Nepal 2015 - Dhampus-Sarangkot

< 3 Oct - Tolka to Dhampus

What an awesome day. We walked from Dhampus to Sarangkot in sunny, hot conditions.


Let's see, what happened in this exciting day? Up a little later than usual. But Mike was up early to watch the sunrise over Annapurna and Fishtail. I couldn't get out of bed. Some magnetic pull.

Actually I've forgotten to say I've caught a cold. The past few days it's gone from a sore throat where I could barely swallow, to a nose so full of snot I'm keeping the local tissue companies in business (this is where I'm regretting forgetting to put in my hanky), to a pathetic cough. Glad it didn't kick in at altitude! Good timing!

Breakfast was pancake and porridge. Quite yummy. A long conversation with the owner about the sect he belongs to (Kim knows all about it). A group photo before heading off.

This first part was wonderful. Walking through paths beside farmlets and saying hello to loads of children. Toby was in front with Jimmy and spied a snake disappearing into the undergrowth. Eventually we got down to the river only to find the bridge had been swept away. Being New Zealanders we just walked through the river. But we lost Kim and Kamla so we waited while Jimmy went back up to find them. But he came back with no sign of them.

We picked up a few more leeches on the next stint. But as a bonus, we got to take a short cut through a rice paddy. We had to double back when the path we were on was wiped out by a land slip.  Not in front of us as we stood there.  Probably a few months ago.

We mysteriously bumped into Kim and Kamla who had been with Naresh and he'd heard about the washed out bridge and path and had headed off another way to an intact bridge. Perfect! They didn't have wet feet.

We ended up on a tarseal road and spied a teashop for tea. This wee town was a cultural shock as people asked us to buy things after being in smaller populated areas for a while. This town was called Nagdada.

From here we walked for ten kilometres on a gravel road to Sarangkot. Toby gave toothpaste to a cute wee girl. They had a baby monkey with them. That entertained us for a while.

We had a welcome surprise of lunch at a place starting with K. Mushroom soup followed by noodles with cabbage. I added fresh hot green chillies and loved it. I could have eaten more.

This country has given me a huge appetite. And I think the walking has given me an appreciation for food in the same way tramping does. Anything tastes good tramping. Noodles with shredded cabbage would not usually be greeted by me with any fervour.

After food Toby wanted to hitch the rest of the way. But there was little traffic here. He had to walk like the rest of us.

We popped into Jimmy's house and met his mother, uncle and wife. Lovely new house just built because the earthquake knocked down the kitchen part of their old house.

As we approached our accommodation we watched paragliders overhead. That'll be us tomorrow. Can't wait! All three of us have said yes.

After settling into the Sherpa Resort hotel, we had tea and went up to the viewpoint over Pokhara. Perfect end to the day.

Pokhara from Sarangkot. A small village, it is not.

I can't wait for dinner. Starving. Again.

Last day tomorrow. Back in proper civilisation tomorrow. Then back to Kathmandu.

5 Oct - Paragliding to Pokhara >