Howie-n-Karen: Asia

Cathy gave us a travel agent to contact once in Gangtok. We arrived at one in the afternoon and by the end of the day, Mr. T. Dorji had put a trek together for us, starting the following morning.

We drove up with Bhaichung, our 27 year-old guide and Suresh, our 31-year old chef. The rest of the crew was found in Yuksom, our first destination and the end of riding in the jeep.

Early the next morning we started our trek. Six porter accompanied us; not yaks – they were all spoken for. We birded up the trail, getting passed by all the pack animals and most of the people trekking.

A hot lunch was prepared for us along the way. The first of many delicious and amazing meals by Suresh(on the right) and his helper.

Trongsa was our fist camp. To acclimate, we stayed 3 nights. Also, to bird. Reaching the camp gave us our first glimpse of the snowcapped peaks.

First real views of the peaks.

Friends we made from Bangkok provided us with essentials we were rumming low on (very important: batteries for our camera).

What follows are photos of the rest of the trek.

A meal (for Tom) papadums, wonton soup, apple pie for dessert (there is no oven)

orange-headed bf

On the way to Dzongri; old chorten made of rough rocks in back.

View from 4300 meters (Kanchenzonga, the 3rd highest peak in the world, at over 8,000 meters, is in there).

Khanchendzonga

Views as we hiked toward Thansing; we hiked down to the river. The field was our destination and was to be the base for hiking to the highest pass, Goechala (over 17,000 ft.).

After an evening of thunder and lightning in the distance, we awoke to a changed world.

Throughout the day the storm gave hints of breaking, so we waited optimistically. That is our tent in the foreground. The porters kept brushing the snow off.

The view downvalley during a break in the snow.

Rosy pipits were our camp companions.

We bundled up (I wrapped my feet in plastic bags inside my hiking boots) and all trudged down, on the 3rd day, in driving snow and wind.

We gradually left the bad weather, slipping on the melting snow which turned the trail into something like a mini-Maine-mudseason. We turned around when we got back to Trongsa and saw this.

The next day we hiked down to Yuksom a couple of days ahead of schedule. Found out later it was a good decision as the snows did not let up for another two days.

On our last big hike before leaving this area we almost lost Howie on a short cut down to the road. He was on the narrow trail behind Bai Chung, the guide and I was behind him when all of a sudden he went off the trail to the right, head first. Before I could react I saw his feet go over his head and it looked like he was starting to gain momentum. When he realized that he was not just going to land but tumble, he grabbed the vegitation and came to an abrupt halt. Bai Chung jumped down to save him, not even looking to see what was below. Luckily no one was hurt. It happend so fast! The steepness of the dropoff was hidden by the growth, which also hid the hole Howie stepped in.

Other than that, the trip was uneventful.

On our last night we showed the gang the photos of our trek and they made us a cake we shared sll around.

Assam

We entered India on the 29th of March. The last week of the birding tour was spent in Assam. We were joined by Bee Choo and Piqua (sorry P, I’m not sure this is spelled correctly), who were keen birders and a great addition to the group.

We stayed at Bon Hami, a resort in Kohora, just outside Kaziranga N.P. The guides took us on safaris in open jeeps. We saw the big 4 (elephant, one-horned rhino, wild water buffalo and TIGER!–on the last day, after Kenny, Bee Choo and Piqua left) along with many birds. Until the tiger came along, the other big animals were merely fun to see. We also went into nearby forests and tea plantations.

Tea pickers

Some mammals: elephant, rhino, swamp deer, Assamese macque, Bengal tiger

The weather has been surprisingly pleasant. We were expecting it to be hot and it’s been cool in the mornings and evenings and very pleasant during the day, with cooling breezes. It’s rained the last three evenings but the days have been dry.

Some big birds:(guess)

Our guide, Dirien, invited us into his home to meet the family and see his handiwork (mud and dung over bamboo beams and woven walls); we were served the world-famous Assam tea. His mud daubed house was as neat as a pin, the walls curving into the floors and even the kitchen stove.

tool collection

Dhiren & familysilk moths

They keep the cows in a stall in the back yard and the silk moths in the bedroom. We bought a shawl of raw silk fabric she wove from the silk thread she made from the cocoons.

Guwahati

The group stayed in Guwahati at the end of the trip where we had a sumptuous dinner at the Dynasty Hotel.We spent the next 2 nights in Guwahati with Dana. The first night was at the Sweet Home Hotel: not to be recommended. We hired a cab to take us from the top notch Dynasty to the Tibet, which was full. Then we tried 2 more to no avail. When we got to SH we took it out of desperation more than anything else.It was the kind of place where you are afraid to touch anything; we slept in our sleepsacks over their sheets.

In the hustle of unloading the cab, I forgot my laptop and discovered it missing only after the driver, who stuck around to see if we needed him the next day, left. Luckily he wrote down his name and a phone number, which I called right away, but the person on the other end of the line hung up on me. For about five minutes I could have cried. What a sinking feeling that was, to lose the computer as well as the RAP folio that had Howie’s credit cards.

Ever since we started our travels we have hired our own vehicles or were taken care of by folks we knew. The first time we get into a cab, I pull this stupid feat. While I was trying to call for the second time Rahman, the cabbie was back with the backpack. Whew!! Needless to say, I gave him a reward and we used him again the next day and for our ride to the airport. We switched to the Hotel Nova, a few blocks away; the extra cost was worth it.Aside from that, we found not much to keep us there and we left for the airport early the next morning.

Darjeeling

We flew to Bagdogra; Dana flew to Kolkata. A taxi took us to Siligouri, where we picked up our permits for Sikkim (no charge!). Continued on to Darjeeling, a 6-hour ride up steep, winding roads. This part of the world is full of such thoroughfares. The harrowing part of that journey was our lack of a horn. All the way up there are signs alongside the road warning drivers to go slow, pay attention, honk at each curve. It was a definite liability, as many drivers don’t have side-view mirrors and we had trouble passing the big trucks that like to hog the middle of the road, until the cars behind us honked loud enough.

We found Darjeeling interesting. There were more tourists there than any of the other places we have visited so far. There are a few old colonial places that are still standing from when this hill station was used to escape the heat of the lowlands during the colonial era. We walked around and ended up at the zoo, which is by the Himalayan Mountain Institute. The red pandas were captivating; hope to see them in the wild when we go to Sikkim. Got to check out the pheasants, which are the reason for our plans to trek in higher elevations.

Kalimpong

Took a taxi down the mountain from Darjeeling, crossed the River Teesta and went up to Kalimpong. Our friend and travel agent (Gurudongma Travels and Treks), Cathy Lobo invited us to visit her at her hilltop home.

It was a time to consider our options, which Cathy helped us do. We walked up to the top and took in the monastery there. There was also an impossible golf course.

The day before we left, the clouds broke and we saw the mountains, our next destination.

(More photos to come.)

Bhutan images. Prayer flags on walking bridge in Paro...went in search of ibisbill. And there we found it. [Continue reading this entry]