If I Don't Come Back, You Can Have My Pension

Pokhara's the entry point for many of the major treks
in Nepal.  It's a great place, with fantastic views of
the mountains.  As a result, it's pretty touristy,
lined with countless numbers of souvenir, music, and
trekking shops on the waterfront obscuring the
beautiful lake.  Joined by my friends, we take a
relaxing boat ride on a colourful gondola around part
of the tranquil lake.

The owners of the hotel I'm staying at are really
accomodating and make a great Nepali milk tea.  It's a
common drink and tastes much like orange pekoe with
milk and sugar.  At night, there's a temporary
electricity outage, which only allows the stars and
mountains more visisble.  We start a fire, joke, and
relax the night away.  Needless to say, it's pretty
difficult to leave this wonderful resort town, but if
we stay any longer, we'll lose the will to trek.

In the morning, I get up early to watch the mountains
glow red from the rising sun.  Our taxi is waiting. 
It's a tiny vehicle maybe smaller than a Geo
Metro/Suzuki Swift, and somehow, we cram six people
including the driver into the vehicle as well as our
heavy backpacks on the roof and trunk.  We listen to a
popular Nepalese song along the way, with the lyrics
"If I don't come back, you can have my pension."  As
the driver has to go to Nayapul, the trekking starting
point, anyways, we end up paying a measly 150 rupees
($2 US) for the 1 1/2 hour ride there.

It's an absolutely crazy ride there.  The road through
the lower mountains is the worst paved road I've ever
seen.  I don't think it's ever been repaved since it
was built.  Besides having no barriers on the sides
that lead to sheer drops off the mountains, the road
is only wide enough for one vehicle and loaded with
huge potholes.  I get a small heart attack each time
our car parks to the side of the road (and cliff!) to
allow an oncoming bus or truck to pass.  The buses are
well-equipped with high suspension to negotiate the
large potholes.  Our tiny vehicle, needless to say, is
not and rolls very slowly over pothole areas and
bottoms out several times on our way.  

Finally, after a most uncomfortable ride, we arrive in
Nayapul.  It's not the typical starting point for the
Annapurna Sanctuary Trek, but our guide is taking us
on a longer side trek through the Annapurna Circuit
Trek so that we may have a view of the Himalayan Range
from a popular lookout point, Poon Hill.  


The trek starts off immediately with some fantastic
views of the Himalayas.  I'm enthralled as I cross
through small towns, basic suspension bridges, and
vast, open areas.  I get my first meeting with porters
returning from other treks.  It astounds me how much
they carry - one poor guy looked like he was carrying
an ox under a trap with all the load on his back.  We
also pass some donkey caravans before arriving early
at the first guesthouse we'll be staying at.  

I say "Namaste!" (Hello) to everyone I pass, foreign
or local.  I'll be saying that a lot.