view from Deorali
Reminiscings from the Roof of the World
Rhododendrons and Snow
March 11-13, Saturday-Monday. Saturday morning we left the main trail (i.e. no more uphill stairs, yay!) to take a more direct path to Tadapani. The trek was still very much uphill but walking on inclined ground is so much easier than steps. Our Nepali friends had shown us the method of zigzag walking. Zigzagging wasn’t helpful for me on the stairs but on a simple incline it does help. Yes, there are more steps to take but the steepness of each step is lessened.
The climb to Tadapani was four absolutely gorgeous miles (6 1/2 km) though a rhododendron forrest. The trees were so thick that very little light came through therefore underbrush was sparse. And the icing on the cake was that the rhododendron flowers were just beginning to bloom adding such colorful beauty to the trail. The lushness of the forrest coupled with the dimness of light created a fairytale sort of atmosphere which brought a joyful, peaceful calm to my soul. It felt a bit like what I described in my blog Once Upon a Time (https://jackietallent.com/2022/06/16/once-upon-a-time/). But in spite of the exhilarating beauty of the woods and the enchanting atmosphere it was still an exhausting trudge. At one point I remember thinking, “If I were at home on a treadmill I would just get off and sit on the couch, but that is not an option here, I have to keep on walking.” So I endured on, one foot in front of the other.
The Annapurna View Tea House in Tadapani was not so nice as Sakura Tea House. And it was cold! In the dining area a wood fire was burning in a large can to provide warmth. We sat by the fire all afternoon and played rummy. Song, dance, sharing our stories, and card games would become our regular after-dark activities. Strong friendships were built during those hours.
There were three Canadians, believers, staying at the tea house. After dinner we all sang for a while and then one of our Nepali team, who had been a believer for fourteen years, told his story. He was born into a Buddhist family living in the mountains but his parents died when he was four and a Hindu family in Kathmandu adopted him. As an adopted child he was rejected by the community so grew up lonely. When given a Bible he read it but didn’t understand until a teacher helped him. Finally he went to a church gathering and there decided to follow Jesus. Some time later he caught tuberculosis and was highly allergic to the medicine. He was near death when God miraculously healed him. After his healing he said that he cried for two days, full of gratitude for what God had done.
That evening I was very grateful for the second-hand goose down sleeping bag I had found in Pokhara. I was also pleasantly surprised at the inch-or-more-thick, cotton batting stuffed blankets that were brought to us. They looked more like mats than blankets, almost as thick as our mattresses, and were comfortingly heavy and warm.
Sunday’s activity was a six-hour walk. From Tadapani at 8563 ft (2610m) to Ghorepani at 9429 ft (2874m) — the highest point on the trek was 10,531 feet (3210m) — Himalayan beauty as well as the traditional lifestyle of the Nepalese people abounded, along with more stairs. At the higher altitudes there was still ice from winter so the trail was very slick. Outside of Ghorepani I slipped and fell a couple of times but no harm done. The walk was cold. Just before Ghorepani we stopped on a ridge from which we could see mountain ranges on three sides. It was a panorama like one sees in magazines and my cheap point-and-shoot camera and meager photographic skills could not do justice to the silhouetted mountains one beyond the other off into the distant horizon just like a dream world. There our combined team of six spent about an hour and half praying over the surrounding regions. Sunday night we stayed at Hotel Snowland in Ghorepani as did a large group of Australians. I was thrilled when another of those thick, mat-like blankets appeared at bed time.
Monday was a glorious sleeping-in day. After a late breakfast we walked up Poon Hill (10,532 ft / 3210m) which provides epic views of the Annapurna Massif and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges. The 1000 foot incline took us about an hour to scale. While taking in the breathtaking panorama we prayed over the region and God again showed me the strongholds of Deceiver and Devourer. We then prayed all together while experiencing an awesome presence of our Creator God.
On arrival back down at Hotel Snowland we had to check out immediately because a French group was waiting for our room. After eating a quick lunch we headed off into a spring snow storm towards Nangethanti (8560 ft / 2609m) where snow had turned to rain because of the slightly lower altitude. Nangethanti means naked rest house, naked referring to the lack of trees in the area. We stopped for the night at Laligurans (Red Rhododendron) Guest House which is owned by a Christian family. Because of the rain we settled down in the open-air dining hall warming ourselves around a fifty-gallon drum containing a wood fire. There we played cards all afternoon enjoying the company of friends.
After dinner, gathered with the tea house owners, we sang and prayed. Our team was seated on the dining room side of the fire and the extended family of the tea house owners was huddled on the back side of the drum stove. It was nearly pitch dark with just a few candles giving light. Vivian shared a scripture, reading by the glow of a single candle. This family was isolated because of their faith and experienced persecution from the community such as having objects thrown at them while walking down to Banthati to worship at the only church in this area. Daniel L. encouraged us to speak more as the family desperately needed encouragement. So I shared about God’s love for them and read from Romans 8. From out of the darkness I could hear a man sobbing uncontrollably as I spoke. My heart was breaking for their suffering but also for the bravery of their faith tested by fire. We then prayed for them and especially for one of the ladies who suffered with a stomach ailment. As I fell asleep, warm and snug in my tea house bed, I was thinking of what an amazing day we had experienced and wondered what the morrow would bring.
Coffee, Tea, and Reverie 