Pokhara in domov / Pokhara and return home

17. dan: Birethani-Pokhara En del naše skupine je še prespal v Naudandi, nekateri pa se nismo mogli premagati, ko nam je tovornjak ponudil prevoz v Pokharo. Tam smo najprej pospravili pol slaščičarne, potem pa ležali na travi pod palmami in pili limonado. Najedli smo se tudi golaža, ki ga v neki restavraciji streže Avstrijka.	Day 17: Birethani-Pokhara A few members of our group spent the night in Naudanda while the rest of us couldn't say no when a truck driver offered us a ride to Pokhara. We first emptied out the local pastry shop and then rested on the grass under palm trees and drank lemonade. We ate beef stew in a restaurant owned by an Austrian woman.
18. dan: Pokhara V Pokhari smo počivali nekaj dni. Prvi dan smo še malo razmišljali, ali si upamo vzeti rent-a-bicycle, saj tam vozijo po levi strani ceste, tako po Azijsko, da je vožnja po cesti v bistvu borba za preživetje. A smo se le opogumili, preverili, ali zvonci na kolesih dobro delujejo, in se odpeljali v muzej, kjer imajo zbirko več tisoč vrst metuljev in drugih insektov.	Day 18: Pokhara We rested in Pokhara a few days. The first day we were reluctant to rent bicycles as we weren't used to driving on the left side of the road and the traffic is Asian in that it is a fight for survival. We took the bicycles after all made sure that the horns worked loudly enough and cycled off to a museum of more than a thousand butterflies and other insects.
Vožnja z avtobusom nazaj v Katmandu (razdalja 200 km) je trajala celih 11 ur, to pa predvsem zato, ker je cesta ozka, speljana nad prepadom in vsakič, ko se je nasproti pripeljalo kakšno vozilo, je bilo precej manevriranja, mahanja z rokami, trobljenja in usmerjanja, da sta vozili odpeljali drugo mimo drugega. Pa se nismo pritoževali, saj smo srečno prispeli, zadovoljni, da naš avtobus ni bil eden izmed tistih, ki občasno padejo v prepad. Domov smo se vračali prek Bangkoka, kjer smo ostali in počivali še nekaj dni. Kar težko smo se privadili na velemesto, civilizacijo, hitro postrežbo v restavracijah, a še dobro, da smo imeli ta vmesni postanek, da vrnitev domov ni bila prehud kulturni šok.	Our bus ride back to Kathmandu (a distance of 200 km) lasted 11 hours. The road is narrow and goes along a cliff so that each time we encountered a vehicle coming in our direction there was lots of activity, honking and arm waving to manouver the two vehicles to pass each other. In the end we were thankful to arrive safely with the realization that our bus was not one of those that occasionally drop down the cliff. We returned home via Bangkok where we also stayed and rested a few days. It was quite a transition back to civilization, a huge city, efficient service in restaurants. But this stop made it easier to adjust to returning back home to our real lives.

Čez prelaz / Over the pass

11. dan: Thorong Phedi-Muktinath Na pot smo šli že ob 4h zjutraj, da smo se izognili vetru, ki začne pihati na prelazu Thorong zgodaj dopoldne. Na prelaz (5400 metrov) sem prišla ob 8h zjutraj, kar je bilo točno po planu, nekateri so bili sicer hitrejši, drugi pa počasnejši. Težko smo dihali, vendar smo vsi uspešno premagali prelaz, kar je bila najvišja točka naše poti. Na drugi strani prelaza se pot zelo strmo spušča 1600 metrov nižje v vasico Muktinath. Srečevali smo ljudi, ki so prečkali prelaz v obratni smeri, kar pa je precej bolj naporno, saj je vzpon z druge strani mnogo strmejši.	Day 11: Thorong Phedi-Muktinath We started at 4:00 in the morning in order to avoid the wind that starts blowing on the Thorong pass early in the day. I reached the pass (5400 meters) at 8:00 AM which was exactly as planned. There were a few ahead of me and some behind. The breathing was tough but we all made it over the pass which was the highest point of our trek. On the other side the road winds down steeply for 1600 m into the town of Muktinath. We met people who were going up the pass in the other direction which is much more difficult because the pass is so much steeper on this side.
12. dan: Muktinath-Marpha Ves dan nam je nasproti pihal močan veter, hodili pa smo po kamniti rečni strugi. Nekajkrat smo se morali sezuti, da smo lahko prečkali pritoke reke. Dolina reke Kali Gandaki, po kateri smo se spuščali, je precej bolj razvita od doline reke Marsyangdi, po kateri smo se vzpenjali. Tovore tu prenašajo s konji in osli, medtem ko jih na drugi strani tovorijo ljudje. V Marphi imajo celo sončne kolektorje in tuše (to je bilo naše drugo umivanje na poti).	Day 12: Muktinath-Marpha We had a strong wind blowing in our direction all day and our path was along a rocky dry riverbed. we had to take of our shoes a few times in order to cross streams. The Kali Gandaki river vally where we descended seemd much more developed than the Marsyangdi river valley where we ascended. Cargo is carried by horses and donkeys on this side while everything is still carried by people on the other side. Marpha even has solar powered showers (this was our second washing on the way).
13. dan: Marpha-Lete V obeh dolinah rek so jabolčni nasadi, Marpha pa je kraj, ki najbolj slovi po jabolkih. Oba večera, v Marphi in v Leteju, smo si privoščili jabolčno žganje. Še nikoli v življenju nisem bila tako pijana za tako malo denarja. Naročiš "apple brandy", prinesejo ga 2 deci, zaračunajo pa 10 rupij (cca. 0,3 USD).	Day 13: Marpha-Lete Both river valleys are abundant with apple orchards but Marpha is the most famous for apples. Both nights, in Marpha and in Lete, we had apple brandy. Never before have I been so drunk for so little money. When I ordered an apple brandy, they brought it in a 2 deciliter glass and it cost 10 rupees (about 0,3 USD).
14. dan: Lete-Tatopani Pot se je strmo spuščala po kamnitih stopnicah, ki jih menda vsako leto po monsunu na novo postavijo. Domačini trdijo, da je vseh stopnic 3800, a mi jih zaradi glavobola po jabolčnem žganju nismo uspeli natančno prešteti. V Tatopaniju je topli vrelec, v katerem smo se lahko že tretjič umivali. Za večerjo smo imeli na izbiro celo meso, ampak ker smo bili že tako navajeni na dal bat, smo ohranili tradicijo.	Day 14: Lete-Tatopani The trail led down steeply along stone steps which we were told are rebuilt every year after the monsoon. The locals told us that there were 3800 steps in total but we didn't bother to count them, after all we were hungover from the apple brandy. Tatopani has a hot spring where we were able to wash for the third time. We could even have meat for dinner, but since we were so used to dal bhat by now, we stuck to tradition.
15. dan: Tatopani-Ghorapani V Tatopaniju se pot razcepi: ena pot nadaljuje po dolini reke, naš vodič pa je odločil, da gremo preko Ghorapanija (vzpon nazaj na 2800 metrov). Nič hudega, smo rekli, samo preko Triglava še skočimo, to je malenkost, saj smo vajeni himalajskih razsežnosti.	Day 15: Tatopani-Ghorapani In Tatopani the trail splits: one way goes into the valley along the river, but our guide decided that we would go the other way over Ghorapani (an ascent back to 2800 meters). We weren't too concerned, this is just another quick trip to Triglav (note: Slovenia's highest mountain), we were by now used to Himalayan heights.
16. dan: Ghorapani-Birethani Končno smo se spustili v nižino in smo lahko pospravili bunde. V daljavi smo že zagledali značilno obliko hriba Machapuchare, kar je pomenilo, da je Pokhara in z njo cilj našega trekinga blizu. Za konec sem se udarila v glavo, ko sem se vračala iz stranišča.	Day 16: Ghorapani-Birethani We finally reached lower land and we could put away our winter clothes. We could just see the silhouette of Machapuchare in the distance, which meant that Pokhara and our destination was close. To finish in style, I hit my head when I was returning from the toilet.

Tretji dan in naprej / Third day and beyond

3. dan: Bhul Bule-Jagat Ta dan se je začela malo bolj resna hoja navkreber. Na cilj smo prišli sicer utrujeni, kakšnih težav s kondicijo pa nismo imeli. Spali smo v značilnem "hotelu": lesena bajta, v pritličju kuhinja in dolga miza s klopmi, v prvem nadstropju pa skupna ležišča. Domačini spijo kar v kuhinji na tleh. Dimnikov nimajo, dim se torej vali iz ognjišča v kuhinji skozi špranje v stropu v spalnice. Spat nismo mogli, dokler so v kuhinji še nalagali na ogenj, saj bi bili povsem prekajeni. Zato smo ob večerih posedali po jedilnici, včasih kakšno zapeli, nekajkrat so nas tudi zabavali naši nosači, ki so nam zapeli svoje komade. Večerjali smo dal bat. Ena članica naše skupine je padla na stranišču in si odrgnila precej kože na roki.	Day 3: Bhul Bule-Jagat More serious uphill hiking started today. We were tired by the end of the day but none of us had any serious problems. We slept in a typical "hotel": a wooden barrack that had a kitchen and a long table with benches on the ground floor and dormitory beds on the upper floor. The locals sleep on the floor in the kitchen. As there are no chimneys, the smoke goes through the cracks in the ceiling into the dormitory. Therefore we couldn't go to sleep until they put out the fire or we would have been totally smoked. So we spent the evenings sitting in the dining room, sometimes we sang and sometimes our porters sang. We ate dal bhat. A member of our group fell in the toiled and skinned a good part of her hand.
4. dan: Jagat-Dharapani Pot se je nadaljevala navkreber, vedno manj je bilo riževih polj, gozda pa tam tudi ni, ker so ga domačini večino posekali za kurjavo. V Dharapaniju je bilo najboljše stranišče: zgrajeno nad prepadom, tako da ni smrdelo. Tokrat se nobena članica naše odprave ni poškodovala na stranišču, zato pa sem imela jaz smolo, ker mi je spodrsnilo in sem stopila v človeški iztrebek. Fuj, fuj, fuj, na srečo je bil blizu potok, v katerem sem se potrudila kar najbolj oprati.	Day 4: Jagat-Dharapani The trek continued upwards, there were fewer rice fields and there was also no forest because it has been chopped down for firewood by the locals. Dharapani had the best toilet: it's built above a precipice and it therefore doesn't smell. This time none of the members of our group hurt themselves in the toilet, but I had an incident. I slipped and stepped into human excrement. Yuck, yuck, yuck, fortunately there was a stream nearby where I tried to wash the best I could.
5. dan: Dharapani-Chame Končno smo imeli prvo umivanje v toplem vrelcu ob poti. Presenečeni smo bili, ko smo po vseh manjših vaseh, ki smo jih videli do tedaj, prišli v Chame, ki se razvija v pravo mesto. Zgradili so stanovanjsko naselje z dvonadstropnimi kamnitimi bloki, vendar tudi te novejše stavbe niso imele dimnikov, opazili smo, da se dim vali skozi okna. Prvič nas je zvečer pošteno zeblo, saj je bil hotel ravno tak, kakor tisti v nižini: okna so bila brez šip, polkna so se slabo zapirala, veter je pihal skozi špranje v stenah. Preden smo šli spat, smo morali spoditi kokoši iz spalnic.	Day 5: Dharapani-Chame At last we were able to wash ourselves in a hot spring along the way. After passing countless small villages along our way we were surprised to see that Chame is developing into something that resembles a city. There are new two story brick apartment houses where we were quick to notice that they didn't have chimneys because smoke was coming out the windows. This was the first time we were really cold at night. The hotel was exactly the same as the ones lower: no glass in the windows, the shutters barely closed, wind was blowing through cracks in the walls. Before we could go to sleep we had to chase away the chickens.
6. dan: Chame-Pisang Ob poti je bilo vedno več gozda, saj smo prehajali v višine, kjer živi manj domačinov in je bilo zato manj gozda uničenega. Čez dan je bilo prijetno toplo, ko je sonce zašlo, pa je bilo zelo mrzlo. Večerjali smo dal bat in spet ena se je spotaknila na stranišču.	Day 6: Chame-Pisang As we continued our way higher up, there were fewer inhabitants and therefore the wooded areas were much more preserved. It was nicely warm during the day and it became very cold when the sun went down. We ate dal bhat and another one had a fall in the toilet.
7. dan: Pisang-Manang Obiskali smo jugoslovansko alpinistično šolo pri letališču pred Manangom, kjer so nas z veseljem sprejeli in postregli s čajem. Zvečer si je ena članica naše skupine zvila gleženj, ko se je vračala iz stranišča. Tokrat pa je bilo bolj resno, gleženj ji je otekel, tako da se je morala vrniti s konjem in trekinga je bilo zanjo konec.	Day 7: Pisang-Manang We visited the Yugoslavian alpine school near the Manang airport where they warmly invited us in for tea. That evening one member of our group sprained her ankle when she was returning from the toilet. This time it was serious, her ankle was swollen and so her trek was over. She returned on a horse.
8. dan: Manang Dan smo preživeli v Manangu zaradi aklimatizacije. Dopoldne smo se zapodili na bližnje vrhove (4000 metrov), popoldne pa smo gledali festival v sosednji vasi. Opazili smo, da so bili hribi poraščeni s planikami.	Day 8: Manang We spent the day in Manang to acclimatize to the altitude. We spent the morning ascending nearby hilltops (4000 meters) and the afternoon watching a festival in the neighboring village. We noticed that the hills were full of edelweiss flowers.
9. dan: Manang-Churi Lottar Prvotno smo nameravali že ta dan na Thorong Phedi, vendar smo po priporočilu avstralske zdravnice, ki že dve leti živi in dela v Manangu, etapo razdelili, da smo imeli še dodaten dan za aklimatizacijo. Očitno smo se odločili pravilno, saj nihče v naši skupini ni imel težav z višinsko boleznijo, medtem ko smo videli kar nekaj drugih pohodnikov, ki so se morali vračati zaradi težav z višino.	Day 9: Manang-Churi Lottar Initially we planned to  go to Thorong Phedi, but then we listened to the advice of an Australian doctor who has been living and working Manang for two years to allow an extra day for acclimatization. It was obviously a wise decision as none of the members of our group had altitude sickness while we met a few other trekkers who had to return due to problems related to altitude.
10. dan: Churi Lottar-Thorong Phedi Hoje je bilo samo za dve uri, ostanek dneva pa smo poležavali na travi, oblečeni v bunde, kape, rokavice. Sicer je bilo kar prijetno, dokler je sijalo sonce. Kratkočasili smo se tudi tako, da smo v rečni strugi iskali fosile. Kar nekaj smo jih našli. Po sončnem zahodu smo se prestavili v bajto, kjer je bilo nevzdržno: dokler so bila vrata zaprta, smo se dušili v dimu, če so vrata odprli, pa nas je grozljivo zeblo. Tudi ponoči ni bilo prijetno, predvsem nas je zeblo.	Day 10: Churi Lottar-Thorong Phedi The day's trek lasted only two hours and we spent the rest of the time sprawled on the grass, dressed in full winter gear including hats and gloves. It was quite bearable while the sun was up. We also amused ourselves by looking for fossils, there are many around. After sundown we entered the hut where it was unbearable: while the door was closed, we choked on smoke and when they opened the door to air the place it was freezing. The night was also uncomfortable due to the cold.

Drugi dan / Second day

2. dan: Bhote Odar-Bhul Bule Hitro smo se privadili vsakodnevni rutini. Vstajali smo ob 6h zjutraj, ko je sonce obsijalo najvišje himalajske vrhove. Vreme je bilo vsak dan enako: zjutraj je bilo jasno, okrog poldneva so se začeli pojavljati posamezni oblački, do 6h zvečer, ko se je stemnilo, je bilo že precej oblačno, do 9h zvečer pa se je spet zjasnilo, tako da smo lahko vsak večer gledali zvezde. Naš vodič Umes nam je vsak dan sproti določil, kolikšno razdaljo bomo prehodili, razložil, kakšna bo pot in povedal, v katerem kraju se dobimo zvečer. Potem nas je pustil, da smo šli po svoje, on pa je tekel naprej, da nam je rezerviral prenočišče. Kasneje se je vračal in preverjal, ali smo vsi prišli srečno na cilj. Imeli smo vsak svoj zemljevid, sicer pa poti niso bile markirane, saj smo hodili kar po glavni »cesti« po kateri so hodili tudi domačini do svojih vasi. Izgubiti se nismo mogli, ker če je že slučajno kje bilo kakšno razpotje, so nas otroci vedno usmerili na pravo pot. Nekajkrat smo ob poti naleteli na policaje, ki so včasih pogledali, ali imamo dovoljenje za treking. Hodili smo po kolovozu med riževimi polji. Med potjo so za nami tekli otroci in vpili "Give me your pen". Vsi otroci namreč dobro govorijo angleško, ker hodijo v angleške šole. Kadar smo hoteli, smo od njih lahko kupili mandarine. Pot nas je vodila skozi vasice ob reki Marsyangdi, reko smo tudi nekajkrat prečkali. Viseči mostovi so bili boljši, kakor sem si jih predstavljala, narejeni so bili iz jeklenih žic in dokaj stabilni. Prvi dan hoje smo uspešno prestali, niti ni bilo zelo naporno. Večerjali smo dal bat.

Day 2: Bhote Odar-Bhul Bule We soon fell into our everyday routine. We woke up at 6:00 AM, just as the sun lighted up the Himalayan peaks. The weather was the same each day: it was clear in the morning, then clouds started showing up during midday and by 6:00 PM when it was dark it was quite cloudy. By 9:00 PM it was clear again so we could watch the stars every night. Our guide Umes decided what distance we would trek each day, explained what to expect along the way and where we would meet in the evening. Then he let us go on our own while he hurried ahead to reserve our sleeping accommodation. He later returned to make sure that we all made it safely. We each carried our own map although it wasn’t really necessary as we walked along the main “highway” that was used by the locals to get to their villages. We couldn’t get lost because if by any chance someone took a wrong turn, local children would point the way. Occasionally we ran into police officers who sometimes checked our trekking permits. We hiked mostly on flat terrain among rice fields. Children ran after us screaming “Give me your pen”. They learn English in schools and so are quite fluent in the language. Sometimes they sold us mandarin oranges. Our path continued through small villages along the Marsyangdi river and we crossed the river several times. The bridges were much sturdier than I had expected, mostly they were made of steel wires. Thus we successfully completed our first hiking day. Our dinner was dal bhat.

Prvi dan / First day

1. dan: Katmandu-Dumre-Bhote Odar Z avtobusom smo se odpeljali iz Katmanduja v kraj Dumre, kjer se običajno začne treking okoli gorovja Annapurne. Med potjo, ki je trajala več ur, je avtobus ustavil ob cesti v gostilni, kjer smo se prvič od mnogokrat najedli jedi dal bat, to je riž z omako iz leče in nekaj zelenjave. V kraju Dumre smo najeli tovornjak, ki nas je peljal po prašni cesti tri ure daleč v Bhote Odar in s tem smo si prihranili prvi dan hoje. Ker smo bili večja skupina, sprva nismo bili pozorni in niti nismo zares opazili, da se je med nas nekako vtihotapil še en pohodnik, ki je potoval sam, se lepo peljal z nami v tovornjaku, ko pa je bilo na koncu treba plačati šoferju, ga ni bilo nikjer na spregled. Prvič smo prespali v popotniškem hotelu, kjer smo seveda večerjali dal bat. Kolegica je imela s seboj polkilsko čokolado Gorenjka, ki pa se je v vročem dnevu povsem zmehčala, zato jo je zvečer pustila na okenski polici, da bi se ohladila in zravnala. Zjutraj pa, o groza, čokolade ni bilo več! Le kdo jo je vzel? Za zajtrk smo dobili čapatije namazane z marmelado, Mojca jih je naročila toliko, kolikor nas je bilo v skupini, a je na koncu eden zmanjkal. Malo smo se postrani gledali med seboj, ali ni morda kdo pojedel dveh zajtrkov, na začetku poti se nismo še niti dobro poznali med seboj. Šele potem v toku dopoldneva se nam je vsa zgodba sestavila, ko smo ob poti zagledali odvržen zmečkan ovitek od tiste izginule čokolade Gorenjka. In se takoj spomnili našega sumljivega sopotnika od prejšnjega dne, zdaj smo bili prepričani, da je on vzel čokolado in najverjetneje tudi zajtrk. Še sreča, da je hodil hitreje od nas (je že vedel zakaj) in ga potem nismo več srečali, sicer bi ga sigurno prebutali. Ponoči si je ena članica naše skupine poškodovala nogo, ko je šla na stranišče. Na srečo ni bilo nič hudega in je naslednji dan lahko hodila.

Day 1: Kathmandu-Dumre-Bhote Odar We rode a bus from Kathmandu to the town of Dumre, the usual starting point for the trek around Annapurna. The bus ride took many hours so we stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant where we tasted dal bhat, a dish made of rice, dal (lentils) and a little vegetables, for the first time. In Dumre we hired a truck to drive us along a dusty road for three hours to Bhote Odar which saved us a day’s worth of hiking. We were a large group and so we didn’t really notice that an additional trekker mingled in our group, rode with us on the truck and was immediately gone at our destination before the driver had to be paid. We spent the night in a typical trekking hotel where our supper was none other than dal bhat. One of the girls in our group brought a half kilo of Gorenjka chocolate that was all soft from the day’s heat so she left it on the windowsill during the night to cool. But the next morning the chocolate was gone! We all wondered who took it? Our breakfast was chapatis with marmalade that Mojca ordered for us, one for each member of our group. But the last person went hungry because there seemed to be one too few. We were all suspicious of each other, in fact, we didn’t know each other that well at the beginning of our trip and we were all wondering that someone must have secretly eaten two breakfasts. It wasn’t until later that morning that we discovered what probably happened, after we found the wrapper from the missing Gorenjka chocolate lying by the road. We remembered the mysterious trekker from the previous night and were quite sure that he took the chocolate and most likely grabbed one of our breakfasts as well. Lucky for him that he hiked much faster than us (he must have been in a hurry to get away from us) and we never met him again, for we surely would have given him the time of day. During our first night a member of our group hurt her foot when she went to the toilet. It wasn’t serious and she was able to walk the next day.

Katmandu / Kathmandu

Vize za Nepal ni bilo potrebno urejati vnaprej, saj smo na letališču v Katmanduju za 10 USD takoj dobili vizo za 14 dni. Prvih par dni smo porabili za turistične oglede Katmanduja in okolice in za urejanje formalnosti, predvsem dovoljenja za treking. Sicer je šlo vse preprosto, brez zapletov, le en dan je bilo treba stati v vrsti, da smo uredili vse papirje. Ker nas je bilo več v skupini, smo se v vrsti menjavali. Hkrati z dovoljenjem za treking, ki je stalo 30 USD na osebo, so nam tudi podaljšali vizo za čas trajanja trekinga. Dovoljenje za treking je vezano na točno določeno pot, zato smo morali vnaprej povedati točno, kam gremo. Če bi hoteli med trekingom splezati na kakšen bližnji vrh, bi morali imeti za to dodatno dovoljenje. Obvezno smo morali po uradnem tečaju menjati po 10 USD na osebo na dan za vsak dan trekinga (ne pa tudi za ostale dneve, ki smo jih preživeli v Nepalu). Na črno smo lahko po ugodnejšem tečaju menjali denar kjerkoli v trgovinah ali na cesti v Katmanduju. Za na sam treking smo morali imeti s seboj rupije za vse dni vnaprej, saj v hribih menjava ni bila možna. Na dan trekinga smo računali od 3 do 5 USD, od tega skoraj vse za hrano in čaj. Voda v Nepalu ni pitna, čaj pa ponujajo pri vsaki hiši. S seboj nismo nosili nobene hrane, ker so ob vsej poti hoteli. Šotore smo imeli s seboj za vsak slučaj, a jih nismo uporabili. Prvotno je bilo načrtovano, da bo naš vodič na trekingu alpinist Pavle Kozjek, ki se je ravno v tistih dneh vračal iz odprave na Šiša Pangmo. A je imel smolo, saj so mu ozebli prsti na nogah in se je zaradi tega moral vrniti domov. Zato je organizatorica Mojca v Katmanduju prek agencije najela vodiča in pet nosačev. Dobili smo še navodilo, naj se dobro najemo zrezkov v restavracijah v Katmanduju, saj kasneje na trekingu ne bo mesa, kupili smo nekaj sladkarij za s seboj in hoja se je lahko začela.

There was no need to get a visa for Nepal ahead of time, we could buy one for 14 days at the airport for $10. We spent the first few days sightseeing in and around Kathmandu and doing the paperwork required for our trekking permit. Everything went smoothly, we only had to queue for about one whole day to get all the papers but it wasn’t too difficult because we took turns standing in the queue. The trekking permit cost $30 and it included extending our visa for the duration of the trek. A trekking permit is issued for an exactly specified route and any side-trips in addition to that are not allowed. We were required to officially change money in the amount of $10 per person per day for each day of our trekking (but not for additional days spent in Nepal). We could exchange money unofficially for a much better rate anywhere on the streets or shops in Kathmandu. But we had to have rupees with us for the entire duration of the trekking as we wouldn’t be able to change money along the way. We estimated between $3 and $5 per day, almost exclusively for food and tea. Water in Nepal is not drinkable, but tea is available from every house. We didn’t have to carry food with us because there are hotels along the way. We had tents with us just in case but we never used them. Originally it was planned that our guide would be Pavle Kozjek (Note: he was a well-known Slovene Alpine climber, deceased on Mustagh Tower in 2008.) who was just returning from an expedition to Shisha Pangma. Unfortunately his toes were frostbitten and so he had to return home. Therefore Mojca, our leader, hired a guide and five porters from an agency in Kathmandu. We were told that we should eat plenty of steaks in restaurants in Kathmandu because there would be no meat where we were going. We also bought some sweet treats to take along and we were ready to go.

Na pot / On my way

Prejšnji teden sem se vrnila s trekinga v Nepalu. V 18 dneh smo obhodili gorovje Annapurne: vzpenjali smo se po dolini reke Marsyangdi, mimo jugoslovanske alpinistične šole v Manangu, prek prelaza Thorong (5400 metrov nadmorske višine), vračali pa po dolini reke Kali Gandaki. Saj ne vem, kaj naj rečem, bilo je fantastično in tak treking priporočam vsem ljubiteljem hribov. Kako je sploh prišlo do tega, da sem se odpravila tja? Pravzaprav me je Marko prisilil (priznam, prav zelo upirala se tudi nisem). Namreč, ko sem bila noseča, je bil on na potovanju v Indiji, in zdaj sem bila nekako jaz na vrsti, da si privoščim malo oddiha. Ne ravno najbolj prepričana, da je to res dobra ideja, da grem na pot za 5 tednov in doma pustim leto in pol staro hčerko, sem vendarle odšla na uvodni sestanek z Mojco Petrič iz agencije Erazem, ki je vse skupaj organizirala. Od sestanka pa sem se vrnila tako navdušena, da so se vsi moji prvotni pomisleki v hipu razblinili. Kupila sem si nove pohodne čevlje, s katerimi smo šli z družino trenirat na Komno, vso ostalo opremo sem nabrala doma in nestrpno pričakovala odhod. Naključje je hotelo, da smo odpotovali iz Zagreba in to ravno na isti dan, ko smo v službi imeli ekskurzijo na sejem Interbiro, ki je potekal prav tako v Zagrebu. Tako sem se najprej zjutraj z vso prtljago vkrcala na avtobus, ki nas je skupaj s sodelavci peljal na sejem v Zagreb, popoldne pa sem se na letališču srečala s preostalimi 14 člani naše odprave in organizatorico Mojco. Vnaprej nisem vedela, s kom vse grem na pot, tako da sem presenečena ugotovila, da je bila v skupini ena moja nekdanja sošolka s faksa, pa trije moški iz Štajerskega konca, od katerih je bil eden doma iz mojega rojstnega kraja in smo hitro ugotovili, da so bili njegovi starši dobri prijatelji z mojimi starši. Majhen svet. Poleteli smo v Amsterdam, tam prespali, naslednje dopoldne opravili še zadnje nakupe, popoldne pa nadaljevali pot proti New Delhiju in od tam z Royal Nepal Airlines v Katmandu.

Last week I returned from trekking in Nepal. It took us 18 days to hike around the Annapurna mountain range: we ascended along the Marsyangdi river valley, visited the Yugoslav Alpine School in Manang, crossed the Thorong pass (5400 m altitude) and descended along the Kali Gandaki river valley. I am at a loss for words, it was fantastic and I would recommend it to all hiking enthusiasts. So how did I decide to go there? Actually, Marko talked me into it (to be honest, I didn’t resist much). When I was pregnant the year before, he went on a trip to India and it was now my turn to have some fun. Not quite convinced that it was such a good idea to go away for 5 weeks and leave my one and a half year old daughter at home, I nevertheless went to an introductory meeting with Mojca Petrič from the Erazem agency who was organizing the trip. I returned from that meeting so excited that all my doubts whether to go or not to go disappeared. I bought new hiking shoes, broke them in on a family hike to Komna, collected the rest of the equipment at home and was anxious to get going. By coincidence our flight was from Zagreb on the very same that that my employer organized a trip to the annual Interbiro expo that was also held there. So I rode to Zagreb with all my luggage on the bus that took my colleagues to the expo, spent the day with them and headed to the airport in the afternoon where I met up with Mojca and the other 14 members of our expedition. I didn’t know ahead who else was going and was surprised to find out that one member of the group was a college classmate and another was from the town where I was born and was acquainted with my parents. Small world. We flew to Amsterdam, spent the night there, did our last minute shopping the next morning and continued our journey towards New Delhi in the afternoon and from there with Royal Nepal Airlines to Kathmandu.