Jubilations Dinner Theatre

Last Saturday night we celebrated our anniversary by attending a show at Jubilations Dinner Theatre next to the Westbrook Mall in SW Calgary. This was the second time we’d been there and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. The show, Corner Gassed, was a spoof on the TV production, Corner Gas. The action took place in Cat Creek, Saskatchewan, rather than Dog River and, for those who know the TV programme, the characters, thinly disguised, were hilarious.
The menu featured soup and a Weed Whacker salad; entrees included Cow Tipping (Alberta choice prime rib – delicious), Heritage Days Chicken, Cat Creek Catch (a tortilla crusted tilapia) and Prairie Pasta (Tortellini loaded with cheese and herbs and covered in garlic cream sauce). Deserts were a choice of Black Velvet cake or Apple Crisp. Cocktails such as Gas Guzzler, Diesel Delight and Moose Juice help the food go down.

During the courses the cast mingle with the audience, and help to serve the food, always staying completely in character. Members of the audience are invited to join in the production at various times throughout the play, and this takes me back to the first time we attended a show at Jubilations:

The show was Hard Days Knights, a mixture of Camelot and the Beatles songs, and the occasion, my daughter Raylene and her partner, Brian’s engagement. Unbeknownst to Ray, Brian had arranged, with the enthusiastic participation of the cast, to propose to her onstage, as part of the production. When the time came, Brian, who had left the table on some pretext, appeared on stage and told King Arthur that he could give him some pointers for his love life and Arthur called for Lady Raylene and Queen Guinevere to join them onstage. Guinevere, who had been hovering around our table, took Ray by the hand and led her up to the front, where Brian gave his speech and, on one knee, asked her to marry him.

Very romantic!

Dog Sledding at Spray Lakes, Kananaskis

On Saturday we set off from Calgary to Canmore to meet up with  Howling Dog Tours for our long anticipated dog sled ride.  Determined not to be late, we arrived almost an hour early and, after signing the waiver forms and paying for our trip, we headed for the Railway Deli for coffee and croissants.  Despite a large notice on the restaurant door announcing that these were available at the deli between 9am and 11am, our request was met with a great deal of confusion, but eventually we were settled at a table in the (closed) restaurant enjoying our repast.

Our adventure started with a drive from Canmore up into Kananaskis country to Spray Lakes where we met up with the rest of the Howling Dog crew.  Approximately 9 sleds were waiting to be hitched up and, after a short introductory talk, we joined our driver, Brock, to ‘help’ hitching our dogs to the sled.  Each sled had 7 dogs.  These were friendly and approachable and not at all what we were expecting.

Instead of the big fluffy huskies and malamutes often pictured attached to sleds, most of the sled dogs are a cross between Siberian huskies and greyhounds.  Apparently this cross produces a dog with a great deal of endurance and the dogs often run the sleds 3 or 4 times a day.

There is no doubt that the sled dogs enjoy what they do.  A cacophony of howling announced their readiness to run and soon we were off down the track.  Each sled easily seats 2 people; in fact one of the party had 4, including a young child!  A canvas-like ‘cocoon’ attached to the runners made the ride surprisingly comfortable, despite many really bumpy down-hills.  The dogs ran steadily but fairly slowly and were helped on the hills by our driver who either scootered with one leg or ran pushing the sled ahead of him.

The ride itself was magical.  Gliding almost silently over the snow through towering spruce with glimpses of the snow covered lake through the trees.  Half way we stopped to walk out onto the lake and take photo’s of the mountains which surrounded us.  Hot chocolate and cookies followed to a background chorus of howling dogs, eager to get going.

The return trip was over far too quickly but we enjoyed feeding the dogs their well-earned treats and thanking each one with a pat.  Photo’s were taken by a professional photographer as we rounded the first corner and we each bought one as a memento of hopefully the first of many such adventures.

Three Years in Canada

This January marks three years as permanent residents in Canada. Because I have spent a few weeks outside of the country, visiting Egypt, Nepal and South Africa, we will have to wait until March to apply for citizenship, something we are really looking forward to doing.  This is where we belong now.

‘

Looking back at my blog after two years I can see how much has changed.  Then I was captivated by the countryside and everything that was new and different.  Now, although I still think we are blessed to be living in the most beautiful country I know, life has become … normal.  And that is good.  We have friends, a routine, shops and restaurants which we frequent and where we are known.  We have added another little Pom to our family. We have joined a church in the little hamlet nearby and enjoy the fellowship of the small but friendly congregation.

 

We have experienced all the ups and downs of everyday life and, most important right now, we are working towards opening our own business and giving back something to the community that has welcomed us so generously.   This has certainly not been all plain sailing, and I have recorded, and continue to record, our progress on another posting in this blog.

 

The year ahead holds so much promise – challenges and opportunities – and, I hope, by the end of it we will truly be able to call ourselves Canadians.

 

 

 

Canadian Skies

I still remember clearly the first time I ever looked at the sky in Canada.  It was sixteen years ago that I flew into Vancouver that night.  Born and bred in South Africa, this was my first venture into the northern hemisphere and I stepped off the plane, jet-lagged after 2 days of international travel, and walked out of the airport into a bitterly cold, strange, white world.

I drove with my daughter and her husband through Vancouver to catch the last ferry across to the Island where they were living.  After landing in Victoria we continued our journey through the dark to the little village of Shawnigan Lake.  With the voluble excitement of our reunion over for the moment, I leant back in my seat and gazed out of the window at the sky.

Of all the new sights and experiences it was the sight of that alien sky which suddenly made me realize just how far I was from home.  I’m no expert on astrology and could probably not name more than 3 or 4 of the constellations that grace our southern skies, but their absence made such an unexpected impact on me that even now, after 13 years of visiting and 3 years of living in Canada, that first impression of a foreign sky still remains with me.

Our new Canadian pup

On the 19^th of November we took delivery of a beautiful little Pom – Sherry.  Shandy, our male Pom, came from South Africa with us so Sherry is our first truly Canadian dog.  In less than two weeks she has undergone a complete metamorphosis from the timid puppy that burrowed into the sleeve of my jacket on the way home to an adventurous, playful and curious little dog.

Taking a break - on my lap

Shandy, at 14 years of age, loves the companionship but is rather overwhelmed by all the enthusiasm and is probably not as playful as Sherry would have hoped.  But on Sherry’s first night here he got up 6 times to walk over to her basket and check that she was still there.

Meeting nose to nose

Although Sherry is our 4^th Pomeranian we have come up against a couple of problems which are typically Canadian.  These, of course, revolve around outdoor activities, such as walking and toilet training.   The first time I took the dogs out in the snow Sherry simply lay down and stuck her cold little feet up in the air.  Shandy, even coming from sunny South Africa, adapted to the snow with ease and has never needed booties nor a jacket.  But Sherry’s coat is still coming through and her undercoat is nowhere near as thick as her new brother’s.  We will probably have to go shopping for a winter outfit suitable for our pretty little girl.

Sherry testing the snow on the deck

As far as toileting is concerned I have virtually resigned myself to the fact that we will have newspapers scattered about the house until spring.

Starting a new business

This promises to be an ongoing post. Over a year ago I decided to open a business in Calgary.  Since early childhood is both my passion and my area of expertise and, since Calgary has a real need for daycare spaces, that seemed to be the obvious way to go.

I didn’t count on the time it would take to find premises which would accommodate a daycare and provide outdoor playground space.  However, now, after 16 months of searching, of alternating between hope and despair, I have finally found the space I need – and have unsuspectingly wandered into a tangle of red tape.

So far:

• I have applied for and received approval for a change of use (zoning) for the premises (6 weeks), BUT
• I then received notification from the safety code officer that I need 2 extra toilets and windows to the outside – SO
• I have obtained permission from the owner to put in windows, BUT
• I need a plan drawn up by an architect or draftsman with a good understanding of the building code -THEN
• I have to reapply for a development permit (original one granted zoning) for approval for the windows, THEN
• I have to submit the plans to apply for a building permit in order to make the changes which they stipulated, AFTER WHICH
• I need to find a suitable plumber and general contractor to install toilets and windows, and to move an interior wall, THEN
• finally, we can start cleaning, painting and buying equipment.

It has been like climbing a mountain – every-time I think I’ve reached a plateau, I turn a corner and the path heads upwards once more.  So, to keep myself motivated, I will post on this blog each time another milestone has been reached, until, finally, I make the summit.

The front of the premises, formally a martial arts centre

8th November

Saw this in the CBC News dated August this year.  It confirms my experience of trying to find premises for a daycare in the new communities in the south of Calgary.  There is just no space allocated for childcare in these communities:

“The other thing that’s a challenge is new neighbourhoods aren’t being built to have child care centres in them,” she said. “It’s very difficult for centres to find space to open in some of the newer neighbourhoods in the city.”

Received news from our architectural designer that the floor plans are ready for the development permit and that he is busy with the building code review, which is very strict for childcare centres.  Hopefully we will be able to apply for the permit to install the two necessary windows this week.

15th November 2011

Last Thursday we met with our architect and went through some changes in the plan, which he altered and emailed to us over the weekend.  We took them in to Staples to have the necessary copies printed on Monday, picking them up today – Tuesday.

Then, armed with

• the completed application;
• 10 x 4 copies of the plans (2ftx3ft);
• 4 photo’s of the premises;
• the Title Certificate;
• copies of all the caveats on the Title Certificate (collected from the Registry Office at the cost of $100);
• a letter of authorization from the agent;
• a letter of authorization from the owner of the property for the agent;
• and a cheque for $526,

we headed into the city where we spent an hour going through everything with one of the very friendly consultants in the Development and Building Department. (Probably picked up a ticket for staying too long in our parking stall – but won’t know that until later!).

Now we play the waiting game again, since nothing can be done until the windows have been approved.  It’s beginning to look as it March will be the earliest we can open which means we will have to pay the rental and operating costs for three months without any income from the premises.

2^nd January  2012

Things are on the move again, at last!  On Thursday, 29^th December, our application for a development permit in order to install windows and two extra toilets at the centre, in line with the requirements of the City, was pre-approved.  Today we met with our architect to discuss a few small changes to the plans in order to submit them for a Building Permit.   Tomorrow we will take the updated plans to Staples to have them copied and then drive into town to hand them in at the Municipal offices.

Now that we virtually have the go-ahead to make the necessary changes we will probably spend the next couple of weeks, as we wait for this final round of plans to be approved, demolishing walls which have to be moved, pulling up a floor which needs to be replaced, and generally getting ready for the contractors who will be doing the plumbing, putting in the windows and framing and dry-walling the new walls.

Slowly our dream of more than a year is becoming a reality.

4^th January, 2012

A real, if short-lived, dip on the roller coaster today!  We had the building plans printed at Staples and then took the fast-becoming-familiar trip to the municipal buildings in town to hand in our application for a building permit.

The friendly lady who handled our paper work went through the forms and then called someone to check the plans.  Well, according to him, besides a few fairly minor changes we also needed a sprinkler system which the building doesn’t have.  And not just a sprinkler system for the daycare!  Because the premises we’re leasing takes up more than 10% of the entire building all the shops and offices would need to be included.

Besides the costs involved, we obviously could not fit the whole complex with a sprinkler system and could not seriously contemplate being able to persuade the landlord to do so either.  Gathering together our plans and forms we headed home, very deflated.  Not willing to go through the whole process again we were discussing other business possibilities when I received a phone call from the municipality and a very contrite young man apologized profusely and explained that he had been mistaken about the sprinkler requirement.

Back on track again, once home I called our architectural designer and told him our sad/mad story.  The upshot is that he will contact the municipality, make sure that all requirements for the plans are met, and then take them into the offices himself to ensure that everything is in order.

And so the saga continues ….

8^th January 2012

 

Here we go again!  As arranged, John Trinh took the application for the building permit, with the few changes they wanted, down to the municipality early this morning.  He phoned me mid-morning to say that they now want a mechanical engineer to draw plans of the duct system in the building.  The unit has air conditioning so I don’t expect any problems with the ducts, but this involves at least another $2000 to $2500 and another delay.

We can’t afford to wait until everything is approved so, taking a step in faith, we started demolishing the floor which has to be removed in one of the classrooms.  At least this, and the removal of a wall, can be done without the building permit.  We also assembled the reception desk which has been lying in pieces for the past two months.  A March start is looking more and more remote and I am now planning on advertising April as our opening date.  Of course, this means that I am paying the rent and operating costs for an additional 3 months (originally we planned on opening in January) with no income.

Half of the floor demolished.

Stay tuned for further updates.

24^th January 2012

 

Since my last post we have had the mechanical engineer, the contractor and our architectural designer wandering around the premises, cutting holes in the walls to peer inside, climbing onto the roof to check the furnace units and counting air ducts.  At last the mechanical and electrical plans have been drawn up and submitted with the application for the building permit.

Two bits of good news: the development permit for the windows, which had been preapproved and then advertised for the obligatory 2 weeks has now been passed, which means that the building permit application can be processed immediately; and the landlord, through his agent, has agreed to give us two more months rent-free to finish our renovations.

Richard and I met with the contractor and the plumber yesterday at the premises.  Our contractor, Steve Shiu, says he has been in contact with the city and that the building plans should go through now without any more hassles.  Fingers crossed!

Today we are doing the last of the demolitions – that is, Brian will be doing them, cheered on by Richard.  Once the rubble has been carted away there is nothing more we can do until the windows, plumbing and walls have been completed.  Then we will paint and lay the carpet tiles.

In the meantime I took the programme to the licensing department to have it checked before submitting my application.  I am busy doing the necessary alterations and hopefully that will go in before the end of this week.  I also have to contact the Health Department so that they can look at the plans and make sure there is nothing there that they are unhappy about.  There shouldn’t be a problem since everything has been done strictly to code.

Now to get the website up and running, have our posters and brochures printed, and advertise, advertise, advertise.

15^th February 2012

I am still waiting for the building permit to come through.  The mechanical and electrical plans have been accepted but the city requested a drawing of the roof of the building.  I’m sure they have their reasons, and these plans have now been sent to them, but, of course, this has resulted in another holdup.

In the meantime the contractor and plumber are on hold, waiting to start on the renovations.

The cheque which I sent with the licence application has not yet appeared on my bank statement, after at least 2 weeks, so I have just sent off an email asking whether they have received the documentation.  I won’t be able to admit any children until I am licensed and can’t get the licence until everything has been approved, which means that, as well as my programme being accepted – all 34 pages of it – I also have to have the premises fully furnished and equipped.  And, of course, until I know how many children I will have, I don’t know how many teachers to hire.  How many balls can one juggle at the same time?

Hopefully my next post will be to report that the renovations are proceeding smoothly.

28th February 2012

We heard today that the building permit has finally been approved – we’ll pick it up tomorrow.  At the same time got a letter from licensing to say that I hadn’t included the health and fire reports in my application.  Since I had explained in my cover letter that these would only be available when the renovations are complete I was a little confused.  Have sent an email, followed up by a phone call to arrange a meeting.  Waiting for a response.  Only hope that they don’t put the whole thing on hold until the contractor has finished at the premises, that will really delay the opening date!

14^th March 2012

Things are moving smoothly at last.  The contractor has laid the pipes for the plumbing and is busy with the interior walls (a bit of a hiccup here as, apparently, the architectural designer had mis-measured and placed one wall in front of the fire door!).  Tomorrow the electrician comes in the start roughing in the electrical work and by the 23^rd the windows should have arrived.

As far as licensing is concerned, so far everything seems to be OK, all the documents other than the programme for Out of School Care have been submitted, and I’m busy working on that one now.

I have advertised online and put up a couple of posters.  Advertisements will appear in the community newsletter in April as well as in the Coffee News sheet which serves this area.  A waiting list has begun!

23^rd March 2012

All the framing for the interior walls is up.  The roughing in for both plumbing and electrics is done and today the inspector turned up and passed it all!!  Now Steve, our contractor, is left with the dry-walling and the connections for the plumbing and electrical outlets.  Then the extra toilets and hand basins and the kitchenette. Lastly the windows, which should arrive early next week.   Its exciting seeing everything coming together at last.

Tomorrow we will be looking at the playground to decide how to go about leveling it and to measure it again for the fences for the two short ends, which we will order on Monday.  I have a quote for the basic furniture – chairs and tables – and will do a quick check on prices before placing the order.

We will be doing the painting and laying the carpet tiles on the floor ourselves.  This must be complete by mid-April so we can get Health and Fire to come in and pass the premises and Licensing to check it out and issue our licence.

The advertisement for teachers will be posted on Monday and the waiting list for children is growing slowly but surely at a rate of one or two a day – up to 16 at last count, most of the queries coming from our online advertising.

Still, hopefully and optimistically, looking at the 1^st May as our opening date.  The final count down has begun.

3^rd April 2012

 

The good news is that the dry walling is up (but taping and mudding still to be done), the fence and furniture have been ordered.  The windows have arrived, but are not yet in.  Teacher interviews have started and the waiting list continues to grow slowly.  We also have our sign up!

The bad news is that the plumbing inspector has discovered some existing pipes and fittings which are not to code.  This has led to another hold up while Steve tries to sort out the problems.  The same inspector also condemned all the existing toilets.  Our long suffering landlord has agreed to replace them.

In addition, while the load of soil which we have ordered to level the playground is due to arrive on Thursday morning, we now have a winter storm warning in Calgary and on Thursday morning the playground could well be under 12cm of snow!  So our group of eager(?) helpers who were going to be shoveling and leveling soil on Good Friday will now be sipping hot chocolate instead and we will probably be pushing wheelbarrows ourselves come Monday morning.

Oh well, if we’ve learnt anything from this whole process it is that nothing runs smoothly when you’re involved with building and renovations.  Still aiming, rather desperately, for the 1^st  May.

20^th April, 2012

I had hoped the contractor would be finished by today and that the painting would be done and the carpet tiles laid – both of which we will be doing ourselves.  Any reader of this blog would have been able to predict otherwise!

So what has been accomplished?  Well the kitchenette is just about finished and looks really nice.

Steve, the contractor, busy in the kitchen

The commercial dish-washer still has to be connected, which will only be done next Wednesday; the washrooms have all been painted and everything is in place for the toilets to be installed; all the interior walls have been taped and mudded but most still need to be sanded and we have been able to get into one of the playrooms to paint.

Raylene busy applying the first coat of primer to the playroom walls.

The windows will only be installed next Wednesday and the plan is that the final inspection will take place on Thursday or Friday.  After that we will be able to get back into the premises to finish painting and lay the carpet mats.

The good news is that the furniture has arrived from Educan in BC and, without completely unwrapping it, it looks good and sturdy.  The soil has been delivered and spread in the playground to level it and the sod has been ordered and will be delivered on Monday.  The computers have also been ordered and should be here early next week as well.

Raylene’s firm very kindly lent us a bobcat – one of those you walk behind – to move the soil to the playground and Richard spent the day steering it back and forth from the enormous pile  of loam next to the building to the playground at the back.

Richard dropping off another load of soil to be spread.

Unfortunately our ‘Open House’ will have to be put forward a week to the 5^th May so that we can have everything complete and the rooms set up for the parents to see.  On this day we will also register the children on the waiting list and collect the deposits.

Hopefully (everything crossed and double crossed) neither Fire nor Health will find anything needing changing and our license officer will grant the licence quickly.

Opening day?  With luck, the 14^th May.

30^th April 2012

Well, the sod has arrived and has been laid (in the rain), although, due to weather conditions and bricks flying from window installations, has not yet been rolled.

Trace turned up unexpectedly from Saskatoon to spend Saturday helping us paint the hall, passage and reception area which are now a lovely shade of blue.

On Sunday the old carpeting in the reception area was ripped up, the whole area thoroughly vacuumed,  and we started laying the new carpet tiles.

Windows were not installed last Wednesday, apparently stress fractures in the brick wall necessitated steel lintels instead of the wooden ones quoted on, but the first two are now installed in one of the playrooms and, hopefully, the contractor is busy finishing off the dry-walling under the windows today so that we can complete painting and lay the carpet tiles in there.

The commercial dishwasher (second-hand) was connected and promptly flooded the kitchen.  It will be going back to its original owner and I will be attempting to get permission to install a domestic dishwasher with NSF rating.  Otherwise the cheapest commercial dishwasher I can get is a $3000 Lambert from Costco.

Today, since the electricians and contractor are busy at work at the centre and it is clear that there is no space for us to continue laying carpet tiles, we took a drive out to IKEA and bought lockers, storage units and a long table to use for the computers in the media centre.

Open house still on the 5^th, even if prospective parents have to negotiate ladders and paint pots. I can’t leave it any longer.

Tomorrow my first staff member, Amber, joins us, when she will find herself wielding a paint brush rather than working with little kids, obviously her job description is very loosely interpreted.

And so it continues.  Is that a light I see at the end of the tunnel??

10^th May 2012

 

May 5^th arrived in a flurry of snow and rain.  A number of brave parents braved the weather to come and look at the centre and register their children.  The kids themselves had a great time.  Amber had one of the playrooms set up with a variety of toys and games and watched over the children while their parents filled in forms.

Richard and Amber assemble the work table before setting up the playroom for our Open House.

Raylene presided over the kitchen and welcomed our visitors, and, with her encouragement, many Oreo’s were consumed by the littlest of our guests.

It was so nice to hear children’s laughter in the centre – a reminder of what we are working towards.

Monday brought a return to reality.  Two windows still had to be installed in the second playroom.  Painting had to be completed and carpet tiles had to be laid once the windows were in and the walls dry-walled, mudded and sanded.  A new dishwasher had to be bought and installed.

Putting up the fence – note the coffee cup in Richard’s hand while Brian works away industriously!

Still, things are moving at a reasonable rate.  Richard and Brian have put up the fences on either side of the playground, and today the windows are in and the drywalling in process.  The dishwasher has been ordered and should arrive next week – no leeway given on a domestic model.  We are still waiting for the toilet partitions to appear, they were ordered the week before last and apparently have arrived in Calgary, but no-one knows where they are!

I invited our very friendly and helpful lady from Health to look at the centre yesterday and give us some pointers and now have a list of, mostly, small issues to see to before she comes to look us over and submit her report next week.

Fire wardens have turned up at the centre twice to find out how we were going.  I will call them in once everything has been completed.  Once the Fire and Health reports are in our licensing officer will give us the once over and, hopefully, give us our licence.

Opening day?  I’ve been wrong so often I’m not even going to hazard a guess!

17th May 2012

Hopefully this will be sorted out by tomorrow, but I had to share today’s issue simply because it is so farcical.  As I said earlier, I need a report from the Fire Warden to submit to Licensing.  However today the Fire Department phoned me to say that they could not come out and look at the premises because I had an outstanding building permit which had to be signed off.  So Steve phoned the Building Inspector, who told him that he could not sign off the building permit until he had a report from the Fire inspector.  So here we are in a catch 22 situation until the Building inspector and the Fire inspector manage to sort out their respective places in the process!

Saskatoon

Last weekend we drove back to Saskatoon.  Now that the canola and alfalfa have been harvested most of the fields are lying fallow, brown, yellow and beige.  I’ve been wanting to get a photo of an old grain elevator for some time and have only seen these on the prairies in Saskatchewan.   Apparently there was a time when these tall, stately structures dominated the prairies.  In the 1930′s there were nearly 6000 of them. They must have been quite a sight, painted in bright colours,  and standing in fields of golden corn.  Today, most have been replaced by more prosaic concrete structures and only about 80 wooden elevators are still operating.  The one I photographed stands alongside an abandoned railway line and, traditionally, bears the name of the town it used to serve.

Old wooden grain elevator

On Saturday we took a drive to the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, just outside of Saskatoon.  Wanuskewin, in the Cree language, means being at peace with oneself.  We were fortunate enough to be able to watch Josh Wabash, from the Waywayseecappo First Nation peoples in Manitoba.  Josh has been dancing since he was 3 and he demonstrated his talent in full, colourful regalia and then explained the dances to the audience.  His motto: I dance for those who can’t, and I will keep sharing my talents with those who are willing to experience it.

The First Nation dancer at Wanuskewin

Besides the dancer, we also visited the Mistatim exhibition, in honour of the horse.

One of a number of stories of horse battles painted on hide

Wanuskewin has much more to offer, including a number of interpretive trails which we were unable to sample, due to time restraints, but we will be back to visit again some day.

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day so we drove out to Blackstrap lake, which none of us had seen yet.  Blackstrap is a large, manmade lake, fed via an earthern aquaduct from Lake Diefenbaker.  Only about 1/2 hour out of Saskatoon it is a perfect recreational area, offering boating, sailing, fishing and, in winter, cross country skiing.

Cale, ready to go paddling on the lake

Mount Blackstrap, also man-made, was constructed in 1971 for the Canada Winter Games.  Asher remarked, on seeing it, that only someone who has never been out of Saskatchewan would ever consider it a mountain!

The discovery of a self-serve yoghurt shop – Pure – with many flavours of yoghurt and any number of toppings to try – you load up your container and pay by the gram – was the cherry on the top of another enjoyable visit to our neighbouring province.

Calgary to Saskatoon

With Tracy, Mark and the boys living in Saskatoon now we will probably be making many trips to Saskatchewan, our next-door-neighbour province.  Our first trip was on the Monday after they left, ostensibly to help move some of their belongings but, far more importantly, to see them settled and happy in their new home.

An 8 hour drive through the Prairies did not really appeal to us and we resigned ourselves to a long, boring trip.  Happily, this was not the case, and the trip reminded us anew of the particular charm this part of Canada holds for those who are open to its beauty.

Driving through the badlands

The drive took us through the badlands with their distinctive coulee landscapes and hoodoo rock formations and along route 9 past endless fields of yellow canola flowers.

Canola fields

We took Shandy with us which necessitated a number of stops for walks and water.

A 'Shandy' stop

In Hanna we found a lovely coffee shop/antique store where we stopped for the obligatory latte before continuing on our way.

With only one wrong turn we found our way to our destination and spent the next two days exploring Saskatoon.  What a pretty little town!  Highlights of our stay were the visit to the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo,

Taken at the zoo

lunch at the Berry Barn

The Berry Barn taken from the pathway alongside the lake

and cooling off at Pike Lake Provincial Park which is just 20 minutes from Saskatoon where the boys took the pedal boats out onto the lake.

The boys set off across Pike Lake

The 8 hour drive no longer seems so daunting and we look forward to our next visit at the end of September when the Fall landscape should offer us a completely different perspective.

Visiting Palung district in Nepal

Although our trip to Nepal was planned around the Annapurna Circuit we arrived a few days earlier having accepted an invitation from a Nepalese friend in Cape Town to visit her at her village, Okur, in the district of Palung,  This turned out to be a lovely introduction to the Nepalese way of life.

The driver picked us up after breakfast at the hotel in Kathmandu and we were treated to a beautiful scenic drive through the mountains to Okur where we found Moona and many members of her family waiting for us on the side of the road.

Arriving in Okur, Palung

We were warmly greeted with hugs and flower leis and then quickly unpacked the vehicle and followed her through the terraced fields and over a suspension bridge to her house.

On the way to Moona's house

Our warm welcome continued as we each had a bindi applied to our foreheads and flowers put in our hair and were then treated to a meal of rice, dahl and potatoes outdoors under a large shady tree.

Bindi's on our foreheads

After the meal we took a walk through the village, following the road uphill to a second village where we stopped at a tea shop for chai.  Sarah, who turned out to be a magnet for both animals and children, was soon surrounded by the latter who were fascinated by her camera.

The village street

The five of us shared a long room with three double beds upstairs in Moona’s house.  I slept fitfully and rose early to join Judy for a short walk through the forest.

Since it was too cloudy to see any mountains we initially decided against the planned drive to the lookout point for Everest at Daman.  However, after walking from the house to the village for tea, egg and chickpeas, our driver, Ram, appeared and it seemed we were going to do the trip after all.

In a packed vehicle – 10 passengers, South African taxi style – we headed up into the mountains on a switchback road which took us past valleys of cultivated terraces and into the indigenous forest.  Our first stop was at a small temple, Shree Rikheshwar, about 2 km south of Daman.  To get to the temple we set off on a 1 km walk along an ancient pathway and up and down a myriad steps laid with stone.

Pathway to Shree Rikheshwar

Turning a corner on the trail and coming upon the temple with its thousands of prayer flags was a stirring experience.

Prayer flags at the temple

From there we drove to a tea house where we stopped briefly for tea and coke

The cooking area in the tea house

... and the scullery

and then the rest of the group set off, walking down the hill to the Everest Panorama Resort, while I elected to drive down to the gates where I joined the others and walked up to the resort. There we used the facilities – ‘real’ western-type toilets at the restaurant – before climbing back into our vehicle and making our way to the Everest lookout tower, where, despite our best efforts, we were unable to spot the mountain in the mist.

Entrance to the resort

What we did see, however, were approaching storm clouds, green with hail!

Our next stop was a traditional restaurant where we were served a mouth-watering meal and watched the hail materialize, pounding the roof and road with small stones.  The hail had stopped by the time we left the restaurant and we drove back to Palung in intermittent rain.  Once back in the little village of Okur we elected to stop off at the tea house for a while as we waited for the rain to stop and then walked the 20 minutes back to Moona’s house.

By this time it was getting quite cold so it was lovely just to settle in and rest, looking at photo’s, reading etc.  A light meal with the family followed and then early (very early) to bed.  I went to sleep quickly and woke up around 4am, having slept for a full 8 hours!

The next morning we had a wonderful send off by the whole family.  We first had  a full photo session including all the family and the dogs

Family photo session

and then, as we walked away from the house after many ‘namaste’s’ and hugs we found a whole contingent waiting for us at the start of the pathway where two pots of flowers had been set up and we were blessed with leis of yellow and red flowers and a red bindi on our foreheads.

Saying goodbye

The rain which had fallen all night had all but stopped as we made our way along the now familiar paths through the fields and across the suspension bridge to Okur, accompanied by Moona and some of the family members  Here we made our last visit to a tea house in Palung  to breakfast on boiled eggs, potatoes, chickpeas and tea before, after another round of photo’s and hugs, we piled into the vehicle in which Ram was to drive us back to Kathmando and the start of our Annapurna adventure.

Road out of the village

The Annapurna Circuit

(As experienced by a 60-something moderately fit trekker)

I have just completed 16 days trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.  Fourteen of those days were spent on our feet for an average of eight hours a day, walking above green terraces, along cool forest pathways, up endless stone steps, over dry, dusty roads and snowy mountain passes, in sun, rain, sleet, snow and howling winds.

During this time we stayed in remote mountain villages, most accessible

only by foot or on the back of a donkey.

We had the privilege of briefly sharing the lives of the gentle, hardworking people who make these magnificent mountains their home.

What follows is a copy of the journal I kept during the trek.  So much remains unsaid ….

 

Starting out – Besisahar to Khudi

Our journey, in a surprisingly comfortable minibus followed the road to Palung for a while and then turned off towards Besisahar.  The roads were congested at times but what a beautiful route!  We stopped for lunch at 11.30 at a Nepalese restaurant in one of the little villages along the way and then continued our journey, finally arriving in Besisahar at about 2.30pm.

Besisahar - the start of our trek

Suresh, our Sherpa, had announced during the last leg of our drive that we had a 2 hour walk from there to our first lodge.  No-one had really prepared for walking but, after a half an hour looking around Besisahar and doing some desultory shopping – Judy got her track suit pants – we headed out of town.  The 2 hour walk was fairly easy with no steep inclines and we made good time, even with a number of stops along the way to take pictures, look at birds – a bulbul and a king-fisher – or just admire the view.

We walked through a couple of small settlements before arriving at Khudi and finding our lodge, which was basic but clean and inviting. We sorted out our bedrooms and wandered through to the dining room for tea and a few games of Bananagram.  After a delicious but far too lavish dinner we drank hot chocolate or tea and chatted or read for a while.

The lodge at Khudi

A young American girl turned up with her guide/porter quite distraught just before we went through to bed.  They had been walking for a couple of hours in the dark and the rain, having missed the bus which would have taken her through to join her two friends.  Although she originally planned to walk on for another hour our shocked looks and exclamations changed her mind and she booked in for the night.

By 9pm everyone was ready for bed to prepare ourselves for the next day which would be our first full day of hiking.

Khudi to Siurung

I slept well, woke early and tried for a shower but had to settle for the tap.  Sorted out our belongings and then went up to the dining room for tea, followed by breakfast and bought water.  The American girl came in for breakfast and we got photos of her with all of us before starting our walk.

Setting out from Khudi

Walked in the rain on and off and then the sun came out.  It actually got unpleasantly hot for climbing – and we did a lot of climbing! Siurung, the village we were aiming for is at 2300m.  We stopped a couple of times for a short break and then lunched on the mountain side on fruit and boiled eggs – lovely!  It cooled off after lunch, raining intermittently and soon getting cold enough to don raincoats.

A nice long winding road past a picturesque farmer’s cottage led down to a suspension bridge.  We could see our destination at the top of the next mountain!  Flowers were quite prolific along the way – rhododendrons and white orchid-like flowers hanging from the trees.

The first of many suspension bridges

Crossing the bridge

We continued climbing up to the village where we were given three rooms in three separate houses.  Very basic accommodation but it felt good to be able to lie down on the beds for a while after enjoying a cup of tea.  The skies cleared and we were treated to a stupendous view of the snow capped Himalayas.

Flowers

A good dinner in the ‘’community centre’’ followed by entertainment in the form of first a small boy and then a woman dancing to a drumbeat and singing.  Judy, Mel and Ruth gamely joined in, Sarah and I declined.  Leis were handed out to all.  The entertainment went on far too long with everyone dying to get to bed.  When we eventually did I slept well, to be woken by barking dogs around 5am. Judy and I probably had the best accommodation – two separate (but tiny) rooms, mine with no window and Judy with unglazed openings.  Mel and Ruth slept above a very noisy goat and Sarah had rats in her room!

Siurung

Siurung to Jagat

Breakfast at the ‘’community centre’’ – muesli instead of the oats and honey we had ordered – and then we set off through terraced fields and isolated villages.

Terraced fields

The villages this high in the mountains are lovely – cobbled stone streets and clean and picturesque.

Village

Lots of downhill today, mostly over rocks which was taxing for the knees.  There were some beautiful waterfalls along the way.  We stopped at one for a water break then climbed up to a shop/restaurant where we had lunch – noodles – delicious!  We have all sworn off meat for the duration of the trek.

Waterfalls crossed the trail

It rained a little on the way to our lunch stop but soon cleared up and we continued downhill until we reached the road.

Walking in the rain - little boy tending to water buffalo

This was dusty and uninteresting after the paths we had been following but a bit easier on the legs.  We followed the river which was a torrent of blue water augmented by waterfalls gushing down the mountains – no shortage of water here!  The river must be fed chiefly by snowmelt.

One of the many waterfalls along the way

The road turned away from the river and started climbing up the mountain.  We opted to take a shortcut to cut out one of the curves in the road.   I managed this with a little help from Lila whose ready hand helped me over a couple of really difficult spots.  The road continued upwards for a while and then dipped down towards the village, Jagat, where we eventually found our lodge.  A  beer and a shower in rapid succession and then dinner and bed

Donkeys in Jagat

Jagat to Dharapani

 

After tea and breakfast we left Jagat for Dharapani in sunny weather.  There were lots of ups and downs today as the path and road followed the Siyanga river.

The trail followed the river

We walked about five hours before we reached Tal where we had noodles for lunch.  At the restaurant at Tal our meal was interrupted by a series of blasts bringing rocks crashing down from the mountain side into the river – evidence of the construction of the new road which will eventually change for ever the Annapurna Circuit. ( Due to the road construction, after Chamje we had to follow a new route along a rather dusty road and had to move to the side of the road a number of times to make way for donkey trains coming and going).

Road construction

We crossed the river a couple of times on suspension bridges and, at one stage, walked through a waterfall which cascaded onto the road, ran across it and down the mountain side.

Another waterfall crossing the road

Another suspension bridge, shared with donkeys, cows and two men carrying mattresses took us through a picturesque little village from which we had another half hour walk to our destination.

Crossing into Dharapani

One last suspension bridge, yet another climb and we were in Dharapani.

It was a long walk today – 8 hours on our feet with a stop for lunch – and not an easy one, with lots of rocks to negotiate.

The lodge we stayed in was comfortable and the food, once again, delicious.  Ready for bed by 8pm.

Our lodge at Dharapani

Dharapani to Chame

 

We had less than 7 hours walking today, starting off with a fairly easy walk along the river and then climbing steeply up through pine forests – an amazing variety of pine trees – interspersed with rhododendrons.  We were rewarded for the climb by magnificent views of Annapurna 2 and the Lumjung Himal massif.

View of the mountains

After the climb the track widened and the trek became fairly easy with just a few difficult places to negotiate along the way.

We stopped for lunch

We stopped for lunch after about four and a half hours – vegetable curry and rice and noodles – and sat outside to eat.  However the weather rapidly cooled off and jackets were quickly unearthed from backpacks.

After lunch a short two hours of walking took us to Chame for our overnight stay.

Walking into Chame

Our excitement at finding each room had its own toilet was somewhat dimmed by the fact that there was no water for the cisterns.  But hot tea and a lukewarm shower refreshed everyone while Judy wandered off to the market to find another flashcard for her camera.  An internet café right in the little lodge complex allowed us to access our emails and send off messages to families at home.

Internet sign

The weather had started to close in so we only had brief glimpses of Annapurna 4 through the clouds.  We drank hot chocolate and played Bananagram until dinner – Dal Bhat (rice and lentils)– then, well fed and nicely relaxed, we retired to bed and read.  An early start tomorrow for Lower Pisang.

Chame to Lower Pisang.

 

After breakfast we walked out of Chame along a relatively easy, wide road, shared by various donkeys, cows, horses and porters.  It rained a little and was too cloudy or misty to really enjoy the peaks.  After climbing a while we crossed a landslide and rounded an enormous rock face.

Rounded a rock face

Crossing  a suspension bridge, we continued to climb in earnest as the rain changed to sleet and then snow, turning the landscape into a winter wonderland.

It started to snow

It was snowing quite heavily by the time we reached our lunch stop and everyone donned beanies, gloves, buffs and jackets.

Vegie curry for lunch and then a magical hour and a half walk along wide easy pathways to Lower Pisang.  The rest of the group elected to do the climb to Upper Pisang but I opted to stay and finish my book which I did wrapped up in my sleeping bag – our room was freezing!

Wearing virtually everything I had, I joined the others on their return and we gathered in semi-dark in what appeared to be a dining room/bedroom.

We gathered around the fire

Tomato noodle soup for dinner accompanied by hot chocolate and I was more than ready for bed by 8pm.

The room was very cold and I battled to sleep, as did Judy who was sharing the room with me.  I finally unearthed and donned the down jacket lent to us by Himalayan Glacier Tours which did the trick.

Lower Pisang to Manang.

 

I was feeling a bit queasy in the morning so ate very little before we started our day.  A nice trail today, although it felt long.  A long, steady climb near the start at the top of which we overlooked a lovely snow clad valley surrounded by mountains – Pisang Peak, Tjuli and Annapurna 4.  The latter, however, kept coyly hidden beneath the clouds.

Clouds hid the mountains

We stopped for lunch and listened to our host explaining, in impeccable English,  how vegetable growing in the mountains hasn’t changed over the generations – no pesticides and only compost made of pine needles which had been thrown down in the animals’ enclosures.

Lunch menu - nice, if you like yak!

Sureth told us we had about an hour and a half to go to Manang after lunch but it seemed to come up far quicker than that.  A large, clean and quite sophisticated village – we passed a little shopping centre and a couple of places offering laundry services. Once we reached our lodge we found our rooms and quickly put our feet up

Manang

Manang – Rest Day

 

I felt tired and quite miserable on our rest/acclimatization day in Manang.  I must have picked up some sort of a bug and was quite nauseous at times.  Spent most of the day on the bed, reading.  The others were more adventurous and walked up to the monastery and then later to the glacier lake.

Glacier lake

In the afternoon I went to a lecture on AMS given by an American doctor who runs a clinic in Manang.  I spoke to him afterwards and he recommended a course of antibiotics which I bought from his clinic.  Hoped I would get my appetite back soon as I needed the fuel for the pass!

Manang to Ledar

 

After breakfast of poached eggs Judy went to the clinic for antibiotics as well and brought back a batch of imodium tablets for me.  We left Manang after 8am and started a steady climb which lasted most of the day through increasingly barren countryside but with some stupendous views of the mighty peaks of the Himalayas, including Tjuli West, and Annapurna 2, 3 and 4.

On the way to Ledar

We stopped for lunch – onion and garlic soup – and learnt that we were making for Ledar instead of Yak Kharka – about an hour further along the trail.

Lunch break

Very tired of walking by the time we arrived.  We had a short rest and tea – although I had lost my appetite completely by then and gagged over a cookie!  Then we walked uphill for about 200m and sat in the sun for about 15 min to acclimatize.  Headed back when the sun went behind the mountain and it started getting really cold.

Sitting in the dining room, we chatted to a Belgium couple for a while.  I declined dinner in favour of snacking on dried mango and nuts.  Took ages to get ready but finally climbed into bed and started warming up.

Another 2 days and we start heading back down. (When I wrote that I had discounted the climb to Ghorepani!!)

Ledar to Throng Pedi/High Camp

 

I hadn’t eaten much for about 4 days and finally hit a brick wall today.  Made it to Throng Pedi by stopping to rest every 10 steps or so on the uphills. I don’t remember much of the day’s trail as most of the time I had my head down, counting my steps and trying to control my breathing.

A frozen waterfall on the way to Throng Pedi

When we got to Throng Pedi Sureth wanted to push on the High Camp which would mean that we would have a shorter hike up to the pass in the morning.

Shuffling into Throng Pedi

I assured him that I could not walk any further that day and elected to hire a yak of which there were two at the lodge.

A choice of yaks

For the record, riding a yak is not the most comfortable of experiences. However, having reached High Camp in one (rather shaken) piece, I arranged for the yak to take me to the top of the pass as well.

It was bitterly cold in our room at High Camp and I sat with the down jacket covering everything else I was wearing trying to write my journal wearing gloves.  Apparently the next day, after crossing the pass we head downhill on a rather harrowing path, made worse by ice and snow.

High Camp over Throng La Pass to Muktinath

We were woken at 4.30am this morning and quickly sorted out our bags so that the porters could collect them.  We then made our way to the dining room through a fresh fall of snow for a plate of hot porridge.  It was still very cold.  The rest of the party went on ahead as I waited for Baba, the yak, to take me to the top.

Yakking up the mountain!

Feeling as I was, without Baba I doubt I would have made the top of the pass, (although there were times when I came close to climbing off my stumbling steed and trying to make it on my own two feet).   It is a long, hard climb, made worse by the freshly fallen snow and the bitter cold.  The first people to set out had started trampling a path in the snow and the man who led my yak attempted to improve the path by stamping down the snow as he walked, but unfortunately what held a human’s weight didn’t do as well for a yak and more than once Baba stepped into deep snow and went down onto his knees.

Since much of the path led around the edge of a precipice with snow sloping down from above and dropping away below, I quickly stopped looking down and just concentrated on staying on the yak’s back.   Apparently my fellow ýakker’ also found the trip quite hair-raising.  He had hurt his knee and had decided to avoid damaging it further over the pass.  Once we reached the top, however, he emphatically refused to go downhill on the yak and, as far as I know, made it on his own.  Quite honestly, I think attempting a ride downhill on a yak is suicidal!  Still, looking back, I count the ride as one of the highlights of my trek.

Sarah arrives at the top of the Throng La Pass

Everyone quite euphoric having made it over the pass as the possibility of AMS had remained a spectre in the background during the previous days’ climb, especially for those who had never climbed to that altitude before.

Our party at the top of the pass

Prayer flags were hung and photo’s taken before slithering our way down to Muktinath

Throng La Pass 5416m

Swopped the yak for my ‘’yaktrax’’, (named after the yak, these are light weight ice grips which are worn over regular hiking boots} and managed the downhill without too much trouble.

On the way down

A long, hard haul though!

Muktinath to Marpha

Our lodge at Muktinath

We left at 8am this morning and walked until 6pm with a break for lunch.  The first two hours were lovely. It was sunny and we walked through villages, downhill most of the way.

Villager weaving yak hair scarves

Unfortunately this didn’t last very long. At around 10am the wind came up and blew gustily for the rest of the day.   The trail led along a plateau above the Kali Gandaki gorge.

Kali Gandaki gorge

The landscape was barren, and the trail  very rocky. After a while we turned off the track onto a road where the passing jeeps threw up sand and stones at us and evidence of landslides kept us from walking too close to the rock walls.  The wind whipped up sand which stung our faces and then, just before Jomsom, it started raining, the wind driving the rain to the extent that it, too, actually stung at times.

We clambered down a rocky slope to Jomsom where we stopped for lunch and discussed taking a bus through to Marpha but none was available and hiring a jeep would cost around 7500 rupees.  Instead we pushed on to Marpha and arrived exhausted.  Beers brightened us up, as did the decision to take the bus through to Tatopani the next day.

Marpha to Tatopani

 

We got away at about 8am this morning after a visit to the Buddhist temple.

The village of Marpha from the Buddhist temple

Marpha is such a lovely clean town with cobbled streets and cedar branches burning aromatically in little braziers in the road.  I would have loved to have been able to spend more time exploring.

Marpha

Lila had organized a jeep for the same cost as a bus as three Russian girls had already hired it!  We finally set off with 13 people loaded in like sardines.  Sang the Mountain Song and then entertained everyone with some Xhosa and Afrikaans campfire songs.  The Russian girls sang for us and then the rest of the crew gave us a few renditions in Nepalese.

Ruth and Sureth set off from Ghasa

After an uneventful but hair-raising trip to Ghasa Ruth and Sureth got out to walk the next stretch.  The rest of us caught a local bus with no shock absorbers on the back wheels and quickly set sail again.  Riding a local bus is an experience all its own.  We had to stop and back up a number of times to let other vehicles pass as generally the road is only wide enough for one at a time.  We drove above the Kali Gandaki valley along the edge of the road looking down into the gorge, and, at one place we had to stop and wait while road workers cleared a landslide on the road.  Altogether quite an alarming trip, not improved by the fact that we passed at least one ill-fated bus which lay forlornly at the bottom of the valley!.

A local bus

The bus finally lurched into Tatopani where we found our rooms and then went down for lunch and drinks.  The rooms each had their own showers and (working) Western-type toilets.  Luxury!!  After lunch we went to the hot springs and soaked in the hot water for a while – lovely. Then back for a shower and just to relax.

The lodge at Tatopani

Ruth and Sureth arrived earlier than expected and most of the group went back to the hot springs later in the afternoon.  Everyone met for drinks down in the courtyard afterwards  – nice atmosphere, 70’s music playing.

Relaxing in the courtyard

We ate dinner in the courtyard as well – spinach burgers – delicious! So nice to have my appetite back! – then played a few rounds of rummy before retiring.

Tatopani to Shikha

 

Lay in a bit this morning and then had a shower and breakfast and chatted for a while with two guys from the Netherlands before leaving at about 9am.  After climbing for a while we crossed a very rickety suspension bridge and started climbing again in earnest.

Crossing a rickety bridge

The sun was shining – a beautiful day – but it got steadily hotter.  I really battled on the endless steps and thick sandy road.  By the time I reached where Judy and Ruth were sitting in the shade of a tree I had grave reservations about being able to complete the trail today at all.

Endless steps

Fortunately the landscape started changing as we walked through forests which gave shade and a light breeze started blowing.  Although the trail continued upwards the cooler weather was a life-saver and I managed a lot better, albeit with a number of stops to catch my breath.

View from our rest stop

We reached our lunch break after about 4 hours.  We heard the first rumbles of thunder while we were having lunch and the thunder continued as we resumed our walk.  Clouds covered the sun, the breeze freshened, and, although we continued climbing ever upwards, it was much easier to keep going.

Steps leading through a village

We finally arrived at our destination where hot showers awaited us.  A nice fire was going in the dining room where we all gathered to read, play cards, or just sit and chill.

Then dinner at 7pm and off to bed.

View from my bedroom window

Shikha to Ghorepani

Leaving Shikha for Ghorepani

A short walk today.  We left Shikha at about 8am after a breakfast of poached eggs and Judy and I arrived in Ghorepani at 12.30pm.

The path between the two villages is beautiful, forested and filled with the sound of birds, but the climb is relentless.  We had a couple of short stops but the plan was to push on to Ghorepani for lunch.  The trail led through miles of rhododendron forest where most of the trees were in flower – absolutely beautiful.

Rhododendron forests

Judy at a village water fountain

Sarah and Ruth were not feeling at all well.  They went on ahead with Lila and Mel and were both rolled up in their sleeping bags when we arrived.

The rest of us had lunch and chatted for a while to Ned, a young American who had signed up for a hike to the Annapurna Base Camp and then found he was the only member of the trip!  It didn’t seem to faze him.  However, the rain and hail, which started to fall again soon after we arrived, did, and he went off to buy a rain-jacket at one of the little shops in the village.

I went down to the internet café, which was part of the lodge, where I picked up an email from Richard.  This was the only the second time I had been able to gain access since starting the trek – so nice to hear from home and to know that everything was alright.

Back in the dining room I sat at the fire for a while to get warm and then went up to the room I shared with Ruth, climbed into my sleeping bag and read for a while, dozed, and wrote up my journal.  Finally went down for dinner then back to bed where I slept fitfully all night.

Judy and I had decided not to be woken early to climb Poon Hill in the morning as we were almost certain that the cloud cover would obliterate any view of the mountains.  Ruth, apparently, woke up at about 9pm, though she had been left behind from the trip up Poon Hill and dressed and rushed down stairs only to find everyone was in bed and asleep.

Ghorepani to Hile

 

Melanie, Ruth and Sarah went up Poon Hill but the clouds obscured the mountains and Judy and I were well satisfied with our decision.  Woke and read for a while when Ruth left then went downstairs and had a lovely hot shower followed by coffee.  Packed our things when the others arrived and then had poached eggs and toast for breakfast.

Rain poured down as we ate but abated a little before we left.

The road to Hile

The trail through the forest

We  started climbing down almost immediately and continued to do so for the next 6 hours with a short break for a drink and another longer one for lunch. which we ate in an open rondavel overlooking a valley.

Lunch at the rondavel

After ordering potato soup for lunch we watched in horror as the porters chased and caught one of the chickens in the yard and proceeded to slaughter, clean and cook it for their own meal.

The mist started rising

The mist started rising in the valley as we sat there and it got steadily colder.  After finally getting and eating our lunch we sat around, freezing, waiting for the staff to complete their meal in the warm kitchen/kiosk!

According to the map there are 3280 stone steps on at least one section of this journey and my knees felt every one of them.  Despite this, it is a lot easier climbing down than up and we felt for the many trekkers who passed us coming in the opposite direction.

The pathway led through rhododendron forests with the occasional magnolia tree, figs, cherry trees and many other unidentified species.  Hundreds of birds could be heard in the branches and we even caught sight of a monkey.  The rain made the stones and rocks slippery and I landed on my backside once, but on the whole, a beautiful, if damp, walk.

When we arrived at Indira everyone thought we had made it for the day so it was with some reluctance that we forced ourselves to walk the final ups and downs to our lodge in Hile.

Our lodge at Hile

Once there, we sat outside under cover, eating popcorn and chips, while Sarah, Mel, Ruth, Lila and Pratish played cards.  Eventually it got too cool so we elected to eat dinner indoors and retired to bed around 8pm.

Hile to Nayapul and Pokhara

 

Our last day of walking today, as we hike out of the mountains to meet our jeep which will take us through to Pokhara.  I chose poached eggs again for breakfast then we set off downhill again, out of the little village of Hile.

Leaving Hile

It was a much easier downhill without the rocks and the thousands of steps we had to negotiate yesterday.  Most of the walk was very pretty with the river running along on our right and lots of trees and greenery all around us.

The path through the trees

I love the stone cobbled streets and little walled paths running past the quaint little villages which we passed on our trek.

Unfortunately too soon we came to the construction of the new road and followed that almost as far as Birethanti.

The village of Birethanti

Right now the ‘road’ is simply a wide dusty track where walls and vegetation have been blasted away – as yet, no traffic other than the ubiquitous donkeys.

We reached the village of Birethanti by 9.30am and, because we were not planning on a lunch stop, and the jeep was only expected at Nayapul – 35 minutes down the road – by 11.30am, we stopped for tea/coffee and apple pie or pancakes.  Aside from the flies, this was a pleasant interlude, and far better than standing waiting at the bus terminal for the jeep to appear.  While there we tried to get photographs of Fishtail Mountain as it teased us from behind the clouds, but with little success.

Lila started getting restless so the rest of us filed obediently after him leaving Sarah, still shopping at a little stall near the teahouse, with Sureth.

We walked down the hill, across the pedestrian bridge, and into a different world.  Instead of the well swept stone streets, we negotiated muddy, churned up roads.  Many cars lined the pavements and a couple of motor cycles zoomed past.  This side of the village is much dirtier and far less attractive than all the remote villages we have wandered through on our journey and an unfortunate reminder of the negative consequences of building a road through the Himalayas.  It was with  relief that we finally climbed the last hill and found the terminal with our jeep waiting to be loaded up.

Nevertheless, it was a bitter-sweet moment.  Our epic journey was over.  A jeep ride into Pokhara and tomorrow a tourist bus back to Kathmandu – leaving rural Nepal, which we have come to love, behind us.

The journey to Pokhara on barely paved roads took us about one and a half hours and the hotel was a pleasant surprise.  Near the lake, comfortable rooms, hot baths/showers etc.  We sorted out our belongings and bathed then joined our porters and Lila for one last time to thank them and hand out tips.  Quite an emotional moment – they have been a great crew and attentive to our every need and we have felt quite close to them over the almost three weeks we have spent together.

It was from our hotel in Pokhara that evening and early the next morning that we finally got our photo’s of the elusive Fishtail Mountain: Machhapuchhre, the holy mountain.

Fishtail Mountain

Back in the city

A long bus ride over some hair pin bends, above deep valleys brought us back eventually to Kathmandu and Hotel Shanker and the end of our trip.  We had dinner at Rummydoo with Suresh, provided by Himalayan Glacier, obviously a favourite with returning trekkers – where we decorated a ‘foot’to be hung in the restaurant, celebrating our own trek.

Our 'foot' commemorating our trek

Coming back to civilization’ was quite a culture shock after two weeks in the mountains.  Both Pokhara and Kathmandu seem to have achieved an uneasy peace between town and country living with fields, haystacks and livestock extending far into the urban sprawl, but the traffic and confusion, especially in Kathmandu, was made bearable only by the proximity of flush toilets and hot showers!

The peace and tranquility of the ‘himals’  have been left far behind, but hopefully we all carry a little back with us in our hearts.