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| 4:00am. I packed lots of energy
this morning, for the ascent and for keeping me warm at
3,210m. After one hour of hitting the trail in darkness,
we arrived at Poon Hill. As usual, we were the first to
arrive! I quickly reserved the best spot for a much anticipated
sunrise show. |
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| The sun gradually painted colors
on the sky above "Fish Tail" Machhappuchre (6993m)
peak. Annapurna III (7555m), Annapurna IV (7525m), Annapurna
II (7939m) and Lamjung Himal (6905m) were all lining up
at near proximity. |
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| Morning ray gradually lit up
Dhaulagiri Himal. Standing majestically at 8,172m, Dahulagiri
I is the 7th highest mountain in the world. I only realized
my high elevation after seeing the sea of clouds; the
ascent in pitch dark this morning was like being blindfolded
to a new location without learning the path. |
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| Annapurna South (7219m), Hiunchuli
(6441m) and Machhapuchhre (6993m). |
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| God chose not to give me a clear
blue sky at Poon Hill. He painted the sky with instant
sunrise colors for me to admire this morning. Perhaps
he realized that pictures of cloudless sky are already
a norm and he wanted me to create something out of ordinary.
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| Dhaulagiri I (8167m) and Tukuche
Peak (6920m), bathed in golden light. |
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| The Fish Tail used to tower above
me at the Annapurna Base Camp. It looked out of reach
from where I was now. It had been four days since I left
the base camp, but memories of the mountains up close
were still vivid in my mind. |
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| A superb opportunity for panorama
shots. How can I miss that! |
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| Poon Hill is made famous by its
awesome view of both the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Himalayan
mountain range. |
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| Himalaya, a place where heaven
and earth meet. This was the moment I was in a state devoid
of mental stress and anxiety, having all my worries washed
away. How many times in life do you get to see such an
awesome sunrise? Ten days of ups and downs, rises and
falls, joys and cries; the Himalaya will never let you
leave empty-handed. The more hurdles we encounter during
the trail, the more rewards we reap and the more appreciation
we have towards our lives. I'm glad that I came, I felt
reborn and fully alive! |
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| Sunbeams were playing different
effects on earth, creating beautiful images for us to
remember. |
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| After an overwhelming morning
show, we dragged our feet down the hill, leaving behind
Poon Hill and the Himalaya sunrise. It would to be a long
walk today as we had to cover a 2000m descent. This is
the stretch from Ulleri to Tikkhedhunga, 3800 steps downhill.
My knees almost gave up on me. I wonder where on earth
those stones were found to build such a long and winding
staircase. Ulleri is the largest settlement we came across,
but I didn't take any picture of the houses except focusing
on the thousands steps. |
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| House built around rice terraces. |
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| It was the tenth day of Dasain,
a day where everyone goes home to have their elders put
tika on his or her forehead, as a sign of blessing for
fertility and abundance in the upcoming year. |
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| Ending the hike with a punctured
wheel. Since public transportation was reduced to almost
zero during Dasain, we had to pay more for the ride home. |
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| And this marked the end
of our 10 days of close encounters with the Himalaya.
To me, traveling is where all the best things in
life rolled into one: discovery, excitement, freedom,
adventure, escape, revitalization, laughter, and
smile. In Nepal, I found another valuable thing
to add on to my list - peace. Listen to your
heart Seeming, do you really want to leave the mountains?
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* Special thanks
to Joyce Lee for proof-reading the write-up, an editor
to-be
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