Day 7 – Monday 15th October
Tarke Ghyang to Kalkani (1,900m)
Hotel Tarke Ghyang - the area to the front was also a camping ground
Leaving Tarke Ghyang
We have just luxuriated under a hot, hot shower, the
first since Kathmandu. Oh, the simple pleasures! Last night and the first night
we had showers but they were cold. The other nights we have had hot buckets.
The hot bucket showers are good but you can’t beat a 'real' hot shower!
Today’s walk, though long, was an easy one once we were
on the right path. Ram had a few too many options not long after we had started
out and attempted to lead us up the garden path, or rather the mountain path.
Once it quickly deteriorated into non-existent path we realised we were on the
wrong track. There were the usual ups and downs but nothing major, through
forests and villages until lunch time then, after that, a downhill run via a
dirt road. 8 hours on the road so 6½ hours trekking and 1½ hours for our drink
and lunch breaks. I have no idea how far we trekked but as it was easy going it
had to be quite a distance. We kept up a fair pace – not stepping it out, as we
are here to enjoy the countryside we are passing through, but a reasonable
pace.
I'll get this big one, mum!
We have now left the cold hills behind but the
temperature is still dropping noticeably as nightfall approaches.
Day 8 – Tuesday
16th October
Kalkani to Malemchi Pul Bazaar(800m)
Ram’s famous last words before we set off on our last day
of trekking, “Today is easy, downhill all the way on a road!” Now there are
roads and there are ROADS! At some point in time the one we walked could have
been classified as a road. Roads are able to transfer vehicles. But extreme
weather conditions here and dirt roads makes road maintenance in the hilly
districts almost an impossible task. At its best today’s road could support 4 wheel drive trucks for
approximately 2 kilometres, motor cycles could navigate perhaps 2/3s (though
often with great difficulty), and the remainder was good for goats, cows and nimble
pedestrians such as myself.
We walked 4½ hours
– at least 16 kilometres, maybe more. It is impossible to estimate, but,
a very pleasant walk into the Malemchu Valley through villages, farmland and
forest. One village was gearing itself for Dashain, a 15 day Hindu festival. A
DJ was set up in the school grounds and music was booming out across the
village. 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 for 15 days.
Tonight's destination is directly below us - down to the river
It's hard to tell , but, these goats are scaling an almost vertical hill face!
The glistening waters of the Malemchi River were ever
beckoning us downwards to our final night stay at the Malemchi Beach Resort.
We crossed our final suspension bridge just before the
town. It was the longest we have seen but luckily the most stable. Boys were
tubing down the river having a great time of it and some young girls were
playing in the sand near the water’s edge – a beautiful sight to see.
Once at our hotel we were lead to a
very comfortable room with an ensuite and ........ to top it off a wonderful
lunch of roast chicken breast, roast potatoes and peppered cabbage. Now cabbage
is not a fave of mine but it was nice and I ate it all – a first since I was pregnant
with Selina in Morocco, 31 years ago! We got the same excellent service at
dinner time. What an amazing end to our journey!
Day 9 – Wednesday 17th October
Malemchi Pul Bazaar to Kathmandu.
After breakfast we headed up to the main road to catch a
local bus back to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. We had a young man across
from us who thought it extremely funny that we were on the bus. Although we
could not understand his conversation he chattered away to us happily for quite
some time until the bus filled and talking across the aisle was difficult. At times
the only room left was hanging onto the door frame from the outside. We wound
around the hillsides sometimes on tar, sometimes dirt, arriving in Kathmandu
around mid-day.
Trekking is a great way to get a real feel of Nepal, its
countryside, its villages, its people and its magnificent mountains. I am so
glad that we have had the opportunity and time to have had these wonderful
experiences. A big thank you, once again, to our guide and friend, Ram.
To Ari,
our mighty porter on this trek, not a giant in height but certainly a giant in
character and strength, thank you!
After completing two treks I know that the both of us are
lot fitter than we were when we flew into Nepal.
Now that we are members of ‘The North Face Set” how are
we going to settle back into the Cafe Latte Society?
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