Wednesday 23.10 - You shall be the fellowship of Annapurnas!
It's an early start today as I aim for the 7am bus, one that should take me all the way to the trail-head at Besisahar. I quickly pack up the remaining bits and bobs and quietly leave the room with everyone else still fast asleep.
After some light breakfast, I wave goodbye to Elbrus home for a while, but promise the owner that I'll be back at the end - after all, I borrowed some walking sticks from the hostel. Plus I left some of my own stuff there, realizing that it's not exactly mid-Siberia where I'm going and I don't really need two power banks and a solar USB charger. and the hoard of other shit I packed..
The bus leaves from the area around BG mall and I arrive shortly before 7. "Where are you going?" is a question to everyone that shows the slightest signs of being a tourist, me with my huge 85l backpack kind of being a clear case. I get quickly directed to the Besisahar bus and spying a few tourists through the windows, I am wondering if some of them will perhaps form my lovely companions for the next couple weeks, companions with whom I will form meaningful friendships that will bring us lifetime of mutual happiness... In other words, I wonder who do I get stuck with.
I get seated almost at the very back, and get an aisle seat which does not hold in its normal position, and thus constantly keeps reclining. Before I get a chance to object to the conductor, my neighbour arrives, introduces himself as Maik from Germany and offers a pretzel he just got of the street. I suspiciously eyeball it for a sec, then decide to politely decline, thinking back to the horrible bus journey I once did in Ghana on a bad stomach after some street food.
Maik's two friends are sitting just across the aisle, so we swap the seats and he gets the fun one. Not wanting to recline too much for the sake of the people behind him, he then spends much of the bus journey sleeping in a collection of funny positions, which would easily pass for "Fell asleep drunk in a pub" photo shoot. Given that the bus jumps around like crazy on its "suspension" and the "sealed" roads, I find Maik's ability to sleep at any time substantially impressive.
The first moments of the ride are exciting though with everyone awake, looking around and pointing to this and that, heads rotating 360 degrees and marveling at the chaotic nature of Kathmandu's traffic. Sellers and beggars hop on at the junctions and try their luck on us, boxes of various goods are taken on board for transport across Nepal and the local passengers come and go, usually occupying the benches at the front section of the bus, where the driver sits. It feels like getting us to Besisahar is just one of the many missions of this journey...
Just like almost every down jacket sold in Kathmandu is "North Face", literally every bus we saw on the streets was a "DELUXE" one, as usually printed with big letters across the back window. However, perhaps since the widespread "DELUXE" sign is now becoming too normal, some buses would be named "Fifa", "Volvo" or even "Google". I knew Google has passed the golden age, but if that's what's actually driving the Google employees around in Silicon valley, I guess I better switch to Bing.
Usually, the main DELUXE sign would be also complemented with plenty of stickers with symbols such as A/C, Power plug, Fan (that looked a bit like the radioactivity sign), or even DVD, LED, MP3 or Facebook - whatever that means for a bus ("this bus features Facebook, cool, eh?") . The reality was a bit different though, and I suspect that the only thing that actually worked on the bus was the steering wheel and the engine.
The initial excitement soon died off and most of the bus fell asleep, including the driver.
Haha, kidding. The driver was kept wide awake by his music, which was happily broadcast to us all, and which got often stuck for something like half an hour, repeating the same chorus about 479 times. Another entertainment for the driver was trying to keep the bus on the road with one wheel off the occasional deadly cliff, especially when descending from the Kathmandu plateau. At that point, I turned to Maik saying "No seat belt, no problem", to which he replied that I should not worry, for his friend told him that it's only one out of ten buses that fall over the cliff. As a statistician, I thanked Maik for the reassurance.
At Dumre, we left the main road to Pokhara and continued towards Besisahar for the final pull. Snow covered peaks soon appeared in front of us and I snapped the first pics of Himalayas, so that I could show off to my friends and family while I was still connected on 4G.
We stopped also for food a couple times, and at one of the stops I got to meet Oli from Australia and Emma from UK. They mentioned their plan to trek to Bhulbule the very same day, and since it was to be only 2 hours, I decided to join them. Later in Besisahar, the three German guys - Maik, Chris and Oli (from now on, Oli (A) for the Australian Oli, and Oli (G) for the German Oli) joined us as well, and thus the Fellowship of Annapurnas was born, and we ceremoniously commenced the journey to Mordor (Thorong La pass) carrying the ring (our bags?).
Checking my offline Locus maps, I expected only a short walk on the road for the day, and thus did not bother to reorganize the backpack or take much water. It turned out, however, that the official marked trail takes a rather hilly route through the farmlands and its tiny settlements. For sure it was worth it though, with nice views and a proper experience of the subtropical zone we were soon to get out of. However, when we arrived to Bhulbule already in dark, a shower to wash away the sweat and dust of the day was a very welcome sight.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the guesthouses on the trek, but the first one already made a very positive impression, well beyond my expectations. Definitely no luxury, but a pleasant ambiance with everything that one really needs, and - most importantly - great food. As Emma quoted from her guidebook, the place was known for its kitchen and so I ordered my first Dal Bhat here.
We gathered in the dining area, eating and chatting. And although Vinny once told me that his conversation strategy is to avoid asking "what do you do" for as long as possible and try get to know people through different questions, I was curious to find out. So here we go, behold the Fellowship of Annapurnas!
Chris is a pilot, flying mainly long haul for Lufthansa, and thus constantly hopping around the world and exploring exotic places. He's also a big LOTR fan and at times played "Concerning Hobbits" from his speaker, or enlightened me on the details of Tolkien's world based on Silmarilion. Back on my to-read list! Finally he carries at least thousand USB chargers and various gadgets, making him the MacGyver of our group.
Oli (G) works for the German police and his work now involves "training the trainers", having done his bit of patrolling on the streets and shooting the bad boys (actually, he did not mention the latter, it's just my imagination adding it). He also climbed mt. Kilimanjaro, something requiring a complete expedition including guide and crew carrying kitchen and toilet. Finally, he laughs like crazy, which is very addictive.
Maik has his own business dealing with investment in properties, and it is only later in the trek when I question him on more details. In turn, he inspires me to not be afraid to invest myself (although for now, it ended with the inspiration). I also like Maik's attitude to life and to making decisions (supermarket decisions, I call them) and not being afraid to try new things, which got him to come to this trek. He's also the best person when it comes to annoying Emma.
Emma works for British Petrol where she does some higher management role in the company, and is now enjoying some well deserved long time off, continuing to New Zealand and other places. She's a weight freak when it comes to her gear, and her backpack is about half of the weight of mine. And if you ask her where she's from, she'd say "from Yorkshire", but then she admits to spend most weekends in Lake district, camping with her ultra light tent and a dog (the dog is not ultra light though).
Finally, Oli (A) is the youngest of the group, and also the fastest. An Australian from Melbourne area, his last job was on his family's farm, deeper inland, with temperatures commonly reaching beyond 50 degrees Celsius. His trademark Aussie slang phrase is "It's fucked", which I tried to copy and use in certain situations but it just wouldn't work that well as when he did it. It's simply fucked.
The first day was drawing to its end. The city life was behind us and chilly nights would soon be forcing us to our sleeping bags after the dinner. At 840m, Bhulbule was still reasonably warm in the night. But life in the mountains will have its way - and one slowly obeys and adjusts to the routine of going to sleep early anyway...
As I am drifting away, I feel good about the day and am full of expectations. I'm finally on the trek, the air is fresh, and the people I "got stuck with" are nice. Sure, trekking in 6 will be difficult and who knows if the fellowship will survive. But it's good. A good beginning. Or perhaps, a good end of the beginning...
After some light breakfast, I wave goodbye to Elbrus home for a while, but promise the owner that I'll be back at the end - after all, I borrowed some walking sticks from the hostel. Plus I left some of my own stuff there, realizing that it's not exactly mid-Siberia where I'm going and I don't really need two power banks and a solar USB charger. and the hoard of other shit I packed..
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| See you later, Elbrus home... |
The bus leaves from the area around BG mall and I arrive shortly before 7. "Where are you going?" is a question to everyone that shows the slightest signs of being a tourist, me with my huge 85l backpack kind of being a clear case. I get quickly directed to the Besisahar bus and spying a few tourists through the windows, I am wondering if some of them will perhaps form my lovely companions for the next couple weeks, companions with whom I will form meaningful friendships that will bring us lifetime of mutual happiness... In other words, I wonder who do I get stuck with.
I get seated almost at the very back, and get an aisle seat which does not hold in its normal position, and thus constantly keeps reclining. Before I get a chance to object to the conductor, my neighbour arrives, introduces himself as Maik from Germany and offers a pretzel he just got of the street. I suspiciously eyeball it for a sec, then decide to politely decline, thinking back to the horrible bus journey I once did in Ghana on a bad stomach after some street food.
Maik's two friends are sitting just across the aisle, so we swap the seats and he gets the fun one. Not wanting to recline too much for the sake of the people behind him, he then spends much of the bus journey sleeping in a collection of funny positions, which would easily pass for "Fell asleep drunk in a pub" photo shoot. Given that the bus jumps around like crazy on its "suspension" and the "sealed" roads, I find Maik's ability to sleep at any time substantially impressive.
The first moments of the ride are exciting though with everyone awake, looking around and pointing to this and that, heads rotating 360 degrees and marveling at the chaotic nature of Kathmandu's traffic. Sellers and beggars hop on at the junctions and try their luck on us, boxes of various goods are taken on board for transport across Nepal and the local passengers come and go, usually occupying the benches at the front section of the bus, where the driver sits. It feels like getting us to Besisahar is just one of the many missions of this journey...
Just like almost every down jacket sold in Kathmandu is "North Face", literally every bus we saw on the streets was a "DELUXE" one, as usually printed with big letters across the back window. However, perhaps since the widespread "DELUXE" sign is now becoming too normal, some buses would be named "Fifa", "Volvo" or even "Google". I knew Google has passed the golden age, but if that's what's actually driving the Google employees around in Silicon valley, I guess I better switch to Bing.
Usually, the main DELUXE sign would be also complemented with plenty of stickers with symbols such as A/C, Power plug, Fan (that looked a bit like the radioactivity sign), or even DVD, LED, MP3 or Facebook - whatever that means for a bus ("this bus features Facebook, cool, eh?") . The reality was a bit different though, and I suspect that the only thing that actually worked on the bus was the steering wheel and the engine.
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| Free Wifi and Air Suspension. I think no comment is needed. |
Haha, kidding. The driver was kept wide awake by his music, which was happily broadcast to us all, and which got often stuck for something like half an hour, repeating the same chorus about 479 times. Another entertainment for the driver was trying to keep the bus on the road with one wheel off the occasional deadly cliff, especially when descending from the Kathmandu plateau. At that point, I turned to Maik saying "No seat belt, no problem", to which he replied that I should not worry, for his friend told him that it's only one out of ten buses that fall over the cliff. As a statistician, I thanked Maik for the reassurance.
At Dumre, we left the main road to Pokhara and continued towards Besisahar for the final pull. Snow covered peaks soon appeared in front of us and I snapped the first pics of Himalayas, so that I could show off to my friends and family while I was still connected on 4G.
We stopped also for food a couple times, and at one of the stops I got to meet Oli from Australia and Emma from UK. They mentioned their plan to trek to Bhulbule the very same day, and since it was to be only 2 hours, I decided to join them. Later in Besisahar, the three German guys - Maik, Chris and Oli (from now on, Oli (A) for the Australian Oli, and Oli (G) for the German Oli) joined us as well, and thus the Fellowship of Annapurnas was born, and we ceremoniously commenced the journey to Mordor (Thorong La pass) carrying the ring (our bags?).
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| Leaving Besisahar - the starting point of the trek |
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| The scenery of the first day - farm fields and forests of the sub-tropical zone |
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| Dal Bhat power - 24 hour! |
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the guesthouses on the trek, but the first one already made a very positive impression, well beyond my expectations. Definitely no luxury, but a pleasant ambiance with everything that one really needs, and - most importantly - great food. As Emma quoted from her guidebook, the place was known for its kitchen and so I ordered my first Dal Bhat here.
 |
| Rooms in the guest houses are simple, but not much is needed indeed. |
Chris is a pilot, flying mainly long haul for Lufthansa, and thus constantly hopping around the world and exploring exotic places. He's also a big LOTR fan and at times played "Concerning Hobbits" from his speaker, or enlightened me on the details of Tolkien's world based on Silmarilion. Back on my to-read list! Finally he carries at least thousand USB chargers and various gadgets, making him the MacGyver of our group.
Oli (G) works for the German police and his work now involves "training the trainers", having done his bit of patrolling on the streets and shooting the bad boys (actually, he did not mention the latter, it's just my imagination adding it). He also climbed mt. Kilimanjaro, something requiring a complete expedition including guide and crew carrying kitchen and toilet. Finally, he laughs like crazy, which is very addictive.
Maik has his own business dealing with investment in properties, and it is only later in the trek when I question him on more details. In turn, he inspires me to not be afraid to invest myself (although for now, it ended with the inspiration). I also like Maik's attitude to life and to making decisions (supermarket decisions, I call them) and not being afraid to try new things, which got him to come to this trek. He's also the best person when it comes to annoying Emma.
Emma works for British Petrol where she does some higher management role in the company, and is now enjoying some well deserved long time off, continuing to New Zealand and other places. She's a weight freak when it comes to her gear, and her backpack is about half of the weight of mine. And if you ask her where she's from, she'd say "from Yorkshire", but then she admits to spend most weekends in Lake district, camping with her ultra light tent and a dog (the dog is not ultra light though).
Finally, Oli (A) is the youngest of the group, and also the fastest. An Australian from Melbourne area, his last job was on his family's farm, deeper inland, with temperatures commonly reaching beyond 50 degrees Celsius. His trademark Aussie slang phrase is "It's fucked", which I tried to copy and use in certain situations but it just wouldn't work that well as when he did it. It's simply fucked.
The first day was drawing to its end. The city life was behind us and chilly nights would soon be forcing us to our sleeping bags after the dinner. At 840m, Bhulbule was still reasonably warm in the night. But life in the mountains will have its way - and one slowly obeys and adjusts to the routine of going to sleep early anyway...
As I am drifting away, I feel good about the day and am full of expectations. I'm finally on the trek, the air is fresh, and the people I "got stuck with" are nice. Sure, trekking in 6 will be difficult and who knows if the fellowship will survive. But it's good. A good beginning. Or perhaps, a good end of the beginning...
Thursday 24.10 - Everything is Dal Bhat
A sunny morning welcomes us. The socks and underwear we washed the evening before are still completely damp and so we attach it all to our backpacks, like some sort of weird Christmas decorations.
We eat breakfast and soon set off for the first full proper day of hiking on the trip. We cross Margsyandi river and trek on the east side. The distant peak of Ngadi Chuli is right in front of us and we are all taking pictures as if it was the last 8k peak we'll be seeing on the trip.
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| Interestingly, Ngadi Chuli has so far been climbed only twice in the whole history! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngadi_Chuli |
Sun is already up and scorching us, and we stop by a a guesthouse in a small settlement, where I refill both of my 1 liter bottles, splashing some more over my head. Local kids are on their way to school and one of them eyes me eating chocolate and says "give me chocolate". Before I have a chance to react, the rest of the chocolate is gone and I thus leave half happy that I have 100g less weight to carry, half feeling a bit bad for letting it go so easily...
We climb steeply, through Lampata, and on our way to Bahundanda. The last part is literally a staircase to heaven but we persevere with the vision of a lunch in the hospitable village at the top. We opt for a viewpoint restaurant which is another few steps higher and then finally sit in the shadow.
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| A view from Bahundanda, facing south (where we came from) |
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| View from the viewpoint restaurant in Bahundanda - facing north, where we head next |
Another small group of trekkers is around, including Julie from Canada and two guys from US. Interestingly, we bump into Julie and her group here and there throughout the trek, but it is really only at the end in Pokhara when I properly get to know her after randomly running into her at the lakeside.
We open up the menu which seems quite diverse and hungry as we are, we all make our unique wishes for this and that, only to be eventually coerced into two choices (Macaroni and Dal Bhat) which seem to be the most convenient ones to cook for the chef :-D
Chilling out with food and beer in the shade is what we live for, but we need to move on, so that we can chill some more at other places. From Bahundanda, we descend a bit and then climb on towards Ghermu, a lovely village higher above the Margsyandi river, with picturesque waterfalls down below. Oli (A) sets a high tempo. Emma feels a bit sick from the heat. My underwear scratches my ass.
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| Based on the faces, I assume I am not the only one whose ass is scratched by their underwear |
We meet other groups of tourists here and there, faces we will be encountering on many more occasions the next couple weeks. We also pass an elder couple from Manchester and Emma is excited as if she met her own mum and dad. I don't understand why, as Manchester is not in Yorkshire.
Interestingly, talking to the guide of the Manchester couple, I find out that he only did the route once before. Hmm.
We descend to Syange and cross the river. Here it's only a few more kilometers on the jeep track to Jagat, our destination for the day. Once again I can't really wait to take the backpack off my shoulders. I entertain myself by thinking of which items from the bag can be thrown away to reduce the weight. Some parts of the first aid kit perhaps. Some more of the snacks. The underwear that scratches my ass. Ok, maybe that one over the first aid kit.
We climb a zig-zag on the jeep track and there's surprising amount of traffic - almost every other minute a jeep or a poor mini truck loaded to the very limits overtakes us and leaves behind a cloud of dust. With rocks and boulders everywhere on the "road", the vehicles swing around and do not overturn only by what is seemingly pure witchcraft.
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| Jagat, perched in the middle of the canyon does not get too much daylight... |
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| Jagat has a busy and lively vibe |
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| "Dal Bhat" pizza |
We gather for the dinner around 6:30 and order a variety of dishes, including Dal Bhat, Curry, Pizza or Apple pie. Interestingly, we realize that all of it is simply a variation of Dal Bhat - the Curry seems to feature the Dal Bhat veggies, the Pizza seems to have the Dal Bhat toppings and I would swear that even the Apple pie tasted a bit like Dal Bhat! Simply Dal Bhat everywhere you look.
Other than that, the mood is optimistic, mobile data are still available, beer got a bit more expensive but is still within reasonable limits. Oli (A) gets hold of the card deck and teaches us some funny game with about million rules that he uncovers one by one, seemingly at the time when the new rule earns him extra points.
Tiredness gets the best of me soon though and I am back in my sleeping bag at 9 for dreams which I no longer remember, but which were surely full of Dal Bhat.
Friday 25.10 - Pizza for breakfast
I slept well, but I seem to be the only one, and I fear that the others will gradually turn into grumpy zombies due to lack of sleep.We eat breakfast at 7:30 and three of us go for a pizza - after all why not? It's nutritious, tasty and it's essentially just another type of bread. I use the moment and pull out my sausage (keep reading, it's not what it sounds like) which I brought from the UK (keep reading, almost there) supermarket, and we all have a piece, thus relieving me of extra few hundred grams of weight.
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| Pizza for breakfast? Why not! |
The breakfast comes late, and we also end up waiting for each other before finally setting off only at 9, which sparks a grudge here and there and the mood gets a bit somber.
For the first mild 20 minutes, the route keeps to the jeep track, then splits off for a steep ascent of good few hundred meters of elevation gain. We're still quite low, the sun is already high and despite some shadows of the trees lining the path, I breath and sweat as if I just finished a marathon. Counting the number of times I refill my bottles, I calculate that I drunk at least 5 litres of water till we reached Ghatte Khola.
The small settlement high above the river surprises us with a small football field which we cross on our way to Chamje. There, we cross the river and continuing on the east side, we start climbing again. The canyon is deeply carved into the mountains and the cliffs are towering above us. Another - this time a bit longer - pull begins towards Tal Phedi. By now we are spread out quite thinly, with Oli (A) far ahead, Oli (G) and Maik at the back and the rest of us somewhere in between.
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| One's better off not playing the ball high here... |
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| Emma and Oli (G) |
We regroup for a moment at a small tea house on the way and agree to lunch at Tal Phedi, again towards the end of the village. We also feel the first signs of the colder climates that we slowly enter into. And although at this point it's a welcome feeling, I get my first "lemon ginger honey" tea of the trek, a brew that makes me instantly hooked, as if they dropped in a teaspoon of cocaine.
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| This tiny tea house brews excellent lemon-ginger-honey-cocaine tea |
We continue through the narrowing canyon with high walls closing in on us. Through the small villages of Kharte and Korte we climb, sometimes more, sometimes less, but nonetheless gaining altitude. A gentle breeze joins here and there and me and Emma get finally content with the temperatures, while others start to put on jumpers. UK weather training for the win.
We finally arrive to Dharapani, a nice and busy little town that features a ACAP checkpoint and where other treks join/split off from the Annapurna circuit. There's still a couple hours of daylight left and so we decide to continue trekking to Bagarchhap.
Bagarchhap is an interesting village, though perhaps not much on the positive side of "interesting". The place feels a bit somber, almost devoid of life. The guidebook confirms this feeling, talking about a landslide that happened here a few years ago, literally wiping most of the village along with all of its houses and people. The effects of the disaster were no longer visible though and a couple of guesthouses were open for the odd trekkers that did not just pass through, but decided to stay.
The guesthouse we choose is empty (most likely just like the others) but the owner seems like a nice chap. After dropping our bags in the room, the typical fight for the shower follows. There's two options this time though - a "gas shower", which guarantees hot water (once the owner makes it work), and the solar shower in a little shed on the front yard. Since the day was sunny, I am feeling lucky and go for the latter, which indeed turns out to have nice and warm water. Much worse is the daily washing I do in the adjacent sink running water from a nearby stream - the water is freezing cold and my hands are numb within seconds. And as the sun sets, temperatures plummet and suddenly the realization hits me:
"You're in fucking Himalayas Fero. It's COLD here dude."
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| I believe it's clear we're not exactly melting down in a heat |
The (once again) long trek leaves us hungry and we order perhaps the most heterogeneous selection of foods that we possibly can, making me feel a bit sorry for the owner who'd likely prefer to simply cook a big batch of Dal Bhat. However, despite the humble kitchen equipment, him and his aide (wife?) get on with cooking and every now and then a new treat appears in front of us - soups, spaghetti, momos, noodles, fries and even deep-fried snickers. 100% skill.
We continue with playing cards but once again I drop out as one of the first and head to the room. I read for a while but eventually wrap up and fall asleep. My last thoughts are aiming to our group, and I can't help feeling that the good vibes that surrounded it the first day were disappearing a bit.
But that's for another day to resolve.
Saturday 26.10 - Meeting the King
Morning comes and we gather down for breakfast to get some typical breakfast dishes - tea, muesli or french fries for Emma. It's still super cold, but the moment the first rays of sun hit the ground, the whole thing turns around - a light T-shirt is suddenly perfectly sufficient and we hang the washed clothes on a line for a quick-drying process. |
| First rays of sun come and we're back to shorts and t-shirts |
The first couple kilometers are uneventful. Then the fun begins though, and we start a very generous and seemingly never-ending ascent. In principle, it's simply climbing up the stairs cut into the mountain. The route gets intersected here and there with the jeep track and eventually the steepness subdues, as we enter a forest. Chris is telling me all about Middle Earth and Simlarilion and I almost feel like we're two hobbits walking through the Shire, had it not been for the fact that we're both fucking giants.
We now must be in the heights of ~2600 meters above sea level - and I think I feel the first effects of the altitude. There's no headaches or anything like that, but I do seem to breath more heavily than usual. This is also the day I start taking Diamox.
We cross an old suspension bridge and soon we arrive to beautiful village of Timang. At 2700m and at a nice clearing, Timang has superb views in many directions, especially at Manaslu and Ngadi Chuli. Interestingly, these two monsters which were in front of us during the first couple days are now behind us, towards south east, making me realize how much progress we've already made.
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| Chris either contemplating the depth of the universe, or posing for a staged pic |
We find the rest of our group already seated for lunch at a sunny terrace of a guest house. Somehow they've overtaken us, choosing a different route that followed the main road.
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| Our lunch spot in Timang. Just showing off here |
The weather is stunning but the moods are not. Team dynamics, different ideas, as well as the size of our group are playing their part. Oli (A) is looking for a more quiet time and generally more proper hiking experience and thus decides to split off after lunch and go on his own. I am contemplating the same, but for now I stick with the group, although I do fall behind a bit to have some space to switch off.
(From now on - Oli = Oli (G))
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| Still the complete squadron - lunching in Timang |
With fully loaded stomachs, the trail - conveniently - goes flat and even descends at times. After crossing the river to the west side, we climb steeply towards Tanchok. It's just a half an hour or so, but I pant brutally as I say "excuse me" to the phlegmatic cows having their afternoon snacks right there on the trail.
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| Cows trekking Annapurna circuit |
Past Tanchok, it's more or less flat towards Chame, through Koto. I am full of expectations here though - the guidebook says that around this time we shall get the first views of Annapurna II, the mountain that for me remained the King of the whole region. True, Annapurna I with 8091 is some 150 meters taller, but its "smaller sibling" is simply an impressive sight. A giant towering high above the whole valley with its seas of glaciers... I once again take unnecessarily many pictures and walk with my head twisted upwards, despite knowing there are bound to be much better viewpoints later on.
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| It's there. And it's huge. It's Annapurna II |
It is now just a few more minutes to Chame, a lovely and lively town, busy with tourists and with a very pleasant vibe. The numbers of trekkers were increasing every day so far, as many decide to skip the first parts of the trek and start much higher. Chame is generally the cut-off point as it is not too wise to get to higher altitudes too quickly (although there were quite a few exceptions, mainly from the locals who'd take a ride even higher up).
We get the last rooms in the guest house we aimed for and the usual ceremonies of shower and unpacking begins. I recall the advice from the guidebook talking about magnificent colors of sunset over Manaslu and Ngadi Chuli, visible from here, and we decide to go check it out later on.
Before we do that I hang around the front yard of the guest house and meet the smiley Amy from Melbourne. The conversation striker is a huge thick book that Amy is reading - something I would have long thrown away or swapped for a digital copy. Amy is one of the heart-thinkers here though, those that like the physical aspect of holding a "proper book". Had the ascent to Timang not been still so fresh in my mind, I would have almost said "I see what you mean".
Few people from Amy's group join the table - Wayne from New Zealand and a couple from Canada. We exchange our knowledge of Nepali language - Tatopani is hot water, Dharapani is drinking water, Koko is a dog. I link these pieces of information in my mind --> "Tato koko" is "hot dog"!
We explore Chame a bit before the sunset - there's plethora of shops and one almost feels like they can find anything they want, just like at the Oxford street. Not that I need or want anything though, still looking for ways to shed more weight of the backpack.
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| Chame downtown |
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| Sunset reflections over Manaslu and Ngadi Chuli |
Just like the day before, with the sun gone for the day, the temperatures drop massively and we aim to the dining area for a dinner. Here it's nice and cozy, warmed up by a wood-fired stove in the adjacent room. Chris teaches us two card games which will form the basis of our evening entertainment for the next week or so. The first one is called "fucking", the second one "asshole", which I believe is purely coincidental. They're both very addictive though and with a nice dinner and a hot tea, it's a really a good evening, albeit in four, as Maik is not feeling well and Oli (A) is in a different guest house.
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| Fucking and Asshole games lift our moods. (This may have sounded weird) |
In the middle of a round of "fucking", the doors are flung open and two Chinese walk in, one of them wearing sun glasses (despite it being pitch black outside) like Bono from U2. They just arrived all the way from Kathmandu, with a combo of a bus and a jeep and plan to press on to Thorong la direction the next morning. Chris mocks them a bit, asking if they have also ordered a helicopter already, but they counter that they know what they're doing, as they hike a lot in Tibet. Well, fingers crossed. When they later light a cigarette or awaken us the next day with a 20 minute session of loud coughing and spitting, I get some doubts too.
But that's another day already. Long live the King!
Sunday 27.10 - I did not come here to fuck spiders
The decisive moment of getting out of the sleeping bags gets less decisive every day, though we manage to become homo erectus again at around 7. It's freaking cold, few of us are coughing and sneezing and the Chinese are spitting loudly, forming interesting morning beatbox session.Leaving Chame, we continue on the main road. It's a dusty business though, and every time a car passes by (which is more often that I'd like) I have to keep my hand over the mouth and nose to breath. Not the best part of the trek, although the canyon below does offer some beautiful turquoise colors to admire.
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| Road to Pisang is carved to the cliff |
Past Bretang, we gain altitude more steadily. The jeep track is literally carved into the mountain with sudden drops off into the river below, not giving a very stable vibe... We make it alive though and eventually cross a bridge to continue on the east side.
Off and on on the jeep track, we make it to Dhikur Pokhari, which seems like a good place for lunch. We're not alone in that thinking and plenty of other groups sunbath at the guest houses' roof-tops, cherishing the splendid views. After a few days, I opt for Dal Bhat again and ask for refill too. The sun really packs a punch now, and I constantly migrate between the sun where it's too hot and the shade where gets a bit chilly..
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| Dhikur Pokhari - excellent lunching spot |
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| Oli, Emma and Chris scorched by the sun, while I am getting chilly in the shade just meters away |
As usual I finish Emma's meal and we slowly get back on the road. It's not far now to Pisang, but every elevation gain at this altitude (3200m) is now making itself known, especially with the lunch in the stomach. The dust on the road does not help, now being whirled by the wind that picked up in the afternoon. The views are magnificent though and so there's something to keep us going.
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| Mmm, yak... |
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| A drone-like pic, taken from... |
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| ...here! This one taken by me:- ) |
We aim for Upper Pisang as compared to its Lower sibling. Oli (A) is holding us a couple rooms in a guest house almost at the very top of the town and I am a bitching a bit climbing all that altitude at the end, but am later thankful for the guest house is a really nice one with superb views.
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| Maik, enjoying a cigar at the Upper Pisang |
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| Amy's daily chore captured on her new profile pic |
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| Our hotel up in Upper Pisang. Kudos to Oli (A) for booking this for us |
I get a shower and my mood eventually improves as I'm writing this blog in the cozy dining room with a meal on its way and occasionally chatting to a nice couple from Slovakia that also stay here. Amy comes later on and eventually we all gather in the dining room for some more food and rounds of fucking and asshole. I explain to everyone that I like to "be the asshole" in the game, as it's the feeling of working one's way up to the President that counts, not staying in that position... A parallel that I try to use is that of finally taking a hot shower after having only cold one for ages - the first hot shower is super enjoyable, but then one gets used to the comfort. Others don't seem to take the idea on board too much though and seem to prefer staying President and having hot showers. Hm, pussies.
Chris and Oli order a huge pot of Masala tea, where even a small cup was described to me to "pack a solid punch". Perhaps that, combined with the high altitude and general tiredness adds to a lighter mood and it ends up a good and fun evening in my memory. Amy teaches us some useful Aussie phrases such as "I did not come here to fuck spiders", which I invariably twist to something like "I did not come here to mess around with monkeys" every time I try to use it. Other useful phrases are "That's cooked" and "Does a bear shit in the forest?" which leads the conversation to shitting, especially around how to do it on the squat toilets. The strategy of Oli (A) is finally quoted - simply sit down on it.
Well, I'll think about it.
Monday 28.10 - How about these red bananas?
Today is the day of excellent views. The guide book said that. The New Zealand people I met in Kathmandu said that. I just said that.It's the upper trail from Pisnag to Manang, that goes through Ghyara. Our agreed destination is, however, Brakha, for we plan to do Ice lakes the day after.
The Fellowship of Annapurnas takes another hit and cracks some more. Emma takes a "day off" and opts for the easy lower trail. Amy goes with her, though would continue beyond Brakha to Manang and re-join her former group there. Chris did not sleep well again and looks for some time for himself, setting off on his own. That leaves me, Maik and Oli and so we get on the trail.
I myself take it easy and fall behind a bit, saving the energy for the dreaded "25 zig zags" promised on the way to Ghyaru. Tourists are funneling to this part of trek from both Pisangs and the trail is busy. The sun comes out fully and the first zigs and zags are a true struggle. I continue super slow though, "little by little, inch by inch", as John Mayer sings in one of his songs, unaware he's in fact describing the ascents at Annapurna circuit. I catch up with Oli and Maik and we're puffing together, creating a new style of techno that will become popular in 2023. A Russian dude runs some hip-hop from his phone though and so I press on to avoid listening to this unsolicited music.
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| The dreaded zig-zags, captured once conquered. |
About two thirds up the hill, we stop at a tiny tea house. Maik asks for a banana and the lady running the tea house, not having one and being a proper business woman, offers Maik a carrot instead with the words "here, red banana".
We finally reach Ghyara and its viewpoint terrace swarming with tourists. Selfie sessions are followed with a small refreshment break where me and Oli give a go to yak cheese. It's a bit strong taste but a nice energy boost all the same. We make some comments on hot Russian girls walking around and eventually get back on the route.
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| Picture of yak cheese. Unfortunately I have no pictures of the hot Russian girls... |
The next segment is relatively flat and full of splendid views. We stop for pictures all the time and find my favorite one with the view of Ghyaru, Annapurna II and IV in the background. Later in Kathmandu, I get a painting exactly from that viewpoint.
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| Painting depicting Ghyaru and Annapurna III |
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| The same scenery as on the painting, a bit more from the distance |
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| Maik, Oli me and another impressive Annapurna behind us |
Maik and Oli agree and we climb up a bit on a road that does not appear on my offline maps, though eventually joins a marked trail. There's picturesque views and indeed the enjoyable absence of tourists. On the other hand, Maik is not feeling too well and I feel a bit bad for prolonging the distance to the finish line. Might be a sunstroke, bit of altitude sickness, perhaps both. But he keeps going and also keeps assuring us that he's ok.
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| Annapurna III |
On a very dusty hiking trail, we descend steeply to Chulu where time stopped long time ago, it seems. The village is just a few kilometers from the main road, but has a truly peaceful and untouched vibe. We cross a little stream and take a small break, admiring the views of Annapurna III now right in front of us.
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| Maik leaving Chulu towards the main trail |
There's a further alternative trail up above, but we decide to go straight down to Mungji. All the same, it's not a very pleasant hike, with the main trail often covered with inches of snow, making our boots go completely gray, whatever the original colour was.
At a small tea house we pause and get some drinks. Me and Oli chat to a lady who's just completed an expedition to Chulu East - a 6400m tall peak.
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| Long business = 70rs, short business = 30rs. Time's running. |
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| You got to love their spelling |
Maik is not feeling well at all and so we get on the road again for the last 2-3 kilometers. In the dust and thirst we finally eye the welcoming village and in it even more welcoming Emma, stroking a cat at the front yard of a restaurant. Chris and Oli (A) leave to Brakha, which gives us some time to eat and relax and not worry about booking guest house rooms.Recharged and feeling better, we get on with the last bit too and arrive to Brakha and its Hotel Himalayas at around 4pm. A warm shower, good food and a rounds of card games lift the moods even further.
Before coming to Nepal, I got a recommendation to avoid eating meat, for the way it's processed here often leaves a lot to be desired by our standards. However, meeting some big hairy yaks on the way, I could not but succumb to the temptation of trying some yak meat. Oli joins me on this dangerous path and we both eventually not only survive, but also enjoy the delicious meals! My only fear is meeting an angry yak the next days who'd see it on my face that I ate some of his mates and decides to revenge...
A planning session is next and it looks like another day of splitting apart. Me, Chris and Oli (A) with his group are planning an acclimatization round trip to Ice lakes at 4600m. Emma is indecisive, though eventually opts for a lazy day off in Manang with Oli and Maik.
Past 9pm we wrap ourselves in sleeping bags and I add a cotton liner and a thick blanket provided by the hotel (likely from yak's fur). I look around the room which I share with Emma that night - my bit is full of mess resulting from the "exploded bag pack syndrome" while Emma's part is tidy and neatly organized, adding a bit of homely touch to this remote and temporary accommodation...
Tuesday 29.10 - The "day off"
On the AC trek, it is recommended to take a "day off" for acclimatizing and the time has come for us to do so. And although climbing 1200m of elevation to Ice lakes can hardly count as a "day off", there's certainly one thing to look forward to - going light. We leave the big bags in the guest house and with a small pack each, progress is inevitably faster. All the same, the altitude is unforgiving regardless of the weight of the backpack and the climb is very steep, so the initial super fast tempo set by Oli (A) slows down and we each plod our way up the mountain. I eventually find the best indicator to be my heart - when it beats too fast, I slow down or take a break, admiring the invariably superb views just behind us. |
| Brakha, from the trail to Ice Lakes |
In essence, we know a few facts. My guide book says "long, dehydrating climb", i.e. no water along the route. Chris estimated distance of 6km from Brakha to the lakes. Elevation gain is supposed to be 1100-1200 meters. And a local we asked about the route the day before gave us a 3h up and 1.5h down time estimates.
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| Annapurna III posing for a pic with the dudes |
About two thirds up we pass a tea/coffee house. Surprisingly though, it is closed and thus there's virtually no possibility of getting water till the very top. We're well equipped though and so we keep going, but on the way back I meet the Slovak couple from Pisang who were relying on the tea house being open, so I give them a bottle of water I would not end up using.Time passes more easily in conversations and it's never a problem with Chris - he talks about his profession as a pilot and I find out a lot of details about the industry, some of which I perhaps don't really want to know (e.g. that Ryanair does not keep much extra fuel to save costs).
We finally reach the lakes after the well predicted 3 hours and the heart takes a bit of a break from the fast beating. We take plenty pics and we're lucky to get nice mountain reflections off the still lake waters, which gets stirred by the wind only minutes later. Several happy and tail-swinging dogs come over out of nowhere and sit next to us, secretly wishing that we brought fried sausages just for them. Instead, they only get bits of dry bread from another tourist, a selfie with Chris and a stroke behind the ear from me.
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| Chris with the stupa at the top. Annapurna III and Gangapurna in the background |
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| It's the Usain Bolt pose, NOT heiling! |
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| At 4600 meters above sea level. |
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| Our new friends |
At 4600 meters, the effects of altitude can be already quite strong. Yet we don't really feel much - a slight headache or the odd pressure at the back of the head is the most I can feel. It seems like either Diamox does its magic, or we simply acclimatized well by doing the trek properly day by day. Still, we don't linger too long and after half an hour at the top, we start to go down.
We say hi to Oli and his group who are laying at the other side of the lake, nicely chilled and stoned after a joint, with altitude perhaps amplifying the effect.
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| Annapurna III and Gangapurna - the view we enjoyed for the whole day. The sharp peak at very right seems to be Khangsar Kang, which we got very close to when going to Tilicho lake. Annapurna I is somewhere behind and we do think we saw a bit of it at some point. |
The way down is fast and easy - after all, the distance is only 6 kilometers and the altitude does not mind us going down. All thus goes well, that is until the moment Chris suggests an alternative route and I stupidly accept. We soon get into very steep and dusty slopes full of thorny bushes where we seem to be more skiing than hiking. Once again completely gray and dirty up to our knees, we finally reach the trail and wash ourselves a bit by the water source just above the village.
We reach Brakha something past 1pm and find out that Emma, Maik and Oli are already in Manang. We decide to use the rest of the day and head to Manang too, but not before a quick lunch at a "fast food" across the road from our hotel. There I also spy an old guitar which calms slightly down my guitar withdrawal symptoms, even though it's not exactly a custom-made Taylor (i.e. it's a bit shit).
Manang certainly has a special vibe and I immediately understand why every guidebook recommends spending the day off exactly here. Other than a plethora of excellent restaurants, bakeries and chic almost-London-like cafes where it's easy to get spoiled (and spend money), there's also two cinemas or daily lectures on altitude sickness at the local clinic.
I just catch the end of the lecture while Chris gets some medicines for Oli (A). We do not linger too long in the town though, as it's getting darker and so we head back to Brakha.
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| Oli and the inhaler |
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| Can juice, our "little treat" |
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| Best ever chocolate cake |
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| Green shit n. 2 |
Another rounds of "fucking" and "asshole" follow, but after especially rough loss in the former I pack it up for the day and head to bed.
The "day off" was a good acclimatizing exercise, there and back. From tomorrow on though, the real trek in the altitudes begins, culminating with the day of crossing the pass and heading. Only then we will return to the elevations below 4000m. Are we ready? Let's see.
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