Pooh Hill Trek Day 3: Poon Hill And Ghorepani To Tadapani.

O10.8km, 700m down.

We left the hotel at 5:00am, wearing lots of clothes and our head lamps as it was still dark and cold, and climbed the 380m up to the top of Poon Hill at 3200m. It was tough 'jumping' out of bed and start climbing up more stairs at this altitude, but the view of some of highest mountains in the world was well worth it: Annapurna I (8091m), Dhaulagiri I (8167m), Annapurna South (7219m), and Fishtail mountain (6993m).

We enjoyed tea and croissants from the German Bakery while enjoying the sunrise.

After a sturdy porridge breakfast, and another look at the wonderful view, 

we continued out trek towards Tadapani.  The day continued with another gradual climb over a ridge at 3200m (second one in a day!) after which we descended some steep stairs.

The rhododendron forrest covered in moss was an amazing sight, as it was trees and not the bushes we are used to seeing. It must be amazing to trek here in March when they are all flowering. There are 32 different flower colours.

We saw many monkeys

and went through the lush forrest with many waterfalls.

The final stretch to Tadapani at 2721m went down a valley and up another 130m climb in less than 1 km. Finally, all the climbing of this trek was done, and we were very happy about that. Our porters relaxed by playing a game, and they had a lot of fun.

The oil barrel oven was working on full blast in the dining hall, so there was hot water in the shower (a treat!), and we were cosy while relaxing there and having dinner. Not too easy to leave the warmth and crawl into a very cold bedroom, but we had good blankets.

Poon Hill trek Day 2: Ulleri to Ghorepani.

Eight km and 1000m up.

We woke up to sunshine and wonderful views of the Himalaya. Sixty million years ago the Indo-Asian plate collided with the Eurasian continent, forming the Himalaya. And the Himalaya and is still growing at a rate of 6 mm a year as the Indo-Asian plate is still sliding. Nepal claims 10 of the world's 14 tallest mountains.

After breakfast we continued the climb up the mountain on more stone steps, and it took quite a while to get going. But today the steps were interchanged with more even terrain, while still slowly climbing. 

It was a very varied hike, as we passed several waterfalls, villages and a rhododendron forrest. We stopped for tea, and Dorte gave a small girl a couple of gummy bears which she liked. I rubbed my tummy, and she did the same after she had eaten them.

Lars took a short cut down the mountain side and fell, but luckily he only got a few scratches. Towards the end of the trek it started drizzling, and Mr. Rai was encouraging us to move ahead before it really started raining. We reached Sunny Hotel in Ghorepani at 2820 m around 2:30pm, and it was wonderful to have a hot shower. We almost felt like taking another one, just because we didn't know when the next one would be! The hot water is heated with solar power, so no sunshine, no hot water! Unfortunately, Ghorepani was covered in clouds, so there was no much of a view. After some hot tea, we found a warm place with Internet access, and caught up on our emails. 

It started raining again, and we really hoped it would clear by the next morning, so we could enjoy the view from Poon Hill. We had dinner at 6:00pm and were in bed by 8:00pm, as we were tired - again. Once you pass 2500m the air starts to get thinner, you breathe faster to get enough oxygen, and you can get altitude sickness. 

Poon Hill trek Day 1: Naya Pul to Ulleri

This 5 day 51 km circular trek is very popular as it is not as demanding and long as many other treks in the Annapurnas, but still has magnificent views. 

Day 1: Twelve kilometres; 1000m up and 169m down.

We hired a car and driver to take us and the two porters, Yogen and Udim. We had hired them to carry most of our luggage to the start of the trail head in Naya Pul. It was a bumpy one hour ride to get there, but with some amazing views of the Pokhara Valley. When we stopped at a corner store, we thought it was break time, but it turned out that we were in Naya Pul.

Then we started hiking up along the river, through small villages,

and along the rice fields. It was dry, but the trails was muddy after all the rain, the air was humid and the vegetation buzzed with the sounds of insects. The landscape was beautiful with low hanging clouds, and now and then sunshine on the mountains and the rice fields.

We shared the trail with many other tourists, locals, and horses and donkeys. We had a good lunch and rest at restaurant Green Land in Birethani along the Modi Khola river.

The local people were drying beans outside, 

and this pretty little girl was curious about us.

When we reached Tikhedungha, Yogen asked us if we were sure we wanted to do the long and steep climb up to Ulleri now or wait till tomorrow morning. We decided to the get the 550m climb over just 1.9 km over with, so up, up, up it went.

We got caught in a shower, which was welcomed as it gave us an excuse for a rest and a cup of tea. 5,979 steps and 2 hours later we finally reached Ulleri. I was very proud of my sister Tine from Denmark (far right picture below) as she found this part very hard, but never complained.

We started the day way down in the valley on this photo above. We stayed at the Good View Hotel where the rooms were very primitive ($3 a night!), the solar shower luke warm, the bed not the most comfortable, and the food so-so. We were in bed by 8 pm as we were quite tired. It was cold at 2020m when the sun went down. As the rooms had no insulation and no heating, sleep in a warm bed covered my thick blankets was our best option!

Kopan Monastery: Meditation and Mantras.

The monastery is located on a hill top, about 30 minutes drive northeast of Kathmandu. It is peaceful, and has a beautiful 360 degree view of the Kathmandu Valley and Kathmandu.

It was established in 1970, and is home to 390 nuns and 380 monks mainly from Tibet, Nepal and India. Andy was joking, that the only reason we checked into the monastery, was because we are not allowed to kill (each other), and after having spent 3,5 months 24/7 together it might have been the case!!!

Buddhism has been called the science of the mind, as it deals with the human mind and emotions, and strives to create happier human beings and a better society. The term 'mind' refers to the experimental, cognitive, intellectual, perceptual, and feeling part of us. It is not a physical part of our body, as it is not made of atoms like our body. There are many types of minds, e.g. sense consciousnesses, which perceive external objects such as sights, sounds, smells, taste, and touches, and out mental consciousness, which thinks, dreams, sleeps, and can experience spiritual realizations. Love, patience, compassion, anger and joy are mental factors, which can be enhanced or diminished by our mind, and therefore the Buddha emphasized that our mind is the source of our suffering and happiness. For example, we can be angry at a person who isn't in the same room as us. At that time, we are not perceiving the person with our eyes, but we are thinking about him/her in a mental image in our mind. 

The monastery also has a public school. It is customary for families to send their second son to a monastery school, as this is they only way they can afford his education. He does not have to become a monk, and can leave when he has finished his education. These kids are playing soccer in their break at school.

We were around 120 people from all over the world, the average age being around 30. In order to avoid temptation, as per the sign above, we were not allowed to sleep in the same room, so we had a single room with bathroom next to each other. We stuck to the rules!

We had a full day program starting at 5:45am and finishing at 9:00pm every day.

We had to be silent from 10:00pm till after lunch the following day, to help us focus our attention and to develop outer and inner awareness. We both liked that, but it was not easy! We old folks sat on chairs in the background due to various aches and pains, but everybody else sat on cushions on the floor through all sessions and meditations. As time went by, we were fighting for our chairs with those gung-ho youngsters!

The food was 100% vegetarian and basic, but tasty, fulfilling and plentiful. Despite various precautions, Dorte got diarrhea and a cold, and had to spend 4 days in bed. Dorte was the one really wanting to attend this retreat, and now Andy was the one having to attend the sessions! He and a bunch of guys eventually found their own way of meditating, drinking beer in the shop outside the monastery! So don't feel sorry for him! As Andy's brother John says, "How can you mediate without beer?"! 

Andy enjoyed the early morning silent mediations, and the afternoon discussion group.

Some of the questions asked were very thought provoking, and a lively discussion ensued. For example; What do you think about the idea that the faults or mistakes we see in others, and get angry at, are things that we have in ourselves? Do you have any experience of this that you would like to share with the rest of the group?.... And what do you think can be done to solve this problem?

The last 2.5 days were to be kept in 100% silence, and the teachings got more and more religious, so we decided we had had enough of the monastery life. Dorte's sister and brother-in-law, Tine and Lars, were arriving Thursday morning, so we took a taxi to their hotel to surprise them (we were supposed to meet in Pokhara on Saturday). But our surprise backfired, because when we asked for them at the hotel, we were told their room had been cancelled! It turned out that there was a crack in the plane's windshield, and they were still in Copenhagen. In fact, they ended up spending two nights at a hotel next to Copenhagen airport, before getting away!! What a bummer!

Anyway, we enjoyed our stay at Hotel Vajra, which has a beautiful garden.

We walked to the Swatambhunah Stupa, also called the Monkey Stupa, due to all the monkeys hanging around.

There are prayer wheels all the way around the stupa

and the view was great.

There are thousands of prayer flags with mantras, which is said to be carried to heaven by the winds.

Want to buy a bull? There were plenty to chose from....

Or do you need your clothes mended.....?

We both got blessed by a holy man giving us a red dot in the forehead and flowers in the hair.

There is a lot of psychology in Buddhism, and some of the concepts are thought provoking, e.g. getting rid of negative thoughts in order to have a better life. We both felt we got a wider perspective on how the mind works, and will implement some of the new knowledge in our daily life.

Nepal Year 2070!

Namaste! (I greet the divine in you!) This is the greeting in Nepal!

No, we are not crazy or have succumbed to altitude sickness; Nepal's official Vikram Samwat calendar started in the spring of 57 BC, so to the Nepalis 2013 is 2070.

NEPAL

Nepal is 800 km long and 200 km wide, and the landscape rises from just above 70m above sea level at the Indian border in the south to 8848m at the tip of Mt Everest! Nepal is said to get its name from Nepa, the name given to the Newari kingdom of the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal just opened its borders to outsiders 50 years ago, and the monarchy was abolished in 2008 after a decade of civil war. Nepal has around 30 million inhabitants; 80% are Hindu, 11% Buddhist, and 9% are other belief systems, and there is almost no religious or ethnic tension. Life expectancy is 66 years, adult literacy rate is 49%, average age is 21, and it is estimated that the money spent by each tourist supports 10 to 11 Nepalis for one year!  So your dollar goes a long way here! The dominant cultural concept is the cast system, which determines a person's status, career and marriage partner.

VISA ON ARRIVAL

If you don't get a visa for Nepal before you leave home, bring US dollars so you can pay for the visa upon arrival at the airport. We didn't, and the ATM in Arrivals wasn't working, so we had to deposit our passports at the airport, wondering if we'd ever see them again, and pick them up the next day when we had gotten the cash! It all worked out, but the experience cannot be recommended. Furthermore, our Canadian debit cards didn't work at most banks, even when they had the familiar PLUS sign, so we had to take out cash advances on our credit cards - ouch in fees!

KATHMANDU

There is around 1 million people living in Kathmandu, and it seems like they are all out in the streets at the same time, all the time - quite overwhelming. The cars and scooters are hooting as there are not many side walks, so pedestrians are weaving in and out between traffic, and the pollution is uncomfortable, due to the low quality gasoline. Many people are understandably wearing masks covering their mouth and nose. We didn't, so it wasn't long before our throats started to hurt a bit.

We stayed at Annapurna Guest House in the Thamel area, which is the main tourism area, but also quite a central location, as we only had a few days in Kathmandu. Somehow, we managed to exchange the 5:00am Muslim Call for Prayer, which we had heard evert morning for 5 weeks in Turkey and Jordan, with a 5:00 a.m.  rooster wake up call in the middle of Kathmandu! What's next? This rooster was staying of all places, on a 4th floor balcony, directly across from our window! Sometimes, you just can't win!

Because of the rooster, we sure knew when the sun was rising!

By the spring next to our hotel, people were washing themselves and/or their clothes. Many of these people are homeless, or have no washup facilities where they live. There are many of these places throughout Kathmandu.

At Hanuman-Dhaka Durbar Square we had a wonderful cup of Himalayan coffee. GOOGLE?

Durbar Square is a World Heritage Site, and located in the heart of the old city. It is a huge complex (35 courtyards) of beautiful temples and shrines, both Hindu and Buddhist, built between the 12th and 18th centuries, and it was here the kings of Nepal were crowned and ruled - the Palace is now a museum.

Behind Andy is the Maju Deval, a Shiva temple, with erotic carvings on its roof struts. The purpose of these Tantric carvings are unclear; might be a celebration of an important part of the life cycle.The small white temple is to Kam Dev, the Hindu god of love and desire. No wonder Andy is smirking!

Nepal has a living goddess, The Kumari Devi, who is living in the Kumari Bahal building. The girl is selected from a particular caste of Newari gold- and silversmiths when she is somewhere between 4 years old and puberty, and she must meet 32 strict physical requirements ranging from the colour of her eyes and shape of her teeth to the sound of her voice. Her horoscope must also be appropriate. When chosen she moves into the building with her family, and make several ceremonial appearances a year. Once she gets her first period, she reverts to the status of being a normal mortal. It is said that it is unlucky to marry an ex-Kumari, and it is believed that taking on a spoilt ex-goddess is to much hard work!

The huge stone image of Kala Bhairav represents Shiva in his destructive manifestation. It is said that telling a lie while standing in front of Kala Bhairab will bring instant death, and it was once used as a form of trial by ordeal. We kept our mouths shot when passing by.

There were so many people, ricks jaws, motorbikes, taxis and people so it was very difficult to move. We were going to walk the 2 km back to our hotel, but it was getting dark, so we didn't feel like it. We found a taxi, showed him the map and address of our hotel, and in we jumped. It turned out he didn't know where it was, and let us of in central Thamel. We had no idea which way to go, didn't recognize any landmarks, and there were no street signs. We started walking, and an hour later after having asked at several hotels - we were directed to Annapurna Mountain Guesthouse, not Annapurna Guesthouse - we finally recognized our street and found the hotel. We felt safe, and people were very helpful, so we could only laugh at that experience.

The following day we visited the village of Bodnath, which is the centre of Nepal's Tibetan community, and home to Asia's largest stupa. Stupas were originally built to hold the relics of the Buddha. 

The all-seeing eyes of the Buddah at the top, and the 13 levels of the spire represents the stages that a human being must pass through to achieve nirvana (ultimate peace and no re-birth into human life).

Andy is holding a string of prayer flags with a mantra given as a prayer offering.

And off we went to Kopan Monastery to start our 10 day mediation retreat!