Trekking - Day 2

This morning we had breakfast at the guest house (which sort of appeased them), I had basically oatmeal with banana and apple, before setting off at 8:45. The view from the restaurant was pretty good, with the "Fish Tail" mountain peaking up over the green hills.When we went through the actual village we got a little lost, but we ended up on the right path eventually.

We then had to cross a valley, which was a large descent (in order to cross a river), and then climb all the way back up the other side. The picture to the right shows the little path (lots of stairs) that wound it's way up the other side of the valley. As we got to the top it started to rain, then pour, so we took shelter in a restaurant overlooking the valley. We got some amazing thunder echoing through the valleys, some of the most impressive I've ever heard. It was coming down pretty far away though, so we weren't too worried about being in a metal building. We had tea and enjoyed the view until the rain stopped. A rainbow topped off a memorable cup of tea.

It took another hour from there to get to Chomrong, the last of the "large" villages. It has a general store of sorts and some decent supplies, which are apparently not available up top. We took the local route rather than the tourist route into Chomrong. That meant getting "creative" and basically wandering through someone's back yard. They didn't mind and pointed us down the hill towards the village. We even got to see their little son pee all over their front stairs, with a huge grin on his face, so that was fun.

Price check: Water: Rs 50/Liter, Dal Bhaat Rs 290

Trekking - Day 1

NOTE: I actually started September 28, but I'll just post these as if they're happening now.

Today I set off to trek to Annapurna Base Camp. The trek is called the Annapurna Sanctuary trek as well, because at the top you're surrounded by mountains, hence it's a sanctuary. I met Dan and Gali at a German bakery and restaurant overlooking the lake for breakfast. Chocolate and banana pancakes were a good final luxury before starting the adventure. It is their most important holiday today so prices for transportation are about doubled. We took a taxi to the bus stand and the bus from Pokhara, to Nayapul, a small town where the trail begins.

After some noodle soup we started hiking around 1 o'clock. It was hot for a few hours, and we were slowly going mostly uphill (for a total of over 1000 meters, to about 2000 meters elevation), working our way to Ghandruk, our destination for the first night. At about 3:30 it started raining, which was okay to cool us down. At 4:30 we came to a fork in the road. We chose incorrectly. After following a small trail for a half hour or so, it was clear we were off the main path. We asked a bunch of villagers for directions and they kept telling us "go up". There wasn't really a trail up, but they just walk on the rocks on the sides of their irrigation paths, as well as in the actual water. That was interesting, and after a half hour of hiking straight uphill we came to the path. From there it was another hour to Ghandruk, and we arrived just at dusk.

It was a decent enough place, a room was only 255 rupees ($3.40) for the 3 of us. What we didn't know at the time is that you're expected to eat there, and the prices are much higher than in town. So basically they make their money from dinner and breakfast. The dining room was full and we were hungry so we went to a different place for dinner. I had 3 helpings of dal bhaat (lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry, spinach, papad, and pickled vegetables), which was quite good. When we returned to our place the guy in charge pretty much just yelled at us that it wasn't alright to do that. We argued that there was no room and nothing telling us not to go somewhere else. We just went to bed at 9:15 with him angry and all the Nepalis outside, loudly celebrating their holiday.

Price check - Drinking water: Rs 30/Liter, Dal Bhaat: Rs 240 (Rs=Rupees, Rs 75=$1)

I'm alive!

I made it. I'm now back in Pokhara, back from trekking, back from the Himalayas, and back to civilization. It was amazing, one of the highlights of my trip so far, without a doubt. I kept a "journal", which I'll transcribe with pictures and video tomorrow. Right now I just got back from the trek, had an amazing shower and meal, and I'm about to go to bed. So look forward to a huge blog post tomorrow, but for now, know that it was great and I made it back safely.

Making preparations

Today I did chores. It sounds odd, I know, but I had to get some supplies and permits for my trek leaving tomorrow morning. I got some money out (harder than it sounds), got a permit to enter the Annapurna Conservation Area, bought a hat (which as you can see looks ridiculous but it's warm, Nepali, $2.30, and as a bonus will be entertaining for all of you to look at), bought a map, some iodine tablets to purify water, some snacks, hiking socks, and got some passport photos taken (for the permit). It was a pretty busy day walking up and down the little tourist strip here.

On the way to the permit office Dan was changing money so I took a seat on the curb while I waited. A girl approached me asking where the permit office was, so she ended up coming along. It turns out she was planning on taking the same trek at the same time (alone) so now she's coming with us. Unfortunately her name escapes me at the moment (Gali?), but she's a nice Israeli girl and she adds another to the group. Pretty soon we'll have a regular UN going.

Today and tomorrow are the biggest holidays of the year for Nepalis, called Dashain. They say it's like their Christmas; they get together with family and feast for the whole day. Unfortunately that means that buses (to get to the start of the trek) run less frequently, stores and restaurants (at least the ones run by locals) are closed, and taxis are more expensive. It's not a big deal, but it's an extra little hassle.

I'll probably be out of touch and not updating this blog for the next 8-10 days. That's how long the trek takes and I doubt there is internet available on the way. I'll be taking plenty of pictures and (get this) keeping a journal of sorts that I'll transcribe here when I get back. So don't worry, I didn't fall off a cliff or get mugged (probably), I'm just out roughing it in the mountains.

I figure before I head out I'll catch up a little with a picture of the tiny Nepali bananas (delicious), as well as a goat on a bus. I may have somehow neglected to mention this but on the bus from the Indian border to Pokhara I sat next to a goat for a few hours. Some guy brought him on like it was no big deal and tied him to a pole. I had read that people brought livestock on buses here but sitting about a foot away so was a little different than reading it in a book. It was all good fun though.

I've also put a video of traffic in India on here. I took it on a tuk tuk ride in Varanasi and thought it would be entertaining for you all. This is pretty typical traffic, not as bad as a round about, not many pedestrians, but just kind of average traffic.

Anyway, I'll be in touch if possible on the trek although it's highly unlikely, so for the next week or so you'll just have to wait and wonder. I'll be as safe as possible and I plan to come back better than ever. Namaste!

Phewa Tal

Today I woke up early to see the Himalayas. The visibility is best in the morning up until about 9am, so I was up at 7 walking to a good spot. As you can see, I found one. The snow capped peaks tower over the much closer hills, and it's crazy to think I'll be trekking through all of those mountains. The tallest looking one in the pictures is actually the shortest ("only" 7,000 meters - nearly 23,000 feet), but it's closer to town. The rest are closer to 8,000 meters.

Obviously the views were great and getting up early was well worth it. I grabbed 7 bananas for breakfast (Nepali bananas are really small) along with a nice fresh squeezed orange juice. It was a very nice breakfast for just over a dollar.

In the afternoon Dan and I headed to the lake (Phewa Tal) for some canoeing and swimming. It was a lot of fun, it was warm and the water was the perfect cool temperature to be refreshing but not at all cold.

We decided to trek together without booking a tour, and we'll be leaving Monday if everything goes to plan. The guide book recommends never trekking alone so I'm glad to have someone to go with.

I found the rafting company the Israeli guy recommended but I'll wait until I get back from the trek to do that.

This place is a fantastic spot after all the hustle and bustle of India. Everything moves more slowly, it actually feels like I'm not far from home with all the Western things available. There's everything from hand sanitizer (yes!) to steaks all along the tourist strip.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow, but I plan to get some last minute trekking stuff like maps, thick hiking socks (to prevent the leeches from getting to my feet. Seriously), and a permit to go into the area. I may go to a bat cave (not THE bat cave, but still), but I'm not sure yet.

Pokhara

Today Dan the Brit and I went to Devi Falls and the World Peace Pagoda. We hiked to both of them, starting first with the waterfall. It was about an hour from our hotel, around the lake from where we are staying. It was a pretty cool waterfall as it just disappears underground at the bottom, so you can hear water crashing but not see it hitting the ground.

From the waterfall we hiked up a "hill" (they would call it a mountain is some places) after wandering around some rice paddies and getting some directions from local kids. It took about an hour and a half up the hill, but the views from the top were pretty good. The pagoda itself is hardly impressive, just a white tower with four Buddhas, but it really is at the very top of a lookout point. Unfortunately when we were up there the fog and clouds obscured the Annapurna range of the Himalaya, which was supposed to be beautifully reflected in Phewa Tal (the lake next to Pokhara). It was still beautiful up there, although it was a pretty hot trip.

We had some chow mein (surprisingly good) at the top and then came back down, a much easier proposition.

On the hike we met some very helpful people. First I talked to an Israeli guy that had just returned from the rafting trip I'm planning on taking on the Kali Gandaki river. It's a three day trip and he said it was fantastic and recommended a place that provided everything and was very professional for a reasonable price. I plan to take his recommendation.

After that we met a British couple that had just gotten back from a trek I was considering taking. It goes up to the Annapurna mountain base camp (elevation 4000+ meters) and is nicknamed the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek. I was thinking I would take a guided group trek but the said it was no problem to do on their own; they completed it in just 7 days even though trekking companies generally take 8-10. They left most of their stuff at a hotel and just took the essentials, carrying their own stuff and staying in guest houses on the way. It sounds perfect, although I'll probably take it easy and take more like 10 days (they hiked 6-8 hours per day).

Tonight I had a couple of traditional Nepali foods. First I had momos, which are delicious dumplings filled with potato and cheese (they can also come with chicken or vegetables). They were right up my alley and they should really have them back home. Next I had thukpa (not sure if that's the right spelling), which is a noodle soup with vegetables, peppers and onion. It was very good as well.

Tomorrow it looks like we'll do some boating and swimming in the lake, which unlike the Ganges is nice, clean, and safe. It should be fun since it's nice and warm here during the day (but not crazy hot like parts of India).

Nepal!

So I was wrong. I know, no one is shocked. It's okay. I have some things to write about.

After my last post in Varanasi I went down to see more of the ghats. I found the cremation ghat, where they cremate people 24 hours a day. It's surrounded by huge piles of wood, which is incredibly creepy when you're walking up to it (no pictures because this computer is a solid decade old). I went to the top of the place to look down on the ceremonies and was overwhelmed not only by the smoke, but by seeing several bodies burning in front of me. I left quite quickly from there and went back to the hotel (although to be fair I stopped for a quick glass of freshly crushed pomegranate juice for 40 cents).

That night I went to McDonald's. It was pouring rain and it was the closest restaurant (plus I really wanted to see what it would be like without beef). It was located in a new mall, and I went in as the only tourist there. The place was absolutely packed; people were eating standing up and were just hanging out outside the restaurant. As soon as I came in every last person turned and stared. Usually wherever I go I get a few, but this was 100+ people staring at me. I ordered (a chicken majaraja mac, the closest thing to a big mac) and was told it would be 5 minutes. So I stood and waited while a circle formed all the way around me. They stared...and stared...and stared. A couple of the braver teenagers came up to talk to me while the rest, well they stared. I changed my order to have it to go and got the heck out of there. The sandwich (my first meat here) was fine, but not what I would expect from McDonald's. It had some curry going and was pretty good, just not at all like home.

The bus ride was interesting, just insanely long. Going through the northernmost parts of India was crowded and hot, as usual. We arrived at the border after dark, and I paid my $40 for a visa. Border security was nonexistent so it didn't take long. We then slept in a dorm room in a pretty awful hotel. Three beds, five people, no a/c and a bed that was too short (with a baseboard). I've slept better.

Today was a ride through the mountains. This place is stunningly beautiful. There are mountains covered in green, lush jungle, crashing down into gorges with winding rivers and rice paddies. The weather is cooler, just warm and not hot. The people here are very friendly and not nearly as pushy. To put it simply, it's fantastic so far. I'm in Pokhara, a tourist town right on a lake near the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. I haven't seen it in full daylight, but it looks amazing so far. Oh, and there was a goat on the bus, so that was entertaining. I also had my first taste of dal bhaat, the national dish of rice with lentil soup. I sat with the locals and ate it with only my hand during a 10 minute bus break. It was pretty good, very messy and a lot of fun to eat.

I'm staying in a hotel tonight with an Englishman by the name of Dan that I met on the bus. It's not bad for $3. Air conditioning isn't even needed so it's been great.

Okay so I promised answers, so here they are (with not many questions, I must be an amazing writer - or maybe there were other reasons).

Have you had many desserts/have you had the herb seed/sugar mixture after meals?
-Dave

I haven't had too many sweets, but I have had a couple versions of rice pudding as well as the sugar fried ball thing and a couple others in Rajasthan. They're okay, I'm acquiring a taste for them, but not my favorites. And yes, I've had the herb seed/sugar mixture after many meals, it's popular in India.

are the monkeys nice or are they mean? it would be sweet if they were sweet and friendly so you could play with them!

Also, when are you going to help scrub down the elephants?

-Annie

The monkeys tend to keep to themselves. I intend to go to a monkey temple in Nepal where there are tons of them so I'll report back after that.

If I make it to Royal Chitwan National Park here in Nepal that would be within the month, but I'm not sure if I will. I hope to because jumping on an elephant and cleaning it off sounds entertaining.

where will you go next trip? Will you go with Lisa? Do you
wish you had gone for a shorter time?

-Davis relatives

I don't know where I'll go. My current leaders are: Turkey, Southeast Asia, Australia, Western Europe and Bolivia/Brazil/Argentina. I know, way to narrow it down, right? If Lisa wants to go she knows she has a standing invite! I have mixed feelings about the length of my trip. Nepal is very exciting right now and I feel like I'll be short on time here, but it is a little crazy because I feel like I've been gone a long time yet I have two thirds of my trip left. I would say I'm happy with the length of my trip at the moment.

Well I'll be around to update plenty until I head off for whitewater rafting or trekking. And hopefully next time I'll find a computer with a USB port.