Many travellers enjoy the sights and sounds of Nepal

Alistair Baird, from Cheltenham, has just fulfilled a lifetime's ambition by trekking to the Annapurna Base Camp, in Nepal.

But while he expected a gruelling physical experience he did not anticipate the emotional life changing journey he was about to embark upon.

Here he tells us, in his own words, the effects this challenging trip had on him...

To an interview with BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Matt Peacock and Alistair Baird about his trip to Nepal

A tourist in Nepal

My trip to Nepal fulfilled a lifetime's ambition. At school in 1975 I had followed the successful British attempt at climbing Everest by the South West Face and read Chris Boningtons' account with fascination.

Before the interest in adventure holidays only a few Nepalese farmers, who grazed their animals in high summer pastures, used the upper part of the trail to Annapurna.

Alistair Baird

So it was that nearly 30 years later I joined a small group of friends to attempt a far more modest goal in trekking to the Annapurna Base Camp.

Before the interest in adventure holidays only a few Nepalese farmers, who grazed their animals in high summer pastures, used the upper part of the trail to Annapurna.

Now it is busy with trekkers from around the globe whose tastes are met by the steady plod of porters carrying extraordinary loads of food, bottled drinks and kerosene in baskets suspended from their heads, wearing nothing more than flip-flops on their feet.

Along the way small settlements have expanded to include lodges where travellers can eat and stay overnight.

Social melting pot

The lodges provide a wonderful social melting pot of nationalities and there are frequent discussions about food, countries visited, the trail ahead and future plans and at this time the Maoists.

At the Annapurna base camp a discussion was prompted by a retired German businessman who had discovered a hardbound copy of Hells Gate in the dining hall, though how such a weighty tome came to be left at that altitude remains a mystery.

So beginning with the Second World War, conversation turned to more current political events and ended with a condemnation of president Bush, which seemed to leave everyone happy allowing talk about food and kerosene fumes to resume.

The following day in the col above base camp I was treated to the spectacle of a powder avalanche falling from snow cornices of Annapurna South.

The mountain peaks surrounding base camp read like a role call of famous names in the climbing world: Annapurna South, Machhapuchhre, Annapurna 1, Hiunchuli.

Their snow-caps are washed red by the rising and setting sun and photographed by groups of Japanese, flown in by helicopter for an exorbitant fee.

Beautiful surroundings

The physical difficulties of reaching this height had been the focus of our attention. The beauty of the countryside through which we had passed is truly breathtaking but our gasps were caused more by the simple lack of oxygen at 4,000m.

The locals of course take it very much in their stride and a vigorous game of volleyball was being played on a levelled out piece of land behind my lodge.

Volleyball rather than football is the sport of choice of most Nepalese because, as my guide explained, it is difficult to level enough hillside to make a decent pitch.

Local villagers share work duties

Our descent into more reasonable altitude gave us a chance to adsorb more fully the beauty of our surroundings.

Millet and rice was being harvested on the terraces, which extend out of sight up steep hillsides.

Entire generations of families turned out to share the task of cutting, threshing and ricking of the rice crop and the warm autumn air was thick with the earthy smell of straw.

We stayed our last night on the trail in a very isolated settlement next to the Modi Khola river with a family who ran the solitary lodge to supplement their farming income.

After our meal of pasta, omelette and apple pie the family joined us around the dining table.

Maoists

I was interested to hear their views of the Maoists and through Kiran, our guide, began to ask them about their experiences of the peoples uprising.

Not for the first time I heard that Maoists would demand huge sums of money from hotel owners: 2 million rupees appeared to be the usual amount: that's about £20,000.

Maoist rebels scorn Indian government claims of military success

One family run hotel had refused to pay. A couple of days later a band of Maoists returned and murdered the entire family, slashing their throats.

Summary executions for refusing to make donations are widespread and reported daily in the Nepalese Himalayan newspaper.

'What does he think of these killings?' I asked through our guide. 'Bad, very bad. Maoists take what they want and everyone is frightened.'

I thought to ask why the local people didn't do more to stop them but the question seemed pointless: we were at least four hours walk from the road and another hours drive to Pokhara, the nearest government controlled area.

The very remoteness to which tourists are drawn provides a haven for the Maoist organisation.

Government problems

The government controls the larger urban areas but struggles to maintain the vital road links between them.

Frequent army checkpoints mean the bus ride from Pokhara to Kathmandu can take 18 hours instead of the usual 6, assuming landslides do not add further delay.

It might be that the Maoists are simply settling old scores and as yet no tourists have been killed.

Our contact with the Maoists took place a days walk from Pokhara at the village of Tolka.

To an interview with BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Matt Peacock and Alistair Baird about his trip to Nepal

»Click here to read the rest of Alistair's story...

This article is user-generated content (ie external contribution) expressing a personal opinion, not the views of BBC Gloucestershire.

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