Day eighteen and the final of this trek. It’s kind of sad for me, really. We walked for two hours generally down, but it a Nepali flat kind of way, before reaching our end point at Birenthanti. Again, the only thing to note is we passed another Maoist checkpoint. This time, they were busy with a large group and probably making a killing, so we walked right through unmolested. We didn’t glance at them as we walked past and they did not even say a word to us- greedy dogs. We grabbed a snack in Birenthanti before walking the final half-hour up to a main road at Nayapul. A bus was about to leave, so we climbed up to ride on the top, which was awesome. Driving back to Pokhara, we could see the valley we had just come from and had beautiful views of Phewa Tal and Pokhara on the way down the mountain. The views from atop the bus is infinitely better than looking out a little window, while being crammed between old men, fat women, and slobbery kids inside the bus.

            Back in Pokhara, we said our goodbyes. After finding a guesthouse, we showered, did some laundry and sent some out, and ate a good meal- all of which was awesome. It was great to be able to send our laundry out and not seeing one those generic trekking menus was equally gratifying. Unfortunately, Joylani felt sick all afternoon, so I spent the afternoon going through three weeks of photos. Browsing through them, I already miss the trek Especially the scenery between Lower Pisang and Kagbeni.

            Here are some preliminary “final thoughts” on the trek as well: Joylani said it was the hardest thing she’s ever done. It was a difficult three weeks in many ways and required tons of endurance, but it was one of the funnest and most rewarding activities I’ve ever done too. We walked for hours everyday, but we were traversing some of Earth’s most beautiful landscapes. Being outside, smelling the crisp mountain air in the mornings and enjoying the warm smell of woodstoves and fires at night. The trek was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done and I’m sad its over.