Monday, December 28, 2009, Depart to Pokhara and trekking around the Annapurna! Bus
basic Kathmandu Pokhara with two breaks, a snack first with a 100 PID (Nepali Rupee) the attitude that I had paid 20 shomein roupees in Delhi, then a 2nd break in a restaurant at will for 300 PID I am resigned to the climbing prices and eat my cake dry.
Arrive Pokhara , it sounds like a quiet town, like big, very big village, it must be the taste of all Nepal. I get mixed with the boss of the hotel which offers me a room just off the bus, he offered me a taxi if I slept with him but I do not take a room quite expensive and I'm looking elsewhere to find one at 200 PID with a lake view and beautiful fogs, a huge stupa on the hill above (Peace Pagoda), then lunch in a restaurant full of tourists, and I'll understand where I am.
Tuesday, December 29
whole neighborhood where I am, Lakeside, lakeside, is filled with tourists and all that goes with it, souvenir shops, equipment and trekking agencies, of restaurants and hotels and flights are comfortable with, it's very expensive and far from what I look like corner, like Thamel area in Kathmandu. I rented a bike one hour in search of a breakfast and internet was not expensive elsewhere, but Lakeside is truly isolated from the real town of Pokhara, apart from the south, where I found Dameside few blocks available for my door money. I catches up late I'm still on the blog and emails.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 Preparations for a trekking permit a 2000 PID history that if I did not come back, we know in what mountain I am, then a walk to the Peace Pagoda, a huge stupa on a hill Lakeside dominates. A kid will guide me warns that sometimes there are thieves on the road.
the evening dinner meetings with friends in Bodhgaya I found it by accident, and his friend Sarah, a Nepali trekker guide tells me that the government bazard.
Now in Lakeside, there is a festival with live music of Nepal and in the evening, the big rock, young Nepali love songs and love songs to hardcore rock.
Thursday, December 31, 2009, evening in the Lakeside neighborhood with a couple of friends that I met on the plane on arrival in India, they just happen to Pokhara and we will start trekking together. Soiree end of the year in Nepal, ca va!
Friday 1st January 2010
Happy new year! For once I have not pasty mouth after a first year!
I'm going shopping for the trek, has 10 stores looking for a backpack for rent, and a scarf, the drive earlier this year, it will be better tomorrow.
I'm pissed off the evening by bringing the backpack that I had rented lap belt, quashed, hard to lug 10kg only on the shoulders! the boss does not care, I push my face to get another bag, and while I'm pushed I was having it cheaper by taking advantage of the presence of colleagues from other stores that are surprised by the bazard come see pestacle. This is my 2nd gueulante since my departure? After that with the youth who had tried to m'arnaquer. In any case each time it was due to history of money.
Saturday, January 2
Departure from the hotel at 6am and leave my backpack and carrying some underwear and socks, sugar cookies and bars warning, water, silver (1200 PID mini day forecast). You take a city bus up to a bigger bus station then another until Naya Pul, the vilage of departure trekking. The view is magnificent Annapurna in the city center after a street, and the sun rises after another, rather magical images for a departure in trek.
The trek is beautiful to begin with, along a river during 5h, then extension of 1:30 to climb 500m tilted up Ulleri (1960m). The meals here are expensive, transport food to back of carrier forces, and it's going to increase with altitude. The evening we arrived to negotiate a room gratos (because it is off season and there are few tourists). And tonight is the anniversary of Fabian, 28, on a terrace with views of Annapurna, pretty good! I manage to find a yak-hair belt has to offer, 100% Green AC and AC is hot ^ ^
On the terrace, one quail but we admire the sunset, then we guzzler Bat a Dal, fried rice + vegetables + sauce at will, the only profitable because of our craving flat, the cheapest and most plentiful. Aujourdh'hui, 5 pm while walking uphill, 900m climb over a road accident, and luckily, my ankle arthrodesis has not move a hair, extra!
Sunday, January 3, trekking through the forest this time, accompanied by two sticks that help out my carcass climb the rock. We pass through a small village that night or a tiger ate a goat before being chased by the villagers. Keep on eating shomwein (pasta served with copious few pieces of vegetables).
At the end of trekking, walkman and electro-funk session, it takes me boost as it takes to finish the walk. We climb to 1000m in 4 hours with breaks, then a shot of speed Poonhill has a 360 degree view on a line with two impressive peaks over 8000 meters, the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri 8091m 8167m has. From 1900 to
Ulleri Deorali 2860m (above Ghorepani), 5h and then a round trip for a view has Poonhill 3120m.
My ankle is still going strong, I barely have the crosses that I fancied trekking back of a yak or horse before leaving because of my ankle too fragile!
Monday, January 4
Deorali From 2860m, we descend a Tatopani 1190m, 1600m down on your knees! Magnificent forest at the beginning, an excellent view on the summit of Dhaulagiri, trails down scarps, tiring, but an excellent view.
we see 2 guys during the descent, they sawing a log on the length, a top guy, the one below, with those old saws 2m long that my father had to keep in the barn collection. There also will be entitled to a chai with a family who took the sun on the terrace, the kids are too cute, I must see the real Nepal.
Until yesterday, the trek was full of stalls of chips, drinks, restaurants guesthouse, and it was accompanied by a lot of other trekkers who were the "short loop" called "Annapurna Sanctuary 4 days at the foot of Annapurna, a daisy! Our trek will take us to the other side of Annapurna, a season or few tourists venture there, too cautious. It does not cross more than one or two groups, guesthouses and shops are becoming rarer and more peaceful, less waiting tourists. Before
Tatopani, a magnificent view of a small temple of Ganesh, before 2 suspension bridges, one of wood and other scrap that I perceive with anxiety. 1 I do not have to worry, he thought falter, the wood rotted and broken boards sometimes replaced by a simple stone to seal the hole, similar to the cracks on the side is a luxury, away from places, but it is not very high, and my vertigo almost absent.
cons
For the 2nd left at least 50m long, well-100m above the river below you see between the boards scrap rutted in places, and the guardrail on cots is not more of 1, 20 m, perfect for me to put the pressure! A carrier joins us and goes on deck, I cut my dark thoughts, my gaze fixed on the bundle of wood she carries on her back and follows through. The few glances on ratings and below remind me fast as the vertigo is very fast and very strong here. A dose of adrenaline coronation!
Shortly before reaching Tatopani is finished after this track for 2 years, a group working to maintain the collapse in doing boulders aglommeration metal net, we will see more blocks away, collapsed into the river below.
The trek has been tiring and wonderful! My dowel has yet followed without flinching a hair, same for my knees, I'm still surprised as to collect as much what I thought toil and suffer to do! By cons in my back took a hit, as normal after running without usual and with my backpack filled with heavy clothes that I use only hot in the morning and evening.
Arrive Tatopani, it is a hotel in the pad 80 NA 3 beds if you eat there, like all hotels trekking. I'm going to relax in a hot spring collected in a basin, it reaches 40 degrees and is cooled slightly to make it a real bath, excellent after trekking, as well as for the people and kids who come from villages' s to relax and bathe in the fountain. I m'affale in hot water bath, after 6 hours of walking, and reacted by myself into mollusk. Solution, the river, just next door. The water reaches just above the mountain, snows of Annapurna (we are in the deepest gorge in the world, the greatest height between this village and the 1190m summit of Annapurna 8000m aa mere 20 km) . I force myself because it's cold, but What an awakening! The 3rd time, a pretty Russian pushes me to stick around in the water, actually, the energy comes from as she said, is excellent but what a slap! The night we served by the owner of 2 children who spend their time laughing while mom made dinner, I'm empty. Normal after the 7am walk down to 1600m. And my ankle is still following the rhythm, I think the 2 surgeons who have performed with a rather enormous respect!
Tuesday, January 5, start trekking in a jeep Tatopani 1190m, 1500m Titar up. It must end there because the track is collapsed, 300m above the river below, you should walk.
We cross a suspension bridge, huge sensation EMCORE, my vertigo has for itself and it's hard to think of something other than that I am a mechanic of scrap metal that swings at each step on metal plates that remind me what a good height above the'm empty.
We walk about 500m of vertical 2h, the path is broken open and wonderful view and it plunges between the mountains with a rating of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri to the other every 2 more than 8000m. We arrive at a final suspension bridge, it is huge, very long, very high, and we bring back the good side of the throat.
I gotta go, no choice, and that's really the greatest that I have taken up the. My vertigo diminishes little by little because I'm under the feeling that yet another bridge on the smaller. It has happened to Ghasa 2010M, 500m Denivelle eat in 2 hours. It is a Dal Bat to rtemplir rice for lunch and it is reused while the patron of the cabin we had refused at first, a second helping is always Dal Bat at will! We think the price of a ticket to return in a few days, because we compare the return by the track and trails is all the same mini 1200NRP day for at least 3 or 4 days of trek, then that the aircraft is approximately 5000 PID. It then attempts to negotiate the bus that will take us to Jomsom, PID is 600 for us tourists and 125 for the Nepalese. It will not happen to bring it down. Here negotiation is all or nothing and the premises are rather harsh business, accustomed to toil. On the bus, there are fears, the bus ride fast on this track dry gravel, with smooth tires, and sometimes direct the precipice of a 500m tire sidewall. We stop at a bridge that crosses has fallen off and we take another bus or the driver puts a rock bottom before you go even faster than the first one had an excuse, one of his tires fail! Arrival of night Jomsom, hotel and meals expensive. The boss serves up a full glass of Apple Brandy, alcohol apples on the corner, it's relaxing athmosphere and the evening watching TV, around a table in which he lit a stove that warms our feet.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The airport is here in Jomsom, and we compare the alternatives and decided to return to fly back with a $ 70 ticket, 56 euros for Sunday. the price of the ticket compared to the total return of a trek by bus + jeep + hotels + meal is 25 euros more for a flight between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in a cuckoo clock with 15 seats, we will not refuse ! Departing the trek, the hotel says it will do us may not be the same price on rooms if you go back home, we negotiate with him too and not consuming enough food flights his taste for it has always eats the most abundant and least expensive of showmein (pasta) and Dal Bat (rice).
expected that fills our jeep for a Mukthinath from the sun, Jomsom is plain gray stone everywhere, surrounded by mountain peaks and is empty, grandiose, magnificent (how many times I used "splendid" since the beginning of the trek?). The trail takes us to what I wanted to see this barren landscape, rocky, dry, almost lunar, wind strong and cool under the hot sun is a taste of Tibet if I get a chance to go one day, I'm only 50km as the crow flies, hard-guarded border into China and not regularly crossing Tibetan rescaped after a month of hiking was a heavy price of suffering, they do not tell, ca.
The first jeep follows what could be a glacier Kagbeni up in the bed of a river was almost dry, then climbing through some very small villages, 10 houses, some horses (and what horses, mustangs! This is the area), sheep, people who live in hard soil or tourism. The trail climbs in collimacon sometimes with a cliff on my side which is probably well over 500m in altitude, just a few inches of the wheel. It's huge.
Arrive Muktinath, I really feel Nepal. You can find a good hotel, and finally we eat, we had a sacred slab even less effort, but with the cold. Then I go for a walk, visit the temple, I found the Buddhist prayer flags hang in and go on a hill overlooking the village. I then descends from the other side of the hill.
A small wall protects a sort of camp, I passed out and a man in his head ebourifee is a saddhu, a Hindu monk. He does not speak English and invited me under the rock that houses it. He lights a fire of dried yak dung, after much smoke we can finally stop coughing and see, then he prepared a shilom of cannabis resin as consume all saddhus, AC reminds Rastas in Guyana.
The shelter is 2m deep, 1.5m high and barely wide, and ends with a tarpaulin to cut the chill wind of the night. Punamgri makes me understand that he spends 30 years in India and Nepal 10 years before coming year by the year pass, Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists. His master is a Richikesh, the source of the Ganges river sacred to Hindus. 2 other saddhus arrive, they sleep too. I left when the night falls, difficult to exchange without any vocabulary words, but it's nice to see the comfort he feels when he has nothing, and the pleasure he has live in greater simplicity, a good lesson for me to ascetic who am always disturbed by the impression that saddhus spend considerable time to beg.
Thursday, January 7, 2010 6:30
Lever, we like to walk to "Pass Thorung La", a pass at 5400m, one of the highest in the world. We do not know if we can physically do it, if it is acessible, or even if you have the proper equipment (especially warm clothes). It did not work yesterday, the recovery leg is ok but the breath is not there, you probably already lack of oxygen because it should stop more often to catch our breath short, while the trek starts 3700m above sea level? It's beautiful, still, dry, not of vegetation has a few yellow grass rooted in the earth in search of the dew.
It meets a shepherd who leads a herd of horses, mustangs, he led them graze on the hills, but there is nothing to eat, the Mustangs scratching the ground with their hooves and eat lean apparently much of grass land.
We spend a suspension bridge, still impressive, and this time I spend without worry or apprehension, with some even look down and a break in the middle. My fear of bridges and my vertigo has decreased!
We climb, we pass two small stone houses that offer tea, dinner and even to hotel, they have a small solar furnace that boiled rice water. AC then climbs steeply, we learn that the "pass", the neck is a 5400m at 4am to walk again after the 2hr we have already spent and it will add the time and effort back down because it also will be stiff .
We made a last effort until one of these piles of stone "lucky" or eat a piece. The view is magnificent, it is almost at the same height as the mountains opposite, and it is at 5000m, just above the Mont Blanc, it makes you dream. We have not been to pass the Thorung but we will take this amazing view, huge.
It is very cold. I finally have the utility of the 2nd polar I lug around since the departure of France, and this morning it was not even enough, I had cold sweat cooled quickly and my clothes are not made for this kind of trek.
The return is difficult, hard working knees and my ankle started to hurt. One meets Nepali porters load of 45kg, they should be paid at $ 15 per day for this to be "correct" has told me that a young porter, but this group of Germans do not pay half that, they don ' not even have a bottle of water. It is once again disgusted to see how money makes helpful.
Arrive Muktinath, I visit the place deemed the temple of Muktinath. I recrosses 2 saddhus who arrived at the shelter last night Punamgri and gives them cookies and bars sugar faster, more appropriate, the trek is finished.
As I leave, they ask me to make a donation, I refused and includes the saddhu to whom I donated yesterday did not share.
Friday, January 8, 2010 6:30
Lever, I thought down in a jeep, a little lazy and tired my ankle, I change my mind and choose to walk down, until Kagbeni, 2 hours from where I Jomson certainly believe in a jeep on the road. It's a beautiful area.
Small villages with lots of small mud houses as there are hundreds of years or 10aine, the stream flowing under the ice, rocks everywhere, a little brown ocher with this rare vegetation especially very thorny.
After 2 h of descent, we arrive at Kagbeni. Hearty lunch in a small restaurant behind glass sunny. The track was then Kagbeni Jomson is facing a strong wind with gusts at the edge of a cliff, the trail is narrow and dangerous in this weather. We pass through small dust storms, the head wind is very strong now, it's like a desert, it follows uen kind of huge valley as the bed of a great river was dry, beautiful, empty, vast, impressive .
My ankle just growing but as if it was planned in advance, not too bad to be able to finish, but a pain that increases with the efforts on this path of rocks. It will have 23 km in 5h30 3h with 2:30 and then down with a strong headwind and a meal break of one hour between the 2. Arrive Jomson can find a hotel easy and cheap and it finally lands.
I give a dud that I wore and that I do serve more to a woman beggar sitting under a blanket torn in the street, she suffers, it is hard to see, yet.
Saturday, January 9, 2009 5:30
Lever, plane at 6:45 am. The small cheap and simple hotel where we stayed was worth the exchange of address: "Hotel Lali Guran "has Jomson - 069-440131
I load the 10kgs that I lug around during the days of trek when I put my warm clothes inside.
the sun rises over the mountains, and we take off in this cuckoo 15 Place de la "Tara Air" (I already know who smiled while reading), it escapes from the valley still in the shade and coolness. The view is beautiful on the sides of mountains, sometimes you large tremors in people walking on top of a hill and finding himself in another very windy valley. It's really great, seeing, feeling (my vertigo was calm), what luck!
It landed in 9am Pokhara suvole after having part of the trek we just made on foot, by jeep, bus, on narrow tracks, suspension bridges loads of sensations, trails rather magical landscape that change daily.
Back at my hotel, and I'm about to leave this corner of Pokhara, Lakeside, only tourist scheduled departure tomorrow or after tomorrow.
It's Saturday, public holiday in Nepal, some shops are still open in the morning, kids playing in the street, no school today. I answer a bunch of emails from "Happy New Year!" It's nice to find friends, even if just by email, the feeling of not being so far away!
We all catches up "dal bat" and "shomein" we eat em for a week to making a pizza burger + a night in a good restaurant in a popular area of Pokhara, Nepali with a price, 5 euros total, and has gaves regales (AC have just been the price of pizza in the tourist district of Lakeside).
Though I wash 2 times the soles of my shoes, they still stink as much as my feet, the smell is difficult to eradicate one week after swimming in the juice of these pumps, hmmmm, hiking socks-> trash, I hope to be able to get my shoes!
Sunday, January 10, 2010 7:00
Reveille as a habit of trekking, I'm sleeping in until an 9am! I leave for the Lakeside last night but I did all of this even nutella sandwich, I do not end up out of the corners of interest.
I connect to my emnails in a cyber cafe or the boss starts his generator, iln'y has no power at this hour in Pokhara, as usual. In Nepal, the towns have little electricity, a little at night but the day is rare. I leave the cozy Hotel The Wood Pigeon (+977 61 461994 - ghimirehari! Yahoo.co.in) of NOTRH Lake and join the Green View Hotel Damside run by a couple of very nice little old.
The boss tells us about the actions of the Maoist movement, torture, murders, thefts, it was a violent guerrilla yaa it just a few years, they are feared and everyone closes their store when they announce a strike.
Adope result was EUR 5 ^ ^
I'm curious in a few shops in the neighborhood after noon, some full of DVD copies of recent films, all software pirates, other copies shoes or clothes, it reminds me Paramaribo, Suriname, it is okay with me saying!
photos here!
and debriefing with my ankle arthrodesis it gives:
January 2: 900m mounted in 5 hours of walking on rocky path
January 3: 1000m mounted in 4h, and then a round trip on a small summit of 300m +
January 4: 1600m descent 6h
January 5: 300m mounted on rutted path and mounted on 500m of rocky trail
January 6: no reverse
7 January: 1300 buildup then back down, very steep path
January 8: 23km walk at 5:30 in 1100m of descent
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