Monday, May 11, 2009

Off to Everest

Annapurna gave us a lovely introduction to the Himalayas...but 3 weeks wasn't enough to satisfy our appetite, so we are heading to the Everest region for another month of hiking. We just spent a blissful week...eating as many desserts and pastries as we could find once off the trail. So tomorrow morning we set off again, with full bellies and recharged muscles (oh, and antibiotics to kill the parasite that decided to call my gut home....but that's a whole different story).

Photos Galore!

If you have more time on your hands than you know what to do with...and are quite curious and want to see more views from the trek, we have posted (all!) our photos at the following site: www.picasaweb.google.com/motionsintheoceans1
Enjoy!

Immersed in the Annapurnas




















The highlight of our trek was our climb into the heart of the range, into the Annapurna Sanctuary. Again we began in the steamy lowlands, hiking through thick jungles full of ferns and moss-covered trees. The rhodadendrons were blooming, its pink flowers punctuating the diverse pallate of greens we found ourselves in. The forests remained thick and dense because of further protection of the diverse valley leading to the sanctuary. We spent one day hiking in the rain, making the forest seem even more lush and alive as water dripped from all the vegetation and small clear streams rushed down the hillsides and sometimes the trail. Once we climbed up out of the forest into the alpine zone, we caught quick glimpses of the mountainsides through the thick clouds settled in the valley. The mountainsides had a fresh dusting of snow and small waterfalls were cascading down the dramatic cliffs that framed the valley. We spent one night at the lower base camp, as the mountains were hiding behind a thick curtain of clouds. Small purple flowers defiantly poked out of the snow and brilliant blue birds fed on sluggish lady bugs, all adding color to the dull afternoon, as Tim and I explored the area near our lodge. Just before sunset, the clouds suddenly dissipated and the striking jagged peak of Machapuchre put on a brilliant performance that heightened our hopes for the views the following day.
Tim woke me up in the wee hours of the morning, as the ambient light revealed the dramatic peaks that surrounded us. We stood out in front of our lodge, the light increasing until a blaze of gold like a brushstroke of golden paint lit up a sliver of the peak of Annapurna South. Slowly the other peaks caught the sun's rays. We marveled at the peaks once more, only this time we were right in the center of them. In every direction, we had a jagged peak towering over us. We quickly packed our bags and headed for Annapurna Base Camp, another 1000 ft higher, as the sun began melting the previous day's snow, but keeping us warm as we trekked. We quickly reached Annapurna Base Camp and spent the morning enjoying the amazing views, lounging on some rocks in the sun. Rock falls and avalanches continually thundered around us, but in the vast sanctuary you could never spot from where the sound came. By noon the clouds returned and thick moist snowflakes began to fall. We retired to our room and spent the afternoon reading from the warmth of our sleeping bags. The following morning, Tim woke me at 3am to look at the stars. He had spent the last hour out in the cold under a brilliant starry sky. The milky way stretching across the sky emerging from behind the silhouette of one peak and disappearing behind the silhouette of another. Shooting stars tore across a perfect nightsky. We sat out in our sleeping bags and watched as night slowly transformed to day, and we witnessed again the sun's entrance from even better seats than the previous morning. It was a marvelous display from 13,500 ft...and it was hard to wrap our minds around the fact that the peaks surrounding us still rose another 10,000 ft above us. We felt so small amidst these mighty peaks that compose this young, fragile yet diverse, mountain range...and we felt so lucky to witness the beautiful process of the days unfolding. We had beautiful weather hiking back down the valley, although it was sad to leave the mountains behind as we returned to the blazing hot lowlands...although we were still mentally in the heart of the mountains.

Tilicho Lake










As I mentioned before there are many opportunities for side trips from the Annapurna Circuit...and we found the side trips to offer the most amazing glimpses of the mountains. Our hike to Tilicho Lake (the supposed highest lake in the world) at 16,500 ft served as an acclimitization hike before tackling the pass. We were hardly alone on the trail, but it did climb away from the string of villages that line the circuit, and it really felt like we were out backpacking (still minus a tent..) for the first time after more than a week of trekking. We climbed steeply up through a valley growing ever closer to brilliant white snowy peaks that stood boldly against a perfect blue sky. The camera snapped away wildly, as I tried again and again to capture the tremendous setting that we were immersed in. When fluffy clouds started building in the valley, it felt like we could climb aboard to catch a ride up the valley instead of following the narrow path that we could see continuing along the steep valley walls off in the distance. It was a lovely hike, until we reached the landslide zones...the path cut right across a steep scree slope. I suddenly realized I am developing a fear of heights and my steps were hardly discernable. Tim patiently waited as my heart pounded in my chest worse than during the climbs we have done. My muscles seized up in my legs and I held my breath with each step of the steepest parts hoping it would hold. My fears were obviously unjustified as trekkers made their way in and out of the valley daily, but there was no way to convince myself that there was no need to worry! And all I could think as we hiked in was that I was going to have to repeat it all hiking out the following day. We spent the night at a base camp lodge and started out early the next day, just as the sun was slowly reaching the valley. First the peaks were lit with a small golden strip of sunlight that creeped down into the valley. The trail again unraveled in front of us, climbing steeply and then finishing in with a series of switchbacks to reach the lake. My body was fighting me and the climb was proving to be too much of a challenge. I sent Tim on to the lake and savored my proximity to the mountains on my slow return hike. Tim picked up the pace without me and darted up to the frozen lake, where he was greeted by raging, biting winds. Donning all his layers, he spent 15 minutes basking in the environs with the mountains seemingly at arm's reach before the cold got the best of him and he retreated to a lower elevation.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Too many cooks in the kitchen?




We stayed in (and ate in) guesthouses all along the trek. It was always wonderful to be greeted by a warm "Namaste" at the end of a long day and led to a simple room that would be your home for the night. Our most enjoyable nights were the ones spent in the most modest guesthouses that weren't as frequented by trekkers. Communication was always a bit more challenging, but it was a much more authentic experience than staying in the lodges that were full of other trekkers. We sought out these smaller operations, often standing off on their own away from the villages, with the most beautiful views! One night, we were quite weary from a long day of hiking, and we rounded a corner to come upon the Green View Guesthouse. The woman running the guesthouse was busy washing her hair in the spigot out in front of the two story house. She even seemed a bit surprised when we inquired about a room, but quickly led us up creaky wooden stairs to our rooms that overlooked the backyard. There were clothes on the line, gently blowing in the breeze, while the hens wandered about pecking the ground. The bell on the water buffalo rang dully as she munched on some hay in her shed. We placed our order for dinner (the menus are standardized and is virtually identical from one lodge to the next), which was met by a puzzled look from the woman. We had ordered mashed potatoes, sauteed vegetables, and a fried egg. After reviewing the order a few times and a few charades, the woman disappeared into the kitchen. After some time, she reappeared with a pot of peeled, boiled potatoes...and was looking for a bit of guidance...not sure which step would (or should) come next. I made every mashing motion I could think of, but they were all greeted by a furrowed brow and slight frown revealing she was unconvinced by my hand motions. Instead she gestures for me to join her in the kitchen. She offers a mortar and pestle, but I opted to use a big knife to start chopping and mashing the potatoes. She seemed pleased with my progress and spoke to me in Nepali as if I could understand what she was saying. After 'mashing' the potatoes, I stepped out of the kitchen so as to not be stepping on her toes. She quickly calls me back in with her laughter ever accompanying her broken English that was far superior to my Nepali. Next order of business was figuring out what 'saute' meant. She brings in big beautiful leaves of some leafy green vegetable from her garden and then waits for my instruction. Together we find an appropriate pan, add some oil, garlic and onion...and suddenly I'm cooking the greens and this beautiful Nepali woman is chuckling contentedly as she scurries about clearning up scraps and speaking to me in Nepali to no avail. Finally she brings in fresh eggs rom he rhens and throws together an omlette in no time. She worked nimbly in the kitchen but we caught her off guard with our dinner requests. She seemed to enjoy inviting us into her kitchen and letting us help with the cooking. Last but not least, she strolls into the kitchen with a fresh bucket of milk from her water buffalo to whip up our milk teas for dinner. Dinner was a bit cold by the time everything was prepared, and perhaps even a bit bland...but we ate every last bit of the meal that was cooked with love, came mostly from her modest backyard, and was cooked over a small flame that she stoked as I kept an eye on the contents of the pans. These experiences were priceless to us. And even when we weren't invited into the kitchen, we watched women collect veggies from their gardens to prepare our meals. Lunch breaks were long, as our meals were prepared from scratch using what was growing in the area.

Friday, May 8, 2009

The Annapurna Circuit...a taste of the Himalayas








Nepal, with several long distance hiking trails, offers us a different style of travel and different opportunity to experience the country and culture than our travels in India. So we wasted no time grabbing some additional gear (aka warm clothes) upon arrival and getting out on the trail. The Annapurna Circuit is a 140 mile trail that encircles the Annapurna range, beginning in the steamy, lush sub-tropical lowlands and climbing to get a close glimpse of the Annapurna peaks of the Himalayas. Additionally, there are several sidetrip opportunities to immerse yourself in the heart of the range. We spent 19 days arising with the sun and hiking through villages and terraced fields, passing snowy peaks and waterfalls, dense rainforest and pine forests. Cut off from roads (at least for now), we hiked along the pedestrian highways that criss crossed the steep hillsides. Strolling through modest villages gave us a taste of life in rural Nepal (however, along the trail they have come to cater to the abundant trekkers, so guesthouses and teahouses abound). As we hiked, we saw changes in the house construction, contents of the gardens (corn and rice in the lowlands giving way to hardier wheat and barley as we gained elevation), and livestock (yaks gradually replaced cows and water buffalos). Climbing up the eastern side of the range, we had perfect weather and clear skies offering beautiful views of the mountains after our first couple of days trekking. The daunting task of the trek was crossing Thorong La pass at 17,768 ft! (We started the trek at a mere 2,000ft). We had a beautiful clear day, hiking under an intense blue sky without a single cloud. We started before dawn, but the sun was blazing on us by the time we reached the pass and were greeted by the biting wind whipping across it. Dropping down into the next valley, we were greeted by the hazy skies we thought we would experience our entire trek. The mountain ranges to the west were hidden by a hazy curtain and only occasionally poked through. We began descending along the rainshadow created by the Annapurnas, through dry, dusty scrubland. We also encountered a few days of the gale force winds our guidebook warned of...through a wide desolate valley, we covered up like bandits and threw our shoulders into the wind as dust devils stirred up around us. We walked right through the rainshadow and back into the hot, humid lowlands. Our legs were weary and our backs a bit sore from days of trekking, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to hike a few more days and cut into the heart of the Annapurnas...to the Annapurna Sanctuary. The trek is an amazing escape into the diverse landscape of the Himalayas, but also the diverse culture. From the more Hindu lowlands up into the Buddhist regions at higher elevations, we got a glimpse at the diverse local groups and their different lifestyles as we circumvented the Annapurnas and explored villages built into the hillsides. Faded and tattered prayer flags are found flying wildly in the relentless mountain wind. And village activity far exceeds the length of our hiking day. Men out with their water buffalos turning the soil, groups harvesting wheat (by the bundle) by hand, corn being planted, fodder collected and hauled in for the water buffalo, firewood collected and hauled back home to cook dinner. Our daily exertion always seemed so insignificant when you looked around at the lifestyle of the locals. However backbreaking and exhausting, there is a beauty to the simplicity of rural Nepali life and how connected people are to the land.