Chamje to Dharapani el 6500 ft
Last night I lushed out on small boiled potatoes for dinner, not wanting to get too exotic with pizza made with yak cheese or other westernized dishes. With a growing number of stomach issues with other hikers, I figure it's best to go with the basics: beer and potatoes! However the German women I was sitting next to were surprised I did not peel the skin. I didn't eat the skin after that. The Nepalis eat dal baht for lunch and dinner, a nutritious meal of a mound of rice, a bowl of lentils poured over the rice, and curried vegetables - a meal I would have with more frequency too in the days ahead.
The sky was clear when we woke but quickly turned partly cloudy. The towns are supplied by teams of donkeys that pass thru a very narrow main street, just a foot or two from the entrance to the teahouses. Like the old West, it's better to have the upstairs room, less mud, dust and foul smells. Huge red and pink poinsetta trees adorned some houses above the roaring glacial river. Baby goats played next to the trail, and numerous chickens and chicks worked hard to find something edible on the sandy trail. With a 3-hr uphill walk to Tal, we stopped for vegetable egg fried potatoes next to spectacular waterfalls. After that nice break, it turned cold and windy for the last few hours to our lodge next to the river. This was after almost staying in a cold dark room earlier on the trail. While all the lodges are now getting colder and even more rustic, we are finding there are big differences between them relative to location and comfort. I had a warm trickle from the spigot to wash up because I could not figure out how the shower was supposed to work. In the meantime standing naked on a wet concrete floor I was freezing so I made it fast, dried off with my one square foot towel and dove into my sleeping bag.
Dharapani to Chame el 8760 ft
Awoke to a crystal clear and crisp day. I discovered a family of bed bugs had part of my bottom for dinner at some earlier point on the trip. Benadryl relieved the itching and helped me sleep so much that I did not hear the alarm. Dan brought up the milk coffee and fried eggs. Again I was back to normal and ready for the grueling climb up from the river. Even the bug bites abated quickly.
After sandy switchbacks again with donkeys, tremendous mountain views appeared back to the east. A huge number of hikers suddenly appeared on the trail, many large French hiking groups. We
met a nice man from Spain named Josen, living in Palo Alto. The way passed quickly. We walked by Bagarchap, 15 years to the day that a huge landslide buried the village after 72 hours of rain and coincidentally when Dan and I were last in Nepal in the Everest region.
Dan ordered tuna noodle for lunch to supplement protein which is just coming from eggs, peanuts, and beans at this point. Again clouds moved in for the afternoon and temperatures dropped by 15 degrees. But the trail ahead was a pleasant high traverse and we found a cute cabin for the night and rest day tomorrow :)
I felt a cold coming on but rest was all I needed. We did laundry, charged batteries, and found a cyber cafe with a finicky server under a tin roof.
11 November 2010
10 November 2010
08 November 2010
Travel Diary, Nov 6-8
We left Kathmandu this morning in a taxi for the 5-hr+ journey to the start of Annapurna Circuit at Besisahar el 2700 ft. Road infrastructure is stressed by lack of development and geography which in central Nepal is steep mountain valleys and winding crumbling roads. I was tossed around in the back seat, no seat belt. Basically I turned a blind eye to buses, trucks and pedestrians inches away from our speedy Toyota which was navigated like Nascar by our driver in full concentration. Glimpses of the Himalayas appeared on the way. OMG, we're circumnavigating those giants! The ride took longer than expected due to the Dewali holidays with kids singing and dancing at various checkpoints the closer we got. They held a rope across the road and for a few rupees donation we could pass. After getting dropped at the "end of the main road", we wandered down to the colorful concrete Mongolian Hotel. I was happy it looked newer than the others. I had a warm shower and tried not to unpack my backpack. At dinner we met two other pairs of hikers from New Zealand and Germany, each with one person suffering from intestinal issues already. I noticed mosquitos and cockroaches when I woke in the middle of the night. Dan broke out our sleeping bags which we'd use for the remainder of the trek. The next morning we caught a heavy duty jeep with hikers from China and Japan to go up to Bhulbhule in about 45 minutes where the trail starts.
The rocky trail along the Kali Gandaki river has been a vital trade route in the Marsyangdi valley for centuries and later made famous by the French expedition to Annapurna I led by Maurice Herzog in 1950. We crossed suspension bridges, traipsed along steep terraced rice and millet fields, and through small villages with homes made of tin roofs and dirt floors. Kids are everywhere. Everyone it seems has a cheerful "namaste!" despite the fact they may be carrying a heavy load or otherwise leading a harsh life. Women in red colorful clothing dot the fields.
There are a few other independent trekkers like ourselves but mainly we are seeing groups with guides and porters. In the afternoon we climbed 1200 ft with the sun blasting at our backs. Running short on bottled water we pressed on until I needed to rest at a shady spot off the trail. A little further up, I ordered a fried egg sandwich on chapati bread (like naan) and immediately felt better. That evening in our teahouse lodge the villagers serenaded the guests to a repetitive drumbeat as the Dewali holidays came to an end. Dan and I were very popular with the children who were excited to practice their growing English skills. I learned then that while some kids ask for sweets or a pen, most are happy to be asked "how are you?" which they respond with "fine, how are you?" and a proud smile.
Bahundandra el 4298 ft to Chamje el 4701 ft
We are on the trail by 7 am to beat the heat. The valley became narrower as the river roared past carving smooth and deep gorges. After a steep descent the trail became undulating and about 2 hrs later we took a mango juice and water break with our new friend from Shanghai. The sun has risen over the valley now and we are taking better care to drink and snack more frequently to prevent overheating. Dan brought over two pounds of trail mix - worth its weight in gold. Soon enough we arrived at our timber lodge at the far edge of the village. I took a hot solar-powered shower and hung my sweaty clothes on rusty nails around our corner room. The sun went behind the ridge and the room cooled quickly with the furious river rushing by below us.
The rocky trail along the Kali Gandaki river has been a vital trade route in the Marsyangdi valley for centuries and later made famous by the French expedition to Annapurna I led by Maurice Herzog in 1950. We crossed suspension bridges, traipsed along steep terraced rice and millet fields, and through small villages with homes made of tin roofs and dirt floors. Kids are everywhere. Everyone it seems has a cheerful "namaste!" despite the fact they may be carrying a heavy load or otherwise leading a harsh life. Women in red colorful clothing dot the fields.
There are a few other independent trekkers like ourselves but mainly we are seeing groups with guides and porters. In the afternoon we climbed 1200 ft with the sun blasting at our backs. Running short on bottled water we pressed on until I needed to rest at a shady spot off the trail. A little further up, I ordered a fried egg sandwich on chapati bread (like naan) and immediately felt better. That evening in our teahouse lodge the villagers serenaded the guests to a repetitive drumbeat as the Dewali holidays came to an end. Dan and I were very popular with the children who were excited to practice their growing English skills. I learned then that while some kids ask for sweets or a pen, most are happy to be asked "how are you?" which they respond with "fine, how are you?" and a proud smile.
Bahundandra el 4298 ft to Chamje el 4701 ft
We are on the trail by 7 am to beat the heat. The valley became narrower as the river roared past carving smooth and deep gorges. After a steep descent the trail became undulating and about 2 hrs later we took a mango juice and water break with our new friend from Shanghai. The sun has risen over the valley now and we are taking better care to drink and snack more frequently to prevent overheating. Dan brought over two pounds of trail mix - worth its weight in gold. Soon enough we arrived at our timber lodge at the far edge of the village. I took a hot solar-powered shower and hung my sweaty clothes on rusty nails around our corner room. The sun went behind the ridge and the room cooled quickly with the furious river rushing by below us.
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