On our third day in Nepal, we woke early and set off for our flight on Buddha Air to the origination of our 4 day/3 night trek. This part of the trip was what I was most looking forward to, and also the part I was most nervous about. How would the kids do? What would happen if someone got sick? How would no shower for 3 days be? On and on the questions rattled through my head. It was all for not, because I could not have been happier with the experience. The 6 kids all did fantastic! Not a single complaint in 4 days (now we also came heavily armed with candy which they thought was just incredible...so that may have played into it just a little bit). No electronics? No problem! The kids created a castle and played out all of the parts, they played baseball & football with the local kids, they played cards....it was a true gift!!
We were met at the airport and loaded into a bus (which I lovingly refer to as the "key lime express") and our 21 sherpas who would accompany us on our trek. They carried our bags, our kitchen, our tents, our food and....our potty tent.
And off we went! Early in the trek, Hayden yells out "come look!" So the kids flock over to what he has found....a water buffalo graveyard and it becomes a treasure seeking adventure to pull out horns!
After a few hours of hiking up hill we arrive at Bhumdi Danda...our destination for the night. Our sherpas were already there setting up our tents in the middle of a rice paddy field!
While the grown-ups took everything in, and figured out tent arrangements, the kids took full advantage of the wide open space and started playing football. There was a group of local kids who assembled and were staring longingly at our kids running around having the time of their life. I was so proud of Katie and Garrett when they walked up to this group of kids and, with gestures, invited them to play with them. They ran and ran and ran. Tag, volleyball, football, baseball and good old fashioned breaking of rocks. By the end of the evening there was a group of 8 local kids, our six kids and 3 kids from Seattle who are on a one year world wide adventure. It was a blast!
Most everyone had a pleasant night sleep and it was not very cold at all. When we awoke at 6:30 it was brisk, but shorts and t-shirts were just fine by 7:30. We packed and ate a lovely breakfast while our sherpas got everything loaded back up. We were back on the trail by 8:00AM and began our most difficult day. 7 hours of hiking uphill for an elevation gain that day of 3,000 feet. We took snack breaks about every 45 minutes and the older kids had a great time trying to keep up with the sherpas who took "shortcuts." Shortcuts inevitably resulted in scaling the side of a dirt wall to cut out some of the switchbacks. They all concurred that it was not such a "shortcut" because it was doubly difficult!
Along the way we saw beautiful rhododendrons, small blue wildflowers, ferns and lots of wheat, corn & rice.
After a walk through the village, the kids again invited the local children to join them in sport games. This also led to a pick-up game of baseball using a plastic dented ball and a stick. The scoring went according to which rice terrace your ball landed in...the higher the terrace, the higher the point value. Our sherpas had SO much fun watching and then playing with us!
Our last day of trekking began with another stunning sunrise and view of the mountains. We loaded up and were back on the trail by 8:30. Along the way today we walked through a village just full of life! The kids we ran into were given candy by us and then they scooted ahead to alert other kids that sweets were on the way. They were adorable. They did not beg...it is not in the nature of the Nepalese to do that. They simply are intrigued and of course love the taste of something they never get. It was one of our favorite days to really walk slowly and take in a "normal" morning for the people who live here. It also provided us some of our best photos.
And so we came to the end of the road....4 days and 3 nights of trekking and experiencing authentic Nepal. It was an amazing experience and made us realize that can (and should) take on more of these adventures. In hindsight, we would have opted for an even more challenging trek knowing that the kids did so well. There are many many hikes to do throughout the world...wonder where our next one will be!
Nepal - part 3 coming soon....
We were met at the airport and loaded into a bus (which I lovingly refer to as the "key lime express") and our 21 sherpas who would accompany us on our trek. They carried our bags, our kitchen, our tents, our food and....our potty tent.
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| Hmmm...I don't think they are part of Star Alliance |
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| Inside the Key Lime Express...the kids all got to ride in the front cab, which they thought to be pretty cool |
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| "All aboard the Key Lime Express!" |
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| One of our sherpas carrying the kitchen |
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| The kitchen |
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| The fab six (from L to R: Avery, Hayden, Elle, Katie, Garrett & Nathan) |
And off we went! Early in the trek, Hayden yells out "come look!" So the kids flock over to what he has found....a water buffalo graveyard and it becomes a treasure seeking adventure to pull out horns!
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| The scenery as we trekked |
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| Found! |
After a few hours of hiking up hill we arrive at Bhumdi Danda...our destination for the night. Our sherpas were already there setting up our tents in the middle of a rice paddy field!
While the grown-ups took everything in, and figured out tent arrangements, the kids took full advantage of the wide open space and started playing football. There was a group of local kids who assembled and were staring longingly at our kids running around having the time of their life. I was so proud of Katie and Garrett when they walked up to this group of kids and, with gestures, invited them to play with them. They ran and ran and ran. Tag, volleyball, football, baseball and good old fashioned breaking of rocks. By the end of the evening there was a group of 8 local kids, our six kids and 3 kids from Seattle who are on a one year world wide adventure. It was a blast!
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| Drinking water has always been the most important, and lacking, necessity in Nepal. The British established a regiment of Nepalese soldiers known for their fitness and loyalty referred to as the Ghurkas. The Ghurkas are actually a mountainous ethnic tribe and it is the dream of every boy to become a Ghurka soldier. Over 10,000 try out each year and only 170 are selected. They are paid a fortune for a Nepalese and offered opportunities they would never otherwise have. Only Britain and Singapore employ the Ghurkas...we see their red trucks all over the island, and after 9/11 they were on guard at our school full time. The Ghurka trust fund has brought clean well water to the remote villages for the first time ever. Our camp sites were situated around this source of water at each stop. |
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| The climb up and up |
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| You never know what you will run across on your path |
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| Or the lovely people you will run across |
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| "Camp" - night 1 |
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| Play, play, play |
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| Children's joy knows no boundaries |
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| Elle & Avery....became fast BFF's and loved crushing rocks into sand |
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| Katie trying to teach how to play football |
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| The village kids were amazed to see their faces on Keri's camera |
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| This little guy found one of the "treasures" and knew just where it went |
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| Our dining tent set for afternoon tea |
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| Our sherpas after taking their load off |
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| All ready for night - and we were in there early...7:30 everyone was in tents! Amazing what a lack of electricity does! You live by the light of the sun...up at 6:00 and in bed at 7:30! |
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| Enjoying the local beer |
Most everyone had a pleasant night sleep and it was not very cold at all. When we awoke at 6:30 it was brisk, but shorts and t-shirts were just fine by 7:30. We packed and ate a lovely breakfast while our sherpas got everything loaded back up. We were back on the trail by 8:00AM and began our most difficult day. 7 hours of hiking uphill for an elevation gain that day of 3,000 feet. We took snack breaks about every 45 minutes and the older kids had a great time trying to keep up with the sherpas who took "shortcuts." Shortcuts inevitably resulted in scaling the side of a dirt wall to cut out some of the switchbacks. They all concurred that it was not such a "shortcut" because it was doubly difficult!
Along the way we saw beautiful rhododendrons, small blue wildflowers, ferns and lots of wheat, corn & rice.
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| Views along the way |
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| A short pause as we get closer and closer to the end |
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| One of the "shortcuts" |
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| Rhododendrons in full bloom |
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| We MADE it!!! We reached the high point of our trek at 8,200 feet |
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| There was a small tea house where we camped |
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| Night #2 accommodations in Panchase Bhanjyang |
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| YUM...campfire pizza after a full day of hiking |
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| It was definitely a bit cooler at night up this high...but that brought out some of the only clean clothes we had |
Now there was just one disappointment we had on our trip to Nepal and that was that the air was so hazy we were unable to see the famously tall mountain range. We were not able to see it in Kathmandu and likewise unable to see it on our trek. Early in the morning we were woken up to a stunning view. For a brief hour, we were able to witness these majestic mountains before the haze crept in again.
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| It left us speechless - they are giant |
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| Reviewing a mountain range map to place what we were finally able to see |
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| A beautiful morning to sit and enjoy a cup of tea |
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| This is Annapurna South - nearly 24,000 feet tall |
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| Time to trek again! |
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| Our descent down towards Bhadaure |
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| As we came down the path we ran into a group of village women walking toward us. We were taking a break on a large rock and they came right up to it and started sharpening the blades on their knives used for cutting grass. |
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| On of the women |
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| Knife sharpening |
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| Elle and Avery trekked at their own pace. They told story after story to each other, picked flowers, drew pictures in the dirt...and they never had to be yelled at to "hurry up!" because they had their very own sherpa...Mr. Hari |
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| Trekker Katie |
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| Trekker Elle |
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| We arrived in Bhadaure fairly early so we took a walk into the village |
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| We found baby goats someone's backyard and our guide talked the woman into allowing the kids to play and snuggle with them |
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| Village women |
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| Village center |
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| Our third and last night's tent accommodation |
After a walk through the village, the kids again invited the local children to join them in sport games. This also led to a pick-up game of baseball using a plastic dented ball and a stick. The scoring went according to which rice terrace your ball landed in...the higher the terrace, the higher the point value. Our sherpas had SO much fun watching and then playing with us!
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| Spectators at first |
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| Players next... |
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| Our cook, Mr. Lakpa |
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| Baked a cake for us on the campfire! |
Our last day of trekking began with another stunning sunrise and view of the mountains. We loaded up and were back on the trail by 8:30. Along the way today we walked through a village just full of life! The kids we ran into were given candy by us and then they scooted ahead to alert other kids that sweets were on the way. They were adorable. They did not beg...it is not in the nature of the Nepalese to do that. They simply are intrigued and of course love the taste of something they never get. It was one of our favorite days to really walk slowly and take in a "normal" morning for the people who live here. It also provided us some of our best photos.
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| Getting ready for the day |
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| Our bathroom... |
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| Breakfast with a spectacular mountain view |
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| These baby baskets hang on the front porch |
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| As we stopped for lunch, I caught up on my journal and had quite a crowd of onlookers who I am sure have never seen an iPad! |
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| The kids came up with a game of tossing stones into a hole in a tree |
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| Obviously quite a bit of fun! |
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| Our small army |
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| A jump for joy for such an accomplishment! |
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| Avery, Mr. Hari and Elle. Mr. Hari said "they tell very good stories." |
Nepal - part 3 coming soon....
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