Phew, what a hike! Since last night, Nina and I are back in the valley (at about 2,000 meters) in Yuksom, a town in West Sikkim. Who wants to visit Sikkim on the world map, you must first look to India, Nepal and Bhutan. Sikkim is a small tip of India in the mid north, the west by Nepal, on the north by Tibet (official said in China) and to the west Bhutan borders. Here in Sikkim to India seems to have already left, for country and people are totally different. In the lower parts it looks here, how to Indochina presents, full of green, jungle-like vegetation on hills and Bambushuettchen. If you walk into the higher mountains, it is rugged and only soft Rododendrenbueschen the woods and then later the bushes in an increasingly rocky, pebbly, very rugged landscape.
We were now six days in the mountains and are beginning from here in Yuksom where we are right now, started, accompanied by 5 people: our guide, our cook, our pony-guide and two porters. A little surprised about this Entourage we were, because I had somehow only with a companion expected, as I had booked the trek from Mumbai. Have to imagine you've once: 2 hikers and 5 helpers!
The hikes were beautiful, varied, but hard and every time we are in the course of the day presented a new landscape, we had the feeling to have won this sight also correct. The first two days we put every 1000 meters of altitude, so we arrived on the second night at 4,000 meters altitude. There, we experienced snow, and even after the first night on this unusual height, we woke up with pounding heads. From 3500 meters, most people begin to show the first signs of altitude sickness and we were not spared. To Luckily it was only mild to moderate headache and other symptoms that were a force to descend from. Anyone who has bad luck, gets a pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) that a cost of several days in the life of neglect, but these are all just horror stories, right?
next 2 days we moved not higher, but we approached our destination, which at 5,000 meters located Goechala Pass. That was a good thing, because in the thin air up there is walking a very different world. After 2 minutes, climb a hill my heart beat have been running as after a 100 meter sprint at full power and we had to very slowly and more often load times breathers. The noticeably thin Air forces you to hit more and breathe deeper and your heart faster to transport oxygen more often smaller doses to the cells. I wonder how the Messner that has survived on a double height, 8000 meters from 4000. Since then the brain must be soft ...
Every day we spent us almost to the limit and who has no head strong and well trained legs, which I advise against such a hike. However, we were surprised not too bad of a senior walking group who described their migration to the same paths as entertaining. The secret is probably in the speed and time in which one travels in altitude. Say, who does not fit feels, but still very welcome here, simply a few more days to schedule and address the whole thing just slower.
We slept in part in Wandererhuetten and partly in tents. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to warm himself, for in the national park is a cozy fireplace or a stove illegal in Wanderhuetten and so cold there all hikers quite frankly the ass, unless they have brought arctic jackets. When you're done with the 3-6 hour day route is still nothing more than a sleeping bag and a cup of tea regularly.
Which brings us to the supply. That was incredible. Three times a day we received by our chef served up a buffet with 5 courts, almost without repetition of dishes, and always delicious. Actually, we had to do anything other than walking anyway: our bags were carried by the ponies, our tent was set up us and our food we got. The whole plan was just too perfect. We were picked up even on the first day from the airport and when we arrived at the starting point of the hiking trip in the hotel, there were already eating. And tomorrow we will be back to the airport.
The only two disappointments were the weather and the "Trinkgeldaffaere. The weather was great and the first 2 days we have captured both extreme Sonnenbraende. Then it was cloudy and we experienced rain, hail and even snow once. The destination of our tour, we were able to do so unfortunately do not reach and the third highest mountain in the world (Mount Kanchendzonga, 8500 meters), which can be seen from dortaus best, have not we get a time-to-eye, because the cloud cover constant 4000-5000 meters held. Still, it was to be absolutely worth it to us, if higher, because the scenery and the feeling of having done so much, were more important than the look on this one mountain.
The "Trinkgeldaffaere" was actually a bigger shocks. On the last day of the descent, we got a cake baked in the evening and were then informed by our guide that a tip was expected. Taboo # 1 broken: Tipping is not obtained, but gets it! But ok, recorded as cultural insensitivity. Perhaps you can find it here quite normal. Then Taboo No. 2: I want to exchange money for small change to have the individual crew members, our guide asks me how much I want to swap for, 4000 INR? Whether the guy is from Mars or has been provided only by the Queen of England with Trinkeld? They are the equivalent of 80 Euro, utopian by Indian standards! I was speechless: our guide turned out to be nicer than the seemingly cold, brazen money bargainers that we encounter in India, unfortunately, too often! What a deep disappointment, even from him, which we liked quite happy! I talk to Nina and we agree, but in the sum of us thought of 1000 to stay. After some back and forth we give even more, but with the feeling emotionally blackmailed and to want to have been cheated and have nothing to do with the crew. How ugly pending greed but a man!
Well, now we are sitting happy and warmed in the only Internet coffee in town here and spend a recent afternoon here, before tomorrow at the second part of the journey, which I will write about the earliest in 10 days. Then I will upload a lot of nice pictures here.
Abstract:
highest altitude reached: 4300 feet
highest increase in one day: 1000 meters
longest distance in one day: 20 km
coldest event: Wash in cold mountain river maybe 3 degrees
nasty event: discovery of a leech on my foot (luckily only once)
read books: 1
lost / body weight obtained: -2 pounds of fat, +2 pounds muscles
days with headache: 3 / 6
sunny days: 2 / 6 nor
What?
are the Dzos Lustig, a cross between cow and yak. On the narrow roads we had to watch several times a day to run the other way, are not of these vehicles, but purposeful Gepaecktieren. Somehow they were still cute.
And then there was the dog walker, a loyal mountain dog that always follows the walkers and us in 2 days, my heart grew. Unfortunately, met on 4 Day to another fellow and luckily after a not-too-bloody territory to fight bebellten the two of them land the next 10 hours. Corrosive!
cool: we played at 4,000 meters with a hand-carved Schlaeger Cricket and Nina has proved to be a natural talent (and I improved my bowling). Oh, sorry, I must confess that my cricket is great fun ... I definitely bring a club to Berlin and then show it to everyone.
Ok, more stories and pictures then, as I said, in about 10 days. Until then, many greetings from the Himalayas. The first half of the journey we have not injured and inspires us behind ...
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