manang – Wanderer

Entering last part of Nepal trip. So by now, we have gone through most part of the trip. We have reached Manang, spent a night sleepover, and now It’s time to go down by car. We opted to use car for the benefit of time. It’s actually also possible if you would like to go on foot if you have the time. Our trip this time would be Manang – Besisahar. To leave Nepal we must go back to Khatmandu however It’s not recommended to go directly from Pisang to Khatmandu and based on my experience it’s indeed not recommended so please adjust your travel plan accordingly. For us, we have been informed that it may take around 6 – 8 hours drive from Manang to Besisahar by our guide. So there we were waking up in the morning, eating our breakfast, soaking the last Manang air, and loading all luggage to the car.

The road From Manang to Besisahar was like an off road. Again, I was just so amazed by the driving skills. We rode a 4 wheel drive ( for sure ) and it was a cloudy day. Basically, if we move a bit too far left or right, it was already a cliff. We were driving in a white haze. Yet, somehow I felt safe. LOL.. that kind of feeling like when you ride a plane. There is no going back once departed and you could only trust the pilot. It’s also worth noting that sometimes there will be roadblocks and land slides. Hence it’s important to calculate and put some ample time into your estimation. We were still able to get through this time but sometimes we can’t and need to get down, offload and load back our luggage to another car. Just like what we had in the beginning of the trip to chame .

Along the way, we have noticed that Manang – Upper Pisang ( that killer trail in day 2 ) was only about 2 hours drive away by car. hahaha.. my city girl kind of thought was intrigued, “why didn’t we just use car then?” anyway, it’s not that I regretted the experience – Just a thought that crossed my mind.

Our trip was rather quick. I think our driver was like either a respected person or very famous. He kept on getting a call and when there was another car passing many said hi to him. He seemed to know the road pretty well so yes it helped to fastened our trip. We stopped 2 times . One stop was short, there is an apple farm between Pisang and Besisahar, you could stop by over here and get a fresh farm products or getting a bit of a refreshment. Second stop was actually for our lunch. By this time, I don’t know how many momos or noodle that I’ve eaten. Food wise, I tend to go with a mild taste so I found that Dal Bhat is a bit too strong for my palate but my friends seemed to like it. The one in our last stop I could accept it. Worry not, Dal Bhat default type will be suitable for vegetarian. The meat if you want to is treated as an add on. Portion is very generous and you could ask for more rice with no additional cost, well.. for me, it seemed we could get more of everything (besides the meat add on ) with no additional cost. Definitely enough for us to carry on through until our destination in Besisahar.

We reached Besisahar so much faster that we originally planned. I think it was around 2 PM. What we did was we checked in to the logging and as usual we planned out dinner ahead of time and agreed to meet each other at dinner time. Taking a bit of a stroll in Besisahar somehow felt strange. Besisahar looked like a modern city with many vehicles passing by. It was a rather busy city. By this time, I didn’t remember to take pictures anymore. unfortunately. ;'(

For me, since I still felt a bit under the weather, I only took a bit of stroll around the city. trying to get some more surgical mask to fight the dust and so that my sore throat didn’t get worse. Thankfully there was a pharmacy nearby the hotel. The experience to buy things was a bit confusing because we didn’t use to the brand and what I found was that the medicines choices somehow went towards Herb or Ayuverdic medicine. I couldn’t really get the usual medicine that we have back in Indonesia. Well, my throat was killing me so i tried one. For Mask, they didn’t really have surgical mask, they have the usual mask though but it’s an ear loop so if you wear hijab just make sure you have the mask head loop add on. We went there before the pandemic so it was still uncommon but now it’s available in many places make sure you pack it too. Basically just that before I went back to the hotel and stay for the night getting into hot Shower, Electricity, Internet access, and food, usual items that I appreciated more after I went hiking.

I wish you were there with us drunk by the mountain trip with happiness in our heart.

Cheers!

Triana Mustika Rukmi

Morning! What a good day after such a long walk (see in part 1). We had just about enough rest to continue. Only after such bright morning we could really soaked in the place which we slept for the night. We were just so tireeeedddd… It was a good place with washing machine and water heater. wow.. it’s just wow. It’s not a fancy hotel but it felt like a bliss to have all of that after all that we have been through. So yup, it was great to have a rest.

After we unpacked our belongings and cleaned ourselves up, we went to have dinner. It was the first time i tried Yak meat. It was like a lamb but taste like beef? What i know is that it helps to heat yourself up. It was a good choice to go to at that time as i felt a bit under the weather. After dinner what’s left is only sleeping and you know.. unplugging yourself from the world. Oh, don’t forget to order your breakfast the night before and informed your plan for next day. Preparing food takes time.

Getting up in the morning, the sun shined nicely. We could see a bit of the icy / snowy mountain peak. 😉 we could enjoy the morning scenery better now that we had our rest. Haha.. yet after the breakfast ( notes : Nepali portion was really generous in carbohydrate ) we need to pack up and continue our journey. Here we go to Manang!

Coming out of the accommodation, our eyes were entertained a lot by the environment. You know when we were kids ( or at least for me ) there was this one kind of drawing template that we usually drew when we were asked to draw nature. The famous 2 mountains with sun in between and a river flows in the middle of rice field. Little did i know, years later in foreign land i saw that image right before my eyes. The colour and the view felt surreal. How could it be? do you agree with me?

We walked alongside the river and it was kind of calming. Made me remember my hometown though. Some people are working alongside the river crushing some stones, some tending the field, and some are climbing up / down the hill bringing some items with them, looked like a groceries for me. I was actually amazed with the Nepali. Their build is similar like Indonesian yet their strength is in a different level.

I think evolution play its role. In my head i think there are some characteristic that i’ve noticed. Eyes and skin are very well adjusted to the altitude where sky and sun feels near. Other than that, their lung and blood cells might have adjusted as well. For me, normal breathing felt like a sport at certain times…yet look at them moving like it’s nothing. haha.. my sedentary lifestyle might have affect my ability as well i guess. Training in the gym surely different with training in nature. At least, that much i know.

While i was busy thinking, i didn’t notice that we have finally arrived at the gate of Manang. Whaaattt….??? It turned out that our last stop wasn’t that far away from Manang. LOL.. that reality haven’t sunk for sometime. waw, we have finally arrived? really? It was quite a journey to reach this place. I could only see the surrounding and felt like.. waw.

Once you get into the gate, you could start to see the city of Manang. It was a good change after all the rocky hills felt like coming back to the civilization ( a bit hyperbolic i know ). The city is rather small but pretty in its own way. Our guide suggested us to have a bit of a break then continue to our destination. So there we were taking a bit of stroll around the city looking for the recommended Bakery – Tilicho Bakery. It’s a good cafe with choices of drinks. It felt a bit foreign at the beginning after walking a different path therefore it’s quite good change in sceneries or yet again it’s just the city girl in me that pushed through.

It was a good coffee break in the bakery but our journey was not over yet. We still needed to pack up our things and go to our last point of interest for the day – Gangapurna lake. The walk felt like a breeze. My suggestion would be to pack light, perhaps leaving your heavy luggage behind at your accommodation then take a walk to the Lake but still wear your jacket. Mountain wind could be harsh and the altitude is at 3,000m++ above sea level. The weather was so much different from Jakarta which only 8m above sea level. Haha.

To get to the lake you will need to take a walk along the pathways then there was an intersection and we need to take turn to the left and that’s the point where the nature will say hi to you in its own beautiful way. Honestly, we can’t really see the lake so we just followed our guide. First we went down a hill, crossed a bridge, then another elevation welcomed us not that steep but oh well… yet after that walked up the hill, there lies Gangpurna lake. You know that feeling of relief and serene. Seeing the water and just take a moment and pause to enjoy the moment. Soak everything into your memory.

To share it with you, personally, when I sat at the edge of the lake, some emptiness creeped out. There was that mix of emotion that I couldn’t really describe. The circuit that my pack and I chose might not be as challenging as the other circuit yet it’s not about comparison. I believe all of the circuits have their own things to offer. This one has been a very good one for me.

Once you feel like you had enough.. it was time to go and get some rest. Remember when I said the walk was like a breeze? I might have judged it too soon. The walk to go out of the Lake was alright but the way to go back to the city center was another story. The road was soooo steep. Oh dear my heart hang in there… I think if you see us you felt like you were watching a pack of turtles who walked really slow. LOL. Even in some points we made our stop. But Hey.. that’s totally alright. Everyone has their own pace. 🙂 Worry not though it was only some part of the journey, it was not like the killer trail that we had the day before. After you passed that part, a lovely stone walk will welcome you within the city.

Manang City itself is actually serve as a last stop before another circuit. Hence, over here you will be able to get good pitstop. There were many accommodations, restaurants, and they also have some stores selling staples and souvenirs which pretty good for us because Manang was our last stop before going down.

Alright, now it’s time to get off and get some rest. Have a look on some sneak peak of Manang city before. We didn’t take that much of a picture this time and maybe you won’t too if you go here. There are moments that were there to be enjoyed and kept in memories. It was like meeting good friend and have a long talk with nothing but happiness in our heart.

I wish you were there with us.