- A snickers momo should be one of the top 5 foods you have to try before you die. When I first saw the snickers momo on the menu at the first guest house we stayed at, I thought it was a joke. But my guides confirmed it was legitimate as well as delicious. We decided to celebrate the half-way point of our trek by indulging in the candy bar wrapped in dough and fried, and it might have been one of the most amazing things I have tasted.
- Don’t slow down if you’re walking in front of a yak, especially if your backpack is red. I paused briefly to get out my camera when I suddenly felt a bump from behind. I turned around to see what was up with my hiking partner, and realized that it was actually an annoyed yak. I stepped to the side of the trail to let it pass, and laughed with my trekking guides.
- It’s amazing what they can cook above 3,000 meters (or 14,000 feet). I am used to roughing it when trekking- eating plain ramen noodles and scarfing down protein bars, but the guest houses had impressive menus- chow mein, fried eggs, spaghetti, pizza, and soft drinks. There’s just something amazing about eating hot fried macaroni while sitting over a frozen lake at 14,000 feet.
- Nepalese love their hot drinks. Maybe it’s because of the cold, but whether it is tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, the guest houses could rival Starbucks. Sitting by the stove, sipping on some chai after taking in amazing views all day might be the best feeling in the world. Also, if you stop in Thulo Syphru, get the coffee-tea at Peace Guest House- it’s the best drink I’ve ever had.
- If you can, climb a mountain. On our trek, we got to climb a couple smaller peaks in the region- Khianjing Ri and Surya. Even though they were dwarfed by the 7,000 and 8,000 meter mountains surrounding them, it was the highest in altitude I have ever been. Although both were challenging, it was unquestionably worth it to see for hundreds of miles to Nepal’s various ranges. I know it wasn’t just the lack of oxygen that took my breath away- the views were stunning.