Yes, this is a long overdue post that friends have been bugging me for. So, here it is! Enjoy peeps 🙂
Sometime last year, Jeremy and I went trekking at Bukit Tabur. We saw a laminated flyer (Annapurna trip) hung on the tree. I jokingly told Jeremy that it would be nice if we could go there in 2013. Little did I know that Jeremy was serious about it and booked the air tickets! Woooohoooo!
You’d be surprised how time flies and we were already in Kathmandu on April 11th (without much training)! We thought it’d be nice for us to just go sight-seeing rather than trek the whole 16 days, leaving no gap for us to check out the city.
[Day 1] We stayed one night at Hotel Family Home, which is located right in Thamel. I would equate Thamel to our very own Bukit Bintang as there are many restaurants, hotels, shops etc.
Thamel
[Day 2] The next morning, we met our guide and porter and took a local bus to Besishahar. It took us a good 7 hours on bumpy roads! Oh my!
The starting point. Dip, our porter(most right) & Padam, our guide (most left)
Trying to carry our bags(~25kgs) Couldn’t lift it up…haaa
[Day 3] We started trekking the following morning from Bhulbhule, stopped for lunch at Ngadi Bazar and pushed off to Bahundanda before reaching Ghemur to call it a day! GRUELLING trek, tired to the MAX! Painful knees, blistered toes. I blamed myself for not training hard. I fell asleep without brushing my teeth!
Woke up to this view from our room. Good morning sunshine 🙂
[Day 4] 14/04/2013- Nepali New Year!
We trekked to Syange-Jagat-Chyamche and finally reached Tal at around 4.30pm.
Tal means lake.
Happy kids in Tal. I am happy too 🙂
[Day 5] Woke up at 6.30am to a crying kid, I quickly bribed her with iPhone, introducing her to ‘Fruit Ninja’. And yes, she stopped crying and followed us to our breakfast table to continue playing. Left Tal, trekking through Dharapani-Danakyu (4 hours), Timang and reached Chame after another 4.5 hours. Timang was beautiful, surrounded by snow covered mountains and we caught a glimpse of Annapurna II. Weather was still foggy. Hot water is now NPR180 per flask. Took a quick shower at the hotel next door (NPR100/10min) It was 6.9`C before we went to bed. Freezinggggg. 😦
Namaste!
Dip & Padam enjoying Milo(we brought from KL)for the first time!
Traditional kitchen where they use wood to set up the fire and dried meat is made by hanging them over the cooking area.
Our room in Chame-‘SpongeWall’, to minimise noise pollution perhaps?
[Day 6] Trekked for 4 hours to Dhikur Pokari for lunch before we reached Lower Pisang at 3.30pm. The altitude is now 3,200m. Mountains were all covered with snow.
Our hotel in Lower Pisang
[Day 7 & 8] Trekked from Lower Pisang-Humde-Mugje-Manang. I had symptoms of altitude sickness where I experienced slight headache and dizziness. Rested for a while and continued to explore this village. It is a bigger town and only one hotel with gas shower. We paid NPY100/10min of shower and NPR20/min for internet. Spent 5 mins emailing my colleague had cost me NPR100, which was equivalent to RM3!!! There was also few ‘cinemas’ which they called it ‘theatre hall / projector hall’ showing ‘Into Thin Air’, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ’7 days in Tibet’ etc. It was a beautiful place, overlooking Annapurna 2,3,4, Gangapurna & Tilicho Peak!
We stayed another night for acclimatization. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the superb views right from our dinner table by the window!
p/s: we had Garlic Yak Steak for the first time! Tasted good! yummmss
Pisang Peak
Tilicho Peak
Annapurna3, Gangapurna Peak & Manang Peak!
Room made of clay, Hotel Marsyangdi in Manang
The ‘cinema’
What to do in Manang?
View from our dinner table by the window
Gangapurna Peak
A closer view of Gangapurna Peak+Gangapurna Lake
Kids playing and snacking
Panoramic view of Manang
[Day 9] Left Manang at 9am. Trekked through Khangsar-Shree Kharka(4,050m), heading towards Tilicho base camp. Weather started getting really cold and all of a sudden, it was snowing! First time for me! We saw many blue sheeps (mountain goats) and yaks along the trek. Passed Shree Kharka and snow was getting heavier. Trek was getting extremely difficult and dangerous. Some parts have no trail at all and Dip & Padam had to make one as we go along. Seriously scary. There were parts where you just cannot afford to make mistake by falling/tripping over because once you slip, that’s IT! I mean it! Unfortunately I did not have any chance to take any photos of the slope because it was too dangerous and we had to focus. We were walking really slow and steady. By 4pm, it’d take at least another 2 hours to make it to Tilicho base camp. Dangerous trail + bad weather, we decided to head back to Shree Kharka.
We finally reached Shree Kharka extremely tired, cold & shaken up. Good decision coming back as snow was really heavy and we heard from some Israeli trekkers that the route to Tilicho base camp is very dangerous and the lake is frozen! He even claimed that there is NO second chance if someone were to fall from the slope.
p/s: Extemely cold at night. -5`C Brrrrrr……
[Day 10] Decided to play safe and headed lower to Khangsar instead of Yak Kharkha. Still snowing lightly. Didn’t fell well and rested the whole day!
[Day 11] IT was still snowing in the morning and decided to push off to Yak Kharka. It was really difficult trekking in the snow. Very cold and slippery. Took us about 1.5 hr to pass the village but we could not continue anymore as Dip&Padam could not find any trail leading to Yak Kharka. We rested in a ‘bunker’ while D&P went to look for trail. It was really really cold. I couldn’t feel my fingers and little toes anymore. I had to wear 2 pairs of gloves 😦 After 20mins or so, D&P suggested that we return to Khangsar and continue the trek when the snow stops. I wasn’t feeling well again and I almost fainted. I also sprained my ankle while returning to Khangsar. 😦
We had lunch(I only had soup because I had no appetite at all) and I went to bed right after that as I felt so dizzy and tired. It was still snowing that very night. Given the condition I was in and with the weather, we decided to end our trek.
Beautiful Khangsar village
Heavy snow..
Whole place covered with snow
Steep slope along the trail
Resting in the ‘bunker’/little hut which was full of cow’s/blue sheep’s poops
Our room in Khangsar
[Day 13] Back to Kathmandu. Rested for half a day and went to Yin Yang Thai Restaurant for dinner. It was very yummy, after 12 days of plain food. LOL. We stayed at Shree Tibet this time as Family Home was all fully booked. Decent hotel but it is very noisy at night.
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Look out for my next post on Kathmandu sight seeing trip!!
xoxo, mf
The Travel Explorer 