Today was a travel day. It's hard to think positive about these days because being crammed into an over-crowded bus and bouncing along a rough road for many hours is tolerable at best. Today, however, we have a reward for our arduous journey: the hot springs of Tatopani. Tatopani literally means hot (tato) water (pani) and is well known among trekkers as a recuperation spot at the end of the Annapurna Circuit.
But first, the bus ride. We waited at 6:30 AM for the bus to open it's doors. This happened without ceremony sometime after 7AM. I pushed my way on board to make sure Krissy and I each got a seat. The buses are always oversold so there's no guarantee of getting a seat.
After getting a seat, there was nothing else to worry about. It was a fairly uneventful ride. We got to see all the pleasant scenery Krissy and I would miss out on by not walking this section of the route. However, we were both glad we skipped walking this section. The road was narrow and dusty and the few trekkers who were on the road had to leap out of the way of our speeding bus.
After about four hours we reached the jungle paradise of Tatopani. It sits at about 6000 less feet in elevation than Jomsom, so we were definitely feeling the heat. And the heat wasn't the only change. We were amazed by our surroundings. There were flowers blooming, trees bearing fruit and everything was green. Our eyes were certainly feasting on all the color we had missed out on in the alpine environment.
Sometime in the afternoon the sun disappeared behind the clouds and a pleasant breeze began to blow. Krissy and I decided this way as good a time as any to check out the hot springs, so we grabbed a couple Everest beers and headed down to the pools.
They turned out to be a lot more developed than I thought they would be. There were two concrete pools with steps leading into them. We made our way towards the one that didn't have anybody in it but were stopped short by the attendant. "Too hot," he said. So we joined the group of Germans and Nepalis in the nicely hot pool. It was indeed very relaxing and was absolutely worth a stop.
We stayed for a long while sipping beers and soaking ourselves, making sure we got the most of our 50 rupee admission. Some Russian guys showed up wearing teeny tiny speedos which made Krissy and I feel over dressed. Despite the abundance of floaties and oily sheen to the water, they had a great time dunking their heads and splashing around. I'm a little paranoid about meningitis so it was hard to watch. Shortly thereafter, we reasoned that we'd been there long enough. Thoroughly relaxed, we headed back to our room, ready to begin the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek tomorrow.
This would be the next leg of our journey. It takes anywhere from eight to twelve days as it travels up and down river valleys via countless sets of infamous stairs. It winds through rhododendron forests before it's terminus at the Annapurna Base Camp (13,629 feet). From there, we will backtrack part of the trail until we end up in Naya Pul where we can catch a bus to Pokhara and enjoy a well earned rest.
It should prove to be a challenge. Already, this is the longest backpacking trip Krissy or I have ever been on. We both feel great, have plenty of energy and are excited to continue walking for at least one more week!
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