Participants of Annapurna expedition in a group photo after arriving at the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). — Bernama photo
(From left) Participants who are also staff of Pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia (Bernama) Noor Shamsiah Mohamd, Linda Khoo, Nur Firdaus Abdul Rahim and Mohd Hafiz Abas hold up the Bernama flag after arriving at Annapurna Base Camp. — Bernama photo
The 62 participations of Annapurna expedition arrive at KLIA. — Bernama photo
KATHMANDU: The date April 30, 2017, will forever be etched in my mind for that was the day 61 other Malaysians and I successfully completed our expedition to the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) in Nepal.
It was no small feat as we had to scale a few peaks in the mighty Himalayas along the way.
At about 2pm that day (local time) as soon as all our expedition members arrived safely at the base camp in the midst of a snow storm and freezing temperature of negative-five degree Celsius, we had the honour of being crowned ‘ABC summiteers’.
Even now, the sound of the azan (Muslim call to prayer) and our national anthem Negaraku playing at the base camp, some 4,130 metres above sea level, keeps ringing in my ears.
Having actively participated in mountain climbing activities over the past three years, I found my five-day ABC ‘odyssey’ not only exhilarating but extremely meaningful too.
These were also the exact sentiments of my fellow journalists who were part of the expedition.
The ABC expedition, from April 24 to May 5, was organised by the Pahang Media Club, with the main sponsor being the Prime Minister’s Department.
Our group consisted of 31 journalists from media organisations like Berita Harian, New Straits Times, Harian Metro, Utusan Malaysia, Kosmo, Astro Awani and TV Al-Hijrah, as well as three of my Bernama colleagues, Noor Shamsiah Mohamed, Linda Khoo and Mohd Hafiz Abas.
The rest of our expedition comprised officials and staff of the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia and Health Ministry, as well as members of the Kuantan Youth Club and the Terengganu-based Jerangau Barat Exploration Club.
Eight months of rigid training
Jerangau Barat Exploration Club member Azizie Che Aziz, who participated in the expedition, said initially the whole idea of trekking to ABC seemed daunting to him, mainly due to the weather conditions there.
“We Malaysians are not used to such cold weather,” he said, adding that to prepare themselves for ABC, he and his friends underwent training at the 4,095-metre high Mount Kinabalu (in Sabah) as it was nearly the same height as ABC.
“Whilst at Mt Kinabalu, I suffered from AMS (acute mountain sickness) and I was afraid it would recur whilst I was at ABC.
“Fortunately, I was able to overcome all such challenges with the support of my fellow climbers, and went on to become an ABC summiteer.”
Our ABC expedition consisted of an 82.68-kilometre trek, led by TV3 reporter Mohd Fazli Ahmad, and the ascent leading to ABC. The second stage was led by Mohd Fakhrul Munir from Summit Attack Resources, the tour company tasked with managing our expedition.
Before embarking on our expedition, we spent eight months undergoing rigorous training to improve our fitness and stamina levels.
As ‘chef de mission’ for our group, Mohd Fazli kept reminding us to prepare ourselves physically and mentally for our gruelling adventure.
To be honest, not all of us were experienced mountain climbers; in fact, some of the expedition members were mere beginners!
The ABC trek is no walk in the park because it is in high altitude territory and fraught with risks, and it is possible for any ill-prepared climber to come to a sorry end.
Determined to make our ABC expedition a resounding success, we trained hard and our training included climbing several mountains that were over 1,000 metres high.
Among the peaks we scaled were Mt Kinabalu, Gunung Gagau in Terengganu, Gunung Irau in Cameron Highlands and Gunung Ledang at the Melaka-Johor border.
In January this year, all the expedition members underwent centralised training at the Fire and Rescue Academy of Malaysia in Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor.
This training stint also included a climb up the nearby Bukit Kutu.
We were also briefed on the type of attire to wear whilst on the expedition and were told to bring our own backpack filled with essentials such as food, water, medicines and a change of clothes in the event of an emergency or we find ourselves trapped somewhere.
Journey to Annapurna
Following is Bernama journalist Nur Firdaus Abdul Rahim’s daily account of the expedition to the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), Nepal, that took place from April 24 to May 5.
April 24: All 62 participants boarded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 170 for our five-hour flight from KLIA to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
On arrival, we were greeted by our guide Ganesh Neupane and the 21 porters who would be accompanying us on our ABC trek.
We spent the night at Kathmandu Inn at Thamel Street, where there are many outlets selling various hiking equipment and gear, T-shirts, backpacks, gloves and winter wear.
These shops, which sell both branded and imitation products, are popular with mountaineers who come from all over the world as the prices are reasonable.
Thamel Street was really dusty and we were forced to wear masks. The traders were a friendly lot and some could even speak Bahasa Malaysia as they had worked in Malaysia previously.
Food was not a problem for us as there were many restaurants here serving halal fare.
April 25: In the evening, we departed for Pokhara, which was the town nearest to the base of the Annapurna mountain.
Our journey by bus took eight hours and it was one long bumpy ride, no thanks to all those potholes on the road.
It was also scary at times, especially when the bus had to negotiate through the narrow road on steep terrain, flanked by a ravine and river on either side.
Indeed, we were relieved when we finally reached Pokhara, safely.
April 26: Pokhara was definitely cleaner and more ‘orderly’ than Kathmandu and we did not have to wear our mask. The weather was also cooler. The main tourist attraction here is Lake Pokhara, where many shops and cafes are located.
April 27: In the morning, we set off for Siwai, the main gateway to ABC. The bus trip to Siwai took three hours.
The ride was very uncomfortable due to poor road conditions.
We arrived at our destination at midday. After reciting our prayers and singing Negaraku, we embarked on our trek to the first checkpoint at Jhinu Danda, where our lodgings were located.
The trek to Jhinu Danda took four to five hours but along the way, we stopped for lunch at New Bridge, where we feasted on fried rice and potato chips and washed it down with black coffee.
Initially, the weather was kind to us. The sun shone brightly.
Two hours into our trek, it started to pour and we were advised to seek shelter to avoid being struck by lightening.
The temperature started to drop and we donned our waterproof jackets and used our hiking poles when we resumed the trek on the laterite path.
As we trekked, we were treated to panoramic views of the arable fields in the surrounding mountains, where farmers grow spinach and potatoes and rear yaks and donkeys, which serve as beasts of burden.
By 8pm, all our expedition participants had arrived at Jhinu Danda, where we spent the night at a guest house. The temperature was seven degrees Celsius.
April 28: Today’s eight-hour trek took us from Jhinu Danda to Chommrong, Himalaya and, our final checkpoint for the day, Bamboo.
Today, we got to see the towering Annapurna mountain range, home to the majestic Annapurna, Machapuchare (Fish Tail) and Crystal mountains.
The trek to Chommrong included hundreds of steps which we had to climb. Indeed, the steps looked formidable but our enthusiasm propelled us to push ahead.
It was a relief to reach Chommrong, a rather modern little town with schools, a hospital, souvenir shops, cafes, inns and, best of all, good Internet service.
Later, we stopped at Lower Sinuwa for lunch before resuming our trek to Bamboo.
It was already getting dark by the time all of us reached Bamboo.
Most of us were exhausted by then, probably due to all those steps we had to climb earlier in the day.
(Under local hiking rules, climbers are strictly not allowed to go trekking at night.
If they are caught doing so, the authorities would immediately revoke their guide’s licence.)
When night fell, it started getting colder and we dug into our bags to pull out our thicker jackets. We were told to rest well to recoup our energy.
April 29: Today’s trek was from Bamboo to Deurali.
We started ascending to a height of over 2,000 metres and this was where the snow-peaked mountains became visible to us.
We arrived at Deurali safe and sound. The temperature had dropped to a freezing zero degree Celsius.
April 30: Deurali to our final destination, Annapurna Base Camp. The route was getting more challenging. But we persevered and kept going as our destination was not all that far away.
At times there were strong gusts of wind. Despite the sunshine, it was biting cold so I donned my down jacket.
Although the trek to ABC was not as arduous as I had imagined it to be, the low oxygen level at such a high altitude made us all breathless, forcing us to make several stops along the way. Some of the participants felt dizzy and drowsy, which were classic signs of acute mountain sickness (AMS).
Just three kilometres from ABC, the weather changed all of a sudden. It got darker and it started to snow.
I was thrilled to bits. There I was 3,000 metres above sea level in the Himalayan mountain range and experiencing snow for the first time in my life!
As the snowfall was getting heavier and I was nursing a headache (sign of AMS), my teammates and I decided to hurry to the base camp, which was already becoming visible to us.
It was 11 am when the first person from our expedition reached ABC.
I arrived at 1.10pm. By 2.30pm all 62 members of our group had reached the Annapurna Base Camp safely. It was a soul-stirring moment for us.
We had conquered the ABC. Some of us hugged our friends and some shed tears of joy, while others recited prayers to express their gratitude. We overcame all kinds of challenges to become ABC summiteers.
As we basked in the glory of our accomplishment, it started snowing more heavily and soon, snow had piled up outside our guest house. Many of us, including our porters, could not resist venturing out to play with the snow.
May 1: It was time for us to leave ABC and head for Lower Sinuwa. Before we left the base camp, we held a small ceremony to hoist a nine kilogramme Jalur Gemilang at ABC.
It was a proud moment for us because we had created history for being the largest number of participants in a Malaysian group to successfully make it to the ABC. In fact, out feat is expected to be entered into the Malaysia Book of Records.
As soon as the ceremony was over, we hurried to descend from the base camp in view of the snowfall which was getting heavier.
The ankle-deep snow that had piled onto the track made trekking all the more tedious. It was slippery too and some of us slipped. One woman participant in our group suffered a broken leg after she slipped and fell. We spent the night in Lower Sinuwa.
May 2: Trekked from Lower Sinuwa to Siwai, and then travelled to Pokhara by bus.
May 3: Left Pokhara for Kathmandu by bus.
May 4: Attended International Firefighters’ Day celebrations at Nepal’s Fire headquarters in Kathmandu.
May 5: Returned to Kuala Lumpur via Flight MH171.
— Bernama