Last Post from Nepal

Namaste Friends and Family,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! We wish you all a happy and healthy start to 2008. We are spending our last few days visiting friends and family in Kathmandu and throwing a New Year's party at the house. Though we are sad to leave Nepal, we are extremely excited to arrive in San Francisco and start this new chapter of our lives. We hope to speak to all of you soon. Thanks for checking out the blog while we were away. We enjoyed creating this collection of memories from our travels.
Enjoy your new year's celebrations.
With Love, Sudhir & Rachel

India Photos!

We never did manage to get a perfect photo of us at the Taj Mahal, but this one will do. We spent more than 4 hours there in complete awe of the immense beauty of this architectural masterpiece. It certainly lived up to its reputation!

Bahai Temple (Delhi). Bahai Faith was founded almost century and a half ago in Persia. The essential message of the founder Baha'u'lla'h is to emphasize the spiritual unity of humankind. The religion welcomes people of all beliefs and backgrounds into its temple. It is incredibly serene inside.



Humanyun's tomb(Delhi). The Tomb was built by Emperor Humayun's widow in 1562 in his memory.


Humanyun's tomb.

Jaisalmer Fort stands out on the scrubby plains of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan (western India).
Intricate stone carvings of the Jain Temples in the Jaisalmer Fort.

Havelis were the homes of the the prominent business men and wealthy families in India. They are extraordinarily ornate, every inch is covered with intricate stone carvings.




We were lucky enough to meet a kind soul named Badal who runs a bed and breakfast in Khuri, a village on the edge of the Thar Desert dunes west of Jaisalmer. His son (the boy with the huge smile in the middle) took us on a camel ride at sunset in the dunes. Badal and his son were without a doubt the kindest and most genuine people that we met on the entire trip in India.Rachel was overjoyed to take a break from her camel's back and watch the sun set behind the dunes. When the camel is standing, he is over 12 feet high off the ground and he doesn't care too much about the passenger's safety or security on his back. Rachel's camel had a knack for kicking up his hind legs and sending her heart racing and her hands grasping for the saddle. We are not sure what was louder, the camels snuffs, snarls, and sneezes, or Rachel's yelps and gasps heard in the desert dunes! Sudhir's camel had a thing for jogging, which Sudhir didn't seem to mind, but his backside paid the price- camels aren't the most comfortable creatures on earth!

We returned to the dunes to watch a glorious sunrise, then headed back to Jaisalmer to catch the night train to get to Pushkar. One of the funniest moments of our four months' trip was our departure from the train at Phulera Station. We boarded the train at 4 PM in Jaisalmer, set up our "bunks" with sleeping bags, books, snacks, etc. and relaxed for the next 10 hours. The train had departed an hour late and we were originally supposed to disembark at Phulera at 4 AM. At 2:30 AM, Rachel got up to visit to the unsavory train bathroom and noticed that according to the schedule, the train was now running and hour and a half late. She settled back into her bunk and went back to sleep thinking that we had at least 2 hours before our stop. Sudhir woke at 4 AM when the train slowed down to make a stop. He casually strolled to the bathroom and happened to peak out the train door to check the station stop. He knew it wouldn't possibly be Phulera because the train was running one and a half hours late, but when he peered at the tiny sign in his half-sleep, he noticed the word started, p-h-u... Sudhir came running back to the bunk and shouted to Rachel to wake up and get off the train. Trains make barely a 5 minute stop at small stations, so we knew we had a maximum of 2 minutes left before the train took off again. OK, waking up and getting packed is easier said than done at 4 AM in the pitch dark in a tiny cramped train bunk space shared with two other people and their belongings. Sudhir fumbled with the bag locks, Rachel busied herself grabbing everything and anything that looked remotely familiar, and we both literally ran off the train seconds before it started to chug away. So, this is when the scene gets even funnier. We are now standing on the empty platform of a tiny train station in the middle of nowhere in India at 4 AM with all of our belongings in our arms. Characters began to emerge from the dark to witness the tiny cloud of chaos that had disembarked from the train. We assessed the situation, with anxiety gripping us with fears that we had left anything important behind. So, here's the list. Rachel was carrying in her arms no less than an open sleeping bag, carry bag, fleece, blanket, sneakers, ipod, water bottle, hiking backpack, and a plastic bag with bananas and crackers. Sudhir had been a bit more prepared for the departure, so he was disheveled, but much more together than Rachel. In any event, amazingly we made it off the train without leaving a single thing behind and we caught the next train to take us to Ajmer and on to Pushkar.

We rented a motorbike for a day and explored the Shiva temples in the desert hills on the outskirts of Pushkar. We had so much fun bumping along the road and skidding on the sand paths!

Pushkar is considered one of the holiest places in India according to the Hindu religion. People believe that Brahma, the creator of the world, carved this lake out of the earth. It is a gorgeous and peaceful town where we stayed for 2 nights.

We enjoyed a serenade at sunset by this musician. He was kind enough to let Sudhir have a try on his Chikara, stringed instrument that he plays with a bow with tiny bells attached.Jaipur is called the Pink City. The walls surrounding the city and many of the prominent buildings are pink! This is Hawa Mahal, a lookout over the city built by the Maharaj for his numerous queens.


Our auto-rickshaw weaved through the Jaipur traffic behind these giggly children on their way to school. View of Amber Fort on the hill above Jaipur.

The Taj Mahal.
Reflection pools .The Main Gate to the Taj Mahal.

After arriving in Kovalam, Kerala at midnight in the dark, we were blown away the next morning by the beauty of this little oasis. The crystal clear blue water, classic lighthouse, and coconut and banana trees created the perfect backdrop for a relaxing few days. Our first morning we were lucky enough to witness these local fisherman pulling in their enormous nets. It took a crew of about 30 men and two hours to pull in the nets. When the net gets closer to shore, a line of men stand in the water, splashing their arms and shouting to scare the fish into swimming back up into the net. The whole process was unbelievable and beautiful. The men sing the whole time they are working.
On this particular day, the fishermen caught thousands of fish in the net. They take it from the net in buckets and dump it into their wooden boat to divide amongst themselves and sell.


At sunset, the fishermen again gather on the shore to prepare their nets to drop at night.



Varkala beach was our next stop, only two hours north of Kovalam. It is set on a cliff top with restaurants and cafes galore overlooking the beach. We spent one relaxing night there and had a delicious fish tikka dinner cooked in a tandoor oven.
Our next stop was Alleppey, a small town on the edge of the famous Kerala backwaters. Hundreds of kilometers of inland water canals link villages and towns along the coast of Kerala. We spent three hours one afternoon exploring the backwaters in a traditional wooden canoe with a local man. It is incredible to see streets of water. We even saw children coming home from school in a boat!
Houseboats are a popular option for locals and tourists who want to live on the water.
This was one of the small canals winding its way through a village.
Our last stop in India was Fort Cochin, a small town with a long history of foreign occupants. The Dutch and Portuguese influence can be seen in the many churches and the mismatched architecture. These nets were built during the period of Kublai Khan's influence in India. It is a Chinese cantilevered fishing net based on simple pulley and lever physics principles. There are about 10 of these enormous nets in a row along the waterfront and the fishermen work in teams to lower and raise the nets continually during high tide.

On our last night in Kerala, we went to a traditional Kathakali performance. The men spend over an hour applying their make-up and getting into character in front of the audience, then emerge onto the stage in bright costumes. The performance is comprised of dancing, drumming, and sign language between the characters. The performers tell a story of the Hindu gods and it is VERY dramatic. On this particular night, the script was about a demon female trying to lure a beautiful prince from heaven. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.


The short one hour flight from Delhi to Kathmandu delighted us with views of the Himalayas.

India was an unforgettable experience!

Hi Folks- We are back in Kathmandu after a fantastic trip in India. We endured the busy streets of Delhi, rode on camels in the desert at sunset, explored Rajastani forts, shopped in the amazing markets of Jaipur, were awed by the immense beauty of the Taj Mahal, bodysurfed in the clear blue waves of Kovalam, lazed in a canoe on the backwater canals of Alleppey, ate delicious seafood caught in the Chinese cantilevered fishing nets in Fort Cochin, and experienced a traditional Kathakali performance. We had so many diverse experiences and interesting snapshots of India. We hope someday to return to explore the vast country more. We will post photos in the next couple of days. Wishing you all happy holidays and healthy new year from Kathmandu! Love Rachel & Sudhir

The Last Group of Annapurna Circuit Shots

This group of photos picks up in Muktinath, after our descent from Thorung La. The landscape was drastically different on this side of the mountains. It resembled a desert canyon scene, dry and scrubby, with little visible life.
After our incredibly long day of crossing the pass (we were up at 3:30 AM), we arrived in Muktinath around 3 pm, took HOT showers, ate momos and slowly hobbled up to Muktinath temple. The temple is a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists from around the world. This temple and village attracts many national and international tourists. It is not difficult to understand why it is considered a holy place. The temple sits up on a hill, peering out into the wide expanse with mountains circling at 360 degrees. We were fortunate to be there at sunset. Not only were we the only people at the temple, but the mountains were lit up from behind with the setting sun yielding a silhouette view that was magnificent. Visiting the temple was indeed a spiritual experience to end an incredible day for us. The trek in the days building up to the pass challenged our minds and bodies more so than ever before, both with the physical strain of the trail and the worries about altitude sickness. Standing at the temple at sunset on weary legs, we both felt such a sense of fulfillment in our hearts. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to do this trek together.


Prayer flags and old chortens.

Sudhir was fascinated by these balanced rocks. Look closely and you'll see the dark silhouette of a mountain in the background.

View of Jharkot Village across from Muktinath.

The zig-zag etched into the side of this cliff is actually a long, arduous trail (that we did not attempt) that takes travelers to the Upper Mustang region. Upper Mustang is a very old region of Nepal that borders Tibet. The traditional villages have a strong Tibetan influence and a lot of trade is done between these villagers and Tibetans. The Upper Mustang area is carefully protected by laws that require foreigners to pay USD $700 for a permit to visit for any period of time. Though we cringe at the thought of paying so much to visit, we are pleased to know that the traditional cultural and lifestyle are being preserved. Some of you may have seen the movie Himalaya by a famous French photographer that documents the Dolpo area of Upper Mustang. We hope someday to make a trip back to explore this region! Anyone interested in joining us?

Desert-like surroundings on the trail between Muktinath and Kagbeni.



This is a "famous" little place in Kagbeni that attracts "McDonald's" fans by calling themselves "YacDonald's." Beef is rarely served in Nepal, but yak and buffalo are meatlovers' favorites.

View of the old settlement of Kagbeni, right on the edge of the Kali Gandaki river and Mustang region. We visited a temple and several stupas that were built in the 1600's and are still well-preserved today with thankas, murals, and Buddha statues that are beautiful.

View up the Kali Gandaki river into the Mustang region.

Our trek from Kagbeni to Marpha was exhilarating with howling, gale-force winds whipping up the river. We were forewarned not to try to trek after noon because the winds come up strong every day, but we wanted to spend the night further along the trail. We were completely bundled up and still managed to get sand between our teeth and in every crack and crevice. Though we followed the flat riverbed for much of the trail, at one point we went up the side of a cliff and on our way down the steep trail, the wind was so strong that we could balance leaning into the wind with no effort!

Many strange rock formations delighted us along the way. Geologists from all over the world come to this region to study the rock mysteries.

The wind can be seen in the distance whipping up sand storms along the dry riverbed.

Sun setting over the mountains behind us as we rounded the corner to Marpha.

Sudhir "conquered" this rock on our way from Marpha to Lete.

A common sight on the trail were caravans of ponies carrying goods (salt, groceries, hotel supplies) from village to village. When we saw them in the distance, we always looked for a safe place to stand. The ponies often push through with no idea of space between them and an innocent trekker. We had a couple of intimate encounters with ponies when we were on narrow cliff paths!

Annapurna I (26,493 feet). Mountaineers acknowledge that this is the most dangerous of all "Eight Thousanders," mountains with a height over 8,000 meters. Actually, 40% of those attempting to summit Annapurna I have died ( compared to a 15% average of people summiting other Eight- Thousanders) and only about a third of the attempts have been successful. Maurice Herzog, with his French team and Nepali sherpas, summited the peak in May 1950 making it the first mountain above 8,000 meters to be summited in the world.

View of the Dhaulagiri Icefall from Lete. This was the mountain that Herzog and his team had originally planned to summit, but upon arrival and surveillance, they realized that it would not be possible and they went for Annapurna instead.

Sunrise behind Annapurna I

On the trail from Lete to Tatopani.

Swings are built all over Nepal for the festival of Dashain. These kids were swinging on a cliff edge next to a deep gorge!

A landslide consumed the trail on the top righthand side, which has now been replaced by a lower trail that can be seen on the lefthand side of the photo. Landslides were common along the trek and we never did manage to get used to walking on a narrow rocky path, with loose boulders looming over our heads and steep drops to the river down below.

On our way to Tatopani, we came across this caravan of sheep that were traveling from Tibet.

Buffalo relaxing in the warm afternoon sunshine.

The trek from Tatopani to Ghorepani was ridiculously arduous. We literally trekked up hill for 7 hours straight, gaining 1,560 meters in one day! We were absolutely exhausted by the time we reached Ghorepani. Unfortunately, we had our first morning of fog and clouds in Ghorepani and missed the supposedly spectacular view of the Himalayas from Poon Hill.

The last day of the trek lead us through gorgeous old forests, thick with moss, vines, and lush vegetation. Though it was our last day, it was a very long one. We hiked 11 miles, including one stretch that consisted of 3,421 rough stone steps down hill! We made it back to NayaPul just as it began to rain (the first time on our whole trek!). We shared a taxi back to Pohkara with our newfound friends, Catherine and Gregory. Unfortunately, just when we thought we could relax, we ended up on a hair-raising ride through the rain on dark, slippery roads in a taxi with no windshield wipers, no headlights, and a maniacal driver who thought he was competing in a race against time. Just as we arrived in Pokhara, the suspension shocks on the car broke and we screeched to a halt on the pavement. We were exceedingly happy to catch another, safer taxi the rest of the way to Pokhara, where we were met with the next challenge- to find a hotel in rain, in the dark, in an area of town with a power outage. It was not easy to do given the circumstances (and after having hiked 11 miles and suffered an insane 2 hour taxi ride)!

Phewa tal (lake) in Pokhara

Finally resting! It was sheer pleasure relaxing by lakeside in Pokhara and enjoying a good meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed our two nights in Pokhara with Catherine and Gregory(and fine steaks, ice cream, and cold beer). They are a lovely couple from France whom we hiked with for several sections of the trek .


THAT'S ALL FOR OUR ANNAPURNA ADVENTURE. STAY TUNED FOR PHOTOS AND STORIES FROM INDIA. WE ARE OFF TO DELHI THIS MORNING AND WILL NOT POST AGAIN UNTIL WE RETURN IN MID-DECEMBER. LOVE SUDHIR AND RACHEL

Second Set of Photos from Annapurna

Hi Folks-
We are working our way through our photos, so here is the next installment. Sudhir's brother borrowed a slideshow projector from his friend, and we've been hosting photo viewings with friends and family to share our experiences. Some of the photos look fantastic on the big screen!
This group covers our favorite parts of the trek from Upper Pisang to Manang, Letdar, and then the climax of our (sleepless) night stay in Thorung High Camp (4,860 meters/ 15,940 feet) and over the ThorungLa Pass. During this portion of the trek, we climbed elevation steadily each day from Upper Pisang at 3,305 meters to 5,416 meters (17,768 feet) at the ThorungLa pass. At the top of the pass, we were 1,998 feet higher than Mont Blanc, the highest alpine summit in the world, and we were just short of Mt. McKinley's summit, North America's highest peak!
Enjoy the photos and remember that you can click on the photo to see it in a larger version which looks much better. Love, Rachel & Sudhir

These photos pick up where we left off with the first set. The first four photos are views from our favorite trek from Upper Pisang to Manang. The far-reaching mountain views were absolutely breathtaking!!


Stone chortens mark the trail.
The landscape changed remarkably as we joined the lower route to Manang after our descent from Ngawal on the upper route. It became barren, dry, and treeless. The hills looked like sand castles with loose sand and rocks crumbling from the sides.
Braga is an old settlement built into the side of the mountain just before Manang.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day hike on our extra day in Manang. We stayed in Manang for 2 nights to acclimatize before moving steadily into higher altitudes. The day hike took us up to 3,900 meters. It is said that one should "climb high and sleep low" in order to assure proper acclimatization. We were very lucky along the way and did not suffer from AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) symptoms. AMS is something to be taken quite seriously on the trip. Many people suffer from mild symptoms, such as headache, nausea, or insomnia. However, it can rapidly progress to a severe and life threatening condition. It is essential to stay focused on one's body symptoms and health every step of the way. Sadly, we know of one woman who was helicoptered out of Manang because of the apparent onset of brain edema. Needless to say, we took AMS very seriously and constantly checked in with each other to make sure that we were healthy.
Gangapurna Glacier Lake stood out with its brilliant turquoise color against the dry, treeless landscape around Manang.
Gangapurna Glacier is flowing down the moutain (seen behind Rachel's shoulder).

Beautiful horses greeted us just below Manang.Rachel was in love with this gray yak. He seemed so fuzzy after his new sheering. Luckily, Sudhir was there to talk some sense into her and stop her from giving him a hug!
Two porters carrying their loads for a group that was "camping" along the trek. Though each village along the way had plenty of lodging and food available, some organized trekking groups would camp next to the lodges. It sounds romantic, but it infuriated us. The idea of wealthy trekkers paying porters to carry tents, stoves, gas, food, clothing, pots, pans, lawn chairs, etc. just so people can say that they "camped" along the way is ridiculous. It important to acknowledge that the trekkers in these groups carried nothing more than a water bottle and an extra jacket for themselves as they walked the trail.
As we trekked from Manang to Letdar, we crossed paths yet again with two seasoned German trekkers and spent the day (and night) with them. The woman has visited Nepal for the past 15 years, every year for 5 months. Not only is she fluent in Nepali, but she has trekked Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp many many times. On this section of the trail, we were following them when the trail split. Sudhir followed down onto the riverbed, over a small wooden bridge, and up a very steep riverside hill. Rachel was lagging behind them and chose the easier route- across the new suspension bridge from hill to hill with no major climb. Sudhir took this picture from the riverbed when he realized that Rachel had taken the shorter, easier route. Ha ha!
Rachel enjoyed several warm cups of "lemon tea" in Letdar. This was our first really cold night and it had been a relatively short trek to reach here, so we had the afternoon and evening hours to pass. We were lucky to witness a sighting of blue mountain sheep roaming across the hillside behind us. They are an endangered animal and it is rare to see a herd in the wild. Chulu West Peak (21,059 feet) is in the background.
View from our lodge. Letdar consists only of 3 lodges along the trail, it is not a proper settlement.
Sunrays setting on Chulu West. It was a bitter cold night and we cursed each time we had to leave the room to go to the outdoor toilet, but the blanket of stars that greeted us was absolutely magnificent.
Moon setting over the Chulu Central Range. The contrasting colors were brilliant.

The climb from Thorung Phedi to High Camp took about an hour and was extremely strenuous. We climbed from 4,430 m (14,530 feet) to 4,850 (15,940) in one stretch. It felt pathetic to be taking 10 slow steps and then stopping to catch one's breath, but the views were worth the effort and made the stops supremely enjoyable.
This view is of the Annapurna Mountains and Chulu West Peak on the left. We arrived at High Camp by 11 AM to secure a room for the night (there is only one lodge). We were worried that we would hike all the way up there and find out that the rooms were full. Groups heading to High Camp would send a porter or guide ahead to book their rooms, where as we needed to get there early to do it for ourselves. In fact, there were only 5 rooms left when we arrived. After eating and taking a nap, we hiked up to a lookout above High Camp. It felt like the mountains were in "surround-sound", 360 degrees of unfathomable magnificence!!
This is our favorite picture from the entire trip!! Purkung Himal Range in all of its brilliance!

Yep, we were pretty psyched at this point in the trip!!! Can you imagine the awe and beauty?
View from our doorway at Thorung High Camp Hotel. We were not able to sleep well because of the altitude, but this was our favorite night stop on the entire trek. The views were magnificent in all directions. The beauty of staying a night at High Camp was bittersweet, in that we also had a fair amount of anxiety about the potential onset of AMS symptoms and our ascent to ThorungLa Pass the following day. Every year on average 2 trekkers die crossing ThorungLa. In fact, the night that we spent at Thorung High Camp, one trekker died from AMS and another young woman died in Muktinath after completing the ThorungLa Pass. Apparently, her brain and body had not reacclimatized yet and she died in her sleep after celebrating the achievement with her friends. Though we were confident in ourselves and we were both feeling healthy, the seriousness of trekking at such high altitudes was clear to us.
We were anxiously awaiting the sun to peak over the range and warm our bodies. Though some people start the trek over ThorungLa at 3 AM to ensure reaching the pass before the wind rages (around 10 AM), we decided on a more godly hour of 5:30 AM. Unfortunately, the first stretch of the trek from High Camp was hair-raising in the dark. We wore head lamps and walked in line to ensure we stayed on the foot-wide, icy path that wound around the cliff and climbed steadily. One slip would mean a fall down a snowy slope with not much in the way to stop the slide. Though we were trying to focus on our breathing to power us through , we found ourselves holding our breath due to the anxiety of the challenging trail. We were thankful when we came to more solid ground and the sun rose high above the range to light the path. View of the teahouse at 16,800 feet, about halfway from Thorung High Camp to the pass. We decided to trek onwards and upwards, rather than stopping for tea. At this point, we didn't think tea would help us much. Sheer energy had to come from chocolate, glucose water, and inspiration! It was so cold, though, that our water was freezing inside of our camelbak tube and nalgene bottles. We saw one man drool water into his beard as he sipped, and the water instantly froze into ice!
Sudhir managed to smile after nursing a bar of chocolate, a glucose drink, and some energy candies. The effect of altitude and the harsh cold took its tole on our bodies after a while. We were exhausted after taking few short steps and had to take deep breaths to maintain our energy. It was impossible to drink, eat, or speak at the same time as walking. Rachel's mantra was to breathe and step at the same pace. At lower altitudes, this would be hyperventilating and you would soon pass out, but up there, this was barely enough oxygen.
We made it to the top of the pass after 3 1/2 hours of huffing and puffing with small steps and many breaks! It was incredibly bright (being that we were that much closer to the sun!) and the snow was blinding, so we squinted in every photo. We only stayed for 10 short minutes, as it was freezing and we had a formidable task ahead of us to climb 4 hours steeply downhill to reach Muktinath.
View of Dhaulagiri Range on the other side of ThorungLa pass through prayer flags.
Thorung Peak (20,344 feet) looks less than impressive here, as it is a bit of a mound on top. It was gorgeous to see the crisp blue sky contrasted with the gleaming white snow. Our eyes were blinded without sunglasses.


Sudhir peered out into the wide expanse before him. A porter (crouching behind the suitcase) took a second to catch his breath and appreciate the view next to Sudhir. It was absolutely incredible to see porters bearing unbelievable weights on their backs at this altitude. We were wearing almost every piece of clothing in our bags and they still felt extremely heavy on our backs!
The trail to Muktinath required an extremely strenuous descent that took 4 1/2 hours. As we began the trek down, our heads started to pound a bit from the sudden changes in altitude. Rachel's knees barely made it through this part of the journey. She shed a few tears and many complaints as we trekked downwards on steep, narrow paths and descended 1,716 meters. Sudhir not only put up with the strain of the trek, but he was a trooper with his wife, who had a very difficult time with this part of the trek due to her joints malfunctioning!

That's it for the second installment. We will download the last group of photos in the next few days. Hope you are enjoying! -R&S

First Set of Photos...

We hopped off the local bus in Besisahar (820 m) and trekked 2 short hours to our first night stop in BhuleBhule. This was one of the many beautiful waterfalls along the way between BhuleBhule (840 m) and Ngadi (890 m) on the following day. Oh, and that's Sudhir smiling, too! We were happy to finally be out on the trail.

This was our first view of the snow-capped mountains. It would be eight days before we were actually trekking up and over the snow-covered mountains. For the first couple of days, we were trekking in hot weather up and over hills covered in lush green vegetation and rice paddies.

The Marsyangdi River was our guide for the first half of the trip. We followed it upstream as it transformed from a calm, relaxed river into a rushing, roaring river at the bottom of a deep, ridged canyon. We finally reached its source on the way to Thorung Phedi a week later.

This was our first truly laborious hill climb before lunch in Bahundanda (1310 m). It was a preview for a gain of thousands of feet in elevation during the course of our trek. We started at 820 meters in Besisahar and climaxed at 5416 meters at the Thorung La pass a week later. Our legs and lungs were in shape by the end!

A distant view of one of the many suspension bridges that we crossed along the way. This bridge took us from Ghermu (1130 m) to Syange and then we walked for 2 hours more to a village perched on the river gorge edge called Jagat (1300 m). We were getting anxious as the sun was setting and our destination was not yet in sight when we crossed paths with a local villager. When Sudhir asked him in Nepali how far we were from Jagat, he pointed to a small puffy cloud perched next to a steep hill in the distance and said the village was just beyond that cloud. Gee, thanks!
This is the dramatic view from our porch outside our lodge room in Jagat just after sunrise. The trek on this day took us from Jagat (1300 m) to Bagarchap (2160 m). It was a very long trek of almost 17 kilometers along hair-raising cliff paths. Many of the paths zig-zag back and forth up the hills overhanging the gorge and they are barely narrow enough to pass other walkers, much less ponies carrying goods. We always opted to hug the mountain, rather than risk the fall when passing!
Sun rays striking the steep gorge and lush vegetation. The Marsyangdi River winds far below.

Tal (1700 m) lays lazily on the wide river bed. We had a delicious dhal bhat lunch on the roof of a restaurant here and put on our wool hats and fleeces for the first time on the trip so far.

Trekking onward from Tal to Bagarchap, we actually walked on the riverbed for a while and then crossed over a suspension bridge and climbed a steep, rocky ledge path for the afternoon.

After our night halt in Bagarchap, we walked through landslide areas up from Danaqyu (2200 m) to Chame (2710 m). After an hour of steep climbing and picking our steps carefully through the landslide, we came upon this "safe" cliff walk with a view of gorgeous Mt. Manaslu(8163 m), the planet's eight highest peak.
Morning sun hitting the mountain near Timang ( 2590 m). Timang is tiny village of 14 houses nestled in a valley right under the mountains with spectacular views of Mt. Manaslu and Lamjung Himal. We were so fascinated with Timang that Sudhir was compelled to ask for the land price from one of the hotel owners. Hmmm...maybe a cottage in the mountains someday???

Background of Mt. Manaslu. A new road is being constructed in the foothills along the Marsyangdi River, with the ultimate goal of connecting Besisahar to Manang. The BIG problem is that as the roads are being constructed, the mountains are literally falling apart. Within the next 10 years, one could probably ride in a vehicle all the way from Besisahar to Manang. Though this is seemingly a positive idea, in actuality, it is destructive to both the environment and the villages along the way. Many villages will not be located on the road, so they will most likely suffer from lack of tourism after the road is built. In addition, the Annapurna Circuit as we know it, will cease to exist. The whole beauty of the Circuit at this point is that one has to trek from BhuleBhule all the way to Muktinath before seeing a vehicle. The uniqueness of the landscape, village culture, and environment will undoubtedly change with the addition of motor vehicle access. We are thankful that we were able to trek before the road was built. The number of trekkers on the trail is already overwhelming and we can only imagine how it will be affected when busloads of tourists are able to drive in to see the sights.

Prayer flags on the roof of the house seems to blend well with the background of Mt. Manaslu. Each day, we saw so many sights that were indescribable, inspiring a deeper sense of our spiritual connection to the earth.

Lamjung Himal. As we came around a cliff corner on the trail, Sudhir spotted this magnificent mountain greeting us, but Rachel was focused on putting one foot in front of the other on the trail in front of her. Sudhir told Rachel that there surprise waiting for her, which made her absolutely confused. Finally, she looked up and saw this incredible sight. Seeing the mountains so close truly does take your breath away!


We celebrated reaching Chame (2670 m) before lunch with our first beer on the trek. Needless to say, we got tipsy with the bottle of 750 ml at that altitude. Chame is the district headquarter of Manang and largest settlement after Besisahar. We visited the "hotspring" which was so "big" that we could just dip our two feet in. The water was extremely hot, though, and it was a curious sight to see a hotspring "puddle" right next to a rushing, icy mountain river.

Lamjung Himal.
Paungi Danda, or Swargdwar, appeared as we rounded the cliff corner. People call it mountain of heaven. It is a wall of slate that slants 12oo m from top to bottom. After crossing another suspension bridge, we climbed a steep hillside and were overjoyed to find a tiny tea shop. The shop owner, porters, and guides were very curious about the nature of our relationship. It was hard to convince people that we were actually a married couple, not a guide and tourist. This was a recurring situation for us along the trail. Apparently, very few mixed Nepalese/ foreigner couples trek along the Annapurna Circuit. Some days, Sudhir was even given complimentary dal bhat ( rice, curry and lentils) with the assumption that he was a guide to this foreign lady (guides get free food and accommodation in many places for bringing the business to the hotels). Needless to say, we didn't correct people when free food was involved!

View from Upper Pisang. The climb from Lower Pisang to our lodge in Upper Pisang was about 45 minutes, but the pay-off was rewarding. Our night stop at Upper Pisang was one of the highlights of our trek. We befriended a french couple, Gregory and Catherine, with whom we would go on to share many parts of the journey. The restaurant was cozy with very friendly international trekkers, a warm wood stove, and windows that showcased Annapurna II and views of Lower Pisang.

Mt. Annapurna II and view of Lower Pisang.


From Pisang, one must choose one of two routes to Manang; one can trek from Lower Pisang along the foothills, which is a fairly undemanding trek, or one can trek from Upper Pisang through the high hills to gain expansive views of the mountains. The Upper route involves a very very strenuous climb to Ghyaru(3670 m) and then a long day of trekking to Ngawal (3660 m) and on to Manang. Many trekkers decided to do the Lower Pisang route to give their bodies a break, but, of course, we opted to challenge ourselves. In our minds, we considered the climb to Ghyaru to be a sort of training for Thorung La. We climbed 350 m on steep slopes and felt the altitude in our lungs for the first time. We also spotted a very fashionable trekker with his pants hanging down below his waist, but, of course, we couldn't compete with our sweaty shirts and dusty trousers.

Looking down the valley on our way to Ghyaru.



Resting our backpack for a kodak moment.

Village of Ghyaru


Mt. Annapurna II towering over Ghyaru village.

We're back in Kathmandu!

Hi Folks! Happy Tihar! We just got back from our trek and it was fantastic! Words can't describe the beauty of the sights, the magnificence of the mountains, and the strain of hiking over 150 miles up to a height of 5416 meters with huge packs on our backs. We were basically in awe for two and a half weeks straight and now we are enjoying organizing our photos, sharing our stories, and resting our aching bodies. Over the next few days, we will post photos and some short descriptions of our experiences, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, we are back in Kathmandu, enjoying the celebration of Tihar with family and friends. It is a celebration of lights, so the city is beautiful with strings of lights hanging from the houses, shops, and buildings. Children are also lighting off firecrackers everywhere which makes things a bit hectic in an already chaotic city! Needless to say, we are shocked to be back in the city after our cathartic journey through the Himalayas. We really miss everyone at home and hope you are all well. We leave in just over 2 weeks for our India adventure, then back to Nepal for 2 short weeks and on to San Francisco!! Wishing you all well. Enjoy the photos. Love Rachel and Sudhir