Annapurna Base Camp Day #4

ABC Day 4 (Oct. 11)

Machupuchre Base Camp (3700m) - Annapurna Base Camp (4130m) - Bamboo (2335m)

15km

6:45am to 4:30pm

We did it!! We made it to ABC and we saw fabulous mountain views. It wasn’t super clear but enough to see almost all the peaks. Stunning! At the top we drank mint tea, ate a snickers and bounty bar and snapped photos of the 360degree view of snow capped mountains. But not just any mountains—the Himalayas! We were all a little worried leaving M.B.C this morning because there was a thick cloud cover and it has rained during the night. But luckily after our 90min walk up, it started to burn off. Our new Korean friend, Lion, was up there. He took some great group photos of us. We got one while picking up Gyanu, similar to the photo we got with JP at Poon Hill. I think that surprised him!

I love getting reactions out of him. He is so funny! Glad we hired him as our guide! He has been invaluable! On the way back to M.B.C. we were asking him about his family. His family lives in a village in the Himalayan foothills. They have lots of animals-buffalo, goats, chickens, cows, etc. And they grow most of their own food—millet, rice, buckwheat, veggies, and fruit. Very cool! But it sounds like a difficult life. And now it is just his parents and one younger sister living on the farm. His other siblings, there are 6 total, are living in Kathmandu or with their husbands. He might go back in December to help with the harvesting.

--Water pump break—

We kicked ass today!! Not only did we go to A.B.C this morning (two days earlier than expected), but we cruised it back down. We had plans to stop and stay in Dovan for the night. But when we arrived there, all the rooms, in all the hotels (about 4) were full. It seems the trekking season has JUST started! There was one room available, but it was in a tin shed behind a hotel. It had 4 beds and no windows. One of the pillow cases had a big blood stain and cigarette burns. Gyanu had seen it and reported back to us “no” and when I went to confirm, I whole heartedly agreed! So, the decision was made to keep moving! It had started raining about 45 minutes before we got to Dovan. We pulled out our rain gear, put our packs back on and started walking. But with our sights set on Bamboo we really started running. Gyanu said it would take us 90 minutes, we said we could do it in 60 minutes. We arrived in Bamboo in 40 minutes. We were all shocked. We were booking it, even in the rain and on the muddy trail! Nice work team—high 5s all around!

We got a room at the first hotel and it came complete with a gas powered hot shower—delicious! We’ve got out act together now. We have managed to filter and treat our water BEFORE dinner—an accomplishment! So now we are sitting in the dining hall waiting for our DBT (dal bhat thakali) and drinking tea. Gyanu is sufficiently impressed with our speed, and so are we! If we keep this pace we could be done in two days! But I think we will take an alternate route from Chomrong which will make it last longer. Plus there is another hot spring on that alternate route—fabulous! So far the knee is ok going down, but we haven’t hit the severe steps yet. Tomorrow is a mix of UP/DOWN. Great! The ALL down days are the killer! I prefer going up!

Today’s highlight: the amazing views at A.B.C and informing a group on their way to Dovan that it was full—shocked faces all around! Low light: Seeing our only option in Dovan, a bloody pillow in a windowless room.

Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious Dearoli DBT. We had it on the way up to A.B.C and we stopped at the same hotel on the way down. It is the best DBT we have had on the trail! I wonder how tonight’s DBT delicacy will compare?

Go DBT team go! Let’s keep trekking forever!

Annapurna Circuit Day #17

Day 17 (Oct. 4) Tatopani (1200m) - Ghorepani (2870m)

15km

6:50am to 3:15pm

The view from our rooftop restaurant in Tatopani!

Exhausted! Today was UP UP UP! And I woke up super congested. The cold has moved to my lungs and turned into a cough. Surprise surprise. It always moves south. That made today extra hard. I tried to focus on my breathing and keeping it controlled so I wouldn’t have a coughing fit. It mostly worked but when I stopped I would start coughing a bit. It’s not horrible but it slowed me down a lot. I was mostly last all day. E slowed down again towards the end of the day, but JP and A were super speedy. I don’t know why but we skipped lunch today. We stopped at about 10:30 and got corn bread with honey and tea. And then we just didn’t stop again! I ate a snickers to get me up the last few hours to Ghorepani. A & E also chowed one. No idea what JP did to make it up.

Today’s ascent was mostly stair climbing. That is both good and bad. In some ways it is easier than climbing steep dirt tracks. Once you get into a groove and find your rhythm climbing endless hours of stairs isn’t too bad. BUT after a few hours it feels like your legs just won’t go anymore. Today was also the first day we walked without knowing anyone on the trail. We have no friends to keep us going. And no friends to stop and rest with. No guides to tell us where to eat or stay. We said good-bye to most of our friends yesterday. They moved on and we took an extra rest day in Tatopani—low altitude town with hot springs and great food! So today we were out of our element and we made the mistake of pushing on without a real meal. Stupid!! Our breakfast at the Old Kamala Hotel was at 6:15am—oat porridge with apple. It’s the best, but it isn’t meant to last all day, especially on a day we are ascending 1670m.

Eating a lot of food on our rest day in Tatopani: cinnamon rolls, coffee, chocolate cake, apple pie and carrot cake. And that was just our post-breakfast dessert!

We said good-bye to T & C this morning at breakfast. They are taking the hike out option from Tatopani. We took the UP UP UP option to the Ghorepani/Poon Hill view point before we walk out. A little crazy—yes! But we weren’t ready to be done yet either. Even with all the pain and exhaustion…it feels good! It is addicting. And I don’t want it to end. I want to keep going.

Hopefully we will run into T & C, the Spaniards, their guides, and our Israeli friends in Pokhara. It would be fun to do a big dinner, maybe at the Everest Steak House, to celebrate finishing the circuit. Depending on what we decide tomorrow, it would be our last day. In which case we would arrive in Pokhara the same day as the Spaniards…so that is one motivation to walk out tomorrow. Even though my feet are killing me and my back hurts, I kind of want to extend this out as long as possible. Let’s see how the group feels!

The view of our walk up to Ghorepani!

It is nice to be up high again—good views and cool temps. We are staying at The Sunny Hotel. Currently, I am sitting in the dining hall overlooking Dhaulgiri, one of the big Himalayan mountains. But it has a lot of clouds covering most of it, so it is hard to see it very clearly. Hopefully the morning view from Poon Hill will be clear and we will be able to see all the mountains we missed on most of the trek because of all the rain and snow!

On the way into town we met a Japanese couple. They seemed nice and it was fun to practice a little nihongo with them. I miss speaking and hearing Japanese all the time. I want to practice it more…I need to find more Japanese tourists to make friends with.

This morning at breakfast I got a bad back spasm. JP gave me a back massage and tried to work it out at our snack stop, but it is still really tight. I need more!

We just at our umpteenth dal bhat meal. We chowed down dinner after not eating lunch. We ate a pre-dessert and a post-dessert. We ordered two pieces of apple pie before dinner because we were so hungry. And JP ran out to get Nepali snacks before dinner. The best thing about dal bhat is they keep bringing more until you are sufficiently full. We ate our fill and then ordered more dessert, but after JP went to bed! Ha ha ha! We ate chocolate pudding with apple AND rice pudding after dinner. Delicious!!

The worst part of this hotel…besides the hordes of Chinese tourists with large cameras, are the Western toilets. They suck for having to take a shit. It is so hard to try and hover over the toilet bowl without touching the seat and try to push it all out. I want a squat toilet! It falls out much more naturally.

Tomorrow is up at 4:30 and off to Poon Hill (300m ascent) for a spectacular view! Yahoo! Time for bed!

We made it to Poon Hill, but the view was mediocre at best. I also got a bad bout of AMS because of my cold and almost fainted. But we got some pictures of the mountains, it was the start of our last day on the trek!

Annapurna Circuit Day # 10

Day 10 (Sept. 27) Letdar (4200m) - High Camp (4850m)

7km

8am to 2:30pm

I’m sitting in the dining hall at High Camp with my feet under a heated table drinking hot chocolate. And it is snowing outside. You can’t see anything beyond the few buildings that make up the camp. And it is COLD.

The dining hall is packed with people trying to stay warm and stay out of the snow. We are also all trying to decide if we should attempt the pass tomorrow or wait another day. All of us are braving the extra 100+m altitude gain in the hopes of saving 1-2 hours in getting to the pass in the morning. The last hour to High Camp was hellish—straight up on switch backs in the snow. But I’d rather do it in the afternoon with the light of the sun than at 4am with my headlamp.

Last night in our little guest house in Letdar, we sat around a yak shit stove to warm up. All the guides joined us around the fire and we talked about Nepali ethnic groups and how they can tell each other apart. We stayed at the same guest house as the Spanish guys. Their guides are really funny and super cute! We have been following them since the 2^nd day. They give us lots of great advice about where to go or where to stay. But their Maya Hotel recommendation in Lower Pisang was totally off the mark. The older guide, “Lama” is full of life, is always making jokes and wears a coat that says “HELP” on the back of it. The younger one (still don’t know his name) is a little more quiet and serious but very friendly.

The yak shit warmed us for awhile but then it died down and we got super cold and went to our sleeping bags to warm up. Last night was really chilly and I woke up gasping for air a few times. Amy reported it like I was snorting for air, but I’m sure it was much more dignified than that. Whether you are sleeping, eating, sitting, or walking with an overloaded pack…it is very hard to breath at this altitude.

A & J both had headaches when we arrived so we all took a Diamox—the anti-altitude sickness wonder drug. It is supposed to last 12 hours. So, if the symptoms don’t go away by the time we wake up to depart in the morning, we will know to stay another day or go back down to Thorong Phedi and acclimatize another day. The perfect scenario: we all feel great in the AM and clear sunny skies. Wishful thinking?

Oh shit…the Diamox is starting to set in. My teeth are tingling. And I feel like I’m sinking into the bench. Ugh!! These side effects are worse than altitude sickness. Oh no, the tingling has moved up to my nasal cavity. This sucks!

The worst part of the trail today was the landslip area and the climb from Thorong Phedi to High Camp. Apparently on the 500m length of trail that is very prone to landslides, a rock nearly missed my head. I didn’t see it, but that’s the story JP told after I crossed it.

Before braving the landslides, we were able to power up at a tea house. We drank mint tea and ate chocolate biscuits. Those tea house breaks are essential. It is getting pretty pricey with the altitude gain, but it gives a local family a business and everyone seems to stop at the higher elevation. We ALL NEED the calories and the hydration.

We stopped for lunch at Thorong Phedi after trudging through some pretty deep snow on the trail. We all ate pasta, a cinnamon roll, and garlic toast. It is the last water station before Muktinath on the other side of the pass, so we also filled up all our bottles using our Buy 1 Litre, Get 1 Litre free coupon because it is the most expensive water station on the trail (60rps/Litre).

Sweet…just got a Nepali lesson from the younger guide and found out his name is Gyanu. He wrote the Nepali alphabet in my journal and wrote out some key phrases for us to remember. We also had a great discussion about religion, reincarnation, God, and anthropology.

It’s 7pm! Time to fill our water bottles with hot water (keep us warm at night and for drinking tomorrow) and attempt to go to sleep. We have to get up at about 3:45am to decide if we are going to brave the pass. If everyone else is going, we’ll go with them. It’s better to go over in a group, especially if the snow continues and we need to break a new trail. Oh my…what have we done??

This was our bare bones room at High Camp! Mud walls, one small light bulb, no heat and no indoor plumbing. It was also snowing outside!!

Annapurna Circuit Day #6

Day 6 Sept 23 Lower Pisang (3250m) - Upper Pisang (3310m)

Rest Day


Last nights movie was a surprise (Die Hard 4) but overall the Maya Hotel in Lower Pisang was disappointing! There was a snotty nosed kid running around that would cry at the drop of a hat. There were lots of other trekkers there but the service was pretty shitty. And the food wasn't that great either. We did get big blankets which was lovely. I was so warm last night. We slept in today until about 7am. It was hard to sleep with the other trekkers packing up and moving on. Most people don't take a rest day this early in the trek, but because we are gaining altitude and JP has a history of AMS...best to take it slow. Plus, our feet and backs are killing us.

A, E & I eventually motivated ourselves to get up and ordered buckwheat pancakes with honey. JP returned from his early morning adventure to Upper Pisang and joined us for breakfast. We decided the Maya wasn't good enough to spend another night at, so we moved up to a little place at the bottom of Upper Pisang. Apparently JP saw Team Israel there (motivation to move perhaps?). So we packed up, loaded our water bottles at the station (8.5L=340rps). It was only about a 15minute walk and barely any elevation gain--perfect! Sure enough, Team Israel was there with a Kiwi we have also been following for a few days. And the night before the Spainards and their guides had stayed here.

But the best part...it has a view of mountains!!! We can see Annapurna IV (or is it II?). It is incredible! So glad we came to this side of the valley. The mountain sits just behind Lower Pisang, so it is impossible to see it. Upper Pisang has a very medieval feel about it. All the houses are built of stone and there are Tibetan prayer flags flying everywhere. After dropping our bags we climbed up through the village to the temple and then a little above it.

We could see the upper trail to Manang and it looks REALLY steep, much stepper than the lower path. But apparently it has amazing views! I think we will take the lower more traveled trail tomorrow. Not sure how much elevation we gained by goin gup but hopefully enough to be better off by sleeping lower tonight. It is so windy, you can hear it come gusting through the dining hall. I'd hate to be here for a major snow storm.

Overall, life is good on the circuit. I'm glad I'm doing it now because it probably won't be here for long. The road is slowly being built. But very slowly. Life is going to change dramatically when that is completed. I'm glad I'm seeing it and doing it now. Not sure I'll be doing things like this when I get older--hopefully, not who knows if the body will survive!

Annapurna Circuit Day #4

Day 4 Sept. 21 Bagarchap (2160m) - Chame (2710m)

7am 12:45pm

14km

Our hotel last night was GREAT! The hot water was REALLY hot. The dal bhat had cauliflower and came with a papad. Plus they had electricity and a light in every room! It made such a difference. We played cards with Team Israel last night while sitting in the dining room. The only girl in the group is actually Russian and knew the Russian game JP and I had played on our volunteer trip with GBT on Lake Baikal. Also, the woman running the place spoke amazing English and had a perfect accent. I think she must have an English speaking boyfriend or something! It was perfect but she said she just picked it up from speaking with the trekkers--yeah right! It was the first place we saw in town and it turned out to be fabulous!

This morning we were up at about 5:30 and left at about 7, later than planned AGAIN!! No idea what takes boys so long in the morning. You would think it would be the girls that are slow...but no, boys are slower in the morning! We filled up our bottles at the water conservation station--anything to save from pumping! For breakfast we enjoyed another delicious meal of porridge. But this time it was a local porridge made from buckwheat. It was really smooth and dark brown in color. We are officially in apple country. We bought two bags of dried apples from the hotel. One for an after dinner snack and one for a trail snack today.

Super bummer...I got my period yesterday! Trekking with your period SUCKS!! But hopefully with all the physical activity it'll be over fast. The cramps are still there though--ouch! Loading up on the ibuprofen. And today...the period runs hit hard on the trail. We had to make an emergency stop after a road construction site. It was emergency poo status! I felt feverish and had goose bumps and chills, it had to come out and fast! We finally found a quiet tree, but had to let a group of pack donkeys pass before I could do my thing! Oh boy, I think that was the most amazing thing EVER! I felt like a new person.

Today was a lot of up and pretty steep in places. But there were also large sections of the trail that they are turning into a road. So there was construction and some landslides to navigate. It was wide and flat where the road has been 'finished'. We booked it when we could on the flat parts and went nice and slow on the uphill. Everyone's feet are sore. The shoulder and hip strap chaffing is getting to be a bit much too!

Right during our break (snickers and dried apple) on the landslide area (no end in sight and needed a pick me up) a man with a deep sore in his leg asked for help. We gave him some wet wipes to clean it out--lots of puss and very infected. Then Evie used a Q-tip and applied antibiotic ointment. We cut some gauze and taped it on. We gave him some band-aids to take with him--we have MANY between the four of us! He seemed happy for the help and will hopefully see a doctor. The leg looked very swollen and infected.

In Koto we stopped for tea and a snack--Tibetan bread with peanut butter. Also stopped to check in at the check-point and bought some applies. The last little push wasn't too long or hard. We walked though the town toward the end and found a great little hotel with private cottages for two. Evie and I had a romantic night in the cottage! It seemed like the place to be. Our Israeli frineds were there. As well as T&C from P-town and our Spanish friends and their guides! Everyone we knew ended up staying here. We picked the right place! It's going to be a party tonight!

This is a pretty big won. There are tourist shops everywhere and a new internet cafe. But it is SO expensive! An hour is about $15. Compare that to $1.50/hour in Kathmandu! We did buy a few postcards but I only know two addresses by heart: my family and Sara's parents. I hope they make it!

One big question that has come up a lot is about the guides and the porters. I would love to know what they think of us--our group of four without either a guide or a porter. Do they resent trekkers like us becfause we aren't paying local people? Or do they respect us because we are carrying our own weight? And what do they talk about at night? What do they really think of all of us trekkers in their country snapping pictures of cute kids and paying an arm & a leg for a coke that someone carried up the trail for 5 days! I want the real story!

Annapurna Circuit Day #1

Day 1 Sept. 18 Bhule Bhule (840m) - Ghermu (1130m)

7am 5pm

13km

I was up just before 6am and we started eating breakfast at 630am. We ate a delicious breakfast of porridge and black tea. The goal was to be on the trail by 7am. We sorta made it, but about 20 minutes out of town Evie realized her tevas were gone from the outside of her bag and walked back to look for them. No luck! They were already long gone. So she bought a used pair of flip-flops for 250rps (62rps=$1US). A total rip-off, but she needed something to wear besides her hiking boots.

Not more than a few minutes after leaving town we had to forge a river. Apparently the monsoon is still going strong and the river is raging. We waded through some high water and on the other side while we were waiting for Evie to return with her new shoes, we tested our water filter. A few hours later and up the trail we made it to Bahundanda. We ripped off our bags at the first restaurant we saw and chowed down on dal bhat for 150rps. Another delicious and well deserved meal. Our first morning of trekking and we were all exhausted...getting used to the weight of our packs, our boots, and walking UP. Maybe we should have stayed there, it was a happening little town. But our book said it was only an hour to a town called Syange. But almost 3 hours later we hadn't yet arrived, so we stopped at the first hotel we found "The Peacefull Hotel". Our rooms were upstairs in a loft/barn like area of the house and there were solar hot showers (for most of us). We ate another meal of dal bhat for 160rps. Hopefully tonight will be an early night and tomorrow will be an EARLY morning. Walking in the heat of the day at this low altitude is a killer. We gotta start out much earlier!! And hopefully no loud rainstorms will pummel the roof like they did last night. Loving the trail and the food so far!

I think we ate two snickers between the four of us today! Only 46 more to keep us going the next 260km!

Namaste from Pokhara

We finally made it off the trail again yesterday after walking up to Annapurna Base Camp (7 days). We completed the Annapurna Circuit in about 18 days (4 days rest) and returned to Pokhara because we thought we were DONE with trekking and we were saying good-bye to JP. But after less than 48 hours (and a few massive meals) we were back on the trail and hiking up to A.B.C.. We had A LOT of rain on the circuit so not many views of the mountains but up at base camp we were surrounded 360 degrees by snow-capped Himalayas! Spectacular! More stories and hopefully pictures to be posted soon! Leaving Pokhara for Kathmandu tomorrow via bus--a 7 hour journey!

Namaste!

The Annapurna Circuit

I have been dreaming of coming back to Nepal to hike the Annapurna Circuit since 2003 when I first visited Nepal and discovered the Himalayas! Now I am back in Kathmandu and doing last minute preparations and packing for the 20+ day trek! In two days I will be surrounded by close friends in the Himalayas--my dream come true!

Be back online sometime in mid-October!

Peace!

3rd+ Year ALTs Say Good-bye

Our Serious Faces

About a month ago, in very Japanese-style, most of the 3rd+ year ALT in Toyama gathered at the Nepalese restaurant for a sayonara-enkai! Of the many many ALTs that arrive in Toyama in August of 2004, this is all that's left, plus a few 4th year ALTs. We came from all corners of the ken and shared stories of packing, good-bye parties, post-JET plans and funny stories from our three years. Everyone has something exciting planned and it's fun to hear about where people are going and what people will be doing in a few short months. I wonder if we will ever cross paths again. Part of me knows that it isn't likely, but if we do, we will instantly have so much to talk about and will have three years of memories to reminisce and remember. Good luck everyone!

Our English Teacher Faces