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Sunrise
Sunrise at the Annapurna base camp(part 2) Each day we would hike from about 7am till 2pm. And every night I'd basically just read, and read and read. Then go to bed around 8:30. I truly cannot remember the last time that I went to bed at 8:30 on a regular basis...mom, any ideas? The first night out was probably the most eventful. We stayed at a tea house where a really drunk Nepali guy hung out...which actually ended up being a good thing because he got the "dance party" started. That night my guide (Jaya), the drunk guy, grandma (from the kitchen), a few other tourists, and a couple of the cooks all danced (to the same song over and over again) for hours and hours. It was pretty fun learning how to do the Nepal dance (i'll give a demo at home). Jason, it's kind of like the shuffle step...i got some new moves so you all better watch out at the weddings coming up!
Which reminds me. Nepal is a place of repetition. Everyday we'd do the same thing..every day we'd eat the same food. Every tea house was the same. And i think that there is only one song TOTAL in
local kids
local kids all of Nepal...and man-o-man did we listen to it, over and over and over again, I can (truthfully) sing the whole song (in Nepali).
Random: In Nepal things are kind of backwards with "intimate relationships", I learned from my guide (since no matter where you go people always assume you want "jiggy-jiggy"..umm no thanks); that all western tourists are sluts because sometimes they will sleep with a guide "for free". Where as in Nepal, if you want to have "jiggy-jiggy" and do not have a girl friend then it is expected that you pay. and this is a completely normal thing, if you are a girl and dont make them pay then you must be a slut...totally reversed over here...very interesting. It took me a while to actually understand all this, and it wasn't until I had talked to and English guy who met a nice Nepali girl (who insisted on being paid) did I really understand.
Also, the news paper is really funny here. I read (today) about a small village and how the women still practice polygamy (sp?). It goes on and says that it is pretty common (well not according to my guide) that brothers
me
me will often marry the same women, and since often times in order to make money you need to leave home, the woman would arrange it so that the husbands would alternate times at home, while one was trekking or working in the city the other would be at home working the fields (or vise versa). It goes on and ends up with the following quote "I just don't know how a woman could get by with just one husband". Apparently you ladies at home are missing out!
The hiking was pretty tough. But the altitude gave me less trouble (during the hike) then I thought it would. Things where completely fine the entire time until I got to the highest point (Annapurna Base Camp). For the first half of the day I was feeling completely fine, but come night fall, I started to feel a little ill. First a headache, and then eventually and upset stomach...but it was late and we where at least 3 or 4 days from the closest road (kind of a scary thought if anything where to do wrong). But I just sucked it up for the night....no much sleep, but it was ok because
More mountain photos
more mountain photos come 4:15 the weather was clear (for the first time in a week) and we had a great view of the surrounding mountains for sunrise!
Oh yah, i almost forgot to mention. That EVERYSINGLEDAY it was sooo cloudy...like you could not even see more then 40 meters in front of you. Let alone the mts. ... but every now and then you'd get a little tease. All the mountain pics are from basically 2 days where it was clear for a few hours (thank god one of those days was actually at base camp). I was amazing..hiking up to base camp, not being able to see anything, and then the sky clearing up, and the hike down was TOTALLY different. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be here in the summer (apparently monsoon season has started a little early!)
Also, while on the hike we stayed in a tiny village called Sinuwa, and one of the girls running the tea house just happened to be a "famous" Nepal actress, she had been in a number of movies and commercials. Only in Nepal would a "famous" actress be living in the hills 5 days walk from civilization. Apparently
pic
pic one of guys fellow guide-friends was in a BBC documentary on porters (called "Carrying the load") but here he was, still carrying peoples bags. You gotta love how different it is here.
I'm trying to think of what else to tell you guys. So much happened but at the same time not much happened. Right now I am back in Pokhara with Jaya, and we are getting ready to go to a "Traditional Nepali Folk Song Competition", and I am actually pretty excited. I heard the beginning of it and they sound really good, call me weird but I am starting to like the music here....all I need is a baseline and a little Jay-Z, and this junx would be a hit!
Over all I had a really good time in Nepal, the trek was definitely a lot of fun, and the mountains are really impressive. I could have done with a shorter hike, but it was fun never the less. I had a great guide, no so good weather, but tons of nice pics. The Nepali people are extremely nice and friendly and i don't think kids could get much cuter!!!
There are 100's of trekking
Old Lady
you should see these old ladies and the amount of manual labor they can still do companies throughout Nepal, but I figured i would pass on the name of the company that I went with. I was very pleased with the company in general, with my guide, and with the serves they provided (not to mention that they where the cheapest i saw). The name is "Nepal Experience Adventure Trek (Pvt.) Ltd." (www.neatadventure.com) and the big bosses name is Chandra (he is very professional). Also, I would definitely recommend my guide "Jaya Gurung" he was just great.
So tomorrow I leave for a horrendous 20 hour bus ride to Varanasi (India)...one of the holiest places in all of India (and India is a holy place!). I am really excited but have heard that it is crazy hot in India right now (like 100-120 depending on where you are!). I hope everyone at home is doing well. I miss you all and will be back pretty soon.
leave me some comments =) and send some emails
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anonymous
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Wow, those pictures are amazing Chris! I can't wait to take and blow some of them up to decorate my room in my house next year. My favorite on was the sunrise at the base camp. The sun rays coming up are brillant! Miss you, come home safe! -your little sis - Lisa