Category: Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

We chilled out again at the Flying Yak hotel in the middle of Thamal. This is the backpackers area of Kathmandu although I think I saw more locals speeding around on motorbikes than I saw backpackers.

Originally I was planning to do another 21 day trek going over 5 passes greater than 5,000 metres. Five more of what I had already done!!! Why?

So after much thought , I decided to walk the first 8 days with the Kiwi group, then see how I feel. This will be a nice walk through the lowlands meandering along up and down between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres of altitude.

I will leave them in Lukla where they can continue onto the higher alttides without me. Unless I change my mind, which I seem to feel free to do at any time, these days.

Kay goes home tomorrow and I will move to the hotel the Kiwis are staying at.

The shops sell treking gear that is knockoffs of all the famous brands. North Face, Kathmandu, Marmot, Leki, Osprey, Salomon, Mountain Hardware etc. . You can buy jackets, sleeping bags, packs, headlamps, cookers, fleece tops, shirts, shorts, all sorts of ski and mountaineering gear.  The gear is usually made in the same factories as the stuff we get back at home. However, all the fancy marketing,  transportation, and profit structure are missing. Therefore the prices are only  about 10% – 20% of what we pay at home. There are hundreds of these little shops and I wonder how they make a living.

I do wonder how any of these shop owners can make a living. There are hundreds of shops selling the same stuff and there is seldom anyone in the shops. Bargaining is the way to go.

We got a bit lost and found the food stalls

We paid for a full day tour of some of the UNESCO Heritage sites.

Our guide and driver were good but most of what we saw and heard was religious history. Fantasy stories about the 30,000 different Hindu gods, Buddhas from different countries, one born from the armpits of his mother. About as likely as the Virgin Mary, I suppose.

They are not stories about the real people of Nepal, It seems that the people and their religions can not be separated.

I must say that the reconstruction after the major earthquakes in 2015 has been done amazingly quickly. Christchurch took about 10 years to decide whether to reconstruct the cathedral, while Nepal just seemed to get on with it.

Anyway, I have seen my full of temples once again.

We stayed in our nice hotel for 4 days, hiding out from the sun and people, while our sunburned faces healed. After a full breakfast at the hotel we would cover up and go out for a bit of a walk around before the sun got too strong and the young ones emerged. Then we retreated to our room to catch up on media and reading or watching some sky movies on the big TV.

Our coughs had cleared up as we descended from the mountains, and we weren’t sore, other than our faces. Our bodies are used to long walks and steep climbs, so we fared better than many others. I am sure my legs just think ” Here she goes again ” and get on with it.

In New Zealand, I pay $32 NZD at the cheapest chain of hairdressers. Here, for $30, I had a haircut, a scalp, head, neck shoulders, and back massage. I really needed that after the bumpy bus trip as my poor head had bopped and bumped around for hours. When he had finished, my neck felt better than it had for many months, and my sinuses were clear.

Pokhara is the Queenstown or Taupo of Nepal. Being a land locked country, the huge lake is a real attraction for Nepalese. The rich have holiday homes here, and it is a quick flight from India. There are a lot of different treks around the area so most overseas visitors come here too.

One day, we walked for about an hour across the city to the National Mountaineering Museum. It was very interesting and well set out, taking about 2.5 hours to look around. Well worth the visit.

Again, I was quite disappointed with the rubbish situation. The lake had garbage floating in it, and drains were full of plastic rubbish. The man at the hotel told us that there were some collections from the businesses, but he doubted if it was disposed of properly.

After three days we were both feeling better so we took a 25 minute Buddha Airlines flight back to Kathmandu. Their safety record isn’t the best, but we decided we had pushed our luck on the buses. The flight was uneventful with no real views of the mountains because of the smog.

With very sore faces, we were on the bus at 7 am. Basu ushered us into the front seats, but this caused a bit of an argument.   Eventually, we were sent back to the rear of the bus.  Bless Basu, I think he was trying to play the poor, sore, old ladies’ card for us.

Here is a link to my video of the bus trip. I am not a filmmaker, so the filming is not very good, nor is the commentary. I have made it not suitable for children as my language is a bit colorful. (You may have already seen this on my Facebook page)

To be fair to the roads in Nepal, there are a lot of challenges they face. The country is mostly mountains with 8 of the highest peaks in the world. Working at high altitudes is hard. Just walking us hard let alone actually doing anything more physical. Helicopters can’t be used because of the thin air.

The monsoon rains and snow melt create massive water flows, which wash away the work that has been done.

Nepal is extremely poor, so China and India are doing most of the road construction. The trade routes are important to them. Still more than 30% of Nepalese live more than 3 hours walk from any road. When I washete last time most goods moved by donkey or porter on narrow walking trails.

Before we went to sleep we  agreed to wake the other one if we thought we were dying.  

We both woke through the night coughing like a couple of dying sheep.  I wondered if the altitude had finally  gotten to me but did not have the energy nor inclination  to do much about it.

Altitude illness is divided into 3 syndromes:

• acute mountain sickness (AMS), (like having a bad hangover)
• high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) (the brain swells, so you begin to act drunk – confused,  unsteady, and stupid)
• high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). (Lungs fill with fluid, and you sound like a dying 90 year old. Breathless on excersion, a cough and weakness.)
• They usually come into play a few hours after the high altitude is reached, i.e. during the night and should be treated with a quick decent.

We both made it through to the morning alive , but Kay nearly had a heart attack when she looked in the mirror. 

Her face was red and swollen, her eyes could hardly open, and her lips looked like botox gone wrong.  And I wasn’t much better. I looked like a Panda Bear on steroids.  (Kay wouldn’t let me post her photo, understandably)

We should have used sunscreen regularly throughout the day as we saw the young ones doing. But we didn’t have the energy to do so, and now, we are paying for it. Two days later, we are still blistered, sore, and peeling.

Basu came in to take our breakfast order and took one look at us and decided we would take the bus today instead of walking to Jomson.  We did not argue with him.

The main attraction in Mukintath  is a Hindu Temple high on a hill at the edge of town. There were a lot of pilgrims heading towards it as we walked to get our 8am bus.  Some walking, many on the back of small horses, the sick and elderly being carried on stretchers.

We walked to the bus depot with Kay hardly able to see out of her burnt eyes. I won’t be complaining about the pot holes around my home after navigating the main streets of Nepali towns.

The bus trip to Jomsom was only an hour or so of terror.

I have since read that one of the causes of excessive wear and tear on roads and bridges is the overloading of vehicles. Every bus we went on was filled to the brim with more people than seats, bags and boxes up the isles and roofs overflowing with stuff.  However, I have not yet had to share a bus with a goat, pig, or cages of chickens as I did on my previous trip through Asia.

Arriving at Jomsom, we were treated to another nice room that backed onto the airport. The flights come in very quickly in the mornings while the air is clear. This is one of the shortest runways in the world, and the planes can’t fly over the mountains because of the altitude, so swoop between them.  We decided it was safer to take the bus to Pokhara the next day.

We were both feeling a bit miserable, still coughing, and our faces were getting worse by the hour.  We were cold and shivering, so we climbed into bed to rest  under orders from Basu.

We had dinner with two trekkers who had gone over the pass the same day as us. One from Jordan and the other Canadian.

510 metres of ascent over 12km.  Slowly, slowly in snow all day.

It started to snow lightly and continued all of the 4 hours we were out on the track today. 

At first, it was lovely, but we needed to stop and get our rain coats and over gloves on as it didn’t look like it was going to let up. It really  was a beautiful sight to see the bushes and hills being covered in snow.

Each time stopped we cleared the snow off eachother.

Kay was quite out of her comfort zone as the track got narrower and steeper. I was feeling quite confident although I was very cautious.  The boys looked after Kay well, although I am sure she was cursing me for bringing her here.

We had to go down a steep part that was icy and slippery, which meant we were not daring to look more than a metre ahead. When it flattened out, we were horrifiednly to see a snow-covered swing bridge that we needed to cross. Ram went first and kicked away snow, I was next and did the same. I actually  felt okay about it. Kay was coming behind with Basu close by her. She was terrified, but she is a strong old duck and had no choice but to carry on over. The look on her face in this photo shows it all.

The day went from bad to worse. Steep drop offs and narrow slippery paths took a lot of concentration but I was feeling good, if not puffed. Kay was way put of her comfort zone.

At one point I slipped, landing very heavily on my  bum. It hurt, and I was surprised that I didn’t get a bit more protection from the good amount of fat I carry in that area.

I stayed on my bum for about 20 metres, sliding along listening to the boys, helping Kay slide along behind me. Everyone else got down and followed suit.

We couldn’t afford to muck around as we were in an avalanche area. The altitude made it hard to go fast, but eventually, we were at the Tea house at Thorong Pedi. Some people were going another 60 -90 minutes up to High Camp, but we had always planned to stay here.

Hugs,  high 5’s, warm clothes and lunch around the fire, a Nana nap, and we were all feeling better.

The big question is what we will do tomorrow. Go ahead, as the snow is supposed to stop  or stay a day. I think most of us just want yo call a helicopter to get us out of here.

After dinner Kay and I put on our microspikes and had a wander around. They really take away the slip and slide and made  us feel better about tomorrow. We went down the hill a bit to another hotel where we caught up with some other trekking  friends, including the Aussie family. Everyone was pleased to see us and their guides have  similar plan to ours. They will see what  it looks at 3am with a 4 am. start if there has been no more snowfall overnight.. They have some experienced parties to send out first to make a path for us to follow.

7.30 pm and I will now read a bit then get some sleep. I hope this is not my last blog

We went to bed listening to thunder and the rain on the roof but woke to see it had snowed overnight down to where the old monk lady lives. I hope she had her winter nighty on.

After our breakfast of porridge and apple and a coffee we were ready to leave by 7.15.  I managed to resist the pastries on shop next door to our hotel.

We walked slowly up hill and soon came across a site I don’t think I will ever see again. There was 2 very thick wire ropes snaking up the hill for about 300 metres.  About every three metres there was a young man tying a piece of wood across the two wires and wrapping it in pieces of rag.

Basu asks the questions for us, and we find out that it is for  a new swing bridge that will be constructed up by the Pass. They will carry it for 24km with an increase in altitude of about 1,000 metres.

I tried to pick up the thick wire rope and really struggled to do so. I really cannot fathom how they can coordinate 80 people to carry such a weight on a narrow track a steep hill at over 4, 000 metres above sea level. We are struggling to carry our jacket and water for the day! 

The thought of what those poor young men will go through really upset me. It reminded me of the slave days or how people were treated on concentration camps. Basu assured me that they would be well paid for their work.

The Aussie family who were behind us took this photo of them on the move.

We had a lovely slow walk up 510 metres over 9 km, with a few flat and easy decents. At last, we had seen the end of the road, and the true Annapurna Trail emerged.

Some lads on horses played leap frog with us all day as they rested their loaded up horses regularly.

The sound of many bells alerted us to a huge herd of yaks that were coming down off the mountain  and crossing the track. Kay and I waited until there was a decent gap before we sneaked through to catch up with Basu and Ram. The yaks were off the be milked for making the local delicacy of Yak Cheese. We haven’t tried any yet as Basu says the cheese is hard to digest if you are not used to it. We are best to wait until we get over the pass.

It was cold when we arrived with snow patches around our hotel. We were lucky to get a room with an inside bathroom, However it was a squat job that backed on to another squat toilet. This meant we could hear the person grunting and grading through the single plank wooden walls. It was the first smelly toilet we had encso couldn’t really complain. What do you expect for $12.

We had a lunch of noodle soup to warm up then climbed into our beds with all our warm dry clothes on. Read a bit, then both fell into very deep sleeps.  Basu comes at 4.30pm with the menus so we can order dinner. We really do get waited on hand and foot by our boys. They can’t do enough for the 2 Madames.

We get up half an hour before dinner and prepare our gear for tomorrow as it will be dark and cold when we get back from dinner.

Dinner time is a social time with the other trekkers as we sit at tables around the big pot belly stove, which is fueled with Yak dung. This is collected through the summer and dried on the sides of the houses. It doesn’t smell

The Aussie family with 2 girls are friendly and tonight we talk with a woman from Jordan. She is a bit concerned  because her guide is not giving her any advice or care like ours is.

Basu has been taking our oxygen levels 3 times a day since Manang. Kay and I are both sitting at about 85 which is good for this altitude. Neither of us have headaches, so far so good.

We both slept really well. I even had 4 dreams.

There is 2 ways to get to Manang. One that goes up really high and takes about 7 hours or a lower way mostly along the road. Kay and I decided we did not need to put our old bodies through any more climbing than necessary so we took the low road.

This was definitely the right decision as Kay had a hard day of it.  I had had my hard time on the first day and was feeling really good today as a lot of the road was flatish.

We met a couple of women who recognized more people and buildings in my photos

However, when I needed to run up a hill looking for an emergency toilet, I really felt the full effects of the altitude. I wasn’t sure whether I would die from embarrassment from shitting my pants or having a heart attack. Luckily, a little old lady let me use her toilet so a  disaster was avoided. 

It was another basic squat job with a bucket of water for cleansing the bum. So my quads are getting a work out.  My aim is getting better.

I walked a bit with  a woman from Brusselton, Western Australia, who was here on her 6th visit to Nepal with hubby and 2 small girls, 12 and 14 years old. She walked, but the others took a jeep because the kids both had snotty noses. They are heading to the Thorong La Pass the same as us.

Piles of firewood was stacked up along all the fences and we saw an old fella ploughing his little field. Basu said most people have rotary hoes now.

We also saw a group of very dusty young people breaking rocks by hand. Last time I was here there was hundreds of  young, single women with their babies on their backs doing this work. This was all they could get as single mothers: living under tarpaulins with their kids.  So things have changed as we have walked through a number of large queries with mechanical machinery doing the work. Never the less I wonder where the single mums are nowadays.

Not everything has changed though. I came across the little old man who I am am quite sure I bought a hat from 17 years ago. He continues to live in a very basic abode selling beads and artifacts to us trekkers.

The hat I bought in 2006 made it back to New Zealand despite being fox fur.  She has been my stand-in pet and is named Annapurna, of course. Anyone who has been to my house will have met her and given her a pat.

We arrived at about noon and had, yet again, to bear the indignity of looking horrified at having to climb 2 flights of stairs to our room. Basu keeps getting us the best rooms with the nicest views. We shouldn’t complain!

Now it is important that you understand that a rest day, whilst on a damn long walk,  is not like a Sunday sprawled on the couch, with a bag of chippies, a beer, and Netflix.

First thing to do is hike about 350 metres  up a hill at absolute snails pace, one slow step after the other. This is necessary to assist with acclimatization. We need to have been higher during  than we are to sleep at night.

This arduous walk was well worth it for the views of the mountains and the valley below. We stopped at a stupor, which is built to honor the dead and for a break at a wee tea house. We didn’t buy anything as we had bottles of electrolyte solution that we had to drink. We need to have a litre of that a day and another 3 litres of fluid. Obviously, I did need to use his toilet.

The hard walk was well worth it as at the top was a one woman monastery. We were shown around her home, which was built in a cave  on a steep cliff. Then we were invited in for a  ceremony and received a blessing to give us luck going over the pass. A necklace was put around our neck, and then she asked for 100 rupee donation. So another scramble through the money bag in the dark. I hope her blessing works.

She is  75 year old female monk, and we were told that she was completely snowed in for 21 days straight last winter. But it wasn’t so bad this year as she had a solar powered battery and a light bulb. Tough lady.

After that wee jaunt we have jobs to do. Clothes are washed.

• The first cycle is stomping on them on the floor while having a just-warm shower
• The second cycle is a rinse in the bucket that provides clean water to wash your bum with.
• Then wring out as much water as you can by hand
• Find a line in the sun with a breeze and hang up with the 5 pegs I have brought from home. Sometimes lucky enough to supplement with pegs provided.

Other jobs  include tipping everything out of my pack to find the one item I have lost.  Kay and I both seem to lose something that we have put in a safe place on a regular basis.

Updating our social media, attending to feet, reading and chatting with other trekkers, and shopping takes up time, too.  We bought chocolate, sweets and biscuits for the Pass day as we will be about 10 hours before a tea house.

A large family group was staying here. One was a Nepalese man who lived in the next village until he was 9 years old. He then moved to Switzerland. He had brought back about 12 members of his family to see his birth place. Having arrived by Jeep, they were celebrating with bottles of the local whiskey. They were a fun lot.