Posted in: Inspiration, Photos, Travel | 3 Comments | January 9, 2012
What an amazing world we live in with so many beautiful and smiling fellow human beings, and breathtaking and inspiring places.
6 weeks in Nepal was a heartwarming experience, amazingly friendly people with such big hearts, all over, and a relaxed by nature.
We decided to go trekking the famous but challenging full Annapurna Circuit, a range of amazing mountains that are part of the top 10 highest mountains in the world in the Himalaya-mountains for 3 whole weeks, walking a circle-route around the three Annapurna-peaks, which are between 7500, and 8100 meters high. You feel so unbelievable small but at the same time so charged, blessed and powerful, being part of the immense eternal universe.
Life is indeed a precious gift!
Every day we were waking up with sunrise, hiking all day with amazing views to lush green valleys with turquoise foaming rivers and fantastic mountain-peaks swept in blue layers one after the other; in the evenings lodging with friendly local families or small guesthouses along the way, eating delicious homemade food cooked over open fire in their basic kitchens.
Thereafter relaxing for a couple of hours reading a book or playing cards around the wood-burner, resting tired feet, feeling worn out but in a beautiful way; and already at 8-9 o’clock crawling into our sleeping-bags under thick blankets in often icy cold rooms where the wind sometimes swept through gaps in the walls and temperatures would fall below zero in night-time (but nice warm in daytime).
Living and breathing in tune with nature, the sun and darkness, with no sense of weekdays or dates.
It took us some time to really let go of all the pollution and stress we had accumulated before leaving Holland, and to start to relax and really recharge, but the medicine could not have been better, a magic herbal remedy of sun, fresh air and freedom at the top of the world!
The highest point we reached was the Thorong-La Pass of 5416 meter and it felt like a milestone when we after 14 days of walking finalized that specific day of 11 hours walking, arriving to the closest village on the other side just in time with the beautiful sunset.
The altitude went fine due to taking the increase in height quite slowly and also adding a couple of rest days when we were above 4000 meter; the only symptoms were being slightly short of breath the last couple of days and a bit of stomach pain and headache, but nothing serious. We met people who had to return and didn’t manage to get over the pass, but that happens when you go up in altitude too quickly.
The children were really amazing all along the way, especially when you know that they were carrying their own backpacks since we did not want to take any porter. Kai found the distances sometimes quite long, but with enough small encouraging breaks he was normally eager to get ahead, fully charged even by arrival. He really was in his right element, being able to be in physical activity and outdoors all day long. Lin on the other hand was walking steadily every day without a word of complaints, but concluded after ending the trip that “This was the last 3-weeks-trip ever!”. Kai was ready to start a new 3-weeks trek immediately after ending this one!
We would love to be back soon. Nepal is beautiful and the people even more.
