Bolivia- June 2012

I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time and, with a trip to New Mexico starting in in a few days, I must get this done.

South of the Equator

Despite all the traveling I've done, my trip to Bolivia in June was the first time I had traveled to the Southern Hemisphere. Since my daughter and other teens from our church went to Cochabamba more than 10 years ago, I had been intrigued by the prospect to going there. As with much of my travel in recent years, leading a Habitat for Humanity team provided that opportunity.

My flight from Vancouver to Cochabamba involved stops en route in Houston, Bogota (Columbia) and La Paz (Bolivia). All of this went smoothly except for one glitch in Bogota that fortunately turned out fine. On the flight from Houston to Bogota, all passengers were given a copy of a form for entering Columbia - like the Customs and Immigration forms for many countries. Because I would only be "in transit" and not technically entering the country, I asked the one of the United Airlines crew if I would have to complete the paperwork. Even though specifically pointing out the "in transit" status, she said everyone had to complete the form and really didn't seem to know much about this kind of travel status. After getting off the plane in Bogota, I simply entered the country with the paperwork and it wasn't until I reached the last official before actually going into the public area that I was asked if I was entering the country. When I said "no" the agent politely told me that I should have gone to the "in transit" area. However, he directed me to the Avianca Airlines check-in, where I had to check in again and go through the security screening. I had lots of time and everything worked out fine, but I was relieved there was a lot of time between flights. 

High Altitude Effects

In preparing to travel to many areas in Bolivia, one has to anticipate the effects of fairly high altitude. There are some basics in preparing that are standard - don't drink beverages with alcohol on the flight, stay well hydrated and be well rested. It is also common to take prescription medicine for elevation effects. I did all these things, but had never been on the ground at the elevation of the El Alto airport in La Paz (4,062 metres/13,325 feet), so didn't know quite what to expect. The signs of high altitude effects include dizziness, head ache, nausea, shortness of breath and low energy level. Another tip from a number of people who had traveled to Bolivia was to have coca tea as soon as possible after landing. I was vigilant in following all the advice and the impact was less than I had anticipated. I'm not sure if any single thing was the reason for this or if it was the combination of precautions. I certainly was not feeling top notch during the more than four hours at the El Alto airport, but it was okay. The effects seemed to vary notably from person-to-person and there were people on the team who were significantly affected when arriving in La Paz.

After arriving in Cochabamba (2,825 metres/9,268 feet), the elevation effects were not really noticeable except with substantial physical exertion and walking/hiking to an even higher elevation.

Cochabamba
In wanting to lead a Habitat team to Bolivia, I was interested primarily in going to Cochabamba because of my daughter's positive experience there and also from having some personal connections with people there.

Cochabamba sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains with elevations of 3,500 metres or higher.

I arrived in Cochabamba before any of the others on the team. This allowed me to connect with a friend of a friend to hand off a gift and then to have dinner one evening with a young woman from Seattle who I have known for a few years. Before the others arrived, I also got to spend time with my main contact at Habitat Bolivia and check out the build site ahead of time. 

From the time of arriving until leaving, I was impressed with so many things about the city. Despite serious economic challenges in Bolivia and many people living in poverty, there are parts of Cochabamba that are comparatively prosperous. The area where our hotel was located was definitely more upscale than other parts of the city we visited.

Greater Cochabamba has a population of about one million people and it sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains. There are many attractions and we got to see some of them, including the historic Portales Palace, La Cancha Market and the Cristo de la Concordia.

Portales Palace was built over a 12 year period just under a century ago by a mining baron (tin mines), with the main building Patino Mansion now serving as a museum. The architecture is from the French Renaissance period and the 10 hectare gardens are a great place to just wander and relax amid many large trees, shrubs and flowers.


Cochabamba reputedly is the biggest market town in Bolivia and the main market is La Cancha. In this crowded and hectic market, you can purchase almost anything Bolivia has to offer from vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, coca leaves, (illegal to bring into Canada), crafts, souvenirs, local clothing. electronics and more. There were at leas two dozen kinds of potatoes!! Even if you do not go to La Cancha to purchase anything, it is still a remarkable experience. Bartering for purchases is common and most people on our team felt they came away with at least a few bargains. While I think that's debatable, it was a lot of fun. One warning about the market is the presence of pickpockets, but fortunately we did not have any incidents.

The Cristo de la Concordia is a huge statue that sits on top of a mountain and can be seen from many places in the city. The statue stands about 34 metres high and, until recently, was the highest of its type in the world. A crown was added to the Cristo staue in Rio de Janeiro to increase its height to 40.4 and claim the title of tallest Cristo statue.We visited the statue on a break day part way through the build. Access to the Cristo is via road or a footpath that has something like 1,200 steps. About half the team decided to walk up to the statue via the steps while the rest of us elected the less rigorous option of the bus.

While in Cochabamba, we stayed at the Hotel Aranjuez. It was comfortable, had great service and friendly staff. It exceeded my expectations and I'd recommend it to anyone! It was close to most services we needed - restaurants, ATMs, shops, large grocery store - and also a short drive to the Habitat build site.

One of the patio areas at the hotel.

In addition to having a great hotel, we had dinner at a number of good restaurants and there was no shortage of food. Much Bolivian food is geared more toward carnivores, but the vegetarian on the team was able to find good alternatives most of the time. Lunch at the build site each day was catered and prepared specifically to accommodate vegetarian preferences. The young couple who operated the catering business were not only great cooks, they were a lot of fun to be around. All of their cooking was top notch, but their soups and desserts were especially good. The best lunch meals of all my Habitat trips to date.

 Our "top notch" chefs.

Our Habitat Project
Habitat builds vary a great deal from country to country and this one was no exception. We were doing the ground work for the construction of two houses adjacent to each other on fairly large lot in the city that had been given to two sisters by their mother. With a doubt, this project was the most physically demanding of all the builds to date. While some of this may was likely related to working at an altitude higher than where we live, the work itself was hard. It included digging in dry clay soil with pick axes and shovels, carrying/moving large rocks, moving bricks, carrying heavy bags of cement, shoveling sand, moving cement via wheelbarrow, and carrying and working with rebar.


While it was demanding work, it was satisfying and it was a good feeling to finish each day with a sense having expended lots of energy.

As with most international Habitat builds, we got to work with people from the partner families and one or more Habitat staff. In Cochabamba, we got to work with a few other local volunteers - young people who could speak English really well. We also got to spend time with these young people away from the build site, which was great.

Before even starting the project, we got to meet the partner families at an informal bbq in the garden area at the back of the hotel. While it is normal to meet and work with the partner families, this is normally done at the build site. I really appreciated being to meet people before showing up at the build site on the first morning.

A few pictures of the build site.

A Very Special Evening
It is common for Habitat to establish programs and partner with local organizations to help address an array challenges related to strengthening the communities where affiliates are located. One of the partners in Cochabamba is an orphanage called Ninos con Valor, which provides a home for kids infected with HIV at birth. The boys and girls are housed in separate locations. We were able to visit both locations and spend most the the evening at the girls orphanage. The girls range in age from a few months to 18 years. It was incredibly heartwarming to spend time with the girls, with translation being provided by a number of our Bolivian hosts from Habitat. They were not shy and readily engaged in conversation with us, even though there was a language barrier. They exuded so much joy and appreciated being able to hang out with us.

I sat most of the time with one of our Habitat hosts (Boris) and four girls. The girls told us a fairy tale several times and, according to Boris, story was different every time! Near where we were sitting, there was a chart on the wall with check marks beside a list of items. We discovered that the chart was essentially was a record of misbehaving in some way.  The truly funny aspect was how proud a couple of the girls were of the long list of check marks beside their name!!

 Boris going through the fairy tale book with four of the girls.

After getting to mingle for quite a while, two of the largest pizzas I have ever seen were brought in from a local pizzeria and we got to share dinner together. To conclude the evening, a couple of the older girls treated us to a dance performance. 

The evening was memorable and a highlight of the entire trip.

Closing Thought

While the trip was not without some challenges, I am very pleased to have gone to Bolivia and especially Cochabamba. The Habitat hosts were welcoming and helpful at all times. Hopefully, I can return there, but after visiting a few other places.

P.S. I'll post another blog about the R&R portion of the trip.

Koshi Camp & Nagarkot, Nepal - April 2012

R&R
At some point on most Habitat international builds, there are a few days of planned Rest and Relaxation (R&R) that provide an opportunity to explore the culture, history and geography of the host country. In the post on Kathmandu, I described some aspects of our R&R, but there was more.

Koshi Camp
On the morning after our last build day, we boarded the bus for a drive of about three hours for the first 24 hours of our R&R. Located within the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, the camp provided an excellent setting to simply kick back and relax while surrounded by the peace and quiet of nature.

Koshi is recognized as one of the finest birding sites in Asia and is also home to wild water buffalo  (which we saw) and fresh water dolphin (didn't see). The reserve provides habitat - wetlands, grasslands and forest - that appeals to a variety of species. It is also located on the flight path for many migrating birds. It is a destination for bird watchers and, even though none of us were in that category, the setting was enjoyed by all.

Our accommodation was in large safari style tents that were very comfortable and, in my opinion, the most comfortable room we had experienced up to that point. 

After lunch and relaxing for a couple of hours, one of the Koshi staff took us on a bit of a bird watching walk. This was a successful endeavor as we saw several birds, with many of them being very colourful. It was good to get out and stretch a bit after sitting for much of the day. In the evening after dinner, we were treated to a participatory display of traditional dancing.

The following morning started well before the sun was fully up with what seemed like hundreds of birds singing and squawking. Truly amazing! After hot showers (not available every place) and breakfast, we were taken on a rafting trip on the river close to the camp. Despite the one of the two rafts getting hung up on a sand bar, we managed to see more interesting birds as well as the water buffalo. Those of us in the first boat to arrive at the downstream landing were treated to seeing a couple of domesticated elephants during the short drive back to the camp.

Then, it was time for lunch and off to the airport for the flight back to Kathmandu.

Nagarkot

Back in Kathmandu, we were met at the airport and taken to our hotel. After checking into the hotel and relaxing/shopping a bit, we headed to the Northfield Cafe and Jessie James Bar for dinner. Most nights we had a set dinner, but this was one of those times when we ordered off a menu and it was a nice change.

The following day started with more exploring in the Kathmandu area, mostly at Bhaktapur Durbar Square, with eventual our destination being Nagarkot in the mountains overlooking the Kathmandu Valley. As the second highest point in the Valley (7,000 feet elevation), Nagarkot provides stunning views of the Himalayas. The late afternoon and evening there were very relaxing as we enjoyed the comforts of the mountain villa, the views and a great dinner. The rooms here were the best of the entire trip.

The highlight of Nagarkot was the next morning when all of us were up by 5:30 am to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas.

Back to bed for a bit longer and then it was time for a leisurely breakfast on the terrace overlooking the mountains. Our stay at Nagarkot was too soon finished and we were on our way back to Kathmandu to finish touring a number of sites on what was a hot day (see the post about Kathmandu).

Jhapa, Nepal - April 2012

Heading to Eastern Nepal

After spending a bit of time at Patan Durbar Square, our Habitat team boarded a Yeti Airlines flight for the 45 minute flight to Jhapa, which is a district in the far east of the country on the border with India and just a short distance from Bhutan.  Before arriving at the domestic airport, I expected it to be chaotic, but that was not the case. I was even more surprised when we were discreetly called forward by the airline agent so we were at the front of the line to board the plan. We left Kathmandu shortly before a significant thunder/rainstorm and fortunately our flight was not affected. In-flight service was very good, with some lessons for the short haul flights in Canada.

On the flight, we had been hoping for views of the Himalayas, but that was not to be due to the haze and overcast sky. There really wasn't much to see until we started to descend into the Chandragadhi airport, when we were able to get glimpses of the vast farm fields that are characteristic of this part of Nepal.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a Habitat Nepal representative. Our luggage was loaded on top of a bus and we were taken to the Hotel Daniel in the city of Birtamod, which was to be our home for the next 10 nights. After settling into our rooms, we gathered for an orientation by our Habitat host and then for dinner. Part way through the orientation, a significant thunderstorm accompanied by strong wind hit the area. The storm hung around quite a bit of the night and we were treated with similar storms on a few occasions in the following days. Our work was rained out only for a bit one day.

First Impressions and Getting to Work
Soon after arriving in Jhapa, it was clear that farming is a major activity, both economically and as a source of food for one's family. Most people who live outside of cities in this part of the country have a plot of land and grow a mix of crops throughout the year (rice, corn, wheat and other grains). Most families also have some livestock - chickens, cattle and pigs. While there is some modern farm equipment, much of the work is done by hand with oxen being used for certain tasks. One of the other things that stood shortly after arriving in Jhapa is that a lot of tea is grown there.

With much anticipation, we were excited to head to the Habitat build site on our first morning in Jhapa. On the way, we made a stop to visit and have tea with people at a local NGO that Habitat partners with in this part of Nepal. At least one person from the partner agency was at the build site with us every day.

Once out of the city, our daily route took us through tea gardens and farming areas until we had to get off the bus and walk the last part of the trip. I very much enjoyed the part of the trip when we would leave the paved road and drive through the rural/farm areas and small villages. There always was something interesting and a constant barrage of photo opportunities. One of the highlights was being watched with much interest by local people along the way. Many people, especially the kids, would wave and smile.

As we arrived at the build site on the first morning, we learned the basic structure of the house was in place and that our tasks would involve completing it to the point of being habitable. All of the exterior and interior walls needed be completed with bamboo, so all of us worked in some way with bamboo for the first few days. This involved cleaning, trimming, sizing and weaving pieces of bamboo into the walls. It's a bit difficult to describe the weaving process, so check the pictures below to get an idea of the finished product.

The cleaning and trimming was done with a curved Nepalese knife called a kukri (also spelled khukri or khukuri). While it is used as a tool, it is a traditional weapon and the symbolic weapon of the famous Gurkha regiments. These are popular souvenirs and a few people on the team purchased one to take home. We quickly learned how to use the knives, but one of the biggest challenges was to keep them sharp. I took on this task most of the times as it's something I learned from my dad in the butcher shop.

After all the walls were in place, the next task was to mix plaster (sand, water and cement) by hand and then use trowels to put it on the walls. It took a while and bit of effort to get the knack of this and it's good there was a professional mason to do the finishing. Once the walls were plastered, the next major task was cementing the floors of the house. This involved arranging large beach rocks in each rooms, mixing the cement, carrying it in pans (see below), spreading and leveling the cement. The last big task was painting the walls with a whitewash type of paint on our final morning.

 House when we arrived

On our next-to-last day, we went to a second build site to work with bamboo while the plaster set on the first house so it would be ready to paint the following day. At the second site, the house style was a bit different and consequently we worked with much longer pieces of bamboo. The bamboo wall panels were much larger and woven together on the ground. The finished panels were then lifted into place and secured to the framing of the house. Eight of us continued at this work on our last morning, while the other five went back to the first site to do the whitewashing.

 Partner family at first house

House when we finished

Throughout the build, one of the highlights of many days was when the school aged children would come to the site. Most of them spoke at least some English and were very interested in engaging with us in conversation. Their smiles, questions and presence warmed our hearts. Sometimes several of them would stop on the way home from school dressed in the school uniforms. When not going to school, they would just show up. I should note that not all kids went to schools that required uniforms. In such a short time, it was difficult to gain a full understanding of the local social situation other than knowing there is a caste system of some type. While we would see some of them on the drive to and from the build site, we really didn't really know where most of them lived.

 Weaving wall panels at second house

As each day passed, it seemed that there was increasing interest in what we among many adults of varying ages. At times, we had an audience that well exceeded 20 people. There were a few older men who sometimes helped us with the bamboo cleaning. Our team of 13 had 10 women and there seemed to be quite a bit of interest on the part of local women in the fact that the Canadian women were doing the same tasks as the men. I don't think any of the local adults spoke any English, so we didn't engage in conversation with them.


The wife from the partner family (first house) was at the site every day helping out when she was not busy with her regular daily duties. She didn't speak English, but communicated her appreciation through smiles and other gestures. Her husband had a job picking tea at a local tea garden, but was around the build site whenever possible. 

On our last afternoon, there was a dedication ceremony with remarks from several people (HFH Nepal, the partner family, the partner NGO and me on behalf of our team). There was a ribbon cutting and all of us were presented with certificates and gifts that had been made locally. It was  heartwarming and humbling. The thing that most touched me was to see the tears of the wife of the partner family. Since arriving home, I have learned that the family is now living in the house. They have painted all the inside walls, installed electrical wiring for lights and been able to purchase panels that will be used for doors and windows.

Break Day

Part way through the build, we took a break day and went by bus into the surrounding hills (mountains) to an area where they have large tea plantations. This was a nice break from the heat in the city because the air was clean and refreshing in the hills. We went as far as a small town called Fikkal, which is near the Darjeeling region of India. The hills were beautiful and it was fascinating to look out on tea plants as far as you could see.

After coming down from the hills, we drove to a town on the Nepal-India border and walked onto a bridge that links the two countries. For me, one of the truly fascinating things was the various means of transportation being used (see a couple of pictures below).

It was a very relaxing day and we were ready to go back to work the following day.

 

 

Final Thoughts

As with all Habitat builds, there were many things in the Jhapa build that had a positive impact on me and I'd like to mention just a few. One thing was the warm way in which we were welcomed in Nepal generally, most especially the people we encountered in/around the build. Another thing that I really appreciated about this build was the significant use of local materials. This is a principle that  Habitat likes to follow where possible and the widespread use of bamboo is a great example.

Without a doubt, there is plenty of poverty in Nepal and we saw lots of it. At the same time, however, I was not left with an overwhelming negative feeling about this. While I don't live there and face the daily challenges of low income living and poverty, I was very impressed with the strong sense of community and family despite the lack of the material comforts we have in the "west." I know there is a risk in possibly romanticizing what would not be an easy life according to my standards, but I think this is one of those situations that Jean Vanier means when he says that village people in poor countries have a quality of life because they know how to live in families and communities. The people in the villages of Jhapa face many challenges, but I think we can learn a lot from people who live like they do.

Lastly, I want to say that I had a great team of people who worked hard and contributed in so many ways to making this such a positive experience. It was a very diverse team in many ways and truly a Canadian team with people representing six provinces from Newfoundland to British Columbia.

Kathmandu, Nepal - April 2012

Welcome to Kathmandu - Sensory Overload

As with many of my recent international travels, the trip to Nepal was as a team leader with Habitat for Humanity. I really love the combination of doing important work and being able to experience another culture in ways not normally available when traveling as a tourist.


Arriving in Kathmandu in the late evening, one logically expects it to be dark, but expectations were exceeded. Soon after entering the airport terminal, I noticed that it was much darker than what we expect at an airport in North America and this became even more evident when traveling into the city, where there are few street lights. Yes, the Lonely Planet guide talks about the electricity challenges of Kathmandu, but there's nothing like firsthand experience.


After almost 40 hours of traveling, including a 12-hour layover in Hong Kong, it was great to finally arrive in Nepal. It was reasonably quick to retrieve my checked bag, get through Customs and Immigration and into the arrivals area. Without much effort, I quickly located the person holding a Habitat for Humanity sign and within a couple of minutes we were off to the hotel, which was located in the city's main tourist area of Thamel.


Following a later-than-normal breakfast the next morning (9:00 am), I headed out to do a bit of exploring in Thamel. I had a bit more than three days before my team leader responsibilities kicked in. I left the hotel confident in where I was headed, mostly because I generally have a good sense of direction and also because I had a good map. While I did not get lost, it didn't take long before I was a bit confused. The standard street sign landmarks are non-existent. So,  this meant buildings and other things had to be used as landmarks. This worked fine, but sometimes things were moved.


Within a couple of minutes from the hotel, the sensory overload kicked in - the constant sound of horns, chaotic vehicle and pedestrian traffic, a barrage of signs, and just about anything you can imagine being sold by street vendors (touts) and shops. In addition, there were some very interesting smells, especially as the temperatures increased.


Back to the topic of electricity. My research told me there are regular "blackouts" and it was very interesting to see power outage schedules posted in the lobby of the hotel. The point about scheduled power outages was driven home on the second morning in Kathmandu as I was in the shower when the lights went out! Sometimes, there are unscheduled blackouts! After that, I always carried a light with me when going to the bathroom or going outside after dark.

 A couple of normal street scenes

Being a Tourist

For the morning of my second day, I arranged for a guide to take me to two well-known sites Swayambhunath and Bouddha Nath. I'm going to provide a very brief description below, but encourage you to do some research to learn more about these sites.

The first stop was Swayambhunath (also know as the Monkey Temple) - it is an ancient religious site that sits at the top of a hill in the Kathmandu Valley. It is a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site and is in a complex with a mix of shrines and temples, with many vendors doing business throughout the site. Monkeys are ever present and one has to be cautious about not getting too close and setting yourself up for a nasty encounter. Having been forewarned, that did not happen!

Note the dog in what seems like a less than comfortable sleeping spot.

The next stop was Bouddha Nath Stupa. In brief, stupa literally means a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics of significance and is used as a place of worship. Buddha Nath is among the largest stupa in south Asia and is a focal point for Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. It is located on the ancient trade route to Tibet and a place where Tibetan merchants stopped to offer prayers. It has also been a destination for many refugees entering Nepal from Tibet. It is likely the best place in the Kathmandu Valley to observe Tibetan lifestyle. After the busy atmosphere of Swayambhunath, I find it peaceful at Bouddha Nath and enjoyed just being there. We took lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Stupa and surrounding area.

Durbar Squares

Before heading to eastern Nepal for the Habitat project, we visited Patan Durbar Square. In Kathmandu and the surrounding area, there are three Durbar Squares, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Durbar Square is a generic term for plazas and courtyards opposite royal palaces in Nepal. Prior to unification, the country consisted of small kingdoms and these plazas are the remnants of the old kingdoms. Each one has impressive buildings and other features of historical significance. Today, each Durbar Square has all the trappings of any significant tourist site - shops, vendors, restaurants and more.

After completing the Habitat project, we returned to Kathmandu and visited the two other Durbar Squares - Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. While each has its own unique features, there is a great deal of similarity in architecture and craftsmanship. Here are a few pictures of the three plazas.

Patan

Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur

Kathmandu

Kathmandu

In a few words and pictures, its only possible to scratch the surface of what Kathmandu has to offer. There is so, so much more than what is described here. That might mean a return trip.

Before heading to Nepal, I was told about two great places to visit in Kathmandu - a restaurant and a bookstore. I found these places within the first couple of days and returned a few times. I also recommend them for your next visit to Nepal.

 

The Royal Trek, Nepal - April 2012

Not to be Missed
When planning for the Habitat build, I just could not imagine going to Nepal and not including a trek of some type. But, there were more than a few questions - Where? For how long? Will others want to do this? Cost?

Through a friend in Victoria, I was directed to someone living in the Gulf Islands (BC) who organizes treks in Nepal. I found out that his treks were for at least a couple of weeks, but that he would be open to organizing something of a shorter length. With a bit of discussion and research, the decision was made to go with the Royal Trek. I put this idea forward to my Habitat team and was pleased there was so much interest.

The Royal Trek is a fairly popular short trek and there are variations of what may be involved ranging from four or five days to as many as nine days. The actual trekking part seems to be the same in the various packages I researched (four or five days), with the differences being related to other things being included when in Kathmandu and Pokhara. The Royal Trek departs from near the city of Pokhara and offers spectacular views of the Annapurnas. 

It was ideal for us because we didn't want to take a long time and it did not have the challenges associated with a high elevation trek. The trek was given its name after Prince Charles hiked it in the 1980s, apparently with an entourage of about 90 people. While our trek did not entail any particularly long days of hiking, we did have the challenge of hot weather. I should note that I use the word "trek" because it sounds more impressive than "hike." Technically, we were on a five-day trek, but we actually hiked four days.

Getting There

After the Habitat trip was officially over, other folks headed home and eight of us were on our way to Pokhara. For the trek, we were supported by a guide (CR), two Sherpas (Bhim and Norbasso), and three porters (didn't get their names).

Our support team

Early on April 17, we departed Kathmandu for the long (6-7 hours) and adventuresome drive to Pokhara on the Prithvi Highway. Before leaving the city, we were able to leave our large pieces of luggage at the hotel where we stayed upon returning to Kathmandu. This certainly lightened the load for the porters.

As we were leaving the Kathmandu Valley, the traffic slowed to a crawl and even completely stopped for quite a bit. I think the highway is a candidate for a reality TV program about the most dangerous highways. The highway is heavily used and there was a constant stream of trucks. Many of the trucks are old and frankly one has to wonder about their safety. Two were stopped right on the highway with a broken drive shaft and another one had rolled on its side on a bridge. Once we got past these situations, we were able to travel faster. Along the way, we stopped for a snack and then for lunch, arriving in Pokhara in mid-afternoon, which is where we stayed overnight. Throughout much of the drive, there often were three or even four rows of traffic on a two-lane highway. It all seems to work, but I certainly did not get completely comfortable with.

Pokhara is located in a beautiful setting near a large lake with mountain views. Compared to Kathmandu, it was quiet and all of us went out to explore a bit. We didn't have to contend with the pressure to purchase encountered constantly in Kathmandu, which made the experience of simply looking around a bit more relaxing. While we were out exploring, the guide and Sherpas were securing the required permits and making some other arrangements.

 
The Trek
The next morning, we taken by van to the trail head at  Bijayapur and along the way picked up our three porters. Before starting to hike, the porters organized what they would carry, which I think ended up being about 70 lbs. each. All we had to carry was our day packs. 

Load for one porter

Within a short time, the trek started to provide opportunities to observe life in small villages and encounter local people. In addition to going through several villages, the route goes through farms and areas with magnolia and rhododendron. In many places, it offers views of the Pokhara Valley and Begnas Lake as well as the Annapurna range. Often, we were hiking through forested areas on paths that were easy to follow and meeting many local people along the way.  On three nights, we stayed in tea or guest houses that provided basic accommodation!

Day 1: Our destination was Kalikasthan, which sits at 1,370 metres. The first hour or so, we hiked through rice paddy fields and then started to ascend to our destination. Shortly into the hike, one person broke their hiking pole, but within a few minutes one of the Sherpas found a piece of bamboo that he cleaned and made into a replacement. 

It was a hot day, so we appreciated the relaxed pace and stops to hydrate. Lunch was taken in a small village with one of the Sherpas providing directions to the cook. One of the things we passed was a communal well that was the result of a World Vision project. Having seen much World Vision promotion over the years for projects like this, it was neat to see one on the ground. There were others on the route. Our guest house was just a bit outside of the village and situated on a ridge that provided spectacular views of the Annapurnas, terraced farm plots and the sunset/sunrise. We had lots of time to relax and enjoy the setting. Bhim, one of the Sherpas, pointed out a number of the peaks in the Annapurna range, all at least 7,000 metres and some at around 8,000 metres. As the sun started to go down, a substantial thunder storm moved into the area and finished up as a bit of a hail storm. The elevation gain for the day was about 550 metres (1,800 feet).

 

Day 2: We got started a bit earlier on the second day, which was a good idea so we didn't have to do most of our hiking at the hottest time of day. Our day started by being wakened to see the sun rise and it certainly was worth it. We descended into village of Kalikasthan and within a few minutes of hiking we saw several monkeys jumping around in trees along the road. Not especially unusual to the locals, but interesting to us. Again, we hiked through villages and were treated to great views much of the way to our destination of Syaklung, which sits at 1,730 metres. While the elevation difference from Kalikastan is only 360 metres (1,200 feet), our hiking involved a mix of descending and ascending, so I don't really know how much we actually hiked in terms of elevation.

One the day's interesting events was when we met about 25-30 people from a small village walking in the opposite direction with a man playing a unique traditional horn and another man carrying a young goat. Through our Sherpa's, we learned that they were on the way to have an annual "good luck" ceremony along the river we could see. The ceremony, as so many in Nepal, was to include the sacrifice of the young goat.

 

In Syaklung, our lodging was in the centre of the village, which provided lots of entertainment. There were two weddings that evening, with one being preceded in the afternoon by the slaughter of a chicken (head shot off) being witnessed by some in our group. The village is on a bus route and a some of us watched with interest as a number of local men loaded a motor scooter on to the top of the bus. It's common to see people, boxes and luggage on the top of buses in Nepal, but the scooter was a first. Another piece of entertainment was provided when one of the Sherpa's (Norbrasso) cut Bhim's hair.

My room on the second night

Loading the scooter

Bhim (Sherpa) and CR (guide)

As the sun went down, the wedding festivities picked up and there was music well into the night. I don't think any of us found it especially loud or intrusive. After the music stopped, however, a dog some where in the centre of the village barked for the rest of the night.
 
This was the first day that we encountered another trekker - a young woman from Brazil who was hiking on her own with a guide. We first saw her in the village and then also saw her a few times on the following day. We did not see any other trekkers for the entire route, which surprised me given the purported popularity of the route.

Day 3: After Syaklung, our next destination was Chisapani. We started the day with a 400 metre, which was followed by a 600 metre ascent and then the rest of the day of a mix of up and down. For the ascent, there were long distances where we had stone steps and I wondered if these had been installed for the Prince Charles expedition or if they have been around for much longer. It was another hot day, maybe the hottest. 

Lodging on third night

The setting for our lodging that night was in the midst of farm plots and the rooms were the most basic of all the tea houses we used. I shared a room with sacks of rice and grain, and potatoes spread out on the floor under my bed. The place had a comfortable gazebo like structure with a thick grass covering that provided shade and a good place to sit and relax. All the cooking here was done by the Sherpas and it seemed like the best of the trek. 

Day 4: Today's hike was a mix of up and down, but it involved more descent as we headed to the small village of Sujan, where we would be picked up by the van. From hiking through forested trails, we gradually descended to walk past rice paddy fields and some roads. Our route took us past Begnas Tal, which is a popular destination for people interested in being on the water and getting out of the city of Pokhara. There is a large resort, camping and a bazaar. We did not actually hike down to the lake, but it certainly looked like a place to keep in mind for a future trip to Nepal.

Looking for long-term housing?

We reached the pick-up point in the early afternoon and the van arrived a bit later. After relaxing with a cold drink (not beer) for a bit, we boarded the van for the trip back to Kathmandu. The porters traveled with us all the way, so we did not have as much space to spread out as on the way to Pokhara. It was a hot day and all of us were happy to be back in Kathmandu for showers and clean clothes. Thankfully, we did not encounter major traffic issues.

Our schedule was completely relaxed from that point forward with the only specific commitment being to return the rental sleeping bags and getting to our flights in the evening of the next day. It was great to kick back with a cold Everest beer or two. Most of us did a bit of last minute shopping and exploring. On the last day in Kathmandu, I returned to Pilgrim Books and also had lunch again at the Northfield Cafe.

Last Thought

I am extremely pleased that the trek was possible and found it to be an excellent way to wrap up what was an overall fantastic first trip to Nepal. The other trekkers were a great group of people and we were very well cared for by the support team.

If I have the opportunity to return to Nepal, I'd certainly like to do a similar trek.