by Wendy Hooker | Nov 11, 2016 | Adventure, Featured, Hiking, Trek |
This was my first visit and trek to Nepal. The 20 March 2016 marked the beginning of our trek in Shivalaya, with the finish date set for 9 April 2016 in Salleri. With no expectations we began our journey wide-eyed and raring to go! We endured many diverse weather conditions in a short space of time – heat, cold, hailstones, wind and clouds. We trekked up, down and around scenic mountains; viewing terraced mountainsides, vibrant vegetable gardens, raging rivers and tinkling streams. We walked across long wire bridges, passed donkey and yak trains, made way for Nepalese Cowboys and many men, women and children carrying extremely large and heavy loads. We trekked through flowering Rhododendron forests and fields of purple flowers. We felt the effects of altitude when we scaled Renjo La Pass at 5417m. We made it!! Celebrations were in order and we feasted on chocolate, cake and other treats to mark our achievement. We experienced many different types of transportation from a 10 hour ride in a local bus, an 8 hour jeep ride with 11 of us all squashed in, including one car sick passenger and the bumpiest ride on a tractor. Along the way I met people from many diverse countries and walks of life. Our trek was much more than a physical journey – it was a spiritual awakening. I experienced the generosity of the beautiful Nepalese people – some people who themselves had few possessions but were able to give so freely from their heart. When you are faced with and overcome obstacles, feats harder than you can imagine and you are taken...
