Section 4 – Days 66 - 73
4 “rest” days in Kathmandu – and back in the mountains towards Tillman Pass.
Kathmandu was crazy! What a shock to the system to be back in it all! Back in what they call “civilization”! Noisy busy streets with people, cows, dogs, rubbish, dust and potholes, scooters, cars, busses and bicycles, smells and sounds of all sorts and endless colours all covered in a layer of dust! And from the moment we entered town till we sat on the seats of our Jeep back towards “Bungy Jumpy” on Tuesday early morning there was not a moment of leisurely meandering, i.e. “rest” – I found myself desperately craving the mountain! In fact I was shocked to see how quickly the world of emails and whatever urgencies conveyed therein sucked me in – mostly because I knew I had four days only and would then go offline again for 83 days!!!
The world of WhatsApp and Skype felt daunting rather than exciting. It took a whole day back in the city before I sent my first messages to anyone.
But of course there were pleasures too: after only two showers in 65 days (!!!!) I really savoured and indulged in my Kathmandu hot showers- what luxury! I also loved the cappuccinos and americanos, the fresh lemon sodas (the most refreshing drink made from freshly squeezed lime juice served with sparkling water!!! My favourite!) and, of course, the banana lassis of which I had as many as I could!!!
We have now hiked for four days again and it has been great to have Claudia, Chrissy and Tobias with us! The villages, the beauty of the forests, the terrace fields, the paths that either go steep up or steep down but hardly ever level and straight, and also the unfortunate plentitude of rubbish on the paths as well as in and around the villages – to see all of this through their fresh and curious eyes is fascinating. It makes me realize how much and deeply I have been immersed into rural mountain village Nepal in these past couple of months and how much of it all seems to have become a part of me, my normal everyday environment, my home!
The same is true for the daily routine and the incredible service of Nireka Adventures trekking and camping. The team and their sense of humour, their friendliness as well as everyone’s strength, diligence and attention to detail is highlighted again by having Chrissy, Tobias and Claudia here who all experience the team’s brilliance for the first time. And it is indeed absolutely exceptional! We feel very lucky!
The weather has been amazing! I expected lots of rain and walking with umbrella because of it but instead I have been walking with umbrella because of the burning sun! It’s been hot and if at all it has rained at night! We are hoping it stays this way! We have, however, also had our first encounters with leeches, the “pest” of the rainy season in Nepal! (Although I learned from Claudia that people in Germany pay money for them in the pharmacy – so we get them for free here😀) So far we only spotted them on our boots when we had stopped on a particularly wet grassy patch in the ”jungle” – they were trying to find a way through the rubber and leather of our boots to get to our feet and skin – no luck yet! Let’s see if our trail gets more “leechy” as we continue?!
Today we are in a village called Tembathang- the last village before we cross Tillman Pass. From here onwards we will only be staying in animal grazing places and later on snow and ice when we get closer to the pass! I can’t wait to get up high again! More from us once we are in the Langtang valley!
