We woke long before sunrise and lay in our sleeping bags wondering exactly when we should set off. Neither of us was keen to leave the warmth of our bed and so no-one pushed things. At about 5.30am we got up and got going. We put on every item of warm clothing we had with us, including outer shell water and wind proof pants and jackets. We had balaclavas, beanies and many layers of scientifically designed mountain clothes. We never said much and the tension was quite high.

By 6.10 am we were ready and waiting at the host’s hut for some hot water. We couldn’t leave without some water and ours was totally frozen. We had arranged with him the previous night that he would give us water and some food if we wanted any. He was fast asleep and it took a long time to get him going. The tension grew as we became more and more aware that the blue skies of the previous 16 days were not an indication of the weather that day. It felt and smelt different and snow flakes started softly falling from the sky.

Ellis was very concerned that we would lose the path and get lost. He has read many books on mountaineering and is a realist. I am an optimist who refuses to hear bad news, ever. I have an inherent belief that I will always be safe and protected. Sometimes this is based purely in intuition and although I would have stayed at the hut and aborted the climb that day if my intuition had warned me to, I was determined to go. I knew that if we did not get over the pass that day, we would probably be stuck for many days waiting for a chance to get safely over. I just wanted to go and not stop until we were in the next village roughly 8 hours walk away. The host told me that if we followed the black poles we would be fine and find the way, so I set off!

Somehow we had linked with another Japanese girl and her guide who had come walking up from low camp and had made a loose arrangement with the Japanese man that we would go together. I started walking and felt intense discomfort in my shoulders. My pack was pulling terribly since I had far wider shoulders than normal as a result of the additional clothes. I had to remove my balaclava since I felt as if I was suffocating with something on my face. Having frozen cheeks and lips was better than having no air. Quite a few cross words were passed between Ellis and I as a result of the tension and the frustrating delay in getting walking. I walked off at a cracking pace. Ell waited back for the Japanese man. Soon I was far ahead and had a chance to sort my pack out. I stopped and took my time arranging my straps. I had planned this stop and knew I needed some serious distance between us so my stop wouldn’t make him have to wait and freeze doing so. He had no idea why I was racing ahead and got steadily more furious with me as the distance grew. He thought I was oblivious to the need to stay together and that I had left the Jap to his care and just seen to myself.

This was a perfect example of how different stories look out of different sunglasses. I was being considerate and caring in my eyes and in his eyes I was being selfish and uncaring. I thought we could leave the flailing Jap knowing that there was a guide and another Jap behind us all who were walking VERY slowly. I didn’t see any sense in us all getting cold and stuck. I knew if we got snowed in and had to turn back, we would miss our flight home and my children would be let down etc etc and I was not keen to take that risk. I would have taken it, had I thought someone was in danger, but in my mind there was backup and support for him and we should just get to the top and down the other side as fast as possible.

The snow was coming faster and faster and soon we couldn’t even see our hands in front of our faces. I waited for Ellis once I had sorted my pack and had no idea that he had strained himself terribly to catch me. He was angry and afraid for our safety and I was dogged and determined to walk and move on, trusting all would be fine. We had a very heated and passionate fight from our reconnection place all the way to the top. When we saw the top, and had enough breath to hear each other out, we let it all go and the emotion died down. The challenge didn’t! We had to get down the other side of the pass in the fast freezing snow, almost zero visibility and not having any idea where to go. Our GPS didn’t work at that altitude.

It’s late now and I’ll tell you more when next I find a gap!

That day of walking truly goes down in my life history as one of the most exquisite days I have ever encountered. It was like being in slow motion. I think I was more present than ever before. Ellis and I were totally connected and in complete harmony and the mountains were beautiful, the people we met were awesome and every moment seemed to stand out in its perfection. 

We stopped in a tiny village for some milky tea and met an old woman and a guide who was staying at her tea house. He was a truly well educated and politically interested Nepalese man who had spent much time guiding Westerners up mountains including Everest. We learned a lot about Nepal and its history as well as political situation from our chat with him. Basically they are a country without a government. Any party that comes to power seems to last a very short time, before they are ousted by some cuop, riot or simply a takeover, and every government is more corrupt than the last one. The people are poor and uneducated and they are totally taken advantage of! It is hard to accept, but this is the way it is!

Anyway, we walked through Manang (3600meters) which is quite a big village and quite ‘sophisticated’, since many toursist spend a few days there in order to acclimatise for the higher altitudes that follow. There are ‘cup of chino’s’ and ‘moovis’ on offer as well as ‘swet and sour pork’ . There are many beautiful places to visit and an ice lake near Manang that make the place well worth spending a few days in, but we had to just walk on through, sadly, our time was running short. We walked on all the way to Yak Kharka and decided to stay at the first place we came to as we entered the village since we were exhausted after a very long day’s walk.

We were given an ‘en suite’ room, meaning a hole in the ground attached to the room! Yay, it made all the difference not to have to venture out into the freezing cold night every time you needed the loo. That’s not to say he rooms are warm, but they do shelter you from the wind. I had a bucket bath and washed some clothes, which was terribly exciting for me since I was feeling pretty desperate for some cleanliness! They had no power, but a big Agga stove and there was a group of Auzzies in there. It was great fun to spend the evening chatting to them and socialising. We were warm, well fed, full of sweet, milky tea and were having great conversations with interesting people, it was a great night.

I felt incredibly content that night and I think attached to the wonder of it all. The Universe had to pull me back into balance and the next day brought me the rude awakening that pleasure and pain always co-exist! I wanted to get going and walk along a bit with the Aussie bunch and Ell wanted a slow, unrushed start. I pushed and became impatient and Ellis got mad! I laughed when I saw so clearly how infatuated with the harmony of the previous day I had become and  allowed out trip and our relationship to swing as it needed without holding onto a need for everlasting perfection. Although it was a day of learning, I feel sad even now when I think of it, because I was so in my head and having conversations in there that I missed some of that day altogether.

Suddenly I bliked and we were at Thorong La, which means the bottom of the mountain, which is exactly what it is! It is about 4500m high and it sits at the base of this huge mountain and the pass that trekkers have to get over in order to continue the trail. We had lunch at the guest house where the Auzzies were and the familiar headache and breathlessness returned. We had acclimatised, but nobody’s body loves being that high. Anyway we felt very grateful that we felt much better than everyone else.

So, after lunch we set off for high camp, leaving them 400m below us for the night. We arrived at about 4.30pm at this incredibly desolate spot, which had 2 hosts, who must truly have been tough men to live way up there all alone, seeing few people much of the year! It was freezing and the wind was howling. We were glad of the fire and candles they provided. The big climb up the pass was looming and we were a bit anxious about it, even although we were sure it could not be as hard as what we had already climbed. The Aussies had decided with their guides that they were leaving at 4am and we had long chats trying to decide whether we should leave very early too. I had a bit of frostbite in my big toe… which had gone numb and in fact still is numb (I have been told it probably always will be numb), and wasn’t keen to leave while it was still so dark and cold if we didn’t have to.

There was one Japanese man staying there too and although he could hardly speak English and we definitely couldn’t speak any Japanese, we managed to establish that he too planned to leave at 7ish after we had got some boiling water to carry. Any water freezes, so you have to get boiled water to drink along the way. None of us were hungry and we went to sleep early, with that expectant and anxious feeling in our guts!

Apologies for the delay in telling the next part of the tale: if only it was as demand free in real life as it is on holiday!

So, the day after Summit day, we all woke late and Ellis and I lay waiting for the sound of Pancha ordering his team around and when we heard nothing we worried. I eventually dragged myself out of the tent, surprised I could actually move! I found a slow paced hive of activity going on in the kitchen tent, suspended in the middle of nowhere. The kerosene had almost run out, so we were having Muesli for breakfast… yay it tasted unkerosene like and I could actually swallow it and no tea… yay! We ate in relative silence and then started packing up tents and all the equipment.

It took us a long time; since we were all on go slow and poor Pancha had only one hand. By 10.30 am we were ready to set off for the tea house at Upper Pisang a mere 2 and a half kilometres below us! Walking down was easier than walking up, by far, but it was tricky. The shale slipped and we had to concentrate very hard to stay on our feet. Pancha set off at a cracking pace and I stayed at his heels.

I felt mixed emotions: I was incredibly grateful for the experience and incredibly thankful for the views I had seen, but I also felt deep sadness about leaving, knowing I would probably never return to this exact place. I felt sad about leaving my new friends and at the same time elated about the imminent chance to wash!

I started to feel my toenails about 2 hours into the descent and by the time we hit the flatter path into the village 5 hours later, my toes nails were killing me. My long awaited bucket bath revealed 2 black toe nails and 2 very damaged nail beds and I realised that my right big toe was numb and it wasn’t coming right. It still hasn’t! I’ve come to see it as a war wound and I don’t even mind learning to live with it!

Reality cam back into focus as we returned to the village and its few inhabitants many of whom were delighted to see us return. We later met some other tourists who told us we had been referred to as the crazy Canadians! who climbed the mountain. We were welcomed with food and friendship and although we still had a far walk to get to where we needed to go that night, we had a heart warming goodbye session which lasted the best part of an hour.

Many photos were taken and many hugs were exchanged. Our guide and his team set off in their direction armed with medications to care for Pancha’s hand, because we all knew he wouldn’t get medical help for many days, and us in our direction.

We walked slowly and relaxed since our legs were very shaky and tired after the steep descent and it was truly one of the most incredible afternoons I have ever known. We chated endlessly about the previous day and the whole climb and we felt very proud and very awed by what we had been enabled to do. It was 5pm before we came to Humde where we were planning to rest overnight. We chose a lovely tea house and managed to secure 2 buckets of hot water. I had another blissful wash and even managed to wash some clothes, I no longer cared how they dried, and I was like a woman possessed and wanted clean things. Luckily they served us food in a warm room with a big black stove in it and I started the drying process.

Apart from my toes which were agony and a real mess, we felt marvellous! We could eat again and my headache had gone and there was so much air! We were at 3200 meters, which is not low, but it’s a lot more comfortable than where we had been. We slept deeply and woke well after sunrise. We set off after 9am and felt as if we had not a care in the world, even although we had far to go that day.

Ellis being the airplane maniac that he is spent a long time checking out the forlorn and desolate airport at Humde, marvelling that any planes could actually take off or land there, especially with the surrounding mountains and at that height. Sadly there were no planes to see for evidence, but we did photograph the airport from all sides! I am sure he would have loved to fly a plane from there almost as much as he had loved climbing a mountain there! We will be back!

We woke at 5am and started preparing for the big trek to the summit. We were wearing every item of clothing we had in preparation for the cold and the wind, I could hardly  bend my elbows with all the layers I had on me. On the outside layer we had a shell, which is wind and water proof and we put hand and feet warmers into our gloves and boots respectively. My toes were numb from the outset that day and no toe warmer seemed to assist in any way.

We tried our very best to eat some porridge, but neither of us could stomach anything. Whether we were just nervous or whether we were suffering from altitude induced appetite loss I do not know. Neither of us ate anything the whole day or even that night.

We set off at 6 am sharp and had to walk with ropes almost from the outset, but it was about 2 hours before we needed to use our joomlas and ice axes. The sun came up at about 7am and the dawn was incredibly beautiful and the silence was exquisite. The sun did not get high enough to warm us until about 10am, but its light and presence was very comforting. The sky was clear and we knew we had been blessed with a pearler of a day. Once we started working with joomlas our progress slowed significantly, but it didn’t take too long for us to get the feel of it and find a rhythm we could settle into. Ellis kept asking where we were proceeding, but I couldn’t have cared less. I could see the top and I knew that was the goal point. How we were going to get there was of no interest to me. I placed my trust  totally into Pancha’s hands and focused on what I needed to do.

Just as my arms were about to break from fatigue, we came to the ice section of the climb. We changed boots and put our crampons on. This was a whole new experience for me! I had never done ice climbing before and it took a while to  get the hang of the crampons and coordinating arms and their tools and legs. I battled hard for several meters before I came up for air and groaned in desperation that I couldn’t do this any longer. It was too hard and too tiring. No one could hear my moans and no one could help anyway, it was my journey. I shed a few tears and then got a grip on myself and tried to put what I saw Pancha doing into action myself. It took a while, but with time the action came to me and I got the hang of how to do it more efficiently and then I was off. I put my head down and went for it: Ice axe dig in, joomla push the pull your body up while moving your legs and digging the crampons into the ice to get a god grip.

 The next minute Ellis was right above my head and moaning at me for trying to push him to go faster! I was delighted with my new found skill, but I came back to reality and started to notice my surroundings a bit more again. Several hours passed and suddenly there was no more climb left… we were at the top! Ellis and I thought an area about 180m away was actually the top, so we all roped ourselves together and walked along the very thin ridge of the mountain top to that place and then flopped down in relief and delight! We had made it! It was 1pm and we were at what felt like the very top of the world. The top of Pisang Peak, 6100m above sea level and alone up there high in the sky.

We took a few photo’s, opened and sucked on a sweet and then literally reality hit us: we were only half way: we still had to get down…..

So our descent began. We abseiled down using figure of eights to lower us and keep us from slipping. Every 25 odd meters there is a join in the rope and you have to clip in your safety rope, undo the figure of eight and redo it on the next rope. At every turn I felt my anxiety rise as I determined not to drop my tools or my glove, which has to be removed at every station, because you can’t manipulate a rope with a thick glove or even with the under glove. So at every change point there are 5 things to avoid dropping and a new knot to do. Only one person can be on the rope at a time, so there is a lot of waiting, which involves finding a perch and hanging there for dear life until you can safely descend the next section. Ellis went first ad I followed, Pancha came last. At one stage about half way down the rock face, I saw Ellis suddenly disappear. I panicked and begged Pancha to go down to him, because I was sure he had fallen. I stayed perched there, while he went down and over the overhanging rock face to rescue Ellis who as I later discovered was hanging in mid air on the rope. I perched there for 45 minutes while they sorted Ellis out totally in the dark as to what had happened.

Waiting is my weakest point and to wait, totally unsure of what I am waiting for was pure unadulterated hell for me. I tried to meditate to quiet myself and dosed off to sleep. I woke in shock and realised I had better keep my eyes wide open, so I breathed and eventually after what seemed like an interminably long wait I vaguely heard my name and realised it was my turn to descend. I was frozen solid and found it very hard to refocus. I had no choice, so with effort I gathered myself and manoeuvred down the rope. When I arrived where Ellis had disappeared I found 2 totally uncommunicative pale faced people and realised my traumatic wait was not going to concern them and I should just be grateful Ellis was ok and keep quiet.

Several hours later we changed boots again and gratefully packed our crampons into our packs and felt better in our old and familiar boots. We continued down and the light started to fade. It was hard to fathom that we had been on the move without a rest for nearly 12 hours and still our campsite was nowhere near. Everyone was relaxing and settling into walking on the slightly easier terrain where we simply had to hold the rope to move down it, when Pancha slipped on the ice and went flying (literally) down the mountain. He reached terminal velocity so fast it was astonishing. We both gasped in horror, thinking he was either dead or very badly injured. Knowing as we did that we were literally at best 5 days from medical help, fear and panic set in fast. We moved down to where he lay as fast as we safely could.

Anyone with less mountain savvy may have fallen to their death, but he managed to arrest himself about 200m down and  the only injury he sustained was a very bad laceration on his left hand. There was blood everywhere and he was in shock when we got to him, but he quickly snapped out of it and resumed his leadership role just as if nothing had happened at all. It was staggering. We bandaged his hand and stopped the bleeding got some sugar into him and then resumed our followship roles as before. Gratitude, relief and exhaustion kept us moving and we all safely reached our tents including 2 porters who had come up to help us by then. We got back at 7.30pm and flopped into our tents too tired to do anything. After and hour or two of rest, I managed to get myself together to get out my medical kit and go and help Pancha clean out his wound. We had to remove the shale piece by piece from his hand and thank goodness we had enough medication to manage the pain and prevent infection. I had steristrips and we closed the wound with that, but how functional his hand will be in the future I have no idea. He should have had masses of stitches and much other medical care. He and all the rest of us just couldn’t stop marvelling at the miracle that had saved him and we were all sobered by our constant thoughts of how different that night and the whole experience could have been.

We were home and safe! What a day. Neither of us could face any food, we never even opened our jackets, we just crawled into our sleeping bags and slept. Before we fell asleep we both promised there would be no more mountains! A decision that was reversed within 24 hours unanimously!

We found a little place with the most attentive and dedicated host. His name was Sonnam and he made it his business to meet our every need as completely as he could. He washed himself before he did anything! Then made us some delicious Momo, which is pastry filled with vegetables and a sauce to dunk them in.

He gave me a bucket of steaming water to wash myself in and then even took hold of all the dirty clothes and set about washing them! The major problem with washing clothes is that they freeze instead of drying. If you fold them when frozen, they break. Anyway Sonnam was determined to make me happy and so he wanted me to have clean clothes. He hung the wet things in the sun as long as there was sun and then whipped them into the dining area where he lit a fire and hung the clothes all around the room to take advantage of the heat.

I replaced the smell of sweat and use with the smell of smoke, but I was deeply touched by his dedication and care. I will always remember this gentle man with his bright, sparkling eyes and his extraordinary desire to please.

Sonnam was not at all sure that we should have arranged to meet our guide and not walked with him all the way, he feared that we had been taken for a ride and that we were going to be bitterly disappointed. I was certain I could trust the man we had booked with but there was an element of anxiety until we bumped into Pancha at the exact time we had arranged in Upper Pisang with 3 porters all of whom were laden to the hilt with supplies and equipment. We nearly hugged them all when we saw them and realized our climb was about to begin!

After a meeting and some food for the hungry team, we set off. We just walked a few hours of the way and then descended to help our bodies to acclimatize a bit more. Our team ascended and dropped supplies and put up a tent at base camp and then returned the the guest house where we all spent the night, before and early departure the following day. We left some stuff at the guest house, and took only the stuff we really needed for the next 5 days.

The walk to base camp was uneventful but tough. On arrival we were instructed to sit and look at the view while our team rallied around putting up a tent for us, making lunch and finally serving it in true 5 star style. They had lugged a cloth and a serving basket, cutlery and crockery and enough food for a 3 course lunch never mind all the other meals! We were gob smacked to be served in this way and while we enjoyed that meal, we both felt sick at the effort that had gone into providing us with this level of comfort. We had expected toppers and rice, which is what we would have served ourselves had we catered!

 We spent the afternoon practicing abseiling and using a Jummar, up and down ropes put in place by Pancha, just before he went up to high camp to take some equipment up for the next day. Having learned some new skills, we flopped into our tent and dozed for the rest of the day. Dinner was just after the sun set at 6 and consisted of pop corn! Soup, noodles and apple pie, all cooked by kerosene stove at 4400 metres!

We slept fairly well and rose early to get on with that day’s climb. Packed up the campsite, ate porridge and followed our guide up the next grueling, steep, shale covered 1000m to high camp at 5400m. By the time we got to this campsite we were not much use at all in erecting a campsite, we just needed to breathe! It was Christmas day and I had an ache deep inside me for my children, which nothing could soothe. I sent them an sms from Pancha’s cell phone which miraculously got to them although I never got a reply. What a Christmas day! The afternoon took pretty much the same format only our activity was significantly reduced as our bodies tried to cope with the altitude. We stared at all the lovely food and were virtually unable to eat any of it and even drinking water became hard, because it was melted snow and tasted of kerosene… a smell I hope never to smell again! Our stomach’s curdled and our energy levels dropped. My head started to pound. This is a common aspect of dealing with high altitude. The brain swells and the high pressure in the brain causes nausea and a bad headache. I moaned a bit to Pancha, who looked at me as if I was mad and said “so what?” basically it is part of the deal, so suck it up! Neither of us slept that night, the wind howled and it is hard to sleep without waking feeling breathless every few minutes.

We had a strange night, floating in and out of consciousness and chatting away whenever we were conscious. It was quite relaxing really and as long as we didn’t fight the feelings, we could relax into it and cope with ease. I was glad I had spent so many hours learning to breathe effectively and I have to say it helped me incredibly.

Dawn eventually came and we set off to super-high camp at 5800m. This 400m took several hours to climb, it was difficult walking and was quite slippery and difficult to make progress. We arrived at the chosen ‘campsite’, a tiny area where with a lot of imagination and many rocks it was possible to get up 2 tents fairly close to each other.

The summit was visible and the excitement and anxiety were incredibly strong. If I tell the truth, I was dreading summit day as much as I was looking forward to it. That afternoon we neither ate nor practiced, we just lay in our tent. It was windy, freezing and frankly that was the only place to be. Pancha went up the mountain, setting up all the ropes! He went all the way up, and all the way down again, only to cook supper and then do it all again the next day!! He has strength I can not describe.

It was starting to get colder as we climbed higher and the air was starting to get thinner. It was exciting to see the snow covered high mountains coming more and more into view. Our bodies were getting stronger too, so the weight of our packs was becoming easier and easier to carry. Every corner revealed a whole new vista and there wasn’t a moment in which I didn’t feel like the luckiest person alive to be there and having this awesome experience.

Unfortunately for me, I left home with a cough, and feeling a bit ropey, because I hold the belief system that you have to earn a holiday and that entails working yourself nearly to death before you leave. I so clearly saw the ridiculousness of this belief, but I suffered the consequences of it, before I could shift it! I hope that my body taught me this lesson so well that I will not make this mistake again. I thought I would get better and better as I left all the rush behind, but instead I got worse and worse. All the while I was walking away from medical help! In short I coughed myself to a near stand still the entire trip and in fact I am still coughing. The thin, freezing air did not help! We did take some medication with us and I started to delve into that with extreme reticence since I do not like to take any medication at all. I believe in letting the body heal itself, I just couldn’t wait for my body on this occasion.

As we walked further from the road at Bulla Bullae we saw less people. The only way for the local people to get their supplies is through donkey trains. These beasts of burden are heavily laden as they walk up the pathway led by their master in often quite a harsh way. Still necessity and money talk and the supplies are shipped in and the tourist industry is kept floating through the supplies. Tourism is almost the only way these people can make a living, since the mountains are not easy places to grow stuff and there is little other industry there. In the Winter there is very little tourism and few visitors come, so they fight quite hard for your business and sometimes it is quite hard to choose one guest house over another, since the desperation is visible on their faces.

Many of the places close for the Winter months and the people who can afford to move somewhere warmer until business resumes in the Spring.  It is insanely inexpensive. We paid on average the equivalent of R20 for a bunk room and R150 in total for both of us for our day’s food. Accommodation is very, very simple and while it isn’t dirty, it isn’t clean either, usually. We didn’t mind too much since we had our own sleeping bags and we soon enough learnt that we had tough stomachs. It’s not that they don’t try to keep things clean, I just think detergents and hot water are not available. With no electricity to do washing and cleaning, manual labour is all that is available.

Anyway, we slept in Chame that night and almost froze altogether. I bought a beanie like the locals wear to add to the collection of 3 others I had to try to keep my head warm. It cost R25 compared to the R250 odd ones I had bought here in SA and let me tell you, it was the best one I had! We set off with aching feet and great anticipation the next day, since we were walking to Pisang, where we were going to meet our guide who was to take us up our chosen mountain Pisang Peak.

Pisang is at 3400m and there are two parts to it. Lower Pisang, which was like a gost town when we got to it! And Upper Pisang which is 100m up the hill. There had been a fire in a guest house the day before and the owner had died in the fire. I am sure this is not a very unusual occurrence given that fires are all they have to cook and heat water. Anyway, the whole town had gone up the mountain to the day long funeral.  The few people who were left behind were in mourning and the place was very bleak. The full impact of living so far away from civilisation in a tiny community really hit us! We passed on through in search of someone to offer us accommodation and a meal. We were starved and had a bag full of dirty clothes we were desperate to wash.

The next day was slightly easier, we set off later having eaten a hearty breakfast of porridge and boiled eggs on Tibetan bread, which is flat and tasteless and is home made daily. The day was indicative of what was to follow. We walked almost all day through beautiful mountains. Every corner revealed another magnificent view. We passed numerous donkey trains, carrying supplies to the villages and many other walkers. Walking is the only mode of transport in these places, so everyone walks. This time we were on the beaten track, so we knew where to go and walked through many villages stopping here and there for a cup of ‘milky tea’ or some lunch (yes dal bat or veg’ curry).

We passed and chatted to numerous locals always keen to interact if they can speak English. It was still warm in the daytime and in fact we sweated quite hard with the walking, even though we were still pretty low down. It was awesome! We reached our destination in daylight hours and were supplied buckets to wash with, a good bunk for the night and life was sweet! We slept in Tal that night and what a gorgeous place it is right beside a huge river bed covered in white stones with towering mountains on either side.

So, I am sitting here exactly a week after returning home from my epic trip and wondering how to put into words some of what I experienced and learnt. I promised photo’s and I have hundreds and would love you to look at some of them, because I truly visited one of the most beautiful places on the planet and I want you to share some of what I saw.

As far as describing the trip goes, I will try to put words to the experience…..

Ellis, my courageous and adventurous life partner and I set off on the 16^th of December in the pouring rain. We had shopped (thanks Drifters) until we dropped for all the warm kit available to man and were kitted out with everything that has been known to create a barrier against the cold and a bit extra too. We had our backpacks wrapped in plastic to preserve them, knowing full well that if we arrived in Nepal with torn straps, we were going to have a serious problem.

We flew to Mumbai and moved through the crowded airport into the courtyard outside it at about 1am and as always it showed no signs of the time of day. It was as busy and hectic as at any other time of the day or night. The heat hit us in the face as did the hustling. We had planned to wait at the airport until 8am when our flight took off for Katmandu. A wise business man spotted the gap in our uncertainty and shipped us off to a hostel to get some sleep. It was not a bad idea, but we hadn’t yet adjusted ourselves to hostel living, so we stressed a little, before crashing for a few hours. We slept whether the sheets were clean or not and felt better for it!

 We hit Katmandu to find we needed passport photo’s, a visa and dollars to pay for all of the above, so we had some logistical hurdles to leap over before immigrating into Nepal. It took a few hours and a lot of trying to be understood to get sorted, but we did it. Once more we emerged from the airport totally wide open and unprepared for the onslaught of people trying to secure our business. Someone hooked us and we allowed him and his team to taxi us straight to his hotel to drop our bags and then to his tourist office to get our permits and passes organized. Typical time urgent me… trying to do everything in half the time. We were sitting in his ‘office’ when I piped up and said: “How possible is it to climb a mountain at some stage during our trek?”

Our impassioned tour operator saw many dollar bills in front of his eyes and assured me…. it was very possible. Well I was unstoppable after that. For me to come to the Himalayas and do a trek and then to do a mountain climb too was about as exciting as any news could be. I was delirious.

 I managed to get a grip on my emotions just long enough to suggest we get some food before we committed to this exercise. He reluctantly let us go, arranging to reconvene the meeting and get everything wrapped up like the payments and so on, in two hour’s time. Well, as always, the Universe was looking out for us and somehow instead of getting lunch, we found our way to another tour operator and this was someone worth doing business with. His name was Shirka and he oozed professionalism. He knew all about climbing big mountains and he knew exactly how to make it happen for us. He knew what was required and what it entailed. Step by step, we got our trip arranged.

Many people spend months doing what we spent hours doing, but we were all sorted when we were done. We hired crampons and ice axes. We signed indemnities and handed over medical aid details and next of kin contacts and we met our guide Pancha. Pancha and his team of 2 porters and 1 sherpa, was to meet us in Upper Pisang, where we were to start our climb. 

Our trek of the Annapurna circuit would start 2 days hence and 5 days into the journey we would reach Pisang, do the climb and then resume the trek when it was completed. We settled the bill in good faith, intuitively knowing that these good men would never let us down. Just to confirm how blessed we were to meet Shirka, even with his immaculate and precise planning, his bill was half that of the first guy. 

 We flopped into bed after our first vegetable curry, wolfed down as we were starved and were still enthralled by the tastiness of the simple meal. We washed our curry down with delicious cold Himalayan beer and couldn’t have been more amped if the planet were about to explode. Our first Nepalese ‘hot’ shower couldn’t even dampen our spirits. There are severe electricity shortages and although hotels claim they have solar heating, hot water is a rare and extraordinary occurrence.

 We had arranged to meet an ambassador of our first tour operator at 7am to take us to the bus stop where we had to catch our bus to Bulla-Bulla that we had paid for through him. Well the bus turned out to be a minibus, and when the 17^th person was squashed in and I saw Ellis’ very long body doubled in two, I knew I had to complain. Nepalese people are all tiny, so they don’t cater for people who are 6 foot 4 and take up more room than the norm. I demanded the tourist bus we had paid for and was told it wasn’t running today, since it was winter and there are very few tourists in winter. No one thought of mentioning this the previous day when they took our money! Anyway to cut a long story into a few words, our ambassador was most distressed that we were unhappy and he arranged a car to take us instead of the bus (for a lot of extra money!).

We happily and comfortably got to the mountains and were able to walk the next day, which was most gratifying! It was a hair raising drive… 8 hours and the roads are not the sort of roads we are used to at all. The rules of the road are all different too! You hoot to announce your presence on the road and hoot twice to say you are passing, which you may do on any blind rise, hairpin bend or any other stretch of road you find. I marveled at the level of compliance and tolerance of the drivers and also that most seem to get to where they are destined alive!

 Our car trip gave way to a bus trip on the worst road I have ever traveled. I am not sure the buses last very long. The bus had low range capabilities, and an enormous load of people. It struggled along a road for 11km and it took 2 hours to cover this distance. We arrived and found a guest house to sleep in and had an awesome evening and another veg’ curry!

 We were up before dawn and ready to walk as the sun rose. Neither of us thought to check the direction we needed to take. We just followed our instincts and carried on the way the bus left off. Some sweet villager woman who couldn’t speak any English directed us up a mountain path and we followed her direction without question.

 My pack was about 24kg with water bottles filled and attached, that’s quite a load for my body to carry and without any thought we started the climb she suggested which took us from 800m up to 2100 m in about 4 hours. It took us quite a long time to discover we were totally on the wrong path, but we did find that we could get to where we needed to go, but that it was a long and grueling walk to do in 1 day! The magnificence of that day was that although we were off the path, we went where tourists don’t go and we met many wonderful people who were as keen to meet us as we were to meet them. We found a real taste of life in the foothills of the Himalayas where roads don’t go and people seldom visit. It was magical.

Ellis and I had a minor row about the leadership of the tour and I was fired right there and then, since it was me who had directed the day’s walk. We walked until long after dark before we finally got to a tea house where we could sleep for the night. No one could speak to us and they never even suggested a hot shower, they simply gave us a bucket each of warm water to wash in. It was freezing, but we cleaned up, ate some dal bat, which is a welcome change from veg’ curry. It is a meal of rice, lentil soup and spicy cabbage. Pretty tasty and nutritious and it was definitely worth liking, because we had a lot of it!

We crashed and only woke well after the sun rose the next day. Ellis had sore feet and a gammy knee after the first day’s walk and some acupuncture needles and deep tissue massage sorted him out. I had a sore shoulder and it was too sore to allow him to do any of the physio’ I had taught him to do, so I used the side of the door. It is far easier to inflict pain than it is to receive it!

 Well that’s it for now; I’ll tell you more tomorrow.

Create quietness and space inside by letting go the thoughts that are not serving you, and by being present in whatever you are doing. When you feel calm and peaceful inside, the outside can rage and churn and you can cope and stay centered through it!

 When we are overly busy or overly chaotic, our bodies feel the strain. We become tense and that makes us sore. Our digestion works less smoothly, our nervous system can not conduct as freely and in fact our whole system is thrown out of kilter. Many of the courses, products and services offered at Body Brilliance are aimed at helping you to find the peace and quiet for yourself. In the meantime, just the simple act of doing focused breathing will help. Try it: breathe consciously!

I have had a real opportunity to examine the concept of acceptance this month.  I have come to see that real health lies in having a relaxed and calm mind. As long as we feel that things should be different to how they are, we are unable to have a totally peaceful mind.

I took my daughter with me to India for 5 days. We visited Mumbai and had a chance to really see the good, the bad and the ugly. I noticed my adult mind judging many things we encountered and wishing they were different. My little girl just looked at it and saw how it was. I came home with guilt in my gut. I worried that I had taken more than I had given to India, because we had shopped a lot and indulged in delicious food and hadn’t really contributed in a tangible way to uplifting anything. She came home feeling she had met lots of wonderful friendly people and bought lots of lovely things. She was thrilled. She just accepted what she saw and thought it was how it was meant to be. I am forever grateful for her example! My quest this month is to integrate this lesson into my life. Let go of my idea of what should be and allow everything to be the way it is.

Let’s all try to accept more and resist less. The whirlpool of peace will be tangible.