Annapurna Base Camp Trek Pokhara (part 1)

Tourist or Traveler
Hi Gavin, Just to respond to your pathetic email. I am more Aussie than you will ever be so do not insult others and their country of origin because that in itself is un Australian. The fact that my wife and I took the plunge and went to Nepal, spent money in their country, learned about their culture, made Nepali life friends is more than I bet you have done for Nepal or any other country for that fact. It would have been my pleasure to eat three lovely meals a day, spend money on a nice room with a hot shower after a hard days trek after carrying a 24kg pack of plain noodles on my back that i could have payed a porter or a guide to carry. If I did all of these things we would have only be able to stay in Nepal for one week and not one and a half months. We had one meal at every lodge and spent well over $3000.00 for the time we were in Nepal; how much have you spent? I am contributing to cultures and countries that you can only dream or read about. The sacrifices we have made in the last five years and continue to make just to travel in many countries is more than you could ever or bare to imagine. In the two years we are traveling we will have spent over $100 000 Australian with no incoming income so don't lecture me about spending money for the local community or making sacrifices; Spending little money in a country is better than not going at all. The fact that you cant even understand this makes me believe that you are a tourist and not a traveler. You have wasted enough of my precious time. Dan

Responce to question
Hi, From memory it only took three days to get down from ABC, ABC to Bamboo, bamboo to Jinu (hot springs), and from there to Nayapul. It would be a very hard slog to get from ABC to Chomrong in one day, at the most you would reach Sinuwa. Yes there are two ways, on the way up we went from Nayapul to Gandruk and from there we went through Kumron, it was harder but you got to see more village life along the way. I think you would not need a mattress, it depends on the seasons. If it is peak season then i would bring something to sleep on just in case, this will be helpful if you don't get a room in time and are forced to sleep on the common room floor. But usually they have everything there, including mattresses. If you take a tent just make sure the weather is not to cold; you will freeze, its best just to stay in a lodge, you get to meet other people and make great friends. You can take a heap of noodles, soup and dried fruit, also consider boiled eggs they work great. If you take a stove to boil water it is more to carry, the higher you go the longer it will take to boil a simple cup of tea. Just keep in mind that although they charge for boiled water and you are taking food, you will still have to buy at least one meal from the lodges. They have in small writing on the bottom of the menu, it says that if you do not buy a meal from them they will charge you two nights accommodation, and you cant eat in other lodges just the one you are staying in. Plan to take something for breakfast and lunch and pay for a meal in the lodges when you are tired in the afternoon. You can always get a cheap plate of fried rice and add stuff to it to make a bigger meal. Just remember that accommodation is cheap it's the food they will sting you on. We didnt take any porter or guides, everyone knows the way and it is relatively safe. The down side of not taking a local is you miss out on some of their culture, porters and guides, well the English speaking ones, can teach you things along the way which is a bonus. We were there for a total of one and a half months and we experienced a lot of culture. Also remember that you will not be alone in the lodges and you are able to talk to other guides and porters while you eat like and elephant. You burn a lot of energy when you trek so don't be surprised when the food runs out quicker than what you thought.