Again we walked the first half of the day on the old trail. Having a total elevation gain of about 250 metres meant we were heading higher. The trail had some ups and downs but nothing too bad.
Basu goes up a wee hill on the old track.
Slowly, slowly, our Guide, Basu, tells us. As if I could go fast in this elevation. We are at about 2,00 metres above sea level, so we are already lacking oxygen. Looking back at my diary, I saw that I was struggling to go slow last time I was here. Puru had to walk in front of me to slow me down. But 17 years later, my guide waits at the top of the hill for me.
Basu and Ram waiting for usOld trackNew road is constant road worksNice metal swing bridge
Lunch at a really cute we teahouse. It had ony one room where they slept cooked and ate and served meals. Dal Bhat was the only thing on menu and it takes about 30 mins to cook and smells delicious. We take off our shoes and lay down to rest. So I am ready to eat when it arrives.
Lunch stopKay is looking hungrySmall child asleep beside us
Our guide and porter serve us. They stand and wait until we have had a few mouthfuls and give our approval before they disappear to eat their lunch.
Huffing and puffing up another hillApple treesNot a very fancy bridgeLady grinding up garlic at a teashopWe walked to Charmje todayA room with a view
We keep getting rooms on the 3rd floor. They may have a view, but we think we have walked up enough steps
We showed the owners my photos from 17 years ago only to find that the adults had died and the kids had all left the village.
We started our day at 6.15am with a taxi ride with our guide, Basu, to the city bus station. There we met Ram who is to be our porter for the trek.
Kay and I are quite capable of carrying our own gear, but we wanted to make sure we contributed to the economy. So we will pack a duffle bag each with the stuff we don’t need through the day and he will carry it for us. We are allowed a maximum of 10kg each but it will be more like 5kg each. He will be a happy porter!!
The bus ride took about 10 hours. The first 5 or 6 were fun but after that it became quite a mission of indurance
The sun is trying to peak through the smog
The bus was a Delux model boasting wifi, a toilet, TV, charging points, and being on time. It certainly wasn’t a deluxe experience and had only one TV screen playing hours of Bollywood music videos. No wifi or toilet or charging points.
Bus looks good from the outside.Not so fancy on the inside
3 young guys hung out the door all day, calling out to potential customers, even though the bus was full from the start.
Driving through some very poor areas
It took about 2 hours to get through the city and then we we were off over some high mountain passes, up and down, around tight corners, beeping all the way.
Our driver was a bit like a young Kiwi male. He had to overtake anything that he came up behind, even if there was only 10 meters clear road ahead. Beep, beep, crunch the gears, and shut our eyes, and he would go like a bat out of hell.
Lots of construction
Kay and I were calling out to any God who was listening to savevus but the locals just sat there hardly changing their expressions at all.
The first flat tyre was replaced. We kept driving on the second one
The first few hours was the highway to India where mist of the goods to cater for 8 million Nepalese come from. The brightly colored and decorated trucks and buses were continually trying to out do each other and the thousands of motor bikes, cars and vans.
Lunch stop for dal bhat. Yummy. Rough , dusty roads
The Chinese are upgrading the roads, putting in tunnels that will take hours off the journey. However, the constant road works really slowed us down. It was quite scary at times looking over the steep banks and seeing workers building retaining walls below us. So there was nothing holding the road up now.
Food was offered through the window when we slowed down
I offered Kay the window seat after an hour and she was adamant that she did not want to see what was going on beside our bus. So if the bus tipped over, it would be me scraping my face on the road.
Next bus instead of walking. Lady car sick plastic bag gave away my goid zip lock bag for her to be dick in and she didn’t even offer it back to me.
The last hour before Besisahar was when we had both had enough. There was lots of little villages and everytime we had to slow down and pick and drop off passengers. The bus got very full and hot. It was a9bout 30° outside and hotter inside. Never the less the windows did open but then there was dust to deal with. We had had enough by the time we arrived in Besisahar.
Besisahar was the end of the road 17 years ago. I remember the streets were full of donkey trains, their bells ringing and really making me smile. This was where I began walking in 2006. Not this time. Buses, trucks, jeeps, and motorbikes filled the narrow streets, spewing out smoke to add to the dust.
By the time our bus arrived, we had settled down and we re ready for the last hours drive. This time, we were sqaushed in the very back seat. Not far down the road, a local lady sirting next to Kay started to heave and call out “plastic bag, plastic bag.”
Being an experienced traveler, I had a decent sized zip lock bag in my bag exactly for this kind of situation. So I whipped it out and saved the day.
Our accommodation for he night was very bright and comfortable. We even had a hot shower.
The misadventure began with my second flight being delayed by an hour. That meant a 1.30am departure from Auckland. I had paid extra to choose seats across the isle from Kay but somehow stuffed that up and ended up a few rows behind but still with an isle seat. Isle seats are imperative for me as I need to get up and move, and I have frequent flyer status for the toilets on airplanes.
As we were on Air Malaysia we were surrounded by Malaysians, women in saris, men in turbans, and some gorgeous kids and babies. Babies cry the same no matter what their first language is, and all toddlers understand a game of peek- a-boo.
Luckily the plane was not full, so Kay and I both had empty seats to spread across. The man in my row stayed upright in his own seat, so I had 3 to spread across but Kay’s row companion tried to hog all the spair seats.
I had shouted myself a travel bean bag neck pillow, but the tag was annoying me, so I tried to rip it off.
Oops a bit of a mess
The next thing there was small beans flying all over the place. Being a well prepared traveler, I had a needle and thread in my pack, so I was able to sew the hole up before the mess got too bad.
We just had enough time to board our 4.5-hour flight to Kathmandu, Nepal. The plane was full with lots of families which meant a fair bit of shuffling of seats so parents could sit with their kids. Back in the day, we spread our kids out so they wouldn’t pinch and poke each other and annoy us. The kids had enough manners and shyness to sit quietly doing their coloring when sat next to strangers.
Cutie kept me entertained
Arriving at the new airport, we were struck with the heat and smog. Kathmandu is in a very dusty valley and has about 1.5 million people and twice as many motor bikes, run-down cars and buses to add to the pollution. It is ranked the most polluted city in the world, hence the “Kathmandu Cough”
The airport was replaced after the 2015 earthquake (7.8 that killed 9,000 people and wounded over 22,000.) So it was definitely better than when I was here in 2006.
Welcome to Nepal
So we got visas, cash and a Nepal sim card for my phone fairly easily. We went out to find the pre-ordered taxi waiting for us.
That was a fun taxi ride in an beat up car. We tried to put on the seat belts but were told “no broken” so what can we do? First of all it appeared he was refusing to pay the parking fee so they wouldn’t lift the barrier arm to let us out. The supervisor was brought over but that just escalated the argument. We offered to pay but the driver wasn’t giving in. I am not sure who the winner was but eventually, we were on our way.
This driver was not one to drive patiently and wait his turn in the chaotic traffic, so he was underpassing and zooming across uncontrolled intersections, risking our un- seat belted lives at every turn.
We got pulled over by a policeman at one stage and quite rightfully so. But after some discussion, the driver was back in the car saying he paid him off. So beep, beeeeep we were off again.
But that is the fun of being in a third-world country.
Our hotel is called the Flying Yak and it costs us $13 NZD a night each. We had coffee served on arrival and chatted with a couple of young French guys before heading up to see our room.
We were pleasantly surprised at the soft beds and lovely ensuite bathroom and tea and coffee facilities. All nice and clean and tidy for $13 each. Oh yes and air conditioning and a TV. (Not worked them out yet)
As it was only 2.30pm we went off exploring the Thamal area all the time watching for pot holes, deep gutters, hanging power lines, a thousand motor bikes and cars beeping at us and people trying to sell us “very cheap necklace for you. Just look please”. I still have one I bought in 2006 that I have never worn. I am not a jewelry woman!! All this makes it very hard to look around and take in the sites.
I bought some gloves and a few other bits and pieces I needed before we had had enough of the hussle and bustle. So we found The Kathmandu Guest House as I remembered it had a lovely garden that was a quiet haven away from the busy streets. Rooms there are about $70 a night so out of our price range.
At The Kathmandu Guest House
However they do let us sit, eat, and drink there. We had an Everest beer and a chat with a girl who had just finished the Annapurna Circuit before heading home. It had been a very long day, so we opted for some street food before going back for a shower and bed.
Very nice Egg roll $4
So here I am writing this at 4am because my time clock is all out of sync. I can hear the city waking up.
As I said, I am returning to Nepal after 17 years. I have a bit of a plan, which I will share with you now.
Leaving 10 April, I will make 3 flights, over 25 a hour period , with Kay. Kay is my Kiwi friend who accompanied me last year on some of my Te Araroa NOBO and on Stewart Island. The 11.5 hour flight through the night to Kuala Lumpa will require some alcohol and/or drugs to get through, I think.
We have less than two hours there to transfer to the flight to Kathmandu, Nepal. ( Not Kathmandu, the shop, but the capital city of Nepal). A 5 hour flight will have us arriving at noon Nepalese time, but it will be like 7pm to us. I am sure we will be knackered. It is funny how tiring sitting around can be.
Once in Nepal we will have a day to get sorted with the guide I used on my previous trip. I am looking forward to reconnecting with Puru from Above The Himalayas.
Then Kay and I will walk the Annapurna Circuit over 13 days with a guide and a porter. I did this trek back in 2006 when I was 17 years younger, so it will be interesting to see how I go this time. Altitude can cause issues and we will get up to 5,416 metres. For comparison : Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain is only 3,724 metres, Ben Nevis is 1,345 metres, Mount Kosciuszko, Australia 2,224 metres)
After completing that I will have a few days with Kay to explore and recuperate before Kay leaves to do a long walk in England. There are many UNESCO Heritage sites to visit.
Then I will join a group of 6 other Kiwis to do a 21 day bespoke 21 Day trek including The Three Passes and Everest Base Camp Trek.”
Most people who trek the 139km Everest Base Camp fly into Lukla, take about 6 days to get to Base Camp then return the same route over about 4 days before flying out again.
However, Grant has come up with a trek that will have us start with a 9 hour bus to trip from Kathmandu to Jiri. We will then take 17 days to get to Everest Base Camp via 3 Passes that are even higher than the Base Camp. This will nearly double the distance but give us more time to acclimatize and to experience more of the highest parts of Nepal.
I agreed to this before I really did any research but that seems to be how I roll.
This group consists of
Roy, Grant and Roger are 3 real Kiwi blokes from farming, tramping, and hunting backgrounds all about 65 years old.
Next is a Brendon, retired GP doctor who will be on his 3rd trip to Nepal
Kathy, retired nurse (66) who did her first trip to Nepal in the early 1970s when the hippies were wandering Nepal in search of good native Marijuana. Since then, she has returned to do a cycle trip across to Tibet.
The 6th member is Joe, and being in his 30s is the baby of the group. He is another real outdoors bloke.
I checked out one of Joe’s YouTube posts and saw that he carried a box of beers, a 5kg bag of potatoes and a very heavy cast iron pot, along with his tent and other gear, with him on a hunting trip. Following a successful hunt, he would also be able to carry out a deer as well.
So my theory is that if we get into any trouble I will have all bases covered.
the men will know what to do
The doctor can treat any illnesses and injuries
The nurse will take good care of me
The young guy can carry me out if needed. But he will probably want to gut me and cut off my head first.
I have taken out insurance with World Nomads, which is one of the few companies that will provide cover when trekking up to 6,000 metres. I will climb to over 5,400 metres on about 6 occasions. Hopefully, I will not need to use the policy, but the $950 is a no-brainer with my track record.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAFrom my previous Annapurna Circuit 2006
After 17 years I will return to Nepal. I know there will be many changes in that time including widespread electricity, cell phone and internet access, roads whete there was only walking tracks and the after effects of a major earthquake.
However the charm of the Nepalese people and the beauty of the country cannot be changed.
I am looking for some company when I do the Annapurna Circuit beginning approximately 13 April 2023. It takes about 14 days.I may have one friend lined up already but a bigger group would be best to share my guide. (I have used before and us excellent)
I will be in Nepal until mid June and may do another trek as well.
So if you are keen, or know anyone else who may be keen, on an damn long walk with me please get in contact ASAP. Thanks
After 56 days on trail I walked the last 12km into Albany with my son Cameron. We chatted almost the way about lots of things so I didn’t really get too much into thinking about finishing.
Sandpatch hut – the last night.Heading towards AlbanyA bit of light rain at the end
I was ready to finish, ring the bell and make my final entry in the Track Book.
So I am back I to civilisation and spending a couple of days in Albany before heading back to Perth. Albany has history as a whaling station, the first settlement in Western Australia, the place the Anzac fleets departed for WW1 and has beaches that attract holiday makers getting away from the summers up north. So we enjoyed a good look around.
I met up with Ted about 3km along the track the next morning. I enjoyed my ride with him learning about the history of the area, the local Bush Fire Brigade he was involved with and having a coffee at a local Cafe on the way to drop me off. He had been a school teacher and was a real gentleman and only too pleased to help me out.
Windfarm
I then had 18km walk to my last hut, Sandpatch, where I would meet Cameron. It was a 1 snake, 20 wind turbines , 4 kangaroos and 2 people day.  Not much to report on the day except that I was glad to arrive about 1.30pm.
Surfing coastGetting closer to civilization
Sandpatch hut was a new one, again to replace the previous one that was burnt. This was the first hut with a block floor and tin lined walls, although still the same main design as the ones down this way.
Cameron had arrived before me and had the lunch ready to eat by the time I had changed out of my walking clothes and set up my bed. He had brought chocolate which I made short work of, not having had any on the whole trail.
The couple I had passed earlier in the day arrived a while later. From Darwin, they are walking this section after having ridden parts of the Munda Biddi cycle trail. They were struggling with the cold weather.
I stayed snuggled up in my bed reading yet another book picked up on the way. I swapped out the 70% finished James Bond book for an book written by Australian Mary Gaunt in the 1890’s. It is proving to be a bit more realistic than Bond but a harder read.
After my slow start I dressed up again as Big Bird and made my way under grey skies to Torbay Hut. It was 16.5km up and down sandhills inland for some of it then out along the top of the cliffs. The cold wind from the south made the sea rough. I had no rain but the poncho helped protect me from the wind. I don’t like wearing my raincoat unless I have to because I sweat too much going up the hills.
I didn’t see another human soul, only kangaroos. I presume they have souls too. No snakes.
Some rocky outcrops to walk over
I arrived at 1pm, four hours later. Soup and cheese and crackers warmed me up while I chatted on the phone to my son Dean in New Zealand.
I was concerned about my next days walk so then began looking in earnest at the maps. My plan was to do a double hut day to reach Sandpatch hut about 24 km away. Cameron will walk in to meet me there from Albany. Then we can finish the track together the next day.
But there is an inlet crossing about half way that I was slightly concerned about doing on my own. The low tide was 2.30pm wiuch would necessitate a late start and mean arriving at the hut around 5.30pm which is nearly sunset in this place that has no day light savings.
There is an alternative route that requires a 24km extra walk along roads. The roads out here are sand tracks and I wasn’t keen on doing a 47km day. The chances of getting a hitch were very low because the roads lead to beaches and no Aussie is going to a beach in this weather.
Red line is the track.Blue us the road diversion
I don’t so much mind getting washed away out to sea but I would like to have a witness to tell my family what happened. Maybe I am a bit weary of the sea but would get over it and be okay if I had someone with me. Also I would rather do it on a sunny day where I can get warmed up easily afterwards. (That is after a successful crossing rather than being swept out to sea).
As happens so many times in my life an angel turns up to help me. This time it is an older man, Ted, who comes and sits with me telling me he lives about 5km away and regularly walks up here for his excersise. We discussed the inlet crossing and he suggested that it would not be recommended as there has been considerable rain and with the strong onshore winds we ghave been having I would be wise to miss it.
So he offered me a ride for the 24km around the inlet. He will meet me along the beach in the morning and drop me back past the inlet on his way into Albany for the day. Whew.
He also calmed my nerves when this rat like thing arrived sniffing around. If he wasn’t here I would have freaked thinking it was huge rat and not slept all night. However Ted told me that it was a Bandicout or Quenda. It is a marsupial and definitely not a rodent. I am not to be scared of it, he told me. I should see it in the same way I see a kangaroo.
Actually I reckon it looks like a rat and a kangaroo have mated but I won’t tell the Aussies that as they have quite a soft spot for these creatures. I just hope they don’t steal my food or walk over me in my sleep because I am not allowed to poke them with my stick. It kept coming back to find crumbs.
I snuggled up in my sleeping bag reading my book and eating a pot of instant noodles. I now understand why people like these things. They are quick and easy and very satisfying, real comfort food.
There is a huge William inlet at Denmark that we currently cannot walk across so I paid $50 to the hostel owner for a ride around it to start my day. 22km to West Cape Howe campsite. We’re Cape Hiwe us the southern most tip of Western Australia.
 Peter and I part ways now after about 40 days together. He doesn’t want to go out in the predicted the rain and has business calls to make. So I head out on my own knowing that there is little chance of meeting up with anyone else for the next couple of days.
It was cold and very windy and there was 2 short bursts of rain through the day. I was pleased that I wore my merino t-shirt under my shirt for the first time and I did need it to keep me warm enough. My rain pants and poncho also helped keep me dry.
There was seats every km along the way, perfect to rest and take the pack load off my back without actually taking the pack off. We need more of these along the trail. Shame it was too cold and windy to sit for any length of time to enjoy the views.
This section of the track is snake alley so I was happy to have the cold day (17°) as this meant I saw no snakes at all. The hut book has many entries of 7 or 10 snakes sightings in a day and some traumatized people.
I am at the hut on my own for the first time, snuggled up on my sleeping bag as soon as I had done my chores. Hot soup warmed me up. Then I did some repairs on my cheapo poncho which had a few rips from being caught on close in bushes. Only 3 more days to go and it can go in the bin having served me well. These cheap ponchos are actually better than an expensive raincoat. They do you keep the rain off me and my pack and allow for the sweat to evaporate underneath. They do flap around in the wind and look silly but I don’t care.
My first night on my own turned put to be the best sleep on the whole trail. I thought I might be on alert all night and not sleep well. But I only had my snoring and my mattress rustling to deal with and a nice background noise of the sea and wind. I was very pleased and proud of myself.
View from behind the hut. Tomorrow I will walk past that headland
I left about 6.30am, excited to be heading towards the town of Denmark. I needed to book flights home to New Zealand, organise visits with friends and family in Perth and check with Cameron about him coming down to meet me at the end of thus damn long walk. Only about 150km to go now.
The day started well but after about 12km I came to a beach which was obviously where the locals from Denmark come out to walk themselves and their dogs. I just couldn’t resist asking for a ride into town with a lady and her dogs. We had a lot in common and I was pleased to have met her for a number of reasons. A little bit of trail magic here.
So I was in town by 9am just in time for a breakfast pie and a nice coffee after signing in at the Visitors Centre. There are books at each hut and town whete we record our journey and intentions. Thos helps know our last whereabouts incase we get lost and helps with funding for the trail.
There is no charge to do the Bibbulmun Track and all the huts are free. I will make a donation when I finish. I was going to donate so rat proof boxes could be purchased for Beavis and Beedulup huts but I have just seen on the Facebook page that some other hiker has done so. They must have had a night on rat duty like me!!
I stayed 2 nights at the YHA meeting up with 81 years and 11.5 month old Darcy. He had a plastic bottle of whiskey to use up so he shared with Peter and I. Darcy is pulling out now but us my hero. I hope I can still be doing this at his age.
I get the kiddies glass being the youngest.
I did my administration, booking a flight home on 18 November. I have an unwell friend to get home to and a daughter coming home from England for the first time in over 4 years and some grandchildren to cuddle.
Rest day
Tonight we are cooking a shared roast lamb meal with a couple who ate cycling from Perth to Albany on the Munda Biddi Trail, also 1,000km. Also joined by a Frenchman who was pulling out at Denmark saying the track was too hard with too much uneven ground. Funny as I think it was all very flat and even.
Tomorrow I will head off on the rain for the last 4 days on the track. Cameron will drive down from Perth and walk in to stay the last night with me and walk to the finish with me. Special times.
