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Published: September 24th 2014
We decided to dive right into the trekking and booked the 4 day Ghorepani for the day after we arrived. We booked only a guide for 18 dollar a day and would find our accommodation and food as we went along. There are loads of tea houses which you can stay in for around £4 a night for both of us and which also do food and drinks and have showers. This saves on having to carry too much stuff and supplies. We wanted to be able to take our time and not be in a group as we thought we would always be at the back and everyone would be waiting for us, so just me and Craig was a better idea for us. The trek to Ghorepani - Poon Hill (Pun Hill) which is located in Annapurna region, is said to be the best of the trekking in Nepal. The trek offers the spectacular mountain scenery along with charming villages inhabited particularly by the Gurungs & Magars, dense rhododendron forests full of birds and deep sub-tropical valleys, all set below the Annapurnas with the picturesque peak of Machhapuchhare (Fishtail Peak) dominating the skyline. The highlight of this trip is
to make a climb on Poon Hill, possibly the most spectacular mountain scapes on Earth. When sun rises, it touches the snow-capped summits the Himalayan giants, Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Annapurna (8,091m) along with a maze of other peaks, that gradually appear, just like magic that your eye could not believe (Totally just lifted this synospsis, could you tell?).
After one day of rest in Pokhara, we headed out and met our guide Rum who had come to collect us and we drove to the trek starting point. We had to sign in and show our permit before we could start. This was the easiest part of the trek I think. We then ascended...up, and up and ....up. First walking up a hill then we moved onto steps... I dislike steps. I don't think my knees have ever fully recovered from the steps you have to climb doing the inca trail to machu picchu 10 years ago. But luckily I had a knee support on and it was just me and Craig so we could take our time and root each other along. It was good and bad when Rum saw his cousin Akin (also a guide) who was with
another westerner (Lucas) and we formed a group. It was good as we got to meet Lucas. Lucas was from Germany and was training to be a doctor and had spent 6 weeks in Nepal working in a hospital. Funnily enough after talking to him we found out he went to with Worth Boys school, which is a school down the road from where I live. Lucas was very nice and also very fit and healthy and literally ran up the mountains. It was Bad because Rums cousin was constantly on at us for being slow and struggling -which as you can imagine grates a little all day for 4 days. I know he only said things in jest, but jeeze, give us a break. He easily had reduced his tip to zero after 10mins of being us. Let me just say that our guide was lovely and nothing like his cousin, infact we ditched the cousin after day 2 which pleased us all greatly I think. Our guide also swears that he thinks in 6 years me and Craig will return and our children will play together and we will all go trekking.. Now that is one hell of
a good scam to see us again!
So back to day one - We stepped up steps for about 6 hours and went up 3,280 steps in total. We had a break for lunch in the middle and after a big bowl of fried rice we continued. When we reached 1,960 ft we stopped in a lovely little tea house with a great view of the Annapurna circuit and a lovely warm wood burning fire to keep us warm in the evening. We slept soundly and after a breakfast of pancakes we headed on at around 8am to start again. More steps today. But also lots of beautiful mountain scenary.
We reached Ghorepani mid afternoon having stopped for lunch again, this is where we were to stay for the night. The views from the hotel were mind blowing. We felt on top of the world. We were only infact at 2,800 ft but it felt very high and the mountain range was so close. This tea house was definitely the nicest one we stopped in and for those who wanted it you could even get wifi. Our room overlooked the mountain range and apart for the freezing cold
shower it was all good. We ate lots of rice again that night and had an early night as we were to leave at 5am the next morning to walk up Poonhill to watch the sunrise over the Annapurna range. We did go to bed early, but there was not much sleeping involved. It was freezing! Me and Craig put all our clothes on to get warm and also had an extra duvet, but as the night went on we both got warmer and warmer and it was a very uncomfortable sleep. Its always the same when you know you have to get up early...you never sleep. Anyways, we were up and out walking in the dark with our head lamps to guide us up the steps (yes, many more steps) and eventually after 60mins ascending steeply we made it! Yay! We had done it and the sunrise was so beautiful, Especially whilst drinking a lovely cup of hot chocolate which we bought from a hut at the top. We took lots of pictures even with the cousin. We lingered as long as we could before the cousin cracked the whip and we headed back down to the hostel. We
had some breakfast and then we headed back out to climb higher to then go lower. This was the hardest day for me. We had been up early, before breakfast we had trekked quite hard then we had another 4-5 hours of walking ups and downs. Now, I decided on this day that I wasn't too good at going up, or even going down. We took our time and today the scenary was more forest with rivers and animals around. It was pretty. We walked past a point where our guide told us a westerner had gone missing that winter and had never been found. The Westerner in question had gone trekking without a guide in the snow and surprise had never bean seen again. That night we stayed in a tea house called lonely planet hostel (very original) and sat around the wood burning fire and talked to the guides and the other Trekkers. We had an early night ready for the last day.
This day was hard..as it was down, down, down, down, down. My cheap £15 walking shoes from Borneo did stand the test of time but my toes were very sore from the blisters on
them and later I discovered id bruised my big toe under the nail (it still is all bruised up but thankfully the nail hasn't come off). We took our time and preserveered. We walked through beautiful (I'm running out of adjectives) villages which clinged to the mountains with the views of the Annapurna mountains range. It was so idillic and calm. We stopped off in one village and dressed in traditional wedding outfits with some locals and had lots of pictures taken with the cousin and other local families. From here we continued down and a blessing came in the form of our guide saying there was a bus we could catch down the rest of the mountain...if we wanted, instead if walking.., did we?....yes please! We made the bus in good time and even got a seat. The bus ride was pretty hair raising, the bus descended down the mountain path hugging the mountain as close as it could with a sheer drop on the other side (the are no barriers of any sort here) as well as maneuvering around the many deep potholes. I had my escape plan ready incase we went over the mountain, but luckily it
didn't come to that. This journey may have been a first for us but the bus driver probably does it 2-3 times a day and knows the roads inside out. After an hour or two of being thrown about and totally (at times) coming out of our seats we had made it to the bottom. We jumped in our waiting taxi and proceeded back to lakeside.
So did I enjoy myself?
I did enjoy the trek, I am not in a hurry to do another quite yet. I/we felt very proud for completing this huge challenge and in one piece. It was very physically challenging but also took lots of positivity to get through it. I don't think we are very fit at the moment and perhaps if we had been it would have been easier. I also had a huge wave if excitement/happiness that it was over and we had completed it which tells me I'm glad it's done with.
That night we treated ourselves to a huge steak each and also, for me, some red wine! Yum! Like coming back for the jungle we ate and had a couple of drinks and we were right
In a food coma! Rock and roll.
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Momma Toni
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Beautiful Annapurna mountain ranges photos!
First and foremost an applause from me for doing the uncountable steps to the peak! i am hopeless with steps,stairs etc and i am easily disorientated given to losing my balance and knees to knock and go wierdly weak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i loved the wedding outfit most fetching! but the photos of the awesome Annapurna range is simply beautiful and as you say worth every step you took, lots of love Antonia xxxxxxxx