Crossing Indian-Nepal Border Reaching for Annapurna

I have never thought that I would have discovered one of my bucket list of the year 2015 which is to-challenge myself to hike the Annapurna Sanctuary trail for 14 days. Personally, I am not the type of hiker who would enjoy hiking continuously for days as most of my ideal hiking trips are usually day trip hike. While I was planning for the trip, I was offered by some travel agencies to join their expedition to trek Annapurna Sanctuary but I told myself that I was not ready to make myself travel in a huge group of people. I have always been the type of traveler who loves to DIY (Do it yourself). In order to fulfill my new year’s travel resolution, I have set off from Kuala Lumpur to Kolkata with 2 friends and took on a 16 hour Indian train ride to the Indian border, Raxaul, and made a cross over to the Nepalese border, Birgunj, by land.

After a bumpy horse car ride to the immigration at the Nepalese border to get my passport stamped and visa checked, I planned my way to the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. There are two kinds of transportation that is available to get to the main city, be it by their six hour local bus ride or a four hours minivan ride. My friends and I decided to take the minivan since we have missed the last bus of the day which leaves around noon. Besides historical monuments sightseeing, the reason why I chose to head to Kathmandu first is because I was told by other fellow travelers that there is a particular area in the city called Thamel that sells knock off hiking apparel and gears. And I thought that it would be a good idea to get some hiking gears preparations. Along the way to Kathmandu, it rained heavily and I get freaked out when I saw the winding road goes downhill. I swore I had prayed to the Gods to keep the vehicle safe wherever I was. I could still recall the moment when I witness an accident of a minivan that was using the same road as I was.

During my stay in Kathmandu, besides getting my hiking permit done at the Nepalese Tourism Board I have engaged myself to the uniqueness of the Nepalese people, culture and cuisine. Finding a budget room or a hostel is easy as long as you stick to the tourist route. Two nights stay in Kathmandu have not gave me the best experience in Nepal just yet. On my mind at that moment was, I could not wait to hike up the Annapurna Sanctuary Trail. The snow-capped Himalayan mountain views in Kathmandu alone makes me excited to hit the road and get myself to a beautiful city called Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal which is also a home to Annapurna Conservation Area. Traveling to Pokhara from Kathmandu is another six hours minivan ride. Arriving in Pokhara gave me a breath taking view of landscapes, the Annapurna region cascading mountain range is visible from the Phewa Tal lakeshore, and I was lucky that the guesthouse I was staying is just walking distance from the lake. Many tourists that I met in this area are there to hike the Annapurna range and the locals are there for holidays and vacations. Among other many beautiful cities in Nepal, Pokhara is known to be the most desirable city for family vacations. However, hikers must take note that some guesthouses and hotels here offer a locker room to keep your belongings while you are in the mountains. It is important for hikers to travel light during hiking and only bring whatever is necessary.

My first hike started in Nayapul. Nayapul is one of the starting point for Annapurna Sanctuary trek and can be reached by taxi or bus from Kathmandu. The weather envied of me for days, it could not stopped raining. Due to rain, there were many Jeep drivers trying to give my friends and I good deals to take the three of us straight to Hile, a checkpoint that is ninety minutes away hike to Ghandruk. The offer was too good to refuse on a bad weather. As a result, my friends and I cheated our journey for a forty five minutes Jeep ride instead of six hour hike and blamed the weather. Once we get off at Hile in the evening, we were surprised to see that there is a local bus from Kathmandu loading in passengers! Feeling guilty of cheating the first trail, we started our very first pleasant hike to Ghandruk and sleep in, just as planned. During the trek, I was captivated by the scenery and surrounding nature, it was the most breath taking views I have ever seen. In fact, I felt like as I was living inside a Nepalese tourism postcards.

On the second day, my friends and I planned to trek up to Chomroong but we missed the route and trek up to Tadapani, a small village that has the most beautiful viewpoint of Mount Fish Tail or Mount Machhapuchhre that sits on the backbone of the Annapurna Himalaya range. Mount Fish Tail is claimed to be sacred by the locals and they have closed the entrance because it is believed to be the home to the Buddhist God, Shiva. In the year 1957, there are British hikers who is on an expedition to summit the mountain have never actually summited. I was totally stunned by the stories that was shared by the local guides and porters. Hiking up from Ghandruk to Tadapani took me 6 hours and it is very steep. I almost got mental on this route but after seeing an old lady from Japan whose age is close to my grandmother’s age hike the trail, it motivates me to carry on. We took off to Chomroong on the next day for 6 hours and called it a day. In Chomroong, I have to separate rooms with my friends as there were no room available for three people. As a budget traveler, being fussy is never a choice, it is either I take it or leave it. One of my friend was sharing a room with another traveler that we met on the trek to Chomroong, he was a nice sturdy old man and also a solo traveler where he shared his fascinating adventures in India with us over dinner. Looks can be very deceiving, he actually stole a backpack that belongs to the guesthouse owner and was caught by the village people at the next stop in Dovan. My friends and I were shocked and checked our belongings and we were thankful that nothing was missing. If I would give out tips on sharing a room with a stranger, I would advise to bring small chains and padlocks to secure your backpack and always keep your money, passport and documents close to your body. Perhaps, getting yourself a money belt would be a good idea than using mini sling bag.

My traumatic feeling of the incident early faded as I trekked further. The weather was so cold even my yak wool gloves that I bought from a Tibetan refugee in Chomroong could not warm my cold numb fingers. If you happen to trek during cold season, do consider of getting a windproof gloves or thermal gloves, I was unprepared of the weather back then. However, it was a beautiful moment for me to have my first snow experience in the Himalayan wilderness. The snow-capped mountains seems to look so near and on my mind at that moment was to get myself to Annapurna Base Camp safely. When the sun is about to set in the evening, the weather becomes colder and my pace became slower as the fog covers the visibility of the surroundings. My friends told me that our next stop to Deurali is just one hour away. As I was informed that I was closer to Deurali, I felt I have made a small achievement for myself and I knew that I could reach Annapurna Base Camp on the next day. My hope always stays high in everything I commit.

During my rest stop along the trek of Annapurna Sanctuary, guides, porters and hikers are always exchanging information on current condition of trails to get to Annapurna Base Camp. We were informed by many guides that it was impossible to get to the base camp as the snow was chest deep and avalanches had covered the trails. I get demotivated when I heard that chances to get to the base camp was low but nobody is stopping me and my friends to achieve what we want on this trip. We were registered as an individual hikers and the decision is always in our hands. Our rebellious mind stuttered as we encounter our first avalanche. It was a small avalanche that have blocked the path to Deurali. It was really late in the evening when my friends and I decided to carefully cross the loose-dry avalanche. At that moment, I have realized how useful it was to spare a pair of crampons. It is important to carry crampons as a preparation for hiking on snow, Crampons is a device that is attached to footwear to improve mobility on snow and ice. It was snowing non-stop and crossing the avalanche without crampons was the horrific moment in my entire life. I would say that I am grateful to have brave friends on this trip because some people might have just turned back. The moment when I thought my encounter with avalanche is over, I met the second one before arriving in Deurali. It was the largest and the freshest avalanche I have seen on the trail so far. And so we crossed safely.

A night in Deurali was the coldest I have experience on the trail. Honestly, there was numerous of time that I was glad that I live in a tropical country. I could recall myself looking like a frozen zombie that night. The only place that is warm would be the dining area and meal time is always what I have waited for each day. Appetite increases easily in cold weather, so it is important to carry extra food and sweets to refuel while you trek. I have brought biscuits, tea and sweets from Pokhara and a bag of potatoes that I have bought from a farmer in the village. Another way to save money while you trek is to bring your own snacks. The higher the location level, the pricier the provision gets because the provisions are transported by men and helicopters. Do not be surprised if one can of Coca-Cola is the price of Coca-Cola sold in fancy restaurants. We were glad that when we reached Deurali, we still have enough provisions for us to consume even until the day we climbed down the sanctuary.

Have only had five more hours away to complete my destination to the base camp. The night in Deurali was so important to me because I have to make a decision whether to go down or to get up to the base camp despite of the unsuccessful hike I heard from guides and locals. What is more devastating is that the locals told me and my friends not to proceed due to the huge avalanches that had covered the trek to Machhapuchhre base camp and there is no way to get to Machhapuchhre base camp safely. At this point, decision making is crucial. After a few hours, I have finally decided not to go, not because I gave up, it is because I value my life more than anything. Perhaps, it was not my call yet. Besides, I have seen the best view of nature in Annapurna while I was climbing up. However, knowing that I did not purchase any hiking insurance, I decided to wait for my friends who determined to continue their journey to the base camp. After a while, I saw them appeared on the trail turning back due to the huge avalanche they saw ahead of them. They could probably make it if they had proper equipment to hike on fresh snowfall such as crampons and snow gaiters. My friends and I felt so content on what we have achieved on that day, even though we did not make it to the base camp, we still have each other’s company to continue the rest of our journey to the Indian subcontinent.

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE: HIKING PREPAREDNESS. Massive earthquake that struck Nepal on the 25th April 2015 has flattened many of the country’s historic sites, residential buildings, leaving many people without shelter and lost their loved ones. Tourism is basically a major source of income in the country, although it is also expected to be severely affected, hikers are welcome to hike in the non-affected area such as the Annapurna region. I was reported by a Nepalese local guide that the affected areas are Langtang region and Everest Region. Langtang village, a popular trekking route had fifty five guesthouses catering to visitors, was wiped out by an avalanche and it is currently closed. The city of Pokhara is not greatly affected unlike the capital city, Kathmandu. Besides that, the local bus service is still running from Kathmandu to Pokhara transporting locals and tourists. Most of the earthquake-damaged buildings and infrastructures are still in a reconstruction phase but there are some guesthouses and hotels that are open to accommodate visitors. However, hikers still need to consider hiking safety while in the mountains and wilderness especially if one is planning to hike after the Nepal earthquake.

First of all, before leaving your country, it is encourage to write an acknowledgement letter to the embassy and let them know your hiking itinerary and numbers of people who will be going with you. Next, purchase yourself a hiking insurance because hiking permit from the tourism office does not cover any injury or sudden illness while hiking. Most importantly, choose an insurance that covers your hike up to 4000 meters inclusive of helicopter evacuation. There are also plans that cover hiking up to 6000 meters, so choose a plan that is suitable to cover your hiking trip. There is a reason why hiking insurance exists and understand the difference between hiking insurance and travel insurance. Although you are permitted to hike individually without a guide, be sure to stay up to date with the conservation office on weather and trail conditions. If earthquake tremors occurs during your hike, keep calm and keep climbing up and find a safe spot rather than risk being hit by boulders at the foot of the hill. This advice was taken from Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of Tenzing Norgay who is known to be the first Everest summiteer. Jamling Tenzing Norgay was in the mountains leading an expedition when he felt the tremors. Hiking trails in the Himalayas will still be the same even after the earthquake, what makes the difference is the value of experience of hikers who hike the trails after the major earthquake. According to the local Nepalese guide, Langtang valley will be closed until further notice, however there were quite a number of successful expeditions to Annapurna Sanctuary just right after the major hit. Although it is going to take a while for people to come back in the Himalayas, this could be the best time for you to plan a hiking trip because the best month to hike the Himalayas is from June until November.

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