Trekking the Annapurnas

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We had decided, along with Sue, that we would do the same trek Parshu Ram (Harry) had taken us through on our previous visit here. That is, a 10-day trek up to Muktinath & flying back down from Jomsom to Pokhara. Last time I did this walk I felt, at the end, I did not want to do much more than I had, & this time, with a back 5 years older, wanted to carry less of a load.
Costs for our 10-day Muktinath trek
Trek Permits 6000R=$107; Guide 9000R=$161; Porter 5000R=$89; Sleeping bag/Trekking stick hire 800R=$14; Maoist "voluntary" donation 3000R=$54; Van to take us to start point 1500R=$27; Plane Flights 16530R=$295; Flight Tax 840R=$15; food & accom get paid as you go. Total 42670R=$762; $254 each
A trekking routine that seems to be upheld by most, if not all, Tea Houses on trek, is that the guides & porters are fed & bed free, provided the other group members reside & eat at that same place. A pretty good deal, I suppose, you wouldn't want your guide to have to spend much of the money he is out to earn by just doing the trek. The habit of most Nepalis is to have dhal bhat twice a day, every day, so this system maintains the status quo with regard to their eating.
Although we did not realise it when we were arranging the trek details & itinerary, Day 1 of this trek was actually Harry's birthday & that later in the trek was the big festival of Diwali. So quite a sacrifice for Harry to be away from home at these significant times & we were very grateful to him for this.
Day 1 - Sun 04/Nov
Happy Birthday Parshu
Left Butterfly Lodge about 9am in a 9-seater minivan with our party of six, plus luggage. We were heading for Naya Pul, about an hour away, for the 'official' start of the trek. This was a very unusual driver, he was very careful, nursing a pretty new van around, or through, the many potholes & other traffic hazards en route. Good drive, as a consequence, able to see down the valley to Pokhara, & even caught a glimpse or two of Macchupucchre snowed ridges through the clouds that had smothered it these last couple of days. Saw some more of those walking haystacks, which actually do turn out to be carted by a person when you get round the front of them.
Upon arrival at Naya Pul, Banya, our porter, got his load organised - our two largish backpacks & his own much smaller one. He strapped them all up together, wore the shoulder straps of one of the big bags & bore the rest of the weight on his head, the way nearly all Nepali's seem to do. We were ready to go. But we three were concerned we may have overloaded our porter & kept asking Harry if things were OK, or should we hire another porter. Harry & Banya assured us it was alright & judging by the loads we saw carried by other porters it wasn't so bad. We got over it!
From Naya Pul you follow the track up the Modi Khola to a large village called Birethanti at 1065m. we continued along the northern side of the Bhurrungdi Khola climbing to Hille & then Tikhedhunga (1525m) our overnight stop. Our twin room cost 150R=$2.70 but the food significantly more expensive (costs increasing with the distance along the trek). Just about all the foodstuffs are carried up the mountains on the back of a man, a donkey or a horse. We saw several of the donkey trains moving gear around - you will hear them coming as they nearly all have a bell around their neck to warn everyone of their approach. They can be pushy buggars, too, you had better be sure to stand up hill of them as they pass or you may be knocked down the slope. We walked behind a chicken man for a good part of the day; this man was carting a heavy cage loaded with live chooks, so he was either passing us or we passing him as he took rests. A couple of suspension bridges also featured today but they were much more stable & secure then I remember them - I think many of these had been renewed.
There were so many people on the track - many trekking groups, and at another time a group of porters carrying most of the gear for such groups. There must have been a few camping treks underway as you would see the cooking pots, pans, tables, etc, all being carted along. The congestion on the path was a big change from our previous trek where we had seen only 2 or 3 other trekkers on day 1.
All of us coped very well with day 1.
Day 2 - Mon 05/Nov
The walk out of Tikhedhunga is tough - you immediately hit the Ulleri staircase, climbing 500m in the first 2hrs. Beyond Ulleri the climb continues, but less savagely, through forests of oak & rhododendron, passing villages like Banthanti (2250m) & Nangathanti (2460m) until we reached our next overnight stop at Ghorepani (2775m). We stayed at the See You Guest House for 100R=$1.80. Last visit here the apple pie & custard created a long-lasting memory - so re-did this - & still pretty bloody good. The general dining room here is kept warm by a wood fire burning inside a converted 200L drum. A great chance to get some clothes washing done & dried as a clothesline allows you to drape whatever, close to the warmth. In fact, wood burning looks to be a major means of heating & cooking, & therefore a big reason for deforestation in these parts. Rubbish is also incinerated, another reason for the murkiness of the atmosphere.
Again, we were all aware this was to be a tough day & had set ourselves just right - getting through the day despite its difficulties.
Day 3 - Tue 06/Nov
All that climbing of the past 2 days was undone today as we descended from 2775m to 1180m as we went to Tatopani. This was a tough day on knees as so much of the trek is stepping down rock staircases. Early in the day much of the scenery was forested type areas & then it was mostly stepped pastures. Sue found today pretty rugged; she fell a couple of times. I think she expected that Day 2 was to be the worst day & that Day 3 was to be much easier & was not ready for the relentless hard work involvd. It rained during the day a little, wetting the paths & making things more slippery. Toward the end of the day Sue was best left alone until we'd got to our night stop & she'd showered! Sue has great cause to feel mighty proud of her efforts, probably expecting to frequently keep us waiting but she showed that this was not the case.
Stayed at the Himalaya Hotel at Tatopani for 300R=$5.40 for our double room with bathroom. This was the same place we stayed at last trek but it did look brighter & cleaner than I remembered. The other thing both Marg & I recalled about this town was the electricity blackouts &, sure enough, power cut out 3 or 4 times in the evening.
At the end of this little village you can still see where a great landslide happened, that blocked the Kali Gandaki back in 1998. It had to be dug out in the months that followed, as a big lake developed behind it & caused an extra hours trekking for those coming in or out of Tatopani at the time.
Evenings have been very relaxing. Harry has been a very attentive & caring guide & friend, & has led Banya in that same direction. Harry will become part of the kitchen crew, will bring menus to us, as soon as we're set, will cook parts when required & just does so many extra little things to make a meal or a stay so much easier & enjoyable. He has made a point of talking about the following day's walk, as part of the evening routine, so we know what to expect. Harry brought along a deck of cards & we've spent a bit of time playing Nepal rummy & Harry even taught us how to play 'shithead'. Banya has warmed to us & been an encouragement to Sue, at times, & has shown us some of his family photos & been involved in the card games. Banya gets called Maila most often as this means 'second eldest'.
The trek continues to be pretty busy with lots of trekker groups & groups of porters carting head loads of gear. Along the track, especially after steep rises or descents, you'll see rock benches that porters can sit on, at one level, while resting their load on the level above.
Day 4 - Wed 07/Nov Rest Day
Today is our rest day & appropriately placed. A good chance to do some laundry too. The opportunity to sleep in - if you could. Trouble is, you tend to go to bed early - 9 o’clock is a late night - & wake with the dawn & the noise that goes along with that.
Tatopani means 'hot water' &, what-do-you-know, there's an outdoor, riverside pool that is fed from a natural hot water spring. We headed down there around 10am & blew away an hour or so lazing around this well set out facility that is almost too hot! The temperature of the water wouldn't allow me to stay submerged for too long, so it was in & out, legs dangling in, etc. It was a superb way to treat a set of weary calf muscles. Probably the best time of the day, too, as late in the day I suspect all those weary trekkers arrive & plop themselves in here as well. The hot water trickles in through a hose & the pool overflows through two narrow outlets that allow you to pre-rinse before going in, or, to do as Marg did, & shampoo or bathe yourself.
Sat around our hotel's rooftop deck (where we could dry some clothes) & ate & played cards. We managed to muster up enough enthusiasm to walk the length of this small village & ended up, the 3 of us & Harry, sitting on a huge boulder in the Kali Gandaki river just chatting.
A lazy day, but well deserved & well spent.
Day 5 - Thur 08/Nov
It had rained in the early morning so the trail had been freshly dampened for our 8 o'clock departure. The day, nonetheless, looked pretty good. The trail from Tatopani up to Jomsom follows the Kali Gandaki valley. This is the deepest gorge in the world with the river cutting its way between Annapurna I & Dhaulagiri, both around 8000m, whilst the Kali Gandaki river flows through at about 2200m.
From Tatopani (1180m) the trail climbs gradually to Dana at 1400m. Our morning tea stop was at Rupse Chhahara (1550m) in front of a superb waterfall where we had a cuppa & chocolate croissant. A few more suspension bridges were crossed. A road has been cut from about Lete on the western side of the Kali Gandaki. It has incorporated what was previously just wide trail but has meant a lot of cutting & blasting to get the road through - we saw several motorbikes using this road today.
A lot of the trail was very muddy & many sections have waterflows across &/or down them. Had lunch at Ghasa (2080m) & decided to kick on to Kalopani, probably another 2hrs, to make our next day a bit easier. Just as we were leaving Ghasa it started raining but didn't get to be more than a drizzle.
Sue found it a tough day & because of the struggle to continue & the discomfort & pain involved, could find very little positive about the experience.
Some of our best views of the mountains were seen today, though shrouded somewhat by clouds. great snow-covered mountain flanks & obviously snowing in those regions at that time.
It was a little deflating to be trekking along with the heavy boots, hiking stick & intrepid outlook when all of a sudden there would be a dozen school kids swarming past you, some only wearing flip-flops for shoes. This trail for them is just the local route to school not the adventure most of we trekkers would have you believe.
Stayed overnight at the See You Lodge (150R=$2.70/double), quite a new & comfortable Tea House. They had the phone connected, had a TV with DVD in the dining room & hot table. Hot tables are big long timber tables, usually with a heavy underfelt-like material dangling to floor level; hot coals are placed into a bucket & placed under the table to warm hands & feet of all those sitting around the table (can even get some washing dried). We were subjected to a DVD presentation about the Mustang area - first TV for a little while!
Day 6 - Fri 09/Nov
The day started off more promising, chilly, but promising, with some cloud cover but still some great snow capped mountains to be seen. A lot of the walking today was on the Kali Gandaki flood plain. Crossed the river a couple of times, crossed makeshift split-beam bridges, as well as suspension bridges. When not on the river plain, we were on one side or other of the river. The western side being the rough road up to & beyond Jomsom, & it did have a dozen motorbikes, 3 or 4 cars, & a couple of tractors using it. It won't be too long, I suppose, before the traffic load gets heavier & those donkeys are out of a job!
Rained, hailed/snowed & drizzled through the morning after our tea stop & it was pretty cold with the breeze blowing.
Again, Sue could see little merit about it all & told us she will stop her trek at Jomsom, leaving the remaining 2 or 3 days to the rest of the party.
Stayed at Dhaulagiri Guest House at the exorbitant price of 350R=$6.25/double with bathroom despite the fact there was no hot water to use in the bathroom.
Marpha is at 2670m & is most noted for its apple orchards & apple products & has also a lot of fields growing a variety of veggies. The village itself is characterised by flat mud-roof houses with piles of firewood stacked on top. The village end (northern) has narrow paved alleyways & wood carved windows. There is also a monastery & 3 or 4 gompas in the village. A Tibetan refugee camp exists a little way out of town & many of the little shops are Tibetan.
Day 7 - Sat 10/Nov
Marg had hit bed early last night, not feeling quite right, choosing to get warm in bed & forego dinner. At this stop we were competing with one, or probably two, large trekking groups for attention from the hotel/kitchen staff & we were a lesser priority. Fair enough I guess. Marg still not quite herself had only toast.
Left Marpha at 8.30am & this time the promising weather actually delivered - great snowcap views of Dhaulagiri & Nilgiri bathed in sunshine, just the odd wisp of cloud. The walk up to Jomsom (2713m) was really good with several plane flights in & out to be observed, a lot of livestock being moved about. It is festival time, Diwali, & we saw a few goats being selected from a passing flock & their carcasses hanging outside a couple of hours later.
Jomsom has another checkpoint for your trekking permit, so I dived into my daypack, ferreted around, ferreted some more. A sickly feeling began to grip me as I tried to remain calm for yet another more methodical search of my pack. Shit! Not there. "Marg, have you got the permits?" I really knew the answer. Hadn't had to present the permit yesterday, but did the day before as we entered Kalopani. Definitely had them then.
By now my backpack was being searched by each & every other member of our group, even opened up the large pack, just in case. Of course, they weren't found - they weren't there. The most likely place for them to be was our overnight stop at Kalopani, the See You Guest House. They actually had a phone! Harry was able to get their phone number & ring through &, sure enough, they had found my money pouch (under a pillow). This pouch had our passports, trekking permits, a couple of credit cards & 26000R=$465 in cash!
What to do? Can't continue without the permits. Could trek back to Kalopani & then back to Jomsom, chewing up the rest of our trek time, & make our Tuesday morning flights back to Pokhara. Could maybe send someone back, or ask someone on his or her way up to bring them along? Could maybe hire a car, or a motorbike . . . Yes.
Harry soon found a motorbike with pilot for hire, 1400R=$25, & Harry rode as co-pilot down to Kalopani. And to think, I'd be cursing those motorbikes on my trek over the last couple of days. Harry left at 11am & was back before 2pm with the goods. How's that, a day & a bits trekking took only an hour on the motorbike. We had asked Harry to check the contents &, if all there, give the See You Guest House people a 1000R=$18 as a thankyou.
How lucky am I? An idiot thing to do, but I got away with it. I have been in the habit of, as we leave our room for a meal or whatever, of putting the valuables out of sight - slip it under a mattress, a pillow or some other obstacle. Obviously, I'd done likewise again but hadn't checked that all the vitals were on board before our next day departure. I am now checking for such things!
So, an enforced rest day! Sue was ceasing here trek here anyway, & she's managed to swap her plane flight for tomorrow morning (Sun 11/Nov) instead of Tues (13/Nov). We've booked in at the Hotel Trekkers Inn, in the Jomsom Airport district for 150R=$2.70/night (no bathroom), with Nigiri looming right over us. In fact it's too close for a good photo or to even gain a good perspective of its size. Nice hotel - sunny dining room during the day, hot table (with electric heater) of an evening & a good cook on staff.
Day 8 - Sun 11/Nov
After yesterday's rest day we had to re-jig the last couple of days of the trek. Instead of walking to Muktinath in two easy days we decided to get there in one bigger day. We headed out of Jomsom (2713m) & walked up the Kali Gandaki - sometimes on the floodplain & sometimes on the track or road. The weather conditions were very accommodating for our extra effort granting us tremendous views, further north, down the stark valley with barren hills on either side & further south the snowcaps of Dhaulagiri & Nilgiri. These views were quite reminiscent of those we scored in Tibet.
After 2hrs & no elevation change we were at Eklabhatti, a tiny settlement of only 5 or 6 buildings, & stopped for a tea break. We found we were in the midst of some sort of extreme sport event. The "Himal Race 07" was underway & a leg of this is down to Eklabhatti. We saw several competitors jogging their way down the steep hill from Muktinath.
Our walk was up to our overnight stop of Jharkot (3500m) & then further on the Muktinath Temple (3800m). This meant an 1100m climb from here on in. It was tough & made more difficult because of the elevations we were approaching. Marg, who was not at her full strength, found it difficult & had to stop more frequently then she would have otherwise.
This part of the trek takes you east, away from the Kali Gandaki, on a steadily rising trail. Last time we were up here, it was spring, and most of the area was covered in snow. Not so this time. The fields near the small villages obviously grow crops but, with winter approaching, aren't cropped at the moment. However, we did see a few farmers with their buffalo or yak ploughing some areas.
Arrived Jharkot at 2pm & checked into Hotel Sonam (80R=$1.40 double/night) & had lunch. This little village is made up of flat-roofed, mud brick buildings, but most looked in need of a fresh whitewashing as so many looked just plain dirty.
Muktinath was another 40min further up the hill, but with lunch, a rest & no backpacks to carry was quite do-able. Muktinath is a pilgrimage centre for both Buddhists & Hindus. Harry & Banya were typical pilgrim visitors removing shoes & praying in the central temple. Nearby is a smaller shrine that houses a spring & natural gas jet that is perpetually lit & provides the earth-water-fire combination that makes it especially significant.
Headed back down to Jharkot as the sun set behind the mountains. It was quite cold & dark by the time we got back. Marg went to bed almost immediately, again unwilling to risk eating (I had to dine without her).
Day 9 - Mon 12/Nov
The usual early start on a chilly morning. Walked down on a slightly different route to Kag Beni, on the Kali Gandaki, as we had stayed there last trek & had fond memories. The weather again was great - sun, not much wind. The winds in the valleys at these high levels can be very strong & very cold, drying your lips & making you gasp, but not so today. Coming out of Jharkot there were many iced-up puddles to be seen & crossed. Got down to Kag Beni, for our tea break, in little more than an hour - yeah, to downhill trails.
The rest of the walk, back to Jomsom, was at pretty much the same elevation along the Kali Gandaki riversides or floodplain itself. Another 2hrs had us back at The Trekkers Inn ordering lunch.
A great hot shower was had mid-arvo after no such luxury for 3 days or so. Lazed around the afternoon - played some more cards, etc. Plane to Pokhara tomorrow morning.
Day 10 - Tue 13/Nov
Flights in or out of Jomsom only occur in the morning because this is when the winds aren’t too much of a problem for the small planes. Of course, weather conditions can mean you have to wait a day or two to get down to Pokhara. We were lucky, though, the good weather of the last 3 days continued. Despite a delay of an hour we finally were boarding our Gorkha Airline 18-seater flight. Everyone seems to bring back kilos of the cheap apples from up here & we had a greater mass of apples than we had luggage.
What a fantastic flight! All that trekking of the past several days reversed in 20 minutes. A little hazy, but what superb views as you fly down the Kali Gandaki valley being able to eyeball much of the trail we had walked, but also great panoramas of the mountains into the far distance. Looking directly down you can see the clever patterns made by the terracing of the fields particularly impressive on the steeper slopes. Skimmed over forested areas, I'm sure I heard us clipping the treetops. Spectacular.

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Photos

All Smiles
Very early in the walk.

Waterfall on First Day
The first waterfall, of quite a few, just had to be seen up close.

Our trek party.
Well, nearly. Sue was taking the photo!

Traffic Jam
These trails are used by all manner of trekkers. Here, a stampede of sheep make there way down hill.

Banya "Maila"
Banya was our porter for the trek. He was a great guy & looked after us all really well.

Chicken Man
He's everywhere, he's everywhere!

Busy, Busy!
How crowded is this track?!?

Suspension Bridge
The first of the suspension bridges we encountered. We were pleased to see most had been renewed since our previous trek.

Lazz & Sue
Recovering at the end of the trekking day.

Smoking House
Not much need for chimneys here.

Marg on the Trail
One of my favorite sights on trek!

Tatopani Hot Spring
This trekking business is so hard!

Sue at the Springs
Sue gets some therapy for some sore muscles.

Bath-time
The hot water overflow was great for a shampoo or pre-dunking rinse.

Lazz & Marg
A couple of book-ends?!

Is that a river hippo?
No, that's one of the colourful boulders living in the waters up here.