Calling It Off (Day 25)

Today was the day we threw in the towel. It started like any other trekking day with breakfast and packing our bags. The weather was nice. The sun had chased the rain away. Machapuchchre, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli were in full view. It was a perfect day to be outside but secretly I didn't feel like walking.

We left Chhomrong via a long descent of steep stone staircases. My knees complained and my muscles were tired but still I plodded on. The stairs seemed to go on forever. The further we went the darker my mood became. We passed some children who repeatedly begged for "sweets." I told them "chhaina" (no). A small girl mimed her disapproval by swinging a little fist and hitting me in the leg. Of course it didn't hurt but it really caught me off-guard. These children have really come to expect Westerners to provide them with treats.

After the descent mercifully ended we crossed the Chhomrong Khola and started up another series of stairs. A group of porters had just finished resting and started out in front of us. We passed them one by one as they stopped to catch their breath. Children dressed in school uniforms were coming down the stairs and would taunt us with "namastes" in a mocking tone.

At the height of my dark mood we stopped at a chautaara (a resting place made of stone that is at the perfect height for porters and trekkers to drop their burdens). I guzzled some water and tried to figure out why I was in such a bad mood. The weather was perfect. I love hiking. What's wrong?

"Are we thinking the same thing?" Krissy asked. It was then that I realized we had been resting a for a while and I hadn't said much. I was really deep in thought.

"I dont know," I replied. "I'm in a bad mood. It's been hard for me to be happy today."

"Do you want to keep going?" Her question hung in the air for a moment. I was afraid to answer.

"I don't know. Honestly, when we were having breakfast, I didn't feel like walking today."

"Then we are thinking the same thing. Do you want to go back?"

I thought for a moment and it became plainly obvious. "Yes. I think I'm over it."

It was a hard thing for both of us to admit. We both are definitely not quitters. But we weren't having fun, so what would have been the point of continuing on? We had already seen the Annapurna range from many different angles. We had already experienced all that trekking has to offer. We had been walking almost continuously for 25 days! All we would accomplish by not quitting was to prolong our unhappiness and be able to tell people we completed the Annapurna Base Camp trek.

As soon as we decided to turn around everything felt right. We started to get excited about returning to Pokhara and taking time to relax. We were tired!

We took a look at the guide book and reasoned that we could make it to Ghandruk. It was 9:30AM at that point and we estimated it would take five hours to reach our goal. With our plan set, we shouldered our packs and headed back the way we had come.

A little before noon we reached Jhinu Danda. We stopped to have lunch and debated whether we wanted to visit the hot springs that were in town. Storm clouds started rolling in a handful of large raindrops smacked the ground. We decided it would be better to keep moving.

After lunch we descended another of the typical steep stone staircases. We passed through the village of New Bridge after a couple of hours. I was starting to get tired and it was becoming apparent that it was going to take longer to get to Ghandruk than we had planned for. We stopped a trekker and his guide to confirm that we were headed in the right direction. The guide said "Ghandruk that way. First Kyume, then up, up, up, then Ghandruk." The trekker told us it would take about two and a half hours.

Two hours later, we were progressing at a snails' pace up another steep stone staircase in a driving rain. Our legs were almost out of gas. School children, who we now expect to be snotty, passed us both going up and down the stairs. Predictably, they said "namaste" in their mocking tone. Instead of just ignoring them I decided to mess with them. I replied to one boys' namaste with "Howdy dude." Krissy followed my lead and responded to the next mocking namaste with "Arr matey."

We finally reached Ghandruk. Since the village was built on a hillside all the lodging was naturally at the top of the ridgeline to take advantage of all the views. So we still had some climbing to do, but after eight hours of walking, we were thankful that the end was in sight.

The village was full of trekkers. We were turned away from the first very pleasant and highly recommended lodge because they had no more rooms. We looked at some of the other lodges but they all looked to be in a state of disrepair.

I saw the Mountain View Lodge and it looked fairly nice. I also thought it was one of the lodges recommended by Lonely Planet. It turns out I was very, very wrong.

They put us in a room right across from a highly trafficked bathroom. This would later prove to be trouble. We each took a shower but discovered there was no more hot water. But, we were now clean and were about to get dinner. We were both famished.

We stepped into the dining room and immediately felt out of place. There were a number of guided groups that took up most of the space and all of the attention. We were largely ignored.

We did manage to get in our order of dal bhat. It wasn't a long wait and as soon as our plates were set in front of us we dug in. Krissy ate with particular ferocity and cleaned her plate so well it was hard to tell there had been food on it in the first place. And then we waited.

You see, when a trekker orders dal bhat, they expect seconds. This is the only meal where seconds are offered, so when I order dal bhat I expect that when I'm finished I won't be hungry. Not so in this case.

Krissy and I were already talking about splitting a pizza after eating the second round dal bhat. We watched one group get their seconds. And then another. I was too tired to care very much but Krissy was livid. A half hour passed before we were certain we'd been forgotten. Or ignored. Grumpily, we pushed away from the table and walked down the street to each get a mediocre cinnamon roll from a bakery.

That should be the end of the story. But it isn't.

Still hungry and roundly exhausted we retired to our room. I fell asleep shortly after seven and was on my way to pleasant dreams when I was awoken by a drum circle. I had a flashback to my days in the college dorms. Then I remembered I was in Nepal, in the village of Ghandruk, on a bed in the shitty Mountain View Lodge.

For an hour hand drums and tambourines were played and people were singing very loudly in the courtyard of the hotel. Were we warned that there was some kind of concert planned at eight o'clock? No. Did it last for an hour? Yes. Krissy and I were not amused. Down with the Mountain View Lodge. A pox upon it's foundation.

When in doubt, look confused. Day 24

We arrived in Chhomrong just after 11 AM. The International House's patio looked inviting for lunch and a good spot to hang, rest and reevaluate. Did we want to stop there or hike on? Weren't totally sure.

After looking at maps yesterday, it became clear that we were valley hopping...traveling up over ridgelines then down through the valleys, only to head uphill to the next ridge and so on. As the crow flies, you don't make much headway. On foot though, those switchbacks add up to amazing distances.

Today we left Tadapani (far water) high on it's ridge, switchbacked down to yet another rickety, wooden suspension bridge, and headed up the next hill. It was a short but steep day. We stayed primarily in the jungle, at times wandering through people's private yards. When in doubt we'd say, "Namaste," and then say, "Chhomrong?" Looking confused always helps. We'd be waved through their gates and shown with a swoop of the hand where to go.
"This would not fly back home," Kevin mentioned.
"No. This is called trespassing."
Kevin went on to mention a few friends of his who, while hiking, ended up on private property. They set up camp and unbeknownst to them, pissed off the wrong people. Shortly after, a police officer escorted them away and they were detained for the evening. Here in Nepal, they'd most likely ask you what country you are from, where you hiked from, your names, then warn you of the man eating wildlife. No police needed here.

Speaking of wildlife...
Today during a rest stop, I spotted something ahead of us. A whole lot of somethings. Not far ahead on the trail was a troop of monkeys. Macaques to be exact. They were fairly large and nimble. We "ooh-ed and aww-ed," as they climbed vines and leapt from branch to branch. This was my first wild monkey spotting! Actually, we saw some in Kathmandu, but that place is a zoo so it didn't seem to count.

With the nice weather, we will continue up to Annapurna Base Camp. The trails are nice so we should enjoy them while we are in the area. Had considered speeding along, combining some of the shorter days. That might allow us to get back to Pokhara, Kathmandu, and maybe onto another trek. Maybe. Even with the rushing though, there may not be enough time. We will see. For now, we will hang in Chhomrong eating fruity cake and chocolate cake.

*as I wrote "nice weather" clouds rolled in, thunder echoed through the valley, and a monsoon like rainstorm kicked in, full force.

Just Happy To Be Here (Day 23)

The day was supposed to commence at 4AM with a walk up to Poon Hill to watch the sunrise over the mountains. Lonely Planet describes this experience as a "defining moment." However, our defining moment happened shortly after the alarm went off. I looked outside and saw continuous, strobe-light flashes of lightning. I briefly saw some stars before they were buried behind clouds. Then it began to rain. So it was back to bed for us.

Krissy and I slept for another three hours before getting up to have breakfast, packing our stuff, paying our bill and heading on our way. Unfortunately our way turned out to be the wrong way and it took us fifteen minutes to figure it out.

Once we got on the right track it started to rain. We pulled on our rain gear and slowed our pace so we wouldn't be covered in sweat from our uphill climb. Visibility was zero because of a thick fog so we couldn't see any mountain views (or ten feet in front of us).

Despite these setbacks it was really a nice hike. The rhododendron forests were blooming with red, pink and orange flowers. The trail meandered below towering jungle cliffs alongside a swift moving creek. Krissy even went so far as to say it was her favorite section of trail we'd hiked so far.

Most of the day was spent descending rough, uneven staircases. I was pleased to discover my knees remained pain free even as we rolled into Tadapani, our stopping point for the day. Sure, the weather could have been more obliging, but it would be hard to say today was a bad day.

Cloud Bonus. Day 22

We left Tatopani heading down the road to Ghar Khola. After one police checkpoint, we found the bridge we were meant to cross...and it looked sketchy. Some of the metal planks were severely warped. Maybe large rocks from the cliff above had landed there? Not only that, but said planks were also precariously held in place with one of four bolts. On top of all this, the bridge was leaning noticibly to the right. We walked gingerly to the left to try to add some balance. Not even five minutes after this crossing came our second bridge. This one appeared to have been built in another century. Part suspension bridge, part wood plank. We walked carefully again aiming our steps towards anything looking reinforced or not rotten. Both were exhilarating enough to make us thrilled to be on solid ground.

The trail was steep. It was one of those days that kicked your ass while kicking your ass.
Jungle heat - check
Humidity - yep
Walking uphill for hours - doubly check
"...the correct trail almost invariably leads uphill," is what our guide book stated (or warned). Obviously it was bound to be a tough day. We were awarded several times with cloud bonuses (credit Bridget Feider) that helped provide relief from the hot sun.

In total we hiked for just over 6 hours. The trail wound through town after town. It was about time we saw a forest again too. Kevin mentioned how he missed being in the woods and I had to agree. Our eyes were starved for the color green. The change in scenery made us giddy. Each town seemed happier than the last. Much of the hike took us through rhododendron forest. This area has eight different species varying from a more bush like plant to a full on flowering tree. Good timing on our part made it so we were in this forest while it was in bloom.

Ghorepani was the town we called it quits at for the day. We started hours before on a steep rock staircase and a rock staircase is what led us into town and the foot of our hotel. Basically we were stair climbing all day. With mutual sighs of relief we dropped our packs and sat on our beds. The Snow View lodge was just right. We ordered Dal Bhat and called it a night. Dal Bhat is the only dish you get seconds on, so if you have a big day, that is what you order.

Travel Day Reward (Day 21)

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!

Open when we're here... Day 20

We ventured from Om's Home over to Xanadu. Exotic town names? No, these were the hotels where we stayed. Om's was booked so we were forced to switch it up. We were staying in Jomsom for the day, lying low and resting. We tended to Internet for a good part of the morning and were in need of lunch. The owner at Xanadu makes a mean hot chocolate apple pie, so we each got a slice with our first freshly ground coffee in weeks. The hotel was lovely and the food was equally wonderful...if only the portions were double in size (yeah, you already know we eat a lot). The hotel owner told us about the kids she had working for her. The newest member being a very young boy from Kathmandu. His family was going through a rough time and so was he. Misbehaving in school, acting out. She took him in to teach him skills and provide some structure to his life. Nice to see people helping each other in need. Seems to be a common theme in this country.

The rest of the day was needed for errand doing, jeep booking, and leg resting. Recently found a map with distances and we have walked some 200+ km over the past little while.

We still don't know how businesses operate in this country as closed and open times vary. It seems, "open when we're here, closed when we aren't," is the norm. Our second attempt at booking a jeep went mostly flawless. First off, no jeeps go to Tatopani. Bus only.
"Ok, bus then," Kevin said.
Furious scribbling on a pink slip indicated our destination and cost.
"2400," the ticket man stated.
The total was triple what our Lonely Planet guide book stated. Little steep for a shatty bus on a rock strewn road, but worth it at the same time. Desert walking just won't do.
"630 tomorrow. Bus 90," we were told.
"19 or 90?" I asked.
"Nin-ty! Lucky number 90!"
"Ya, sounds like a winner," I smiled thinking anything but lucky.
Smiles and thanks were exchanged all around. Kevin got custody of our pricey ticket, he is much more organized than me.

Back at the safe hold of the Hotel Xanadu we read, looked at maps, plotted our course and logistics. Laundry dried and we basically took it easy. The wind around here picks up after 11 AM so venturing out is less than ideal.

Despite our not so great first experience eating yak meat, we both decided to give it a second try. Yak meat (yak) cheese burgers are the way to go. Super tasty and far, far better than yak chili. When in Rome, right? Although tasty, who knows how it will sit in our systems. Let's just hope we don't have to find out while aboard "Lucky #90."

Easy Walk (Day 19)

"It's easy to walk from Muktinath to Jomsom..." claims the Lonely Planet guide book. Those words would end up haunting us for the rest of the day since we failed to read the boxed text titled "Windy Trails." It seems that in the valley we would be passing through strong winds pick up after 11AM.

Up until 11AM it was a rather pleasant walk. True, it was on a road, but there wasn't much traffic, the scenery was inviting and it was a dang nice day out. However, as soon as we reached the village of Kagbeni at 11:15AM, we were exposed head-on to the full force of the wind.

We did our best to protect ourselves from the sand that was carried by the wind. I wore a hat, sunglasses and wrapped a scarf around my mouth and nose. Krissy wore sunglasses and had her whole head wrapped in a scarf (I told her she looked like a leper). The protection proved to be minimal as we still got sand in our eyes, ears, nose and mouth. I would end up chewing on grit for the rest of the day.

The guide book also claimed that it would take four and a half hours at most. We stopped briefly two or three times to sip some water but mostly we were in a hurry to get out of the sandstorm. Even with our hurried pace it still ended up taking us five and a half hours. So much for an easy walk.

Our frustration with Lonely Planet's estimated times and touted "easy walk" would have been more apparent had we not been so relieved to be out of the brutal winds. Not only were we out of the elements, we were now in a regular town with Wi-Fi, hot showers, cheap beer, an ATM and good food. We got a room at Om's Home and spent the rest of the afternoon eating, doing laundry, washing off the sand and even playing ping pong. This Jomsom place almost resembled civilization.