Off We Go Again! (Post #3)

By Bruce Moscovitch
I was perusing the internet, looking for good airfares to Hanoi, Vietnam in the fall of 2017. Linda wanted to return to Hanoi, where we started our first Vietnamese adventure. This time she wanted to go north from Hanoi, instead of south to Ho Chi Minh City. She heard about some fabulous waterfalls and hiking trails near the Chinese border. Holy cow! I couldn’t believe my eyes! There was an open jaw round trip ticket available for $885 on Singapore airlines into Hanoi, Vietnam, and out of Kathmandu, Nepal! She’ll never go for something weird like that, I mused. “Honey”, I called out. “You want to go climb the Himalayas?” “Sure,” she cheerfully replied.

Surprise, surprise! She said yes. Linda loves hiking. Of course she said yes. I might have to book this thing. I began thinking of lots of reasons not to go to Nepal. It could get very cold up there. I might even die from altitude sickness. It could cost a fortune, what with guided hiking agencies demanding thousands of dollars for their package tours. Himalayan hikers subsist mostly on Dahl and rice. I am leery of spicy food. On the other hand, I’ve always loved the mountains. The Himalayas are the tallest peaks in the world; and we both loved reading Jon Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air.” So we checked out these Himalayan treks on the internet and that’s what sealed the deal. We haven’t been on an overnight hike in some years. We even thought we’d try a few nights on the Pacific Crest trail this summer. Well, this would be like taking the Pacific Crest trail to the next level. The treks on the net depicted beautiful trails, surrounded by gorgeous lofty peaks, covered with snow. We almost decided on the famous Annapurna Base Camp Trek, and then backed away from this arduous ~130 mile, 13 day adventure. Maybe we should try the shorter, easier Poon Hill- Gorepani trek. But it’s only a 7 day hike. Our flight itinerary gives us 19 days in Nepal, before returning to San Francisco via Singapore Air. We finally decided on the Annapurna Base Camp Trek. It may be a shortened version. In fact, we hope so and also hope that we don’t have to reach the 13550 foot summit of this trek. Meanwhile, we’re training for this experience by mountain hiking 5 miles, 3 days a week, and bicycling 30 miles, 3 days a week.

We did some reading and got some guidance from a manager at an REI sporting goods store. He’s been to the Himalayas 15 times and loves it there. He gave us some contacts, one of which included Pushpa Guest House, in Pokhara, Nepal. Pokhara is a torturous 7 hour bus ride from Kathmandu. It’s where most people stay before their trek. Raj, the manager of the guesthouse, has been so helpful to us. He’s getting us a porter/guide and will design a 13 day Annapurna circuit trek to our liking. He’ll also get us necessary permits and bus tickets. I know he’ll want money for his services. But I don’t think he’ll want that much. I heard from the REI manager that this approach to the trek can be far cheaper than an agency sponsored tour, and it helps support the local economy. Blogs also indicate that many people trek more or less independently. Two trekkers and a porter can easily find mountain village home stay lodging; and yes, most meals will be Dahl and rice, until it’s coming out of our ears. That’s O.K. I’ll get used to it.

I booked 3 nights at Pushpa Guesthouse to assure Raj of our commitment. Raj seemed genuinely grateful for the booking. He seems like a happy family man who really enjoys introducing people to the Himalayas. We are hopeful this will be a wonderful adventure. Then again, we may never make it up the mountains. Maybe we’re asking too much of our decrepit old bodies. Let’s hope for a fabulous experience that we can both handle. Let’s hope for spiritual enlightenment in the glorious Himalaya Mountains. Let’s hope our bodies hold out until we leave the states and get stronger as we approach the beginning of the trek.

Author: bnlmos

We are a retired couple, together nearly 35 years, who love International travel. Having a "blog" is brand new to us, so have patience as we do our best to keep in touch with our friends and family. Please feel free to comment on this blog or contact us via personal email. brucemos@hotmail.com View all posts by bnlmos