Five questions about Nepal: Wanda Vivequin

Posted in: Blog, Five questions on May 25th, 2010  | Comments: 6

The Five Questions blog asks people who are very familiar with Nepal, the Himalaya and trekking some questions about their most favourite places and experiences. Wanda Vivequin has been visiting and trekking in Nepal for over 10 years and has co-authored Lonely Planet Nepal Trekking Guidebook.

1. What is your favourite place that you have visited in Nepal?

My favourite place in Nepal is the village of Sundaridanda located just 15km from Pokhara on the old approach to the Annapurna Circuit (see map of the Royal Trek).  This village (name means beautiful hill) is located spectacularly between Begnas Tal and Rupa Tal and affords simply stunning views of the Annapurna Himal, Machapuchare, the two lakes and on a clear day the Ngadi Himal. It also happens to be the place where I have built a community library in honour of my mother.  The community is working hard to attract people to visit and stay.  There is an organic coffee cafe and guest house, a few small guest houses and if you want to splash out you can stay at Begnas Resort.

My favourite trekking route in Nepal is the Limi Valley trail in the Humla district of Nepal.

Particularly the days trekking between Jang and Hilsa where trails are etched into impossibly steep hillsides and stunning medieval looking villages appear stuck in a time warp.

2. Why was it particularly special?

Many years ago I asked a seasoned sirdar in Nepal his favourite trekking route.  He said Limi Valley as he was fortunate enough to have visited the valleys shortly after they opened for trekking. He said he thought it was Shangri-La.  In 2005 my father bought me Thomas Kelly’s book Hidden Himalaya.  This is Kelly’s account of his time in Humla.  I used to look at this book imagining what it would be like to trek there and then finally in 2007 I went there with a group.  I went back there again in 2008 and have been fortunate to become connected to some of the
incredible medical work being done there by CITTA, a Health, Education and Economic Development (HEED) organisation:  www.citta.org.

Having connections that go deeper than just trekking through an area makes it a whole lot more special.  In October 2010 the surgical wing of a hospital in Simikot (the capital of Humla) will open.  The surgical wing is the result of a significant donation made by one of my group in 2008.

3. What is your favourite thing about Nepal or your favourite memory from time spent here?

Wanda Vivequin

My favourite thing about Nepal is the pure honesty of the many Nepalis I have been fortunate to meet and spend time with.  My friends and family there are a constant reminder that you don’t need a lot to be happy.

The resilience of the Nepali people throughout the democratic crisis that has marked the 10 years I have been travelling there is also incredible.

I love the fact that even though many of my friends and family in Nepal have so little, they still find time and ways of making me feel so special.  The country offers me countless reminders of what truly makes the world go around – kindness, compassion, generosity, good humour, family.  I have also been reminded on many occasions of how wasteful we are in the west with our resources and our planet.

4. Which place in Nepal would you like to go to that you have not yet been to?

I would like to go back and finish my Api Saipal traverse in western Nepal.  In 2008 I trekked to Saipal south base camp in the Bajhang district.  I would love to trek west of Chainpur (the capital of Bajhang) district and head to Api basecamp and then head even further west to Darchula and the Indian border.

Western Nepal is simply stunning and the people there have suffered so much.  This is an area that is tough to trek but I am sure that the travel here is reminiscent of what it was like to trek in the Annapurna area in the 1970s.

It’s tough going and you have to resourceful and not be afraid of the unknown.

5. What advice do you have for trekkers going to Nepal?

Do not be afraid to get off the beaten path for there are many rewards to be had.  Uncrowded trails, cultural interactions like no other, incredible hospitality and a sense of adventure that has been lost in some of the more traditional trekking areas.

No matter where you go in Nepal the country is breathtaking, but if adventure and solitude is what you are after, the more traditional areas like Everest and Annapurna have definitely given some of that away in the name of progress and development.

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Tags: Bajhang, Begnas, Chainpur, CITTA, Darchula, HEED, limi, Ngadi Himal, Shangri-La, Thomas Kelly, Wanda Vivequin