Sarah & Steve's Worldtrip

Day 1

Route: Kathmandu to Bhulbule (840m)

Teahouse: Hotel Manang and Lodge

Our first day began with a very early start. We were up at 5am and having showered (well aware that this could be our last luxury and hot shower for some time!) and grabbed a quick breakfast, our guide (Bhuwan) and porter (Padam) picked us up promptly at our hotel at 6.30am. Fortunately Padam was able to pick our bag up with relative ease and carry it without any complaints for the 15-minute walk to the bus station. When we paid for the guide and porter, we were told that Padam would carry one bag only, weighing a maximum of 25 kilos. Having managed to squeeze an improbable amount into my back pack, making the most of the many compartments, I would have thought our back pack weighed around 17 kilos.

We had two seats reserved on the tourist bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara, which left Kathmandu's Gongabu bus park at 7.15am. The tourist buses, as we would find out later on, are slighty more expensive than the local buses, but have the benefit of being (for the most part) direct, unlike the local buses which stop frequently. We had been told by friends that the bus journey was quite eventful and it did not disappoint! Getting out of Kathmandu itself took a good hour and a half. This part of the journey was a real eye-opener, communities literally living on top of each other, washing clothes in the rivers and cramming on to the many buses – it was a level of poverty that I had never seen before in my life but, it appeared to me that despite these living conditions, people seemed to be very close and getting on with their lives.

Having climbed up quite a way out of the city, we picked up a very congested road to Dumre. Parts of the road were in an awful state and there were many hold ups along the way, during which the driver of our bus simply turned the engine off! It took us a good 4 hours to get to Dumre which is only about 100 kms from Kathmandu. We quickly learnt over the next 4 weeks that getting around Nepal always presents a challenge!

Most of the vehicles were buses or lorries (TATA motors has an absolute monopoly in this part of the world), usually crammed full of people. Sometimes we saw buses with groups of people on the roof! Occasionally we would be overtaken by a taxi carrying a group of tourists who did not fancy the bus ride doing ridiculous speeds round blind corners. I was amazed that we did not see more accidents!

The lorries were an interesting sight. As I said previously, the Nepalis have a love-affair with colour. They also like to adorn things and lorries were no exception to this! Even more amusing were the horns used by some of the vehicles which played an interesting tune when used – it reminded me of the Dukes of Hazard TV series I used to watch as a kid!

The road was narrow and winding and not for the faint hearted and it was best at times not to look down. At the same time, we had our first views of the luscious green mountainous scenery in Nepal which we would get accustomed to over the next few weeks.

Roads in Nepal - prepare yourself for a bumpy ride!

After around 3 hours we stopped and joined a lengthy queue. No cars were passing coming the other way and, although we could not see very clearly what was going on in the distance, it appeared to be some kind of roadblock. Some 10 minutes later, there was an almighty explosion from the bottom of the valley which literally shook the bus. We were a little shaken ourselves to say the least! Bhuwan explained that the authorities are setting off explosions to clear areas in order to expand the road network.

We changed from a tourist bus to a local bus in Dumre for the last section of the journey to Besi Sahar. The bus was pretty full when we got on but for the next two hours continued to stop regularly to allow more and more people on, some of whom ended up on the roof!

Changing buses in Dumre

Queing, Nepali style

Finally, after some 6 ½ hours on the bus (we were lucky, later on on the trek we spoke to a group of French guys who said it took them 10 hours to do the same journey on a local bus!), we arrived in Besi Sahar. Bhuwan asked if we were happy to walk which we were – stretching our legs was absolutely what we needed after being squeezed into a bus for so long (on the second (local) bus, the only thing stopping the seat in front of me from reclining completely was my knees)!

No sooner have you left Besi Sahar are you on the well-trodden path marking the start of the Annapurna Circuit. The surroundings were luscious and green and it felt distinctly Summer-like as the sun set in the distance. It was a very pleasant temperature too, around 25 degrees celcius and the crickets were in full voice!

After walking for around 90 minutes and having crossed a couple of delicate looking bridges, we reached our first village, Khudi. We were greeted by an excited group of children who headed straight for Sarah (I think its the blond hair and the height!) with the traditional Namaste greeting. Over the next 18 days or so, we would be met in small villages by friendly Nepalis of all ages which made arriving in each new place a fun and interesting experience. Of course it helps if you have a guide who speaks the language too!

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'Namaste' – more than just a word...

'Namaste' is the first Nepali word any first time visitor to Nepal will learn and probably the one they will remember ahead of all others. According to the Lonely Planet for Nepal, its full meaning is 'I salute the divine inside of you'. As we would learn on the circuit, it can be used when greeting someone (typically, with the hands together, as if in prayer) or when saying goodbye. Brilliant. Beats 'Good Morning' and a firm handshake any day of the week for me!

On the circuit, some of the kids we passed would rush up to us and greet us in this manner and some would even happily pose for photos (I would learn that they love cameras and seem to be well aware that nowadays, if you pose for a camera, you can instantly see your photo back!).

I don't think we met or heard one tourist use anything other than 'Namaste' to greet or say goodbye to a Nepali which was certainly refreshing and nice to see.

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After Khudi, we had our first ascent up to Bhulbule and already we felt it. Not a good start!

Still, it had been a long day and we focused on getting to our first teahouse. That (plus a couple of sneaky Mars bars) seemed to do the trick.

Having registered at the first ACAP checkpost at Bhulbule (a full trekking permit must be purchased to walk anywhere in the Annapurna Conservation Area), we checked in to our first teahouse called 'Hotel Manang and Lodge', not knowing exactly what to expect.

A typical teahouse kitchen

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What, no B&B's or hotels?!

For me, the teahouses were one of the most enjoyable and interesting parts of the trek. It simply would not have been the same without them.

We were warned what to expect from the teahouses in Annapurna by friends who have trekked there so fortunately, we had a rough idea of what was awaiting us.

It is I think fair to say the teahouses are all on the basic side; no heating in the bedrooms (sometimes, if you were lucky, you would be able to gather round a wood-burning stove in the restaurant area or, even better, in the kitchen), lukewarm (sometimes cold) water to wash in, a wafer-thin (softish) mattress to sleep on and a communal (usually squat) toilet located in a shed outside. A room with twin-beds ranged in price from about 150 to 350 Rupees (about £1.15 to £2.50) (which, I hasten to add, included a further twin-bedded room for Bhuwan and Padam).

Each village contains a number of teahouses of varying sizes which means that you never need to worry about actually finding a room. There's often very little to differentiate between rooms at different teahouses so most people choose their lodgings based on the quality of the food and the cosiness of the restaurant. The price for the room is so cheap partly because it is expected that you will eat in the same teahouse you are lodged in. If you choose to eat elsewhere, the price of your room goes up.

There is usually a good selection of food on the menu – over the years the owners of the teahouses in Annapurna, Everest and Langtang areas of Nepal have established committees and pooled their knowledge on what hungry and tired tourists want to eat so most menus contain anything from Nepali dishes like Dal Bhat to paste, pizzas, apple pie, enchiladas and spaghetti bolognese. We always managed to enjoy what we ate and found everything to be very reasonably priced (around £2.50 to £4.00 per dish) considering how large the portions were.

Bhuwan, who it transpired was also the guide for our friend's Rob and Lauren who did the same trek last year (BTW, R&L, if you are reading thanks for all your pointers and help!), seemed to be clued up on which teahouses we should stay in and which we should avoid. His preferred choice, as he explained to us one day, was the small-sized ones where you get to spend an evening getting to know the owners of the teahouse and if you were lucky got to have a drink with them round the wood-burning stove in their kitchen. Bhuwan also explained that where possible he would try to choose these types of teahouses to, as he put it, “...support the family, help them grow”. It was quite a romantic notion which we were more than happy to go along with (these small teahouses, where we would be either or pretty much the only guests, were by far the most interesting but unfortunately they were few and far between). Bhuwan also took great amusement in not only in getting us rooms in the same Teahouses that Rob and Lauren stayed in but also, if he could, putting us in the same rooms that Rob and Lauren slept in!

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Our first teahouse experience was really good. We had a hot bucket shower (i.e. a large cup which you would use to pour water from a bucket ¾ full of hot water which had been heated up on the wood burning stove in the kitchen – basic but nevertheless preferable to the solar powered 'hot' showers which were usually cold to lukewarm at best!) and had a delicious meal – chicken and vegetable curry and chicken and vegetable spring rolls. After dinner Sarah was talked in to buying a bracelet by a Tibetan lady who had ventured into the teahouse and in doing so blew our daily budget!

Sarah getting carried away...

The restaurant area had wonderful views of the Marsyangdi river and views of Manaslu (8,156m) and we put our feet up to watch sunset and then an hour later watch the stars and full moon for a while. Our bedroom was probably one of the smallest we had on the circuit with bizarre old posters of Mona Lisa and Tower Bridge in the 1970's (I wondered how long they had been there for!). The makeshift windows didn't exactly block the noise of the fast-flowing river and the party that had kicked-off in the campsite below but, given the long day we had had, nothing was going to stop us from sleeping!

Snug as a bug in a rug...

Manaslu

A room with a view

Day 2

Route: Bhulbule (840m) to Ghermu (1140m)

Teahouse: Dipak Guest House

Our first full day of trekking began with an early start, up at 6.30 am for a quick breakfast before settling our ridiculously cheap bill (which, by the way, also included Bhuwan's and Padam's meals too) and leaving at 7.30am sharp. We would quickly learn that Bhuwan was keen on his early starts!

For the first few hours walking in the shade, it was a tad on the chilly side. We headed up the east bank of the river enjoying the extensive rice terraces, views of Manaslu as well as an impressive 60ft waterfall.

I quickly found out that one of the difficulties on the Annapurna Circuit is limiting the number of photos you take. Everywhere you look is so picture perfect that you could probably take one every 30 seconds! I realised that, with 13GB of memory spread over 4 memory cards, I would have to limit myself to around 50-60 photos a day. It sounds like a lot but believe me, it isn't.

Day two was one of the easiest and shortest days of the circuit. We had only been walking for around 3 hours when Bhuwan stopped at a teahouse in Bahundanda (1,270m). It should have been more like four hours of walking but someone (no prizes for guessing who) had been walking rather quickly. “Slowly, slowly, not so fast. No hurry chicken curry”, said Bhuwan as we sat down to eat. Over the next 17 days I would lose track of how many times Bhuwan would use this expression, which he had obviously learnt as a guide on previous treks. It always made us laugh.

Slowly, slowly

I asked Bhuwan to choose us a Nepali dish from the Menu. 15 minutes later, with our stomachs beginning to grumble (its amazing just how much food your body demands when you trek!), our Dal Bhat arrived.

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Lunch/Dinner – A.K.A “Dal Bhat O'Clock”

Our first Dal Bhat was a moment to savour. We did not know what to expect, having never had it before but we knew, from what Rob and Lauren had told us, that we should expect to eat a lot of the stuff on the trek. That, we certainly did!

Dal Bhat is, without doubt, the most common meal in Nepal. Essentially, it consists of Dal (lentil soup) and Bhat (rice) with a side of potato and/or vegetable curry (takari). Optional extras include pickles, very fresh chillies and, if you are lucky, a pappadam.

Over the course of the circuit, we never had a bad Dal Bhat. It may sound monotonous but we would go 4 maybe 5 days in a row having Dal Bhat for lunch and dinner. Padam and Bhuwan even had it for breakfast some days. I'd go as far as saying we developed a Dal Bhat addiction, to the point where Bhuwan (who would usually take our orders and then stay in or around the kitchen to ensure our Dal Bhat was prepared quickly) would simply pass us the menu and say, “Dal Bhat”? It was seriously easy to get hooked to the stuff – each one tasted slightly different and it was interesting some of the time being able to watch the Nepalis at work in their kitchen preparing the dish. The other great thing about Dal Bhat is that you always get a decent second serving of everything except the pappadam and believe me, with all the calories you burn you always find room for a second serving! Like the bunnies in those old Duracell adverts on TV, it really does make you last longer!

Preparing chillies and beans for Dal Bhat

Only towards the summit around days 8 to 10 when their were fewer vegetables and less variety did we end up begrudgingly switching to more western style food like pasta and pizzas.

We carried on eating Dal Bhat after we had finished the trek for the remainder of our time in Nepal, albeit not twice a day! We have done a bit of homework of the web and have already found a Nepali restaurant with good reviews for when we get home (Rob/Lauren, FYI it's in Kingston-Upon-Thames). Can't wait!

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After our first Dal Bhat the two hours of walking after lunch felt like a walk in the park (metaphorically speaking, that is). I noticed an impressive bright looking caterpillar on the ground. “Look, but don't touch”, said Bhuwan (this phrase, usually directed at me, was another of Bhuwan's personal favourites!). Good thing I did just that as it was apparently highly poisonous.

"Look but don't touch!"

Bahundanda features an interesting sign for the Hotel Superb View which proudly states that the hotel is 'Not recommended by Lonely Planet'. Funnily enough the 'Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya Lonely Planet' which we were using states that Hotel Superb View has a 'pleasant garden and is an excellent choice'.

The scenery in the first few days when we were quite low down felt a little bit like the jungle. It was hot and sunny in the day and very luscious and green with many palm trees. What's more, along the way we also saw insects that we hadn't seen since our trip to the jungle in Bolivia. The meal of choice for the rather intimidating looking spiders was the plentiful cricket.

As it had been quite a short day of walking, we took Bhuwan up on his suggestion that we go for a post-shower evening stroll around Ghermu. On the way back I asked Bhuwan if he could ask permission for me to take photos of three women cutting rice in the rice terraces (apparently you should always ask permission before taking photos of adults in Nepal, not only because it is polite but also because some object believing that their photo will be reproduced in a tourist magazine without their permission). Two minutes later, I found myself helping out cutting the rice! Three minutes later I was nursing a nice bruise to my shin – the tool the women use for cutting the rice was sharper than it looked and having applied a bit too much pressure on my first cut, I followed through and whacked my shin! I wondered what the Nepali for “Don't give up the day job” is?! (Sarah was quick to point out to me that I don't actually have a day job to give up!)

Thoroughly amused by the comically incompetent tourist the ladies agreed to pose for a few photos. One of them even brought out what looked like a pet bird which was somewhat cruelly tied to a piece of string by the side of the rice field. “Is vulture”, Bhuwan side. For all his knowledge of mountains, lakes, rivers etc in Nepal, Bhuwan definitely did not know his birds. It was more like a cuckoo (I later found out that Nepal has seven types of cuckoo). This one was definitely unfortunate and I hate to think what its fate was (it was, unsurprisingly in quite a worked-up state). I did think about setting the poor thing free although on reflection, given how skilfully the three ladies were using their rice-cutting tools, I was pleased I didn't!

One very small vulture...

It was a great end to the evening and we relaxed on the terrace of the teahouse, watching the villagers go about their business (which seemed to involve mainly sitting and chatting!).

No prizes for guessing what we had for dinner that evening...

Day 3

Route: Ghermu (1140m) to Tal (1,700m)

Teahouse: Mona Lisa

The next morning, again walking in the shade for the first couple of hours (I wore a jumper for the first time), we crossed a long, rattling suspension bridge into Syange (1,080m). With some of the bridges, it is best not to look down and simply focus on getting across the river – the Marsyangdi is particularly fast-flowing and dangerous looking! Syange was the last place that could be reached by jeep transport and it was wonderful not hear another motor engine for the next week until we reached Muktinath having crossed the Thorung La.

Beyond Syange, the rolling Middle Hills come to an end and close in to become a steep canyon. The trail is exposed and almost feels like it has been blasted out of the cliffs! All around there was evidence of landslides that had covered parts of the trail – it all seemed a little bit fragile and crumbly for my liking so I avoided looking up too much and picked up the pace somewhat! We were doing the circuit in Autumn, which is supposedly the best time to do it because you avoid the rainy seasons and the temperature is very pleasant. It is possible to do the treks in the summer months but this is also the rainy season and there are frequently landslides and problems getting from A to B on the roads. The landslides that were scattered all around the parts of the Annapurna area we saw on the circuit made me grateful that we had chosen to avoid the rainy season!

After a couple of hours walking we passed through Jagat (1,330m), a village inhabited (like most in this region) by people of Tibetan heritage. Jagat means 'toll station' – this was once the site of a tax-collection post for the Tibetan salt trade.

We lunched in Chamje (1,410m) and crossed the Marsyangdi river again before following the trail along the river embankment. As we were passing through stands of bamboo and rhododendron, Bhuwan noticed some movement high up in the trees. “Look, look. Quietly, quietly” (he did like to repeat his words!). A group of langur monkies were playing in the trees, quite a distance away. Without the binoculars (which were too heavy and therefore left in Kathmandu), I was grateful our small camera had such a powerful zoom!

After a steep climb for around 30 minutes, we passed a stunning large waterfall at the foot which there was a beautiful glistening rainbow.

We then reached Tal (1,700m). The town gets its name from the lake (tal) that once filled the broad, flat valley. Corn, barley and potatoes are gown in this area.

Our teahouse for the night was called Mona Lisa (for some reason, you do see a lot of Mona Lisa references on the circuit) which featured a colourful garden and tasty Dal Bhat.