One of the main reasons I decided to do the Annapurna circuit and not any other of the many treks I could have done in Nepal was the cultural side of it. And culturally, Day 13 was literally everything I had come to Nepal for.
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Good morning from Marpha
Marpha is one of the last places on the trail where you can find the traditional for the Tibetans Thakali cuisine, aka my last chance to try the famous tsampa porridge and I sure wasn’t leaving before having some. So … I woke up early, had some porridge and had a good chat with the Irish man I had met a few days ago who turned out to be staying at the Paradise guesthouse as well. Honestly, so many coincidences on this trek!! It was around 6 am but we were deep in conversation about his adventures in Kyrgyzstan and Israel and his upcoming trip to Mexico until he realised that if he wants to avoid the looming rain he should head off soon.
“Might see you again you know, be safe!” – he said and went off to pack his stuff.
The porridge was nice! It’s simple but tasty especially if you have it with some honey but more than anything, it just isn’t something you can try in many places so even just for the experience, you gotta have some. Food aside, it was time to get my takeaway apple crumble (did you seriously think I’d leave without an extra slice for later), loaded my Osprey on and was off as well, all by myself <3
Marpha to Tukuche
To get to Kalopani, most people continue on the main road. It’s quicker, that’s for sure, but I really wanted to see the Tibetan refugee camp which was only 20 min away from Marpha and from there to continue to a village called Tukuche. To get to Tukuche, you actually have to aim for it because it’s slightly off the trail so you wouldn’t just pass through it if you take the main road.
Taking the trekking trail meant that I had to cross a bridge to get on the other side of the river. A few kilometres later, just before Tukuche, I would have to cross it again to get on the section of the road that would eventually get me to the village. After Day 12 where I had trekked to a blown off bridge and had to turn around because there wasn’t a way to cross the Kali Gandaki river, I was dreading a similar scenario but I was too keen not to risk it.
As I was leaving Marpha, the sun was already shining, the sky was clearing up and I was already waving at the early risers from the village and saying “Namaste” to their friendly Goodbyes. It was gonna be a good day!!
Passing by the Tibetan refugee camp felt weird, I must admit. I was expecting to see a basic but still a proper village but instead what so many Tibetan refugees called home were just a few one-storey grey buildings kinda put in the middle of the forest with no pavement around, no local shop, market or anything else you’d consider essential. The 6-7 buildings in the camp were pretty large which meant that a few families must be living together, yet at 7 am there was no sign of life there. In fact, it felt so creepy that after a few minutes of walking around I rushed out of the woods (ooh did I not mention that this was all set up in the forest amidst the trees).
The minute I got out of the woods though, I wowed ecstatically. Even though the sky hadn’t quite cleared up yet, the Himalayas had found a way to peek through and I just couldn’t believe how beautiful the views were. I could now see the mountains, now half green, half-covered in snow. The landscape had changed back to being rainforest-ey and lush! Bushes and pine trees were lining up on both sides of the path sending out a strong scent of freshness. Long gone were the deserty views and I was loving it! Even more so because I was entirely on my own.
I was just so happy! I could stop whenever I wanted. I could ponder and wander as I pleased. I didn’t have anyone and anywhere to rush for. I could take my time and just enjoy the moment. I felt free, in the full sense of the word, and I was loving every second of it even though I still didn’t know whether the trail I was so happily walking on was a no go or if it’d eventually get me to where I wanted to go.
There was no one around. Not behind or in front of me, until I saw a house to my left with a big apple garden and the local family in between the apple tree branches picking up the fruit. It was the apple harvest and in this house virtually in the middle of nowhere, the whole family had gathered to collect this year’s produce. I hadn’t seen anyone in a couple of hours at that point, so I smiled ear to ear when I spotted the first old man hidden in the trees. I said “Namaste” and he said “Namaste” back plus a whole lot more in Nepalese which I couldn’t understand. I walked passed but just a few steps later the same old man started shouting after me. I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I turned around and just as he was holding himself onto the tree, he was holding 3 beautiful red apples. I didn’t catch a single word of all he was saying but he wanted to gift me the apples, that much I could get. I was so touched! I went near the house fence, he handed me the apples with a wide generous smile, I thanked him and went on to try and reason the pure friendliness of this man. He didn’t want anything in return. He wasn’t trying to make a sale. It was a gesture out of a good heart and, for the first time, I could feel that even suggesting to pay would be an offence. So all I did was smile, thank him and wish him all the best!
Most days I barely need anything but as soon as I bit into one of the apples, I felt such unreal gratitude. I hadn’t had fresh fruit since the start of the trek and the juicy bites I was now chewing on felt like sips of water after a whole day of dehydration. It was one of those moments where everything I had right there was simply enough!!
With a much fuller heart and even a wider smile on my face, I continued on my trek, only occasionally checking Maps.me as the trail was clear and well-marked. About 1.5h into the trek, I literally yelled with excitement and relief. The bridge I had to cross to go over the river was there!! What a victory 😀 Even though I loved the trek to this point, I couldn’t face having to go back and I was so damn pleased I didn’t have to!
I crossed the bridge in triumph and joined a huge group of students who were running on the main road, all in their red school uniforms. When they saw me they got so curious that quite a few of them even stopped their run to say Namaste and to ask me where I was from and where I was headed. They were running from Marpha to their school in Tukuche.
I love running myself and for a moment I wished I could just drop the bag and join them! Even though they looked pretty exhausted, some barely moving one leg in front of the other, they lit up so much when they saw me that I knew I’d quickly make some new friends.
Once in Tukuche
I headed towards old Tukuche and I immediately became one with the many kids running around, staring at me inquisitively, some even posing for a photo, others shying away as soon as they saw me smile at them cheekily.
Around 9 am I got to Tukuche (about 2 hours from Marpha). What an interesting place! – I thought. As I entered the village, I found myself in what was the new side of it. It wasn’t hard to guess since one of the first buildings I saw was a pretty lush guesthouse ran by a Dutch guy who had relocated to Nepal to open it up. Immediately, I got the feeling that the development along the trail would have ruined this place as well but luckily I was in for a surprise.
The village was alive and I was absolutely loving the vibe. I was walking along a narrow paved street, with beautiful white houses with colourful wooden windows and shutters on both my sides. It reminded me of Europe and in a strange sort of way, I felt at home. I wanted to stick around so I slowed down my pace, looked around with my eyes wide open and chatted to the locals. An old Tibetan guy spent so much time telling me his life story (for real <3 ) and giving me the same directions to Kalopani over and over again that I actually felt he was just trying to keep the conversation going for as long as he could. It was so sweet but eventually, we near hugged Goodbye and wished each other all the best, only to be stopped by another local (from Kathmandu this time) who had so much curiosity inside of him he couldn’t hide it even if he tried. He was selling watches but what fascinated me was that unlike other places in Asia or even the Tibetan ladies in Marpha for that matter, people around here (including him) were not pushy to make a sale. All they wanted was a little friendly chat!
Pretty inquisitive myself, I couldn’t help but spot a colourful guesthouse with a big sign listing out all the apple things they were selling. All along the trek, I had been impressed by the clever tactics used by the locals to get trekkers’ attention but this guesthouse stood out for me so I went in more out of curiosity than the need to get yet another apple crumble 😀
I headed towards the back garden which even from the main street I could tell was beautiful. It was covered with flowers all over, small but perfectly cosy and ideal for a quick break. As soon as the guesthouse owners saw me they left the little jobs they were working on and greeted me so warmly I knew I’ve wandered into the right place. They welcomed me in, sat me down for a chat and we just talked and talked for ages. They had lived their whole life in Tukuche and were telling me all about the change the construction of the road had brought with it. What was a buzzing with trekkers village 20 years ago was now only occasionally coming up on the itineraries because like I mentioned above, if you take the main road route to Kalopani, you wouldn’t pass through Tukuche and evidently that’s what most people do these days.
It was sad to see how development has changed the lives of these people who, back in the early days, would welcome and see off guests non stop and now they were barely getting any business but what was even more striking was that this hadn’t changed their happy attitude to life. They honestly had the biggest smiles and most genuine look you can imagine.
I was having such a great time with the couple that I wasn’t rushing myself to get back on the trail so I ordered myself some apple juice (one of the few apple things I still hadn’t tried) and were back in the conversation in full swing.
The man couldn’t believe I was travelling alone without a porter or a guide and that I had just gone over Thorong la pass. He kept looking at me as if he was studying me up and as if I was into something unheard of for a woman around here. Maybe so …
Wow you’re strong, a strong woman … so brave – He kept repeating so many times I didn’t know how to reply, or if I should’ve even tried to say anything back. I guess I really was stronger than I thought and braver than what women would happily put themselves through but I had never really thought about that.
Nepali women aren’t like you, they’re not that strong … – He most certainly was impressed and it kinda felt nice to realise I really was quite different, not in a cocky sort of way of course haha!
The clock had moved quite a bit since I came into the guesthouse so it was time to pay for my juice and head back on my way. As I was taking some cash out from my bag, the man spotted the apples I was gifted earlier and asked curiously where I bought them. After he heard the story and saw me light up like a Christmas tree as I was telling it, he rushed inside the house and came back with two beautifully riped apples.
Take these for the road – he handed me the apples and even helped me find space for them next to the other two I still had left.
On goodbye, he picked up a flower from their garden and gave it to me to attach to my bag for good luck!! I hugged him and his wife a few times and waved back at them as they were waving and looking at me heading towards the street. What a moment! My heart was full. I’ve bonded with locals many times before but the connection with these people felt so strong and so genuine. That’s the kinda moments and the sort of connections I have been missing on this trip all along, but not now – now I had it!!
Just as I walked out of the guesthouse and found myself on the main street again, out of nowhere, the school runners had caught up and just like I thought I’d be alone again, I suddenly got surrounded by 10ish teens firing questions from both my sides.
Everybody seemed really keen to know why I trek alone and where on Earth I come from this crazy and smiley 😀 Funny when I told them I’m from Bulgaria in Europe, one of the boys sighed and said: “Europe is my dream“. So next time you get sick of Europe or wherever you call home, have a pause and a little think … someone out there is dreaming to be where you are and that’s a pretty important thing to keep in mind.
Tukuche to Kalopani
After leaving Tukuche I went back on the main road for a little while before taking a trail to Kobang and Larjung, both of which I had never even heard of before. Naturally, I was intrigued.
The villages turned out to be pretty deserted, but cute, with traditional houses only here and there making up for a rather authentic feel. From the street, I could peek inside the locals’ gardens and see large apple trees which is what I figured people rely on to make a living around here. And people were proud of their produce.
A local man stopped me in Kobang as I was turning my head around in all directions trying to soak in everything that was around. As pretty much everyone else, he was shocked I was doing this alone and he invited me into his house to meet his wife who lit up so much when she saw me. We chatted for a bit and on my way out the man handed me an apple proudly declaring “It’s from my garden“. So yeah, people were taking pride in their apples and they sure loved sharing them with strangers. At that point, I already had 5 😀
After Larjung came the main road, AGAIN! Uneventful, boring, for miles and miles until Kokhethanti where I took a (dodgy) bridge to get to the other side of the river and on a trail which would eventually lead me all the way to Kalopani.
I passed by a few houses that were literally in the middle of nowhere, said Namaste to a few ladies who seemed pretty stunned to see a human, let alone a random funny looking Bulgarian 😀 I kept on going, munching on my dried apricots, going through some rainforests and hoping the rain that was now dripping on me would hold off for just a little longer before it proper starts pouring out on me. Wishful thinking 😀
I got to Kalopani round 1:45 pm all soaked in water and willing to take any accommodation that looked somewhat reasonable. Unwilling to pay RS 800 at the Kalopani guesthouse though, I called See you Lodge home for the night which at just RS 300 for a en-suite room was a DEAL!!
At around 4 pm super unexpectedly, equally drenched by the rain, Nouh appeared in the dining area looking for accommodation as well. My buddy was back 😀
Daily Costs
- Room – RS 300
- Porridge – 150
- Apple crumble – RS 250
- Veggie chowmein – RS 365
- Dal Bhat – RS 495
- Apple juice – RS 150
Day 13 Tips
- Take the trail that goes to the Tibetan refugee camp and follow it all the way to the charming village of Tukuche. It really is not a place you want to miss!
- Don’t rush today! Take your time to talk to the locals, soak in all the culture and the stories the local Thakali people would open up their homes and hearts to share with you.
- From Tukuche, take the trail to Kobang and Larjung and then take the bridge at Kokhethanti to avoid walking on the main road. The trails are clear, cultural and pretty easy.
- For some reason, people try to charge quite a bit for accommodation in Kalopani so make sure to scout for a deal. There are options so do look around before taking a RS 800 – 1000 hit on your budget.
- Enjoy it and stay present! Namaste 🙂
Day 13 Gallery
