Annapurna Ciruit Trek

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Yea for ciprofloxin, my new best friend! I finally broke down last night after the umpteenth trip to the toilet and took some cipro (antibiotic) for my diarhea. That stuff works fast. By the next morning I felt loads better and the number of trips to the toilet was way down. I'm still not back to normal, but it is a huge improvement.

Last night it started raining in Tal and was still raining come morning. Except for a brief break in the mid-morning, it rained all day which slowed our progress a good bit. But even in the rain, the mountains are beautiful. We are getting so high that the clouds are no longer high above us and in places they cling to the mountain sides.

After leaving Tal, we hiked along the river which made for relatively flat hiking. We began to see more and more chorten (small Budhist religious monuments that ranged from a pile of stones to larger, more ornate structures) and walls and gates with prayer wheels. One wall that we passed must have had atleast 20 prayer wheels in a row. All good things must come to an end and after about 45 minutes of flat hiking, we began the uphill climb that, with a few short breaks, would last the rest of the day.

Along the way, we encountered many Nepalis carrying loads ranging from live chickens in cages to loads of sheet metal. All of these loads are carried using a taupline. A taupline is a loop of rope connected to the load that the person is carrying on his/her back with the load on the rope supported on the porter's head. Apparently, they don't like to use hipbelts. One man was carrying a 10 foot long steel I-beam using a taupline. And wearing flip flops no less. Lee and Seo, the two young Koreans in our group who are quite athletic, each took a turn hefting the I-beam using the taupline and found it to be very, very difficult just to hold and balance the load, let alone walk with it. It is amazing how strong the Nepali porters are, but it must take a terrible toll on one's body.

We finished our hike in Timang at an elevation of approximately 2700 meters. Our orignal goal was Chame, but slowed by the rain and people in our group not feeling so well, we were a couple of hours journey short of Chame. By the end of the hike today, I was definitely feeling the altitude. I was having a harder and harder time catching my breath, had to rest more often, and was a bit dizzy at times. My resting pulse, which is normally around 52 beats per minute is up around 64 bpm. Back in Tal at 1700 meters, Kapil measured our blood oxygen levels; mine was about 91%. It will be interesting to see how much it changes as our altitude increases.

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Photos

Lee tries the taupline, north of Tal, Nepal
Lee tried to lift the 10 ft long steel I-beam using the taupline with just his forehead and found it very difficult to hold, let alone walk with.

Porter carrying steel I-beam, north of Tal, Nepal
This guy was carrying the steel I-beam using a taupline up steep, muddy trails in flip flops no less! Amazing.

Trail, north of Tal, Nepal
Climbing a steep rocky trai in the rain.

Comments

[Aine]

resting heart rate
64 is still a great resting heartrate, Dan! Glad to hear you are feeling better as a result of taking the ciprofloxin. I feel your pain- had the same experience in Africa. Keep the blops coming, it is fun to read them!