Shyabrubesi (1,500m) to Khangjim Village (2,275m): Duration: 2h27min. Distance: 4.0mi (6.4km). Vertical Elevation Gain: 3,050ft (930m).
Note: Trek stats sourced from Apple Watch are cumulative elevation increase and does not take into account elevation decreases.
As with every new chapter and new destination, I set an intention for my time in each new place. My intension for Nepal is full immersion in nature and to unplug. The majority of my time in Nepal will be spent trekking in the Himalayas, where I’ll be surrounded by the most magnificent mountains on Earth. I aim to connect with nature, and as a result, myself, while unplugging from technology. I will only use my phone to let immediate family know I’m safe when I can, to take photos/videos, and to listen to audiobooks/music. I will only use my computer to write and journal.
I awoke around 4:30AM with excessive excitement of embarking on the Yala Peak trek. I packed my bag with only the necessary items for the trek and left everything else with hotel storage when I checked out. I met Tes, my guide for the trek, outside of the Wilderness Excursion office at 6:15AM. We took a cab to the bus station, where there were swarms of people selling bus tickets and other items. While waiting for our bus, Yuhan, my porter, joined us. Having a porter for the trek makes life a lot easier, as they carry your large pack for you, leaving you only responsible for carrying a day pack. Once us three were together, the only thing left to wait for was the bus. Shortly thereafter, we boarded the bus and left Kathmandu around 7:00AM.
About an hour later, we made our first stop at roadside stand for a brief breakfast break. Tes, Yuhan, and I ate a hard-boiled egg and chickpea salad, washing it down with Nepali black tea. As an avid tea drinker, I was happy to be in a country where tea’s tasted throughout. Back on the bus, we had picked up a couple of passengers that made their presence quickly known. A duo of local musician singers sounded tunes of traditional Nepali trekking music throughout the bus. They played a song called “Resham Firiri.” According to Tes, the English translation of this song is about flying life, or life taking flight. The literal English translation is something along the lines of flying/gliding/drifting silk. Their music lifted the spirits of everyone on the bus… until after about 20 minutes, when we reached the next village. They hopped off our bus while it was still moving, in search of a new bus to serenade and collect donations. Tes told me that they’re musicians for a living, and they hop from bus to bus, performing for trekkers, all day long. Once the stimulating sounds in the bus died down, so did my energy and I wavered in and out of sleep.
Around 10:00AM, we arrived in Trishuli, a village where we would eat an early lunch. I exited the bus, and went to the back towards the “toilet,” or the hole in the ground surrounded by tin walls. My last statement doesn’t have any negative tone. I’m just being descriptive. Personally, I have zero problem with the less luxurious, “hole in the ground” lifestyle. On the contrary, I embrace it. I acknowledge the breadth of lifestyles people live, letting it remind me of how very little people actually need to survive and increasing my awareness and appreciation of the many luxuries, blessings, and privileges back home that I may take for granted. After using the facilities, I noticed a group of monkeys on the hill making noise, then as I turned back towards the restaurant, I thought, “there’s one on that patio. There’s one climbing that building. There’s one already on the roof.” They were smaller monkeys, but they were mighty in their numbers.
Back in the restaurant, we ate the Nepali set meal (Dal Bhat), which consisted of rice, curry, vegetables, and a bean soup type dish that was quite tasteful. While I used a fork and spoon, I noticed a few local Nepali using their fingers to mix the dishes and eat the food. I sort of knew from pop culture references and common knowledge certain cultures eat with their hands, but I had never seen firsthand folks’ fingers’ finagling food.
Back on the bus, again I weaved in and out of napping, until the sickening swerves and scenic sights in every direction kept my awake. I shared an AirPod with Tes, playing for him some of my favorite downloaded music including Bob Marley, Odesza, Ford., M83, and The War on Drugs. “Do you like it?” I asked Tes every few songs. “It’s good,” he always responded while nodding. It’s difficult to determine if he actually liked it or was just being polite. After a while, he handed me back my AirPod, so perhaps he didn’t love my music tastes. I started the audiobook Born to Run.
Around 1:45PM, the bus came to a halt at the entry point into Langtang National park 1:45PM. Here, guards armed with assault rifles conducted bag searches before granting us access. An hour later, we arrived at Shyabrubesi, the village where we would part ways with the bus after an 8 hour ride from Kathmandu and embark on our trek into the Himalayas.
We made our way out of town, crossing a bridge over the river and starting up the mountain. Sights of the village and sounds of construction slowly faded into a distance below as we trekked higher and higher up the mountain. “Here we are, the mountains of Nepal. I made it. This is what I’ve been waiting for, what I came for,” I thought to myself as I ran out of breathe discouragingly quick. As it would turn out, this would be one of the steepest hikes of the entire trek, and I would get more into rhythm as we progressed.
Two hours later, we were closely approaching our destination. Hot and sweaty from exertion, I was down to my Ha Giang Loop finisher tee shirt I got back in Vietnam. A girl trekker was passing us on her way down until she stopped and said, “Hey! I have that same shirt!” I was shocked. What are the odds I run into a girl who did the same motorbike loop in northern Vietnam with the same hostel touring company. Small world! We chatted briefly about our experiences before saying, “happy trails,” and continuing on our separate ways. Shortly afterwards, the sounds of village goats grew louder and louder until we reached a farm on the outskirts of a village. We had arrived at Khangjim.
We were greeted at our hotel by our host, who showed us to our rooms. Intentionally setting zero expectations, I was pleasantly surprised to have a room with lighting, one outlet, and a private bathroom with a toilet. Already in Nepal, I had become accustomed to bathrooms that did not have toilets. I grabbed my yoga mat, and did a yoga flow outside overlooking the setting sun behind mountains. It was only the first day, and the scenery was already stunningly pretty. After yoga, Tes and I played some cards in the dining hall. He taught me a Nepalese card game that we played, and without fully understanding the game, I somehow won. I then taught him the only two player card game I could think of that didn’t involve drinking alcohol: War. We played until dinner was ready. I ate vegetable chowmein, Tibetan bread with honey, and momo dumplings with lemon honey ginger tea. Following dinner, I returned to my room to take a shower around 7:30PM. The lukewarm water was hard to tolerate in the freezing air temperatures, and getting out of the shower wasn’t comfortable. Quickly I dried off, threw on my wool base layers, and cocooned myself with blankets in bed.