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Nepal – Never say Never again
Michelle
Desmarchelier, Kumuka Worldwide’s Group
and Tailor-made Tour Manager, tailored her
own tour to Nepal which changed her life.
We’d
been planning a big adventure as a couple
for over 18mths, Nepal was to be the destination;
it had been put on the backburner for when
we were fitter.
After
many hours researching, scouring maps and
looking at pictures, we decided on the Gokyo
Lakes region for the spectacular panorama
of the surrounding mountains. Of course we
opted to tailor make our trek to suit our
own fitness levels, so I gained knowledge
from Helen, the Kumuka Asia operations manager,
who gave us suggestions and ideas, (having
been to Nepal an amazing ten times) and our
local operator living in Nepal, the itinerary
was sorted in no time. That side of the planning
was easy.
We
started our fitness campaign months before
we left, as we were about to embark on a journey
that neither of us had encountered before
and we were travelling to the Himalayas during
winter, we wanted to make certain that we
were at our optimum fitness before our trek.
This entailed 3 mornings per week of running,
high cardio, lots of stair climbing and strength
training; we also took in some long bushwalks
in our boots to make sure they were well worn
in.
Having
spent a fair part of my 20’s travelling
to far-flung corners of the globe, I was quite
comfortable and felt, once again, at home
when we arrived into the chaos that is Kathmandu.
It was great to be back in a country where
pedestrians were safe sharing the road with
cows, rickshaws and motorcycles. Having said
that, it was also nice to retreat to the quiet
and comfort of the Hotel Viashali where we
prepared for the next part of our journey.
We
had a pre-departure meeting with the Kumuka
local operator, who outlined what we could
expect over the coming days and also happened
to mention that Nepal had experienced the
worst weather in 10 years just before we’d
arrived, so there was a lot of snow in the
mountains!
The
flight from Kathmandu to Lukla was a pure
adrenalin rush, amazing to be flying at mountain
level with a feeling that we could almost
reach out and touch the peaks. The landing
was just incredible, you’ll have to
go to experience it, I’m not going to
ruin the surprise.
Out
of the plane straight into the snow and even
our guide was surprised to see snow in Lukla.
After a hearty lunch at a teahouse we were
out on the trail on our way to Phak Ding,
which was our first stop.
Unfortunately
due to the high level of snow, the track to
Gokyo was deemed far too dangerous and was
closed for trekking, so we had a last minute
change of plans and decided to press on to
Kala Patar and Everest Base Camp if we could.
It goes to show that a high level of flexibility
is needed enroute in the Himalayas especially
if you are trekking in winter! There will
always be a contingency plan in place and
hey, the mountains aren’t moving so
we can always go back.
As
I trekked in the extreme conditions, I kept
hearing the voice of wisdom from a friend
saying ‘if you’re mentally tough
you’ll be ok, the body keeps pushing
through pain, but if your mind says you can’t
then you’re in trouble’…
this was the most important mantra that kept
me moving forward, even on the days when every
fibre of my body screamed and all I wanted
to do was set fire to the snow which was becoming
my nemesis and crawl up under a rock and fall
asleep or find the elusive “pony for
rent” and trot along the trail happily.
The
mountains certainly make you feel very small
and there’s time to re-evaluate what’s
important in life, I did just this when sitting
in a teahouse high in the mountains, about
6 days walk from Lukla as I stared at the
lovely pink & white plastic flowers on
our dinner table, these were lovingly carried
up here on the back of a Sherpa, as was the
bed we were sleeping on and, in fact, every
piece of building material surrounding us.
I will never complain about the queue at our
local supermarket ever again, nor will I whinge
that the shopping bags won’t fit in
the boot of my car.
I’ve
returned to my home refreshed, invigorated
and with a great sense of achievement. Malcolm
and I keep passing looks to each other and
nodding our heads quietly, knowing that we’ve
returned not only in better physical shape
than when we left (yes walking at altitude
for hours on end is a good weight-loss program)
but we’re also better mentally prepared
for whatever life throws at us.
When
people ask me what was the best thing about
our holiday, I am happy to say that I’ve
returned knowing I will never say I can’t
do something ever again. Even three months
before we left for Nepal I was questioning
my mental toughness, now I know that I can
achieve anything I set my sights on.
The
best remedy for a bit of complacency is to
immerse yourself into the unknown and believe
in your ability to achieve what you set out
to achieve.
To
tailor your trek to Nepal trek with Kumuka
Worldwide contact
Michelle
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clean whilst camping
This
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camping and letting loose in Latin America!
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up the good work!
