Annapurna Circuit Trek: Day 10

This is the other day of the trek (along with Day 7) that I wrote up my diary at the time, so what you're about to read is what I wrote on the day. (Just to give you an idea how far behind I am in my blogging, it is now June 2nd and I'm writing about April 24th).

I slept better that I'd expected under the circumstances and when we were woken with bad tea at 4am, I was surprisingly chipper. My headache of the night before had gone, as had the cramps. The later-than-expected wake up time (we'd been told 3:30) was pleasing as it meant we were unlikely to be heading out before 5am, an infinitely more sensible time than the 3:45am starting time which Vivek had initially suggested and to which I'd been whole-heartedly opposed (on the grounds that it would be too cold and dark). I'm only realising now that I didn't even feel daunted by the prospect ahead of us. The past nine days had been building up to this and now we were about to go, I was excited. A quick breakfast, where we exchanged encouraging words with some of our friends from the night before, and we were off.

Although not as cold as last night, it was still absolutely bitter, I reckon somewhere in the -20 to -25 degrees centigrade range, plus windchill. Even in thermal underwear, sweater, fleece, down jacket, hat, scarf and two pairs of gloves, plus nifedipine (a medication a take to improve my circulation and keep warm), I was still as cold as I ever recall being in my life. My lips were shivering.

The first half hour was absolutely miserable. My hands were so cold that I could barely hold my walking sticks. I was having terrible trouble breathing and had to stop every few steps. I couldn't find any rhythm. Also, it was still pretty dark. Not a great combination of factors. I was glad, at least, that we'd made it to High Camp the night before.

By 5:30am the situation had much improved. It was getting lighter and the glow on the mountains was indescribably magical. (Unfortunately I didn't take any photos; it was still to cold to stop and take my gloves off. Anyway, no photo I could have taken could possibly capture the feeling of being there.) From then on, every minute was better than the last as it was getting progressively warmer and every step was taking up closer to Thorung La. Henry and Vivek were soon way ahead, but Dil was solidly by my side and Ram stuck with Maria. The 'slowly, slowly' adage ('bistarai, bistarai' in Nepali) served us well. I drank as much as I could, which probably wasn't as much as I should, and kept myself energised with trail mix, granola bars and the Kendall Mint Cake that I'd been saving since Christmas for an ocassion such as this. That combination did me well.

We'd been told that a fit, well-acclimatised person could make it from High Camp to the pass in 2-3 hours, so we were expecting it to take us 4-5, given how slowly we'd been walking at altitude. But we were in no rush. There were, after all, magnificent views to be enjoyed. I know I'd been saying this for days, but now we were really in the peaks. One snow-capped beauty that seemed almost close enough to touch, was about 6000m, only about 600m higher than where we were heading.

And then, unexpectedly, I saw Vivek bouncing back towards me and Dil to tell us that we were only about ten minutes from the Thorung La. I couldn't quite believe it but soon I was there. It had taken me 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Once at the pass there was a great deal of hugging and high-fiving with all the people we knew who were already up there, and more as other made it. I was very happy. We spent about half an hour chatting, celebrating (my reward was a cinnamon roll), taking photos and posing for them:

Whilst undoubtedly impressive, it wasn't quite the mind blowing panorama that I'd been lead to expect. Here's the 360 degree view from the top:

It's customary to write a message on a prayer flag up there. Since it was Dad's birthday, a write a happy birthday note to him, leaving the the sentiments to make their way to him on the wind.

After half an hour I started to feel a headache coming on and was ready to start heading down. The first step off the pass was also the first moment I could stop worrying about AMS, so that was a great relief.

The first part of the downhill was easy and fun. It wasn't too steep and I was on a total high from having crossed the pass. After an hour and a half or so, it got really tough. Steep followed by more steep. By now it was getting pretty warm but also windy and I couldn't figure out the right clothing combination. I lost could of how many times I switched between my wool hat and my baseball cap. The path was also taking its toll on my knees. Even with knee support grips and my walking sticks I could feel every step there. At least there was the view, which changed pretty rapidly as things I felt we hadn't seen in days came back into view - shrubs, running water.

The downhill was interminable. After about three hours of it we reached Charbu and stopped for tea. By this time Henry and Vivek were well ahead of us again. We'd been told it was only three hours to Muktinath from Thorung La, so it was somewhat disappointing after that time to still have at least an hour to go.

The caffine refreshment gave me a boost and I just wanted to get there, so I set out at quite a pace from Charbu. It was such a relief to be moving freely and quickly after so many days of sluggishness at altitude. Thankfully, the last hour into Muktinath was less steep.

Overall, the walk to the pass was much better than expected and the walk down much worse (though all reports I'd heard suggested that this would be the case). In particular, of all the things that I'd heard could be a problem on the way up, none actually happened: the path was easy to follow, there was almost no snow on the ground, it took less long than expected and I wasn't fooled by the 20-odd false summits, the weather was perfect, the sky blue and not a cloud in sight and the winds failed to materialise, at least as long as we were on the way up.

The last few minutes into Muktinath was like a jolt back into reality. We saw the first motorised vehichle, a motorbike, since we'd began trekking. We were also back in a Hindu area after days in Buddhist land. Our lodge, the Bob Marley, was a definite change of pace from anywhere else we'd stayed; a pool table, reggae on the stereo (much to Maria's delight), an interesting menu, tiled bathrooms with sit down loos and a properly really hot shower.

Maria and I arrived about 12:30. It seemed strange to have had such a long day and yet for it to be only lunchtime. We hung out on the rooftop restaurant with Henry and Simon where I enjoyed a well-deserved beer and a yak burger (my first meat in over a week). I wanted to send Dad a happy birthday text (a more reliable way to get him the message than the prayer flag) and was pleasantly surprised to find I had reception (at over 3700m!), and we delighted when he called me back, which I hadn't expected at all. Although we didn't talk long, it was great to speak with both him and Mum, catch up briefly on their news and let them know that I was OK. It put me in an even better mood than I was already in.

For me, the best part staying at the Bob Marley was finding a number of our new trekking friends already there; cute Maria, Jolie and Paul, the Israeli hippies. Even Rabbi Dan and Gord (a cool Canadian guy we'd first met on Day 4), who weren't actually staying there, came to hang out, discuss the morning's achievement and eat apple pie. So passed a happy afternoon.

It happened to be a Friday and Eyal (one of the Isreali hippies) had suggested I joined them in bringing in Shabbat, but at the appropriate time they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, I suggested that Rabbi Dan came over to lead a short service (he'd been planning to mark it on his own). And so began the oddest kiddush I've ever taken part in. Dan had candles but, wine and challah being in short supply in Muktinath, I ordered the next best I could, seabuck thorn juice and chapati, which Dad took to pronoucing with a hard 'ch', much to my amusement. There were about ten of us present, though only three of us are Jewish, but everyone took part. I didn't find it to be a particularly moving or spiritual occasion, but I loved it for its novely - I wonder if kiddush has ever been said over reggae background music before - and also for the remarkably good luck of being in the company of a rabbi on Shabbat in the mountains, especially on a day that was already remarkable for having crossed the pass.

The rest of the evening passed without much event; a yummy dinner of fresh ravioli with spinach and ricotta, playing cards and then calling it a night at 8:30pm. It had, after all, been a long day.

Annapurna Circuit Trek: Day 8-9

I began Day 8 feeling pretty good, better than recent mornings, but I walked very slowly, enjoying the views and the feeling of not being in a rush (because of the altitude we were scheduled for a relatively short day). Also, Maria was not feeling well. The path provided a view over the route we'd taken back from Khangsar the day before so we got to see the scary bit and felt fully justified in our fear. Today we went above the tree line - it's just shrubs now, with the mountain peaks becoming ever closer and more impressive:



The best moment of the day was watching a flock of yellow-billed chaffs circling above us (here reduced to black pixelated dots):

Suddenly, about an hour before we were due for lunch, I felt overwhelmingly tired, like I was hit by a massive wave of exhaustion, and developed a mild headache. As these are both symptoms of AMS I was somewhat worried, but Vivek was far ahead and Dil and Ram far behind. I struggled on, exhausted, in pain from the blisters and increasingly angry at Vivek for leaving us so far behind, which I felt was irresponsible, especially at this altitude. It was fortunate that I knew the next stretch was flat - it would have been a far bigger problem if I'd had to increase my altittude to catch them up, as that's a big no-no when experiencing symptoms of AMS.

By the time Maria and I finally arrived at the lunch stop I was utterly miserable and let Vivek know it, and why, which put him in a sulk. Dal bhat made me feel somewhat better, as did the decision to stay in Yak Kharka (as opposed to pushing on to Letdar as originally planned). I had a much needed rest then took short acclimatisation walk. The light on the moutains was beautiful. At this height (4000m) we're seeing new peaks. It almost feels like we're in the clouds.

On the morning of Day 9 I felt much better, but took it very, very slowly as this, plus drinking lots of water, is the best prevention against AMS. Other than a minor headache, I felt in pretty good shape.

It was a long day. The standard itinerary is Letdar-Thorung Phedi, but we did an extra hour and a bit on each end of that; at the front end because we'd stopped early the day before and in the afternoon because Vivek wanted to push on to High Camp in order to shorten the mammoth walk up to the Thorung La pass the next day. It was also a big altitude hike. We gained 800m that day. Gradually we climbed even above the shrub-line and into magnificent ice-capped peaks. The final section, from Thorong Phedi, where most trekkers were staying, to High Camp was particularly steep and slow-going. Despite my repeated requests, indeed demands, that Vivek should stay within ear-shot of me and Maria, he was soon far ahead. Dil and Ram, who I think were as frustrated with Vivek as us girls, were fantastic and stuck right by us, setting an appropraite pace, resting when we rested, providing encouragement and looking out for our safety. They were fantastic.

High Camp, nested at 4800m in the mountains, feels totally isolated:

The view from the same peak in the other direction:

There was an excellent camaradarie that afternoon and evening, with all the trekkers huddled together in the dining room, the only part of the complex with heating. The people I met that day became friends and were to be a feature of the rest of the trek; cute Maria, Jolie and Paul; Rabbi Dan from Boise, Idaho; Simon, Clyde the Guide from Australia. We were all in good spirits about having made it so far and shared in our excitement and trepidation about the following day, a 600m ascent to a 5416m pass, followed by a 1600m descent, a description of which will follow shortly.

Annapurna Circuit Trek: Day 7

Day 7 was the first day of the trek that was so emotional that I needed to write out a full length diary entry that night (as opposed to just a few notes as a brief record and to use as a later reminder from blog writing). So, what you're going to read now is exactly as I saw it at the time:

Today is our acclimatization/rest day in and around Manang, which is at an elevation of 3540m. We were allowed to sleep in, so naturally I woke up at 5:30 and enjoyed dozing on and off for the next couple of hours. I splashed out on a 'light' breakfast, the 'light' option consisting of two eggs, potatoes, three pieces of toast and tea, which I enjoyed very much (makes a pleasant change from apple pancakes).

After the slow start, we set off around 9:15 for a day hike to the village of Khangsar. Such a walk is recommended for acclimatisation, which is something I feel I need all the help with that I can get. The trail wasn't too bad, though it did have some steep ascents and descents, the former of which I'm finding pretty slow going at high altitude. It didn't help that my blisters were agonising (they were hurting so much that I actually walked part of the day in flip-flops). But none of that mattered against the spectacular mountain backdrops. The path was carved into the slope on one side of the valley, with the river meandering through it. On the other side we could see the whole face of the mountain, from the pine forest lower down, though the bare rock up to the snow-capped peaks, an impressive sight.

Khangsar itself is another picturesque medieval village. We ate lunch on the roof of the restaurant, which provided superb views over the village and back down the valley. We watched as the locals farmed the seemingly impossible terrain, using yaks for the plowing.

Henry and Vivek had noticed a trail through the pine forest on the mountain on the other side of the valley and we opted to take that path back - it looked mostly flat (once we'd got across the valley) and it beat retracing our steps. At first it was absolutely lovely. The forest was dense (the densest we'd been though) and it smelt beautiful. The feeling of actually being on the mountain, the one we'd admired walking up, was wonderful. I was glad that I'd read Maurice Herzog's 'Annapurna' (the book which describes the conquering of the first 8000+ metre peak), which put it all in perspective and definitely gave me something to think about whilst looking at the summit. At one point, as the trees started to thin out and the mountain came back into view, Vivek started singing 'It's a wonderful world', then soon trailed off. I kept singing (though I couldn't remember all the lyrics) and the combination of the scenery and the song (which I appreciate has become almost a cliche in its sentimentality) brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. It was a very powerful moment.

That feeling of immense joy didn't last for long. The forest disappeared and the path, at this point san and small loose stones, became precariously narrow as it clung to the edge of the mountain. Then it almost entirely disappeared down to a line about the width of one foot (not as in the unit of measurement, but actually the width of one of my feet) as it traversed a scree-covered landslide area. To the right was steep up, to the left steep down. The aforementioned sand/loose stone combination was incredibly slippery and any remaining sense of stability I may have had was blown away by the fierce wind which sent the stones and sand around us flying. This is a picture of the area I'm describing, taken the following day:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I was scared. Not that nagging sense of anxiety that I'm unfortunately so used to, but full-on scared as in well aware that one slip could be the end of me. Thank goodness for my walking sticks, and for Ram who held my hand through it. Every scrap of my attention and energy were focused on where I was going to next place my foot. It was nerve-wracking in the extreme.

As so often on this trip, a tough stretch gave way to something yet more spectacular. The path widened and reassuringly large expanses appeared on either side. The view of the valley and mountains, the clouds and the light was indescribably incredible. My heart swelled once again. But this was a day of extremes and soon the path became precariously narrow again requiring yet more hand-holding by Ram. It was worth it, though, because shortly after we were at Gangapurna Lake, which I'd been so keen to see (a lake in the mountains - what's not to like?) After the difficulties of the recently traversed path (or lack thereof), the lake was a much-needed haven of tranquility and, separating myself from the others to sit right by the shore, I managed to enjoy a moment of almost zen-like peace. I contemplated the calmness of the lake, set against the rugged magnificence of Gangapurna mountain and glacier towering above it, and the clouds above that. One grey cloud was hovering such that it looked like it was smoking. The sun had gone in and it ws chilly, but the absence of bright lightmade the scene wonderfully broody. Here's a photo of the peak and lake (taken the following morning):


It was only about 15 minutes uphill back to Manang but I was drained. I was physically tired (no surprise there) and moreover, for the first time this trek, I felt emotionally drained. Maria and I collapsed back at the lodge and congratulated ourselves whole-heartedly for having gotten through it. A warm shower helped (the first shower I'd had in seven days that was warm enough to stand under). Now tucked up in bed writing this and looking forward to the hot chocolate and pastry that Maria and I are about to head out for.
....

Hot chocolate and chocolate cake were both disappointing - they didn't taste nearly as good as they looked, but I had a lovely time with Maria. We are now getting on very well, united in part by our abandonment by Henry and Vivek (they walk faster than us then disappear when we get into the villages to drink and smoke, never inviting us granola girls along). We both bought scarves. Mine is red/pink/orange/purple/blue/grey stripey yak wool, for which I paid 150 rupees, which I think is a pretty good deal and I'll be glad to have it on the pass - it's definitely getting colder as we get higher.

Rested back at the lodge and, whilst flicking through the Lonely Planet, came across and read the section on AMS (altitude sickness). I was aware of the risks of it before but reading it now that we're here brought on a semi-serious bout of anxiety. Vivek did a reasonable job of talking me down, as good as he could whilst pretty drunk on chhang. (Writing now in retrospect, the anxiety about AMS didn't really go away until the first step off the pass). Dinner and cards rounded off the evening.

I mentioned earlier in my post my agonising blisters. Just so you don't think I'm being unnecessarily whiny, this is what I'm talking about (the other foot was similarily damaged):

Annapurna Circuit Trek: Days 5-6

On day 5, as indeed on almost every day of the trek, I woke up raring to go. On the trail, however, I started to find the walking slow gloing. It was the altitude (we were over 2500m by this point). Fitness-wise, I felt fine. Being forced to slow down my pace wasn't all bad though, as I got to enjoy views such as these:

After lunch the views started to open up. This rock face was particularly impressive, a testament to the power of glacial erosion:

As with the day before, I relished the fresh air and the pine smells. We saw lots of butterflies and I loved the juxtaposition of their delicateness against the solidness of the mountains. I was very aware of the colours around me. Every one of them seem heightened somehow. The blue of the sky was particularly plue, the leaves particularly green, the snow on the mountains particularly white. The scenery was so lovely that even my bad blisters couldn't detract.

We were in the district of Manang and, of all the ethnicities we met, I liked the Managis best. They all seemed like decent people, with smiles and a expressions that radiated warmth and kindness. They are buddhists and the region is covered with rows of prayer wheels and stupas:

As I lay in bed on that night, I realised I had a massive grin on my face. I just couldn't stop smiling.

By day 6 the scenery was becoming noticably sparcer. Our itinerary for the day was to get from Pisang to the village of Manang. There are two possible routes, the higher route which is the harder of the two but more rewarding in its views or the lower, flatter route. We opted for the latter, since Maria was not feeling well and, my blisters being the way they were, I was happy to go along with that. The less good scenery was stunning nonetheless, with the mountains feeling ever closer. I was walking on my own and for a while I couldn't see anyone in any direction. It was just me and the mountains, trees and skies. At first it felt wonderful then overwhelming and I started to feel a little anxious, especially when I thought I'd lost the group. We were reunited soon enough, though. Since days our itinerary called for us to cover less distance once walking at altitute, we had time after lunch to explore the medeival village of Braga and its 600 year old monastry. Despite the brightness of the interior (a total sensory overload), I felt remarkably calm. I was glad to be feeling the cultural, as well as scenic, aspect of the trek.

Then onto Manang, which I liked more than I expected, given the guidebook's description of it as the commercial hub of the region. The commerical hub of such a sparce region, however, is hardly Oxford Street. I also immediately got a got vibe from the lodge we checked into. It was our group and dozens of Israelis, including our hippy friends. I was excited by the prospect of the next day being a rest day so stayed up later than usual, playing cards and reflecting on what a great day it had been.

Annapurna Circuit Trek: Days 1-4

At 7am on April 15th, the group gathered at the Sacred Summits office. The trip had begun. Initial excitedment was tempered by a six long, sweaty, squashed hours in a bus from Kathmandu to Besisahar. Any attempts to sleep were hindered by the interminable Hindi music blasting from the tinny bus stereo. As far as I could tell, it was the same song on a loop for the entire journey.

That bus ride was followed by one long, sweaty, squashed hour in a bus from Besisahar to Bhule Bhule, this time made even worse by being weighed down by Ram, who had fallen asleep on my shoulder (quite how he managed to sleep under such bumpy circumstances is beyond me). For the first time since I'd decided to trek, I began to worry about what I'd got myself into. I suppose it was because of the combination of discomfort, tiredness and realising that there was no turning back now. It was the one and only time that I succumbed to doubts. The moment I stepped off the bus I was fine, positively raring to go, in fact, but it was already 3pm and too late to start any serious trekking. So we checked into our lodge, pleasantly clean and comfortable with good views over the river. I had a solar powered shower that was distinctly lacking in both solar and power (it was to be a week before I had an even vaguely warm shower and a full ten days until a hot one).

The next day (day 2), the trek started off easily enough, a flat trail along the banks of the Marsyangdi River (the trail follows the valley for the first week), with snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance ahead of us. It wasn't long before we were terribly how and sweaty. After lunch the trail got pretty steep. It was much harder work but I was feeling fit and enjoyed the challenge, which is more than can be said for one girl we passed on the trail, in tears, with a very patient boyfriend. (We saw them again a few days later and they were both doing fine - the first couple of days can be a real shock if you don't know what you're getting into, or even if you do!) The further up we went, the better the views became:

It was Henry's birthday. Shortly after arriving at our lodge for the evening, Vivek, Ram and Dil dissapeared into the kitchen, the result of which, a cake, appeared after dinner. Henry said that he couldn't imagine a better way to spend a birthday and I agreed. After dinner, I taught Rummy to the gang. Thereonin, most evenings were spent playing cards, with Dil soon becoming the undisputed Rummy-master. It was here that we met a group of four Israeli hippies whom we were to come across time and again over the next few days. Eyal was the I became friendly with, though Maria took a great interest in another of them, whom she considered ridiculously good-looking, mostly because of his resemblance, in her mind, to Jesus.

I was pleased when, on day 3, I woke up feeling fine. I had expected to be sore after our first full day of walking and was delighted when I wasn't. That good feeling got me through most of the morning. I was just about ready for lunch, which I knew we were having at a village called Tal, when we arrived at Tal Phedi (literally, Lower Tal). Unfortunately, Lower Tal is quite a bit lower than Tal proper and the climb up was an absolute killer for me - it was the first of only four times over the 17 days that I didn't enjoy. The weather was drizzly and chilly (the only bad weather we had all trip) and by the time I eventually reached Tal I was tired, cold and very hungry - not a good combination. A fresh, hot, tasty and plentiful dal bhat soon had me back on track. It was here that we met another of our favourite characters also on the trail, Korean Guy (for some reason, despite numerous conversations with him, we never did find out his name) and his porter Budhi. Korean Guy amused us greatly by producing a massive bag containing at least 5kg of kimchi, which he dolloped liberally over his dal bhat, declaring that said dish, unadorned, was 'ai ai ai ai ai'.

After lunch, the weather had improved but the trail was still pretty tricky - a steep ascent along a precarious rocky path close to the edge of the gorge. It's difficult to enjoy the scenery when you have to focus all your attention on the path.

Not helping my general mood that day was the fact that I was finding Maria intensely annoying. Almost everything she said was tinged with an air of negativity and complaint and, moreover, her trousers made a really frustraing squeaky-rustling noise that, once I'd tuned into, I couldn't get out of my head. I thus spent much of the first two days trying to walk at least 50m in front or behind of her, which was difficult to maintain without appearing rude. Day 3 was, without question, the worst of the trip.

In contrast, day 4 was one of the best. I set out in great spirits, feeling like I was in the opening scene of the Sound of Music. The path all day was exquisitly beautiful, following the Marsyangdi, first along the bank, then through dense pine forest. I was absolutely enchanted by what I now consider my favourite combination of sounds - the throb of fast-gushing river with the liveliness of birds chirping. The air was deliciously fresh and full of the sweetness of the pine. I was walking by myself most of the time and was glad of it. The mountain views were becoming ever more spectacular as we climbed higher. No photos can prepare you for seeing the Himalyamas. It was almost like I hadn't believed they existed before. We got our first view of the Annapurna II summit. The scale is literally awesome (and we were still days away from appreciating the full awesomeness).

I particularly enjoyed lunch that day. We had to wait an hour for the but the dal bhat was so excellent that it was worth it. In the meantime, we played volleyball, soaked up the views and basked in the sun. Happy times! The walk was just as lovely in the afternoon. For the first couple of days I'd walked quite quickly, almost like I needed to prove to myself that I was fit. For the first time now, though, I slowed down the pace and sauntered towards along, loving every glorious minute of it. The strangest thing is that you can be looking at a view, thinking it's the best you've ever seen, then you go round a bend, see something even more beautiful and then forget what's preceded it.

In the evening, I had a pep talk with Maria, the effect of which was that from that moment on she was generally much more positive and we started getting along much better (by the end we were great friends).

Day 4, whilst not the most remarkable day, was absolutely one of my favourites and definitely the happiest.

Annapurna Circuit Trek: Food and lodges

Although the route passes through the most extraordinary scenery I've ever scene and despite the fact that at times it feels like you're the only person on the path, the ACT is not a wilderness trek. There are villages all along the route with guesthouses offering weary trekkers delicious slap-up meals and a comfortable night's sleep. I've written before on this blog about dal bhat. I ate plenty of it when living in Kathmandu and appreciated it in as much as it is the national dish of Nepal. When trekking, however, dal bhat takes on a whole new meaning. However exhausted you may be after a morning of trekking, after a good dal bhat lunch you'll be raring to go for the afternoon. That meal sorts you out. It's on every menu and it always tastes different, depending both on what ingredients are available locally (and, high in the mountains, that's not many) and also on the whim of the cook. You can order it at lunch and dinner in the same lodge and it could be different both times. It's the one menu item that you know will be well made. I grew pretty much addicted to it over the course of the trek. I'd be looking forward to my dal bhat lunch almost as soon as breakfast was over, always wondering what would be served up next time. I may even have referred to a particularly good dal bhat as 'magic'.

Eating well was central to doing well on the trek and a great deal of thought went into it. I ate pretty much the same thing every day and enjoyed the routine of that. This routine was aided by the fact that every lodge has an almost identical menu. The day always started when we were woken by Dil, carrying 'bed tea' - a great way to begin the morning. Breakfast was usually an apple pancake, though on a couple of occasions I ate a 'light' set breakfast, 'light' being two eggs, hash browns, toast and tea. Lunch was a substantial dal bhat and then I'd go for a lighter dinner. On the side of the trail leading up to the pass, I'd have a garlic soup, as the locals deem that to be good at helping with acclimatisation. On the way back down, momos or pasta (made from scratch) were the orders of the day.

A particularly lovely lodge dining room:

As well as meal times, snacking was essential. I brought with me from Kathmandu 2.5kg of nuts and dried fruits, nearly a kilogram of dried buff meat and 32 granola bars. With a little help from my friends, the entire lot was consumed. Maria also had a fair stock of Alpen bars which earned us the nickname (devised by Henry and Vivek) of the 'Granola Girls' or GGs. Vivek and Henry also had a nickname for themselves - the H boys ('H' standing for Hash).

As well as providing generally good food, the lodges were also extremely comfortable places to crash for the night. Rooms were basic, the standard being two beds with foam matresses and a bare lightbulb. If we were lucky there might also be a small table. If we were really lucky, there'd also be bedding. The rooms were tiny but generally cosy. The first four nights Henry, Maria and I shared triple rooms. On the fifth night the lodge only had doubles available and from thereonin I lodged just with Maria. This is one of the nicest rooms we had:

Annapurna Circuit Trek: People

There are about 600 trekking companies in Kathmandu and many organise trekking groups. Since I was more committed to the idea of going through Rabi's company than I was to finding a group, I was fully reconciled to doing the trek with just a porter and a guide. About a month before leaving, however, I was talking about it with Maria, a fellow volunteer at Orchid Garden, and invited her along too. After much umm-ing and ah-ing, she decided to join. She also invited along Henry, a photo-journalism intern in Kathmandu who was lodging with the same family as her. So our final party comprised me, Henry and Maria along with our guide Vivek and two porters, Dil and Ram. This is the only group shot I have of us, taken on day 13 when we were all pretty dishevelled. It's not a good shot of any of us, but it's all I've got. From left to right: Dil, Henry, Vivek, Maria, Ram and me.

The ACT attracts a fair number of trekkers, 10,000 a year. In peak season (October and November) about 200 people a day cross the pass. Thankfully it wasn't so crowded when we were there. There were enough people on the trail to get a sense of camaraderie, especially at the lodges in the evenings, but not so many that it felt crowded. As we progressed, we got to be pretty friendly with some of the other groups and that was a part of the whole trekking experience that I enjoyed very much, far more than I actually would have expected to. You'll be hearing more about the people we met along the way when I write up the diary style posts. For the time being, here's a shot of some of the people I became friendly with. From left to right: Hans, Patrice, Jolie, Maria (hereafter, in order not to cause confusion with the Maria in my group, I shall refer to her (not undiscriptively) as cute Maria), me and Gord.

For centuries before trekkers started trundling through, the path has been used by local villagers and, for the first half of the trek, it's still the only way around the area. I lost count of the number of porters we passed carrying ridiculous loads over steep, rough terrain whilst wearing only flip flops on their feet, if anything at all. Here, for example, is a cupboard with legs:

It wasn't only people who were our companions on the trail. Mule trains were also a common sight:

Annapurna Circuit Trek: The Route

I've read various estimates of the distance covered by the ACT, averaging out at approximately 200km over 16 days of walking. That may not sound like a lot (the two day hikes that I did as trek preparation were about 25km each), but the snag is that that only measures horizontal distance and the route is anything but horizontal. The trek starts at the fantastically named Bhule Bhule, at an altitude of 890m and nine days later we crossed a mountain pass, Thorung La, at 5416m. Just to put that in perspective, that's 606m higher than Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe. Our end point, Nayapul, is back down at 1000m, but, since there's no rest for the wicked, when you're almost down at that elevation, the trail makes you climb up (and then, of course, down) another 1700m.

Thorung La splits the trek in half. The first nine days of the trek we were so focussed on getting over the pass, and dealing with the altitude that that entails, that we forgot about the days to go on the other side. I'll call the way up the Manang side, after the biggest village of the region, and likewise the way down in the Jomsom side.

The two halves feel totally different. The Manang side is the far more rustic, with all the villages up to the top accessible only by walking. There's a tiny airport near Manang, but no roads (though some are now being built). On the Jomsom side, the road building project is far more advanced. There's also an airport. The villages are much wealthier and some of the tourist accommodation much fancier. The Annapurna Circuit can technically be walked in both directions but 99% of people do it in the direction that we did, as that makes crossing Thorung La pass much easier. People wanting shorter walks in the region walk the beginning of the circuit in the opposite direction, with the path getting more crowded the closer to the end of our trek we got.

I'll be saying much more about the scenery and villages we passed through on the diary style posts.

Annapurna Circuit Trek: Introduction

How do I even start writing about the best seventeen days of my life?

I think I'll start with a few general, introductory remark posts about the trek and then move to diary-style posts. It may well take me a while to complete the write-up because there is just so much to say and so many photos to sort, but if the experience of reading about it is even a tiny fraction as good as the experience of actually doing the trek, it will be worth waiting.

Of all the possible adventures to be had on my gap year, the only thing I knew for absolutely sure before I left on my travels is that I wanted to go trekking in Nepal (hence all the fuss about my hiking boots.) I did a little research before I left England but, since I knew I was staying with a guy who owned a trekking company, I decided to wait until I got there to fix anything up. Once I got to Nepal, there was no question that I would organise it through him.

Given the myriad of trekking possibilities in Nepal, the first big question was where to go. I knew that I wanted to do a serious trek, at least two weeks. Of the popular treks, that left me with two options, Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit. Other than the obvious appeal of seeing Mount Everest, it was the latter of those that took my fancy since, of all the treks in Nepal, it is the Annapurna Circuit Trek (ACT) that offers the greatest diversity both in terms of scenery and the ethnic groups whose villages we'd be passing through along the way. I suppose I could have done a more off-the-beaten path trek, but that would have involved camping and been a much bigger logistical hassle, as well as costlier. The ACT is widely regarded as not just the best trek in Nepal, but one of the best in the world. Who was I to pass that up?

Bad blogging and Australia plans

In case you hadn't noticed, I am very behind in my blogging.  According to the list of posts I've drawn up, to cover the last month, I'm about 30 posts behind schedule.  First up, there's my trek to cover.  It's taken me ages to be able to upload the photos and narrow down the 600 or so into ones worthy of sharing.  I've started drafting some posts, but I've been hindered by having so much to say yet feeling like I'm lacking the words to convey how extraordinary the trek was.  Then there's my time in Pokhara to cover, including white-water rafting and paragliding.  I also want to write a couple of posts about my last few days in Kathmandu.

On top of wrapping up my time in Nepal, I've also now been in Australia for a week having the most fabulous time.  I've been hanging out with my godmother, Caro, and her husband David, at their lovely ocean-side home in Wombarra, about an hour south of Sydney.  I've been taking surf lessons, which has been awesome, as well as being treated to all kinds of cultural events in the city.  Last night Caro and I went to a six hour reading/performance of The Great Gatsby which is one of the most original pieces of staging I've ever seen. 

So, I've got lots of fill you in on.  Also, this blog is serving as a diary for me and for that reason, as much as illuminating you, I need to write all this up (I've also been keeping a smaller day-to-day diary of everything I've done to jog my memory).  But I've been too busy having fun to write about all the fun I've been having.  

And there's plenty more fun to be had.  I've now worked out my schedule for the next months.  Today I'm flying up to Darwin and will spend just over a week exploring the Top End, national parks and Aboriginal culture.  I then fly to Cairns and from there I make my way to Hinchinbrook Island, where I'll be walking the Thorsborn Trail, a four day trek along pristine tropical beaches and through unspoilt rainforest.  Then back to the mainland for another week of reef and rainforest in the Cairns/Daintree area.  After that, the Red Centre beckons and I'll spend a week exploring Uluru as well as the surrounding parks and outback.  A few days of city life in Melbourne follows before flying on to New Zealand on June 18th.

So quite when I'm going to catch up on all my blogging, I don't know, whilst all the while accumulating now blog-worthy experiences.  But it'll get done.