Angela & Lee's Trek

In the 3rd week of December Angela and I decided to go on the small trek included with our volunteering, the main reason because the schools were having exams for 10 days and we had less to do, so it was the right time to go.

We also went with another volunteer from Pokhara, Dale from the UK, a really friendly and nice guy. He had just finished university and took a year out before starting a course to become a primary school teacher.

The trek is called the Royal Trek named after Prince Charles who did the trek sometime in the 80's. It's 4 days, 3 nights with a maximum altitude of 1400m, not very high but stunning views of the Himalayan mountains. As you can see on our first day, the picture of Angela, Dale and me with the great backdrop.

We stayed in family houses and ate dal bhat for dinner and our guide brought bread and muesli for breakfast. You can see our first nights stay in the photo above, in the clay room and our breakfast the following morning outdoors. Sadly, Dale had to be taken back to Pokhara on the second day as he became ill with a stomach bug, but had recovered on our return.

It was a great trip never meeting any other tourists on our journey, just locals. It wasn't too difficult a trek either, the days weren't too long, we had time to relax in the afternoons and to take in the surroundings. You can see in the picture above, the 3 girls with the big cheesy grins. It was a very emotional afternoon when that photo was taken, because they demonstrated the rawness of what being a child should be. They are from a community that has very little, though were full of life and innocence. It was a very touching to experience, they improvised and played games and then they did a song and dance for us. It was a magical experience for Angela and me. It really brought the essence of why we are here in Nepal.

The sunrise on the last morning was an amazing experience, you can see the picture of our guide and me on the old wooden bench with the most beautiful backdrop. I never got tired of that view, I'm in awe every time I experience it, especially during sunrise and sunset. On sunrise, it feels like witnessing the birth of the very first day of life on Earth. If you ever get the chance to make it to Nepal, you will be rewarded for life!

Once the trek was finished we decided we had to celebrate it with a lovely juicy steak. Though, the bazaar thing was that we were in a country which deems the cow as sacred and we felt a little strange eating steak. What was even more bazaar was that are guide also ate the steak with us. But, I have to say it was the best steak I've ever had. They actually import them from India, as killing a cow in Nepal is illegal, but importing the meat isn't?!

Anyway, it was a lovely trek and mind re-energizer for our return trip to Bandipur.