Mardi Himal 3 : Kande to Gauda – Trek Day 1

Kande to Gauda : ~5 KM; ~5 Hours

I take a few steps down a little alley way and then up through a couple of houses where three little chickens sat warming themselves inside the feathers of their big chicken mama, their tiny heads popping out to say ‘hello’! Before I know, the steps start getting steeper and we lose the houses and get deeper into lush trees and bushes.

Starting the Hike, Kande

Australian Camp

In due time we reach our first stop – the Australian camp. Apparently, the name comes from the time when a group of Australians had come over and camped in that area. That must have taken some creativity naming the place, eh!

As soon as we reach the village, the view takes our breath away! The distant sky is crowned with Annapurna South, looking so bright and massive that we can’t contain our excitement. The white jewel against the backdrop of blue is picture-perfect, to say the least.

Australian Camp
Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Annapurna III at the backdrop

Mardi Himal seems to be one such trek where you get awarded with brilliant views right from the first day, first hour of your hiking journey!

Pretty Village, Pretty View

A few shops in this village sell handmade clothes, jewelleries and stones. We browse through the shops as we walk along to our next stop i.e. Pothana.

Pothana (1980m)

Pothana is another beautiful village against the backdrop of Annapurna and is also the ACAP checkpoint for this trek. I meet a couple from Bangladesh here and exchange pleasantries. We get our permit checked, sit for a while soaking in the environment and then continue our journey.

Getting permit done at Pothana

The landscape changes into farms and forests. As we get deeper into the forests and start going up and down the mountains, the trees get more unruly with their trunks dancing freeform and roots shooting out in unrestrained joy. We cross three or four mountains, also Pitam Deurali (the usual choice for trekkers to spend their first night in this village) before reaching the village – Gauda. This is where we stay tonight.

Heading towards Gauda

Gauda (2350m)

Gauda is a cosy little area with only two tea houses tucked in a slope. Out of the two tea houses, one is operational as December is off-season. Only a couple of other people (foreigners, can’t place which country they are from) are staying in this teahouse.

Teahouse at Gauda

The view is lovely from Gauda. Annapurna South seems to have turned bigger now and Hiunchuli sits beside her in its own comfortable glory. The two peaks seem to be joined by a straight ridge from where I am looking. If I just jump and do a double vault over the two mountains in front, I might as well sit on top of that ridge…

Cloud creeping up Annapurna South and Hiunchuli in the afternoon

The Sun sets at 6PM painting the horizon and the snowy peaks orange. The dining area has its wood burning stove on. The warmth inside is in a sharp contrast with the temperature outside that seems to be dropping every minute. A lavish dal-bhat thali arrives shortly after. Maniram makes us try a paste called dhido that’s made with millets. I don’t like the taste of it but the next morning he makes a bread out of the same dhido and I am in love with the dhido bread!

Sunset from Gauda teahouse

Cold mountains demand early sleep. Hesitantly, I leave the warmth of the dining area and hurry to my room. Even within those short 50 metres of the way, the cold snaps through my skin. But as my eyes find the sky above, I stand there shivering and yet not moving. The dark night sky is studded with tiny specs of jewels all over. It looks so crowded up there; the stars seem to be fighting each other for space!

I make a couple of trips down to the toilet at night too, hating my bladder and trembling in the cold but every time, those thousand stars seem to hold my feet back. 

Gosh, there is so much power in Nature!

Nighty Night...