Today was one of the most challenging things I've probably ever done...physically but also mentally! 
We started our 4 day trek through the Singalila National Park today! We booked the trek through Ashmita Trekking. We met at the office at 10 this morning where we met 3 other guys that would be trekking with us. Two guys about our age and then one older guy, all 3 from Paris. They had a guide and Gabby and I had a guide. We left the office and drove about an hour to the start of the trek.
Okay, so I feel like I live a pretty active lifestyle but holy moly...within the 5 minutes I was breathing like I've never exercised in my life! I was really questioning my abilities and felt like I should just quit while I still had the chance! This is were the mental part really came into play. The high altitude most definitely has an impact on your breathing and ability but I was not letting myself take that into account...instead I just kept telling myself that there was no way I was going to be able to make it the next 4 days! Luckily I had Gabby with me who helped a lot with the mental aspect. I just had to breath and take it easy. We started in Bhanjyang at an altitude of about 2000 meters. It's a lot different than what I'm used to in Thailand and I just had to keep reminding myself of that!
I'd say things got a little easier after the first 30 minutes or so but I could definitely tell that my body was going to be exhausted by the end of this! We hiked a good 13/14 kilometers today up to Tumling, Nepal (about 2900 meters)!
In the beginning of the trek we ran into another guide and trekker. They are from another company but the guides are friends and they were doing the same trek as us so we all trekked together! So we've now picked up another friend named Ott, from Estonia.
Through the next four days we will be weaving in and out of India and Nepal! At many points today we were standing in between the two countries!
So our first night stay is in Nepal which is pretty cool! We are staying at a beautiful homestay! We got to the homestay and were welcomed in with a nice hot cup of tea! We were all freezing! It started to rain right at the end! Maybe 15 minutes before we reached the house! We made a fire and all sat around and relaxed until dinner was ready. There is another family staying here tonight. They are also from Paris and have such an awesome story! So there are 6 of them....grandparents, son and daughter in law and 2 kids (3 years old and 14 months)!!! And yes! They are all trekking! Like the same trek that we are doing that I was whining about (just at a slower pace, 6-7 days). The dad is carrying the 3 year old and the mom is carrying the 14 month old! And then the grandparents are trekking too!
And to make them even more badass, the couple has been driving a camper van for the past 8 months with the 2 boys! They started in Malaysia and have made their way to India at this point and plan to go all the way back to France! The grandparents came out for 2 months to visit/travel!
Alright we are waking up at 515 tomorrow to see the sunrise so I better call it a night!
***I almost forgot a pretty major detail which plays into my struggle this morning...I've been sick with "Delhi Belly" as some people call it. Something I ate recently has not sat well with me and I've been sick for the past 36+ hours... everything I'm eating is going right through me causing me to have NO ENERGY whatsoever! So, this is a major part of the reason that I felt like I should quit while I was ahead this afternoon!
But, I must say..I'm super proud of myself for getting through the day! It was HARD but I did it!
Thursday || Day 2
We started the morning out with a beautiful sunrise! We were able to see some really beautiful views! We got an awesome view of the Kangchenjunga Range (also known as the sleeping Buddha). The Kangchenjunga is the 3rd highest mountain range in the world at 28,169 feet (about 8600 meters)!
After the sunrise we came back had tea and breakfast and got our stuff ready to get on the road! Today was a pretty long trek! About 17 kilometers! We FLEW threw the first 7km! The first 7km was all pretty flat so it was really easy and allowed us to cover a lot of distance in no time! The second half of the day definitely wasn't that easy! It got tougher as we got closer to Sandakphu (which is the highest point we are going to).
Sandakphu is the highest peak in the West Bengal at 3636 meters (11,941 feet). Four of the five highest peaks in the world can be seen from its summit if the skies are clear (Everest: 1, Kangchenjunga: 3, Lhotse: 4 and Makalu: 5)!
So after a very tiring day we made it to Sandakphu! We were all completely beat but really excited! It started hailing while we were trekking today! And, there was still snow on the ground!! It's pretty chilly here! This Thai/Florida girl is having quite the time trying to survive! 😂
We got in around 4 and dinner wasn't until 7 so we had plenty of time to relax and warm up! We sat by a little fire, drank hot chocolate and played a bunch of card games! It was a nice afternoon!
•we are sleeping in Nepal again tonight•
We are planning on getting up early again tomorrow! If the weather is good then we will be able to see Mt Everest!! Fingers crossed for clear skies!
Friday || Day 3
As soon as I opened my eyes this morning I could tell it wasn't going to be clear enough. I looked outside and it was super foggy. I heard the guys talking outside so I walked out there and I was right...the visibility was no good! Such a bummer as this was our only chance to see Mt. Everest. Back to sleep we went for a couple more hours!
Three of the guys had to leave earlier than us today because they had flights to catch Saturday so they were only doing 3 days. We said goodbye to them, enjoyed our breakfast and then headed on our way!
Today was down hill basically all day! Definitely easier than the uphill climb yesterday but still tough on your body!
Also there was a decent amount of snow/wet mush on the ground so you had to be a little more careful with your step!
The day seemed to go by pretty quickly and we arrived at our final homestay around 1:30! This homestay is in India! Such a beautiful little spot and the weather was so nice when we got in! We sat outside and chatted for a bit before deciding it was nap time!
I woke up from my nap to super intense thunder and rain! This storm seemed to come out of no where! We got lucky that we made it in before the rain started! Gabby and I went to the common area around four and were lucky enough to grab a little stool by the fire. We chatted and enjoyed a cup of hot tea! We played a couple rounds of cards and listened to music. The storm still hadn't stopped and the power had gone out. The ladies in the kitchen never stopped working! Just lit some candles and kept cooking!
A little while later we got to learn how to make momos. They are like little dumplings and so delicious!
We had dinner around 7 and then just sat around chatting for a bit. I don't think I've ever gotten this much sleep! My bedtime the past couple of days has been 8:00! Haha
Saturday || Day 4
Gosh I can't believe today was the last day! Although the first day seemed like torture, it has honestly flown by! I have enjoyed each day so much! Pictures don't do this trip justice but I know the memories I have will never fade!
We woke up to a gorgeous morning! It was the first day that I wasn't bundled up to start the day! We ate breakfast outside in the sunshine!
We had a really easy day today! Only about 6km on pretty flat ground! We started around 8:45 and just took our time! We stopped in a flat area at one point to chill and eat some apples and oranges!
We made it to the end around 10:30! A jeep picked us up and we still had about a 4 hour drive back to Darjeeling. I just wanted to sleep but the roads are SO ROUGH and windy that it was impossible!
We stopped for lunch about 3 hours in and made it back to Darjeeling around 3:45. We chilled for a little bit just trying to stay warm and then went out to grab a bite for dinner.
Nice chill evening at our homestay!
Our India trip is slowly coming to an end! But I can't wait for WARM weather! ☀️
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