To the Clouds and Back

Hello! After three weeks trekking around the Himalayas, we’ve returned to the land of Internet and are eager to share. Be prepared for a few rapid fire posts as we catch up. Full photographic evidence will be posted in a couple of days, once we’re back in Kathmandu.  But first, a general overview.

The Annapurna Circuit (or Annapurna Round, as most Nepalis call it) is basically that-- a big ol’ circle around the gigantic Annapurna range. See a map here. It's a “teahouse trek,” which means that you stay in lovely, family-run lodges in small villages on the way and are treated to (gasp!) three hot meals a day while you trek. You begin in tropical lowlands surrounded by rice paddies, hike through pine forests and over a high, snowy pass, emerge into a high-altitude desert and slowly hike back down through various ecosystems until you are back in tropical jungle. Culturally, it’s an incredibly rich experience. The villages at lower altitudes are predominantly Hindu, while those higher up are Buddhists of Tibetan descent, who themselves are divided into four groups with their own languages and traditions. Along the way, we attended puja  (prayers) at Buddhist gompas, saw holy fire at a Hindu pilgrimage site, celebrated an ancient Tibetan holiday that in a tiny desert village, herded goats, ate yak, practiced math facts with Nepali kids on their way home from school, had a couple of near-death experiences, and generally had the time of our lives.

Since we’re geeks, here are a few numbers to put things in perspective:

• Kilometers walked: >220 (we took a few detours from the main route)
• Days to complete: 21
• Highest Point: Thorung-La Pass at 17,769ft
• Amount of oxygen in the air at 17,769ft: 50% less than at sea level
• Highest lake we saw (and highest lake in the world): Tilicho Lake, 4,900m
• Most altitude gained in a day: 2000m (Yes, meters. It was a hard day.)
• Number of times we ate dal baht (rice and lentils with veg curry): we lost count
• Cost of a room in a village lodge: $2
• Cost of a cup of tea on top of Thorung-La Pass: $1, and totally worth it
• Peaks higher than 8000m within spitting distance: 2
• Leech bites: 5
• Encounters with active landslides: 2
• Crossings of Kali Gandaki river by bridge: 23
• Crossings of Kali Gandaki by wading across: Only one. One too many.

And here are a couple of images to whet the appetite:

The view of Dhauligiri from Poon Hill

A gigantic mani wall of prayer wheels in Lower Pisang

More to come soon!