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Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit December 1st 2010

To the Heart of the Himalayas It was the eve of battle and the Paddy's were ready for anything the mountain could throw at them, armed with an Annapurna guide, our backpacks and this mornings Himalaya newspaper! Not to mention our guide with 11 years experience in the Himalayas... :-) We had an early 5am start, a quick breakfast, an even quicker prayer that our luggage would be ok in the safe keeping of a Nepalese dude with a bad moustache at our guest house, and we were off! We needed to get a local bus to Besi-Sahar, the start of our Annapurna trek, which lies about 140km to the west of Kathmandu. This was one of the most memorable journeys I have ever had. We arrived at the 'new bus station' where heaps of locals ... read more
The sub-alpine terrain
Gangapurna lake
Sunrise at Poon Hill

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit November 24th 2010

At what felt like an unearthly hour our alarms went off and the adrenaline kicked in. This was it, the crossing of the Thorong La. I know that Clarisa and I both had our worries that we'd be up to the challenge but once you're this far, there really is no backing out! I'd been pleasantly surprised with my performance on the mountains so far but as we got up and dressed in the freezing cold I must be honest there were certainly plenty of nerves about making it! I was also slightly concerned that Clarisa wasn't eating much. Aside from lethargy (and this was only at the end of a day trekking) and loss of appetite she had no other symptoms of altitude sickness so we encouraged each other that although we had the high ... read more
Himalayas by night
Dawn breaking
Starting for the high pass

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit November 21st 2010

It took us some time to get going today after a bitterly cold night at Lower Pisang. We woke early and drank several cups of hot tea to warm up. I decided that since the cold was getting serious I would revert to porridge for heat and energy. It came with chopped up apple throughout it for flavour which is good because otherwise it would just have been hot and flavourless! Maybe the altitude is affecting my taste? Anyway with what felt like a lead weight in my stomach we pulled on the boots, now looking suitably walked-in and dusty. I think I may have damaged a toenail on my left foot and have a blister on my right heel but other than that my feet are holding up pretty well. Clarisa's are fine too, she ... read more
Path to Manang
Trekking to Manang
New snowfall & different angle Pisang Peak

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit November 20th 2010

We woke to the sound of the Marsyangdi river thundering down the valley and a repetitive creaking from the suspension bridge . It was a damp, overcast morning and the cold was creeping in to our room and looking out from our window I could see a large group of army men jogging across the bridge in just thin army uniforms and big heavy boots. They must have been frozen but were smiling and waving as they passed, wow these guys must be tough! We had breakfast, Clarisa's stomach is now fully recovered and she is making up for it, it seems by eating as many eggs as possible! Our trek today took us up through Bhratang (2950m) and Dhukur Pokhari (3200m) to Pisang at 3240m and what a day it was! The mountain views were ... read more
Alpine views
Path blasted out of the mountain
Sonam & Gansa

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit November 19th 2010

Today we reached the dizzy heights of Chame! We both agree it is the loveliest place we've stopped so far, really has a Nepalese feel to it rather than just a stopover for trekkers although that is also true judging by the stalls and lodges we passed as we arrived. Today our trek started from Dharapani at 1960m and Chame sits up a fair bit at 2710m. The villages we passed on route were Bagarchhap at 2160m and Danaque at 2210m. The day did not start off too promisingly as poor Clarisa was unwell last night, vomiting mainly and feeling shaky. She thinks following the meal at Barbie's and was not able to keep her dinner down. Sonam our sherpa was extolling the virtues of coke (n.b. coca-cola!) for this, I think he is half right, ... read more
Marigolds at Dharapani
Breakfast in Dharapani
Dining room at Dharapani

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit November 18th 2010

Today we left Jagat early after a quick breakfast and started out on a great day of trekking, not too strenuous and mainly through really beautiful surroundings. Initially we trekked amongst shady, sun-dappled forests through streams and alongside small trickling waterfalls. We crossed the river several times across bridges which inspired varying degrees of confidence with frothy, pale blue water crashing over the rocks below. Needless to say these tested Clarisa's nerves as she is not keen on heights, or moving bridges as she found out. The ones with gaps in or broken hand rails tested me too I must say! Later we came across steeply piled massive rocks making up the valley sides. It was here we encountered a large group of Chinese trekkers and we were all enjoying the great weather and tackling the ... read more
Donkeys with bells
Donkey train crossing the bridge
Route Stop

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit November 17th 2010

Today was our first day trekking on the Annapurna circuit! It feels amazing to be here and have started out finally after all the waiting and delays! Bhulbhule is a unremarkable rural Nepali village from which we started our trek from a small cafe. We met a couple of Australian trekkers, two French trekkers and one American guy who had just been right up to Thorong Phedi at over 4000m and then had to turn back due to altitude sickness. We listened to his story both trying not to look worried as he looked pretty fit and decked out with all the latest kit. His parting words,'It's all uphill from here!' weren't particularly comforting but then these are the foothills of the Himalayas, what do you expect?! The trail was initially a rubble covered road of ... read more
North Face Teahouse
Gansa
Arriving in Jagat

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit October 16th 2010

The Annapurna Circuit - Trekking from 16/10/2010 to 05/11/2010 At the 16th of October we started our trek with GAP Adventures and 9 other guys from all over the world. Our guide was ANIL a smart and very friendly guy from Nepal. In the evening he introduced us to the next 3 weeks, our big adventure in the Annapurna mountains. The members of our group were: - Dolly & Richard from Canada - Ashley, Tom and Georg from England, - Kiki from Norway - Barbara from Australia - Martin from Denmark - Silke and us from Germany Anil also had an assistant named Arjun and our six porters to carry our luggagenice of them! Our first day started with a bus tour to Beshisahar. It was our first stop and our first night in a so ... read more
Amazing streets
1st stop
20101017 IMG 0289

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit June 2nd 2010

The Nepali view the Trans-Himalaya, the high altitude passes and valleys of the world's highest mountain range, with a great deal of reverence. Here the sun will burn exposed flesh within a few minutes, the wind can gust over 100 mph in the afternoons, and snowstorms can appear out of thin air. Someone flown in from sea level to a place like Thorung La (5416 M, 17800 feet) would die from lack of oxygen within 24 hours. It is one of the world's toughest environments for people to visit, but also one of the most beautiful. I spent the last 21 days hiking the Annapurna Circuit and Base Camp treks in the Annapurna region of Nepal. In three weeks I covered over 200 miles of terrain ranging from low valleys similar in climate to Florida to ... read more
Tilicho Lake 2
Bhulbhule Check Post
Flowers

Asia » Nepal » Annapurna » Annapurna Circuit May 25th 2010

We departed the Shangri La in tour group style fitted out with our new white scarfs. Classy. Off we marched for Jomsom where we planned to stop for lunch, get some cash and grab a shave. Another gorgeous sunny day in the Himalayas, bright blue skies overhead. We walked through a valley which seemed as though it should be a riverbed but apparently it remains dry throughout the year. Light aircraft started whizzing overhead as we approached Jomsom. Jomsom has daily scheduled flights to Pokhara (wind conditions permitting). On arrival we broke away from the group and spotted a German bakery and coffee shop. We poped in and found 4 of the group from the Chris Bonnington anniversary expedition we had met in Manang last week. Suberb, Chris was with them this time! What a nice ... read more
Chris Bonnington
Swiss Daulagiri Expedition May 2010
Michael




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