stay in Chiang Mai is drawing to a close and we have enjoyed it so much we have decided to return before heading further east and into Laos. Thais, as we are learning, know very much how to live and enjoy life. Even in the big cities, life moves along at its own pace without being cajoled by people and their demands. In addition to there being a 7 Eleven on every corner, there are also street stalls and one not need look any further than their own block to find any number of Thai treats or delicacies. Chiang Mai has a 'Saturday' market, a 'Sunday' market and an evening bazaar, to satisfy any craving one may have at any time of the day or night and on any given day. We visited the Sunday market and were impressed to find all sorts of craft, clothing and culinary creations, manufactured by the ever talented and creative people of Chiang Mai, and spanning the distance of several city blocks. Shopping and strolling was accompanied by 50's and 60's music played from an old phonograph, children playing an assortment of instruments they were obviously striving to master, elderly people singing karaoke, a band comprised of five blind members and a couple of young rock/pop bands. A turn in the wrong (right?) direction led us off of the market street of Wualai and into a wat that contains the world's first solid silver temple.

Not having had enough culture yet, we decided to attend a Muay Thai fight at the local arena on Sunday night. We left early hoping to get a seat and ended up being so early that the only other people in attendance were the staff setting up the arena for the night's event. So, we walked down the street, not very far as you have learned, to find the local noodle soup joint. After a spicy noodle soup with pork and fried wontons it was back to the arena and into our upgraded, ring side seats, apparently saved for Westerners. It was a total of eight fights, where the fighters ranged from 20Kg youngsters, probably 10 to 12, all the way up to the 60Kg big boys. An amazing sport, invented by the Thais, it involves fists, feet, knees, elbows, in varying arrangements and combinations, accompanied by live music, in the form of a drum, horn and symbol, that help to keep the pace of the fight. Fighters perform a traditional dance to honor the sport and the lineage and pay homage to their fight schools and trainers before engaging in battle. The fighters use their skill, training and strategy to apply strikes, kicks, blows and throws to amass the most amount of points in defeating their opponents. It is a sport steeped in tradition, respect and honor. It was almost as entertaining to be witness to the local crowd that was comprised of men, women and children, all 'oohing' and 'aahing' at every well landed strike or blow and jostling to place their bets before the fight ended.

Here it is on Monday afternoon and Idalis has just returned from her Thai cooking class with, unfortunately only, pictures of each of the dishes she prepared and smelling slightly of fish sauce and chillies. Her new culinary mastery has added six new plates to her repertoire, which include gaeng garee gai (yellow curry with chicken), hor neung plaa (steamed fish in banana leaves), gai phad med mamuang (chicken with cashew nuts), phad siewe (fried big noodles with sweet soy sauce), plaah goong (spicy prawn salad) and kluay buad chee (bananas in coconut milk). Her newly acquired talents will be sure to benefit us all!

We have decided to leave tomorrow, Tuesday, and head northwest of Chiang Mai to Pai and Mae Hong Son. We hope to do a bit more trekking and come into contact with some hill tribes, one of which being the Long Neck Karens, or the women who accentuate their necks by elongating them with brass rings. We continue to be enamored and astounded by the beauty, food and people of this great country. I trust that our next destination will not disappoint.

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK...

Monday, April 20th @ 20:01

Kevin

“One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster. The clubs are temples but the pearls aren't free...” (Murray Head – New York Soundtrack)

One night in Bangkok...and that's all it took to fall in love! This city is AMAZING! In Bangkok, anything goes, smiles abound and the food is in a class all its own. We've only flown a hand full of times, but on a couple of occasions I knew I was going to love a place before the plane even landed. Thailand was one of those places (another being Greece). It's our first time here and we had no idea what to expect. It was to our sheer delight that the guide books were all wrong and that this town is not the chaotic, out of control scene that they would have you believe. In fact, it is quite the opposite, at least from our perspective. It has been months since we have seen green spaces, litter free streets and vehicles driving without constantly using their horns. In Bangkok, the food in the street is better than that of any restaurants. There are ultra modern buildings that cast shadows on the lower, but by no means less spectacular wats (temples). Thailand is 95% Buddhist. However, the Buddhist tradition here is Theravada, as opposed to Mahayana, which is the Tibetan tradition that we recently studied. The main difference is that Mahayana believe in the achievement of Bodhisattva, or enlightenment, of self, for the betterment of all sentient beings, and Theravada believes in ONLY enlightenment of self (which consequently equates to the betterment of all sentient beings anyways). Small details that appear to make big differences.

Despite being located in a “developing country”, Bangkok, by my approximations, is a world class city, the likes of New York, LA, or even, dare I say, Paris. Loaded with culture, architecture and modern accoutrements. Our first day arrival was in the late afternoon. By a rather rare twist of fate, we happened to be reunited with Marc and Emelie, the Canadian couple we met in Delhi that were bicycling their way across Asia. We were ecstatic to find them alive and well and having survived India, a place that is difficult to walk, let alone bicycle through. Their spirits seem to be good and they seemed to be excited about the prospects that bicycling through SE Asia would present. They were accompanied by a South African couple that had been cycling for two years up through Africa and through the Middle East, India, Nepal and were now flying to Thailand as they were unable to continue into China, as desired. Brave souls, and wonderful people, whose paths we were able to cross. As it turned out, by coincidence, Marc and Emelie had chosen the same guest house, in Banglamphu (Bangkok tourist district), that we had chosen, the Bella Bella House. So, we secured a mini-van taxi, loaded our bags and their bikes and gear and headed out into the unknown. All we could do the whole ride was comment on how delighted we were to be back in a civilized world. No honking horns, dirt roads, cows or people relieving themselves in the streets. We made it, we survived, we were back in civilization.

Our first full day in Bangkok found us walking the streets with mouths agape. Commenting on the efficiency of transportation, the forethought of planning and the wide open green spaces and pedestrian thoroughfares. We visited sites such as Wat Pho, Wat Mahaythat and China Town. We walked along the riverside, ate our first Thai street food (grilled squid, spicy sausage and papaya salad), and had our first Thai beer (Chang). We talked to merchants, dodged the young party crowd on Khao San Road and...I got two new tattoos (one being a traditional Thai tattoo) in one of the cleanest, friendliest and most talent laden tattoo shops I have ever visited. Our second day found us doing some more sightseeing at sites such as the Golden Mount, Wat Ratchanaddaran and the official Muay Thai fight stadium (Big Ups Shawn!!!) and a dinner of Thai Sukiyaki, which is best explained as a simmering clay pot of broth that is brought to your table with beef, pork, seafood, glass noodles, and a load of greens that you assemble, cook and flavor with sauces containing cilantro, dried red chili, sugar, fish sauce and vinegar, all served on a table set up on the side of a busy road, and washed down with a large 38 Baht ($1) local beer, purchased from the neighboring 7-11. Third day was a breakfast of mango and sticky rice, ice coffee and a trip down town to the Vietnamese Embassy, for our travel visas. As I write this post it is only our third day (night) in Bangkok and we have spent more money, eaten more and seen more than we have in weeks. Getting around the city is ridiculously easy and the touts that we were warned about are as gentle as soft, fluffy bunny rabbits. Tomorrow, we ship off another package (be on the look out Mom!) and pick up our Vietnamese visas. We will order our bus tickets to Northern Vietnam. And, if all goes well, we will continue to eat ourselves into an oblivion!

I love Miami with all of my heart. It is where I was born and where I always thought I would die. However, this town of Bangkok has grabbed my heart with ferocity of a Thai boxer. It has intrigued me, surprised me and wooed me. The recent political strife in the country has the have nots at odds with the haves. The sex trade continues to be in full swing with Westerners taking full advantage of the lax laws. And, the poor Thai people continue to be pummeled by the likes of the drunken, fraternity party crowd. But all of this has seems to have done little to diminish the reputation of Thailand as the “Land of Smiles”. Thursday we leave for the North, which is said to be the “true Thailand”. I am so impressed thus far that I cannot imagine this country getting much better. Its infectious spirit and endearing and accepting attitude have floored me. I anxiously await the experiences that lie ahead and bow in humble gratitude to the nature of the Thai!

NAYA BARSAKO SUVAKAMANA (HAPPY NEW YEAR, NEPALESE STYLE!)

Wednesday, April 15th at 8:21

Kevin

Another early arising and a short taxi ride to the “Tourist Bus Park” would find us boarding perhaps the single most newest and modern “tourist” bus in all of Nepal. A five hour bus ride alongside of three major Nepali rivers, including the famous Trisuli River, and we would arrive in the capital city of Kathmandu. Another short taxi ride, shared with a gentleman from the Philippines and a gentleman from France, and we would be in Thamel, the tourist center of the capital city. With little fuss, we would be dropped off next to our accommodation, at the Hotel Visit Nepal, recommended by our personal trip adviser, Nic from Australia (Thanks Nic!).

In yet another case of right place, right time, we would unsuspectingly be entering the capital city of Nepal on the eve of the eve of their new year. The Nepalese use a different calendar, as do the local Newari people and even the local Tibetans. In the case of the Nepali calendar, the old year was 2065 and the new year that we would be celebrating would be 2066.

Having enjoyed Pokhara, and the surrounding areas, so much, we found it hard to leave and kept reducing the amount of time that we would spend in Kathmandu. What we would eventually end up with would be four and one half days, just enough to get a good taste of this most enjoyable city. When a lot of people talk about Kathmandu, the following words seem to always accompany their descriptions, “crowded”, “polluted”, “traffic”, “chaos”. However, I think that having had a baptism of fire in India, Idalis and I have become much more accepting of all things foreign and unfamiliar. We actually really enjoy Kathmandu. It is a cultural hub and in addition to containing some sort of shrine, temple or monument around every corner, also houses some of the most diverse and generally happy people that we have met anywhere. Nepal is, by all accounts, an impoverished country. However, its people seem to either not know, not care, or have found a way to transcend it and find happiness. It is, by far, the friendliest big city that we have visited yet.

Kathmandu, at least the Thamel are, like Pokhara, is full of shops, cafes and restaurants. You can eat any kind of cultural food imaginable and spirits flow freely, including the Tibetan version of beer, know as tongba, which is an alcoholic drink derived from pouring hot water into fermented millet, which we rather enjoyed. Upon arriving, we made our first dinner date at the highly recommended Italian restaurant, La Dolce Vita. We were not disappointed. This is perhaps the best Italian meal we have had yet, commenting to each other that we believe it to be better than any meals we had while actually in Italy. The following morning we would begin our walking tour of the city, compliments of the Lonely Planet travel guide. It would take us through some of the more famous shrines, temples and stupas of the city as well as a course through some of the local neighborhoods where daily life sailed by as children played in the streets, mothers did laundry and men tended to the business of their shops or their conversations. We would be treated with a visit to the heart of the city, the famous Durbar (meaning “palace”) Square, which used to house the king, who has since moved to north to Narayanhiti. We would also visit such highlights as the Bangemudha (meaning “twisted wood”), which is a piece of wood covered with coins, which is said to cure toothaches, the Kathesimbhu Stupa, our personal favorite, a courtyard containing a large white washed stupa and tons of other smaller stupas and shrines, and also, the Ugratara Temple, where a prayer at the shrine is said to work wonders for the eyes.







That evening, we would be treated to the festivities and goings-on of the Nepali New Year. Not much unlike ours back home, it included throngs of people in the streets, live music pouring out from every bar and club, a final countdown, in Nepalese, and a shouting of “naya barsako suvakamana”, or happy new year. After spending a late evening admiring the festivities from the sidelines, we would wake up late the next morning and make our way up to the great Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath. Sitting on a hill west of the capital city and containing a stupa that is the most recognizable symbol of Nepal, is Swayambhunath, or the “monkey temple”. Legend says that the hill where the temple is located self arose (or swayambhu) from the lake that is now the Kathmandu valley. After a steep ascent up the uneven and polished marble steps, we were not only treated to views of the entire city, but also to the impressive assembly of temples, gompas, stupas, shrines and monuments that comprise the temple complex. Amongst throngs of other pilgrims, we gave thanks for our incredible fortune, family and friends and were, once again, lucky enough to be part of a an impromptu and unplanned celebration of the Nepalese New Year.

As is the case when one is truly enjoying themselves, our month in Nepal seems to have vanished into thin air. On the morning of April 17th, we will fly out of Kathmandu en route for Bangkok, Thailand. Our tour of Southeast Asia will commence and our tour of the sub-continent, and attached areas, will end. Nepal, though very small, houses the biggest peaks, smiles, adventures and opportunities that we have encountered yet. Our time here has been greatly appreciated. Having only considered a visit to Nepal because of its close proximity to India, we now understand that this little country has so much to offer. Its scenery is breathtaking, its diversity unrivaled, its culture profound and its people amazing. We would highly recommend a visit to Nepal for anyone who wishes to be spiritually moved, physically challenged and emotionally blessed.

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

Wednesday, April 15th at 7:34

Kevin

Ah, it feels so good to just sit here in Pokhara and rest our weary bodies. But not for long. Pokhara is a great little town located in the western half of Nepal. It is Nepal's second largest city which sprawls across a valley with lake Fewa Tal as its central highlight. The area of Lakeside, where we stayed, is divided into three parts, north, central and damn side. Each area has its own unique characteristics, north is quiet and peaceful, central is bustling and damn side is the older original tourist settlement. All three areas are rife with trekking shops, Tibetan craft stores, book stores and every kind of restaurant or cafe imaginable. A great place to use as a base for whatever outdoor activities you plan on undertaking. For us, the next would be a three day white water rafting trip along the Kali Gandaki River.

After three days of rest Lakeside, our adventure began. We met in front of the Busy Bee bar and restaurant at 8:00am to catch our bus to the starting point. There were a total of twenty-three people on the bus: fourteen rafters, six of which we had met at the previous night's orientation meeting, two safety kayakers, two boat leaders, two supply boat tenders, one trip leader, one bus driver and his conductor. It was about a three hour drive to the starting point. Along the way, we were briefly stuck in traffic as some locals worked to dismantle a portion of the road's swale to allow vehicles to pass alongside a truck who had lost its wheel and was stranded straddling the single track lane. As we sat in the bus peering at the small village through our open window, a very familiar site came into our view. It happened to be our friend Jordi that we met while attending the Tushita Buddhism course in McLeod Ganj. Imagine our surprise running into her in the most remote of places. It was great to see her, even if for only a few minutes.

We finally arrived at the starting point, helped to unload and set up the gear, had a quick lunch and we were off. Our boat consisted of seven people total. It included Idalis and I, our new friends Amber, Darren, Louis and Ollie, from the UK, and our boat leader Hiro. We began by practicing the various commands that would be enthusiastically called out, or sometimes sung, by our boat leader and included, “forward ho”, “left back”, “right back”, “all back”, “over right”, “over left”, “stop” and most importantly, “hold on!” It wasn't soon after that when we began to negotiate the rapids. First was “little brother”, which we had to walk alongside as the crew determined it to be too unsafe due to the lower water levels. However, shortly after that was “big brother”, which was an introduction to the cold and refreshing waters of the Kali Gandaki River.

We would paddle about three and one half hours the first day before landing on a secluded beach alongside the river. We would set up camp and do some exploring to find a small improvised Hindu shrine, loaded with cannabis plants, which was said to be the home of a lone sadhu, who happened to not be there at the time. We would enjoy a dinner prepared by the crew and then sit around under the lean to and learn about the rest of the people on the trip while it rained outside. The next morning, it was back in the boats and on for another three or so hours of rafting. A stop for lunch at another secluded beach and then another three or so hours of rafting to our camp site for the evening. This day of rafting was action packed and included more than twenty different rapids, several cold plunges, getting stuck on a few rocks, one man overboard and me straddling the inflated pontoon holding on for dear life. Once again, we would set up camp, enjoy a dinner provided by the crew, only this time, we would have access to a full bar provided by the local village people. Once again, we would all gather around in the lean to shelter and enjoy each others company as it rained outside. Eventually, this led into a few members of the crew joining us and bringing an empty supply drum that would be used to improvise beats that would accompany our singing of traditional Nepali songs, most of which dealt with either love or raging rivers, and ultimately a traditional dance around the fire. Afterwards, and quite late, we would all retire and awake to finish our three day paddle the following morning.

The last day of rafting saw us through about five more sets of rapids and then a paddle across a serene lake, which had been created by a damn, compliments of the Nepali government. It was at this point that all hell broke loose and everyone began to attempt to flip each others boats and ensure that everyone got wet, with the exception of Idalis, who feigned a chest infection to be spared from the perils of cold water. We would eventually reach the take out point, pack up and load all the gear and enjoy one last meal provided by the crew. Our bus ride back to Pokhara took about five hours this time and dropped us off in the exact same spot. As it would turn out, most of the people on the rafting trip would not have accommodations, so we invited them all to come and check into where we were staying, the Lubbly Jubbly Guesthouse. That evening we would reunite for the official post rafting dinner and would enjoy food, spirits, live music, a few rounds of pool and the company of our new friends, Geske, Anders, Louise and Gelt, from Denmark, our boat mates, Darren, Amber, Louis and Ollie, Andy and Jake, all from the UK, our team leader, Ram, and our safety kayakers, Heidi and Ashok. We would enjoy the company of our raft mates so much, that we would once again join them for dinner the following evening, which would also happen to be our last night in Pokhara. Thanks to all of you for such an enjoyable and memorable experience!

THE PILGRIMAGE

Sunday, April 5th @ 20:43

Kevin

Day 1: (25.03.09) The Jomsom Trek – Nayapul to Tikhedhunga
AM: Warm and Mild PM: Cold and Rainy 540m ascent Hiked: 7km Alt: 1500m

Woke up in Pokhara at 7AM. Packed, checked out, put stuff in storage. Ate breakfast at Mike's Lakeside. Taxi to Baglung bus terminal. Bus to Nayapul. Start trek at 11:15AM. Trek through Birithanti, Lamdawali, Sudame and Hile, arriving in Tikhedhunga at 3:15PM. Secure a corner room with picture windows for 100 rupees ($1.25). Lots of steps, lady bugs and little kids asking for sweets and school pens. Stop for a cold dip in a swimming hole with 10m waterfall. Dinner of momos, pumpkin soup and fried noodles. Chased with some rum.




Day 2: (26.03.09) The Jomsom Trek – Tikhedhunga to Deorali
AM: Cold and rainy to hot and partly cloudy PM: Freezing with hail and snow
1360m ascent Hiked: 4km Alt: 2870m

Woke up at 6:30AM. Tibetan bread with honey and boiled eggs for breakfast. Began hike at 8:27AM, Hiked through rhododendron, oak and magnolia forests. Climbed over 3300 steps from Tikhedhunga to next town, Ulleri. Give two small Nepali boys country coins (thanks to Katie) and last two “I Love Miami Beach” pins. Lots of waterfalls and streams. Arrive in Ghoropani/Deorali at 3:30PM. Get small room with view of Annapurna range for 200 rupees ($2.50) at 'Nice View' guest house. Mum gets new yak wool hat for the cold. I see snow fall from the sky for the first time in my life.




Day 3: (27.03.09) The Jomsom Trek – Deorali to Tatopani
AM: Below freezing, snow on ground, clear skies PM: Warm and cloudy
140m ascent / 1750m descent Hiked: 17km Alt: 1200m

Wake up at 4:30AM. Put on all clothes we have with us and hike one hour up to Poon Hill through snow, in dark. Arrive at Poon Hill, with 100 other people, to watch sun rise and be treated to most incredible cloud free, unobstructed view of the entire Annapurna mountain range. Feeling very lucky! Hike a long hour back to guest house slipping and sliding on steep, icy trail. Meet group of 12 from Colorado staying in guest house. Enjoy breakfast and dinner previous night with 17 year old Matt, his grandfather, Tom, in his 70's, Tom's girlfriend, Tini, and their friends Joan and Becky. Begin days trek at 9:45AM after breakfast. First half hour of descending through steep, slippery ice packed trail, which gives way to half hour of trekking through slushy, muddy snow melt, which gradually gives way to dry, rocky trail. Longest day of trekking treats us to small villages, blooming forests, terraced fields, with Annapurna mountains as our backdrop and a raging river our soundtrack. Arrive in Tatopani at 5:00PM after 9 hours of trekking. Check into the 'Dhaulagiri' guest house, take the 300 rupee ($3.75) honeymoon suite, spend two hours soaking in natural hot springs, return to room for room service dinner by candle light, as there is no power. While soaking, run into friend, Gaby, from Tushita “Intro to Buddhism” course in Mcleod Ganj.




Day 4: (28.03.09) The Jomsom Trek – Tatopani to Tatopani (day of rest)
AM: Cold and cloudy PM: Cool and cloudy with some rain
10m descent (to hot springs) 10m ascent (to room) Hiked: 0 Alt: 1200m

After three intense days of trekking, these flat landers decide to take a day off. Woke up at 7:30AM and laid around reading, napping and staring at mountains. Ate breakfast at 11:00AM. Walked along the Tatopani Bazaar and purchased new book, “The Snow Leopard”, and a needle and some thread. Soaked in hot springs from 4:00PM to 6:00PM. Ate dinner in room by candlelight again, even though power was on.




Day 5: (29.03.09) The Jomsom Trek – Tatopani to Ghasa
AM: Hot and sunny PM: Cold, breezy, cloudy and rainy 900m ascent Hiked: 13km Alt: 2010m

Began trek at 8:28AM. So far, the most difficult day of trekking as a “new” (unpaved, large gravel) road has been constructed which occupies much of the original trail. Map shows no road. Despite hiking on road, scenery is breath taking. Sore day of hiking with calves, shoulders and quads hurting. Considered continuing past Ghasa but rain stops us at the “Florida” guest house. Met Marian, from Germany, on today's hike. Will end up spending next few days together. At dinner, meet group of six who all crossed the Thorung La pass and tell of hardships and successes. Had first daal bhaat (typical Nepali set meal) for dinner and great conversation with new friends.




Day 6: (30.03.09) The Jomsom Trek – Ghasa to Larjung
AM: Cold and clear PM: Cold and rainy 720m ascent / 280m descent Hiked: 13km Alt: 2550m

Began trek at 8:29AM. Hiked on east side of Kali Gandaki river through several small villages. I fall in love with beautiful baby cow. Hiked through river bed. Stop in Larjung for new tradition of hot soup and cold coke. I want to push on, Idalis and Marian wish to stay. Impending rain forces us to stay. Good choice after all. We check into Larjung guest house. We are only three guests. Food is great, room is cold. Try yak cheese for first time and love it.




Day 7: (31.03.09) The Jomsom Trek – Larjung to Marpha
AM: Clear, mild and sunny PM: Cloudy, windy and cold 200m ascent / 80m descent Hiked: 10km Alt: 2670m

Leave Larjung guest house reluctantly at 9:26AM. After night of rain, views of mountain range, surrounding valley, are mostly clear and stunning. Hiked into small village of Tukuche and visit local brandy distillery and get private tour from spunky 71 year old female owner. Sampled apple, apricot and peach brandy. Also visit small Buddhist gompa and stupa, spinning prayer wheels for good karma. Hiked through Kali Gandaki basin and into Marpha, home of the apple. Checked into Snow Leopard guest house. Had amazing dinner at Marpha Restaurant consisting of traditional Thakali dishes including an amazing daal, dried yak meat, and mushy, sticky meal made from buckwheat. Spoke to owner, Mrs. Sausi, and enjoyed home made apple crumble. Delicious!




Day 8: (01.04.09) The Jomsom Trek – Marpha to Kagbeni
AM: Cloudless sky, cool and sunny PM: Cloudy, cool and very windy 190m ascent / 60m descent Hiked: 15km Alt: 2800m

Began trek at 8:56AM. Sky was clear, no clouds and entire mountain range was visible. Got caught in morning traffic behind heard of goats. Hiked through several small villages and dry lake bed with 360 degree view of Himalayan mountain range. Arrived in Jomsom and attempted to procure a flight back to Pokhara. All planes booked for next two days due to religious festival in Muktinath. Decide we would take a Jeep back when time comes. Left Jomsom en route for Kagbeni. Try to take shortcut to lake bed. Must skip across rocks through stream of sewage. Idalis loses footing and left foot plunged into thick, black muck. Walk to river to wash Idalis' foot, sock, shoe and pant leg in icy cold water with incredible gusts of wind driving sand into every crack and crevice of our bodies and bags. Crossing pass on lake bed to Kagbeni comprised of two hours of constant wind. Wind strong enough to knock you over and almost does on several occasions. Wind sends plumes of sand and dust high into the valley. Arrive in Kagbeni cold, dry and windblown at 5:00PM. Secure a double room at Shangrila guest house for 100 rupees ($1.25). Have a great dinner and get to practice our Spanish with four trekkers from Spain and one Swiss girl that speaks Spanish.




Day 9: (02.04.09) The Jomsom Trek – Kagbeni to Jharkot
AM: Clear and sunny PM: Cold, dry and breezy 990m ascent Hiked: 8km Alt: 3550m

Share breakfast with new friends from Spain, then bid farewell. Owner of guest house gives Idalis, Marian and myself katas (silk cloth) to wish us a safe and happy journey. Begin trek at 9:43AM. Begin on wrong route, but works out as we get to see small town, which is incredible, and view the Mustang region from the border. Get on right trek and begin long, steep ascent with hundreds of Hindu pilgrims headed to Muktinath for celebration of god, Ram. Pass many groups of elderly pilgrims who make at least one pilgrimage to the holy city of Muktinath in their lifetime. Much of trail is along road that is busy from Jeeps transporting pilgrims and kicking up dust. Wind picks up at our backs at 11:30AM. Ascend almost 1km to small village of Jharkot where we are too tired to press on. Enjoy small lunch and check into room. Enjoy views of Annapurna range and see Thorung La Pass for first time, which lies at 5416m. Idalis not feeling well. Enjoy dinner with Marian and new friend Mike from Canada.




Day 10: (03.04.09) The Jomsom Trek – Jharkot to Muktinath to Tatopani
AM: Cold and clear PM: Mild and rainy 250m ascent / 2600m descent Hiked: 21km (41km by Jeep) Alt: 1200m


Today is our five year anniversary. Wake up at 6:00AM and skip breakfast. Say goodbye to Marian who plans to stay on. Begin trek at 7:00AM. Hike one hour up to holy city of Muktinath and into Muktinath temple complex. Stop by Buddhist gompa on the way. Surrounded by hundreds of worshiping pilgrims in temple complex. Meander around grounds witnessing teachings, prayers, possessions and offerings. Mark spot where natural spring waters, natural gas flames and earth all converge. Run into Marion who has also climbed to temple complex. Climb to Buddhist stupa, tie one kata to flag post, circumambulate stupa and give thanks for our great fortune. Begin hike down to catch Jeep at 11:00AM. Hundreds of pilgrims waiting for Jeeps. Try to buy ticket and told we would be on tenth Jeep, perhaps several hours. Decide to begin walking instead. Hail Jeep a couple kilometers out of Muktinath and must sit on roof due to overcrowding. Enjoy ride greatly and laugh the whole way down. Arrive in Jomsom one and a half hours later covered in dirt and dust but happy to have not walked. Attempt to procure ticket for Jeep again from Jeep stand. Once again told of several hour wait. Decide to test luck again and begin walking. Hail Jeep a few kilometers out of Jomsom and again sit on roof. Views are amazing and ride is totally enjoyable and memorable. Arrive in Ghasa two hours later. Once again, attempt to procure Jeep ticket. No sign of Jeeps. Decide to test luck one last time and begin walking towards final destination of Tatopani, home of hot springs and desired resting spot. No luck this time as Jeeps never pass and few taxis that do are full. Hike approximately three hours and 13km to town of Tatopani. Check in once again at the Dhaulagiri guest house and are soaking in hot springs, with exhausted bodies, by 6:30PM. Again take dinner in room and enjoy cocktails of Sprite and apple brandy.




Day 11: (04.04.09) The Jomsom Trek – Tatopani to Pokhara
AM: Cloudy and mild PM: Warm and rainy 380m descent Hiked: 0 Alt: 820m

Wake up late. No hurry to leave. Return to hot springs for second round of soaking as Idalis reads in guest house garden. Return from hot springs to pack and have breakfast. Check out of guest house and walk to bus stand. Still many pilgrims returning from Muktinath. Secure spot on mini bus but must stand. Make friends with Nepalese riders and answer questions and laugh as young Nepalese girl falls into my lap. Arrive in town of Beni and must switch buses. Get ripped off by mini bus conductor who says tourists pay higher price on public bus. All riders come to our defense. We pay only 60 extra rupees in end. Switch to large bus headed to Pokhara. Get actual seats this time. Ride is slow, bumpy and long, but enjoyable. Arrive in Pokhara. Say goodbye to all of our new Nepalese friends. Secure a taxi into town. Arrive back at starting place, Lubbly Jubbly guest house. Secure a room. Without showering, go out for wonderful dinner of steak, pork and a cold beer. Trek is over and another incredible experience has been added to our memory banks.