Prep Day: Pokhara
As I arrived in Pokhara, I never really planned to do any trekking; however since listening to the stories of the people who had just done it, and looking at a couple of pictures, I decided that I had to do it. The next day I got my permits, bought a couple of snacks, a map and I was all set. Just like everything I usually do, nothing was planned.
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May 22, 2016 at 12:14am PDT
Day 1 : Pokhara to Bhulbhule (840m)
After far too few hours sleep I woke up and finished packing my bags while thinking why did I leave this rather important task until moments before I was due to depart for my trek. The friend from the hostel, doing the trek as well was already ready as I in my half-dazed mood, put the final things into my bag. (
Note to self:
Don’t sleep at 2 am if you have to wake up for a trek at 6 am!).
After arriving at the bus stand, we got our tickets for the bus to
Besi Shahar
(The start of the trek). After a gruesome 6 hour bus ride(including the moments spent replacing a flat tire), we arrived in the city of Besi Shahar.
Besi Shahar could be described as a dusty frontier town or if you were being more honest as a bit of dump, it certainly wasn’t quite how I envisaged the start of one of the ‘top 10 most beautiful treks in the world’ to look like.
Stopping at a tiny shack I ordered a plate of momos and as we ate, we met 2 couples who were on the same bus, one from Australia and the other from Canada and an Indian who would end up being our trekking companions for the next couple of days.
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May 24, 2016 at 9:47pm PDT
After a quick rest we set off on the 9 km walk to Bhulbhule in the hot afternoon sun. Midway through the walk the showers rained down on us, but it was sort of welcomed due to the scorching heat.
The moment we reached Bhulbhule we got into the first lodge we could find to escape the rain. It was pretty quaint with shared rooms for barely a dollar a night, with just 2 beds, but with an amazing view of the Himalayas.
The view from my room in Bhulbhule
The trek didn’t have a flying start due to the heat and the rain but the sight of the magnificent mountains really made me remember why I had left the comfort of the city.
As evening rolled along, after exploring the city, as I ate the meal of the trekkers, the infamous Dal Bhat, I realized that during the trek, “I wasn’t just hungry, I was Dal Bhat hungry.”
Bedtime is really early in the mountains and by around 8:30 everyone was asleep, but the rest was needed for the gruesome next day.
Day 2: Bhulbhule (840m) to Jagat (1300m)
It’s incredible how much difference a long night of slumber can do. Waking up to the sunrise over the mountains had me energized for the day ahead. After a heavy breakfast and a much-needed coffee, we set out for the 16 km climb of day.
When I’m old and dying, I plan to look back on my life and say “wow that was an adventure” and definitely not ” wow I sure felt safe” #everydayIsAnAdventure #Annapurna #trekking
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May 24, 2016 at 2:48am PDT
Today was the first day of intense climbing, but the views were worth every single minute. From the waterfalls, to the valleys and the tiny villages. We had to cross plenty of long suspension bridges, and for someone with a phobia of heights like me; they were the worst(But so exciting!!!!!)
People too often forget that it is your own choice how you want to spend the rest of your life #everydayIsAnAdventure #Annapurna #trekking
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May 24, 2016 at 10:11pm PDT
After getting to the tiny village of Jagat, I met a friend from the hostel I was staying at who came to Jagat on a jeep on the insanely bad road from Besi Shahar.
The lodges from here on up, gave us free rooms if we ate in their restaurants. However the prices of the food rises as you go higher as it’s hard for goods to be transported to the top.
After the daily Dal Bhat, I read a little before I heading off to bed.
Day 3: Jagat (1300m) to Tal (1700m)
The next morning we set out early, to Danaqyu, I ate the local porridge for breakfast called champa porridge(It tastes much better than it looks and I started to like it). The day ahead would be very tiring so I bought a couple of biscuits to eat along the way.
The views from the onset was incredible. It is hard to describe the majesty of the mountains and the sense of awe you feel walking amongst these giants, it cannot justly be described by words or captured by picture.
Waterfall on the way to Tal
My expectations were completely blown out of the water. I felt like I was walking through the pages of a Tolkien book.
As noon neared, I reached the gateway to Tal. A stone arch with “Welcome to Manang” and as I looked through the arch and onto the sweeping valley below, perched by the side of the meandering river laid a beautiful gem, Tal.
The sight of the town through the gates was almost unreal, I realised that Danaqyu could wait and that I had to spend the day there.
Woof 🐶🐕💕
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May 25, 2016 at 6:58am PDT
I had a quick lunch with the rest of the group as I said my goodbyes as they planned on continuing. The other Indian however realised that this place was too beautiful to leave and decided to spend the night here as well.
Horses like most animals can sense the intentions of the people around them. That’s why some people train them with a stick while others can train them with a smile 💕
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May 25, 2016 at 8:17pm PDT
Tal was an insanely beautiful place with friendly horses, puppies and a beautiful waterfall and honestly I wish I had spent an extra day there.
All of us deserve a bit of Wanderlust #everydayIsAnAdventure
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May 25, 2016 at 4:08am PDT
The walk to Tal was only 9 km long and after the long trek of the previous day, I felt pretty fine after it. As usual, that night I ate my fill of Dal Bhat.
Day 4: Tal (1700m) To Timang (2270m)
I set out late as the mornings were starting to get a little cold for me and planned to walk to Chame this day. Set out walking alone. Just me and my thoughts.
If there is no struggle, there is no growth 💕#trekking #1900m
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May 25, 2016 at 8:14pm PDT
It was a lot of climbing today, with a whole lot of stairs and steep slopes. The views were amazing with a lot of free horses and valleys.
A dream doesn’t become a reality through magic it takes determination, sweat and hard work 💕 #chill #hdr
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May 25, 2016 at 11:26pm PDT
In the evening as I was coming up to Timang I met 2 puppies and ended up playing with them for a really long time and as the night was approaching I decided to call it quits and stay the night in Timang
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure some of them are dirt 💕😍#2200m
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May 26, 2016 at 3:31am PDT
In the night, seeing me sitting alone in the dining room (I was the only guest at the guesthouse!) the guesthouse owner invited me into the kitchen and placed me on a seat directly by the warm cooking fire. I sat here for a while eating popcorn, and the hotel owner and I chatted, and later ate some noodles. Sitting in the kitchen round the fire eating with the locals was a really great experience and felt like a real privilege. The people of the Annapurna have so far been incredibly kind and hospitable.
Day 5: Timang (2270m) To Lower Pisang (3200m)
Today was a massive climb. 25 km covered as well a gain of altitude of almost 1000m in a single day. I had a heavy breakfast of porridge, set out early stopped around 10 am and had more porridge in Chame before doing the massive climb to pisang.
Wander without purpose or reason💕
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May 28, 2016 at 6:10am PDT
The trek after Chame was a different beast altogether, things became rather interesting. Veering right from the sheltered woodland/riverside area the landscape around the trail very quickly opened into a large, dry rocky valley. To the front and right hand side were a mighty range of grey rocky mountains, completely devoid of any greenery. Around us the woodland thinned, this arid and desolate landscape was unlike anything I had encountered thus far.
Follow your own path 👌 wherever it takes you😍 #3200m
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May 27, 2016 at 4:28am PDT
I took the path that led me to Upper Pisang (3300m) but however I decided to go .down and spend the night in lower Pisang. The locals in this area too were insanely nice and thanks to the ability to speak Hindi, I was able to have rich conversation with them.
Day 6: Lower Pisang (3200m) To Braka (3360m)
Just as I thought I had seen the best of the Annapurna’s they go and blow me away once again with literally the best views I’ve seen in my life.
I took the upper trail to Braka and the view was worth the 18km walk. Today was more of up and downs instead of purely up like the previous days. Left Pisang in the morning and thought I would walk all the way to Manang.
On the way at the top of a cliff, I stopped for a few minutes which was managed by an old lady. I planned on staying there for maybe 5 mins but spent about an hour talking to the old lady. She was so nice and we had a cup of tea and shared biscuits(knowing Hindi had been so precious this entire trek). We talked about her son and her family and life and as I was leaving she gave me a couple of apples and said,” Just put them in your bag, and eat them on the way”.
Moments like this will always be the highlight of my travels.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone💕😍#greenery
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May 29, 2016 at 1:03am PDT
However the monsoons felt differently and to get out of the approaching storm I decided to stop at Braka. As I checked myself into the guesthouse, I end up meeting a couple of friends from Pokhara and played a little bit of cards before eating a much needed Dal Bhat and heading off to bed.
Day 7: Braka (3360m) To Manang (3540m)
Today was a short trek day. Woke up lazily and got ready to leave Braka at around 11am but due to the slight drizzle I decided to wait for it to settle down before proceeding on the hour long walk to Manang. My friends however went forward.
As I arrived in Manang I couldn’t find the hotel in which they were staying at, so I decided to go into the best looking one. On entering I discovered a quaint surprise as the people I started the trek with(and hadn’t met since tal) were there.
I decided to check into a room there only to be surprised at the fact that it was completely full. Mildly disappointed I decided to instead stay in the nearby hotel. After checking in and keeping my bags in the room, I made my way to the restaurant for the most incredible surprise of my trip.
See you at the top💕 #chill #travelblogger
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May 29, 2016 at 9:17pm PDT
As I entered the restaurant I saw a couple of familiar faces; a couple who I met last in Hampi when I was backpacking India(before I dropped out of college and even before I began blogging ) were in the cafe. It was so amazing catching up with them. They had done the trek and the pass for acclimatization as they were planning to climb up a mountain, Chulu West in the coming days.
I had a Yak Burger for lunch that day(Wasn’t Dal Bhat hungry as I barely did any trekking). It tasted a lot like beef however it did have a distinctive difference in flavor.
YAK burger😋 #whenInTheMountains
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May 29, 2016 at 1:10am PDT
Manang was a pretty amazing town. As I spent my time relaxing I realised that I wouldn’t mind spending a couple of weeks here, if I could(If only the town had an atm!!).
I was starting to begin to feel the attitude by this time, mainly due to the lowering of the air density which was more prominent for me since I was a severe asthma patient.
The nights started to get colder up here and I ate my dinner sitting around the fireplace.
Day 8: Manang
Up till this point I didn’t have much problem with the altitude, but to help my acclimatization i decided to spend another day in Manang(Also because I love this city!!). Did a little grocery shopping, had my breakfast overlooking the mighty himalayas and didn’t a little work on my laptop(The wifi was incredibly fast!!!).
Caught up with a lot of reading as well, since the lodge I stayed at had book exchange!(I LOVE BOOK EXCHANGE!!!!)
Day 9: Manang (3500m) To Ledar (4200m)
Today was to the start of the big 3 day journey over the Throng La Pass. I set off at around 10am on the 10km trek of the day to Ledar.
On the way I met this 55 year old man from the States doing the trek, and at one point he stopped to feed a pair horses with some snacks he had and he offered me some and then up there, feeding the horses, just felt so amazing
Later I met up with a couple of friends I trekked at the start with and we stopped by for tea for an hour at a tiny tea shop.
Arrived at Ledar at around noon. My friends continued as they had a bit of acclimatization due to their trek to the ice lake. I however decided to stay back, as a gain of over 500m per day isn’t advisable.
Day 10: Ledar (4200m) To Thorong Phedi(4500m)
By this point I was really starting to feel the decreased oxygen due to the gain of height. Especially due to my bad lungs. I found it really hard to climb up but I made my way to Thorong Phedi where I stayed at this amazing place called Base Camp. It was a complete hostel vibe kind of a place.
After reading a bit, I went to bed early as tomorrow was the big day across the pass.
Day 11: Thorong Phedi (4500m) To Muktinath (3800m)-Via Thorong-La Pass (5416m)
Many people decided to go early at like 430am etc I however decided to leave at 7 from Thorang Phedi as I didn’t really see the point in going up there before the sunrise especially as it was so cold.
Cold? How cold? well I wore 3 pair of socks, 4 tshirts, one hoodie, one down jacket, gloves and a whole lot of layers. But then again being from Goa, I’m used to 18* C winter’s …… Not -2*C summers.
The trek was gruesome to say the least, it wasn’t so much about the climb, it was more about the air density for me. I kept on running out of breath while walking, but I pushed through.
Goku taught me to never give up on my dreams💕#HardWorkPays #dbz #trekking #Annapurna
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Jun 2, 2016 at 6:45am PDT
The views were worth every since moment of struggle.
I hadn’t been taking my diamox( Acute mountain sickness medicine) as I didn’t like unnecessary pumping chemicals in my body unless I needed to
(listen to what your body tries to tell you!!, If you get AMS don’t try to push through, resting isn’t weakness, descend!)
, but during the last stretch of the pass, the last 100m I felt a mild headache(maybe it was just physiological) so I look half a tablet.
The world’s biggest pass 5416m above sea level😱 #trekking #AnnapurnaCircuit #tanned
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Jun 2, 2016 at 6:40am PDT
The views from the top were outstanding and the photo opportunities by the ‘you have reached the summit’ sign were excellent, cue the classic triumphant hands in the air photo.
The next 4 hours were not fun at all, in fact they were the hardest and least enjoyable of the trek to date, indeed they were some of the least enjoyable hours of my life. It took me 4 painful hours to descend around 1,400m on a loose gravel path.
It was both mentally and physically taxing, especially on my knees.
As I finally reached Muktinath, I had my lunch and just chilled and played cards with a couple of other trekkers before heading off to bed.
Day 12: Muktinath
After yesterday’s descend, let’s just say my knees needed a break. Spent the day, just chilling and hanging out with a couple of friends who I had met on the trek. We played cards and later went out exploring the city and shopping for souvenirs. It was a pretty chill day.
Day 13: Muktinath (3700m) To Ghasa (2000m)-via Jomsom and Kagbeni
This was a weird day. Weird.
After leaving Muktinath, we walked to Kagbeni via a secondary trail. Kagbeni was beautiful and as we were getting there it started to get windy and dusty. Once we got to Kagbeni we stopped there for tea and a bite.
🐐#mountaingoat
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May 28, 2016 at 5:57am PDT
As the next bus was at 5pm we left Kagbeni to Jomsom on foot through “THE VALLEY OF DEATH” aka the valley of gravel between Kagbeni to Jomsom with winds so strong that at times we had to stop and wait for it to stop before continuing. Where we got blasted with tiny pebbles with every step.(The teens the only ones who found it fun!!!! It felt like a war zone!)
After the insane walk to Jomsom, we arrived at the only city on the trek with an ATM(Hallelujah!!!) we caught a bus out of Jomsom as it really wasn’t an appealing city and I definitely would avoid it as much as I could.
The bus to Ghasa was eventful as it was the first time during the entire trek that I wasn’t walking and OMG its insane how some of these buses go on the edge of an insanely narrow road on the mountainside with the entire valley below.
On reaching Ghasa we stayed at this tiny lodge with amazing food. A nights rest was much needed and I could already feel the increase in oxygen density.
Day 14: Ghasa (2000m) To Tatopani (1200m)
After an incredible breakfast, we set out on the trekking trail to Tatopani, this was the first day I was listening to music while trekking as the views weren’t really good and I needed the time to pass faster.
Music really makes the time pass faster; especially listening to Taylor Swift while climbing up a hill(and singing along as well).
We stopped in the middle for a cup of tea and snacks.
There is a kind of peace, being alone out in the wild, miles away from another human being or means of communication to the outside world 💕#JustMeAndMyThoughts
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May 28, 2016 at 8:43pm PDT
As we were in the last mile of the journey, we decided to take the lower route and avoid the Narcheng Village, as we were walking we heard a sound and as we look up to the cliff, we saw 4 massive stones falling down. Someone screamed run, one was falling down straight towards me and thanks to my quick reflexes I moved to the side before running, the rest of them were in the clear but I was to slow to stop and ended up crashing into them.
The adrenaline rush after that made us walk faster to Tatopani but also paranoid and looking up at the cliffs.
After lunch and checking into our rooms we went down to the hot spring. It was really nice to chill by the hot spring with a restaurant, wifi and drinks.
That night we played a lot of cards before heading off to bed.
Day 15: Tatopani (1200m) To Pokhara(870m)
The last day in the Annapurna Circuit, after a light breakfast, we got a bus from Tatopani to Beni. Unlike the previous bus, this wasn’t that bad. But the summer heat started to get to hot for comfort. On coming to Beni we got a van to Pokhara. Bringing an end of 2 insane weeks of climbing, nearly dieing and amazing views.
There truly isn’t anything wrong with Mondays, it’s your job that sucks✊ #everydayIsAnAdventure #tinyMe
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May 29, 2016 at 8:44pm PDT
