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.