This is an account of a trip that was taken while we were living in Jakarta, Indonesia. The trip was from December 20, 1997 until January 8, 1998.

We left Jakarta for Nepal on Saturday evening, December 20, and after spending the night in the Singapore Transit Hotel we arrived in Katmandu Sunday around noon. After clearing customs, etc. we made our way outside and found the car that took us to Hotel Utse for the next two nights. For the remainder of Sunday we became acquainted with Katmandu, walking along the streets, watching people, seeing what is available to purchase, enjoying the sights and sounds, etc. Katmandu is very much like old Cairo so the visit brought back many memories of our stay there. That night we were invited to have dinner with our Nepal host and his family. Our boys' ages were between their children's ages so they got along OK. Also they could speak very good English so there wasn't a language problem.

The next day (Monday) we took a car around the Katmandu valley seeing some typical tourist attractions, temples, the old city of Bhaktapur, and other minor places. It was nice but we really wanted to get on with the main reason for going to Nepal -trekking!

So we got up Tuesday morning to meet Vinod, our guide for the next 15 days. We loaded up the land rover and departed at 8:30 AM for Dunche, our "launch" point for our first trek. The trip was 130 kilometers (80 miles) and we arrived there at 6:30 PM -10 hours! We had a bit of a delay when the radiator developed a slow leak, however that only added about an hour to the trip. Therefore it took 9 hours to travel 80 miles! It was slow and some of it was on "improved" road, meaning the single track was paved at one point in its life. There is not a lot of traffic on the road, thank goodness, as there is not much room to pass. Generally one vehicle must stop in a "wide" spot in the road to allow the oncoming vehicle to slowly go by. We arrived after dark so had a bit of a struggle getting organized once we arrived. The crew setup the tents and then began preparing our dinner. Due to the late arrival we ate in a room in a local "Tea House" which was rented for our use that evening and also for breakfast.

We started our trek on Wednesday morning, December 24 at 8:30. Our hosts hired 6 porters to carry all of the gear. That included tents, clothes, food, supplies, table, chairs, etc. All we carried was half day's drinking water, cameras, and jackets. However that was enough due to the altitude and strenuous hiking we were about to do! It was amazing to see the porters in thongs (or flip-flops) carrying 50+ kilos (110 pounds) in a basket on their back with only a strap around the top of their forehead. Their necks and backs were much stronger than ours! Besides the six porters we had 5 others -cook, two cook's helpers, Sherpa to mange the porters and Vinod, our guide. Almost an expedition!

We gaped at the sights for the first day as we hiked along the trail. The river was in the bottom of the valley about 1100 meters (3500 feet) below us. The valley sides were very steep, usually a 45^o slope, but sometimes up to about 70^o slope. What was really amazing was that almost all the land was sculpted with terraces for farming! They were about 3-8 feet horizontal, with 5-7 feet vertical walls. Sometimes the farming terrace was barely wide enough for a footpath, much less farming! It was very picturesque to see the whole mountainside covered in terraces wherever we would go. The "road" we took to Dunche is how all of the crops are transported to market. All of the produce is hand-carried to that road from the fields. Keep in mind that this is the ONLY road leading into this part of the country. It is very common for the farmers to carry all of their produce for sale for THREE days or more, on their back to reach the road and be able to sell their goods. Everyone in Nepal treks. That is how they move around the country. We stopped for a leisurely lunch and then started our climb to our evening camping site. We were now on an old trail that many people use it in their everyday lives. We met many families walking to get supplies or cutting dead wood from the forest as we walked along. We came across a colony of monkeys that lived not far off the trail and enjoyed watching them for awhile. We also watched a farmer trying to plow on one of the terraces with oxen. The terrace was so narrow and short that he was having a difficult time. Normally on the smaller terraces they do it by hand and on the larger ones they use oxen, if available.

We finally arrived in Syabru where we spent our fist night camping. The crew pitched our tents on a farming terrace that they rented from one of the local farmers for a small fee. Then they start by boiling water for our evening tea and start preparing our meal -or should I say feast. We ate fresh fruits and vegetables. Also the bread was all made fresh at the campsite, as well as a cake baked over the campfire. We were lucky to have a very good cook! We sure didn't starve on this trip and had enough food to last a long time. Of course we burned off the calories during the day! The sun would go down about 6:00 PM and we would eat before 7:00 PM. As it was Christmas Eve, Vinod surprised the boys with a small Christmas gift, A Ghurka knife for Daniel and a traditional Nepal mask for Christopher, just what they both were hoping for. After dinner we usually would climb into our sleeping bags where it was nice and warm and sleep until morning.

Wakeup call was at 6:30 AM with a washbasin of warm water for us to use for a sponge bath. Then a few minutes later our cup of nice hot tea arrived to ensure we kept warm. Temperatures at night dipped below freezing, enough to put 1-1/2 inches of ice on the bucket! So I would guess the temperature at about -10^oC (14^oF). We started off with a very nice breakfast each morning, bread, porridge, eggs, potatoes, etc. The food was excellent and we sure were hungry! While we were eating the crew took down the tents and packed up all the gear. Our goal was to be on the trail by 8:30 that morning. That day we had a very steep grade to climb. It was like climbing stairs for the next 4+ hours. We arrived at our lunch spot around 1:00 PM and really needed a good rest. We climbed over 1000 meters (3300 feet) up that morning and only traveled 1.8 km (1.1 miles) from our camping site. So the grade was about 2:1 (35^o slope). A combination of the 3000-meter (10,000 feet) altitude and our lack of fitness sure showed on this day! Once we arrived to the top we discovered it had snowed about 25 cm (10 inches) there the night before. Fortunately for us many people had traveled on the trail before us so the snow was hard packed. We traversed around the mountain until we arrived at Shin Gompa, our stop for the night. It was foggy when we arrived and a lot of snow was on the ground. It would have taken awhile to clear the ground to place our tents so our guide elected to put us inside one of the tea houses for the night, so we had a nice bed to sleep on! The cook prepared our meals in a small shack in the back and we had a small table in there to eat from.

The next morning we had intended to hike up the mountain to camp in Gosaikund, however Chris was feeling pretty bad so we elected for Christopher and Barbara to stay and rest for the day. Believe me, Barbara didn’t mind a day off at all! Daniel and I packed a small lunch and with 3 guides we started to walk towards Gosaikund. It was an uphill trek, very beautiful and there still was lots of snow on the ground. We arrived at Laurebinayak just before noon and were quite tired. The elevation was 3950 meters (13,000 feet) so we were feeling the effects of thin air on our movements. Daniel elected to stay at the tables in Laurebinayak while I continued to find "The Top". We were always looking for "The Top", but every time we thought this ridge was "the Top", there was another one even higher. Even so I went to the highest point on the trail to Gosaikund, 4350 Meters (14350 feet) which was about 1 km before Gosaikund. The views from there were beautiful and we spent some time taking video and photos before returning to Daniel's resting-place. We met about 1:30 PM and had our lunch there before continuing down the mountain. The trek down was easier than going up, however we also discovered our knees were rather weak from all the downhill motion. We were tired when we finally returned to Shin Gompa. I was sure glad that Barbara and Chris decided to rest for a day, as it would have been a very difficult trek to Gosaikund that day. Also the porters ended up having a day off (with pay) and they avoided the most strenuous part of the trek and the snow. We had another nice dinner and then found the warmth of our sleeping bags once again.

The next morning we woke at 6:30 for our usual routine and then started our trip down the mountain. This was another "straight" down the mountain and from Daniel's and my descent the prior day, we sure were hurting! About half way down my knees were starting to give out. Of course Daniel played the game "Catch the cook" all the way down so we never saw him until we reached the bottom around 1:00 PM. He beat me down by an hour and 10 minutes and I was 30 minutes ahead of Barbara. It was a very good thing we didn’t do what was originally planned for that day, Gosaikund to the bottom -boy, that would have been one tough day! So we had a late lunch that day and enjoyed walking around Dunche for awhile in the afternoon. After dinner later that night, back to bed and an early rise for our trip back to Katmandu.

We departed Dunche at 8:30 AM and traveled the 130-km back to Katmandu. This time the radiator held and we arrived back to Hotel Utse around 5:00 PM. We had enough time to get clothes sorted, showers, and to get organized for our early morning departure the next day. We got up early, had breakfast and then sought out the local clinic so we could have Chris's illness diagnosed. We found out he had mononucleosis, no wonder he was so tired! Once we knew what was ailing him we adjusted his plans some to allow him to get a good rest every day so to get over the illness as quick as possible. It was a good thing we had along an extra porter in our Langtang trek as he was carried most of the time after our first day of walking.

So we got a late start out of Katmandu for our next adventure, white water rafting on the Trisuli River. However we still managed to drive the 3 hours to the raft put-in point and met the rafting crew. They had everything all ready, including a nice lunch on the river's edge. After a short briefing we all donned our "water shoes", put on our rain ponchos, and climbed into the raft. This first day was relatively easy with only two class 3 rapids (class 6 is maximum). We finished 3-1/2 hours later at our camping site on the river's edge. This location is also where the rafting company has a small "warehouse" where they store rafting equipment, have a small kitchen and an eating area. After dark we settled into our tents for a nice, long rest.

We rose the next morning, Tuesday December 30 around 7:30 for breakfast and a short hike up to a small village on a hill over the river. This village was very interesting as we had a chance to see some innovations up close, such as methane generator from manure, wooden plows for their oxen, rice grinder, flour mill, etc. We didn't start rafting until 10:00 AM to let the sun get up and warm the morning air and eliminate the clouds that form in the night. Once the sun starts shining the air warms up quickly, although it only got down to about 10^oC (50^oF) during the night. However the water is cold (runoff from the mountain snow), so we were happy to wait until the air was warmer. That day we found some class 4 rapids where everyone thought the raft was going to capsize! Also we went through numerous class 2 and 3 rapids. Daniel was almost thrown out twice, however our guide managed to grab hold of him and kept him from getting a complete soaking! It was interesting to see the suspension bridges over the river. The riverbank's were about 200+ meters (660 feet) apart so the bridges were quite long. In addition they had large baskets on cables that were manually hauled across carrying people and other items. Our favorite bridge was named the "Indiana Jones" bridge that we stopped to visit later in the trip. We also stopped about halfway along and had a leisurely lunch and soaked up the sunshine. Once we came to the end we helped to unload the raft, deflate it, and to load everything into our Land Rover for the trip back to our campsite about 18 kilometers (10 miles) back upstream. Of course on our way back we stopped to see first hand the famous "Indiana Jones" bridge. The boys had to test their navigation skills crossing this bridge. It was missing many boards, and the ones in place were old and not very solid. Also the cables were not parallel to each other resulting in the boards being about 45^o inclination. As the rafting company has been using the same location for some time, many of the neighboring children come to visit when the river is being used. Many children that live nearby came to meet with Daniel and Chris. They all went down to the river to throw stones, build dams, and reroute small streams. Daniel and Chris learned a few tricks from them and I am sure they taught a few also. Even though they did not have a common verbal language, you can have fun without much verbal communication. They also brought out the caroms board so the boys had a chance to learn a new game -looks easy but isn't. We enjoyed a few games of caroms and dinner before getting some rest.

The following day Wednesday December 31 we rose at 7:00 AM, packed up our things, had breakfast and drove further down river to the famous Chitwan National Park. This preserve is famous for the Bengal Tiger and one-horned rhinos. We arrived at the river's edge about 11:30 AM and were met by a man in a handmade canoe. We loaded our gear into the canoe for our trip to the island where the lodge was located. We settled into our rooms and Barbara discovered that hot water is only available from 6-9 in the evening. After 3 days of no showers she was desperate for a nice warm bath, but would wait until hot water was available. There is no electricity on the island (like much of Nepal), so we had candles and lanterns in our rooms and dining areas. The hot water was solar heated during the day and they use a generator from 6-9 in the evening to pump the water and run a few lights in the main dining hall. That afternoon we boarded our elephants for our jungle safari. Four persons ride each elephant and we go into the jungle looking for the elusive Bengal tiger, one-horned rhinos and other game. It was very exciting to "hunt" rhinos from on top elephants. The experience is truly unique and memorable. Later we returned to the lodge, viewed a "local" stick dance and then had a very nice dinner. It was New Year's Eve, however we were ready for a good night's rest.

The following morning, Thursday January 1 we awoke at 5:30 to begin our "jungle walk" just as daybreak came. This time we hiked through the jungle looking for wild game. This was a little more exciting as we didn't feel as safe as we did on the elephants! We managed to come across some rhinos and saw a lot of signs that tigers were in the area. And wouldn't you know it, our group actually came upon a tiger but only two in our group saw it for only a second as it bounded over the trail 30 meters (100 feet) in front of us! Our guide quickly decided to turn and go the other way, as he was truly afraid of the animal! So we were close, but didn't actually lay our eyeballs on one. After breakfast we rested and got to know the island where we were staying. Soon after lunch we took a river canoe for a ride to see the crocodiles, ducks and other birds that are prevalent in that area. Late in the afternoon we took another elephant safari with similar results to our one of the previous day. We were surprised to find Christopher driving an elephant when we returned. The driver got off the elephant's neck, put Chris in his place and then he climbed into the "saddle" with Daniel while Chris brought the elephant back to the starting point. Chris also had the chance to board the elephant the "fun" way. He grabs both ears, puts both legs around the trunk and the elephant hoists him to the top of his head! We then had an enjoyable evening meal, complete with a slide presentation of the park.

The next morning we went on another jungle walk, this time besides looking for animals, we learned about some of the special fauna and culture of the people from this area. After breakfast we packed our things and made our way back across the river to our waiting Land Rover to be off on our next adventure! We started our drive around 9:30 AM back upstream the Trisuli river and then turned off to drive to the city of Pokhara. This would be the starting point for our next trek. We arrived in Pokhara around 4:00 PM, settled into our hotel and walked around the area for awhile. Barbara was happy as this hotel had hot water all the time AND electricity!

We rose at 6:30 the next morning, Thursday January 3 to take our breakfast and met up with our guide, Vinod, and two porters. One porter was for our personal items and sleeping bags, the other to carry Christopher. A real rough time, visiting the Himalayas, seeing all the sights but not having to walk much! He was still recovering from his bout with Mono. We got into our car and drove for 30 minutes to Phedi, a small village on the edge of the Annupurna range where we started our uphill trek. We climbed, and climbed, and climbed until we stopped for lunch at a nice hotel called Dhampus where we had a nice lunch and a good rest. This trek wouldn't be nearly as tiring as our earlier Langtang trek as that one really got us into shape. Moreover we had the opportunity to get 6 days rest between which allowed our muscles to return to normal, albeit stronger. After lunch we climbed still further, until we crossed the ridge and then started a descent to our place for the night stay, Naga, just after Tholka. This was nice teahouse with comfortable beds. It even had a solar heated hot water shower! We had a nice meal and turned in for the night.

The next morning we took our breakfast at 7:00 and then started hiking again at 8:30. After an hour the trail split. After some discussion, Vinod took Barbara, Christopher and both porters directly to our place for the next night. It was only about 3 more hours hiking, mostly up hill. Daniel and I continued along the path for another 2 km (1.3 miles) crossed the river and then continued to the village of Jhanu where we stopped for lunch and a rest. This was as close as we would get to the Annapurna Mountains. It was a very beautiful site to see the mountains only 4 km (2.5 miles) away go straight up to 8000 meters (26,400 feet) from our vantage point at 2500 meters (8250 feet). Quite literally the mountains go straight up and are very, very impressive. After taking in the views we had to get going as we had to arrive at our evening's destination before nightfall, a few hours away. So we took off back towards the river and made our way along the trail. It soon became less and less of a trail and as we were getting short of time decided on a different way over to Ghandrung, our destination. While eating lunch we noticed that there was a trail on a map there that went straight up a mountain to a village called Hill Town and then another trail to Ghandrung. This was the only map that showed that trail, but we were getting, by now very short on time. So we started to hike this trail up, and up, this mountain. We climbed straight up 1000 meters (3300 feet) up a steep staircase in little over an hour. The sights were gorgeous as we ascended but we sure got tired! However at "the top" we were pleasantly surprised to find Hill Town. They get few tourists through this village, as the trail is so steep. We happened to meet the local schoolteacher who invited us to visit his school. Needless to say, all the children joined in as we walked towards their school. As their teacher was present, the children were not so reserved and were very friendly. After the visit we started along the trail to Ghandrung with about 25 children in tow. However they slowly dropped off as we came to each of their houses in the mountains. They were just walking home from school with us! We learned that the school in Hill Town only goes through grade 5 in a "single room" schoolhouse. If the children want to go to the higher grades they must walk two hours -each way- to Ghandrung to attend middle school. Sure enough as we walked along this trail we met several children returning from Ghandrung after their day's lesson. School hours are from 10 AM until 4 PM to allow travel time in the morning and afternoon. The trail from Hill Town to Ghandrung was relatively flat, following the terraces around the mountaintop. As we crossed a river we saw a double flourmill where we watched them grind millet into flour. It was double as the water was directed into one mill and then through a trough to a second mill. We made it to Ghandrung about 20 minutes before dark and had no trouble locating our teahouse for that night. We settled down for a nice cup of tea to enjoy and let our muscles rest. That night we had a nice dinner and a good, quiet rest in preparation for our final day's hike.

We rose at 7:00 AM on Monday, January 5, had our breakfast and started our downhill trek to the road. This was generally downhill to the river and then along it to a small village where we stopped for our lunch. Then a short hike (30 minutes) to the road where we found a taxi to take us the one-hour back to Pokhara. We arrived there about 3 PM, checked into our hotel and then went walking along the lakefront that this city is famous for. That night we had dinner and a hot shower.

The next morning we took it easy and found our way to the airport for a 12:30 PM departure to Katmandu. We enjoyed the 30-minute flight along the Himalayan range. We grabbed our bags in Katmandu and took our car to our Hotel Utse. We settled in once again and tried to prepare for our upcoming last day in Katmandu.

The next morning, Wednesday January 7 we had a car pick us up at 9:00 to take us to the Monkey Temple. This is located on the outskirts of Katmandu and receives its name from -you can guess- all the monkeys that inhabit the place. One climbs a long steep staircase to the temple. Once you are at the top you have a commanding view of Katmandu, however on the day we were there the skies were hazy, as it was early morning. Later in the day the visibility improves. We then went to the nearby museum of Nepal history and say some artwork and a history of the various kings that ruled the area. It was interesting to see that the way of life has not changed much over the past centuries, other than in Katmandu. We returned to our hotel around noon and used the afternoon for some buying some last minute items. That evening we invited Vinod, our faithful companion and guide for the past two plus weeks, to join us for dinner at a local restaurant. Also joining us was the family that invited us to their home on our first night in Nepal. It was a nice ending to our wonderful stay in Nepal. All that remained was the trip to the airport the following morning, Thursday, January 8 and we were off to Singapore and Jakarta.