Nepal - In the Land of High Mountains

Namaste friends,

We hope you are doing well at home and enjoying the beautiful pre-Christmas time. It's amazing how the months fly by when I think about our last Christmas on our sailboat in Malaysia... Crazy!

Currently, we are in Pokhara and enjoying our last week in Nepal in peace. Apart from our time in the mountains, we spent the entire time in Kathmandu. There is a lot there, but peace and quiet are hard to come by... what there is plenty of is noise, traffic, dust, and too much garbage. However, the city has something special about it and you experience Nepal as loud and colorful as it is. Unfortunately, we had some problems with our India visa, so we had to spend more time in the capital of Nepal than we wanted and make changes to our travel plan. Instead of going to India as planned, we will first travel to Myanmar via Thailand.

We are quite happy with this! We need a little break and something "more relaxed" after Nepal. Don't get us wrong, Nepal is an interesting country, the people are super nice, and the fact that so many religions live together peacefully here has really impressed us. Also, we have met great people with whom we have spent a great time on the trek and back in "civilization". The energetic couple Laura and Mike from California and the globetrotter Martin from Nuremberg have really sweetened our time here in Nepal! We are looking forward to meeting everyone again somewhere in the world... 😊🙌🏼.

But now to the main reason why we traveled to Nepal: because of the mighty and beautiful Himalayan Mountains - and yes, guys, it was truly amazing!

After some research, we ended up in Sagarmatha National Park. There are many routes with varying degrees of difficulty. The famous Everest Basecamp Trek is probably the most well-known, attracting thousands of wanderers from all over the world to the highest mountain in the world every year. We prefer a quieter atmosphere in the mountains, so we ultimately chose the less crowded Gokyo Route. Looking back, it was definitely the right decision! 😊

In total, we hiked 160 km in 2 weeks and reached an altitude of 5,400 meters.

It was incredibly challenging and breathtakingly beautiful at the same time! Being so close to these majestic mountains is truly mind-blowing. Especially from Gokyo Ri and from Renjo La Pass, which we crossed on the way back, we could see a majority of the 8,000-meter peaks, including the famous Mount Everest, or Sagarmatha as the Nepalis call it, which means "king of the heavens" - the Tibetans call it Chomolungma - goddess/mother of the earth.

Up here in the mountains, we experienced a completely different Nepal. Once you surpass the 2,500-meter mark, there are no more roads... heavenly! The only thing you occasionally hear is a helicopter flying back to civilization with people suffering from altitude sickness or the bells of yak or mule herds carrying all sorts of goods such as rice, lentils, or gas up the steep rocky paths. Or simply on foot! It's amazing to see the men here carrying loads of up to 70 kg (sometimes even in flip-flops) on their backs, while we struggle to keep up with our 12 kg backpacks.

However, what impressed us the most was the culture of the ethnic Sherpa group that we experienced up close in the mountains - the true heroes of the Himalayas. It is unlikely that any European would have reached the summit of Mount Everest unharmed without the Sherpas. But of course, there is much more to their culture than just their amazing mountaineering skills! Here is a nice article for those who want to learn more: https://www.tibetrundreisen.com/reise-tipps/tibetisches-bergvolk-in-nepal.html. We have gotten to know the Sherpas as very nice and hospitable people. Since most lodges where you stay are operated by Sherpa families, you have a lot of contact with the people and their stories. It seems like every one of our hosts has been to the summit of Everest at least 3 times - that's what I call hardcore!

For us, the trek was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip. Every day, you push yourself further, discover a whole new world between whitewashed stupas, colorful prayer flags lining the paths, and the snow-covered mountain peaks that look like they have been painted in the sky - that makes up for the hardships of walking uphill for 5-6 hours straight and the muscle soreness every evening. And 7 days without a hot shower is totally fine too! 😅

Usually, you start your tour at around 2,000 meters, where the surroundings are still green and lively. The higher you go, the less chance there is for flora and fauna to grow in the dry, cold, and nutrient-poor environment. And it's not only nature that feels it, but also us humans. Our bodies had to cope with the lack of oxygen - at 4,800 meters, you only have 50% of the normal oxygen supply. This manifests itself in dizziness, headaches, sleep disturbances, and simply a lack of energy because the body, and especially the heart, have to work hard to balance the external conditions. Already at 2,500 meters, there is a lack of oxygen in the tissues. That's why you have to gradually acclimatize your body to the altitude and take an acclimatization day from time to time and not ascend too quickly (beyond a certain point, no more than 300 meters of altitude gain per day). If you take this into account, give yourself enough time, and drink plenty of fluids, nothing should happen. We were really lucky and coped well with the altitude for the most part - our hosts told us some horror stories about deaths from altitude sickness - not nice to hear when you are up there yourself 🙈.

Nevertheless, we would strongly recommend everyone who comes to Nepal to do a trek in the Himalayas. Even if you are not trained, like me ;), it is really doable and afterwards, you feel super proud. We probably stayed in Nepal longer than necessary; other countries have captivated us more. But of course, that depends on each individual, and as I said, we were in very good company with our dear people.

On December 13th, our flight to Thailand will depart and then we will continue to Myanmar. We are really excited and will definitely keep you updated.

Sending lots of love home and giving you big hugs! ❤️

Namaste Sergi and Mine