Once upon a time there was a monkey and he took his girl high up into the Nepali mountains. They were trekking 160 kilometers to the Annapurna Base Camp, the amphitheater of the Himalayas, and back to the villages close to Pokhara. On their way up they made their most magical encounters with Nepali people, international hikers and even other monkeys. Still and nearly every week both recall their memories of this unforgettable 12-days yoga trek.

she: Even after more than a year this trip isn’t over – it still goes on and on in my mind.

monkey: I feel the same – we had such an intense time together. I know, for you it was physically even more intense as you carried me the whole way up to the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). And I’m really proud that you weren’t ashamed of introducing me to the locals and even buying me some souvenirs.

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she: You’re welcome, I’m your crazy monkey lady. Already at home, everyone called us crazy, when we told them about our plan to hike to ABC and hire a yoga instructor.

monkey: But now they know better, darling. It was totally doable and with yoga sessions twice a day even without sore muscles. The plateau sits at an altitude of over 4200 metres, so you could get altitude sickness, but we prepared us quite good, exercised, drank a lot of water and went up slowly. The ring of mountains, the Annapurna range, most of which are over 7000 meters, this is something for serious mountaineers.

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she: Dipak and Madhab, these two guys made our trek really special.

monkey: Definitely, the trekking guide and yoga instructor treated you like the princess of the Annapurna. You always got the best room in each teahouse, they bought 12 apples on our first day, carried them the whole trip and each night they brought you one as a present to keep you healthy. And it almost worked out, apart from your cold, two leeches attacks and a light heart attack because of the tarantula in your room.

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she: There were indeed a few challenges and they made us stronger, e.g. the transfer to our starting point in Pokhara and the first hiking day.

monkey: Stronger in case of – we drove 10 hours from the capital Kathmandu with a bus to reach a town in 250 kilometers distance. With the physical fitness at the end of our trip we would have been faster walking there. And then: On our first trekking day we climbed 3000 steps. After that experience you were quite fearless. There was only one thing to shake you: the way down. The hardest mountain stage was 24 kilometers and 2000 meters height. But difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

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she: What was your favorite mountain moment during our adventure?

monkey: I really love the the peak of Machapuchare as it is quite mystical. It was believed to be the home of the god Shiva, and the daily plumes of snow were thought the smoke of his divine incense. After our cloudy evening and a following cold night in the Base Camp we got our reward in the morning: the greatest show in the amphitheater of the Himalayas with clear view.

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she: Did you miss your banana porridge in the morning?

monkey: Of course, I’m a monkey. But I lived a good life in Nepal and really liked the food, especially momos, a kind of dumplings, and the national dish dal bhat. I exchanged my banana smoothie for fresh ginger tea and even got some Everest beer as soon as we got down from the mountains.

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she: Sounds like we should plan our next Nepali episode? There are more Basecamps trips on my the list like the Everest Basecamp.

monkey: Let’s postpone this to 2035. By then our new family member and second monkey maybe also discovered his passion for the mountains and we can go all together.

This tour was booked via Welcome Nepal Treks. You can find the intinerary and all details here: https://www.welcomenepaltreks.com/11-days-nepal-annapurna-base-camp-yoga-trekking-package.html

© Michaela Blum