Travel to Sama

A 5am wake up for a 6 am transfer to the airport, to catch a helicopter ride to Sama. Sama is a small village at the head of the Nurbu valley, and a staging post for Manaslu. We were privileged that our helicopter pilot is the only female heli pilot in Nepal. We are somewhat lucky to be able to get a helicopter, as most have been commandeered by the government, to support disaster relief. We took off about 7am, heading northwest towards Manaslu and Annapurna – not that we could see very far due to the low cloud cover. We headed out over Kathmandu, and crossed the X valley, the valley affected by the recent flood. The narrowness and steepness of the valleys quickly makes you realize how these floods can be so devastating, as the water will rise by meters very quickly, washing away bridges and adjacent villages and homes. Sama lies in the next valley west of …. The helicopter negotiates these tight valleys so carefully, then lifts over intersecting ridges. It’s so beautiful and lush in a dramatic way, waterfalls, steep rock faces, raging streams. The most striking or remarkable aspect is the remote villages, perched on the mountainsides, miles from nowhere, with some fields and terraces around them, that are farmed. How do people exist here?

Practically everything must be transported in by mule, yak, or human porters, but now perhaps they are seeing more use of helicopters. About 3/4 way in we encountered dense fog or cloud, and we had to land near a bigger village and monastery. We unloaded, and waited to see if the cloud would clear and we could continue, or would we walk the remainder. The cloud lifted, so the trek was avoided. Sama is a small village, apparently sitting directly under Manaslu – not that I could validate that, as it was cloudy and rained all day, sits at 11,500 ft. We are staying in a typical lodge/hostel/teahouse, with a dining space, and many small rooms. The increase in popularity of Manaslu has clearly led to a construction boom, as many more hostels are being built.

Today I encountered serious downtime – just hanging around the hostel, waiting….. It rained pretty heavily all day – we are at the tail end of the monsoon, and this valley is noted as being particularly wet. Fortunately the rain stopped at about 4:30, so managed to get a walk in around Sama. The village centre itself consists mainly of hostels, shops and cafes. The locals live in very basic housing – family on top, animals in the lower level. The people are so friendly everyday wishing you “namiste” with a smile. The scenery was spectacular once the cloud lifted. Got to see the bottom of the glacier which leads to base camp, and even saw a snow covered peak. Acclimatization hike tomorrow.