We started the day slow. We
got up at 8am and had breakfast when the Himalayas was just peeking in front of
us. Not the same amazing view as the day before, so we enjoyed breakfast instead.
The food in the Hotel at the End of the Universe was really good. And the curd
is awesome.
We sat at our usual breakfast table outside overlooking the mountains. Afterwhich, we decided to hike the Jhule four hours
from Nagarkot, tracing the Kathmandu valley rim. The first village was Kateki
since we knew the shortcuts, it was easy for us to find our way.
We had our first stopover in
a field of pine trees where we had a banana and an apple. It somehow felt like
we were hiking a mountain in the North of the Philippines. Then we headed off
again as the midday sun unleashed its fury with amazing views of the valley.
After an hour of walking from
the first rest stop, we saw a lot of students who were just hanging around
under trees. Unlike back in Manila, where students hang out in internet shops
or the canteen during breaks, these students were enjoying the view of the
valley and the mountains.
Then the next stop was in
Pauwa where there is a school with a playground with an amazing view. This is
where we found my “home”. We had our Coke and Fanta break.
Then after an hour, we
arrived in Bagdarra where we met a lot of people and namaste-d five hundred
times.
One guy thought I was
Japanese and shouted Konichiwa.
Based on the Lonely Planet
map, the next town should be Chowki bhanjang but we could've missed a turn that
we ended up in Chowki via a different route and not the main road. In chowki,
we considered staying in a lodge with a lot of locals but a guy took us to Hotel
Llama, our original lunch stop, We had Tibetan bread with honey.
We thought of staying there
but when Nadine went to the restroom, we decided to stick to the original plan
and head to Jhule since we have one hour before dark falls and Jhule is supposed
to be an hour away. There was an ad for Jhule Mountain Resort, 2 km ahead. So
we headed to Jhule, recharged after eating Tibetan bread and honey.
To make use of the time, I learned
German words along the way. After walking mostly uphill for an hour, we arrived at
the mountain resort, where they have one vacant room left. And the receptionist
thought I was Nepali guide. We thanked the Lord for this awesome trek through
many villages and a huge national park in the valley rim. We might have some detours along the
way but it allowed us to see some villages we won't have seen otherwise.
Another epic adventure for Sati and Didi.
