Blogs from Annapurna, Nepal, Asia - page 38

It didn't take long to bump into the Maoists. Minutes after starting out on the first morning, there they were, waving their big, red flag and trying to collect money. I say trying, because they didn't always succeed. On the earlier trek, I had walked right through a similar Maoist "check-point," refusing to stop and give them my money. I heard they were collecting 100 rupees (though I have since read in the newspaper that they were trying to get as much as 2,500 rupees from American trekkers), which is only a buck or two in U.S. dollars. So it wasn't the money -- it was the point. I had already paid the "real" officials for a trekking permit, and I wasn't about to pay another fee just for the right to walk on those trails. ... read more

We returned from our trek yesterday. It was a great experience defnitively the hardest physical thing I have ever done and more challenging for Gus this time around. We went from Pokhara to Jomson and flew back to Poke. It took us 7 days which was a pretty intense pace but worth it as we now have some time to go to Chitwan National Park. We will be there for 3 days and then are flying into Varanasi, India. Thinking of you all! xox Gus and Nadj ... read more

I read somewhere not sure where now that many Westerners turn to Buddhism after trekking in the Himalayas because the vastness of the mountain ranges gives the trekkers some sense of vastness of there own minds. As I had already done the Buddhist Meditation retreat I maybe had an idea of the expanse that is our mind but nothing really prepared me for the landscape that encountered whilst doing the Jomson Trek. Doing a trek like this really challenges you on both a physical and mental level but let me first start by giving you a better idea of the kind of person I am when it comes to walking. Yes I love the countryside and in England I will go for the odd short walk in the flat landscape around where I live. And I ... read more

Ah, finally, a day off! And it was well spent, first by doing laundry by hand for two or three hours, then by hitting the hot springs. Sim and Claire weren't that into it, so I trotted down there alone, a new book from the village's bookstore (actually the book Sim bought, Tuesdays with Morrie) in hand. I ordered a cold beer and got ready to dive in. Though it was actually more like creep in, not dive. The water was hot enough to make trekker soup! Half a beer later, and I was all the way in, relaxing and chatting with some of the other trekkers. By the time I was done, two hours and two beers later, I felt pretty good. The blisters on my feet from all the downhills a few days ago ... read more

...DER Trek in Nepal... Der Annapurna Trek soll der schoenste Trek in Nepal sein, da er durch verschiedene Vegetations- und Klimazonen fuehrt. Er startet bei 880 m und es geht hinauf auf den Thorung La Pass bis auf 5416m. Dabei kommt man durch typisch nepalesische Doerfer, ist umgeben von ca 10 Bergen ueber 7500m und landet schliesslich im tibetanischen Hochland. Der ganze Trek dauert 16-21 Tage und waehrend 10 Tagen gibt es weder nervende Autos noch Motorraeder. Das ist echt unvorstellbar - ueber 15 Tage Wandern... wir sind bisher wohl nie mehr als 2-3 Tage am Stueck gewandert... Um das ganze nicht zu sehr zu uebertreiben, hatten wir uns entschlossen zumindest einen Porter anzuheuern, der einen Rucksack nimmt (den groessten natuerlich!!!). Mohann, unser treuer Begleiter ueber die naechsten Tage, sprach sorgar Englisch und hatte hoffentlich auch ... read more