סושיBaba

We are just back from a three day rafting trip on the Kali Gandaki River - which flows from Tibet through the valley separating the great Dulagiri and Annapurna mountains and then down to India.
The rafting was a great mix of some challenging rapids (up to grade 4 they told us) and calm drifting. Udi fell off the raft once, but even before we noticed he jumped back on. I didn’t fall at all - since I was holding on for dear life the entire time.
The first day we only rafted about 2 hours. We were being chased by dark clouds, thunder and lightening. Then big drops of rain started to fall. Our trusty guide, Santos, quickly parked the raft on the side of the river, and told us all to take shelter under a huge boulder. So we did so, unsure why we should take shelter from the rain if we were already wet from the river. Lo and behold, hail, the size of ice cubes started pelting us from above. We waited about 20-30 minutes under the rock while hail continually fell from the thundering sky.
After it FINALLY stopped, we continued on our way down the river to the campsite. Our guides quickly set up camp, using the oars and rafts to make tents. We dried off and had hot tea and soup before the big dinner. Dinner was followed by rum punch and it was not long until we were fast asleep. The following day was nice and sunny - the rafting was great and the views of rice terraces, small villages, temples, monkeys, eagles and vultures along the way were amazing. At around the same time as the day before, the sky was covered in black once more and we parked the rafts at a village this time for shelter. The storms were just part of the experience, and once they pass by, we set up camp and enjoyed another night by the river. On the last day, Udi tried kayaking through the very placid waters as we headed to the ending point.
Now that we have returned to Pokhara, we are resting up and trying to feel better (turns out the Kali Gandaki is host to many unfriendly bacteria!) before heading to the Chitwan National Park.

Stay tuned and Pesach Sameach!

Hello school pen!

It’s been an amazing 21 days in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. As you may well know, we are accustomed to 2-4 day backpacking trips in Israel and the US, but never a trek as long and special as this. For those who don’t know, the Annapurna mountain range is part of the Himalayas – the highest mountains in the world. The highest mountains here tower over 8,000 meters, and you need special gear, lots of experience and a professional expedition to reach their peaks. Of course we did not attempt this, but instead went around them.

For the complete photo album, visit this site: http://www.babasushi.info/photos/thumbnails.php?album=18&page=1&sort=ta

We left Kathmandu by bus and traveled to Besisahar – a small village lying in the Marsyangdi River Valley. The trek began there and for the first eight days we followed the Marsyangdi River, upstream, climbing from an altitude of around 1000 meters. Along the river the scenery, views and people (and of course vegetation as Udi noticed) were constantly changing. We saw dozens of water falls, relaxed our feet in a hot spring located right on the River and observed the “old” cultivation techniques to grow corn, rice, wheat and vegetables on steep terraced hillsides. Although the path is for walking only, it is more like a highway. Many people travel this path bringing goods to the villages and food to the market: We constantly passed by donkey caravans and porters carrying chickens, firewood, straw and agricultural goods. We walked an average of six hours every day and slept in guesthouses. Almost all the guesthouses were really nice with breathtaking views from our bedroom window, hospitable owners and good food. Most days we ate “Dal Bhat” – a Nepalese dish consisting of steamed rice and lentil soup. It is pretty tasty, but after a few weeks we had had enough.

After the first week, we had reached an altitude of 3500 meters, where we had to begin taking it slowly in order to acclimate to the altitude. The scenery changes from forests and raging waters to a high desert valley surrounded by snow peaks (and pines and junipers says Udi). This area, known as the Manang valley is pictured in villages like Braga where we hired a porter – B.K. B.K. joined us for the rest of the trek, as our bodies were breaking and we had a tough climb ahead.
At that point we were also joined by two new friends from France – David and Sophie. The next few days we continued to climb to higher and colder villages. The day before we were to go over the pass, to our surprise it began to snow. The trail became a bit icy and we were worried we would not be able to go over the pass.

The pass “Thurong La” is the maximum altitude of the trek - 5416 meters, and separates between the first half of the trek and the second half. We set out for the pass on the planned day, despite the thick layer of snow which was created the night before. The day over the pass was challenging and exhilarating, after a 5 hour climb through 30-40cm of snow, we reached the top, very excited, and celebrated with hot tea with the other trekkers. Then it was time for the 1,600 meter descent into Muktinath valley – and what a descent it was. At first we enjoyed “sledding” down the slopes on our backs, that was until we hit a blizzard in which we could barely see and snow was blowing horizontally into our faces. After a few hours (and a good cry), we made it to the tea shop to warm up, and finally to the Muktinath Valley and our destination – the village of Jarkhot. Muktinath is a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists. We rested our bodies there for two days, and then continued on our way to the very enchanting village and oasis of Kagbeni and then downstream along the Kali Gandaki river. The descent was more luxurious and easier than the way up, with views of 8,000 meter peaks such as Annapurna I and Dulaguiri. The area is also adorned by apple groves and thus we treated ourselves to hot apple pies…
The last part of the trek was a two day ascent to Gorapani, from which the high-peaks can be viewed again at sunrise, and then a two day descent down to the “exit” village of Nayapul where we caught a bus to the town of Pokhara.

All in all, it was a challenging, inspiring trek with a look at the various mountain cultures – a cross between old (even ancient) and modern day traditions. We visited both Hindu and Buddhist villages from multiple ethnic groups (including many Tibetans). In the pictures you will see many prayer flags and “mani-walls” (long walls with prayer wheels) that signify a Buddhist village.

We are now spending a few relaxing days in Pokhara, getting ready for the next adventure!