Nepal- bye bye Nepal

Our stay in Nepal comes to an end and we more than loved it. We would deeply like to thank Isa, Uttam, Charlotte, Kushee (and all Nepalis) for introducing us to this fabulous country- with its people, landscapes and (occasionally) mountains. You really made everything to make us feel at home. Nepal was not only the first destination of our journey, but also the first Asian base camp we had.

Thanks folks, wrouff wrouff….

Nepal- Ronny is getting a new haircut

Long hair and low water pressure is a bad combination. Therefore Ronny choses a  new haircut. He doesn’t go all the way to Cheun’s “boule à zero” but mixes a modern cut with a traditional toupi. The result looks ….. (well, see for yourself!)

Nepal- Poon Hill (3210m)

At 5 am (!!) we got up to climb (!!) the stairs (!!) to Poon Hill. Like pilgrims we- amongst a lot of other tourists- followed the path to the top. Arrived at our destination, we saw the sun rise over the Himalaya - mountains like Annapurna I 8091m and Machhapuchhare aka Fishtail 6997m stood before us.

A picture tells more than a thousand words- see for yourself and be amazed by the view!

Nepal- Annapurna Panorama Trek

We couldn’t leave Nepal without at least accomplishing on trek. Therefor we chose the Annapurna Panorama Trek. According to some guides, this trek takes 5 days. Courageous as we are, we walked a little faster.

We started from Birethanti (1000m), a lovely village near a river. From there the route is lovely and as you slowly gain in altitude the view becomes more and more gorgeous. Tourists and porters, goats and mules crossed our way along a clear defined path. This oh so lovely way changes at Tikhedhunga (1540m). What Cheun likes to call "the stairs of hell" – in fact there are more than 3300 steps- lead to Ulleri (2080m). Sweaty, grumpy and tired, we arrived in Ulleri after 2 (very!!) long hours of stairs. A hot soup gave us enough strength to continue what would have been the second days tour to Ghorepani (2750m). Finally arriving there after the 9 hours walk/climb, we had dinner and went to bed early. Poon Hill (see next post) was waiting on us.

On the next day, after climbing to Poon Hill and having breakfast we decided to continue our way without fixing a schedule or a goal to achieve. Finally we arrived in Tadapani (2630m). This was a lovely and easy walk (going moderately up and down) offering spectacular panorama views. On the last days we headed to Ghandruk (1940m) an idyllic village. Unfortunately the sky was clouded, so there was no need to stay there overnight and admire the Fishtail (Machhapuchhare) the next day. So we continued the 5 hours walk downhill to Birethanti (1000m) again.

All in all this trek was very compfortable; we had great lodges, warm showers – and you want them on 3000m!- and good food. If we come back to Nepal in the future- one never knows- we are going to do a more difficult trek.