I'm now back in a sunny but cold (or colder than Madagascar anyway!) England. Unfortunately due to a family illness I had to cut my trip short and come home early. This meant that I was unable to go back to Uganda, which I am very sad about, but I will hopefully be going back in December (by using the excuse that I am writing my thesis on Uganda and need to go back to do research!)
My last few weeks after finishing placement were an exciting few though! I first flew to La Reunion which is BEAUTIFUL! I found it like a miniature France but better! While there I managed to go hiking and paragliding in the short time I had, both of which were amazing, and I also managed to get a free night staying in the poshest hotel I've ever been to in Mauritius due to a cancelled flight- I wasn't complaining though!
Once back in Madagascar, I travelled back down to Fianarantsoa, where the house I've been renting is- not the best journey, hitting a cow on the road about 100km in, resulting in the 10 hour journey turning into a 21 hour journey and not arriving 'home' until 5 in the morning!!! Atleast I managed to make it back though and no one was hurt, and I can add the story to my long list of exciting taxi-brousse adventures!
Once back in Fianar, I choose to go to Andringitra National Park- one of the best national parks in Madagascar due to its stunning beauty and relatively small number of tourists due to accessability issues. Andringitra is set in the mountains south of Fianarantsoa and Ambalavao and I spent 3 days hiking there, making it to the top of Pic Boby, Madagascar's second highest peak and also its highest most accessbile at 2658m!! The walk was incredibly difficult and painful due to my walking boots being a tad too small (I still have the blisters!) and there were many points where I easily could have given up but I persevered and I am extremely proud of myself for making it! On the second day when we climbed to the top of the peak, we started walking at 7 in the morning, reaching the peak and back in 3 hours, after which we walked another 20km to the other side of the valley- I was so exhausted by the end of it but so happy at what I had achieved!
After Andringitra I spent a few days back in Fianar recuperating and seeing friends for the last time, before travelling to Tana where I spent 4 days and met a number of different tourists and people visiting Madagascar for work- it was really lovely to be able to hang out with these people and to exchange stories, and my taxi-brousse journeys provided a lot of entertainment!
I left Madagascar on Tuesday, flying to South Africa and then to the UK- I was shocked at just how sad I was to be leaving Madagascar, these past 3 months have truly been amazing and I've had some amazing experiences and met some life long friends. My placement has also taught me so much and I am so glad to have taken the opportunity to go there.
Something which really pleasantly surprised me during my time away has been the genuine kindness of some people, which I have felt wherever I have travelled in Madagascar- from a small act of giving me some food when our taxi-brousse has crashed and we're waiting for a replacement, to offering me a lift free of charge when I'm stranded! I'll never forget all those acts of kindness and my experience in Madagascar in general, I will definitely be going back as soon as I can!
Trekking in Nepal…Family Adventure style
ReplyDeleteThe towering Himalayas are, to many travellers’ minds, the chief reason for visiting
Nepal. The country tumbles steeply down from the 800km stretch of the Himalayan
battlements that forms its northern border, and can claim no fewer than eight of the
world’s ten highest peaks – including, of course, Everest, the highest of them all. The
mountains are more than just physically astonishing, however. The cultures of highland-
dwelling Nepalese peoples are rich and fascinating, and the relaxed, companionable spirit
of trekking life is an attraction in itself. The Himalayas have long exerted a powerful
spiritual pull, too. In Hindu mythology, the mountains are where gods go to contemplate,
while the Sherpas and other mountain peoples hold certain peaks to be the very embodiment
of deities.
Most visitors to mountain areas stick to a few well-established trekking routes. They have
good reasons for doing so: the classic trails of the Everest region with its famous trails
like Everest Base
camp trek and the 3 high passes are both mind blowing ventures and highly popular in
the world. And Annapurna regions are so popular because they offer close-up views of the
very highest peaks; this includes Annapurna 1 & 2, fishtail peak and Ganesh Himal trek.
Famous treks like the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek, Annapurna Base
camp trek & the Annapurna Circuit trek are some of the most famous on earth. Dramatic
scenery and fascinating local cultures are most known in this area. Lodges on the main
trails – some as sophisticated as ski chalets, these days – make it possible to go without
carrying a lot of gear or learning Nepali, and without spending too much money, either.
While trekking, you’ll likely eat and sleep for $20–30 a day. For those who put a high
priority on getting away from it all, there are plenty of less-developed routes, of
course, and simply going out of season or taking a side-route off the main trail makes a
huge difference.
The Helambu and Langtang regions are less striking but conveniently close to Kathmandu,
attracting a little fewer than ten percent of trekkers. The Langtang valley
trek & the Ganja-La pass are known trails in this area. This leaves vast areas of
eastern and far western Nepal relatively untrodden by visitors. To hike in these areas
you’ll need either to get set for camping and carry your own supplies, and live like a
local, or pay to join an organized trek with tents and accept the compromises that go
along with that.
With a good operator, you can anywhere in the wild. A Great Himalayan Trail now runs the
length of highland Nepal – though it will be for some time, if ever, before such a route
will be serviced by lodges.
Treks in remote far eastern and far western Nepal are mostly restricted to two kinds of
globe trotters, both adventurous in their own way. The majority come on organized camping
treks with agencies – in fact, this is obligatory for those areas that require a permit.
The minority are independent trekkers prepared either to carry tents and food or negotiate
with porters, or to seek food and lodging in local homes and basic lodges. Some great
camping outdoors include the Manaslu circuit Trek, Upper Mustang trek
the Dhaulagiri circuit, Rara lake trek and the great Kangchenjunga trek, both north and
south.