I just returned from an amazing trek through Nepal. Pictures from my adventure are already posted on my website www.danishviking.com then “Nepal and Bangkok”.
I purchased both “LP- Nepal” then “LP- Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya”. While I found the overview and cultural information very helpful, there is one aspect to your books that is severely lacking… especially in the “trekking” book… this is the complete absence of TREKKING TIME information. I sent a lot of time in Tea Houses with other trekkers and this was the universal complaint with LP trail descriptions. Please do not release the new version (currently ‘Nepal’ is 1999 and ‘Trekking’ is 1997) without a sincere effort to include trekking times between stops. The most popular book among trekkers in the Annapurna region was by a company called “Trailblazer”. Their trekking time maps and descriptions were the best I’ve seen… almost too detailed!
The trail that I trekked is the Jomsom Trail in the Annapurna Region. This can be found on page 385 in ‘Nepal’ and page 221 in ‘Trekking’. One comment about this suggested trek is that it is unrealistic to make the suggested “Day 4” distance from Tatopani to Kalopani… especially for trekkers carrying their own packs. I stopped in Ghasa and met many trekkers who had come to the same conclusion. That made over a nine-hour day on “Day 5” to get back on track and arrive in Marpha.
My most serious comment about this trek I’ve saved for last. This concerns the safety of trekkers on the Annapurna trails. I believe I had a near criminal experience in the wooded area just short of Ghorapani (near the end of “the infinite steps” up from Tikedungha and Hille) on the 21st of April. Below is my description of the incident followed by a real tragedy that happened to an English trekker only days later on April 26th. Please advise trekkers of the dangers associated with trekking near Ghorapani!
On April 21st I got an early start out of Tikedungha. I joined two young (19 year old) Danish females that I met on the bus from Naya Pul for the long climb to Ghorapani and Deorali. After Hille we began climbing “the infinite steps” as we continued north. One of the Danes was experiencing stomach problems and was on medication prescribed by a doctor in Kathmandu. We made frequent stops for her and began falling behind the pace of other trekkers. Still over an hour prior to Ghorapani it became apparent that we were going to finish the day’s trek in light rain. We stopped seeing other trekkers as we entered the wooded area as they all made good time ahead of us. We passed a small home and a little boy began following us. I am guessing he was 5-8 years old. He stopped where we stopped, continued when we continued, and wouldn’t leave us alone in spite of our sign language and English requests for him to return home. He began whistling really loudly and we believed we heard other whistling in the form of poor birdcall imitations coming from the woods. This continued for some time. Finally, when we had to stop for the girl with the stomach problems we all felt like we were about to get jumped on the trail. I moved over to where the little boy was whistling loudly and picked up two fist-sized rocks. I put one in my pocket (the last thing I really wanted to do was add weight to my load after a brutal uphill climb that was not yet over) and the other I carried in my free hand (the one not carrying my bamboo trekking stick). I told the girls “if we did get jumped, the little kid was going to get it first” and watched for his reaction. He stopped whistling immediately. The whistling in the woods continued but he no longer “answered” it. We continued on in silence (still followed by the little boy) to the outskirts of Ghorapani where one girl needed the first outhouse. While the other girl and I watched her pack, four teenage or early twenty-year-old boys came out of the woods carrying ropes and disappeared into town. I believe we were spared because we still had a little fight left in us at the end of a grueling uphill trek. A week later I was in Pokhara at a pub celebrating the completion of my trek and learned from a group of young English trekkers that one of their “mates” was not so lucky only a few days later.
The story I heard while at the Amsterdam Club is that a bunch (at least six) of English friends trekked the Annapurna Sanctuary. As they were approaching Ghorapani from the East on April 26th they were a bit spread out. One trekker was alone with friends of his just out of view ahead and behind him. His name is Alastair Donaldson and I estimate him to be in his early twenties. He walked past two Nepali guys who were loitering on the trail. After he passed, they hit him on the back of the head with a stick and then with the hilt of a knife. This split his head open and caused a lot of blood loss. His friends that were following found him on the side of the trail covered in blood and naked except for his t-shirt, boxers, and boots. The attackers stole his pack, passport, money, and everything else. His friends initially believed him to be dead. They helped him get to Ghorapani and he was airlifted out by helicopter. I was told that the people of Ghorapani initiated a search party for the attackers but had no success.
I believe that area near Ghorapani is a continuing spot for trouble. Many treks lead there for the amazing climb to Poon Hill (or Pun Hill, I’ve seen it printed both ways). The brutal uphill trekking from all directions and the wooded area for escape makes it a prime location for muggers. Most trekkers don’t have an energy reserve at this stage of their day and make easy targets… especially alone or in small groups.
With the exception of the above stories I had an excellent experience in Nepal. I hope you can join me in fixing the one problem area and making it safer for trekkers to enjoy some amazing trails in a beautiful country. With the exception of the criminal element no country is without, I found the Nepali people to be extremely friendly, good natured, and open to tourism.
Sincerely,
me@danishviking.com