Hiking the Poon Hill Trail: Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 of this post if you haven't already.

Soon we were descending into the Deurali Pass, a narrow canyon filled with lush, green vegetation. This was one of favourite parts of the hike.

After going downhill for several hours, we finally reached the charming riverside village of Banthanti. We would have stopped here longer, but we were determined to reach Tadapani today so that tomorrow's trek to Ghandruk would be made shorter.

From Banthanti we ascended again to some cloudy valleys. As usual, the spectacular views we'd been waiting for were almost completely obscured.

Sometimes, however, the clouds would part a little, giving us a glimpse of a postcard-perfect view.

We made another descent, which was somewhat relieving, but by this point even the downhills were tiring!

Wonderful, another uphill. This was probably the most tiresome part of the entire five-day trek. Our calves and thighs were numb with exhaustion after three days of hiking, most of it uphill, and now we plodded up each step as slow as overworked mules, as though gravity was sucking us down. It took us about an hour to climb what should probably have taken twenty minutes.

At long last, we reached Tadapani. It was a damp, swampy little village but we didn't mind. Just knowing we were finished for the day and could shower and rest felt like a luxury in itself.

The next morning, the clouds cleared a little, providing a nice view from our guesthouse.

Onward we marched. Today would be much easier on our legs, given that it was mostly flat and only four hours to Ghandruk.

Passing through a small prayer flag-filled village.

At a rest-stop.

As we came close to Ghandruk we got some beautiful views of the nearby valley.

Finally we made it to our hotel in Ghandruk, which had a spectacular view of the surrounding village.

Ghandruk was much bigger than the other villages we'd passed through, its little cottages spread around the slopes of the valley.

Sometimes the peak of Annapurna would peer over the top of the clouds.

On our fifth day, it finally happened. At last we could see those beautiful Himalayas unobscured by clouds!

We set off for the final push back to Nayapul, where we had started the trek.

Today we were presented with some gloriously green-and-blue views of the sun-drenched valleys.

Stopping for a rest in the village of Kilya.

Breakfast!

The bridge over this stream was broken, so we had to cross down below. 

Finally we reached the familiar village of Suriya Bazar, which we'd reached before. Now we knew we only had an hour to go!

Passing the waterfall again.

The last hour to Nayapul was flat but nevertheless very difficult. All we wanted to do was find our taxi driver, sit down, and not think about walking or going up steps anymore.

Finally we got our taxi back to Pokhara, feeling sheer bliss and a great sense of accomplishment. It was the longest and hardest hike either of us has ever done, and we were so glad it was over.

We returned to Pokhara for a couple of days, and as you'd expect, did very little but lie in bed, letting our muscles regenerate. Then we got the bus back to Kathmandu where we would say our goodbye to Nepal. This country has been special right from the start, with its beautiful stupas and temples, relaxed vibe, and delicious food. Kathmandu was easily one of the coolest cities we've been to, and while the eco-farming and the five-day-hike were exasperating, they provided unique cultural and natural experiences unlike any other on this trip. I hope one day we'll get to come back, hopefully in better fitness, so that we can try one of the more challenging Himalayan hikes.

And so that meant we had one last Asian destination on our itinerary before moving on to Europe. It's a place I've dreamed of visiting for most of my lifetime, and a place Angela has been dreading for most of this trip: the colourful, chaotic, magical world that is India...