Day 7. Sinuwa to Banthanti
Day seven is HARD. We get up at 5:30, climb down from Sinuwa to the river, up to above Chomrong then down again to another river. Up to Tadapani, down and then up to Banthanti. Some where between the first up and the second down we turn a corner a see the sky filled with vultures. We walk further along the trail to find that they are landing to eat the carcas of something - maybe a goat or small cow,we can't see and don't want to get too close - which we think has been put there deliberately as it is on a rocky platform just up the hill from the path. As the vultures come into land they fly right over our heads, and we can hear the great big woosh of their wings. We can also hear the ripping and cracking of the carcas as it is pulled apart. Although we can see their underbellies very clearly, the photos don't do justice to just how big and close they are. We stay for half an hour trying to get good shots but they take off and land very quickly. We move on when our necks get sore from looking up and when our faces start getting burnt from looking into the sun.
After a long hard day we arive in the tiny town of Banthanti. It consits of three tea houses all spaced abour 15 minutes walk from each other in a narrow wooded valley. We stay in the third which we get to at 16:00. We have been walking for nine hours but are too cheap to pay the 100 rupees for a hot bucket shower. Instead I go and wash in the icy river and Alex follows reluctantly. The tea house is called 'NiceView Lodge' and is one of many 'Nice View' lodges we have passed, along with 'Good View', 'Green View', 'Excellent View', 'Excellent Green View', 'Mountain View'.... you get the idea. We look for, but are disappointed not to find, something along the lines of an 'Average View Lodge'.
Day 8. Banthanti to Pokhara!
Our lodge owners tell us that, if we stop at the Poon Hill view point, it will take two days to get down to Nayapul (where we can get a bus to Pokhara). We are tired and dirty and determined to do it in one. After a breakfast of fried eggs and Tibetan 'Gurung' bread - a sort of round, sweet naan but slightly less heavy - we head up the valley. It is six in the morning and very cold but some of the best scenery I have seen so far. The forest is dense and we climb gradually upwards along the stream seeing monkeys, water voles and lots of kingfishery type birds. The rhododendrons are even more spectcular than on the ABC trail, which were a couple of weeks past their best. We don't see anyone else for two hours, when we get to the top of the hill and meet other trekkers coming from the town of Ghorepani, who are probably on their second day. They all look vey clean and eager.
When we get to the view point it is 9:30 and already too foggy to see the mountains. I'm not too bothered, having had amazing views all week. Now I just want to get to the bottom. From Ghorepani it takes us six hours, all down hill (which is harder than it sounds), to get to Nayapul. An hour away from Nayapul my knees give in from all the steps and I actually need my walking pole just to keep myself upright. We turn corner after corner, hoping that we are nearly there, and pass fresh trekkers who say that they have only been walking for an hour or so. Groups of children run up to us and hold out their hands saying 'chocolate' and I hold out my hands saying 'yes please'. They don't get it. Eventually we hobble onto the main road and wait for a taxi back to Pokhara, When none turn up for 20 minutes we get on the public bus. Literally. When it pulls up the conductor says 'full up - up top!' and points to the roof. So up we climb, the last climb of our trek. Despite the uncomfortable rungs we have to sit on, the cold wind and then eventual rain drops, the journey makes the last few agonising hours of our trek worth while, we definitley finish on a high.
Day seven is HARD. We get up at 5:30, climb down from Sinuwa to the river, up to above Chomrong then down again to another river. Up to Tadapani, down and then up to Banthanti. Some where between the first up and the second down we turn a corner a see the sky filled with vultures. We walk further along the trail to find that they are landing to eat the carcas of something - maybe a goat or small cow,we can't see and don't want to get too close - which we think has been put there deliberately as it is on a rocky platform just up the hill from the path. As the vultures come into land they fly right over our heads, and we can hear the great big woosh of their wings. We can also hear the ripping and cracking of the carcas as it is pulled apart. Although we can see their underbellies very clearly, the photos don't do justice to just how big and close they are. We stay for half an hour trying to get good shots but they take off and land very quickly. We move on when our necks get sore from looking up and when our faces start getting burnt from looking into the sun.
After a long hard day we arive in the tiny town of Banthanti. It consits of three tea houses all spaced abour 15 minutes walk from each other in a narrow wooded valley. We stay in the third which we get to at 16:00. We have been walking for nine hours but are too cheap to pay the 100 rupees for a hot bucket shower. Instead I go and wash in the icy river and Alex follows reluctantly. The tea house is called 'NiceView Lodge' and is one of many 'Nice View' lodges we have passed, along with 'Good View', 'Green View', 'Excellent View', 'Excellent Green View', 'Mountain View'.... you get the idea. We look for, but are disappointed not to find, something along the lines of an 'Average View Lodge'.
Above: Steps down from Sinuaw
Above: Traditional Nepali bench, built to be just the right
hight for a porter to put their basket down on.
hight for a porter to put their basket down on.
Day 8. Banthanti to Pokhara!
Our lodge owners tell us that, if we stop at the Poon Hill view point, it will take two days to get down to Nayapul (where we can get a bus to Pokhara). We are tired and dirty and determined to do it in one. After a breakfast of fried eggs and Tibetan 'Gurung' bread - a sort of round, sweet naan but slightly less heavy - we head up the valley. It is six in the morning and very cold but some of the best scenery I have seen so far. The forest is dense and we climb gradually upwards along the stream seeing monkeys, water voles and lots of kingfishery type birds. The rhododendrons are even more spectcular than on the ABC trail, which were a couple of weeks past their best. We don't see anyone else for two hours, when we get to the top of the hill and meet other trekkers coming from the town of Ghorepani, who are probably on their second day. They all look vey clean and eager.
Above: On top of the bus
Above: Children dressing up a goat I
in a wooly hat
Above: A very sure of itself sign (at this point it happened to be right though)
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