Day 6: Upper Pisang to Ghyaru (11,220 ft-12,111 ft)

Another nap along the way.

We've had some mediocre meals on our trek, which is understandable due to the difficulty of delivering supplies, but last night's meal of pizza and vegetable mom0s (dumplings) was absolutely horrendous. The pizza consisted of tomato paste poured over undercooked flatbread with cabbage and a bit of yak cheese. The momos had so much salt I think my heart stopped. Of course, we were too polite to say anything to the little old lady innkeeper about her cooking that we just told her that we were full and that is why we left everything half eaten. Ah and in the morning after a restless night, we woke to clouds, and for me it got worse as I came down with a stomach bug which sapped all my strength. This made the 1000 ft ascent to Ghyaru a long arduous day and we felt like moving speed bumps - take ten steps, stop to rest, then try ten more. Robyn had to keep encouraging me along as all I wanted to do was lie down. Eventually she had to take my pack and a hike that was supposed to take less than 2 hours ended up taking 4.5 hrs.

Day 5: Chame to Upper Pisang (8,759 ft-11,220 ft)

Crossing the Marsyangdi on our way to Upper Pisang.

Steve and the Swarga Dhar

We are yet to see our first yak or nak, but Robyn claims to have see a yeti earlier today. I informed her that this wasn't possible, as the yeti resides in the high Himalaya, not down here at 10,000 ft. She clarified her sighting suggesting instead that I'm starting to look more like a yeti by the day. Today's climb took us through some of the most beautiful country so far. We followed a deep river gorge up through richly scented pine forest, an inspiring passage cut into the rock face pst a 5,000 ft high slab of rock called the Swarga Dhar (Gateway to Heaven). Nepalis believe that the spirit of the deceased has to climb up and over this rock to reach the afterlife. After a lunch of tuna spaghetti (one of the food options with protein in it) and Masala tea (so good), we continued upwards to where the steep canyon opened into an impressive valley on the Northeast side of the Annapurna massif. We have finally turned the corner (literally) and are now in the rain shadow of the mountains, and hopefully leaving the rain and clouds behind. We are perched at the Himalayan Guesthouse in Upper Pisang. Our room looks south across the valley towards the Annapurnas. If the clouds vanish tomorrow, we are in for our first spectacular views of Annapurna 3 and 4.

I think the thin air is making us a little kooky or it could be the lack of things to do after dinner, but we wrote a few little diddies/songs of our experiences to pass the time:

Sleeping in the Clouds
High in the Himalaya
Lies a stone house
Just below a Buddhist monastery
The chanting whips in with the wind

I'm sleeping in the Himalaya
High up in the clouds
Feeling at ease
dreaming of yaks and yetis
Prayer flags blowing
in the breeze

The yeti riding the yak
Tuna spaghetti & mac
A yeti is white not black
Watch out for dal bhal attack
Nakkety nak a female yak.

The Dark Side of the Himalaya
Delayed and terrified by a landslide
Stumbled over slipppery stones
On a trail that looks like a stream
The cold chilling us to the bone
My blood sustaining a leech
Duped by a guide
Nursing blisters all the way
Climbing, climbing, climbing

Slapped by a donkey
Slipped on his dung
Scooted under a waterfall
Scratched my thumb
Bit by a horsefly
Stung by a nettle
Trying to save money boiling tea in a kettle
Peed myself
Got gassed by dal bhat
Our alarm clock wakes us up at 7am to a robot
Spending $35 a day for all this
When deep down it's Kata Beach that we miss.

Day 4: Dharapani to Chame (6,102 ft-8,758 ft)

Goal number 1, making it to Manang.

Separating out the bran from the rice kernel, with baby overseeing.

Not sure if we're getting used to the 6-8 hrs of trekking a day or if the environmental conditions on this leg are improving (easier, less rocky terrain and fewer landslides) but we finally feel we're hitting our stride, making the Lonely Planet recommended trekking times, and generally enjoying ourselves more. We reached the acclimitization line (the line where most folks start feeling the effects of the high altitude) of 8,250ft+ today and I'm not sure if it's in my head, but I do feel like it's a little harder to breathe with the thinner air. The climate and landscape has changed to cooler alpine forest and reminds us a lot of Yosemite and the Sierras, but then we're reminded again of where we are when we see troops of common langurs swinging from the trees or mule trains sharing the trail with us with their colorful headdresses and heavy burdens (mules and human porters are the only form of transporting goods up in the mountains as there are currently no roads beyond Bhulbule). Before dinner we decided to check out some natural hot springs that some Israeli trailmates told us about. About a 15 min. walk out of town, across a bridge, was a concrete tub that lay flush up against the river. Although the water was only about a foot and a half deep, the water was warm to ease our achey muscles as we stared out at the powerful raging river next to us.

Another interestig anecdote I've noticed is how the tables have turned from one country to the next. In many parts of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, Steve used to get lots of attention for being the white foreigner. But here in Nepal, I seem to be the roadside attraction and all eyes are on me for looking like a local, but not dressing nor acting like one. Although I had some people mistake me in the other countries we've visited as native to that country (I've been mistaken for Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, and Thai) almost all Nepalis think I'm actually Nepali. I'll take that as a compliment as Nepalis are some of the warmest and genuine people we've had the pleasure to meet.

Day 3: Jagat to Dharapani (4,265 ft-6,102 ft)

Palms at 6000 feet.

The views keep getting better the higher we climb.

If I never see another landslide again, it will be too soon. The rain pounded away again last night, but by morning had disappeared, leaving blue skies and numerous landslides in our path. Today was our hardest day yet with seven hours of hiking up a steep canyon and an 1,800 ft gain in elevation. We have to concentrate on every step we take as the trail is basically a stream that we follow. Our persistently wet shoes and socks are wreaking havoc on our feet as we have to tend to have numerous blisters on each foot. However, we are rewarded with gorgeous views of the valley and countless waterfalls that present themselves.

More images of Days 1-3 can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/AnnapurnaCircuitTrekPart19189202010#

Day 2: Ngadi to Jagat (3,051 ft-4,265 ft)

Our first lodge.

Waterfalls and cable bridges.

This trekking business is no walk in the park. We spent about six hours on the trail, winding our way up the Marsyangdi River valley, all the while scrambling over landslides and on many occasions, pausing to find the trail. We are starting to think that a guide might have been a good idea and a porter even better (the 10-15 kg backpacks make the scrambling over boulders a lot harder). We are so glad to have our walking sticks for that extra point of balance.

Day 1: Bhulbule to Ngadi (2,756 ft-3,051ft)

Another delay.

First day on trial and all smiles, the water buffalo is happy too.

We had another early morning bus ride from Dumre to Besi Sahar, a 32km journey which took almost 3 hrs, as it was a simple mud and rock road cut into the hillside and we were delayed yet again by a minor traffic accident (no one was hurt) which caused the entire village to come out, watch, and block the road. After the very bumpy and uncomfortable ride, we finally reached the small town of Bhulbule and set off on the "official" part of the trek. Our first day was relatively easy with a gradual hillside trail climb over the grey, frothy waters of the Marsyangdi Kola River, continuing on through a wide green valley with terraced rice fields and corn reaching high up on the hillsides. Robyn was prescient with our very first blog entry titled "Landslides and Leeches" as I had my first bloodsucker attached to my foot within the first hour of our trek.

Travel Day: Journey from Kathmandu to Besi Sahar (starting point of Annapurna Circuit Trek)

Waiting at the bus station in Kathmandu while the bus is blessed.

We made it back safe and sound from our trek, but we will be posting our Himalayan adventure in piecemeal for fear of overwhelming readers.

This first couple days are fairly brief (we were very tired at the end of each day!) and after re-reading what we wrote, we think it's a tad on the whiny side. However, we want to be true to the spirit and feeling of when we wrote these entries, so we're leaving them as is. Please be patient with us as we adjust to life on the trail. Enjoy!

Travel Day: Journey from Kathmandu to Besi Sahar (starting point of Annapurna Circuit Trek)
We left Kathmandu in the morning on the local bus (we were the only foreigners on it), expecting to arrive at Besi Sahar by early afternoon. We were warned that plans are often foiled in Nepal, especially during the Monsoon season (we are at the tail end of the season). About two hours outside of Kathmandu, our bus approached a long backup of vehicles which stretched further than the eye could see. After waiting roadside by the bus for several hours, we painstakingly learned (as there were few people who had any info and even fewer that spoke English) that we were blocked by a large landslide. Seeing that there was no movement of vehicles nor alternate routes we could take, we decided to start our trek early. Walking in the rain, past a long back-up of buses and trucks, we finally reached the landslide about 12km away, where large boulders the size of semis, blocked the entire road, of which abruptly then fell off into the river. There was a long queue of nervous Nepalis and the odd foreigner waiting to climb around, over, or under the unstable rock and mud. A few soldiers attempted to direct the anxious crowd over the easiest route - a narrow gap between a huge boulder and There were about 3 possible routes to take, none of which looked appealing nor safe. A few soldiers attempted to direct the anxious crowd through the easiest route, although the line dissolved and chaos ensued as some boulders started tumbling down in front of us (it had been raining nonstop for several hours and the ground proved very unstable). We grew nervous and inpatient as we felt it was dangerous to just be standing there so we dropped down to the lower route next to the river where we scampered over wet rocks and mud. Hearts racing, drenched with sweat and rain, we felt relief at having passed unscathed. We walked another few km and found a minibus that would take us to Dumre, a town in the direction of Besi Sahar, for an exorbitant fee. We arrived there almost 12 hours after leaving Kathmandu, and still several hours short of our planned destination. Not an auspicious start!