Annapurna Base Camp

Kathmandu, Nepal, 21- 28 September 2008
Pokhara, Nepal, 29 September 2008
Annapurna Trek, 30 September - 17 October 2008
Pokhara, Nepal, 18 - 19 October 2008
Kali Gandaki River, Nepal, 20 - 21 October 2008
Pokhara, Nepal, 22 October 2008
Kathmandu, Nepal, 23 - 26 October 2008


Leaving our mark on the
Thorong La Pass













Following completion of the Everest Base Camp trek we spent the week relaxing in Kathmandu. The only sightseeing we did was a trip to Durbar Square and Freak Street, about 15 minutes walk from our hotel. The walk was a bit hectic as the streets were even narrower and busier than those in Thamel. Durbar Square, with its old temples and palaces epitomises the religious and cultural life of the people. It was here that kings of Nepal were crowned and their coronations solemnised ….before they became a republic earlier this year and turfed the king out on his ear. Durbar Square is probably better described as a living open museum of Nepal.

Then, all too quickly Saturday morning came around. Claire was due to fly home to Scotland with Qatar Airways to London (with a short stop off in Doha) and then BA to Glasgow. We said our goodbyes in Departures and then went our separate ways for the first time in 15 months. What made it even stranger was that we would not even be able to communicate for the next month as I would be on the Annapurna Circuit trekking. With Claire winging her way to Doha I made my way to arrivals to meet Paddy, the first of 3 people flying in to join me on The Circuit. Just as I was expecting to see Paddy appear through the arrivals gate Claire made a reappearance. Her flight had been delayed. She was only due to have a 45 minute stop over in Doha so we did not know what impact this would have on the remainder of her day. Then Paddy came through to a fanfare of live local music. We had somehow missed the signs declaring that it was World Tourism Day. Claire then had to head back through security to await an update (the result was a series of delays that resulted in her missing the two connecting flights and required a stay over in London). Paddy and I then caught a taxi back into Thamel.



Kevin, Paddy, Tom and Dave







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Again, in celebration of World Tourism Day the streets had been closed off to cars and so for the first time it was almost a pleasure to wander the many narrow streets where normally chaos reigns. Later we collected Tom, trekking companion number 2, from the airport. He had us worried as it took him almost 2 hours to come through immigration. Then on Sunday morning, Kevin, trekking partner number 3 arrived safe and sound and we had our quorum. So far so good. The remainder of Sunday was spent getting our trekking permits, TIMS cards (an additional requirement if trekking in Nepal) and making those last minute purchases. Tom, Paddy and I had scheduled about 23 days to do the full circuit plus the trek to Annapurna Base Camp. Kevin would trek with us for 12 days and then fly from Jomosom back to Pokhara and home to New Jersey USA.

John Rambo


















Day 1 Kathmandu to Bahundanda
On Monday morning (Oct 29th) Tom, Paddy and I caught the Greenline bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a journey of about 8 hours. Kevin, in true American style, chose to take the 30 minute flight and we all met up later in Pokhara. Kev also decided that he had no intention of carrying his own pack on our arduous trek and so enlisted the services of a local porter called Bosanta. After one overnight in Pokhara it was time to get down to business – we took the 5 hour bus journey to Besisahar, had lunch, and then piled into a 4x4 jeep to Bhulbhule. Everything went very smoothly…except the jeep ride, it was an incredibly bumpy affair. I guess we should count ourselves lucky that it only broke down once and even then they had it going again after about 30 minutes. From Bhulbhule it was leg power all the way. Bosanta, the porter, was keen for us to stay in Ngadi, only a one hour walk away but we were all fired up and insisted on continuing an additional 2 hours to Bahundanda. The day was very hot and as we climbed the 380m (1100ft) from Ngadi to Bahundanda we questioned the wisdom of our decision more than once. Then, as though to add insult to injury, we couldn't find anywhere to stay – all the lodges were full. Bosanta eventually found us a 4 bed dorm room in a very basic lodge. It wasn't exactly a barn but it wasn't too far away either. It didn't really matter though because all we wanted to do was eat dinner and go to bed and that's what we did. Day 1 successfully completed.

Day 2 Bahundanda to Chamje
Day 2 had a bitter sweet beginning - a nice gentle 2 hour walk downhill to the village of Syanje from where we started the task of then regaining all those lost meters, an exercise we would quickly need to get used to. It really wasn't too bad though as we soon got into a routine of scheduled stops for a large pot of black tea, and that doesn't include all the impromptu "photo opportunities". "Huff, puff, pant, I'm just going to …whew…stop to take a photograph lads…no, no, I'm not tired". The day went in quickly and we reached Chamje at about 2pm. This had been another extremely hot day so we were all glad of the powerful hot shower available at our guesthouse. Man, it felt gooood!






Day 3 Chamje to Bagarchhap
Already we were getting into a routine of rising at 6am, breakfast at 6.30am, start trekking at 7am. The 3 lads joked that they would never think of getting up that early back home. They have to go on holidays to get up at this ungodly hour. Each day we would continue our walk along the valley with the Marsyangdi river ever at our side. The scenery was stunning and changed daily. Initially rice terraces dominated the landscape but after a few days these gave way to forests of pine and fir. At all times the huge soaring peaks of the Annapurna range loomed large around us.









Day 4 Bagarchhap to Chame
Day 5 Chame to Ghyaru
Day 5 was a little longer than usual as we chose to get off the main trail. During my pre-trek research many people who had completed the trek recommended taking a detour at Dhukure Pokhari and following a diagonal trail up the side of the valley to Upper Pisang. After a leisurely lunch in Upper Pisang we started the steep uphill climb to Ghyaru, a quaint little village situated 400m above the main trail. The entire time we were trekking from Dhukure Pokhari to Ghyaru we didn't pass another person on the trail – it was great. While I'm sure Kevin cursed me more than once as we made that last steep ascent into the village even he had to agree the view was nothing short of breathtaking. From the balcony of our guesthouse we had incredible views across to Annapurna II (7939m), Annapurna IV (7525m) and Gangapurna (7454m). The village reminded me of those old French / Spanish villages consisting entirely of stone built houses with external ladders used to gain access to the upper floors. The following day we would make our way to Manang where one is recommended to stay for 2 nights to acclimatise but as Ghyaru was at an altitude of 3670m, 100m higher than Manang, we took this as our first acclimatisation day.
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Day 6 Ghyaru to Manang
The day opened with a rather sub-standard breakfast but was quickly followed by a very pleasant walk, still high above the valley, to Ngawal. Here we made the mistake of trying to stay off the main route so instead of dropping down to Mungji we attempted to continue on to Chulu where we believed we would then be able to drop straight down to Mungji. Even Bosanta deserted us in Ngawal, which we should probably have taken as a sign because, yes you guessed it, we quickly managed to get ourselves completely lost. Fortunately we happened upon a Buddhist monastery perched on a cliff overlooking the Annapurna range, where one of the local monks soon set us straight. Once back on the main trail it was a little disappointing to rejoin the throngs of trekkers, primarily Israeli, as it felt like we were rejoining the rat race hell bent on getting to the Thorong La Pass.




After lunch in Manang Paddy, Tom, and I decided to trek up to Desi Lama, a Buddhist monk who lives in a cave perched 500m above the town. He is 92 years old and performs a special blessing for trekkers which he claims will see them safely over the Thorong La Pass. It was a tough steep climb up to his cave but to meet this monk and to have him perform the blessing in his most humble of dwellings was a very special moment on our trek. Afterwards he gave us a cup of tea and we sat in his company attempting to communicate. What we could gather is that he had spent his entire life in Manang and the last 38 of them in this cave. He was a pretty cheerful guy though and even asked us if we had any Cadbury's chocolate with us. We didn't, all we could offer him was a clove rock (a hard boiled candy). A pretty poor substitute but he took it graciously.
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Day 7 Manang to LetdarDay 8 Letdar to High Camp
Not too much to say about Letdar other than the fact that it was cold, very very cold. The guesthouse we stayed at appeared to light a fire at about 6pm but I was sitting only 5 feet away from it and can safely say it generated no heat whatsoever. The only other thing of interest was the cluster of yaks on the hill outside. Having seen plenty of them on the Everest trek it is still hard to believe that these were the only yaks we saw on the whole Annapurna circuit. Then the clouds rolled in and the rain started to fall. This worried us as we were getting closer to the pass and were really praying for clear weather. Hopefully Desi Lama would work his magic.

On Day 8 we decided to stay in High Camp which is a tough 1 hour trek above Thorong Phedi but it means that you are that bit closer to the Pass in the morning. We did not have high hopes for the quality of the accommodation as it is the most remote point on the trail but I think it is fair to say that we were blown away. The food was better than anything we had previously experienced and the dining area was warm and comfortable. The weather conditions continued to bother us as it was very changeable with low cloud giving way to clear skies giving way to frequent snow drifts. We really couldn't call how the next day – Pass Day – was going to go.

Day 9 High Camp to Muktinath (via Thorong La Pass)
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It was with some trepidation that we woke on October 8th. It was still dark outside but we were comforted by the fact that we could see the stars and therefore knew that, for the moment at least, the sky was clear of clouds. After some discussion we compromised with Bosanta, who wanted us to start walking at what we considered to be an unreasonable hour, and agreed to hit the trail at 5.10am.

The snow that had fallen the previous day made the going treacherous in places particularly as it was still dark for the first 30mins. We walked by the light of our head torches. Once it started to dawn it became evident that we were in for a real treat. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the view of the surrounding mountains was crisp and clear. The blanket of snow gave the landscape a smooth undulating appearance that glistened in the morning sunshine. Paddy and I got to The Pass first and were happy to find a large sign stating that we had made it. Yahoo!!! It had taken us 2 hours 20mins and we were on a real high, both literally (5416m) and metaphorically. We climbed a nearby hill and enjoyed the most incredible views in every direction….then Paddy rugby tackled me and we both tumbled back down the hill in the snow. Brrr.

To our delight there was a small "café" located right on the pass where we were able to get 2 large mugs of black tea. It is hard to describe just how much black tea was consumed between the 4 of us whilst on the trail. Black tea with breakfast, black tea at 10am, black tea with lunch…and so on. Nor were we ordering cups of tea, we were ordering large thermos flasks of tea so that at each sitting we could enjoy 3 to 4 cups each.

Tom, Kevin and Bosanta arrived an hour later and we all congratulated each other on a job well done.

After Tom and Kevin had enjoyed a cup of the obligatory black tea (they don't have the thermos flask option on the Thorong La Pass) we took some photo's with the Irish flag that Tom had brought along, and after a few more high-fives we all started the descent on the other side of the pass towards Muktinath.The trail to Muktinath was one thing and one thing only – down, down, down. In a relatively short space of time we dropped 1800m and checked into the Bob Marley guesthouse. Kev had mentioned that there is an "Eternal Flame" in Muktinath so we decided to go in search. After we discovered it was in a monastery complex a short distance back up the trail Kev decided he couldn't be bothered…or didn't have the energy. This was amusing to us as this was the one item of interest on the Annapurna Circuit that Kev actually knew about. Anyway as it turns out he really didn't miss anything. The "Eternal Flame" turned out to be a very uninspiring natural gas flame that everyone wanted to see and nobody cared once they saw.I should also mention Kev's flight changing efforts. Almost from the moment he arrived in Nepal he decided he had too much time available for the trek so instead of simply enjoying the extra time in this amazing country he decided he would try to reschedule all his flights, at considerable expense, to get home a week earlier. He enlisted a travel agent to reschedule his Kathmandu to Delhi flight. He would need a new flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu and, finally, he could change his Delhi to New Jersey flight himself on-line. As he would need to be pretty sure of when he would arrive back in Pokhara he bought a standby/changeable flight from Jomosom (a small town on the trail with an airstrip) to Pokhara. To cut a long story short the travel agent confirmed that he had successfully changed the flight to Delhi from the 18th to the 15th as requested. But Kev wanted to fly on the 11th now, not the 15th. Then when he arrived in Jomosom he discovered that his standby ticket was essentially worthless and he would not be able to get on any of the outbound flights. His house of cards had begun to tumble.

Day 10 Muktinath to Jomosom.

On Day 10 there were 2 routes we could take from Muktinath to Jomosom. One was a more direct route and the other, about an hour longer, would go via the town of Kagbeni. Kev, Tom, and Bosanta decided to take the shorter route while Paddy and I, gluttons for punishment, decided to checkout Kagbeni.The first thing we noticed on leaving Muktinath was the reappearance of motorised vehicles. We had not seen anything of the kind since jumping out of our cramped jeep all the way back in Bhulbhule. Kagbeni turned out to be a quaint, almost medieval town. There were many covered alleyways that appeared to lead to someone's front door only to turn at the last minute and continue in this labyrinthine fashion, twisting and turning through large sections of the town. Then the weirdest thing happened…we turned a corner and there on front of us were the "Golden Arches" of McDonalds. Incredible, my mouth watered at the thought of a Big Mac. Needless to say it was false advertising and I will be contacting McDonalds' legal team as soon as I get home to put an end to this flagrant copyright infringement. Kagbeni is also the start of a restricted zone into the Mustang region of Nepal that leads right up to the border with Tibet. We broke the law and trekked into the restricted zone for about 15 minutes before deciding not to push our luck any further and turned around to visit the 500 year old gompa (monastery) back in town. On leaving Kagbeni we didn't realise that the wind blows strongly up the valley in the afternoon so for the next 2 hours we were well and truly sandblasted. It didn't help that there seemed to be jeeps continuously passing in both directions.

When we arrived in Jomosom Tom and Kevin had checked us into a nice guesthouse where the first stop was an obligatory shower. As this was going to be the last night all 4 of us would be together – Kev and Tom both decided that they had done enough trekking for one "holiday" – we splurged on a couple of bottles of Everest beer each. Our spirits were high and it wasn't long before our beer-starved bodies started feeling the effects of the alcohol.



















































Day 11 Jomosom to Kalopani
The following morning Paddy and I bade farewell to Kevin and Tom. Kev was still on standby for a flight to Pokhara but later, as Paddy and I were walking out of Marpha, a small village on the trail, we spotted Tom, Kevin, and Bosanta going by in a 4x4 jeep. I guess Kev decided to cut his losses and overland back to Pokhara. Arriving in Kalopani we were glad to finally be off the rubbley path of the raised sea bed. Hard to believe we were walking on what was once the bottom of the sea…now 2500m up in the air.

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Day 12 Kalopani to Tatopani
The walk to Tatopani was not all that interesting and we were thinking that the other side of the Thorong La Pass had the better scenery. But what the other side didn't have was thermal hot springs. In Tatopani we enjoyed soaking our weary bones in a toasty warm hot spring and I really can't describe how good it felt. Afterwards feeling as squeaky clean as squeaky clean can be we stopped off for a few contraband cans of Carlsberg in an attractive beer garden. I call them contraband because we didn't buy them in the guesthouse we were staying in. Then something surreal happened – a horse walked in through one entrance, walked the length of the beer garden between the tables and exited out onto the street at the far end. It just looked so odd, I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere.
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Day 13 Tatopani to Ghorepani
What we didn't realise at the beginning of Day 13 was that it would be the toughest day of trekking to date. After dropping down initially, then crossing the Kali Gandaki river yet again, the trail sloped uphill and gave us little relief for the next 7 hours. The only consolation was that everyone felt the same way. From High Camp to the Thorong La Pass had taken us only 2 hours 20 minutes, then it was all down hill to Muktinath. This was a different story…it was just up, up, up. When we stopped for lunch I asked the waitress the name of the spectacular mountain to our west. She said she didn't know its name. After referring to our map and compass we determined that it was Dhaulagiri (8200m). On leaving after lunch we noticed the name of the restaurant… "Dhaulagiri View". I still don't know if she thought I was being smart or whether she really didn't know.

Once we had relaxed for a time in Ghorepani we decided to trek to the top of Poon Hill for sunset. The fact that it was completely overcast didn't deter from our enthusiasm. We brought a packet of Pringles along for sustenance. Once on top, about 45 minutes later, guess what…it was a complete white-out. Only a Korean couple were as crazy as us so we all stood on the platform of the look-out tower and admired the fog. Then, as though to reward our determination, the cloud parted enough to give us good views of Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna South (7219m), and Machhapuchhre (6993m).

We then dropped back down to Ghorepani in the dark.










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Day 14 Ghorepani to Banthanti

We set our alarm clock for 4am so that we could do as everyone does…climb to the top of Poon Hill for dawn. This time we were armed with some cheap local biscuits to keep us going until breakfast. We were first to the look-out tower at 5am and were very happy to find we could get a large mug of black tea from some local entrepreneurs.

The solitude was quickly broken though as group after group of eager trekkers began to arrive. The dawn, like most dawns, was perfectly cloudless and everyone shuffled to get that panoramic shot of themselves with the mighty Himalaya's in the background. After breakfast down in Ghorepani we allowed ourselves an extra hour back in bed before setting off down the trail to Tadipani…or so we thought. There appeared to be only one path out of town and in our over confidence we didn't think for a second that we were heading in the wrong direction. For 2 hours we power-housed down hill, flying past all in our path before stopping in Ulleri to consult with our map. Aargh!!! There had been another path that left from behind a guesthouse in Ghorepani…apparently. We simply couldn't believe that we would have to go all the way back up to Ghorepani to get onto the right trail. There was just no other way. We swallowed our pride and started back up hill to the bewilderment of all those we had passed earlier, our heads hung low like 2 solitary swans. We took some comfort in meeting a Spanish guy who had made the same mistake.

When we arrived in Nayathanti, still about an hour away from Ghorepani we determined that we could cut cross country and get onto the correct trail. Paddy had decided that he really couldn't face having to go back into Ghorepani again. Word of advice though, be careful when you decide to take a "shortcut" in the Himalaya's…you might just run into a mountain!! We slogged uphill for about 2 hours before, alleluia, were back on track, literally. Fortunately we were still feeling strong (amazing what 14 days of trekking will do for you) so we trekked on through some small villages reaching Banthanti just before dark. We had completed about 10 hours of trekking and were very happy to be fed, watered and given a warm bed for the night. It had been a very long day.

Day 15 Banthanti to Chamrong
Hard to believe but we almost went the wrong way at the beginning of Day 15. Needless to say as soon as we got the slightest inkling that we might be following the wrong trail we stopped and corrected ourselves. We're no fools you know. The trail to Chamrong seemed to drop endlessly down into a valley whereupon we were obliged to regain all that lost altitude again, and just when we had, the cycle started all over again. We considered walking further but after lunch in Chamrong, we liked the place so much, we decided to check into a guesthouse. The rest was very welcome. We spent the rest of the day eating and relaxing. Ah bliss.

Day 16 Chamrong to Deurali
This was a relatively easy day particularly given our "short" trek to Chamrong the day before. The only annoyance was the long wait for our lunch in Himalaya. Our frustration was compounded by the fact that we were less than one hour from our final destination and we heard that there could be an issue with accommodation. Part of the problem may have been that we decided to experiment and find out what "rosti" was. It turned out to be a large greasy hash brown topped with fried eggs. It must have contained at least 20,000 calories….perfect. We made fast time to Deurali through a mossy subtropical rain forest type landscape. On entering town, the first of the 4 guesthouses said they were full but offered us a small tent they had set up in the outside dining area. Not sure whether to take them seriously or not we continued to lodge number 2. "Sorry full". Then lodge number 3. "Sorry full". And finally lodge number 4. "Sorry full….but we do have one room you could have". He brought us out the back through the kitchen and into a storeroom that had one single bed shoved in the corner. With our options severely limited we accepted his storeroom offer. We might have thought that our accommodation on Day 1 in Bahundanda was basic, well let me tell you, it didn't have a patch on this place. There were old kerosene lamps, rice and flour containers, and large oil drums strewn all around. Paddy and I decided to sleep "tops and tails" in the single bed. Good thing we're both small. Out in the communal dining area they fired up an open kerosene flame under the large table and this kept all sitting around it warm. There was metal sheeting on the underside of the table but it still seemed like a major safety hazard.


Day 17 Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC)
While it was a bit cold during the night and a bit cosy in our single bed we both slept reasonably well. We ordered breakfast for 6.30am and planned to make our way as quickly as possible to ABC to ensure we wouldn't have a repeat of our previous night. Before we left Paddy peered into one of the large rice containers and was quick to point out the mouse running around on top. Eek!! "Did we have any meals with rice", "No", "Whew, thank goodness for that". The trek to ABC from Deurali is supposed to take about 4 hours. Paddy and I took off like prize stallions and had hit the halfway mark (MBC) within an hour. I somehow lost Paddy here and I arrived in ABC on the 2 hour mark and was very happy to be offered a "normal" room for the night. The sky was clear and blue and the views all around were incredible. After Paddy and I had relaxed for a while we strolled off in the direction of Annapurna South and got snap happy with our camera's. Reaching ABC was a psychological milestone for me. Not only did it mark the last stop for Paddy and I on our Annapurna trek but it also marked the last point on my around the world trip before beginning the final journey home to Cork. ABC provided stunning, up-close, views of the Annapurna range. Poon Hill was good but nothing beats the feeling of being right in the heart of the mountains. For the remainder of the day we simply lounged around outside before the sun dipped behind one of the many peaks and the temperature got decidedly cooler.
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Day 18 ABC to Chamrong

We got up early to witness yet another daybreak, as you do, and we were again greeted with clear, cloud-free skies. There was a full moon sitting just above Annapurna South and that proved to be a great draw for anyone with a camera in their hands (which of course was pretty much everyone).Then it was time to start the long descent back to Chamrong. All went well until we got to Sinuwa and were reminded of the fact that, from this lofty perch, we would need to drop a long long way down to the river and then climb a long long way back up to Chamrong.
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Even after 18 days of trekking we both found that final drive up those endless steps a real slog. It was gruelling. But a quick shower later and we were both renewed and ready for more..
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Day 19 Chamrong to Pokhara (18Oct08)

Claire and I had met 2 Spanish girls in Arthur's Pass NZ who had completed the same trek as Paddy and I were now on the brink of completing. They had drawn a trail on my map that they assured me existed. Paddy and I, always up for an adventure, decided to track it down. Outside of Chamrong we quickly left the main trail and followed a smaller, yet still very well defined, trail down to the Jhinu Danda hot springs. Even though it was early in the day, i.e. not too many miles behind us, we decided to don our swimming trunks and take to the water. After passing a pleasant half hour or so in the company of 3 local children who were fascinated by Paddy's hairless head, we continued on the trail. We quickly realised that the trail drawn by the Spaniards was not as obscure as we had originally thought. The remainder of our day was refreshingly isolated as we dropped all the way down to Nayapul where our long trek ended and we picked up a bus bound for Pokhara.


That evening we treated ourselves to a steak dinner washed down with a few bottles of our beloved Everest beer. It had been an outstanding 19 days in the Himalaya's and a trek I would highly recommend to anyone who likes nothing more that pulling on a pair of hiking boots.
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Paddy and I relaxed around Pokhara the next day by taking a row boat out on the lake, but, never one's to relax for too long, we also booked ourselves onto a 3 day white water rafting trip on the Kali Gandaki river, departing the next day.

At 8am the next morning we boarded a beat up bus and headed back in the direction from whence we had only recently returned. It should have been a 2.5 hour journey but ended up taking us about 5 hours (flat tyre, detours, dal bhat for the crew, etc). Once there we were quickly put to work unloading the bus, inflating the rafts and generally getting ourselves ready for a new adventure on the water. We were a group of 12 paying guests and 6 crew members split over 2 rafts (plus one raft solely for the food, tents, and suchlike).

Before entering the water we were taken through all the commands that we would hear shouted from the rear of the raft by our guide. By carefully following these commands we stood every chance of never having to end up in the water. These were Grade III – IV rapids. However, I think Paddy must have been taking a whiz at the time because we weren't long on the river before he found himself tossed out of the raft and floating downstream. Did I mention that Paddy can't swim? Fortunately he didn't manage to get too far before we were able to haul him back aboard. A quick refresher class for Paddy and we were on our way again.

Not even 5 minutes had elapsed before some particularly choppy water had again landed Paddy in the swim. After this second incident he made a point of practically tying himself to the inside of the raft and, I'm glad to say, that was his last tumble into the water. Of course I should also mention that Paddy and I had chosen to ride up front so perhaps that was a contributing factor also. At the end of day 1 we found a nice beach at the side of the river where we set up camp, ate a dinner of dal bhat and sat around the warmth of a campfire and got to know each other.


Next morning we were back fighting the rapids and enjoying the incredible scenery. Our guides chose not to run one set of rapids called "Big Brother" as they deemed it too dangerous. What we later found out was that just the week before, with another company, an Israeli had smashed his head open on a rock while trying to navigate this stretch of river. However, the ordeal we had in trying to drag, push, and carry our rafts seemed equally dangerous at times. It must have taken us at least an hour and really if this is something that they have to do regularly they need to find a better way. It is a miracle that no one was badly hurt. Day 2 ended on another pleasant riverside beach.

Paddy and I had brought a few cans of beer along for the ride and so proceeded to polish those off over the course of the evening. There was no campfire on night 2 which was a real disappointment. Not as easy to get the wood here apparently and consequently most people retired early. Our final day on the Kali Gandaki started with some good white water but this quickly gave way to smoother, sit-back-and-relax, conditions and we eventually coasted into our final port of call near a large dam that precluded us from travelling any further.

Back in Pokhara we only really had time for a meal with some of the gang before heading home to bed and catching the 8am bus the next morning back to Kathmandu where everything seemed oh so familiar. The guys at Poon Hill guesthouse gave us a warm welcome (remember this was now my third time staying there).

For the next 2 days we ate well, indulged in a massage for our aching limbs and did some last minute shopping. Then Paddy flew out and for the first time I was all alone (is that a violin I here playing?).

2 days later I caught my flight to Delhi and my journey home started in earnest. Alas, I only had standby tickets from Delhi to London and from London to Cork and in Delhi I would have to wait almost 17 hours for my first opportunity to get on a flight. I deliberated over whether I should venture into Delhi for the day but Claire was adamant that I remain in the airport. The long wait wasn't too bad but I certainly was happy to see BA start checking people in 4 hours before departure. Now the question was, would I get on the flight? Thankfully the plane was half empty and I ended up having a row of 3 seats to myself.

Once in London I quickly made my way to terminal 1 in an effort to get on the 10am flight to Cork. Unfortunately, as it had been a long weekend in Ireland, and this was now the Tuesday morning, there were lots of people heading back to Cork, so many in fact that I was unable to get on the flight. Doh!! Not to worry, only another 5 hours until the next available flight. If I'm ever on Mastermind and asked for my chosen specialised subject…."WAITING!!!"And then, at 3.45pm on a bitterly cold October 28th, I touched down in Cork airport and the epic journey was finally at an end. As I waited for my beat-up rucksack I did one last check that all my limbs were still in tact (can you imagine my embarrassment if someone was to say "um Dave…where's your left arm?") and then popped the world travelling bubble that had been home to Claire and I for the past 17 months!