A journey that will change you

They described their impressions, and after returning from the Dolomites, I started looking at the schedule for upcoming trips to Nepal. The trip to ABC, which was to take place in two weeks, suited me best.

And I was faced with a choice: either take a risk and try to organize everything myself in such a short period of time, or postpone this trip until next year or even later.

I talked to Ira, the tour consultant, and she convinced me that, in principle, it was all possible to organize. So I went for it 🙂 Spoiler alert — I have never regretted it.

There were four participants in our group, plus one Ukrainian team leader, one Nepalese guide, and two porters. Before the tour, I was a little worried that there weren't many participants and whether we would all be comfortable.

But by the third day, we had all become friends and, as I call it, “the collective fun began” with our jokes. We all had a great time, not only with the participants, but also with the guides Andriy and Santa.

We really became a team. We were lucky in many ways. For example, the weather was perfect every day, and I never had to use my poncho.

Also, none of us got sick or injured, so everyone felt great throughout the entire tour. The only thing was that the day before the ascent to ABC, I got altitude sickness and didn't feel very well.

It was the day we were climbing from Dovan to MBC. The radial exit on that day saved me for acclimatization, and I felt a little better. This allowed me to climb to ABC normally.

In general, the tour is suitable for people who do not go to the mountains. But it is important to understand that there is cumulative exhaustion in the process.

Therefore, if you are not very active in your daily life or do not engage in any physical activity/sports at all, you will find it challenging.

My personal recommendation for this tour:

• Before the tour, prepare your body for the exertion by doing some sport so that you don't experience severe stress later on.
• If you are unsure about your knees, take extra knee pads. But everyone should take walking sticks.
• I took eight packs of freeze-dried food with me and didn't regret it. The food in all lodges is pretty standard, and sometimes you want something familiar from Europe. I had freeze-dried food for lunch every day.
• I also brought coffee drips and Carpathian tea with me. Because at some point, you'll get sick of ginger lemon honey tea.
  Although I must say that there are many coffee shops along the trail with decent coffee. And it was a special treat at an altitude of 3,000 meters to have a cappuccino with a cinnamon roll;
• Take care of your sleep: bring a mask, earplugs, and anything else that helps you fall asleep. Even in the center of Kathmandu, you will need them, unfortunately.
• Before the trip, I thought that we would have almost no opportunity to take a shower. So I prepared for the worst-case scenario and took a lot of wet wipes and dry showers with me. And that was definitely too much. Lodges are developing, and there are more and more opportunities. I only used a dry shower once, at MBC. Before that, one large pack of wet wipes should be enough for the entire trek (I choose wet toilet paper because it is biodegradable).
• If you plan to go to the mountains again and use your own equipment, I recommend buying it in Ukraine or Europe. Yes, there are entire markets with equipment in Nepal, but 98% of it is junk. Even though it costs $15, why do you need things that are unreliable and won't do their job? There are several stores in Kathmandu with quality trekking equipment (original North Face, Columbia, Sherpa), but the prices there will be the same as in Europe. Only the selection is much worse.

The most memorable moments of this trip were the sunrises and sunsets. Because it was at this time that the clouds parted and the magic began.

The best part was brewing tea and sitting on the terrace looking at the mountains. I am sharing with you the film photos I managed to take on this trip.

I can also wholeheartedly recommend Andriy Kharatin as a team leader and Santa (a Nepalese guide). They were very caring, attentive, and it was just great to be with them.

I am sure that this will not be my last trip to Nepal.