TADAPANI, NEPAL
Finally arriving in Tadapani, we checked in at the “Grand View.” Unfortunately, the clouds prevailed, obscuring any grand vistas. My room on the second floor lacked a private bathroom, so I had to use the shared facilities down the hall. It didn’t matter at that point because I was the only one on that floor. After my usual shower and laundry routine, I learned there was no Internet in my room. After some relaxation, I headed out and bumped into the three Germans I had met on the trail earlier. They were at a table chatting, and when they saw me, they invited me to join them. I asked if they had run into the other German guy I had met on POON HILL, but they hadn’t. I showed them a video of his guide to see if he looked familiar, but they still didn’t recognize him.
Only a few minutes later, he walked in, and we introduced ourselves. We continued to converse in English, and I decided to stay despite being the only non-German speaker. They claimed they wanted to brush up on their English, so we all continued the conversation in English, with minimal German sidebar. We talked about our travel experiences and our growing fatigue with local food. By 6 o’clock, Rishi came to fetch me for dinner. It turned out that there was only one place in this guest house with decent Internet, so that’s where I chose to eat and spend my evening until 9 o’clock. I ordered pasta, which I found dry and tasteless. During dinner, the Germans joined me. Knowing the custom of never criticizing food given in India or Nepal, I whispered to them, “Do not order the pasta!” They nodded in agreement, and I then said aloud, ensuring the guest house staff could hear, “You should try the pasta. It’s Very Good!”. The Germans chuckled and ordered pizza.
After dinner, Rishi discussed our plans for the next day. I noticed a picture of a sacred Hindu woman on his phone’s cover photo and asked him about it. He told me it was Lord Laxmi. Like all 4 of my guides on this adventure, Rishi was deeply committed to his religion. I sometimes heard him whispering chants and performing rituals. I shared with all 4 that, though I was born Catholic, I essentially rejected those beliefs as a teenager and embraced the Hindu and Buddhist philosophy of conserving nature, peace, and acceptance of others. I showed Rishi pictures of me with Anup at the TAJ and images from Anup’s Facebook page. Rishi started to loosen up, asked to be friends on Facebook, and the boundaries between us began to dissolve. As we shared our moment together heavy rain poured down. I could only imagine hiking in such rain; our rain gear would not have prevented us from getting soaked. Rishi pointed out the window, looked at me and smiled
INTERMISSION VIDEO
AWAKENING IN TADAPANI, after my last night of this hike, I woke up to faint patches of blue amidst mostly overcast skies. The name “Grand View” seemed justified, and Fish Tail peak and other Spectacular Peaks were visible behind the clouds. But the clouds kept coming in, and eventually the picture obscured.
TADAPANI to KIMCHI via GADRUNK, 6 miles, 5904’ Down, We set out early, and I bid farewell to the Germans. As I approached the trail, San Francisco Jim called out from a different guest house up on the hill. I asked him about Bart’s knees and how they fared during the steep and rocky descent the previous day. He said Bart was hurting badly but had made it. On the day we met, they had contemplated hiking further than me, but I suspected that this was the end of the trail for Bart. Unfortunately, I never got to say goodbye to Colorado Jeff. These seven souls were the only white people I conversed with during this four-day ANNAPURNA adventure, and I encountered only three other white travelers on the entire trail.
This leg of the journey was largely downhill. Trekking through rhododendron trees and waterfalls, we reached a small village where I purchased some incense.
As we got closer to GADRUNK, signs of civilization became more apparent. Farmworkers chatted on cell phones, and the landscape transformed into terraced farmland with larger acreage. Arriving in GADRUNK, I spotted white tourists, and the village, situated on a beautiful mountain, had a few sheep herders tending their flocks and farmers feeding donkeys around their stables.
Notably, the dogs here were different. In India, they were scrawny and often in poor health, but in KATHMANDU, they were better fed. Since arriving in POKHARA, dogs were often pets rather than strays, and interestingly, most were of the same breed, black and brown, and quite attractive.
The valley below had a roaring river with muddy brown water. On the opposite side of the valley lay another village called LADRUNK. It was clear that I was ending my trek through the ANNAPURNA area without any complaints. We eventually reached a dirt road used by cars and crossed a few bridges with waterfalls below.
Finally, we arrived at our destination where the same vehicle that had dropped us off was waiting. We were relieved to see that our driver had successfully crossed the river by HILE 4 days earlier.
Rich Citro Adventures 