There was utter confusion before takeoff as to who was sitting where.  As warned by the Lonely Planet, Royal Nepal Airlines tend over their tickets and amazingly they had also issued too many boarding cards – we couldn’t believe it.  There were three for the window seat next to us – so amusing.  Whatever happened, we were not giving up our seats!

If they can’t get the issuing of tickets right, it didn’t fill us with confidence that they could get the aircraft maintenance right.  We are still in flight as I write this post and are just about to receive our food – probably Dhal Bhat – if you don’t receive this post, you’ll know why .

Update: we have arrived safely at out hotel in Bangkok and will soon be tucked up in bed.  Will upload a post at some point tomorrow.

A haircut, cut shave, head and back massage all for a mere £1.50 – I threw in another pound for good measure.  Having trekked for a week then coming back to the smog of Kathmandu, I feel somewhat clean and tidy again.

No more communications for a day or so until we find our feet.  Our mobile should work in Thailand so we can easily be contacted should the need arise.

Just click on the photos link at the top of the page. 

Nepal has a near monopoly on the world’s highest peaks – eight of the 10 highest.  In fact it has 14,000 mountains between 6–7,000m.

The most popular are the Annapurna and Everest Himalayan Ranges.  Our trek took in the peaks of Annapurna.

The highest peak we saw (pictured below) was Dhaulagiri at 8,172m but we also saw Annapurna South (7,219m), Annapurna II (7,939m), Annapurna III (7,555m) and Hiunchuli (6,441m).  Although not the highest, the most striking for us was that of Machhapuchhre, know as Fishtail, at 6,997m – it was so beautiful!

There is nothing better than waking up on a relatively clear Himalayan morning –with a cup of milk tea - and seeing an 8,000m peak towering over you – a feeling I have no words to describe!

These are in no particular order, just randomly selected and a further sideshow provided here – enjoy!  Please be aware that all slideshow photos are currently being uploaded and it takes time, so check back regularly.

The spectacular Fishtail first.

UNESCO World Heritage Site #5

It was difficult to condense the pictures down, so in the end, we just selected randomly and created this sideshow for you to see at your leisure.

Did I mention that we are now working for the Nepaleese Tourism Board on a commission basis  – book now!

The Lonely Planet says that there is significant danger of avalanches and landslides along the route to the Annapurna Sanctuary.  Trekkers have died and trekking parties have been stranded in the Sanctuary for days.

This was pretty evident throughout our trek, the aftermath of many landslides meant we had to change our route adding many extra hours.  We always checked with the oncoming trekkers the condition of the route ahead and being given the go ahead, we still encounter small and large slides that were both difficult and scary to cross – one wrong foot and it was good night Irene!

Tika, a guide for over 20 years, says there have been more larger slides in 3 years than in the last 15, a result of the increase in downpours due to global warming.  Last year 29 people lost their lives in one slide alone.

These pictures depict the enormity and difficulty of the slides.  Tika wasn’t very happy that I was taking photos, like all guides, he is worried that these photos when shown will deter potential visitors. 

Don’t let these pictures put you off, professionals like Tika will guide you safely. I’m pretty sure they don’t get slides outside of the monsoon season.

Overt the past few days we’ve seen everything from Pringles to marble, solar panels and rocks etc. being carried.  Men are no exception, women also carry goods.

As you can see in the first picture, I tried my hand at carrying a basket with a few potatoes and boy was it difficult – you need a thick neck!. Typically, loads weight up to 100kg – a porter gets around £15 for hiking two days, food and accommodation is provided.

I take my hat off to these hardened men and women. In the monsoon season many of the walkways are too slippery for the mules so they get a vacation.

Nevertheless, after 8hrs of trekking there is nothing better than taking your wet boots off and sitting by the fire (if they have one) with a glass of rum. We were awoken many a night by the monsoon rain wondering if our time was up and soon to be carted by a landslide 2,000m to the bottom. 

All menus and prices are set by a mountain committee, so no matter where you stay the menus and prices are the same.  The guest house owners done their level best ensure were as comfortable as possible.  While we stayed in the guest rooms many of the families members slept on the kitchen or living room floor.

No need to keep writing, a picture speaks a thousand words and we have many pictures.

We played cards, drank rum and laughed lots – hope your wife doesn’t read this . 

Dhanyabad (thank you).

Anyone thinking of trekking in Nepal, we would highly recommend Tika, he can be contacted on tikabhat061@yahoo.com.

There is no denying that it was tough, in fact it was damn fucking hard.  The first day was exhausting, it started off nice and gentle but abut about 4hrs in it started to climb gradually, the last three hours were the hardest we’ve ever done.  We arrived at our first guest house in Ulleri at around 5pm, had dinner and straight to bed.  The accommodation was very basic and had no fire to dry our clothes.  The aches and pains, breathlessness, blood sucking leeches, slippery stones, heavy rucksacks, and the damn monsoon rain make trekking this time of year a soul searching endeavour.

Thankfully we decided to carry on and our legs soon adjusted, we got used to the uphill climbs, the rain and the cold. The beautiful people and the landscape made you quickly forget the previous days struggle.  Getting up at 5am every morning was not a chore it was exhilarating – the mountain air and the feeling of being on top of the world, literally!

We planned on going right to Annapurna Base Camp but having fallen ill with colds, the altitude, a lack of energy and the constant danger of landslides we decided with our guide that Chhomrung would be our highest point.  We had met a few trekkers who had braved the two extra days but were bitterly disappointed with the visibility having reached the top.  They couldn’t believe the photos we had taken from Chhomrung on one rare bright sunny morning – they were very jealous. These will be posted later.

To see how these people live in this vast wilderness is breathtaking. Forgetting the scenery, the constant struggle to survive brings a tear to your eye, but yet they seem the happiest folk on earth.

A quick breakdown of our trek:

Day 1 – Nayapul at 1025m up to Ulleri at 1960m

Day 2 – Ulleri up to Ghorepani at 2874m

Day 3 – Ghorepani up to Dueurali 3103m

Day 4 – Dueurali down to Tadapani 2721m

Day 5 – Tadapani up then down to Chhomrong 2300m

Day 6 – Chhomrong down to Ghandruk 1939m

Day 7 – Ghandruk back to Nayapul

To anyone vaguely thinking of visiting Nepal, we would say ‘please go’, it will enrich your life forever, the landscape is what it is, but it’s the people are what makes this country such an unforgettable experience.  We will never forget it and we will be back.