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Published: January 22nd 2008
Suspension Bridge
The first of many bridges on the trailMy love affair with Nepal started in 1999 when two of my friends from the U.S. and I headed off for a 3 week trek from the suburbs of Kathmandu, via the Holy Lakes of Gosainkund to the Langtang and back to Kathmandu. The next time I visited was 2002 when I dragged my friend John to trek for 2.5 weeks from Jiri to Tengboche. We liked this area so much we returned two years later for 7 weeks and trekked once again from Jiri and also went up Mera Peak and then via Lukla to Gokyo and Kala Patar and back out to Lukla to fly back to Kathmandu.
Oct/Nov 2006 I'd planned to go to India but at the last minute got a cheap flight from Delhi to Kathmandu, emailed my good friend and guide Birlal to come out of retirement, and spent 3 weeks hiking around the Annapurna Circuit. I was invited to dinner at the family home the night before we took a micro bus from Kathmandu out to Besi Sahar where we would start our trek the next day. The thought of having to hike as high as 5400+ meters within the next 10 days
Inquisitive local
Lunch time and getting to know the locals was daunting.
The next few days took us through amazing scenery starting with hot and steamy bamboo and rhodedenron jungle and terraced fields clinging to the high sided valleys along the Marsiyangdi river, the sun and heat making it extremely tiring. Our first night we stayed in a nice little tea house avoiding the bigger and busier ones. A German couple turned up with a guide who was from Birlal's village so we ended up meeting each other and staying at the same lodges for the next 12 days or so.
The next few days went well as we usually started out around 7.30 am with a tea stop around 9.30, lunch at 11.30 and sometimes an early finish around 2 in the afternoon. The usual "3rd day tiredness" hit us all on the 4th day, but once we'd hit the magic 1300 meter barrier and it cooled off a bit making the hiking much easier. Being Autumn the weather was perfect blue skies and mountains trees and shrubbery turning brown and gold. The higher we got the jungle gave way to Juniper and Fir trees.
The villages and lodges are pretty nice compared to what I've seen before in
Corn harvest
It's amazing what can be done! Just put the cobs in a bag a beat them then pour in to a basket and the corn comes out the other end. the Everest region and all seem to have solar powered water heaters on the roofs and plenty of fresh fruit and vegis. The buildings are usually L shapped with the guest rooms up on the first floor with balconies and washing lines (definately a luxury on the trekking circuit) . The only thing that spoils the walk is the fact that a road is being built which the trail follows for at least 7-8 days with quite a bit of blasting going on to cut a way along the cliff side-no doubt this is being funded by the Chinese.
The nice thing about the trek is that it's a circuit and therefore we see a lot of the same faces everyday and all become quite familiar with each other. There are some really funny characters around with an American couple we call "The Gamalbags" due to the amount of luggage they have; the Canadians that have picked so much weed coming up the trail and are always stoned - 2 young Americans and the funny French group who are always coming to visit us at night in our lodge and the Australians that look like they're in boot camp.
We
eventually have a really steep climb one morning arriving on a small plateau with the river running through it and past the lovely Tibetan style village of Tal. The cold winds come blasting through every afternoon on their way to Tibet. We're now about the 3000 meter mark and the weather has turned and it's really cold and wet as we reach Lower Pisang. I opt not to go and visit the Tibetan monastary in the afternoon but chill around the stove with a nice Australian lady who's had to give up her trek due to the bad blisters she's developed and the high snow fall the previous 2 days a few hundred meters above us. Luckily the weather turns beautiful and sunny again the next day.
I started to get a really bad chest infection but once we got to Manang at 3500 meters for a rest and laundry day I succumb and buy some hard drugs which really help. Manang is like something out of the old wild west with crazy looking Tibetan types in their sheep and yak hair coats and hats riding their horses around. We have a walk back down the trail to the old
chicken man
The chickens were let out, watered, and fed several times a day so that they retained their weight which brought more money when sold town of Braga and it's Tibetan Monastary. The valley is full of Lammageier which come swooping overhead and are huge birds up close. There are 100s of yaks roaming the plains and the mountains have loads of small caves where the Tibetans hid when the Chinese annexed Tibet.
The next day we head up to a place called Yak Karka and again avoid the busy lodges and opt for a smaller quieter one just up the road. We settle in to really nice sunny and warm rooms, a luxury at 4000 meters but neglect to notice that the owner had ridden off on business and left the lodge in the hands of the 3 kitchen boys who we later name the TB triplets. I'm not too bothered about the dirt being a Nepal veteran but Ingrid (of the German couple we've been hanging out with) is freeking and sprays herself and everything in sight with some anti-bug stuff. The TB triplets cough in to and over everything as they prepare our dinner. The food wasn't bad actually but poor Ingrid just couldn't bring herself to put the cutlery in her mouth when eating.
The next day we hiked up to
Harvesting
Everywhere we went food was being prepared for the winter months Thorung Pedi at 4400 meters and our last camp before heading up to the pass. People are now starting to feel the altitude and are opting to stay here a day and try and acclimatize a bit. We play cards for a while and then have an early night knowing our wake up will come soon when the boys knock on our doors at 4 am. It's full moon and the sky is full of stars and well lit so we don't need our torches. Its freezing cold and after an hour or so of walking we hit high camp at 4900m and have some tea. Birlal and I just plod on and eventually Ingrid starts having some problems with double vision and nausia - symtoms of altitude sickness. A few hours later I also feel pretty sick but Birlal in his usual encouraging way tells me it's really only a few meters more and so we plod on even though a local horse taxi person is stalking us to pay him 3000 rupees to ride me up to the pass - I explain to him that if I were that sick I'd be going down for a night and
Manang
Entering the town of Manang and a well earned rest day not continuing up! By this time poor Ingrid is throwing up and is nearly being carried by Harald her boyfriend but we all make it to the Thorung La pass, 5440 meters at around 10 am and take a few pictures and literally start running down the other side. It's a 3hour 1700 meter drop to Muktinath on a steep and icy trail but by mid afternoon I'm ensconsed in my room after a luxurious warm shower and chips and fried egg for dinner (I needed comfort food). I opted not to have any of the yak that is being cut up outside my room window.
By crossing the Thorung La we gone from the state of Manag in to the forbidden Kingdom of Mustang. In the village of Muktinath, where we're staying for a rest day, there is one of the most important pilgrimage site for Hindus which we visit. The scenery has also made a rapid change as the mountains are brown, dry and arid. There are little settlements dotted around all with a really strong Tibetan influence. We notice a lot of yak heads hanging on buildings which are there for protection.
We head down to Kagbeni
Braga near Manang
Off on a walk on our so called rest day for lunch and also a visit to the Tibetan monastary. Kagbeni is also the border between where you can hike freely and where you need permission and a lot of money to ender the "forbidden" part of the kingdom. There are open wide flat plains again with strong winds heading up to Tibet. Hiking is really hard after lunch for a couple of days when the winds whip up dust and dirt and hold you back. We've also entered apple and apricot growing country and the fruit is really tasty, the people especially friendly and the food delicious. We continue down the valley and get to the village of Marpha which has a small version of the Potalla in Llhasa which we also visit that morning. It's hard not to stay here but we must continue. Being autumn everyone is preparing for the winter and stocking up on food and and preparing the harvest. there's also been a mass slaughter of about 60 yaks with intestines and meat being prepared and dried for the next few months. The villages are like little fortresses built to guard against the strong winds.
The trail eventually starts heading down rapidly again and now
Braga - Yak meat
Lots of meat being dried for the winter months we enter the Kali Gandaki valley, sadly on a road with never ending mule trains carrying goods up and down the valley and motor bikes and tractors all kicking up clouds of dust that gets everywhere. Eventually we hit the village of Tatopani with it's hot springs and once again get away from the road. This is where most people beat a hasty retreat to Pokhara but we've got another 6 days and head off the beaten track a bit. We now head east and up the never ending stone staircases that make it really hard going for the next 3 days. I really feel like my legs are going to drop off. By the time we get to Ghorepani and the famous Poon Hill I've had it with stone stairs! I think this is the area that Michael Palin filmed the portion of Himalaya when in Nepal. Poon Hill is famous for it's sunrises and views of the Annapurna range so we make the effort and get up early for a tough hike up 400 meters. The sunrise is spectacular but later in the morning when we hike up to Deurali pass its actualy a better view and we
Braga near Manang
The houses are built to protect from the elements get to see the whole mountain range we walked around.
We now start to descend over the next three days and make out way to the trail head at Phedi, which is now all down stone staircases! We're now in the Gurung Tribe country and you can see a more Indian influence here in the people. Again we're down in the bamboo and rhodedenron jungle teaming with birds and monkees and once again terraced fields clinging to the sides of the mountains. Just above Phedi we're hit with the smell of car fumes and the sounds of horns and trucks - oh well back to civilization.
We have a chill out day in Nepals 2nd largest city of Pokhara which is a real pleasant suprise. It's on a lake and has a nice feel to it. From here you can do loads of small hikes in to the foothills and go sailing and kayaking on the lake. The fresh grilled fish is super and my first beer in three weeks yummy. After a 3 hour delay the next day our flight finally leaves back to Kathmandu and shopping, massages, and a couple of days of chilling.
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rinbob
bob beard
just a word of encouragement
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