Back from the trek...

Well, I didn't go to the Annapurna Base Camp as planned...unfortunatly I wound up coming down with the flu :( Ian and I decided to hike back to Pokhara...a 2 day hike instead of 8. I'm dissapointed not to make it to basecamp, but still pretty darn proud of myself for completing a three week trek!! Plus, although I'm feeling better now, it was a good decision I think not to push it while I'm sick. Ian and I will be able to re-live the basecamp trek through Erics pictures.

So, here are my final thoughts and tips on the trek...

1. Give yourself plently of buffer time. Luckily we weren't going off a timeline, so we could check out neat side trails, stay in cool towns for longer, and we had a nice long rest day after we crossed the pass.

              

2. A porter and guide are not necissary...we were some of the only people without them, but the paths were well marked and whenever we started to go off trail we would immediatly have a Nepali grandma yelling at you incoherently and pointing at where you should be going instead. I couldn't count the number of times this happened to us. haha. The people we met with guides felt rushed, and also payed much much more. A typical day for us cost-wise was lodging for $1.25 max (often free). and food...usually around $2.00 for breakfast and $5.00 for dinner. If you got Daal Baht for dinner it was all you can eat! We ate lots of tibetan breat, tsampa porriage, omelets, fried rice, and tea...lots and lots of tea. My favorites were milk tea and lemon tea. We found out it was best to make our own lunches out of yak cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, and snickers bars. There are children everywhere trying to sell you apples, bananas, and oranges from the trees around their homes.

3. November is the perfect time to trek because there weren't too many crowds and the weather was great! It only rained one day out of the 20 and the rest of the time was sunny and beautiful.

4. Its good to get used to Nepali time...go to bed around 9 and wake up around 6.

5. Bring your own toliet paper...nepalis don't use it. AND get used to the very inconvenient squatty potties...I had a mishap one day when I was using a very slanted bathroom and I lost my balance...I'm embarassed to say I peed on my foot. Goes to show why western toliets are better.



6. A few must haves: a down jacket, warm socks, long underwear, a steri pen (to purify water), trekking poles, chacos, a headlamp, and a warm sleepin bag.

Going on the trek was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced...the people are gracious and friendly, the landscape is beautiful, and to be out in nature for 3 weeks straight was worth the time, effort, and sore muscles. We met lots of friends along the way too from all over the world. Supprisingly only a few other Americans, but lots of Israelis, Germans, French, and tourists from other Asian countries.

 

Now back in Pokhara I have lots of options...whitewater rafting, paragliding, horseback riding, kayaking, scenic flights, rock climbing....its going to be tough to decide what we want to do most! Got my first massage this morning for 20 dollars for a whole hour!!!

Sorry about the weird picture placement...the internet is SUPER slow and moving them takes 5 minutes to load. Also, if you click on the pictures you can see a bigger version!

Treking the Annapurna Circuit

So...just finished day 18 of our hike...The internet is too slow to post pictures, but I thought I'd give a quick update. We're in a town called Gorepani on the trail up to the Annapurna basecamp. We're still all feeling great, although hiking 18 days straight is more of a mental game than anything. Today is one of those days I'm tired and the unhill climb seems daughting so we called it an early day at 2:00 and are staying here tonight. Hopefully hiking up to Poon Hill for sunset tonight...supposed to be a fantastic view!!! 8 more days of hiking ahead of us to the basecamp and back to Pokhara. Its been quite the experience and well worth the time and effort. Making it over the pass at almost 18,000feet was an amazing feeling!!!! It took us 12 days to get to the pass and it was so cool to see the landscape slowly change as we made our way slowly uphill. We likened the regions to states...the first few days were florida, then Georgia, then Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, and finally up near the pass it just seemed like it could be in Alaka. The night before the pass we were sleeping at 15,500 feet...1000 feet higher than Mt. Rainier! Other than a restless nights sleep, we suffered no ill effects from the altitude, crossed the pass and then made our way down the other side...a very dry open river valley area.

Wildlife has been slim except for bugs, yaks, donkey trains, vultures, and chickens. But the plants are amazing and Eric and I have been recognizing quite a few from home! Plus Eric bought a book so we've been trying to figure out the rest. We celebrated thanksgiving in the apple capitol, Marpha, then spend a day hanging out in some hotsprings in Tatopani. Nice and relaxing. After we get back to Pokhara in a week its going to feel so great to take a nice hot shower, use a western toliet and do some laundry. I never knew how much I'd miss the simple things! :) Guess I'll have a new-found appreciattion for them from now on out.

Miss everyone and hope you all had a happy thanksgiving!!!

Namaste!

I'm sitting in an internet cafe on the shores of a lake in Pokara. We got here by bus from Kathmandu earlier today. The bus ride was long, bumpy, and very slow going on the mountain roads, but we finally got to see the mountains!! Kathmandu was very interesting. Probably too busy for me, but worth seeing and I'm glad I was able to spend a few days there. We visited a few stupas (Buddhist temples also combined with some Hindu elements), saw monkeys, and spent plenty of time just wandering around the city and seeing the different areas of town. The streets are absolutly insane...cars, people, trucks, and motorcycles everywhere!!! And all of them honking constantly. Here the honking isnt angry like it is in the states though, its more of a "Hey I'm here! watch out so I dont hit you!"

 Street vendors and crazy and obnoxious here and refuse to take "no" for an answer. They also try and sell you things way over priced just because you are American, but you can usually talk them down to at least half of what their original offer is...sometimes they will ask for $50 USD for something and you can even talk them down to about $5. People otherwise are very friendly and helpful. Food is great and extremely inexpensive. We can usually each get a full dinner for about 180 Nepali Rupees or $2.50. You can buy anything and everything here...lots of fun things to just look at.

We start our trek tomorrow and I am so excited!!!! The mountains are beautiful and there area we start hiking in has banana trees everywhere, tropical birds, and great views. Looks like we'll be hiking for about 24 days total. Its going to be difficult to pack tonight for such a long trip, while making sure to keep my pack light enough to carry for three weeks! I bought a down sleeping bag and coat in Kathmandu that I'm excited to use on the trek too. always dreamed of owning a down jacket :) haha.

I really miss everybody and hope things are well back home!!! 

Leaving Tomorrow!

Tomorrow at 5 am we're heading north to Vancouver B.C. to catch our flight! Can't believe its finally arrived. I'm excited, nervous, and at the moment, not really sure what to do with myself! I'm hesitant to leave the comforts of home, and already really miss everybody, but also looking forward to experiencing a whole new culture and going on a great adventure.

We now have a definite volunteer placement in India at Dumpal Organic Farm in Jaisalmer. Their website is: http://dumpalorganicfarm.blogspot.com/. We'll be helping them with farming herbs and millet and building mud huts (which we will also be staying in). We should be there from Jan 10 till the 20 or so.

Also, the website for the volunteering we will be doing in Nepal teaching science and art classes is: http://www.filtersforfamilies.org/. We'll be there Dec. 10-20!

Feri bhetaula (Till we meet again!)