trekking in nepal

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november 2nd 2010 Trekking in nepal / travel article • jl.sekolah • Jakarta • 751-4763 Trekking Trail Start of the trekking trail near the Pokhara village. Not so much trees yet, the left side is even bare. TREKKING i n n e p a l THE LAND FULL OF NATURE, SUN-RISE AND TREK! Looking for a place with tough trekking to train your body? Longing for the fresh gulp of air or sick of the pollution? Then the land of nature and unique culture, Nepal is definitely the best place for you to travel to. The six hour flight from Jakarta landed me in Kathmandu, one of the busiest cities in Nepal. Located on the north eastern side of Nepal, Kathmandu is surrounded by luxuriant mountain ranges and curved valleys. We dove into the wild through the thrilling rafting in the rapid, swirly currents of Trisuli river which connects Kathmandu with the quiet and peaceful town, Pokhara. The journey into the land of green began with my trekking shoes pacing their way through the uneven mud road. I passed through the Pokhara villages and recognized familiar scenery of Nepali kids chasing after chickens, the cows and the goats welcoming me in their moos and bleaaaats and finally, their smelly dung friends, which I did not appreciate. However, at the sight of the endless staircase simply composed of chunks of rocks, I almost missed the road - regardless of the dung. Grasping on the knees and with beads of sweat rolling down all over me and I finally arrived at the lodge. The sky was already a pretty color of crimson and dark turquoise mixed harmoniously when I screamed out a laugh of relief. Even with the boiling sun with it's blazing rays and the forever going-on up-hills, the second day was better. Every breath sucked in and out seemed to purify my heart and lungs and the smell of the trees and the soil increased my concentration. The rough but firm and strong tree barks were reliable, and the crisp of the Special hiking boots used for trekking Deeper inside Now the trail is thickly covered with abundant trees.

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Page 1: Trekking in Nepal

n o v e m b e r 2 n d 2 0 1 0

T r e k k i n g i n n e p a l / t r a v e l a r t i c l e • j l . s e k o l a h • J a k a r t a • 7 5 1 - 4 7 6 3

Trekking TrailStart of the trekking trail near the Pokhara village. Not so much trees yet, the left side is even bare.

TREKKINGi n n e p a l

THE LAND FULL OF NATURE, SUN-RISE AND TREK!

Looking for a place with tough trekking to train your body? Longing for

the fresh gulp of air or sick of the pollution? Then the land of nature

and unique culture, Nepal is definitely the best place for you to travel to.

The six hour flight from Jakarta landed me in Kathmandu, one of the busiest cities in Nepal. Located on the north eastern side of Nepal, Kathmandu is surrounded by luxuriant mountain ranges and curved valleys. We dove into the wild through the thrilling rafting in the rapid, swirly currents of Trisuli river which connects Kathmandu with the quiet and peaceful town, Pokhara.

The journey into the land of green began with my trekking shoes pacing their way through the uneven mud road. I passed through the Pokhara villages and recognized familiar scenery of Nepali kids chasing after chickens, the cows and the goats welcoming me in their moos and bleaaaats and finally, their smelly dung friends,

which I did not appreciate. However, at the sight of the endless staircase simply composed of chunks of rocks, I almost missed the road - regardless of the dung. Grasping on the knees and with beads of sweat rolling down all over me and I finally arrived at the lodge. The sky was already a pretty color of crimson and dark turquoise mixed harmoniously when I screamed out a laugh of relief. Even with the boiling sun with it's blazing rays and the forever going-on up-hills, the second day was better. Every breath sucked in and out seemed to purify my heart and lungs and the smell of the trees and the soil increased my concentration. The rough but firm and strong tree barks were reliable, and the crisp of the

Special hiking boots used for

trekking

Deeper insideNow the trail is thickly covered with abundant trees.

Page 2: Trekking in Nepal

n o v e m b e r 2 n d 2 0 1 0

T r e k k i n g i n n e p a l / t r a v e l a r t i c l e • j l . s e k o l a h • J a k a r t a • 7 5 1 - 4 7 6 3

TREKKING IN NEPAL

View along the trail...

One of the small waterfalls that the continued itself into stream currents.

Further inside the mountain trail, with the snow-caped Annapurna I peak shown at the back and the dense trees at the bottom

leaves and the chirp of tiny birds comforted me. Now that I was further and deeper inside, both sides of the trail was thickly covered in abundant trees and plants, completely blocking out the sun rays. On the left down side our trail, fresh and cold waterfall followed me along the trail by becoming a gentle stream current. Herds of goats rushed past me as if they were daring if I could catch up with them. I reached another village within an hour. This time, instead of greens the rich golden colors of rice paddies, bright orange wild flowers filled the view on my right. That wasn’t all. Far ahead, the neighboring mountain revealed its true beauty by showing the marvelous autumn tints of red orange yellow. I forgot about our pain and tiredness and now focused on capturing these gorgeous landscape of nature around me. Sugar cane fields or Uhku in Nepali continued the series of paddies. Far far a head, I noticed a prominent outline of the peak of Annapurna South, looking striking against the clear sky with fluffy clouds.

My trekking group and I reached the second lodge in Ghorepani, 2874m high, after that tough long seven hours of hiking. The altitude was pretty high enough to make a white fog appear whenever I breathed out

but, at least I was closer to those white snow-caped peaks and the sky. By 4:00am, I was already up and ready to go. The chilly dawn caused my nose to run like a tap and my fingers to shiver. However , my tiredness from yesterday was totally wiped away by the thrill and the

excitement. Sun hasn’t showed its face yet, so my headlight played a crucial part in this trip. The sky was absolutely dazzling. Literally millions of diamonds, which we would never find in Jakarta, brightly filled up the celestial night sky. I silently prolonged along the trail and not only us, but other trekkers also quietly followed my soft paces on this holy and solemn dawn.Tips of sun were just about reaching the peaks when I stepped hard on the last stair to Poon hill. When I looked down, I was amazed at how far I was up. 3210m high. Unbelievable. I’ve done it when nobody thought

MAJOR STOPS ALONG THE JOURNEYMAJOR STOPS ALONG THE JOURNEY

Ulleri 2070m

Tadapani 2590m

Ghorepani 2874m

Poon Hill 3210m

Page 3: Trekking in Nepal

n o v e m b e r 2 n d 2 0 1 0

T r e k k i n g i n n e p a l / t r a v e l a r t i c l e • j l . s e k o l a h • J a k a r t a • 7 5 1 - 4 7 6 3

TREKKING IN NEPALpossible of it. The color of dark navy was taken over by light indigo blue shades of yellow, orange, pink and red near the peaks. Left to the end of the trail, summit of Annapurna I, III,

Dhaulagiri and Tulche showed its magnificent ranges gleaming a slight pink at the top with reflected silvery crescent hanging above. Very soon, the

freezing weather was slightly warmed up and I could see the sun sending out its radiant rays to every parts of the world, absorbing any darkness on the way. The sun fully appeared within five minutes and the beautiful start of another day was up. Sun rise at the Poon hill – the moment I’ve been hiking for.Breathtaking. That was the only word that could describe the beauty. My cries of awes and excitement hung around in the crystalline windy air. Cruel ten hours of trekking was well worth a ten minutes of stunning sun rise. On our way back down, I know that my memories of Nepal will stay firm and strong, just like the Annapurna summit where it would remain in its place forever, leaving its striking beauty imprinted clearly in my mind.

∧ Snow-caped Peaks

Peaks of Mountains Annapurna I, Annapurna III and Dhaulagiri after the sun-rise. You can see their outline and the snow clearly. The summits have the color of light pink due to the sun.

> The Sun Rise at 6 am

Sun rise at the Poon Hill, 3210m high. The tips of the sun rays are reaching the trees and the mountain peaks. The sky has turned from dark navy to clear blue.

Hand - knitten wool hat that is sold in Pokhara village. Very popular among the tourists of Nepal.