The Annapurna Circuit - Days 4 to 6

Day 4

Route: Tal (1,700m) to Danaque (2,210m)

Teahouse: Motherland Hotel & Restaurant

According to The Lonely Planet trekking guide this should have been a tough day hiking over 8 hours with a 1100m ascent to Tal. However, we decided to split this section of the trek into two days to have more time to enjoy the scenery which was getting more and more spectacular.

By now we were getting firmly into a our daily routine.

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The daily routine and the battle with the bulge...

As I said previously, Bhuwan was an early bird. Given that he was the guide and had done the circuit many times before and that we were getting very early nights (at the end of a day of trekking, it's amazing how quickly the body, post-shower and post-meal, switches off!), we were happy to go with what he said. In any event, were always wide awake very early so the early starts were never a problem.

Breakfast, which we had usually at around 7am, was always ordered the previous evening. We tended to avoid big breakfasts, usually just sharing a bowl of porridge and honey – there is no need to eat big between meals of Dal Bhat! A particular highlight of the day for Sarah was, however, her morning Nepali tea. Even I, as a strict non-tea drinker, was forced to admit that it was actually quite good. You could either ask for one cup or a small pot (which, at around 4-5 cups, was not really what you would call 'small'!) and Sarah always chose the latter – it was simply too good to have just one cup.

One 'small' pot of milk tea, please...

Nepali milk tea is boiled up with powdered milk, sugar (lots!) and spices (cinnamon is particularly dominant) and called Napali or 'masala' (mix) 'chiya' tea. It was always a fantastic start to the day, gradually warming and waking the body up and, with all the sugar, raising the energy levels considerably.

Lovers of 'proper' filtered coffee (guilty, as charged!) would be disappointed on the Annapurna circuit as the coffee is, for the most part, of the instant variety and also very weak.

Another essential part of our morning, pre-trekking routine were our various supplements. These, which we had carried with us since we left Blighty for use in countries with somewhat dodgy track records for food-hygiene and for those occasions when our bodies needed a little 'help' (yes, happy to admit that I am 32 and not 22!), consisted of:

1. a probiotic which gave our bodies a boost of friendly bacteria
2. an omega 3 supplement to lubricate the joints and make up for a lack of fish in our diet
3. a multi-vitamin because, as good as Dal Bhat was, it didn't provide you with a completely balanced diet

We would end up taking one of each a day, partly because we knew we were not having the most balanced diet (no meat, fish, dairy produce etc.) but mainly because neither of us wanted to fall ill and delay, or worst still, have to pull out of the trek. Granted, it may sound slightly paranoid, but I have heard too many horror stories about people falling ill in certain parts of the world!

With our bodies filled with pills and enough tea and coffee to keep a small army going, we would retreat to our rooms for one of the most cumbersome and tricky parts of the day – packing, or should I say re-packing, our back-packs. Each evening we would have to move our sleeping bags from the back-pack Padam was carrying and the following morning we would have to squeeze the sleeping bags into their specially designed individual compression bags (in itself a time-consuming and fairly tiring task that Sarah would leave to me!) and then squeeze both sleeping bags into the back-pack. Having done this, we would have to squeeze all clothes, toiletries et for the two of us into the back-pack. Believe me – it was a real squeeze. With the bag bulging at the sides, we would usually find ourselves behind time with Bhuwan and Padam ready and waiting outside our door!

Each day, regardless of how tough and long the day was, we would usually stop twice in the morning prior to lunch and twice in the afternoon for some post Dal Bhat down-time. We never felt rushed – in fact, the pace was always quite leisurely and relaxed and one of the good things was that whenever I felt like speeding up, usually to pass a large group of tourists, I knew I could rely on Bhuwan and/or Padam to walk behind with Sarah to ensure she didn't get left on her own. If only I could take such luxuries back to England and our walks on the North Downs Way or the Hastings 1066 path!

Lunch was never a rushed affair as after our meal we would wait until Bhuwan and Padam had had their Dal Bhat before we could leave. It meant that there were always periods in the day during which we knew we could chill out and perhaps catch-up with our fellow trekkers. It also meant Bhuwan and Padam could catch-up with their fellow guides and porters. I wish I knew what they were talking about when they did!

Having checked in to our teahouse late-afternoon, we would wash and have an early meal, sometimes as early as 6.00 to 6.30pm. We said our goodnights to Bhuwan and Padam (who usually ate later than us until around 9pm) at around 7-8pm and were usually in our single beds, snuggled up in our sleeping bags and sleeping like babies by 8.30 to 9pm. Sweet dreams indeed!

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The first thing we did as we left Tal was fill our water bottles with water. This we did at the Safe Water Scheme station in the centre of the village. There are 17 such stations on the circuit and the one in Tal was the first we came across. Such stations have been introduced by the Nepali government in conjunction with the New Zealand government in an attempt to halt the flood of plastic, unrecyclable and unbiodegradable bottles into the conservation area. Prices ranged from around 50-75 Rupees per litre which felt entirely reasonable – not only did it mean we did not have to buy bottled water but it also meant we did not have to rely on putting iodine tablets into the tap water we had poured into our bottles. Tastier and cheaper!

One of the first things I noticed as we left Tal were the Maoist slogans painted on the rocks by the trail. Such slogans were few and far between on the circuit but a reminder of a time when the Maoist influence was more prevalent.

Having followed the riverside trail from Tal for around 20 minutes, we crossed a 60m-long suspension bridge across the Marsyangdi (how many times was it possible to cross one river?!). Once the other side, we had to make a dash through a waterfall that had taken over the trail. A late morning shower, if you like!



"Pass the shower gel please"



We lunched in Dharapani (1,960m). As our Dal Bhat was being prepared, we sat outside on the terrace chatting to a French couple and soaking up the sun. The Nepalis have quite a novel way of boiling water which I had never seen before – they simply place a cold saucepan of water inside what looks like half a large metallic satellite dish and let the sun do its work! We ate our Dal Bhat inside because by then the sun was too strong. I noticed that there was an acoustic guitar on the wall. It had clearly seen better days (only four of the six strings were left!) but I wasn't to be put off. Unfortunately, Bhuwan was and, no sooner had I started strumming had he politely left the room for his Dal Bhat! I quickly learnt never to try and play a six-string guitar with four (badly out of tune!) strings!

Definitely not music to Bhuwan's ears...

After lunch we passed through Bagarchhap (2,160m) – the first village on the trek with typical Tibetan architecture: closely spaced stone houses with flat roofs piled high with firewood.

Having climbed through a pine and fir forest we reached Danaque, where we would spend the night.

A typical Nepali kitchen

Here we had our first experience of apple pie (more on that later) and had our first impromptu French lesson with Bhuwan (we knew from Rob and Lauren that Bhuwan was keen on improving his French and, as we continued around the circuit, we would learn why. By far the most common nationality amongst all the tourists we came across was French – predominantly large middle-aged groups (10-15 in number). Mum, dad, if you are reading – it's never too late!).

Madame Mortimer gives her French lesson

Day 5

Route: Danaque (2,210m) to Chame (2,710m)

Teahouse: Potala Guest House & Restaurant

The fine weather continued – barely a cloud in the sky (how much easier is it to get out of bed early when the sun is shining?!). Bhuwan had been up since around 6am, reciting the French words and phrases we had taught him the previous evening. He was certainly dedicated to learning the language! We were really starting from scratch with him as the only French word he seemed to know was doucement.

Having filled up our water bottles at the safe water drinking station, we left Danaque at around 7.15am. As we climbed in altitude the nights and mornings walking mainly in the shade were getting colder and colder. The llama wool hat Sarah bought in Cusco came in particularly handy.

By now the Tibetan influence was becoming increasingly noticeable. We passed our first Tibetan-style mani dungkhor (chapel with large prayer wheel inside) beside a mani wall (a wall built of stones carved with Buddhist prayers).

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Prayer flags, prayer wheels, mani walls and chortens

For the next two weeks virtually every village or town we passed through contained strings of coloured prayer flags and walls of carved mani stones which meant that we were getting close to the Tibetan world.

Prayer flags are strung across passes, streams and houses to sanctify the air, pacify the gods and bring merit to the owners. There are several types of prayer flags but in all the colours are highly symbolic and arranged in a specific order: white (representing air), red (fire), green (water), yellow (earth) and blue (space or ether). Flags can be horizontal (called dardings) or vertical (darchok or chatdar), but all are printed with an image of the wind horse (llungta), which carried prayers to the four corners.

Large piles of mani stones mark the entrance to most villages and monasteries. They are normally inscribed with the Tibetan Buddhist mantra 'om mani padme hum', which is simply translated as 'hail to the jewel in the lotus' (though its true meaning is far more complex).



Mani walls are joined by long lines of prayer wheels, which pilgrims spin to activate the thousands of prayers wrapped inside. On the trek we saw everything from personal-sized, hand spun prayer wheels to huge house sized wheels called mani dungkhor, which come with their own private chapels.

We would quickly learn from Bhuwan that you always walk to the left of mani walls and chortens (stupas) and spin your prayer wheels in a clockwise direction.

We passed many chortens (stone Buddhist monuments) on the trek. The very first chortens were built to hold the remains of Buddha and act as a symbol for the new faith. Many chortens still hold religious relics or the ashes of lamas inside them. A special type of chorten is a kani, which is an arch-like monument erected at the entrance to villages. We would see plenty of these over the course of the circuit.

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5 minutes outside of Danaque we came across 3 girls heading in the same direction as us, happily laughing and singing together. Bhuwan asked where they were heading. “School!”, was the unison reply. School was an hour away and they would do the walk (which would shortly climb very steeply) twice a day for 5 days a week. It's no surprise to me that you see next to obese people in Nepal!

 

I was glad we had decided to split this section of the trek into two days – the climb just after Danaque, though spectacular and passing through a rhododendron forest (apparently spring is an amazing time to do the circuit, if you are happy to endure the rain!), was a killer. We gained 500m in elevation in around an hour and a half.

After an hour of climbing we took a small well-deserved break to catch our breath. I was in the process of putting my jumper into the back-pack which Padam still had on his back when he accidentally/on purpose 'let rip'. There was nothing discreet about it and we all heard it. Following a short silence, Padam was the first to start laughing. Soon after, we were all in hysterics, laughing for what felt like a good couple of minutes. It may sound like a crude thing to say but I'm fairly sure fart jokes could unite the world!

After a good three hours of walking and joking we stopped for lunch in Timang (2,630m) at an excellent Tibetan restaurant. Here, to make a break from Dal Bhat, we tried something called Momo for the first time and were not disappointed. Momos are basically stuffed Tibetan-style dumplings that are either steamed or fried. I managed to satisfy my cheese craving by having fried cheese ones and Sarah chose for the slightly healthier steamed vegetable option. Accompanied by a large plate of special fried rice it made for a delicious lunch and we made a point of seeking out Momo on lunchtime menus from then on.

We passed some interesting characters after lunch on the trail into Chame, all happy to pose for the camera! One kid was, however, a little disappointed after posing for a photo. He asked for a sweet (as some of the kids do) and whilst it is not encouraged to give them sweets or chocolate, I found myself searching my rucksack for something to give him. All I could find were smints and when I offered him one of them, he looked at me slightly puzzled as if to say “What on earth are these? No M&M's?!”. His puzzled expression quickly changed to one of utter disgust as he spat the smint out shortly after putting it in his mouth. He said something to me in Nepali and for once, I didn't bother asking Bhuwan to translate.

We got to Chame mid-afternoon and having checked in to our teahouse and showered, we went for our usual late-afternoon, early evening stroll with Bhuwan. It was always a good time to go for a walk, not only are you refreshed and wearing clean clothes but you can take it easy and explore the village in your own time. The evening light makes for great photos.

Chame is the first place on the circuit that has internet cafes. We (I) could not resist, partly because Sarah's blackberry had not worked since we had left Kathmandu so we had no news from anyone but mainly because there was a top(ish) of the table clash that had taken place between city and Arsenal. Half an hour later, having been stung for 300 Rupees, I wished I hadn't checked (city lost 3-0!).

We then headed through Chame towards the hot spring, following the signs. Unfortunately, when we got there, the main spring area (on which a concrete tourist bath had been built) was empty and we had to settle for a small puddle instead. We got over the disappointment by warming our hands up for a good five minutes – bliss!

The Potala teahouse was one of our favourites, mainly because we were allowed to spend the evening in the kitchen with the various family members (the kitchen, where the wood-burning stove goes all day, is unsurprisingly the family hub of the teahouse). Without a guide I doubt we would have been able to spend so much time there. Various family members of all ages came and went and none seemed the slightest bit bothered that we were sat in the family kitchen which you would not exactly call spacious. That is one thing I have learnt about Nepalis – they don't really mind not having their own personal space and live very happily side-by-side. Over the course of the evening, we learnt that the teahouse was only around 15 years old (it looked more like 100 years old!) and that three generations of the same family lived there. We got to watch our Dal Bhat and pappadam being prepared and even got a makeshift table to eat our Dal Bhat off in front of the fire. A really enjoyable evening and experience meant that I quickly got city's 3-0 defeat out of my system!

Day 6

Route: Chame (2,710m) to Pisang (3,240m)

Teahouse: no, just someone's house...


Warming up in the kitchen around the wood-burning stove was a great start to the day. Unfortunately, however, my face was still a little on the tender side as I managed to catch the sun the previous day (in doing so, another lesson was quickly learnt – don't buy cheap suncream in Kathmandu. The offending item was supposedly a factor 30 Nivea cream but when I applied it to my face it actually felt more like applying lumpy goose fat than sun cream so I guess I should have known something wasn't quite right! You really have to watch out with some things you buy in Nepal as there are so many counterfeit goods out there).

We left Chame trekking west after passing over a bridge in the older part of the village. Impressive kani and mani walls were possibly the finest we had seen so far.

The trail was fairly easy going and after around an hour and a half we had our usual first stop of the day. Bhuwan disappeared momentarily and returned with a handful of very fresh apples. We had stopped next to a large apple orchard. The were absolutely delicious – much like braeburn apples only sweeter and juicier than the ones I'm used to back in Blighty. Even Sarah, a strict non-apple eater, was forced to admit how good they were.

I taught Bhuwan the well-known English expression about apples keeping doctors away. He found the expression very funny for some reason and I made a mental note of checking each day with him whether he remembered the expression. At the same time, he and Padam were teaching us some basic Nepali sentences which we were, despite the best will in the world, struggling to remember! By now, we were getting to know Bhuwan and Padam quite well and really enjoying their company.

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Bhuwan and Padam – a great double act

I nicknamed Bhuwan and Padam the 'Two Ronnies' as they were a great double-act who made us (as well as countless others on the trek) laugh a lot. They were great entertainment, very easy going, patient and, importantly for us, they were very close and seemed to get on very well. Sure, Bhuwan was our guide but we were spending 18 days walking with Padam as well so we wanted to get to know him too and for the four of us to get on well.

We learnt that Bhuwan was 37 years old and his family (not just his wife and two sons (aged 9 and 7) but also his brothers and sisters and cousins) lived together in Kathmandu. His grandmother is 105 years of age, which she puts down to, as Bhuwan put it, “drinking lots of tea”. When we returned to Kathmandu after the trek, we got to meet his family, which was a wonderful experience.

He attended a guide school in Kathmandu a few years ago and had been operating as a guide since. Guides in Nepal have to be authorised to operate in certain areas so for instance, Bhuwan could be a guide for us in the Annapurna area as well as other trekking areas like Langtang, Everest, Mustang but he could not 'guide' us around Kathmandu (for which he did not have a permit) when we met up with him after our trek as he could be fined and/or suspended if he was caught doing so.

Bhuwan was an all-round good bloke who looked after us really well throughout the circuit. He was chatty and good-humoured whatever the time of day. One of the things that impressed us the most was his desire to improve not only his English, but also his French (he clearly knew that by grasping the French language he could significantly increase his business). He carried with him at all times a small notebook and pencil to note down words or expressions and we spent many hours with him teaching him essential English like 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' or ' a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush', in return for which he would teach us essential Nepali that wasn't in The Lonely Planet like 'rambru hernus' (nice beer).

During previous treks, Bhuwan had picked up some interesting English expressions, including:

“See you later potato better don't worry chicken curry”

“No pain, no gain” (which he pronounced “No pen, no gen”)

“Lovely jubbly”

“Relax, no rush, doucement, doucement. You are on holidays. Appreciate the mountains, the forest, the environment.”

“Little bit up, little bit down” (when referring to the trail).

Bhuwan's English wasn't great but this didn't bother us – we'd rather have had a friendly guide with whom we got on well for nearly three weeks than a guide who spoke perfect English but who we didn't click with. We could usually understand Bhuwan quite easily although sometimes he would have to repeat the odd word. It was more tricky making ourselves understood when we spoke to him or Padam and at times it was a little bit like Basil Fawlty trying to make himself understood by Manuel. I found myself, like Fawtly did, slowing my speech down and making the same grammatical mistakes as Bhuwan did in order to make my understood (i.e. “What-we-do-now?”).

On the second to last day of the trek, whilst enjoying my first (much-deserved) beer of the circuit (it's amazing what a period of abstinence can do for you!), Bhuwan showed me his guide's manual which was essentially his textbook from his guide school days. This contained a number of facts about Nepal (i.e. how many peaks above 8,000m it has, how many rivers, butterflies, mammals, tigers, national parks etc.) all of which Bhuwan had learnt, almost parrot fashion. One thing he did struggle with was identifying birds and I was happy to teach him the English names of some of the more familiar names of the birds we saw on the circuit. I''d like to think that, with my nagging, he can remember the difference between a crow and a chough!

Padam was also great company, with his crazy chipmunk hair and constantly beaming smile, he was, at 22, quite a bit younger than Bhuwan but he seemed to really look up to him (metaphorically and literally, as he was quite a bit shorter than Bhuwan!), almost like a mentor. He was definitely a cheeky chappie though and by far the most stylish and funky porter we saw on the trek. He had a really warm and friendly side to him and would engage with people (Nepalis as well as other tourists) really easily, although he did have a soft-spot for the young Nepali women we came across. He seemed to particularly enjoy it when Sarah and I referred to him as 'the ladies' man' - his English may not have been great but he knew what that meant! I think he thought he was the best looking man from Kathmandu to Timbuktu!

We learnt that Padam is a very much an outdoor type person and his favourite hobby is mountain-biking, which gave us something to talk about immediately. He did promise to take me out mountain-biking with some friends when we got back to Kathmandu after the trek but unfortunately he had already set-off on another trek when we got there. Still, that's another one to add to my continually expanding list of reasons to return to Nepal in the near future...

Looking back , it's hard to imagine that we would have had such a fun and interesting time on the trek without the two of them.

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We passed through a beautiful pine forest and, I for one (with my face still slightly sore from the previous day), was grateful for some shade! For the first time, it felt almost like trekking in the Alps.

Shortly afterwards, we got our first view of the spectacular Paungda Danda rock face, an awesome curved slab of rock rising more than 1,500m from the river. Locals call it the Swarga Dwar (Gateway to Heaven) and believe that the spirits of the deceased must ascend this wall after leaving their bodies.

Our house in Pisang (3,240m) was probably our favourite of the circuit. It was a small place that Bhuwan just seemed to know about, having only three rooms and no signs whatsoever outside the property to suggest that it was a teahouse (this one was definitely not recommended (or I say, even mentioned) in The Lonely Planet!).

The wood partitions between the three rooms on the upper level of the teahouse were very thin and we could hear Bhuwan and Padam's every word. What's more, there were a number of holes in the wood – a peeping Tom's paradise!


Having enjoyed a warm bucket shower (so much better than the cold to lukewarm showers), we walked from Pisang to Upper Pisang (3,310m). On the way up we passed an elderly looking chap who was happy to pose for a photo. He was apparently 95 years old and lived in the same village as the Dalai Lama when he was younger. In Upper Pisang we visited a beautiful monastery.

Once again, what we enjoyed the most was simply being able to spend an evening around the fire with the family. The wood-burning stove was, interestingly, on the floor (the Nepali name for it is Sulo) which meant that everything, from preparing, cooking and then eating the food, had to be done sat on the floor. My poor hips, knees and ankles really struggled to cope with the lotus position! Fortunately Bhuwan, seeing my discomfort, handed me a glass of Rakshi, which quickly eased my pain! Rakshi is a locally produced fortified white wine with a bit of a kick to it. It was actually more like an eau de vie than wine. Bhuwan was partial to the odd drop here and there and, once he knew I was on board, he would sneak me the occasional glass (usually when Sarah was too engrossed in a book to notice or having a shower!).

We (or rather, Sarah) even got to help preparing our Dal Bhat that evening – I just enjoyed eating it!

Not for the first time I noticed what looked likes strips of meat above the stove on what looked like an old washing line. Bhuwan informed me it was yak meat which is apparently left to dry above the stove over a number of weeks, if not months. I remembered what Rob had said to me about avoiding Yak meat at all costs (apparently, when he and Lauren did the trek last year, two tourists got very bad food poisoning from yak meat and had to be air-lifted to hospital) but, me being me, I simply could not resist trying it when it was offered to me. It was delicious but did nothing to satisfy my ever-increasing meat cravings! The Dal Bhat, as good as it was, did not provide me with my protein injection! Fortunately, I was OK the following morning (maybe all the supplements we were taking were doing some good!).

On our way out of the kitchen to our rooms we witnessed a very peculiar sight. A women from a neighbouring property was holding a tray full of hot charcoal remains, presumably from her stove, below the nose of a cow. The cow didn't seem to mind and seemed to be sniffing at the tray. Bhuwan, clearly also slightly mystified as to what was going on in front of him asked the lady why she was doing this. “It has a cold”, was her short but deadly serious reply.

I was left to reflect on what a raw deal the yak gets in this part of the world (if you'll excuse the pun). The cow is, of course, the holy animal of Hinduism and killing a cow in Nepal can bring a jail sentence. In mountainous areas like the Annapurna Conservation Area, if you ask for meat it will be yak meat. The yak is a long-haired bull bred all over the Himalaya and seen in abundance over altitudes of around 3,000m. Not only is it eaten by locals and swathes of protein craving tourists, but its milk is also used to make delicious yak cheese which I tried for the first time the next day.






The yak's hair is used by Nepalis and Tibetans to make certain clothes and its great strength is used to plough fields in many parts of Nepal. Oh, and occasionally it gets a treat and gets to carry tourists over the Thorung La Pass (I'm not kidding, you can do it on a mule or, for around three times the price, on a yak. Quite why you would want to is beyond me!). All this while the cow looks on, its only duty being occasionally having its face painted various colours during Hindu festivals. As I say, in comparison to the cow, the yak really does get a raw deal.