Author: Ian Reynolds

Trekking in Nepal #25: Wednesday 15th November – Nepal

Wednesday 15th November
There are just two more days until I go home. I finally succumb to Kathmandu Quickstep! At 4 a.m. I woke up with a cough and stomach cramps. Within minutes I was on the toilet.

It was 5.45 a.m. when I got up for the sunrise. After a quick wash I made the short stroll up to the top of the hill. The lake was covered in cloud. Although the views were not as clear as they might have been, the clouds certainly made it interesting. A crowd had gathered at the viewing point to watch the sunrise.

It was a long wait because the sun took an age to come up. The sky changed colour from yellow to orange then red, pink, purple, and finally to blue behind thin layers of cloud. The clouds added something extra to the sunrise. Everyone was taking photographs.

Breakfast was served back at the lodge. It was then time to make the return trek to Pokhara, but not before visiting the loo several times in quick succession. I am convinced that I have giardia, but will not make a prognosis until I am back in Pokhara. However, preventive medicine was required if I was not going to have the runs on the way down. Two capsules of Immodium did the trick.

This time a different route, the Lakeside route, was taken back down from the summit. It was a two-hour walk. The trail snaked alternately through jungle and pastures. Although it was hot and sweaty work the walk, through the forest, small villages and farmland was pleasant. At times the flag stoned trail was hard to follow. The vegetation is rather striking and there is more insect life. This was in complete contrast to the harsh climate of the Khumbu region where flora and fauna are virtually non-existent.

During my descent the clouds covering the lake began to clear and visibility improved. The trail, at the foot of the mountain, crosses a large cultivated area beside the lake. The local community were out in force harvesting the land. Some of the women were carrying large bundles of straw.

It was 11 a.m. when I reached the cooler confines of Pokhara. Stephen Bezruchka’s book, probably the best guide to Nepal, was found in one of the local bookshops. Its detailed section on ‘Health’ more or less convinced me that I had giardia lamblia. God knows how I got it. Apparently I could have been carrying the protozoan for two weeks before displaying the symptoms.

During my stay I have been extremely careful with my hygiene, and have only drank filtered water. Now that I may have giardia I will stop using my water filter and put my faith in bottled water. According to the book, giardia has to be treated; it does not go away by itself. The most effective treatment is Tinidazole that I had bought at a chemist earlier. One dose of Tinidazole is supposed to be sufficient to eliminate the giardia.

A room for the night was reserved for me at the Hotel Mohal. The accommodation is the best I have come across in Nepal, and it is relatively cheap. For the next hour or so I wandered through Pokhara looking at all the different jumpers on sale. After I had found a jumper for Sally, it was back to the hotel for a nice refreshing shower and a clean change of clothing. A dose of Tinidazole helped settle my stomach.

Lunch at the Elegant View Restaurant was very agreeable. A grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and chocolate cake were washed down with lemon tea. The restaurant got its name because of its prime position by the lake. I whiled away the afternoon in the restaurant garden on the shores of the lake. The time was spent relaxing, soaking up the sun, and writing my diary.

Later that afternoon in the hotel lobby I had a conversation with Naru Ghurung, the hotel receptionist. He is a pleasant, amiable young man who gave me an insight into Nepalese life. His average monthly salary is 2200 rupees, which is roughly �25. Most of this is spent on food and rent, approximately 1500 rupees and 600 rupees a month respectively. His brother is a Gurkha and is currently stationed in Edinburgh. A Gurkha is a prestigious position for a Nepali.

Naru has been employed at the current establishment for the last four years – the Hotels Mohal and Simrik as well as the Zorba restaurant. All of them are under German management. Apparently the German woman who owns them had come on a trekking holiday and had fallen in love with her guide. She came back later and married him. This was the last time I saw Naru because he was going to Kathmandu. He had been sent on an errand to buy some door handles for the restaurant. This simple task would take three days!

I decided to go for a stroll. As I was walking down the street who should I see, but Martin at the Axman Restaurant. It was strange to see him without his ever present Nepalese headgear, but it was good to see him again. Martin introduced me to his brother from Frankfurt, whom he had met up with in Pokhara. They had not seen each other for two years. I joined them and had some coffee cake and black tea.

After bidding them farewell I had to find somewhere to have dinner. Guess where I ended up at, the Billy Bunter restaurant, hardly appropriate for someone of my girth! After gobbling up my chicken chow mein, I returned to my hotel room, packed my rucksack, took another dose of Tinidazole, and hit the sack.