A trip to Nepal it absolutely had to be, the decision for a geoDiscovery Tour was also quickly made; competently and patiently all the questions were answered that you have when you are as inexperienced as I am. The Trekking Tour to Poon Hill as an entry into the Himalaya and into the country was then just the right thing. I haven’t regretted a minute, thanks to the good advice and preparation by Mrs Kolay it could then start on 13 May.
Even the welcome in Kathmandu from the agency was warm, everything well chosen and prepared. After the short days of getting used to the country and culture in the capital, we then started from Pokhara.
Every day was a very special experience in itself and it is mostly thanks to our wonderful guide that we were able to manage the daily challenges and that the trip has remained an experience with lasting memories. He not only knew the particularly beautiful trails, we got to know the plant world, discovered unexpected Nepalese dishes, e.g. fresh fern leaves as vegetables with Dal Bhat, and met people with their own life stories which he brought close to us. And again and again the best views of the Annapurna mountains, in all their splendour.
We walked through green hills that wound upwards in terraces. The lush vegetation changed, we walked through rhododendron forests, discovered all kinds of plants anew, crossed valleys and rivers and again and again stairs up and down. On the paths we met sheep and goat herds with their solitary companions and herders. Not to forget the mules, which carry what is needed up to the mountains. But most of all we admired the people, young and old Nepalese, often loaded with carrying baskets, who travel the paths with such ease. Even the children cover long distances at a young age in order to reach a mostly distant school.
On and on, higher and higher, exhausted in the evenings but satisfied, we reached the lodges that took us in and offered restful rest for the next day. The early morning greeted us with sunshine and the best view of the fascinating mountains, whose full heights we did not reach, but in the end we were rewarded with our goal, Poon Hill in the clear light of the rising sun, a true event!’
My special thanks go to our wonderful guide, who made all of this possible for us, our porter, the tireless support, and the staff member on the ground who found a solution for all concerns.
What remains is the memory of the country and the people, the encounter with people whose open manner and willingness to help touched us again and again.
And of course special thanks to Mrs Kolay from geoDiscovery Tours, I am already looking forward to the next tour!
Vera M.