desperate to return to Nepal , after doing EBC in 2019, I organised a trek to the langtang valley this September . this time, it would be just me, well, Bikash and me, and of course a porter, to carry my stuff. at 56, I have decided that I can still cope with the altitude, but it is time to leave the heavy-lugging to the younger man. in this case, Arian.
I arrived at ktm airport, where I was met by the friendly face of Bikash. It was so good to my Bai again (Bai is the Nepali title meaning little brother). He refers to me as "Dai"- ( Nepali for old bloke). after all the weeks of careful planning (he and I are both freaks for meticulous planning). it is a well-known fact that I start the packing process about 3 months before a trek. it works.
as the taxi made its way through the wonderfully-chaotic streets of ktm, it felt instantly familiar and exciting. ktm is an experience all of its own. the colours, the sounds, the scooters and people are to be seen for oneself to appreciate. I can spend hours wandering the backstreets with my camera, never getting bored.
after a quick freshen up at the hotel, Bikash and I headed into the Thamel district for a coffee and a catch up. my hotel was right in the centre of Thamel (the touristy area), but was in a quiet backstreet and really, really nice.
after an early night, we headed out of ktm the following morning to drive to the start of the trek. the langtang valley is accessed by a rather challenging drive north on a track, barely recognisable as a road in places. this level of difficult access is part of the reason the valley is so special. the destination was worth every bump and jolt.
we arrived later that day in Dunche, the starting point.
fuelled by a dinner of Dahl bhat and another early night, we set off the following morning on foot to start our adventure. the first day was incredible. dense forests, wild monkeys and numerous glimpses of the surrounding mountains.
the first day ends in the hilltop village of thulo syapru.
the second day, descends down into the actual langtang valley, a deep, forested valley with a powerful river at its base. from here, it's a steady trail up the valley, crossing from side to side, with regular stops for tea and bites to eat.
the third day took us out of the forest and into the less dense and more-open part of the upper valley. it was on this day that we traversed the enormous landslip which buried the entire langtang village in the 2015 earthquake. a somber moment of reflection.
the following day was a short walk into kyanjing gompa, a charming and fascinating village at the head of the valley, engulfed by gigantic snow-capped mountains. this was our turn-around and we decided to spend the next 3 nights here as I wanted to climb the neighbouring hill -tsergo ri (5000m) and also to have plenty of time to wander about with my camera.
the next day was taken up by a tough 5 1/2 hour climb up tsergo ri . what a view from the summit! OMG.
that night, we had a typical nepalese celebration of Dahl bhat (of course) and dancing .
after a rest day, we then made our two day descent back down the valley.
we managed to grab a lift back to ktm through the night, which gave me two whole days to explore the city. as luck would have it, there was an important holiday, making the streets unusually quiet and getting everyone out in their finest outfits.
there are so many things to see in ktm and it's a great way to end a trek, spending time exploring the multitude of fascinating shops and temples. our last night was spent at a delightful restaurant and then a beer or two on the rooftop bar of the hotel, admiring the city lights and planning the next trip. this is what you can expect from a trek with us. hope to see you soon.
NAMASTE
DAI
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