Annapurna Circuit (Part 2), and back to Pokhara: March 2015

We made it to Muktinath (After the Throng-la pass).

We finally arrived Muktinath! The snowfall was getting a bit heavier and the exposed parts of my and Annette’s hair had frozen. The wind was picking up, and both Annette and I decided to protect our eyes by putting on sunglasses. We hadn’t been wearing them all day. I’m not sure why Annette chose not to wear hers, but I tried mine, and couldn’t see too well with the near whiteout conditions, so opted to leave mine off until we were out of harms way. We would both pay dearly for this bad choice the following day.

We had a difficult time finding an adequate shower.

Frozen hair. Annapurna Circuit

We all wanted a hot shower, and many tea houses did not have propane. When we finally settled on a place, Prem gave us keys to our rooms, and just as the people were getting comfortable and ready for a hot shower, we were told that we may have to change tea houses. Turns out, there was a group that was staying at the town below us on the other side of the pass. They had called ahead and made reservations. The teahouse owners thought we were this group. We were not happy. After all we had been through, and finally unpacked, we would have to bundle up again and find an alternative. Prem had the owners call the other teahouse, to see if the group had attempted the pass. Turned out they hadn’t so we didn’t have to move after all. After hot showers, we all congregated in the dining hall. Javier and I were the last ones to arrive, and when we did, Annette had already bought all the guys a round of beers to thank them for getting us through. People were eating all sorts of delicious looking food, so we sat, ate, and recounted the day. This was the last day we would all be traveling together, so we made it a point to exchange information. 

3/16 That morning, I awoke to the smell of burning wood. Many of the teahouse owners are buddhist and burn incense in the morning. This is not the spindly, little rods of fragrant incense I am used to. These are smoking tree branches that are carried throughout the house. It can be almost suffocating at times. I snuck outside to use the toilet and saw the man walking down the hallway leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. Once I returned to our room, I tried to close my eyes to get a little more sleep. The smell of smoke was becoming more intense and every time I closed my eyes, they would burn. As I lay there, the burning would not go away. In fact, it became worse. I thought it was the smoke. When we entered the dining room, everyone was looking at my eyes with concern. Prem told me they were in fact, sunburned.

Sunburned eyes.

I found Annette and saw that she too, had sunburned eyes. Prem took us outside, found some clean snow and told us to close our eyes and rub handfuls of snow on them. The burning was almost unbearable. Oddly enough, when my eyes were open, they didn’t hurt as much, but the second I closed them, yes even to blink, I would get this searing pain. When I kept them closed (in the case of the snow packing) it would take at least 30 seconds of intense eye burning before the ice could do its job and bring some relief. I was miserable. 

The pilgrims. Mostly from India.

We finished with breakfast, said our good-byes to everyone and set out for Kagbeni. We started out in snow, then moved to slush, and finally dirt. There is a famous hindu temple that would have required us to backtrack 30 minutes. None of us were too keen, so we decided to skip it and go on ahead. On the way to Kagbeni there were many people walking toward Muktinath. Turns out, many people were making a pilgrimage to the temple that day. We passed many people riding donkeys, horses and on foot. We crossed a large avalanche area, where Prem told us to walk quickly. Once across, we saw a jeep with a bunch of people sitting outside. They were Indian pilgrims trying to get to the temple. Because of the avalanche, the jeep could go no further. I looked at their feet, and many of the women were wearing blinged-out, open-toed sandals. No way they were going to be able to make the three hour trek to the temple. Prem stopped and had a short conversation with them to inform them of what they were up against. They looked pretty dejected. They had already come so far, and were so close, but unless an entire pack of horses and donkeys came by, these folks weren’t going to make it to the temple any time soon.

Prem singing. Annapurna Circuit

As we continued our walk, Prem began singing again. He said this song was about our walk to Kagbeni, and how he would finally be able to call his family and tell them he was okay. This song was unlike the previous songs in that it was less of a supplication to the gods, and more of a joyful, celebratory song. He even started to dance. We stopped a few more times when my eyes needed a break. I didn’t want to continue with the snow because it was so painful, but Prem insisted that it was best for me. As we started to approach Kagbeni, the wind picked up. We were no longer in snow, but when we looked across the valley, we could see massive landslides, which took out huge chunks of the mountain. 

Beautiful flowers.

We finally started to see colors again! Until now, everything had been a sort of grayscale. We saw some absolutely gorgeous flowering trees that after much debate, were either apple or peach trees. We settled in at our new teahouse and had to separate. Normally, the three of us would room together whenever we could, and were actually able to stay together most nights. We had western toilets again! Prem took us on a walk through the town and showed us the sights. Unlike most of the towns we had stayed in, Kagbeni was a place that would survive without trekkers. Most of the other towns were there solely for the trekkers, and would probably cease to exist if the trekking ceased. Kagbeni was no such place.

Kagbeni. Annapurna Circuit.

We walked to the stupa and down to the river. Prem told us that he was at this same place, a few years back. He came with his friend’s family for a ritual of some sort. The ritual included his friend’s father having to plunge into the river in the middle of January. He confirmed that his friend’s father was a popsicle when he was finally able to come out. The river is also brown, a fun fact that we remembered when we later asked for a bucket shower and received the water 🙂 We saw young monks at play, women driving in their cattle for the day, and a happy little boy who was sitting on some steps reading the alphabet. When we mimicked him, “A, B, C!” He looked at us very seriously and said, “Nooooo…” So of course, we said it again, and then he looked downright irritated.

Boy learning

Prem tried to find us eye drops, but was unsuccessful. We wandered the streets a little longer before heading back. 

On arrival, Javier and I decided to try out a hot bucket shower, so we placed our order. A little while later, there was a knock at our door. Our water had arrived!!! Or had it… There were two buckets, and they were filled with a hot substance. Clearly, they pull the water straight from the river and heat it up. The water was brown, murky, and had a thick layer of dirt and silt at the bottom. We decided to forego the shower for the night, but didn’t want to waste perfectly good, hot muddy water, so instead, we used it to soak our feet.

Dirt bucket shower

The water was so hot that we had to wait almost an hour before we could submerge our feet. So, while it was definitely dirty water, I highly doubt anything could have survived that boil job. After a nice soak, we pulled out our lobster feet, and washed them with soap (Why? I don’t know) but they sure felt clean and refreshed when we were done. 

We went to the dining area and found Prem, Mois, Ram, and Annette already snacking on popcorn. I think they were having beers, not sure, but once we arrived and ordered another popcorn, Prem brought out a locally made liquor. He poured us each a glass and a refill. We ordered some Dal Bhat and began devouring it as soon as it arrived. As we ate, something happened between Prem and Ram. There was an exchange of words, and Ram became upset and hostile. Mois tried to calm Ram down (they are actually cousins), but even sweet, peacemaking Mois couldn’t subdue Ram. We all just looked at each other. It was like being a kid at your friend’s house and their parents are arguing. You just want to disappear. Mois finally pulled Ram into another room, Prem stayed with us, and he didn’t seem the least bit bothered.  Later, we saw them all in the kitchen yelling it out. We’re not sure exactly what happened, but we have an idea. 😉 

Ram had recently received his guide license. He was on this trek as a porter. He doesn’t want to be a porter, he wants to be a guide. Fair enough. Because of the constant- can we pass? Do we have to turn back? Everyone was weighing in. Ram had told me on a few occasions that if he were our guide, he would not take us across, but that ultimately it was up to Prem. Ram would make comments like, “Old is gold.” Speaking of Prem’s age and experience. These were the exchanges that happened in English. Many conversations happened between the trio in Nepali, so we weren’t privy to the content. We all think that Prem snapped and really let Ram have it…and Ram did not take it too well. A combination of too many frustrating days and too much alcohol. 

Bye Kagbeni.

3/17 We set out the next morning with palpable tension. We had a short walk, past Jomsom, the first major city after the pass, and into Marpha. We saw small planes land and take off from Jomsom, most likely to and from Kathmandu. Since Jomsom is in a valley, the planes have to make a U-turn in order to land. Watching these small planes start on one side of the valley and make this tight turn is a little nerve racking. On our way, we saw a group of horses playing. You could see that they were normally work horses from the permanent strap marks on their hair. These guys were so happy to be free. They ran in circles all over the place. At first we were a little nervous while they ran around us, but once we realized they were just letting off some steam, we enjoyed standing there, watching them run. 

Wild Horses

Marpha was a very cute town. Much smaller than Jomsom, and very quaint. We had fresh apple juice there and walked around the town. We three stayed in the same room again, and sent Javier to test the shower. We were told it was a solar shower, which we learned was not too promising. We normally volunteered Javier to test out the shower and report back- a job he didn’t mind AT ALL. This shower, like most we encountered, spit out tepid water, at best. Now if it were hot outside, or even warm, a tepid shower would be welcomed, but when it’s freezing outside…

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Marpha

We were on a mission. The following day we would be taking a bus to Tatopani. Tatopani has natural hot springs where trekkers and locals alike, love to soak. Since neither Annette nor I had showered in a few days, let alone shave, we needed to get in that cold water to clean up for the hot springs. It was not a pleasant experience. After, we went to the dining room and ordered popcorn. It was St. Patricks day, so Annette ordered a beer to share. When it started getting colder, they put hot coals under the table to warm us up. The tables are wood, and they have a hot furnace full of hot coals underneath. Hmmm… No complaints though, it was toasty. 

That night, before bed, Javier facetimed his family, and I, mine. The connection was really bad, but at least we were able to tell them we were alive, although they had no idea what we had just been through. 

3/18 After a hearty breakfast, and more delicious apple juice, we went to the bus station to get to Tatopani. While we were waiting, we bought come snacks, including dried apples, and another bottle of apple juice for later. When we hopped on our bus, we saw the Aussie couple and the Aussie/Chile trio. 

Scary bus ride.

This was quite possibly the scariest bus ride of my life. I have taken plenty of shady bus rides in my time, but this one takes the cake. First of all, our driver. He looked to be about 16, was BLASTING punjabi music so loud that you couldn’t talk to the person next to you, and was driving like he was late and trying to make up time. The bus is a mini bus, so maybe 25 seats or so. It’s not too long or wide, and has double wheels in the back, which I decided is for when the bus flies over the missing parts of the road that have dropped into the valley, several hundred feet below. Hopefully, one of the tires catch. 😉 I don’t scare easily. I was sitting on the side, overlooking the valley below. I would watch us drive on the very edge, and then poof! there goes the road, and we just float right over these gaps. I kept thinking…I’ve read stories like this… ‘Nepal: Bus goes over side of mountain. No survivors.’ And I thought, that could very easily be us today. I couldn’t watch. My blood pressure was sky high and my heart was racing. I looked behind me to the other side where Annette and Prem were laughing at me. 

We had to change buses at one point, and I almost kissed the ground when we safely arrived at our transfer point. We changed buses, and I made it a point to sit on the opposite side.

Left to Right: Raymond, Matt, Ram (shorter fellow), Kris, Javier, Prem, and Mois (Kneeling).

We arrived in Tatopani early. Prem led us to a teahouse, where we settled in, and had some lunch. We didn’t head out to the hot springs right away since it was markedly warmer in Tatopani, and we wanted to wait until the weather cooled a bit. When we finally made it to the hot springs, we had to pay a small fee to enter. When we went to the window, who was there asking for our money??? None other than our friends, Raymond, Kris, and Matt!!! We were overjoyed to see them! They had been there most of the day, and were about to leave when they saw us coming down the hill. Kris and Matt joined us in the hot springs for a while longer. The water was heavenly. Unlike US jacuzzis and hot tubs, these hot springs encouraged the purchase of all sorts of drinks. Juice! Lassi! How about an ice cold beer!?! Alcohol and hot spring…that seems like a good combo, yes? While we soaked, the Aussie couple showed up, and we had a chance to catch up with them. All our team came into the hot springs, as well as the other guide and porters. It was like a nice, hot, relaxing, reunion. 

Tatopani hot springs

We brought our shower stuff, so before we left, we all took showers in a separate area using the hot spring water. It was magical. A shower had never felt so good. As we were leaving, there was a little boy playing. He was riding around on a plastic tricycle thing, but was missing his front wheel. He was having a great time, and looked really happy, and it made me happy to see him. Javier on the other hand, became really sad looking at this kid. He thought about the level of poverty this little boy lives in, and how if he had a front wheel, he could ride all over the town. I find it interesting how differently we viewed the same situation.

Bob Marley

Later that evening, Annette and I walked around town, where she bought a Tibetan necklace, and we decided to catch happy hour. As we walked up and down the street looking for one that suited us, Javier and Prem appeared. We decided on the Bob Marley bar, where we were served popcorn with our purchase of beer. While we sat, Mois and Ram showed up. We all sat together and ate and drank. Prem told us that he had done some yoga earlier, led by Matt, and that they would do it again in the morning. After our happy hour, we found Matt and asked him about yoga, he told us to meet at 6am. 

At 6am, Matt was knocking at our door, asking if we were going to join. We were already up and getting ready, and we had a lovely yoga session in Tatopani surrounded by beautiful mountains and the sounds of a small river passing by. It was so picturesque and peaceful. I wish all of my yoga practices could be in that exact location. After breakfast, we made our way to the bus station. We had Kris and Raymond with us this time. Matt decided to keep walking to Pokhara. Thankfully, this bus ride was much less exciting than the other.

Road side food.

We stopped for an interesting road-side lunch, and made it to Pokhara by early afternoon. When we were parting, Kris and Raymond told us to meet them at “Busy Bee” the following night for a last dinner. We walked back to our guesthouse, and were met by Narayan’s brother again with the rest of our belongings. 

That night, Prem picked us up from our guesthouse and walked us to his home. Did I mention we invited ourselves over for dinner??? Well, we did. It started out as a joke, but quickly became a reality. We were feeling a little bad imposing on him and his family this way, so Javier gave Prem some money to cover the cost. We all walked to Prem’s home where we met his wife and son. We sat and ate together, and reminisced about the trek. Prem’s son is studying to be a pharmacist, and speaks English very well, so we had a great time chatting with him. We told them that we would be meeting with Kris and Raymond the following night, and that they should come by if they had time. After a yummy dinner, Prem walked us back home and told us to meet him in the morning to watch the sunrise over the Machhepuchhre (fishtail) range. 

Sarangkot at sunrise, view of Machhepuchhre (fishtail)

We had paid for 14 days of guiding at the beginning. Since we only used 13 days, Prem decided to take us to this spot for a sunrise viewing. He picked us up in a cab at 6am and we started driving. When we arrived, it was already light out, but the sun had not yet peeked over the mountains. We took loads of pictures of the range and the famous “fishtail”- a sacred mountain that cannot be climbed. After this, we went back to the hotel, grabbed breakfast at the German bakery across the street, and when Javier returned to the guesthouse,

Annette and Prem

Annette and I stayed and had girl time, and then did a little window shopping. We were on a mission. There were a couple of items we both wanted, and Javier didn’t feel like shopping with us, so we set off on our own. As Annette and I were walking down the street, we walked into an Aussie we met on the trek. He was one of the guys in the Aussie/Dubai duo that had met the previous year on the Everest Base Camp trek, and were meeting again for more Nepal trekking. I cannot, for the life of me, remember their names, but we asked him how his trek was (they were doing something different than us) and he asked about ours. He was well aware of the weather conditions in Annapurna, and was therefore very interested to hear about our endeavors. Before we parted ways, I asked him about the Everest Base Camp trek. Javier and I had already started talking about it, and were thinking of tackling it once we returned to Kathmandu. He told me it was his favorite trek. Don’t think about it, just do it. Annette looked at me and said, “Are you guys going to do EBC???” I told her, “We’re just throwing around ideas.” 

When we met up with Javier later, I told him about my encounter with the Aussie, and he said, “Let’s do it.” From then on, we were on a mission to find out information on EBC and try to extend our visa. 

Last night in Pokhara

That night, we met with Kris and Raymond. Prem and his son showed up. Kris and Raymond told us they ran into Ram earlier in the day, he invited them over for tea, and they invited him to join us. So there we were, all together again. It was a fun night, and once Prem, his son, and Ram left, we decided to leave as well. As we were on our way out, we ran into a group of Dutch girls that Kris and Raymond knew. They were on their way to a bar, and told us to come along. When we arrived at the bar, we went inside, and it was full of smoke. The music was okay, but the smoke was more than these California kids could handle. While they were busy looking for seats, we went ahead and told Raymond and Kris that we were going to move on. Turned out, they weren’t too hip on the smokey bar either, so we all left and found ourselves at a quiet lakeside bar. To call this place a bar may be a bit of an overstatement. It has a couple of comfortable seats that face the lake. There are twinkle lights, but while we were there, the power was out, so it was candlelight only, which we actually preferred. We each had a drink, and decided to call it a night since we had to wake up early the next morning to catch a bus to Kathmandu. We said our final goodbyes to Kris and Raymond and walked back to our guesthouse. 

goofiness with Prem.

This next part is more for our own memory book, but while we were walking back to the guesthouse, we had to walk along the lake. It was sandy/grassy, and pitch black. We had to use our phones to see anything. As we were walking, someone…I can’t remember who now, says, “I have to pee.” We look around and there’s nothing in sight- no building, no restroom, no people, just nothingness. Someone else says, “Me too.” Next thing we know, the lights are off, we are at most 10 feet away from each other, simultaneously peeing in the darkness, laughing. 

We were picked up early in the morning and driven to the bus meeting point. I can’t call it a station, because it’s literally an open dirt parking lot where all of the buses are parked. We found our bus, hopped on, and made the 8 hour journey back to Kathmandu, this time much healthier, stronger, and with a new outlook on life.

To see more pictures of The Annapurna Circiut (part 2), click HERE.