Over 50 Travel

I thought this would get you in....…I am going to suggest you go on a trek…..

Gigi

Well, I thought I’d talk about trekking to begin as I am very familiar with this type of holiday because Mr G and I have been on quite a few of these adventures. We don’t go on the ‘carry all your tenting equipment” type though. I do draw the line at that!!! We go on “on organised tours”, mostly through a company called Peregrine because not only do they insist on small groups numbers (extremely important), they have cooks who are educated in the ways of hygiene (always brilliant as the last thing you want on a trek is a stomach problem), the leader is local and trained to observe your health and knows the all important first aid requirements (an absolute necessity).

All age groups seem to get on like a house on fire, because at the bottom of it we are all on an ‘adventure’ and enjoying the whole thing is paramount. We know that it requires fitness and discomfort and nobody rudely complains!!!!! I mean there are always the ‘joke complaints’ like “My god, have you seen the toilet!” (in one place an ice stalagmite of excrement reared up out of the hole in a rickety timber floor) or “My god, look where my tent is?” as you recognise your tent is the one pitched on a 45 degree slope on the edge of a cliff (always scary if need to go to the toilet in the dead of night). But complaints are all in good fun!

I reckon you could comfortably go on these treks until you were in your mid 60’s provided you are fit and healthy and I know there are some fabulous people out there still powering on who are even older. Age does not dampen enthusiasm…let me tell you! So, it’s really all about your fitness as to whether you could cope and then to be able to actually enjoy the experience. Fortunately, I have managed well in altitude so far, but that isn’t to say it could hinder me some day. Even Sir Edmund Hilary was struck down at a fairly low altitude in his older years. Also I have always likened trekking I have done, to an endurance test.

Push yourself to the brink I say, and enjoy every minute of it!!!!

But of course, not all treks are in altitude, so sea level treks would be much easier on the body and just as enjoyable.

The guides on these trekking groups, especially the ones we have been on, are skilled at observing their charges. In Nepal particularly, our guide watched everyone like a hawk. One guy had to turn back due to chest pain (better safe than sorry). It brings home the dangerous nature of the situation when you pass by carved memorial stones of those you have succumb to either altitude or landslides. Every day our guide checked our food intake and how much we had drunk (you need to drink litres of liquid). He constantly observed our faces for signs of pain or strain and monitored our energy levels.

I felt totally secure, and you certainly need to feel confident and comfortable as we were going up to heights of 5,360 metres, which is no mean feat let me tell you. And it is a very long walk back to Lukla airport if you urgently require a hospital. We saw one very sick tourist being raced down the mountainside in a wicker basket latched to the back of a short nuggetty Nepalese porter. Its visions like this that make you realise the perils of your situation and admire and be grateful for the strength of the local people.

Is it for everyone? Probably not! For instance, no showers for days on end, basically vegetarian meals, wounds that don’t heal, clothes reworn day after day and freezing conditions (in fact, our toothbrush bristles were frozen solid) and last and by no means least, it is very exhausting pushing yourself up and down mountain sides in altitude.

And you are not doing these treks because it’s cheap. They can be very expensive for all manner of reasons that you can never really quite fathom. You do it because its paradise that can only accessed by foot, you know there is the absolute thrill of adventure coming your way and you are flooded with feelings of fulfilment and euphoria. This stays with you for life.

I do have a bit of practical advice though that could hold you in good stead.

Firstly, be warned the most talked about topic will be your bowels or toilets.

Never eat mars bars or snickers – it equals glue and in altitude when dehydration is your enemy, the combination makes for horrific constipation. This fortunately was not my problem I am ecstatic to say, but I encountered a group of about 4 girls who ate those bars for days on end became almost toxic from constipation. Also, it is hard enough squatting over a hole in the ground without that problem.

Take physllium (fibre) and mix a spoonful into your breakfast food, whatever it is! Not only brilliant for usual everyday regularity, a godsend when trekking.

Take a largish plastic opaque container with a lid. This is your night toilet and you will be eternally grateful for this information.

Always pack a mirror, dental floss and antiseptic hand gel.

Take cotton wool and an astringent face cleaner. You will be able to clean your face squeaky clean any time and whilst this may seem like a strange requirement, you will thank me and you will be the envy of your fellow travellers.
Wear microfibre underwear – it dries quickly
Large Baby Wipes. Do not forget!!

So there you are. If you haven’t been on a trek and you are fit and healthy, it is definitely worth a go. The whole experience is totally unbelievable and the sense of achievement you feel when you arrive safely back, is worth every second.

But, if you are the type that likes to have luxury and be pampered all the time, steer clear!!