Yesterday we took the bus that from Pokhara goes to Ambassa, near Bardia National Park. Even though we had booked our seats, I decided to travel on top of the bus, because it was too hot inside and I was getting nervous with all the people pushing us. It was my first time alone. Amazing. One of those times when you are truly happy and at peace. I was happy, I felt FREE as never before. Serene and carefree. I thought I could have died in that moment, it didn’t matter because I was happy. It was the same thought I had in Tibet or during my first dive, in Thailand.
I was listening to my music and singing loud to the wind, the only one who could hear me. “Ninna Nanna” by Modena City Ramblers, the travelers soundtrack (in Italian). “Amico” (friend) by Renato Zero, and I thought of my best friend, Paola. And Yankelee nel Ghetto, Negramaro, Morricone. I thought at the people at home. My parents, waiting for my return; my brother, who was worried for me (???), my cousins, my friends.
Probably most people think that I’m wasting money and time, that I should settle, find a job and everything else (the “getting ma…ed” that I can’t even say out loud). But traveling gives me a satisfaction that I don’t find anywhere else. And this is what I want to do now. And I think that people should do what they feel like, if it doesn’t hurt others. So here I am.
It’s interesting how fate arranges different lives for each one of us. I am here, on the road, I rarely sleep on the same bed for 2 nights, I haven’t eaten pasta and drank an espresso in 2 months, I will celebrate my birthday alone, but I’m terribly happy. I meet a lot of interesting people, other travelers with thousand of stories to tell, locals with their beautiful smiles. And I see new places. Rice fields, loads of temples, tigers, Koreans singing in Italian in the moonlight…
One hour later some kids got on the top with me, interrupting my thoughts. When there are some police check-points locals have to get down, they can’t stay up here, only tourists can. This is weird. If it’s considered dangerous, why are tourists allowed?
I thought I would sit inside for the night, but it was so cool and there were so many people (at about 10pm we were about 20 people up there) that I decided to stay till the end. It was nice (even though my butt is still hurting), if we exclude the strong wind when the driver decided to push on the gas when going down. A guy let us use his army blanket (I was now with Tanja, a Finnish girl we met on the Annapurna that came to Bardia with Hilde and me).
At one point we stopped to let a truck coming from the other side pass, and our wheel started to make a very strong whistle. It took us about one hour to change it. So at the end, instead of 4am we arrived at 7. Not too bad.
It was all good, until I found out I lost my purse during the night. I can even remember when it was. We stopped somewhere and we all went down to have a cup of tea; climbing back onto the top it must have fallen off my pocket. There wasn’t much inside, something like 5 euro in coins, my students card of the University of Bologna (that I should have returned 6 years ago), a card with 3 euro credit to take the public bus in Dubai, a deposit card of an English account with about 300 pounds, two fake corals that I bought in Lhasa. I don’t know if anyone was able to use the debit card (maybe online). I wasn’t able to block it because I don’t know which number I should call and I don’t have an internet connection here.
After 24 stressfull hours I decided that in the worst case scenario I would have helped someone that needed those 300 pounds more than I do. I can’t help it, I’m too generous! (this is a joke, for those who don’t know me) Anyway, it’s a bit weird because I have so many lucky charms from China, Tibet and Nepal! I don’t know how that could happen. Nevermind. Maybe it’s because I had bought a new wallet a few days earlier in Pokhara, and I couldn’t make up my mind and change it… Fate decided for me, one more time.
I’ve just bought a nice bracelet and a necklace from a Tibetan refugee in Pokhara, Nepal. There are camps/villages for Tibetan refugees near Pokhara, that I’m going to visit tomorrow. After the repression from China during the 1959 rebellion, many Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, their religious leader, had to leave their country. They are now dispersed around the world, but many leave in Nepal, others in Dharamsala, in the North of India (where Dalai Lama also lives).
I didn’t need more bracelets and they weren’t cheap, compared to the Nepalese prices, but it’s a nice way to help them. At Accessorize a similar bracelet would be expensive anyway, and these I know they are handmade with patience and care; and I know I helped someone get some food (it’s a nice feeling).
If only I had more money, I would have bought presents for everyone (= I accept donations).
Maybe once I’ll be rich I’ll come back and buy them all.
I wrote this in October 2010 while I was traveling around Nepal and India. I’ve translated and added pictures.
October 4th, 2010
Earlier today I went for a walk in the old town of Pokhara. I left at about midday from the lakeside, the area of Pokhara where most tourists guesthouses and restaurants are.
My day had started with the wrong foot. With a loosen backpack, a broken boot, a lost hairbrush, nostalgia. I left under the burning sun (or so it seemed to me), the old town much further than it seemed from the map.
At one point my luck changed. I found a small restaurant where I ate some baked potatoes, spicy, for 20 cents. No coffee unfortunately, I needed it. After a little while I found a place where a guy fixed my mother’s boot for 25 cents, working with so much care and attention that left me breathless (I would have simply put some glue without caring much). Now it’s almost like new!
A bit further I found a “German bakery” (I don’t know why, but here german bakeries are quite popular) where I could enjoy my coffee (always nescafé, I’m missing my moka. Maybe I should have it sent it to me?) with a nice slice of chocolate semifreddo! Oh wow, this definitely sparkled my mood.
After a bit, walking along the road I stopped to look at some guys playing “snake and ladder”. They invited me to play with them. I won (and in Italy we say that those who are lucky at playing, are unlucky in love).
In a music shop I bought a transverse flute (that I can’t play) at 60 cents. I must learn. It mustn’t end up like the harmonica. There were also some beautiful drums like those the porters were playing during our last night on the Annapurna. It’s a shame I don’t have much space in my bag.
I walk a little further and people start calling me from all corners: “hello”, “hello tourist”, “namaste”! At one point children and adults ask me to take pictures of them. I wasn’t sure, usually people don’t like to have their photos taken by strangers or, if they accept, they want money. The people here didn’t want anything, just the pleasure of seeing themselves on my Nikon display. Well, of course I was more than happy to satisfy them. It’s a shame I didn’t have a portable printer with me.
I walked past some girls who were having a snack (it was 5 pm) and they offered me a slice of orange dipped in a spicy sauce, followed by a sip of sweet cream. Of course I accepted. Twice. It was delicious! Probably I will get sick in a couple of days, but it was worth it.
I stopped to write in my notebook and an elder lady stops curious to see what I’m doing. Such a cool lady! I asked if I could take a picture of her, she accepted and even took off the basket from her head to look prettier. After a while another lady asked me to take a picture of her house (that was decent, better compared to other houses, probably she was proud of it?).
So, I was walking around this not so pretty part of the town of Pokhara (where my guesthouse is, the lakeside, it’s very touristic, clean and organized, very western style, you can even eat grilled steak with chips!), that at first sight is a bit scary, but it’s actually so incredibly welcoming!
On my way back more requests of pictures and a table tennis challenge (with no table, directly on the road). I lost 11-5 this time.
A day started in the worst way turned out as one of the best. And I even found the hairbrush! I only have to fix the rucksack now.
P.S. I’m in a café in Pokhara, eating/drinking something weird. Sour cream with pepper, cinnamon and sugar. I have almost finished it and I still can’t decide if I like it or not.
Verona is one of the most romantic cities in Italy.
It all started with William Shakespeare, that decided to set his famous Tragedy Romeo and Juliet in Verona.
Juliet’s balcony is one of the most visited sites in Verona, and you can also visit Juliet’s tomb and Romeo’s house.
That is why on days around Valentine’s Day the city organizes a mini festival with various events.
This year, 2022, the festival takes place from the 11th to the 14th of February.
The town is all dressed up with love decorations, the most interesting probably being the big heart in Piazza dei Signori (also known as Piazza Dante), that can best be seen from the Lamberti Tower.
During the festival there are live talks about love, restaurants offer a dish with the love theme, there’s a Half Marathon, there are events at bookshops, there’s a street market, all in love theme of course.
A new entry for the year 2022 is a National Competition for the best love song by young song-writers.
Verona is a beautiful town all year round, but these days it gets even more romantic and loved.
I wrote this post about the trekking in Annapurna in 2010, October 4, just a few days after the trekking. I decided to edit it, add pictures, and translate into English, because it’s one of the best things that happend in my life and my heart still beats faster when I think about those days.
diary of a one in a lifetime trekking
I feel a bit weird. I came back last night from the Annapurna Sanctuary Trekking and I don’t know. Maybe because I was used to wake up at 6am knowing what I had to do during the day, or maybe it’s the heat here in Pokhara, it’s strangling me. Or maybe I miss the people I met there and I’m nostalgic. Or maybe it’s the grey hair I saw a minute ago at the mirror (I cut the white hair two weeks ago, how could it grow back so fast???).
But let’s start from the beginning.
the Diary
Day One
Monday, day 1. Wake up at 6am, small backpack ready with two t-shirts and two underpants, a tiny towel, soap and flipflops, a reusable bottle for water. No porter for us poor girls, we have to carry our own backpack, so it must be as light as possible. Breakfast with two croissants, coffee.
Two buses and at 9 am we are in Phedi, where our expedition starts. A spider has just fallen onto my head. A small one. The first hour is a bit dramatic. An hour of steps to get to Dhampus.
The Mt. Emei nightmare (8 hours of steps to get to a temple in China) grips me. From there it’s an easy path, a sloping ground among rice fields, streams and cows that step in the way, with a slight climb from time to time.
The first porter of the trekking walks with us for some time. He’s Sonkor, a 13 yeary old boy that carries in the bag secured to his head canned food and eggs (it must have been about 20kg, I couldn’t lift it). Products for the guesthouse his mother manages. He does this everyday. Shouldn’t a 13yo be at school on a Monday morning, you might think? It’s a difficult topic. We should probably consider their reasons before judging.
When we get to Pothana there’s the first check point (you need a permit to trek here). Because it’s September 27, International Day of the tourist (who knew?) we are blessed with the tikka (that red spot on the forehead) and we are given a yellow silk skarf (that with this heat I can’t wear). Phedi is not very high, it must be about 1.000m asl, I think. The Annapurna Base Camp, our final destination, is at 4.130m. Pothana, that we reach at about 12pm on the first day, is at 1.990m. Well, that’s good, you would think. No. Because after Pothana there’s the first descent. From 1.990m you go down to 1.620 in Landruk, 1.340 on the second day, and then up again to 2.210… I had already gotten a bit nervous looking at the itinerary, but finding myself hiking up a mountain, down on the other side of it to the valley, up another mountain and down the other side, and this for 4 days… it’s discouraging (to say the least) for me.
At one point my legs decided not to move, refused to take one single step, knowing that every step down meant other two up (and climbing again on the way back). Maybe it’s because I’m not used to hike this way. The treks I usually do (Carega, Pasubio, Cima Marana), you hike up those 2-3-6 hours, but once you are at the summit you know you only have descent. This is not the case at the Annapurna Sanctuary. I had ascents until the last day. And what an ascent! I don’t know what their problem is, but they definitely love steps! It’s probably too easy to make a path that follows the side of the mountain at the bottom. No, you have to walk straight to the top and down the other side. And no zig zags, they are a waste of time. Straight up, on a line. Terribly hard for me, not so trained.
Anyway, the first day we stopped in Landruk at about 4pm. A light rain was beginning to fall. In the guesthouse we met Bob, a 61yo English man that was back in the Annapurna after 40 years, a Kiwi couple that did in 3 days what we hit in one (also due to diarrhea), an Israeli couple (we will meet a lot of Israeli on the way).
Day 2
The morning of the second day the alarm is at 6am. It’s the wake up time of the Nepalese mountains. Wake up at 6, trekking starts at 7 and you hike until about 2pm. Probably it’s also because the sky is bright and clear early in the morning, gets cloudy at about 10am, and often in the afternoon it rains.
After a nice 10 hours sleep and breakfast with banana pancake and honey, at 7.25 (already late on our schedule), we leave. First sight of the Annapurna South. So emotional! So first two hours going down, to the valley. Then one hour of stairs up to Jhinu. Where I enjoyed a much deserved lemon tea. It’s the first time I have an Italian-style tea out of Italy. With a lot of lemon and a lot of sugar. I really needed it. And there starts what will remain one of the worst times of my life. Another hour and half of steps up, lunch break, steps down and another hour up. It must have taken a lot of time to put all those stones as steps (and I am grateful for them, as the only time I walked on the grass I fell to the ground), but couldn’t they make them slightly smaller? A bit of zig-zag? Will never understand. The second day was a nightmare for me. And from that moment on I became the weak member of the team (the first day I was always in front while Hilde struggled a bit). My body asked for mercy. And I praied for it (“please, let me see some flat ground at the end of these steps!”).
We stopped for the night in Sinuwa at about 3.30 pm. We had walked for about 6 hours. There was the best shower on earth at that guesthouse. Hot water, a powerful stream. I had a nice mint tea with a lot of sugar. For dinner an onion soup. Of course I was still hungry, so I shared with Hilde a Gurund Bread (Nepalese bread, fried) with an omelette on top. Delicious!
I must say that the food along the trek was a pleasant surprise. Great pancakes and porridge for breakfast, lunch and dinner with purea of potatoes, melted cheese and onion, fried chips with vegetables and cheese, the traditional fried rice with veggie… All delicious. Actually the trek dish is the Daal Bhaat, white rice with a piece of bread, cooked vegetables and hot pickles, plus a soup. I had it only once, on the last day, because it’s more expensive than the other dishes (3 euro instead of 2!!), but when you are finished you can have a refill if you are still hungry. I had it the last day, because I wanted to try it, and wasn’t able to finish the first serve. Me!
The first day at 8pm I was in bed. On the second day I couldn’t resist after 7.30. When I went back to the guesthouse living room after I brushed my teeth out in the cold night, Hilde was telling fellow trekkers about her one year long trip. She must have been happy to have an audience, I hadn’t be much of a companion during the last day.
Day 3
On the third day more steps up and down, till Deurali, where we arrived at about 2pm. Better than the previous day. When we stopped for lunch in Himalaya, there was a group of porters that would keep us company for the rest of the trek. They worked for a group of South Koreans that brought their food from Korea, so they not only needed boys to carry their backpacks, they also needed more people to carry their food and pots and pans, plus they had their personal chef.
I found it a bit weird. It’s much more expensive to travel this way (well, we are still talking about 10 euro per day), because in the guesthouses it’s more expensive to sleep if you don’t eat what they cook (a bed usually costs 1 euro, gueshouses earn money from the food they cook; if you don’t eat there sleeping costs about 3 euro). Food becomes more expensive the further up you go, as porters have to carry it, but it’s so good! So it’s hard for me to understand why they have their own food, but I don’t care that much.
Among these kids there’s Pawan that has sweet eyes and a smile that makes my days lighter for the rest of the trek. I miss him today. I thought he was 15, he’s 18. Very skinny. I don’t know how they can carry those 30kg on their head, walking on flip-flops on these stones (most of them don’t have money to buy shoes). Pawan says he doesn’t like this job much (he started one month ago) and hopes to enter the army (the Nepalese one. There’s also an Indian army that pays better money and offers good retirement benefits, but it’s difficult to get in). He’s paid 5 euro per day. Can I take him home?
In almost every village there’s a volleyball ground (or better, a net on a flat ground). In Deurali I watched a bit these kids while they were playing. They were actually good, you can tell they play often. It must be a nice way to loosen up after 6 hours carrying 30kg over your head…
In Deurali it started to get cold. We were at 3.200m asl. Here we met a funny Chinese guy; he’s from somewhere near Shanghai. His English isn’t perfect, but much better than the average Chinese person (at least those I met in China). He also has his Chinese vegetable soup, to drink at the end of the dinner. His name is Tang. The following day we met him again at the Annapurna Base Camp, then I’ll meet him again on the way back and yesterday in Pokhara I met him again. We have become friends (it must have been the hot spring we shared two days ago). He gave me 3 bags of vegetable soup. Nice :).
Day 4
So, day 4, start at 7am, final destination Annapurna Base Camp. At 10.30am we were there. It was already foggy. Fortunately during the hike we could enjoy some of the mountains around us. It was magic. It was extremely cold up there. 4.130m, fog and not a fireplace or stove in the house! I didn’t know how to warm up. I drank liters of tea, but only after dinner I warmed up a bit.
The following morning we woke up at 5.45 to enjoy the sunrise. Nice. But didn’t stay there long, because it got foggy soon. So we started the way down. I was tired of running. We did in 4 days the length that was recommended in 6 days, so I decided to relax and I started to walk more slowly. Hilde, on the opposite, was always walking fast. From time to time she sopped to wait for me. This was annoying me, I don’t know why (well, I know why, but don’t want to admit it). She was actually kind to wait for me. With me was walking one of the Koreans, who shot about a hundred pictures of me. Asians find us exotic, interesting photography subjects (at least they did 10 years ago, before they started traveling so much).
The next day I suggested Hilde to split, as she was walking so fast and the path wasn’t dangerous, there was no need to stay together (I planned the trek with her because I don’t think it’s safe to hike in the mountain alone; but this path was actually quite safe and with lots of people walking it). At first she refused, but later because she wanted to take a longer path to see another moutain (while I wanted to take the shortest way back to Pokhara), she accepted. Wow. Suddenly I felt much lighter. I was traveling alone because I like it, it had become boresome to travel all the time with someone else!
Also, when I’m tired I loose all my patience and become horrible. I lost a friend once during a trip, and almost did a couple of times more.
So I had two days all to myself in that beautiful environment. That day I decided to end the hike in Jhinu at 11am. Why did I have to rush back to the city? It was so nice up there! In Jhinu there’s this famous hot spring, that everybody talks about. I went there immediately. It was such a relief for my feet! And there I met Tang, the Chinese guy. And after a while the porters of the Korean group also arrived. It was such a pleasure to look at them while they washed their clothes in the hot water (not in the pool, outside. For 10 days they wear the same clothes because they have enough stuff to carry!), Pawan that was trying to swim in a pool that was 3m x 4 (he learnt to swim in the river), the laughs. Loved them. In the evening I was in the same guesthouse as the Koreans. They were celebrating their last night with a nice dinner and rakshi (a local wine, similar to sake) for the porters. At one point the porters (Nepalese) started to sing and play music. A guy was hitting on a drum, everyone else sang, somebody danced. I love how they dance. The way they move their bottoms and the hands above their heads. I was there with them and simply clapped my hands following the beat (probably not everyone knows that I am a terrible dancer). Koreans showed some interest for a bit, but soon went to bed. After a while it was just the Nepalese and I. One of them sang a song for me, so to thank him I had to sing too, both songs were Italian. Of course this provoked big laughs and enthusiasm.
It all ended quite early, at 8pm they close down everything. But an elder Korean sitting on a chair in the garden, was singing to the moon. A show I can still see if I close my eyes. He even sang “O sole mio”. Who would have thought to hear “O sole mio” under the Nepalese Himalaya, sang by a Korean???
At the same guesthouse was Bob (the English man we met on the first day) and a Californian guy. For Bob these 7 days were just a warm up for a 4-week trek he was doing a few days later, up to 6,000m. And he’s 61. When he came to Annapurna for the first time, 40 years ago, there were no paths and no guesthouses. He was with a friend, they were camping and eating rice they carried in their bags. It must have been nice to come back after so many years and take note of how much it has changed.
Last day was easy. All sloping ground. If only I didn’t get lost. Instead of walking for one hour to get to the first village it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes. I took a path up the hill instead of walking low and I couldn’t find the right path anymore. Then I walked fast to reach Bob (I told him he didn’t need to wait for me while I was brushing my teeth, I was going to reach him after a bit). I met him again 5 hours later, when he stopped for lunch. He was drinking a beer and it looked so fresh and thirst-quenching that I suddenly wanted one too. But at that point I couldn’t take more Daal Bhaat.
It was a pleasant day all considered. Nice path along a river, with usual streams and rice fields. In Naya Pul I got on the bus to Pokhara (on the roof, again). Here was the last time I saw the porters.
So here I am. I made it. I don’t know if I could do it again, it wasn’t easy. I am left with a broken boot and a backpack with a hole. And a lot of amazing memories.
