Have you tried the IPA?

For our second Nepali trekking expedition we decided to undertake a trek in the Helambu region, just north of Kathmandu. We took a taxi to Sundarijal where we were to begin our trip. After walking for an hour or so we entered the Shivapuri National Park, getting our prepaid permits checked.

The first day was hard work with almost exclusively steep uphills. This, combined with the strong sunshine, made me begin to wonder what I had let myself in for but just about managed to resist the urge to turn back.

We reached the village of Chisopani at around 4pm. In contrast to the villages which we had visited on our trek in the Annapurna region, Chisopani did not appear to have any restrictions on building work completed there. As a result there were a number of tall ugly concrete hotels. We spent a relaxing night at one of these places chattering to a British couple and a Belgian man and enjoying our first of many daal bhats of the trek.

After a very early night we were packed and ready to get going soon after seven the next morning. Day two took us from Chisopani to Khutumsang, stopping at Golphu Bhanjyang for our lunch. The walking was relatively straightforward until a wrong turn after lunch which cost us an extra hour or so. The final ascent of the day was exhausting. With a fair way still to go I “hit the wall” with my legs refusing to move any further. I was rescued with the aid of several handfuls of dried sugared plums.

We found a nice lodge in Khutumsang where we followed our usual shower-dress in warm clothes-daal bhat-bed regimen. Matthew was gutted when he realised that he had left his new woolly hat in Chisopani but, despite feeling cold, there was no way we were going back for it!

Day three brought the steepest climb so far. By 10:30am we were in the village of Mangengoth which is 1000 metres higher than where we started out that morning. After a leisurely cup of chiya we set off again. The climb to Tharepani was hard work. As we continued to climb we really started to notice the effects of the altitude on our breathing. We reached the village of Tharepani (3490m) at around 1:30pm and headed straight for a lodge which had been recommended to us by the owners sister in Mangengoth. We enjoyed a late lunch followed by a lazy afternoon spent relaxing and taking ‘bucket showers.’ We were initially surprised to learn we would be charged for the buckets of water. However when we discovered that the walk to get water was a hour-long trip, 60 rupees per bucket seemed very reasonable. As the sun began to set the temperature plummeted. We joined the other guests huddled around the fire in the dining room sipping hot tea before getting tucked up in our sleeping bags soon after 7pm!

Day four started with a steep descent on a rough path with loose stones. Needless to say I spent nearly as much time pulling myself up off the floor as walking. We reached Malemchi Gaun by 10.30am and had a very early, and very extended, lunch. The other groups who had been with us most of the way so far reached the village just as we were leaving and appeared to be staying there the night. Feeling smug that we were able to continue on, we walked right down to the valley bed and crossed the river. Finding the path up at the other end was tricky but, thanks to a number of friendly locals, we found our way eventually. The path to Tarke Ghyang took us past a number of nice villages and picturesque stupas. We spent the night at the lovely Mount View guest house. The friendly owner was very accommodating. After a hot bucket shower we spent a very enjoyable evening sat on the floor of the family’s living room eating very tasty daal bhat and chatting to some of the villagers.

Our penultimate day from Tarke Ghyang to Kakani was very easy by recent standards. The fairly flat path took us past attractive villages and Buddhist monasteries. Kakani had three or four lodges but only one appeared to be open for business – the Everest Lodge. On arrival we appeared to gatecrash some village meeting which was being held in the garden of the lodge. There were lots of men sitting down drinking cups of tea and, no doubt, discussing something very important. Our evening meal (daal bhat of course) was accompanied by an impressive electrical storm and Nepal’s first rain for over six months.

The last day of walking was an easy downhill stretch from Kakani to Malemchi Pul which we managed to do in two and a half hours (with no stops.) Arriving in Malemchi Pul so early allowed us to catch the 10am bus to Kathmandu. The bumpy ride back to the capital city took approximately four and a half hours. We were grateful to be back but slightly concerned about the student demonstrations that surrounded us on our walk back to our hotel.

We boarded the Golden Travel coach for the long journey to Pokhara. After a predictably slow start we made good progress until an accident brought the traffic to a complete standstill for over an hour.

We finally reached the relaxed town of Pokhara soon after 16:00. The touts were nowhere near as aggressive as we had feared. Without any difficulties we took a taxi to our pre-booked accommodation, Hotel Nirvana.

We headed out to explore Pokhara’s lakeside which was every bit as touristy as Thamel but with a more pleasant, relaxed vibe and the added bonus of a beautiful backdrop.

After finally deciding we should undertake the Ghorepani – Ghandruk trek we spent the next day trying to get ourselves organised. The task of obtaining our ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) and TIMS (Trekkers Informations Management System) passes was far time consuming that anticipated mostly due to the lack of electrical power and the incompetence of the man at the TIMS desk. The rest of the day was spent buying and hiring the necessary equipment for our expedition.

We became slightly concerned when Pam began to look unwell and develop symptoms of the inevitable stomach trouble which plagues most visitors to Nepal. By the next morning, the proposed start day of our trek, it was clear that we were going nowhere for the time being. Matthew and I spent the day doing a bit more shopping and walking up to the World Peace Pagoda. Pam spent the day recovering in bed and reading on the balcony.

By the next day she was looking much better. We met our friendly taxi driver who drove us to the village of Nayapul where we were to begin our trek.

We broke our journey from Tamil Nadu to the Keralan coast at the mountain town of Kumily. We planned to enjoy the cool mountain air for a few days and take the opportunity to do some wildlife spotting at the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

The air was certainly cool. Once the sun had gone down we forced to dig out our fleeces for the first time in several months.

We were fortunate enough to spot plenty of wildlife during our trek through the reserve. The armed wardens escorting us were experts at spotting elephants on distant mountain sides. We were privileged to spend half an hour sitting just metres away from a family of elephants as they ate their way through a huge number of trees. We also spotted monkeys, a monitor lizard, a black bear, a massive hornbill and numerous other colourful birds.

Kumily is at the centre of a large spice and tea growing area. The town’s main street is lined with spice merchants and shops selling numerous spices to tourists. The incredible smell of the cardamom sorting yard was certainly memorable.

From Kumily we took a local bus which wound it’s way down through the Cardamom Hills to the Keralan coast. The journey as almost as breathtaking as it was terrifying. The Keralan towns and villages were markedly different to their counterparts in Tamil Nadu. The temples with their multicoloured gopurams were replaced with gleaming white churches and the people appeared generally wealthier.

Geraint was keen for a taste of the Malaysian jungle so we decided to head for the former British hill station of Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. As our visit to Tanah Rata was during a Malaysian national holiday rooms were hard to come by. After numerous unfruitful telephone calls we were eventually successful in securing beds at Father’s Guest House. We delayed our visit by 24 hours after learning that the only available beds were in the dormitory described by the Lonely Planet as having a ’summer camp commeradery.’ Arriving the next night meant that we would escape the dorm in favour of our own rooms. I must admit to being slightly disappointed by this. It would have been highly entertaining to watch Matthew and Geraint having to deal with dorm life. Our room, as well as the dorm, was housed in an authentic Nissen hut.

The next 48 hours were basically spent walking, eating and sleeping. Our first walk was to the BOH tea estate. The thought of afternoon tea at the plantation’s tearooms kept us going through the never-ending uphill climb in the rain. The tearooms were, however, a bitter disappointment. With scones freshened up in the microwave and sachets of strawberry jam imported from Australia (particularly after passing so many signs for ‘home made jam’ on our walk) we felt that the staff would benefit from a sabbatical at Bettys Tea Rooms. By the time we walked back to the main road we had missed the last bus which was to take us the final eight kilometres to Tanah Rata. With darkness fast approaching we didn’t really fancy walking the busy windy road back. Fortunately, after 10 minutes of fretful walking, we were picked up by a friendly local and safely driven back to town where we enjoyed a celebratory beer or two.

The next day we undertook a more challenging jungle walk. Although tough the trek was rewarding as we managed to catch a glimpse of some monkeys swinging through the treetops.

Over 600 kilometres and 4000 curves pave the journey from Chiang Mai along highway 108 to Mae Hong Son then back to Chiang Mai along highway 1095. With a sense of bravado which I do not often associate myself with we decided to undertake this ambitious journey. Our chosen vehicle – a 125cc Honda Dream.

The first section was from Chiang Mae to Mae Sariang along highway 108. For the first couple of hours from Chiang Mai to Hot the road was straight and flat. At Hot we made and abrupt change of direction and headed west towards Mae Sariang. It was now that the journey began to get interesting. We climbed up through a forested valley reaching the national park at Ob Luang gorge in time for a spot of lunch.

After lunch we continued to climb through pines forests as, around us, the countryside became wider and more dramatic. An hour or so before reaching Mae Sariang we began the steep decent into the valley of the Yuam river. We arrived in Mae Sariang around five hours after leaving Chiang Mae with the total of 191 kilometres covered.

Mae Sariang is a small place whose position halfway along highway 108 means it has a disproportionately high number of guesthouses. We walked around the town and enjoyed a good meal at Inthira restaurant before retiring early to our cosy room at the Salawin guesthouse.

Day two from Mae Sairang to Mae Hong Son turned out to be a bit of a monster. The day started with an incredibly windy section of 95 kilometres from Mae Sariang to Khun Yuam. We had started early and by the time we had reached Khun Yuam we were both freezing. My toes were like ice though, to be fair, sandals probably weren’t the most appropriate footwear.

North of Khun Yuam we branched of highway 108 to take in the seasonal show of flowering Buatong fields and the Mae Surin waterfall, The road to the waterfall was even more steep and windy than the main highway but it offered wonderful views over the surrounding mountains and bright yellow buatong fields. These views plus the impressive ninety metre waterfall made the 74 kilometre detour worthwhile.

Back in Khun Yuam we enjoyed a quick lunch before hitting the road once again for the final 68 kilometres to Mae Hong Son. After checking into our guesthouse we enjoyed a very tasty meal at Mae Hong Son’s night market. Dessert was especially good – small pancakes made form rice flour and coconut milk.

Day three, and with only 111 kilometres until our next stop at Pai, we afforded ourselves a bit of a lie in. We then spent a few hours breakfasting at the market (delicious noodle soup and chaa thai yen) and checking out a few of the town’s Burmese style wats.

We set off for Pai just before midday. As if the first half of the journey along highway 108 wasn’t steep enough the section between Mae Hong Son and Soppong seemed even more of a challenge for our little bike. We stopped for lunch at Soppong after descending into the valley. After yet more incredible scenery, very steep climbs and descents, numerous hairpin bends and awe inspiring viewpoints we arrived in Pai. We opted for a room outside the centre of town at the very comfortable Sun Hut.

After three days on the back of a motorbike we both felt a little stiff. The time seemed right for us to indulge ourselves and enjoy a Thai massage. For me this proved to be quite a painful experience. I’m not the most flexible person at the best of times and my small but incredibly powerful masseuse was determined to bend my limbs in ways they have never been bent before.

We decided to spend an extra day in Pai. One of the main motives for this was Rhian’s determination to ride an elephant. we hoped onto the motorbike and headed to Joy’s elephant camp. We spent the next half and hour clinging onto the back of our steed. But once we reached the river she was determined to get us we and repeatedly threw us off as soon as we climbed onto her back.

The rest of the day was spent scooting around the Pai area enjoying the town’s setting amongst the mountains and, unexpectedly, fishing.

Our final day on the road was the 110 kilometre section from Pai back to Chiang Mai. The first half of the journey provided more of the incredible bends and steep climbs. We stopped for a bowl of noodle soup and chaa thai yen at a village en route. Shortly afterwards we took a detour to check out the Pong Duet hot springs. We were left feeling rather underwhelmed by the springs and bemused by the flat two hundred baht fee for foreigners at Thai national parks.

Back on highway 1095 we made the final decent from the mountains onto highway 107 and the final hours drive into Chiang Mai. From the Mr. Mechanic office we took a songthaew to the bus station in time for the 13:30 bus to Sukhothai.