The real trek

So having heard the end of the tail i suspect you'd like to hear the rest, perhaps with some pretty pictures added in too...? if not well i will anyway!

Day 1: Pokhara - Tikedhunga .We started off the trek in Pokhara, not walking but hoping on to a bus, with our luggage and the porters. We were driven approx. 40km out of PKR in a town called Nayapul and began what was to be the easiest day of trekking, only 4 hours! but this worked well and we actually reached our destination before we realised it was lunch time. Lunch of Dal Bhat (Ed's t-shirt reads "dal bhat 24hrs power" which the guides love!). then continued plodding behind/ then in front of our first Pony/donkey caravan. When we got to the spot we were to stop for the night we were told there was waterfall near by. So Sarah, Julia, Ed, Magnus, Kirsten and I went with Naba (our guide) to this water fall. Everyone apart from me decided it would be a good idea to have a shower in the freezing cold mountain water.Then Ed and Magnus got under the water fall..... don't ask.

Day 2: Tikedhunga - Ghorepani. The day started with Joe being send back with dysentery, not great and having been forewarned that today was epic, and up hill, and majority steps i can't say we were optimistic about the day ahead. Not much to say apart from a hard day, especially as it was just Mahendra (the other guide) for a good 3 hours. Gaurav and Anna had a break down in the forest and lunch was over shot meaning that we didn't know where we were stopping. We also got squished in a huge goat herd on the way up the hill to Ghorepani. Yes there were nice Rhododendron forests, but no i wasn't really paying attention! keeping morale up was the main thing, also plying them with polos and menthos got them there i think! But slowly, slowl;y catches the monkey! Hot showers were a wonderful sensation considering as it was bloody cold outside! In the morning the view was spectacular, the Everest Group (ones going to EBC) got up at 3.30 to go to Poon hill to watch the sun rise!

Day 3:Ghorepani - Chuile. Straight up hill for the start of this and the altitude got to me a bit because of my delightful cough. So i was told to suck on a clove of garlic. In Ed's words it was like following a bowl of really good Spag bol! This time Everest over shot lunch because they were in front of the guide, so we had to keep going for another 2 hours. At the time we wanted to hurt them, but they were so apologetic we forgave them and were quite pleased when the rest of the day was only and hour down hill. This is me at Chuile with the owners daughter. she stole Carmella's pen so i was trying to get it back! On this day it was announced that an extra day had been added to our itinerary, there was some unrest in the group. A fellow non trekker (no names) cried for 5 hours. We thought that was quite impressive.

Day 4 (my last day of trekking with the group): Chuile - Sinuwa (upper). From chuile it was down hill all the way to the river... and in Nepal its not what goes up must come down, it's what goes down must come up! so down the valley, over the river and back up to the same height again all before lunch. At Chhomrong Naba left us due to a calf injury. From chhomrong we descended the steps (hundreds of them) to the river on the other side. Little did i know i was to come back up these stairs sooner than i had anticipated. All the way past (lower) Sinuwa, very deceptive, to (upper) Sinuwa. Just before the storm broke over our heads! We had a nice evening with some traditional Gurung dancing which we were invited to join in. At this point i wanted to go to bed, so i declined!

Day 5: Sinuwa- Sinuwa(on foot) Sinuwa - Kymli (by pony) I do have some pictures from the rest of the trip but i have to say this was where my journey ended with the group. But i did have a nice time clinging to a pony, going back up the Chhomrong steps on a horse, no reigns! Ed walked 8 hours behind this thing, and then the next day back to nayapul. So we did the same root just a bit missed out! Ps. I love my long lense! this was taken on it before i was ill at around 6 am, thats snow being blown off! Sadly the battery didn't last till ABC but julia got some awesome photos before that! one of which is this one.

The others kept going for 5 days, during which Ed, joe and i had a lovely time in the Kiwi Guest house, pokhara!