Week 41, 2025 – Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Mardi Himal & Pokhara: Ascending Isolation
Oct 5 – Rise 8 a.m., grab small breakfast at cheap café (200 r). Checkout Nana 10:45—super good deal. Walk to van stop, catch ride to Kande (150 r, short wait). Light mobility while waiting. Arrive 11:45—easy trail access. ACAP checkpost at Pothana hard to skip; the guy asked questions (said 2 nights in Pokhara). Lunch at Jungle Spot 1 p.m., chicken dal bat 800 r—slow despite being only guest. Hike steady, reach Forest Camp 5:10 p.m. Lodge range 150–500 r. Check into Mardi Hotel 150 r. Order chicken pizza 900 r for dinner (burnt crust, a minor betrayal). Asus laptop bugged—charging light on but screen dead. Bed early 9 p.m. The technical failure is an unwelcome threat.
Oct 6 – Sleep okay, quiet night. Rise 7:40. Asus still dead. Black coffee + dal bat (tab 1 800 r). Free water, okay wifi. Start hike 9:05 a.m., pass everyone as usual. Reach High Camp 11:03 a.m. Check into Snowland 500 r (double, no wifi, 200 r charging). Chicken chow mein 790 r. Hike up to Mardi Base Camp 1:40 p.m.—drizzle, desolate. Reach 4 p.m. hailstorm, shelter in shack. Crushed Mardi BC in 2 days. Back 6 p.m. Hot lemon, cold shower, rest. Dinner chicken fried rice 850 r. Lost floss—a small, irritating loss of control.
Oct 7 – Cold night, pervasive and sharp. Rise 7:50. Black tea, ok. S7 battery dropped from 50→0 in 10 min—unreliable tech is a constant threat. Pay 2 400 r tab, checkout 8:20. Walk to Low High Camp, charge phone free. Dal bat 720 r, do light hops while waiting. Head out on trail. Pass couple runners downhill. Smash knee hard on log, only minor bleeding. Reach Forest Camp 11:35, pastry 370 r. Wrong way for 75 m vert loss; backtrack 15 min—the trail is deceptive. Trail toward Ghandruk. Rain in Landruk—duck into Maya Hotel for lunch (240 r chicken curry rice 750 r). Keep hiking down to Syauli Bazar. Double room no bathroom 400 r. Dinner chicken chow mein 500 r. Call Wealthsimple about Drip enroll—bad wifi, finally works after balcony call ~20 min. Stretch, half lotus before bed.
Oct 8 – Sleep better, rise 8:40. Calves sore. Black coffee + dal bat 580 r slow af. Pack up, pay 2 200 r tab, checkout 10:25. Descend to Nayapul. Catch bus halfway to Pokhara (300 r). Stop for chicken momos 150 r. Arrive Baglung Bus Park 1:10 p.m. Walk to Nana Hotel, pay 1 200 r for 2 nights. Asus turns on—a sudden, unexpected relief. Lunch chow mein + 2 chicken drums 300 r. Rain starts. Screen bug returns but recovers. Evening work on finances—connected WS to Simplii and Zum EFTs. Turkish place 8 p.m. falafel wrap 300 r, snacks 480 r. Laptop still flickers. The glitch remains.
Oct 9 – Sleep ok. Rise 7:20. Morning coffee, plan next moves. Tech Inn can remove old battery 200 r. Workout: handstand (2 holds, 30 s), 1 apu 1×10, fedpu 1×16. Lunch cheap spot 200 r, drop laundry. Stretch + meditate. Visa research: 240 hr China exemption for Henan. Neck bridge + mobility sets. 2:30 p.m. Turkish donair plate 400 r—great. Snacks 580 r. Evening beer by lake, buff kebab + chow mein 330 r, mango lassi 250 r. Transfer ebooks before bed—digital security prioritized.
Oct 10 – Faster sleep. Rise 8:15. Laptop ok. Breakfast chow mein + momos 250 r. Laundry slow af, still damp. Dry gear on terrace, music + mobility. Checkout 11:40, drop Asus at Tech Inn. Lunch thukpa 140 r slow. Bus to Kande 150 r, arrive 2:40. Momos 200 r again slow. Start trek 3:10. Arrive Austrian Camp 3:45. Trail on map missing—disorientation starts. Avoid ACAP at Pothana. Reach Tolka by 6 p.m. Namaste Hotel 500 r (double, bathroom). Dinner chicken curry 750 r. Start using ChatGPT on phone. Shower, snack, bed early. The need for digital connection is clear.
Oct 11 – Cold night, blankets thin—a physical imposition. Rise 7:40. French couple chatty. Breakfast black coffee + chicken fried rice 700 r. Pay 2 100 tab, checkout 9:10. Walk to Landruk. Retrace trail to jeep road then up to Ghandruk. Reach Landruk 11:40, choco cake 250 r. Find 1 r coin at fountain—a small, random reward. Trail toward Tadapani. Lunch Jungle Resort 550 r (chicken curry, good view). Jaw ex 3×3×30. Arrive Tadapani 3:40. Panorama Viewpoint Hotel 500 r (double, no bathroom). Hot shower, fireplace, spaghetti 7 p.m.—excellent, a genuine comfort. Bed 8:30. The journey ends with fire and good food.