NEPAL [ A Family Trekking Travelogue ] - by limwhow & SereneXMM

[limwhow]

Hehe.. never summit mountain, summit the Hill also considered not bad lah...
Thus, the Singapore flag must also come out and accompany her people in recording this moment.

Haha.. those who have gone up Poon Hill before would be laughing their rooftops seeing us taking shots like these.
But hey, it's a momentous moment for the family mah, right?
So whatever makes it more significant, we will just do it lah...
Here is SereneXMM and me on our Victory Round, shot taken by none other than our AhSing who was the ONLY one who could operate the rangefinder.

And here, another momentous moment of the Kitten, the Penguin and the Rabbit , all of them Pooning the Hill together.

Of course, how can a good trekker forget his porters and guide?
Here, for the sake of memory, were:
Ram-Ali, Dipa, Rajkumar, Ramesh and of course Mahesh.
A powerful sight of a very powerful people with their powerful native peaks ~ conjuring a picture of nothing but Power.

 

[limwhow]

One last look from The Hill of the Poon...
Yupe. The sun has risen high enough.
And the time has come to bid farewell to Poon Hill.
We looked to our left at the majestic mountains...

... and we looked right towards the layers of the eastern ranges...

... and we bid a quiet farewell to these rocks.
It has been an exhilarating experience.
One which I am sure will be etched in the memories of every single one of us.

 

[limwhow]

What goes up... must come down...

Yupe.
At least now we could see our steps as we descended.
The air was still as cold.
And nobody was ready to remove any layers of their cold wear yet.

Looking down, now that we can see clearly, I thought to myself:
"Siao ah... these rocks, how did we ever climbed up here in the dark? Sheer craziness!"

.. and AhSing descended painfully and slowly as she must have banged her knees hard when she climbed up earlier.
shucks... looks like a tough day ahead.
The stomach cramp, the knee pain... aiyah, what more is to come?

We arrived back at Ghorepani as breakfast awaited us...

 

[CamInit]

Hehe.. never summit mountain, summit the Hill also considered not bad lah...
Thus, the Singapore flag must also come out and accompany her people in recording this moment.

Haha.. those who have gone up Poon Hill before would be laughing their rooftops seeing us taking shots like these.
But hey, it's a momentous moment for the family mah, right?
So whatever makes it more significant, we will just do it lah...

Haha... it's one of those "must-shoot spots, otherwise you have not been there" shots.
Everyone takes turn doing it

Summit of Poon Hill..

Haha.. Poon Hill is not called a hill for no reason.
In Himalayan term, Poon Hill is no where near as high as the mountains.
Thus in the eyes of Nepali, 3210m is merely a little pimple.
But for us Singaporeans, 3210m is many times our 163m Bukit Timah Hill.
Thus, it is a proud group of Singaporeans who brought our National Flag ALL the way here to mark the moment.

I was often amused by the fact that at a height of what's considered to be a mountain status in some other countries is reduced to being a mere hill in Nepal. :bsmilie:
Bukit Timah height is so insignificant it wouldn't even register in those terrains, more like just another slope to cross. Gives a perspective on things.

 

[limwhow]

Haha... it's one of those "must-shoot spots, otherwise you have not been there" shots.
Everyone takes turn doing it

I was often amused by the fact that at a height of what's considered to be a mountain status in some other countries is reduced to being a mere hill in Nepal. :bsmilie:
Bukit Timah height is so insignificant it wouldn't even register in those terrains, more like just another slope to cross. Gives a perspective on things.

Yes, you are right CamInit.
That's why so many people challenge themselves with higher and higher peaks.

 

[limwhow]

Good bye, Ghorepani...
Tadapani, here we come.

Click on the image to see the larger version



A quick breakfast at Greenview Lodge in Ghorepani,
and off we went, embarking on the long trek for the day.
​

... another tough day of trekking...

Trekking in the Nepali Himalayan is just so interesting.
You can read the map and the reviews on the internet, and all the Lonely planet and Trip Advisors you can find.
But when you are on the ground, you never know what you will be expecting.
Only when I looked back, with all the GPS information in my hand, did I realise that this day's trek is really pretty tough.
Why? Look at the map below again...

Click on the image below for a larger version

​

Yes, studying the total elevation gain of 1033m and a total altitude loss of 1250, I only discovered much later how much ups and downs the whole family went through on this day. Thus although the horizontal distance wasn't much, the climb and descend was pretty significant. No wonder we all were really tired at the end of the trek.

 

[limwhow]

For most part of the trek, we were hovering around 3000m.
Some parts of the trek was along trails of frozen ice, some along permafrost.
From what Mahesh said, some parts that are permafrost were not only so because of the altitude, but also because of the trees that kept the sunlight out, and the ground became frozen permanently hard, with ice deeply embedded in them.

Soon, our trail became icy, as we entered the Rhododendron forest...

 

[limwhow]

... trekking on the Ridge of the Mountain...

I found it so exciting, for from Ghorepani to Deurali Pass and beyond, we found ourselves literally trekking on the very ridge of the mountains.
Again and again, we found ourselves entering Rhododendron forest, only to walk out into a clearance and when we looked left and look right, we can actually see the slopes of both sides of the mountain.
The children were amazed. Really amazed.

This is the kind of scene in movies when a small group of people trek on top of a ridge and the director instructs the movie camera mounted on a helicopter to move closer to the movie characters trekking, and following them and then moving out again, zooming out to capture the whole scene.
Fancy ourselves also having the chance of a lifetime to walk like this.

[Shot taken by SereneXMM of us trekking]

Again.. entering another Rhododendron forest...

Mahesh said as we walked, that during the blooming season, the Rhododendron trees will blossom.
But now it was winter, the flowers were not out.
All we could see, of Nepali's National Flower, were the trees and the branches.
Welcoming us into the embrace.

[Taken by SereneXMM]


Poor Q suffering...

I asked Q: "Is your stomach cramp better?"
"Yeah. I am feeling better now. But I really didn't enjoy the climb up to Poon Hill," she replied.
"Now still a little bit of discomfort. But i think I can tahan," she continued.
"Ok, Q. Watch the symptoms. We still have a long day's walk ahead," I comforted her.
Poor girl, I know the feeling. Imagine having to grit your teeth and climb while the stomach was churning.
But she did us proud. As the eldest Jiejie, she really REALLY took the lead and made sure the younger siblings followed her.

Poor AhSing suffering...

And as we trekked, I started seeing AhSing limping.
"How are you?" I asked.
"My right knee is very painful. And both my ankles are also very painful," she replied.
"Ok AhSing. At the next rest point I will re-bandage your knee. And I'll give you a pain killer to make it feel better," I comforted her.
"Ok, Pa."
This young one here has real determination.
I knew her well. And I see her limping and limping, with every step up she would dig deep in with both her trekking stick, and push herself up.
Not easy for a young girl.
Not bad. Not bad.

 

[limwhow]

The marvellous Guide, Mahesh.

The ever-present Mahesh was really hard working.
He was always up ahead and in the middle and sometimes right behind, always keeping an eye on all of us.
It's really not easy, because within a group, there will always be difference in physical fitness and you will forever have those who lag behind.
And as a guide, he will need to constantly manage our expectations and give us the encouragement.

And his mind will always have to be one and a half step ahead of everyone, planning the next rest stop, the next lunch break, the guest lodge and the food order.
And the porters will always be looking towards him for the next instruction.
We have the honour, of having just such a wonderful Guide with us.

Mahesh in deep thoughts, taken by SereneXMM.

 

[limwhow]

.. Forging through to Deurali Pass at 3100m...

The terrain was pretty undulating right early in the trek.
And it was constantly up and down.
Again, it was only upon hindsight, and with the data from the GPS, did I realise that we were pushing towards Deurali pass.
The ground alternated between soft soil and hard frozen permafrost.
And at some parts, there wasn't a clear path to walk.
We encountered a few steep slopes which had no well-defined trails and we literally just jacked ourselves up the side of the slope with our sticks and pure brute strength from our trekking sticks and legs.

Different Path, same Destination..

I still remember this one.
Here we came upon this slope and every one was confused.
I stopped and observed how every body walked and was utterly amazed to find that Mahesh would take one path, AhSing another, and Q yet another path.
That's just so interesting....
A valuable opportunity for sharing arose...

I told the children: "Hey children, haven't you all noticed something interesting?"
"Each of us would find our own path. And they are not always along the same route. Some of these paths would have more obstacles than others. There is not a right or wrong path. Just the best path that is the BEST for you at that point in your journey."
"But whichever path we choose, we will always end up at the same destination."
"That, my dear children, is how life is."

Very soon.. the younger girls surged ahead and were no where to be seen again.
I could only keep in touch with the son and the two younger girls via walkie talkie.

 

[noob117]

Yah.. indeed, noob117.
Icy frost and all that..
It was really quite an experience.
Was it similarly icy when you all were up at Poon Hill?

this was all the ice i had, or rather frost. i was there only slightly earlier in the month last yr.

 

[limwhow]

this was all the ice i had, or rather frost. i was there only slightly earlier in the month last yr.

I heard winter came earlier this year all over the world. Haha...

 

[divinemoment]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful trip with us. Always looking forward to what's next in store.

 

[gapman]

MORE! MORE! MORE! stocking up more popcorn and drinks, curry puff and kwaychi for more stunning photos and story!;p

 

[limwhow]

At the pass...

It was really terribly tiring for me and SereneXMM.
I knew it was a little taxing for the children as well.
The morning climb to Poon Hill, and now right after Ghorepani, lots of icy climbs of steep gradients.
Honestly, despite the toughness, they were still pushing on.
The son was constantly our scout in front, giving life reports of the situations he encountered with the porters on the walkie talkie.
It was really good to have that young man as our forward.

What I saw was a group of highly determined young adults and teenagers who were willing to bear with whatever physical pain to accomplish a common goal.
I arrived at the pass just right after the son and AhLiXMM and AhSing.
As I approached them and saw them standing there, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

I walked up to each of them and gave them a hug, a pat, and an encouragement.

"Papa, my right arm is aching," said AhLiXMM.
"Don't worry, AhLiXMM, it must be because you have been pushing too hard on your trekking stick."
Son said: "My back also feeling painful. Don't know why."
"No problem, let's just bear with these pain first. Let's look forward to some more rest."

Turning back, I saw Fann the Penguin and Q Jiejie walking up from behind.
These two girls are fit, but they love to go at a more leisurely pace and enjoy the scene and to take photos as they walked.
It had been tough on them, but they also really pushed on.

Both SereneXMM and I felt so proud of these lovely children.
They have the spirit in them.

 

[limwhow]

... interesting what a child would do...

Haha.. this AhLiXMM ah, she was so totally in love with teddy bears such that she would even draw out her bear on the ground..
Incredible.

 

[limwhow]

A record shot of the pass..

And a memory of our shadows lining the ground of the pass.

 

[limwhow]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful trip with us. Always looking forward to what's next in store.

Divinemoment yah, divinemoment.. the gratitude is mine.
LOL... I think at the end of the day, it's the children who will look back in years to come and appreciate the trip most.

MORE! MORE! MORE! stocking up more popcorn and drinks, curry puff and kwaychi for more stunning photos and story!;p

Haha... Gapman yah, Gapman... I buy hamachi sashimi, maki sushi and tempura moriawase together with some zaru soba for you.

 

[cubo21]

Inspiring series and many family values there to learn.....kudos!!!

 

[limwhow]

Inspiring series and many family values there to learn.....kudos!!!

Thank you cubo21!
Hope you have enjoyed it thus far.