'follow the yak'

ok I am going to skip forwards a couple of weeks (or backwards - it's really one of those 'glass half empty/half full' scenarios) to my first excursion out of Kathmandu Valley.

Destination: Langtang = Tibetan for 'follow the yak'
Duration: 10 days
Difficulty: Medium
Trekkers:  Myself, Alana and guest traveller, Gemma.

Day 1:  Kathmandu (1337m) -> Syabrubesi (1503m)

After downing the last espressos and vegemite toasts we would have for the next two weeks, we were packed and out the door by the wee hour of 5:30 am.  On arrival at the bus station we opted to save a couple of hundred 'rrrrrupees' and take the windowless seat...yes, we successfully travelled 9 hours on top of the bus along with the baggage and the porters...and yes, I managed to sleep much of the journey.

where's joey?

this is what we looked like

As we climbed higher we passed cascading terraces of rice fields and the odd intermittent town all the while following the sometimes rushing, sometimes dribbling, river upwards to Syabrubesi via Dhunche.

glimpsing the himal

At the beckoning of a young porter named 'Raj', who had protected Alana from near death and subsequently developed a shining towards her, we checked ourselves into the 'Village View' guesthouse.  Whilst digesting our first dhal-bhat* we noticed some commotion down the street, and on closer inspection discovered it to be a wedding procession.

On drawing closer to the circle of people dancing, I felt two hands grab me and before I knew where I was, a local Tamang^ lady had hold of me like a ventriloquist with a dummy, controlling my hand movements while she pushed me around the circle...I felt a little foolish at first but relaxed when I saw their consumption of the home brew quicken.

It was hard to see the ladies' foot movements underneath their long skirts, so I opted to follow the men instead (undoubtedly breaking all kinds of social codes).  After a couple of turns around the circle I saw my 'exit stage' and seized the chance, roping Gemma in to take my place...Alas, the next morning was to be an early one, and so Gemma  followed shortly after, leaving the villagers and other poor stragglers to their festivities.

traditional Tamang dress

Day 2: Syabrubesi -> Rimche (2455m)

informal witnessing

We set out early the next morning, and though Alana was not a 100%, and we were not feeling too fit in general, we managed to set a reasonable pace for our ascent.  Along the way we stopped and witnessed at the different teahouses, with porters and even the odd pony herder:)  We did not see many, if any, rhododendrons.  However, we passed through some lovely bamboo forests, and when we arrived at our destination, Rimche, circa 3:00 pm, we were still surrounded from all sides by deep green.

At our guesthouse in Rimche (Hotel Ganesh) we met two expats from Ireland and Switzerland, both living in the US, who were trekking in Langtang with some Sherpas** to acclimatise before they embarked on their expedition to the north face Everest via Tibet.  We chatted for hours and consequently picked up some useful tips for trekking at altitude, including pressure breathing and rest stops.

a shower with a view

'the best shower on the Langtang'

Day 3:  Rimche -> Langtang Gompa (3230m)

with the mountaineers

After saying our goodbyes, we set out once again determined to see rhododendrons!  Passing through another beautiful forest, this time of fir trees and white, pink and red rhododendrons we came to a slight clearing with a teahouse boasting of great yak curd.  We were not hungry but the owner put up such a convincing effort that we decided to oblige him and try a bowl.  His little kids were at the table next to us and made us melt so we left them with a koala bear each.  They were really excited (much more than the average Australian kid would be) and wanted to how to make a real boomerang???

say 'Koala'

Despite our unscheduled stop, we were still making good time and managed to overtake Raj & Co who had stayed further up at Lama Hotel.  Raj & Co then overtook us as we were held up at the national park checkpoint by the most flirtatious officials (save those at Milano's Il Duormo) I think I have ever come across.  Gemma is quite a hit with the locals as she is both 'bideshi' (foreign) and can speak fluent Nepali.

best dhal-bhat in Langtang

'takai lagyo?'

Not far passed the checkpoint we met a didi ^^ with her nephews and niece on the trail.  She asked us to come and stay at her family's ghesthouse just before Langtang village, and with the added persuasion of the kids giving us their hand-picked rhododendrons we once again relented.  The little hands took ours in theirs and guided us up the trail, checking every two minutes whether we were 'takai lagyo' (tired)...incredibly adorable!  After a horrid uphill clamber incurring some serious cotton mouth on my part, we finally reached the 'Panorama Guesthouse', and spent the afternoon/evening relaxing, drinking chiya***, witnessing to the father and getting to know their little family.

Day 4:  Langtang Gompa -> Kyanjin Gumba (3830m) -> side trip:  Langtang Lirung Glacier

The next morning we set out at 6:30 am for our next stop, Kyanji Gumba.  We were accompanied by another lovely didi who waited on us at her brother's guesthouse (Hotel Sherpa) though she lived in Langtang.  This leg of our journey saw the tree-line disappear below us and the scenery become more arid, yet dramatic, with the advent of snow-capped mountains surrounding us.

I've become OCD for birdwatching...it' must be the khaki

Shortly before arriving, Gemma and I stopped to catch our breathe at a Buddhist Gompa (holy place), a quaint stone building built next to the river with prayer flags masked high.  The prayer flags are sprinkled throughout Langtang, and their bright colours bring contrast to the arid colours of the landscape.

our didi in blue

After brekky we decided to do a short trek up to the nearby glacier (Langtang Lirung).  Though we had asked a couple of people for directions, I suspect in our elation of being backpack-free, we paid absolutely no attention to their answers, and thus began to freestyle navigate our way on up.  We crossed the river several times, and pushed our way through the shrubbery following various yak and pony trails before hitting a clearly defined track which scaled the mountain side.  At one point I had visions of being blown off, yet we persevered and despite poor Gemma's growing headache, reached our destination.

When focusing on the glacier it seemed to move...hmmm I'll have to research that phenomenon later...

laying like broccoli...

Tingmo

Back at our guesthouse that night, I tried some local Tibetan food, called 'Tingmo'.  They looked like white pin-wheels and were quite spongy, but tasted really yummy dipped in the curry...

Day 5:  Side trip:  Langhisha Valley (4285m) 

Our day trip through Langhisha Valley was most definitely a highlight of the trek.

We descended via a creek onto a beautiful light grey plain, which I imagine in summer, when the river is high, is underwater.  Further on the river bed disappeared and a grassland stretched before us.  We took our time here as the scene with the surrounding mountains and the blue sky could not but make us pensive...

Passed the grassland we started to ascend above the river.  We had views of the yaks grazing without a human in sight.

'yakkity yak'

That morning, Gemma's stomach had not welcomed the sight of our omelet and chapati, and though she gave us a lovely rendition of 'Colours of the Wind' when we began our walk, her symptoms as we progressed up the valley began to worsen.  The little trooper persevered 95% of the journey but as we sighted our final climb to Langhisha Karka, she decided to await our return from the comfort of a rock bed cushioned by our jackets.  A helpful Australian we had encountered the previous day saved Alana and I the descent to the 'red rock'^^^, informing us that the view from the top of the hill was sufficient, thus as the weather was starting to change we opted to read about the experience instead.

Langhisha Karka

We were recovering back our at ghesthouse in the afternoon when our party was gatecrashed by another group's guide (deja vu) looking for an extra room. Bassanta (Nepali for Spring) seemed to want to escape his group and returned later that night with some sherpas, who over several chiyas, helped us itinerise the rest of our journey - nice!

Day 6:  Kyanjin Ri (4773 m) -> Rimche

Despite our apathy the night before towards the idea, at 5:30 am Alana and I rose and set out for the nearby peak of Kyanjin Ri.  There were a couple of times where I must admit I thought, "what possessed me to agree to this?  Why am I doing this again?"  But arriving at the summit 2 hours later all regret had dissipated and I felt incredible.  I might let the photos speak for me here.

to the south

south-east

north-ish

south-west

stop. It's snickers time

down down down, down down down down

After celebrating our feat with a breakfast 'snickers' we quickly began our descent back to Gemma.

Our goal was to reach Rimche, and so we boomed it back down at eye-brow raising speed passed Langtang, passed our family at Gumba, passed the rhododendron forest, passed the yak dairy (if that's even possible), passed Raj & Co...and finally as dusk began to fall we beheld our beloved solar shower, Hotel Ganesh...

'mani' wall of Buddhist carved stones

That night we ate...a lot of dhal-bhat...

Day 7:  Rimche -> Thulo Syaphru (2250m)

The team all agreed that the 10 hours day before earned us a sleep-in so we did not leave Rimche until 11:00 am.  We did still manage to overtake Raj & Co before we started heading uphill again for Thulo Syaphru.  It may have been anger over stepping on my sunnies' lens, or it may have been a strong desire not to have Raj & Co at my heels, or even possibly that I had gained some fitness and endurance because I summoned a remarkable amount of energy (for me) for the next uphill battle, and managed to pull away from the others, arriving at the top drenched and in dire need of coke...which I then found and downed in seconds ahhhhh...

This next section of the trek was truly beautiful.  Again we were honoured with rhododendrons, this time they were growing out from the side of the hills, giving the impression they were hanging.  We passed another suspension bridge and thought we were well and truly in the clear of Raj & Co until we heard them yelling at us...we were thankful they did catch up though as we were taking another route...to Tibet perhaps...

local house

climbing trees

When we arrived at the village we were offered free accommodation at the Everest Lodge, and we threw off our backpacks in glee!  Once again we had the guesthouse to ourselves and our room had a beautiful view over the village terraces and the himal to the west...not a bad way to wake up in the morning...

'Oliver'

The didi who was running the guesthouse had a little 'Oliver Twist'-like boy helping her with the cooking and cleaning.  Apparently his parents are dirt-poor so he comes to work for several months throughout the year, and in turn attends the local school.  He had such a willing, sincere little manner about him.  I kept thinking how different life is for 10 year-olds around the world.  This boy works harder than some men twice his age.

Day 8:  Thulo Syaphru -> Laurebina (3910m)

Day 8 in a word was: hard.

We started with an uphill ascent of 930m through the Thula Syaphru up to Proprang Danda.  It was only about an hour an half later but we could feel the drop in temperature when we stopped at the top for chiya.

The next scheduled stop was to be Sing Gompa (3330m), however, our Lonely Planet's directions at the next junction were a little obscure. Therefore, though not knowing it at the time we took the route to Laurebina.  We had a few moments of doubt and worry, and scenes from 127 Hours would pass through Alana's mind, until someone would say, "I see footsteps!".  Truth be told, as she navigated us safely through a beautiful wood full of rhododendrons, back to the trail, Gemma and I were very thankful Alana was our scout leader. And as the track widened and we heard human sounds, elation ensued.

When we arrived at Chalang Pati (3654m) circa 4 hours later, we threw a few high fives around and celebrated being back in civilisation with an incredible chow-mein.  Gemma endeared us to the owners when she played 'Sheila Ki Jiwani' (a popular Hindi song) for the little bai^^.

Our scout leader/motivational speaker then assured Gemma and I that compared to the day's accomplishments thus far, this last leg up to Laurebina would be a cinch...and so half an hour later the Laurebina Yak ghesthouse was welcoming three rather shot yet proud young trekkers...

Day 9:  Laurebina -> Gosainkunda (4400m) -> Dhunche (1960m)

Despite the thermals, flannels, layers, sleeping bag, beanie, knitted booties, and feather downer, Laurebina's night sleep was chilly!  The day before I had had a sore throat, and so by morning further I feared an average day.  My mind was taken off it though as we started our trip up to the holy lakes of Gosainkunda.  We had been warned that if there was snow on the pass it could be quite dangerous.  Thankfully, however, though there was snow, the pass was clear.  And as we cut around, the mountain fell away beneath the trail and we could see clearly over towards Helambu.  Awesome.

Gosainkunda

We sighted a dark lake about twenty minutes before arriving at Gosainkunda.  Yet, when we arrived at Gosainkunda we were surprised to find it was frozen...hmmm, to think have many grams I could have saved leaving my swimmers behind doh!  After a warming chiya, we walked down to the lake and saw the tikkas (and random pairs of undies) left behind from pilgrims frozen into the lake's edge.  It is a shame how regardless of how remote, humans can manage to spoil things.

Seeing as swimming was out of the question, we had a group meeting and decided to once again boom it down...this time all the way back down to Dhunche.

On the return to Laurebina, the weather changed dramatically and we collided again in the mist with Raj & Co who were on their way up.  I think they were secretly impressed with our efforts, yet the goodbye was short and non-chalant...Back in Kathmandu we are still seeing apparitions of Raj in the distance at times...

We did a return visit at our chow-mein buddies in Chalang Pati, and this time some young girls in their gorgeous Tamang dresses joined our little bai and us for another 'Sheila' moment.  Sorry my camera cut out 4 seconds into the routine so you will just have to imagine it...

stolen

The downhill run to Dhunche (2440m descent) made us wish it had been an uphill run to Dhunche...I think I have may have developed arthritis, and perhaps may be in need of a couple of knee replacements...But flopping onto our bed when we arrived, felt sooooooooooooooo good...and dhal-bhat that night was like manna to an exile.

Day 10:  Dhunche -> Kathmandu

The morning bus from Dhunche back to Kathmandu was fully booked so it was looking like we would be on the roof again, until it started to rain.  We piled into the bus, and in Nepali-style, claimed a unoccupied seat.  It may sound like a good set-up but when every part of your body is hemmed in by people, sitting and standing becomes relative.

We were our merry way listening to Nepali songs and fogging up the windows when we happened upon a hill our over-loaded bus could not summit.  The bus driver backed up and attempted again but was unsuccessful.  Thinking it common sense to dismount, we got off the bus and started to walk up the road and along with several others found shelter in a local hut on the side of the hill.  We had a clear view of the bus as it tried, and tried, and tried again and again, and proceeded to carve a once muddy road into 4WD track.  After an hour or so huddling together,  the cold started to get to me and I started to contemplate whether I might contract pneumonia and die in Dhunche.  I did not like the idea too much and became indignant that there were still people sitting on the bus.  Enough then became enough and we walked back to our hill-challenged bus.  Our suspicions where confirmed when we saw the 'great crowd' of leisurely passengers STILL ON THE BUS!

My suppressed passion then surfaced when I told one man perhaps he should 'GET OFF THE BUS!'  He replied with the stunning retort that the 'bus needs pressure'...hmmm, pressure?  Might it be that same 'pressure' which was preventing inertia, and gouging out the road?  He did not seem to like my comment that he would not make a very good bus driver, and finally decided to alight.  The damage had been done by this stage, and despite the ridiculously classic efforts of a group of young guys (hands in their pockets) to PULL the bus up the hill, we were still no further advanced.  By the time a local tractor driver had finished his cup of chiya and decided to render some assistance, there was another bus attempting to charge up the hill in a similar fashion, in addition to several jeeps and vans.

TIN = this is Nepal

I was shocked at first to see the tractor lock behind a van and start to push it up the hill, but became hopeful when it successfully reached the top.  Thus, eventually our bus was pulled up the hill, and we were moving once again.  And by nightfall we were back in Kathmandu.

* dhal-bhat:  Nepali bi-daily staple -> lentil curry with rice

^ Tamang:  ethnic group native to Langtang.  Tamangs have Tibetan roots and thus practice Buddhism
** Sherpa:  ethnic group native to the Everest region
^^ 'didi'; 'bai':  Nepali for 'big sister' and 'little brother'

*** chiya: Nepali style marsala tea

^^^ the 'red rock': according to the Tibetans, the runaway 'yak' of the Langtang was followed by its owner to this rock where it was...killed and skinned.  Its blood subsequently stained the rock red...bit of a downer to end on, sorry.