Sun Kosi River

This epic journey began with a 3 hour bus ride east out of Kathmandu on a bus loaded up with 9 participants, 5 river staff and guides and all our gear stashed in the rear and on top of the vehicle. Classic photo of a river trip off to a great start. This river trip is 10 days and takes you through some of the most remote and rural parts of Nepal. There are barely roads in this area and the people here are cut off from the rest of country.

We happened to be travelling at the start of the biggest festival of the year. Dashain is the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar, celebrated by Nepalese of all caste and creed throughout the country. The fifteen days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight ending on the day of the full moon. Thorough out the kingdom of Nepal the goddess Durga in all her manifestations are worshiped with innumerable pujas, abundant offerings and thousands of animal sacrifices for the ritual holy bathing, thus drenching the goddess for days in blood.  In preparation for Dashain every home is cleansed and beautifully decorated, painted as an invitation to the mother goddess, so that she may visit and bless the house with good fortune. During this time the reunion of distant and nearby relatives occur in every household. The market is filled with shoppers seeking new clothing, gifts, luxuries and enormous supplies of temple offering for the gods, as well as foodstuffs for the family feasting. Thousands of sheep, goats, ducks, chicken and water buffalo are prepared for the great slaughter. All types of organisations are closed for ten to fifteen days. Labourers are almost impossible to find; from the poor to the rich, all enjoy the festive mood.

The end of our trip should have been a 16 hour bus ride back to Kathmandu but it coincided with the end of this festival which turned our drive into a 23 hour marathon of bus breakdowns, accidents and delays. When this country of near 30 million people try to mobilize and move around, it can't be fluid ... the roads are terrible and the infrastructure has not supported the massive growth in this country. When travelling in Nepal you need to be flexible. If you are schedule oriented or only have a certain block of time, don't come to Nepal.

The Sun Kosi river starts from Dolalghat and flows down to Chatra covering 272 kms. The Sun Kosi is one of the ten best rafting trips in the world. Big rapids, warm water, no roads or towns, beautiful scenery and great camping. Sun Kosi means 'River of Gold', the river rises near Tibet and is joined by the Bhote Kosi and flows eastwards in Nepal through the great valley between the Mahabharat Lekh mountains and the Himalaya. It forms the watershed for most of eastern Nepal and gathering strength from tributaries draining the highest mountains in the world it emerges onto the northern plains of India where it joins the Ganges.   

To try to describe what this trip was like visually is nearly impossible for my tired and battered mind and body after surviving the epic return trip so I will let the photos do the work for now.




Unloading the bus at the beginning of the Sun Kosi. 

  


Some girls come to check out the action.

 

Local Nepali boy doing cartwheels ...



and back handsprings!




Nepali kids come to visit our camp. Infatuated with the digital camera and seeing themselves.

 




Organizing a soccer match with the kids.

 

Riverside camp.



Bonfires every night.

 


American kayaker Evan spends time with the river, picking his line.




British soccer fanatic Gerrard brings the passion for the game to the local kids.





Traditional longboat crosses over to the other side of the Sun Kosi River.




Best shower so far. Huge waterfall right behind the camp.




Head guide Kamal puts the Tika on Dhiraj's forehead as we were passing through on the beginning of Dahsain festival. Kamal put Tika on all of us which is a blessing of good luck.

 

Very large Nepali family that we tried to buy chickens from brought the Tika down for us so we joined in the Dahsain celebrations.

 

Sun Kosi from above.



Stopped at a temple on the las morning and a few of us tried to lift the 180kg holy rock with just two fingers.

Teamwork.



Tried it solo .... no problem. I think it was really only 80kg!



Last night on the Sun Kosi. Almost full moon light.



How many Nepali people can we fit in this one boat. I said 100.



Annapurna Range early morning post 23 hour bus ride as we enter Kathmandu.

As one river comes to an end, another is just around the corner. I will be on the Karnali for 10 days very soon. Nepal is unbelievable. There are no words right now. I will write when I am not so tired.

Namaste

A.

Annapurna

I have not made the time to properly update this blog in a while and I feel a little behind. I just returned yesterday from trekking for five days in the Annapurna Region. There are no words really that describe what it feels like to be gaining elevation steadily for days and then all of a sudden you look up and wham ... there are 8000m peaks staring you right in the face. Breathtaking and beautiful they tower above you and give you the strength the press on to even greater heights in the hopes that the view continues to get better.

The trek started in Naya Pul outside of Pokhara and the first day we made it to a small place called Ulleri. It is here that I got my first taste of the Annapurna's as Annapurna South was peaking her head over the hills and the sun was setting on its southern face.

It happened to be my birthday that day as well so I was gifted with a bottle of red wine carried in by my guide Pasang Temba Sherpa. I was also treated to a homemade banana bread from the host family that ran the teahouse.  Accommodations along the Annapurna Circuit trail vary from rooms added onto the family home to larger guesthouses and hostel style housing. The popularity of this region has prompted the local communities to band together and create these teahouses to generate much needed revenue and a spot for tired trekkers to lay their heads.

The most incredible part about trekking through this country is that there really are no 'roads' up in the mountains but in fact everyone walks between the villages on these trails that take a couple hours to get anywhere. Everything that you see in the villages from food and drinks to beds and houses ... every material was carried or portered up here on the backs of the men and women who live here.

In Kathmandu, I have seen men carrying couches on their back with nothing more than a tump-line. On the trails, men where hammering pieces of stone off of cliffs and carrying them up to their villages to build roofs or repair walkways. Every bottle of water, every pillow in your teahouse, every fridge, table or chair was portered up there. Unbelievably strong and hardworking people. To get to some spots it could take 8 days! On the first day, hundreds of goats were being herded down from the villages to Pokhara to be sold off in the markets.I saw some on day one and on day five as I was finishing and driving back to Pokhara, those very same goats had just finished being herded by the men down the mountain by foot. They sell the goats and return back up the mountain. Not vehicles, no trains, no nothing but two feet and a heartbeat.

The next day was Ghorepani which boasted the most tremendous sunrise I have ever seen. When we arrived in Ghorepani it was very cloudy so not much of the Annapurna's was visible. It was our plan to get up before dawn and hike in the dark to the pass into Tadopani. After an hours hike by headlamp, we arrived atop the hill to see the sun break from behind us and begin to light up the glorious sight that is Annapurna South, Huinchili, Macchupucchre along with a few others. I will post a map and photos when I can. These peaks are 8000+ metres and make you feel like the speck that you are in this world.

From Ghorepani, we hiked to Tadopani, Landruk, Dhampus and out. I will continue this later as I am heading to a briefing for the river expedition that I am embarking on tomorrow for the next 10 days. The Sun Kosi River is 270km of gnarly, foaming, monsoon filled water. Can't wait to sleep in a tent adjacent the roaring river. Here are a few photos from the previous week or so.

Namaste
A.

This was the first few of Macchapuchhre, the Holy Mountain. Mount Machhapuchhre is incomparable, thanks to its fish-tailed pinnacle. This features makes it one of the most renowned mountains in Nepal Himalayan range.
Climbing on the mountain has been restricted, for it is considered sacred by the locals.

Earlier morning about 5am on October 5th, which just so happened to be my birthday. The view from my guesthouse in Pokhara. The sun is just beginning to lightly glow in the alpine.

Sunrise about 6am.
Dhaulagiri I
Elevation: 8172m.
Hiked up here in the dark with my headlamp to get this view.

Truth

Truth.
Loaded word.
Lots of heavy meaning.
In this case it is referring to me trying to be truthful and holding true my feelings and allowing myself to feel for the first time since June. So in the spirit of truth, I must say I am feeling very alone in this experience. It is easy to become just another tourist or western traveller with shorts that reveal my knees and tank tops that flash the shoulder. Both of which are a cultural no-no here as you soon realize everyone is staring at you walking down the road. Could be the tattoos, the dreadlocks, the backpack but no, its the shoulders and knees. I am more prepared for rural Nepal wear sarongs and throws are more common place and expected wear for a woman in Nepal. In the hustle and bustle of this dusty, crowded place you can blend in a bit better than you would outside Kathmandu. I have just spent a day in Thamel region (south west area of Kathmandu) which is up there with one of the most bizarre and entertaining places on earth. It's like a circus of venders all selling the same stuff and everyone shouting at you as you walk by saying "Hey lady, I have best price for you." Rickshaw drivers, motorbikes, cars, cows, dogs, beggars, street kids, monks, nepali's, indians and tourists all crowding the streets to a point where if you stop walking you will get run over or run into by any number of the aforementioned things.
So back to truth. I am overwhelmed by where I am right now. I think it's because I am in a huge place with lots of activity and its on the other side of the world. I didn't allow myself to prepare whole-heartedly for this voyage and truth be told ... it was impossible for me to do so. I will speak about truth later ... I have to go.

Visited Swayambhunath Stupa yesterday.

Prayer Wheels

Kathmandu, Nepal

After 30 long and ardous hours of traveling through stopovers in Zurich, Switzerland and New Delhi, India ... I have finally arrived in Nepal. Feels pretty unbelievable at this point as the lack of sleep and bad airplane food is causing havoc to the system. Once I cleared customs and was granted a temporary travellers visa I was met outside the airport by A.D. Sherpa who is one half of FIHP and taken into Kathmandu. I am bring hosted at the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel and John Childs who is the other half of FIHP was waiting for me upon arrival.

I checked into my room and then met John back in the lobby and proceeded to open the talks about becoming partners with Eco-Librium Adventures and so the fun began. John toured me around Kathmandu and we explored the back roads in the Thamel district (more to follow) and brought me into his world of organized tour and travel packages. I will be spending the day tomorrow with John exploring the sights and touring around more of the region. I am heading to Pokhara the following day to begin a 5 day personal trek into the foothills of the Annapurna Mountains. I am getting the FIHP experience as it will be just my guide Pasang Sherpa and a porter.

We briefly visited Boudanath and walked around the

historic Stupe that is there. I will post more about the history of this area as I will return there to meet up with Ryan Conlon at some point.

Busy first day, had to take a brief nap to start to feel normal again. Tomorrow is another day with more to see and to write about so I will try to check in before leaving for Pokhara. I will be celebrating my 31st birthday with the Himalayan Mountains. Not too shabby.

This photo was taken in Boudanath of a Tibetan Monk chatting prayers and using his prayer beads. The Stupe is a very highy religious and prominent fixture in the Tibetan Buddhist faith.

TOMORROW!

Tomorrow. This all becomes reality tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will be flying off on the journey of a lifetime. My flight is early evening tomorrow and my route is Toronto-New Jersey-New Delhi-Kathmandu. There is a 10 hour overnight layover in New Delhi before catching a 6:30am flight into Kathmandu on the morning of October 2nd.
Life has been a whirlwind for weeks leading up to this moment. Now I sit amongst my things and try to put order to the chaos that is packing for this journey. Three months in Nepal followed by Thailand, and hopefully Vietnam and Cambodia. Nepal is the purpose of this journey and the rest is some sweet add-ons like catching up with my sister Theresa for Christmas who will be teaching in Bangkok and the potential to keep on trucking.

In keeping up with Outward Bound form here is an outline for my first 48 hours in Kathmandu.
As mentioned in an early post I was offered an amazing opportunity to consult on behalf of my longtime friend Kate Wannan who is the Executive Director of Eco-librium Adventures http://www.eco-libriumadventures.com/. Kate has put me in contact with John Child from Friends in High Places (FIHP) http://www.fihp.com/ and we will be meeting upon arrival into Kathmandu.  Kate and John are in the beginning stages of becoming potential business partners and I am consulting on Kate's behalf. Someone from FIHP will be meeting me at the airport and bringing me into town and setting me up with a place to stay. From there John will tour me around the city and take me sightseeing and talk about some of the background of the country, the tourism business and his company, and then I am off on a short trek through the company. The first trek will be a short trek in the Annapurna Region called Poon Hill. This is a majestic five day trek to an elevation of 10,000 ft that offers a brilliant 360 degree view of the Himalayan massifs including Dhulagiri range and Annapurna range sunrise in the valley.

View of Annapurna's from Poon Hill. Not too shabby.
 

So definitely more to post about my meetings with John and FIHP. They are hosting me for the duration of my time with them so I will most likely have lots to write about after a pretty fantastic start to my journey's.

Stay tuned.
Until then ... last post from Canada!

A.

18 days

Things are starting to come together. I arrived in Toronto to check on the status of my passport update to find out that my photos were denied!! So just fast-tracked another application and should have the updated passport by the 24th! Talk about cutting it close. Fingers crossed that this all works out.

It never ceases to amaze me the connection we have to each other and to the world. Just by reaching out by word of mouth I have been able to collect valuable information about friends and friends of friends who have travelled to this tiny corner of the world. I am speaking with the mother of a man who is from my hometown who moved to Kathmandu five years ago to study philosophy at the U of Kathmandu and has since become a monk and has devoted his life to being in Nepal and continuing his studies. I will be meeting him at some point during my travels and hopefully be connected through him to some powerful volunteer opportunities.

Most recently my friend Kate, owner and operator of Eco-librium Adventures http://www.eco-libriumadventures.com/, caught wind of my journey and has been in contact with a company over there whose operational philosophy is similar to that of her company and she has asked me to be a representative on her behalf and meet the folks on the ground and get a sneek peak at their operation. Eco-Librium Adventures is an eco-tour company dedicated to bringing new worlds and cultures to you in a sustainable and harmonious manner. The philosophy behind Eco-librium Sustainable Adventures is that responsible tourism experiences can and should help bring balance into the world.  Should be interesting ... more to follow.

I have reconnected as well with a good family friend Cathy Anne who has spent a lot of time in Nepal mountaineering and trekking over the last 20 years. I was fortunate enough 8 or 9 years ago to meet Dawa, a sherpa from Nepal, who was staying with her family in Canmore and working over here for the summer to supplement his income as a sherpa with the hopes of one day opening a teahouse in Nepal. According to a recent conversation, he has been able to do this and operates his teahouse along the Everest Base Camp trek in Lhasa I believe. The connection to Nepal for Cathy-Anne is a deep one and I look forward to more conversations and guidance from her. She also has another friend who is porter who she recommended I hire while I trek the Annapurna Circuit as this is service provides much needed work for the locals.

So things are unfolding ... I have no direct itinerary just a basic sense of what I want to get up too while I am in Nepal. More details to follow as this journey begins ... 18 days to go.