Annapurna Circuit, Nepal Part I

Trekking in Nepal
Part I

Predictably beautiful, unexpectedly lungbusting! Nothing prepares you for Nepal; neither the numerous blogs, the photos, nor the eulogies by those who have been there before.  After coming back home, one wants to go back immediately. That longing, serves as a fitting testimonial to the place, the people, the breathtaking vistas, the crick-in-the-neck height of the mountains, the lush green fields and the delicious food.
  It takes me a while, as an Indian, to get used to the idea that I am in a foreign country. Landing in Kathmandu, the airport has interiors of wood, a distinct Tibetan feel to the architecture. Going through immigration is a breeze, show your passport or your voter's card and that's enough. The city is an untidy Jammu look-alike, roads left unfinished, with rubble along the sides, stagnant water, full of rubbish and wiring strung haphazardly across the streets. On the other hand, a lovely green golf course, an impressive mainstreet leading off the palace, and the imposing Pashupatinath Temple complex offers another view.
After going through several very narrow streets with speeding SUVs sqeezing past each other,  we come to Thamel, the  backpackers and trekkers district. Its distinctly different to the rest of the city. There is enough here to keep you occupied for days, especially if you trek, or read, or eat, or love music or shopping for clothes, antiques, knick knacks,.. take your pick!  Its all there in a maze of entrancing little lanes. You want swiss chocolates? French bread? Danish? Yak cheese? Pringles? Gelato? Baileys? The Supermarket has it all. I nearly forget what I've come for... trekking the Annpurna circuit, remember? But what about chilling a little, enjoying the peace and quiet  with a large slice of blonde lemon cheesecake and a bar or two of theblues,hmm? Its New Orleans cafe!

                                                                           Thamel

The next day we spend  in sightseeing, driving to the Swayambhu (short form for Shambhu? As in Shiv?) Stupa, a happy mix of Hindu and Bhuddist, with an old monastery tucked away in a corner and an obligingly garrulous monk. Onwards for my favourite avatar's blessing, and no he isn't blue all over, only around his neck. In this case the god of all beings, especially animals like us , is a domed black stone with large white eyes with big black pupils housed in an impressive four sided temple, with elaborately wrought silver doors and walls all around and gold leaf on the top. Its age shows  in the Bhairav temple with the fearsome fanged idol in a dim smoky wooden temple, with hundreds of worshippers squeezing in and out all day, the nepalese being extremely devout hindus. With His special blessing: a shower of water from the priest all over my head much to the chagrin of a pushy old woman who missed every drop, I wriggle my way around to look up at the gigantic brass Nandi, presiding over the main door. The Pashupatinath temple is a complex of temples, lingas and little chhatris, each very much alive and buzzing with worshippers and priests, and even though the brass statues of the royal family sit faithfully worshipping , I was carried back to a time when acolytes and priests must have learnt and taught; young hostelers in the rooms surrounding the main temples and twenty four hour yagnas, a canal from the river running swiftly around the back for last rites to be performed and ashes to be submerged.
The other main stupa in the middle of the town has what are called Buddha's eyes painted on it and I remembered them from the huge statue of Buddha, the One to come, in Thikse monastery in Ladhak with the same eyes.

                                                Buddha's eyes and Swayambhunath Temple

Traditional Nepalese couple

Long walk to town

 

                                                    Nandi outside Pashupatinath temple
We start off on day three in an SUV to base where we will  start trekking. It is'nt very high up, starting only at about 1200 feet. the vegetation is lush, almost subtropical and it is hot and sunny. That nightwe stay at a tea house, the first in a long line of these cosy wooden guest houses with smoky rafters and well ventilated walls and windows!

Bulbule, first stop,,

the first of "Where is Kaeed?" places in the series...

                                                           And they're off!
The first day of walking was an interesting though warm, 15 km, through villages along a motorable road with occasional traffic, along terraced green fields and lush vegetation. Even the terai hills in Nepal are high. We had started off on tummies stocked with an enormous breakfast chosen from a vastly varied and unbelievable menu! We found out to our delight that it was all true with shades of grey, along the way! There are apple pancakes, Swiss rosti with melty yak cheese, oatmeal with fruits, eggs any which way, rice pudding, lemon tea, ginger tea, milky nepalese tea, coffee, drinking chocolate! Mindbogglingly  all this is served us even at the height of 16,000ft! And my personal favourite, thatho pani, hot water! At the end of this long day we scampered up a wicked slope to our next place of rest, on a ridge, a pass between two high points, Bahundandi. the name meant the ridge of Brahmin's! A few pics of the place...

 

Enjoying the weather, outside our rooms. Bahundandi.

 

 That's day four of our trek.