Minus the bed bugs we had a great time in Bigu. The hike up was definitely one for the books, but I am very thankful to have experienced "trekking" as it is called in the Himalaya.
The journey began with a sunrise bus ride from Kathmandu to Barabise. You may be thinking "oh a nice relaxing bus ride with gorgeous views, time to mentally prepare for the hike, sleep, etc." Well my friend, that is exactly opposite of what this bus ride turned out to be. First off, I'm convinced the bus was a 1970s factory reject built by 3 blind yetis. Driving in Nepal as I explained earlier is a roller coaster in itself. No one stays in their lane, they drive in the middle of the road, and drivers are determined to pass every single vehicle ahead whether or not there is another coming directly at them. Keep in mind this is all done on mountain roads with no guard rail.
From Barabise we had a quick breakfast of noodles then headed for the trail. We hiked 7.5 hours to get to Photeng tea house, our lodging for the night. Tea houses sound quite grand but in reality the accommodations are as minimal as they can get. Imagine a one room tin and log house from the 1700s with a small fire pit in which to cook by candlelight. Sleeping arrangements consist of a small plywood bed with a thick blanket as a mattress. The Sherpa family we stayed with were amazing hosts, and their 6 year old son, Napolond (Napoloeon to us) had the most adorable cheery round face accompanied with a Curious George personality. He was intrigued by all of our gear and especially my honey roasted cashews. I will forever remember this particular tea house mostly because this stay initiated my first experience with BED BUGS. All I can say is it is absolutely miserable to wake up in the middle of the night because you're itching so badly.
Day 2 consisted of 6.5 hours of hiking, a dog bite, and an endless ascent of stairs. Day 3, 5 hours of hiking allowed us to finally make it to Bigu! Like an oasis in the desert, whew! I almost couldn't believe it. I don't think I have ever been so excited. We were exhausted and there's no way we would've made it up the mountain without our porters. I am so beyond words thankful for their strength and endurance all the way to Bigu. Our small daypacks seemed to weigh more and more as the days went by so how they hauled our load, I have no idea.
The nuns in Bigu were incredible, such beautiful spirits. We enjoyed every second of our time there. We especially loved teaching them English. My class, the older nuns, were so smart and inquisitive. So eager to learn English, that they even spent extra time going over their notes and asking questions after class. Ashley had the intermediate class, while Michelle and Melissa split the youngest nuns into 2 beginner classes.
Pictures of our time in Bigu to come soon!
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