Uncharted Thoughts.

Unfortunately the majority of my photographs taken in Nepal are lost to the digital winds of time, and the ones I do possess are printed and neatly placed in my photo album. So although the memories are as vivid as ever, the physical reminders of my time in this extraordinary country has mostly vanished. Although this trip was merged with the rush of social media, my lust for likes and follows was drowned out by my passion for living, as it still does. So taking pictures and posting them on socials was not my main concern. Besides, my brother was meeting me in Kathmandu, and he loved photography so he could take the photos while I basked in the fresh air of the Himalayan mountains.

I was 23ish, when I took off from Heathrow airport, and sored through the sky to the dusty bumpy runway of Kathmandu. I am not sure where my fascination for Nepal came from, it is true that I have always possessed a deep love for hiking, as well as for mountains and the great outdoors, but my memory serves me little when I try to recall why I picked Nepal as one of my first adventures beyond Europe. I had not yet seen the great movies that inspire so many to visit, such as 7 years in Tibet or The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. So influence from media sources had little to do with it. Whatever the reasoning for my visit, when I landed in Kathmandu, it was no longer relevant, for I had arrived in one of the greatest countries I have visited to this day.

This blog post is both a “How to” travel guide and story telling platform. So although I will be spending some time describing my experiences, there will be a section with travel tips at the end of each section.

Culture Shock!

Stepping off the plane was an experience like no other. The short run way was not smooth like those in the Western world. The plane jumped and jolted as the wheels felt every stone and pot hole, woman screamed, children wept and a lot of the men moaned under their large moustaches (a clear fashion trend out here). I however, had no time to moan, I was about to exit the plane and view the wonders of the earth. All those hours working in kitchens had led to this moment and I wasn’t going to let some loose gravel and sunken tarmac spoil this moment for me.

The Visa and security process was incredible, I collected my bag, made my way through the lobby and was stood before a desk, where one man, stamped each passengers passports. Unlike the US or UK, or anywhere in Europe for that matter, a man had single handily stamped every passport within fifteen minuets. It is unclear still, if he was just a really efficient member of staff or a security risk to the entire nation, but either way I was happy to be through.

Upon leaving the airport, I was instantly shocked by the busy streets, polluted air, chaotic driving and the backdrop of tall mountains. Even now, when I think back to the chaos of Kathmandu, it still calls to me.

Annapurna Base Camp

After arriving in Pokhara, my brother and I decided to take on a hiking challenge. I don’t like to plan ahead too much on my trips, I feel that it narrows down possibilities of spontaneity. Rather than going with the flow and having doors open in front of us, we would otherwise be stuck to a timeline. Of course plans can change, but having complete freedom is a far better experience in my opinion. So we picked up a local ‘what to do’ leaflet in our £1.55 a night hostel and looked at which hikes were available to us.

Although there were many to choose from, we landed on the Annapurna Base Camp trek. Why? we don’t really know. We wanted something challenging, something that will open our eyes to the wonders of Nepal and the Himalayan mountains. Something we could accomplish on our own, with no help from the sherpas. Not because we were skint (although we were) but because we wanted to experience the hard work for ourselves. So for less than £50 we reluctantly signed our wavers for the trip (A legality) and set off in a taxi to God know were.

I’ve never personally understood tours, I mean I am a tight arse when it comes to spending money, if I could have a couple ££ by doing something for free rather than paying I will. I think that all stems from being pretty poor growing up. Not like poor poor, we ate, had a roof over our heads and a loving home. But as a family we always counted the pennies, never let them stray on odd goods or luxury attire. To spend upwards of £2000 on a tour that you can do for no more than £200 astounds me. Of course, this isn’t me travel shamming those that do. It’s just a preference I have obtained over the years. When I went to Peru, some two years ago, I decided to walk the train route to Machu Picchu. A free, and apparently illegal trek to the wonder. Rather than take the expensive train ride or over crowded tour groups on the Inca trail. Admittedly, the view was not as glamorous (although still outstanding) we trekked along the railway lines, besides dense jungle, looking up to try and catch a glimpse of the ancient ruins. What made the experience magical for me, wasn’t so much the views, nor the safe guided trip. It was the adventure of it all, hopping the railway fence, crossing old bridges, seeing other skint travellers taking the sae route as us. It was magical.

Anyway that’s a story for another post. My brother and I jumped in the taxi, asked “Where is the start of the Annapurna Base Camp Trek” and he drove us through a river to a random hill. We left the taxi and began to climb, with no real idea of where we were going, up a hill and to a hostel. There were sign posts every three or four miles, but non from the immediate exit from the taxi. We just picked a hill, and climbed. Luckily we made the right choice as ventured forward.

A glorious sun rise, and a birthday I will never forget. Troy woke, with a circular hole in his lower back, blood gushing from it in the shower. But besides that and the most incredible view for a birthday morning we set off, sweaty and excited. Although, it has been many years since my adventure I am still able to describe with some credibility a day by day account of our trek. But I feel for the sake of this post I will only highlight the key moments.

Firstly, lets talk about Dal Bhat. Possibly one of the cheapest meals available to travellers, the Dal Bhat is a collection of nutritious condiments. Steamed rice, cooked lentils, greens and a curry bowl. Costing no more than £2 the all you can eat meal is without doubt a highlight for travellers and our stomach. Additionally, having survived of Dal Baht the entire time I was in Nepal, I never got any stomach issues. So that a bonus.

My brother and I, were on day five, when we could finally see the white peaks of Machapuchare ahead. We has traversed through sticky wet jungle, across steal and wooden bridges, into small villages and outcrops to finally behold what we came here for. The Himalayas. Yet we were not out of the wood yet (pardon the pun) ahead was a days walk though jungle. And we were not alone on our trail, no, there were no fellow travellers accompanying our journey, rather a much smaller, more irritating creature. I talk of course about leeches. We stopped by the river side, placed our bags down and took a moment to relieve ourselves below the canopy of the jungle. I remember, standing there, watching the forest, then something dropped onto my hat. A bug. Then another, and another. I looked down at the ground and hundreds of bugs squirmed below our feet. Walking, no flipping towards us. “Troy, look down”. With a yelp and a shake of the leg we bolted across the bridge. But it was too late, leeches had crawled into our boots and soaks and up our legs. We tore at them in a frenzy, as locals in a nearby village laughed at our western misfortune.

It was at the MBC (Machapuchare Base camp) that I first felt the tingling of altitude sickness. At roughly 4000m, my breathing had become heavy by 4400m at the ABC (Annapurna Base Camp) my head felt as though it were to explode. Prior to this trip, I had no experience with altitude sickness, my highest elevation on foot had been Ben Nevis some 1340 meters. A mole hill in comparison to these colossal giants besides me. It wouldn’t be for another 5 years till I left the wobble of altitude again, this time in Peru.

Tips of Annapurna

Be fit. (Its not easy)

Do it solo. (if you can)

Cover up. (Leeches)

Have fun. (Its once in a lifetime)

Kathmandu.

My time in Kathmandu was limited. Although I had deep desire to explore the narrow streets and old temples. Hiking was my priority. Hiking is always my priority. So spending time here, instead of in sight of the mountains was out of the question.

Kathmandu is a gigantic maze of ancient streets. Seemingly endless and built with no clear pattern, left and right turns existing in complete randomness. If you were to find yourself in these street, alone after dark, with no map or navigation. It would be equal to being lost in the woods. I pride myself of self navigation, my father has always told me I have a built in GPS, but here, I would stand little chance knowing my location after an hour of wandering. And that just what happened to us.

We left our hostel and walked. With no real understanding of where we were going or what we were looking for. I had no phone signal, due to my lack of understanding when it came to buying new SIM cards. And being the tight ass I am, didn’t want to spend any additional money on something I could just get for free at hostel WIFI’s.

We were blown away by the cities architecture, carved wooden buildings, the chaotic mass of wire that hangs from telephone poles, large temples decorated in multicoloured prayer flays and monkeys parkouring through the cities stone canopy. What took me by surprise was the shopping, we wondered through vibrant markets that seemed to stretch across the entire city. Smiling old faces gleamed up at us as we searched for the perfect present for home. I was set on finding an old mask, my brother however was looking for a more unique item. A door handle and lock.

While the city is chaotic, each building is crafted with care. Yes the brick work is often sloppy, and there is little attention to safety measures when it comes to proximity or earthquake integrity. But the doors are carved with care, the paint work unique and the door handles and locks beautiful. My brother was determined to get hold of one. And after pouring through old shops, we found one in the possession of a young boys father. We were casually walking through the busy streets and found ourselves in front of an old lady selling lightbulbs, we asked her for the locks, she directed us to her grandson. A boy no older the 8, he then took us through the old courtyards of Kathmandu, through houses and back yards to his father home. He sold us one. And what an adventure that was. I felt like Indian Jones, rushing through an old city in search of a artefact.

Although on the whole, I felt safe here. There were clear indications of violence within the city. I am no stranger to a night out abroad, and I understand things get messy and dramas occur. Yet, I remember there being a physical altercation take place most evenings we went exploring. Lucky for us, they were never directed towards us, rather locals fighting locals. I don’t know if this is a common thing within Kathmandu or if we just were unlucky enough to see it as often as we did.

Tips for Kathmandu

GPS/Google Maps is a must have.

Go to the markets, buy cool stuff.

Be weary around drunk people.

Talk to people, everyone is friendly enough.