It was fun waking up early this morning  and listening to the sounds of morning…..the shepherd calling to his dogs, the kitchen staff starting to move around with someone humming and finally the rattling of the pots and pans as they started fixing our breakfast.  I felt very humbled to be able to be there to hear all of it!!

As usual, Michael climbed out of the tent about 5:00 and, again as usual, said that I really needed to have a look.   What I saw was astounding…..

The moon and two planets were lined  up in the V of the mountains.  It was breathtaking. 

The beautiful views continued as the sun moved further up into the sky…..

Here is a photo of the “welcome mat” for our tent, complete with bed tea, boots, water and dry bags for our pack…..

Morning ablutions were completed in the glory of the mountains…..

As I got the duffle bags packed up for the day, Michael worked on our packs….. 

I wanted to get a photo of one of the Cook Boys, Provene, who always serves in the dinning tent.   He is apparently responsible for the napkin folding and general set up of the table for each meal……

This was the kitchen for the camp and I know that they were happy to have a real building rather than working out of a tent…..

After a breakfast of Oatmeal and apples, pancakes and scrambled eggs, we broke camp about 7:40.  As Michael and I took off our fleece jackets before we started, Badri offered to carry them for us (but Michael said that he would carry them!!).  He really does look after us well!!

As we headed out this morning, there was a general level of excitement as we were reaching our ultimate destination this morning…..Annapurna Base Camp!!!

The sun soon hit our backs and we started to warm up a bit.  At 8:05 we took a break to take off some outer layers of clothes. 

As we walked, it was hard not to stop every two minutes to take a photo of the ever closer mountains….

…..seriously….every TWO minutes…..

About 30 minutes further along and Sabine points to some blue buildings and said that it was ABC.   This was VERY encouraging as it doesn’t look that far away and it isn’t much higher than we were right then.

Michael cant seem to get enough of Annapurna-2…..

It was a gorgeous day for trekking, with the blue sky up above and the towering mountains in front of us.   We were ALL in a very happy place…..

The peaks just got bigger and bigger every time you looked up…..

The guides knew that we were greatly enjoying this part of the journey and they let us just take our time and see all of the sights.

Then at 9:15, magically, we were there…..

We spent a few minutes taking photos to prove that we had actually made it…..

 

….including one thanking Badri for helping us to get here……

Machapuchare had followed us for the entire trek, but here we had a completely different view of it…..

We had to walk just a bit further before we arrived at my favorite camp of the trip…..

It was very surreal to be living in view of these wonders of the world.

And to have a toilet with the best view ever……

The guys got busy and soon provided us with a wonderful lunch….

…..consisting of Sardines, potatoes, Yak cheese, carrots and green beans and the most wonderful yeast bread roll…..

Sera told us that he made the dough in the morning and then it rose as we walked!!!

There were several shrines around the area, dedicated to people who have lost their lives while climbing these mountains……

There was also a large shrine with flags flying over it…..

Our first stop of the afternoon was to visit it…….

Badri had planned that we would hike up further and see a bit more of the area and it was interesting to look down on our camp as we climbed……

We climbed to the edge of a cliff and looked out over a glacier path….

Who knows how many years ago the glacier moved thru and it is surprising that it is still such a barren landscape.

We were enamored with this amazing cairn…..

We dropped down into a lakebed from a glacial lake that dried up about a year ago……

Badri indicated that the group was to continue heading upward, but at this point I had done ENOUGH climbing so I asked if I could stay in the lakebed.  Badri left Monise and Mingma with me.

This began one of my favorite parts of the trip.  The guides were sitting and talking so I was left all by myself to walk around and photograph the small flowers….. …..and cairns in the area…… It was also fun to listen to the two young guys talk and laugh and mess around with my trekking poles…..

I spent some time sitting on a rock and looking at the scene before me…..

 

I could hear “thunder” in the distance and finally realized that it was avalanches starting behind the mountains.  Unfortunately I didn’t see any but it was cool to listen to them!!

Toward the end of my “alone time” I started feeling creative so built this cairn to just say thank you to God for letting us be here……

While I enjoyed my peace and quiet, Michael and the others continued to climb up the mountain……

 

….passing this amazing cairn……

As they reached the top of the ridge, they looked over and found a mammoth glacier…..

There were several streams flowing out of it as it melted (you can see them in this video)……

https://youtu.be/b3i1mkvOHYg

…..and the guys saw several pieces that flaked off and tumbled down the icy bank.

The views from this ridge were even more fantastic…..

Badri took the camera and flitted from side to side until he got the best photo of the guys with the nicest background scenery…..

The mountains seemed SO close……

They rejoined me at the lake bed……..

and we started making our way back to camp.  I had not been looking forward to this walk as it had been a chore for me to get here, but amazingly the walk back was much easier since we weren’t first heading up to a ridge!!

This is my favorite picture of Badri……

When I was struggling just to walk, he runs up on this rock and said “Ta-Da”!!….showoff!!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the base camp, taking photos and enjoying the other trekkers who were there. 

We visited a building site where a new porter’s lodge was being built.  It was fun to watch the work going on, all by hand of course…..

Michael took a video of these two using a double saw to split a log into boards…..

They wouldn’t stop sawing as long as he was videoing but took a “catch their breath” break as soon as he stopped!! 

We spent some time sitting in the dining hall of one of the tea houses.  We have found that most of these dining rooms are the same…. windows on all sides, a long table down middle with benches on each side…basically boxes with heavy rug type covers on them.  There are single mattress “beds” along each side of the hall that are used as overflow when the camp is really full.

There was a huge tour group (20+ trekkers)  from Korea that we enjoyed watching…some out doing Tai chi while looking at mountains, others taking photos of themselves in every possible position…..

The group’s porters came in to eat dinner at the long table.  Each took a HUGE plate of rice with a thin Dal on top of it.  They ate quickly (maybe 5 to 10 minutes), some eating with their hands and some using spoons.   They also had fried Poppadoms with their rice. 

They had two water pitchers that they all drank out of but they would never let it touch their mouths. They would aim the spout into their mouths and then pass it on to the next person. 

As the afternoon wore on, clouds started moving in, partially obscuring the glories before us……

We tried to soak in these last moments as we didn’t know if it would be cloudy in the morning so this might be our last view!!!

We were soon called for dinner and  had a wonderful surprise as Sera had made Mushroom Pizza for us!!!

One of our team members had caught a cold and wasn’t feeling well.  Badri insisted that he have a “Sherpa Sauna”, complete with Vicks Vaporub in a pot of boiling water with the head leaned over it and covered with a towel.

At the end of the meal, the Hot Water Bottles appeared and we happily climbed into our pre-warmed sleeping bags.   We heard one big avalanche right after we got into the tent.  It was nice to know that one would REALLY have to work to hit us!!!

 

Wednesday, October 7th

First of all, a couple of notes from last night…..

When we walked out of the dinner tent we looked up to see a million stars and the most gorgeous Milky Way that I have ever seen.   It was mesmerizing!!!   And then, when we laid down in the tent, the stars were still visible out of the “back door” window.   What a fun way to go to sleep!!!

When morning dawned there was just one wee, snow covered mountain visible in the distance…..

We were met in the breakfast tent with pump-pot coffee, boiled eggs, potatoes and all of the fixings.   I have appreciated the way that butter is served……

It has been packed into a screw top jar which makes it so much easier to use.

Mark laughed that his egg cracking looked a bit like our views for today…..

It was much colder this morning than in previous mornings and we went to breakfast in short sleeve shirts and fleeces, thinking that it was going to be a shock to the system when we had to take the coat off to start hiking.

As usual, we broke camp at 7:45, starting one of the days that I have been DREADING…..we climb 4,000 feet today!!!

When we came to this large stream, Badri pulled up right behind me and when it got to an even harder area, Sera joined him to help navigate me across the water….

…..my own personal guides!!!

They then posed for a “thank you” photo…..

Sabine was our leader for the day and he started to cross the next stream via one path but Badri  “suggested” another path.  There was a bit of discussion….in Nepalese….and then we went the way that Badri wanted….naturally!!!

We came across another interesting sign…..

It says “Dear Honorable Trekkers.  It is here by requested that, in this Holy Temple area, it is strictly prohibited to spit here and there its open defication free area.”   Not EXACTLY sure what that all means, but we named this photo “No spit, no poop” and proceeded to give Badri a hard time about spitting!!!

We got a Father and son photo of Sera and Monise…..

…doesn’t Monise look excited??

Michael turned around and asked Badri and Sera about a waterway that we were passing, wanting to know the name of the river.   They both said that they didn’t know but that they would be happy to make one up.  I mean, we would never know.  So after some discussion, they decided that it was the “Bamboo River”!!

We continued to climb steadily thru forest areas, with a definite pattern taking place…. up a few steps, flat for a few steps, down a few steps, cross a stream and repeat.  Who knew that I would find it fun to walk thru gentle streams that crossed the path!!!

We had steady rest stops about every 15 minutes with slightly longer ones every 30 minutes.   It was actually a great pace.

We continued walking thru Rhododendron forest areas and were still AMAZED at the size of the trees…..

At the top of one long pull, we came to this shrine……

Badri quickly placed flowers in it as an offering for good weather and travel.

By 8:45 we had climbed to 9,000 feet, an 800 foot increase in 1 hour and I needed a rest…..

On we went, coming to a ridge with a fairly steep descent. Sera ran up and looked over the edge to see if he needed to help me down.  I guess that he thought that I could make it myself because he moved away!!

From this point in time, we started seeing rock cairns along the path…..

We continued up…..

We passed a woman coming down and I asked (with panting breaths)  if it was worth it. She answered that when she was heading our direction she would have said no but now she can definitely say YES.   Exactly what I needed to hear!!

At 10:20 we reached 10,000 feet and came to one of the landmarks that Michael and I had looked forward to….the Hinku Cave.It is not really a cave, but is a large overhanging rock that was a landmark for many of the earlier Annapurna expeditions which used it as an overnight
spot and often also as a supply depot. 

Michael and I had first heard of this cave when watching the Michael Palin show “Himalayas” and this is what sparked our interest and excitement about making this trip.  It was great fun to be there…..

Badri  took a photo of the group and said “look out….there is a Yeti behind you”…..

On the second shot he told us to say “Yak Cheese”!!!

He has proven to be quite a photographer and I started calling him our little mountain goat as I watched him hop from rock to rock to get the best framing of the photo…..

 

The views from under the cave were gorgeous…..

….especially looking down the valley…..

As we left the cave, Michael picked up Badri’s pack and acted like he was going to carry it…..

Badri laughed and said that it was HIS job and not ours!!!

We followed along the river, listening to the roar  as we walked….

Then all of a sudden we would turn a corner and the sound would change and get quieter.  It made for an interesting walk.

We did run into one trail traffic jam as our group, another trek and two loaded down Sherpas all arrived at the same bridge at the same time, however it gave us time to take a photo of this very interesting bridge complete with poles, dried vegetation and rocks…..

We continued up and up to the town of Deurali (10,400 feet)……

and lunch in our very own reserved room with great views out of the windows…..

We were greeted with warm Lychee juice followed by Ramen Noodle Soup and then a plate with toast, tuna, french fries and squash….. While we were eating, Badri gave us his version of why we say “Cheers” when we have drinks.  He said that the taste is for the tongue, smell for the nose, sight for the eyes and “cheers” for the ears!!   We loved it and now I think about it every time  we clink glasses.

While we were eating, one of the scariest things of the entire trip happened.   There was a loud noise and a lot of shouting outside and we looked up to see a rush of rocks and brown water coming down the chute from the last stream we had crossed. It was a small avalanche that took out the bridge that we had crossed about 30 minutes earlier, the one that is pictured above.   Fortunately, no one was on the bridge at the time and no one was hurt.

My immediate thought was how we would get back across the river on the way back home, but Badri  assured us that it would be in place very shortly.  Sure enough, about 30 minutes after the slide, the men were out there with more poles getting ready to reset the bridge.  I guess that this is just a way of life in the Himalayas.

We had our packs back on and headed up the path around 12:40.  We came to several steep steps and often Michael would give me a little push to help me up.  The help was greatly appreciated!!!

Some of the rock formations were very interesting….

We followed along the rushing river for a long time…..

We passed another small shrine along the way…..

….and all day long, the mountains got closer and closer…..

We continued to go up, up, up…….

During one of my pep talks from Badri he told me to stop and look back at where I had been and to never look up to see where I was headed.   Naturally after he said that, I couldn’t do anything but look up!!!

I loved this sunny little flower…..

Sometimes our path was just a step or two away from the raging torrent…..

We passed closely by a  glacier where an ice cave had formed…..

All of a sudden we realized that the trees were disappearing as we moved to an elevation of about 10,700 (above the tree line)…….

We passed this local with a full load of wood in his basket…..

I found that walking after lunch was still hard but turning corners and seeing the mountains makes it easier….a bit!!   Also, Badri and Sabine are always on the lookout for something to keep us interested.  Today they found an interesting shaped beehive way up on a cliff and a group of goats (Himalayan Tahr) on a far away mountain.  (If you click on the photo, you may be able to see them)….. Badri told us that where there are goats, there will be Snow Leopards.   Michael is VERY hopeful that he will get to see one!!

We took a short rest stop at 11,700 feet.  Part of our discussion at this stop focused on how this trip is made when the weather is bad.  Badri surprised us by saying that bad weather actually means shorter walking times because people just put their head down and walk and aren’t as intent on looking around or taking photos.

As the afternoon wore on, Michael asked how much further and Badri  answered 2 hours.  We both looked aghast as we thought that we were closer.  Badri laughed and said “no….only 30 minutes”. 

Michael and I were both starting to get cold and were debating stopping to get out our jackets.  Michael again asked how long and Badri answered 7 minutes, assuming that Michael doesn’t stop to take TOO many photos!!!

And then, at 3:05 WE MADE IT to Machapuchare Base Camp (12,000 feet)…..

We had been told to bring snacks for the trail, but it was becoming obvious that we would NEVER need them so we all decided to give them to our porters.  It was hilarious to see them passing the packages around and each picking out one or two things to eat.   The snacks didn’t last long!!!!…..

We moved into the dining tent for our afternoon tea, complete with biscuits (cookies) served on a “fancified” napkin……

As we were finishing up, we heard a huge ruckus coming from outside and all ran out to see what was going on.  We found SHEEP in the camp!! 

In this video you can hear all of us laughing at the sheep and often returning the lamb’s calls ourselves.   You also see Monise who bounded up to the tents to make sure that they didn’t get into anything……

https://youtu.be/jvjurnZddrA

The shepherd trailed along behind them while his 3 or 4 dogs worked the sheep.  We were told that this shepherd winters his sheep at Chumrung and that these are not his sheep but he takes care of them for others……

They all bedded down just up the hill from our tents and we could hear their bleating thru out the night….

The afternoon was spent swaddled in our warmest clothes and sitting in the dining room of one of the teahouses.   I spent some time writing up notes from the day….

…..while Michael caught up on some reading…..

We spent some time talking to various friends that we have made along the trail.  Vicki and Kumar have been at the last two stops and we have enjoyed getting to know them.  Tomorrow, they will ascend early to Annapurna Base Camp and then come straight back down so this is probably the last day that we will see them.

There is also a group from Spain that Michael has talked to and 3 men from the UK and US who get together to do Treks.

Most of these people are not trekking with an organized group but have simply hired porters and/or guides in Pokhara to take them on the journey.

At one point Badri came running up from our camp to make sure that we saw the gorgeous mountain as the sun was starting to go down…..

Our excellent dinner consisted of Momos (dumplings) with tomato sauce, steamed cauliflower, vegetable Pakora and a hash-brown patty…..

The food was delicious but I have to admit that I am getting a bit tired of Carbs!!!

And then came the most wonderful surprise of the evening…….

….hot water bottles for our sleeping bags!!!  They do think of everything!!!!

I actually put mine into my sleeping bag, but we used Michael’s to keep the cameras and electronics warm.  Don’t laugh….it was better than having to sleep with them!!!

The day ended on a very funny note.   Of course, at 9:30pm (after everyone has already gone to bed and to sleep), I have to get out to go to the “Happy”.   As I step outside of the tent with my headlamp on, the sheepdogs go nuts and start barking at me.  They bark the entire time that I am out and I found myself intoning “but I am NOT a Snow Leopard”!!!   As I was walking back to the tent, Sera unzipped his tent to see what was going on.   I said, “It’s just me”.   He laughed and continued to watch until I was happily ensconced in my tent again.

 

Tuesday  –  October 6th

At dinner last night, Badri had told us that this trek has two parts….we have done the cultural part and now we start the adventure.  He also told us that today’s walk would be longer in time but an easier walk.   I am trusting that he was telling the truth!!!!

The morning once again began with the appearance of mountains in the moonlight…..

You would think that we would get tired of this phenomenon, but we haven’t yet!!! 

From this camp, we could easily see our trail for the day…..

It goes past the two small villages and then heads to the right, over the mountain and into the valley.   By the way, this is the valley that we will be in for the rest of the trek to ABC.

At 6:30 we received our wash water for the day…..

  Several people have started calling them our doggie bowls!!! 

This was a wonderful view of Annapura-South  (the explorer’s weren’t all that creative when it came to naming these mountains)!!!

Breakfast was served with the gorgeous mountains in full view…… Once again, everything thing was delicious, starting with Rice porridge with butter, sugar and cinnamon…..

….followed by an omelet, toast & potatoes

At 7:45, we said goodbye to Chhomrong and started our hike for the day…..

You may notice that it is spelled differently than yesterday.  I honestly think that it was spelled different on every sign that we saw so I just picked one!!

As we walked today, we were constantly in sight of Machapuchare or one of the Annapurnas and it was exciting to know that we were getting closer!!

We passed one field where a family was hard at work, laying some sort of vegetation out to dry…..

Michael and I have talked a lot about what these people must think about us on a vacation with all of our fancy equipment when they are working so hard to just survive.  It helps me to remember that we are pouring money into this community as we trek!!

I loved this photo with the contrast of the blues and whites……

We called this young man our “friendly forage carrier” as he stopped on the stairs, smiled and waited for the photo to be taken……

As the morning wore on, we walked steadily up and down, and up and down, and…(you get the idea)……

….always following along the Chumrung river. 

As we walked, Sabine told us that there were 2800 steps down from the camp to the gorge.  The bridge crossing the river at the bottom was amazingly long……

On the middle of the bridge, we passed kids who were heading to school at Chumrung which means that they walk 2800 steps UP to school and 2800 DOWN again.  Badri told us that they REALLY want to go to school.

Off to the side of the bridge you could see another bridge…..

I was very glad that we didn’t have to cross on it!!!!

As we had approached the bridge I commented that my knees would be happy with some stairs UP since we had done so much down. But as soon as we crossed the bridge, I got my wish!!!

At our first stop for the morning, the villagers were busy drying hemp……

….and corn….

 

Badri told us that these mats are made out bamboo and are very expensive so they are a treasured asset of any family.

Here we were able to look back and see where we had camped the night before….

It was actually amazing to realize that we had come this far in less than two hours!!!

I mentioned to Badri that Sabine speaks excellent English and he then encouraged us to ask both of the assistant guides lots of questions so that they could practice more.

As we walked, the Annapurnas and Machapuchare kept peeking out over the landscape…..

We stopped early for lunch (10:45)  at Sinuwa (pronounced Shin-u-a).  Badri told us that this was the best place to stop between camp 3 and 4.

While we were waiting for the food to be prepared, we were able to take a few snaps of people on the trip, including our Cook Boys working on lunch…..

   These are our two Assistant Guides, Monise and Sabine…..

Monise is 18 years old  and has only been trekking for about a year.  His English is not great and he is a little bit shy but seems to be a sweet hearted kid.  Sabine is 28 and started trekking in 2005.  His English is very good and he has been acting as an Assistant Guide for several years.  He has a quick wit and fun sense of humor.

Mark and I had a laugh while waiting….

….and then David and Michael had to get into the act…..

And of course, there had to be a photo of the happy couple!!!!

We spent some time checking out the trail map but mostly I liked the note that someone had added….

I also liked this photo of all of our packs and poles, lined up and waiting for “Tick-tock” time….

We sat down at our “REI Reserved” table….

….and enjoyed a lunch consisting of  Yak Cheese which is very dry and tasty, french fries, cole slaw and baked beans.  The most interesting part of the meal was a type of bread that is made by the Gurung people who live in this area.   It was VERY yummy!!

As we were eating, one of the groups we had met at our last camp passed our table and commented that we were getting the stellar treatment…. it was true!!!

I went to the bathroom and came out to find everyone looking just above the door.  I was surprised that there were  beehives (complete with bees around the entrance hole) hanging just above the door……

MAYBE they could have found a better place for these???

Badri and Sera spent some time talking to the owners of this tea house as they chopped mushrooms…..

Makes me wonder if we will find mushrooms in our evening meal??

We finished with lunch and packed up to leave about 11:55.

Yesterday I had said that going around a corner was fun because you never knew what you were going to see, however this afternoon I realized that I didn’t WANT to turn the corner because it just meant that there were more steps either up or down!!

Now we started walking thru an interesting forest area with huge Rhododendron TREES on all sides of the path.  

I would love to see these in bloom!!

The paths themselves were wide and, as Badri had informed us, there was not a lot of up and down but there was a lot of following around the edge of the mountain and looking precariously over the side at the valley below. 

This area had much more of a forest feel to it, with waterfalls still abounding…..

One of the huge waterfalls started out as one stream and then broke into three or four smaller ones as it flowed down the mountain.

Michael stopped several times to take photos of the waterfalls and then apologized to Badri and Sera for stopping so much. They said that it was ok and Michael added that  “there is nothing like this at home”!  Badri is constantly telling us that this is OUR trek and that he is just there to make sure that we enjoy it!!

I keep thinking that this is the last time I will see Fishtail, but it keeps popping up between and behind the mountains…..

It is also interesting that we keep seeing different faces of the mountain as we are slowly traveling closer and around it.  We were told that it is called “King’s Crown” and is considered a holy mountain in Nepal.  It is also off limits to climbers although if they opened it up, the country would potentially  make lots of money on fees and permits as climbers would rush to climb it.  

The sun was fairly strong at this point and most people were slathered in sunscreen, however some hikers decided that an umbrella would be best…..

….although it did make it hard to pass them on narrow trails!!!

We passed a sign that read…..   “Dear Honorable Trekkers.  We would like to request you not to take Chicken, Pork and Buffalo meat in this special management zone from Sinuwa to ABC due to ancient beliefs, holy temple and natural secret mountains.  If so, natural calamities and personal accident may occur so we humbly request to follow such specified instructions.   Thank you…… Tourism Sub-Management Committee” …… REALLY???

We took a rest stop about 1:20 in the town of Bamboo and all had a laugh at the “Westren” toilet…..

No matter how it was spelled, it was one of the nicest ones on the entire trip…..we were often wishing for another “Westren” one!!!

The gardens in Bamboo were amazing with huge cabbage plants and these interesting vegetables…..

We continued to cross the streams on bridges……

….and  walkways….

Although when this photo was taken Michael was telling me to keep going to get out of his shot.   Oh well, this one ended up being the best one anyway!!!

We could see a rockslide on one of the valley walls so I asked Sera about it, wanting to know when it would have happened. He looked concerned and quickly told me that they happen sometimes but that the area is very stable…..I told him that I wasn’t worried but just interested.

Then we had a classic interaction between Michael and Badri.   Michael asked how Nepali’s pronounce Fishtail, meaning how to pronounce Machapuchare.   Badri took a deep breath and said “Fishtail”!!!  Michael looked back at him and called him a Jackass!!!

At one point, Michael ran ahead of us so he could photograph us going over a bridge, starting with a group shot before the bridge…..

But he had to wait for the bridge to be empty before we could cross  The unspoken rule is that you ALWAYS give the porters right of way!!!….

Then as Michael happily took photos of each of us crossing the bridge we confirmed our thoughts that David was just a big ham…… 

This extremely tall waterfall was amazing…..

We passed a woman from Vancouver and had a minute or two to chat.  She looked at me and said “Don’t worry, the effort is worth the view!!”   That was probably the best thing that I could have heard at that point in time!!

We arrived at camp in Dovan at 8,220 feet (a gain of 1,100 feet)…not a lot of gain, but at least we are trending upward!!! 

All of the porters got to work putting the last touches on the camp…..

…and getting the “Happy” tent set up…..

And then it was time to crash……

….and say “one more day done!!!”

Dinner started off with Mushroom soup and fried cracker snacks…..

…..and was followed by a delicate Vegetable pasta with homemade tomato sauce, potato scallops and a interesting squash that had a bumpy rind to it….

Tomorrow is supposed to be a hard day so bed called early…..

 

Monday, October 5th……

I started the morning VERY early as I had woken up at 3:30 but laid there happily thinking about how much fun the previous day had been.  Michael crawled out of the tent at 5:00, but immediately came to me and said that I really needed to get out of the tent. I looked up and found that the area that we had been looking at last night (a valley with clouds), was now a row of magnificent mountains.

It was magical as the sun started hitting the tops of the mountains even though our camp was still in the dark ….

I spent a lot of my time watching the magic from the comfort of my tent, snuggled up in my sleeping bag…..

And then another wonderful sight appeared…..

…..Michael delivering my “bed tea” for the morning!!!

Last night several people had said that they were looking forward to having brewed coffee so this morning we had it on the table. Badri did say that there was only so much and when it was done, it was done!!  Along with coffee, we had a wonderful breakfast that started off with a bowl of hot Oatmeal followed by Pancakes with bananas and a very tasty fruit and granola mixture.

By the time we were ready to start hiking, Annapurna-2 was well within view….

Even the view out of the toilet window was amazing…..

We walked out of Landrung about 7:45, naturally heading upward again……

Last night Badri had told us that a portion of today’s hike would be “Nepali flat”…..not really flat, but flatter than some places.

After crossing yet another suspension bridge…..

…..we saw our first sign that indicated that we were indeed headed to ABC (Annapurna Base Camp)

It was interesting that as we crossed over this river and up into the hillside, everything seemed to have a tropical feel to it, even though we are NOT in the tropics. 

I have loved the beautiful river crossings but have realized that we pay for each one because it means that we have descended into a valley and now have to re-ascend!!

As we walked, we passed many small waterfalls issuing out of the rock wall.  It was great fun to have water spitting on us as we passed.  We came upon one large waterfall that was remarkable as the water would hit a shelf and shoot away from the rock in an arc…..

I could have watched it for hours!!!

This one was equally beautiful as it split off into different streams…..

As you can see, there is a LOT of water here.   Water conservation has been so engrained in us that we all found it a bit disconcerting to see taps running and barrels of water overflowing.

Now we had the first fall of the trek and unfortunately, it was Michael.   He had seen an unstable rock and pointed it out to David and said to be careful. Then as he carefully stepped on it, the rock gave way, and he took a tumble into the vegetation, slightly downhill from the path. He landed fairly softly and then did a slow roll before coming to rest.  It scared me, but I quickly realized that he wasn’t hurt.  The funny thing was to watch Badri & Sera’s reaction. They were beside him immediately, asking if he was ok.  Sera held down his hand and Michael handed him his trekking poles. Sera said….”no, give me your hand”!!!

After Michael was up and starting to walk again, Badri sidled close to him and quietly asked if he was really ok and did he want any medicine for his scrapes.

As with everything with the trek, it was handled very professionally!!!

I now have my personal guide…..Monise spent the day walking in front of me and Badri or Sera often moved up to help me as well. At one point, we started up a slick area and I thought to myself, “here he comes”.  Sure enough Badri  was right there at my left arm ready to help me if needed.  They never help unless I ask them to but they are certainly there.  I feel very protected and safe!!!

As we were entering a small village area, one of the guides pointed out that there was a shed to the left of the trail where goats were being sheared.  Naturally, we all had to traipse over for a look….and a video…..

https://youtu.be/cUoHnAppoAw

It was interesting that they used a forked stick to keep the goat’s head immobilized.  Also, I loved that the dog had a bell around his neck, although I bet he got tired of the noise!!!

One of my favorite photos of this stop were these goats patiently waiting in the queue….

We stopped for a break around 9:00 and spent a few minutes looking at where we had been and where we were going…..

These “happy” chickens were being carried on a gentleman’s back……

….presumably heading to a lovely chicken coop where they could live out their lives peacefully.  However, I am afraid that one of them may be the guest of honor at our dinner tonight!!!

Leading out of the town, we passed a small corn mill operating on water power.   Here, the water is being diverted into the building……

And here, is the mill slowly grinding the corn into meal….

We then passed big piles of rocks of ALL sizes.   We were told that the little rocks are made by chipping bits off of the big rocks. Whenever we hate our job…..just remember this one!!!

When we crossed over one smaller bridge, over a shallow stream, Badri actually walked in the stream and held his hand up so that I could use it to steady myself!!

As we climbed down to the bottom of the valley we crossed over the Modi Khola river Suspension bridge (known as the gateway of the Annapurna Sanctuary), probably the longest that we had crossed…….

Badri grabbed the camera and took a photo of all of the gang, with Sabine mugging for the camera.  You will notice that Monice is right in front of me……

Today we have seen a lot more traffic on the trail.  It has been fun  to say hello or Namaste and then try to figure out where they are from based on their accent in the return greeting.  Unfortunately there simply isn’t time to stop and talk to all of them!!!

We continued to pull uphill, mostly on stone steps as we headed to the camp for the day.  And yes, I am wearing a most “stylish” skirt, but it was magnificent for the trip and I eventually quit worrying about what it looked like!!!

At times it was good to look back and see evidence that we had indeed climbed a long way…..

We encountered this fun goat obviously posing for our camera…..

…..and then almost immediately encountered this long horned Water Buffalo….

These animals must have classes in how to pose properly for tourists!!!

The terraced farms are everywhere and at every elevation….

Lunch stop was at 11:00 at the Hiunchuli guest house and restaurant on New Bridge Himal Kyu.  When we walked up, I saw a Sprite for sale and immediately paid $2.20 to own one!!   It did taste wonderful, but I ended up burping thru the rest of the afternoon so never deviated from the “approved” menu again!!! 

Lunch consisted of Spam, French fries, Chapatti bread, Cucumber, Green beans and Carrots, and Apples for dessert……

It was great food.   There were lots of other trekkers at the restaurant but WE had an REI reserved table and our own private cooks…..can’t beat that.

Let me say something here about Sera’s French Fries.  They were PERFECTLY cooked every time, crispy on the outside and very soft and tender on the inside.   I really don’t know how he does it meal after meal!!!

At every stop, they set up a bucket of warm water, soap and towel for us to use after going to the bathroom or cleaning up for meals.  Also, there is a bottle of Dettol hand sanitizer on the table for each meal and they encourage us to use it as well.   This may seem like overkill, but it is SO important not to get a stomach virus while trekking…..it could easily put an end to the trip.

I loved the colors of these beans that were out drying in the sun…..

At 12:20, it was “Tick-Tock” time again and we headed….you guessed it…..UP.   However, there were some gorgeous views to keep us motivated…..

Our chef, Sera, normally walks with us for a bit after each meal but then passes us and “skips” up the mountain to get our next meal prepared.  This afternoon, we asked him what was for dinner and his answer was “We will see”!  I honestly don’t think that he knows for sure until he gets there and sees what ingredients he can buy from the locals. 

Every once in a while, Badri will break into song or whistle a tune to keep our morale up but I have to wonder how he can walk UP and whistle at the same time!!!!

We crossed over one bridge that provided a wonderful view of a large rock braced between two sides of the gorge. with water running under it. I was a reminder that I really need to have my camera out on bridges but sometimes hanging on seems more important at the time!!!

As I got more used to them, I found that it was fun to walk thru small streams or to cross on rocks or logs.

We had been steadily climbing since lunch so we took a longer break at 1:30. 

One of the problems with the skirt is that air doesn’t really flow up under it so it can get a bit warm.   Since it was culturally inappropriate for me to have the skirt above my knees, I couldn’t do a lot about it when I was walking.  However, at this particular stop, I found that I could lift it enough to get the breeze from behind as well as from the sides…..

I just had to watch the trail below to make sure that hikers weren’t coming up behind me!!!

After about 15 minutes, Monise gave the fateful words “Tick tock” meaning that it was time to start again.   I said “NOOOOO….not tick tock” and held out my hands to him and said “Carry me”.   He grinned and turned his back to me so that I could hop on!!!    Obviously I didn’t accept the ride, but I was glad that this shy young man was starting to kid with me.

By this time, I was dying and when I saw a photo opportunity, all I could do was point to it and say “picture”.   Michael sweetly took all of the requested ones including this fence dividing the steps from the garden…..

Badri took the camera from Michael and got this excellent trekking photo…..

There was another short rest stop at 2:00, probably because Badri thought that I was going to pass out soon!!!   He assured me that there was only one more big pull to come.

There were several giant Fuschia plants along the path and I once again motioned for Michael to take a picture……

I have long had a thing for Fuschias but have never been able to get one to live for more than a week or two.   I think that these were just mocking me!!!

This was our first encounter with pack horses or mules and it was fun to share the trail with them……

One even stopped at the bottom of a set of steps and waited for me to climb down before he started up!! 

The herder followed a few steps behind the parade….. 

And then, at long last, we could see the yellow tents of camp 3…HOORAY……

We were camping in the town of Chumrung at an elevation of 7,120 feet, a gain of about 1,700 feet for the day.

The one carrot that had dangled in front of me during the grueling climb was that we had been promised a SHOWER when we got to camp!!!   Our fellow trekkers were chivalrous and agreed to let me have the first shower!!!  There was a bit of a delay as the water heater had to be fixed since it hadn’t been turned on since before the earthquake and we were the first trek to come thru and use it.

The shower was interesting as the water was heated by a propane fueled water heater that hung on the wall.  It was a little disconcerting to stand under the shower and see the fire flickering just beside you!!!   But I honestly didn’t care HOW the water was heated!!  It just felt good to be clean again.

Once everyone had showered, the mood lightened a bit as we sat drinking beer and watching Machapuchare in the distance…

At dinner we marveled at the attention to detail in every aspect of the trip, even down to the napkin folding and cutlery placement!!!

Dinner was rice with a lentil sauce, curried potatoes and, yes, there was a piece of fried chicken!!!!

For dessert, Sera surprised us all by producing a magnificent Banana Cake…..

He cooked it by using a large pot, placing rocks in the bottom and a plate on top of them.  He then put the cake pan on the plate and cooked it over a Kerosene camp stove…..AMAZING!!!

After charging up a few batteries (for a fee of course) and treating a couple of blisters, we fell gratefully into our sleeping bags….clean at last!!!!

 

Sunday  —  October 4th….

This morning we all woke up about 5:00am, happily sticking our heads out of the tents to be surprised by huge snow covered mountains that were just in front of us.  Yesterday there were clouds covering this area and we had no idea that they were there.    It was like finding an unexpected treasure slowly being revealed as the sun hit the top peaks. 

And once again, Fishtail is prominent on the horizon…..

At 6:00, we were brought “bed tea” to wake us up and then at 6:30 we received bowls of warm water to use for freshening up.

As the porters were packing up the tents it gave us a chance to see what all goes into the process.   Each tent has a  tarp underneath and plastic between the tent and rain cover. These two extras go a long way toward keeping the tent clean and dry.  One of the nicest touches is that there was a mat at the front door of the tent, giving you a place to put things that you don’t want IN the tent but you don’t want ON the grass either.

We have two thick sleeping pads that are as comfortable as our bed at home. We had been told to bring our own Thermorest Pads but there has been no need for them.

The porter team has the take-down process perfectly organized…..

….and before we knew it, they were loaded up and ready to go…..

While this process was going on, we were guiltily having an Al Fresco breakfast… and enjoying the mountain views.

We packed up and left camp about 7:45, with Sabine acting as the trek leader and Badri bringing up the rear.

We passed a Trekker registration site and Badri took care of the paperwork while we walked on.

I finally got a photo of Michael ready for the day.   Since he is always behind me, it is hard to get a photo of him!!!

The morning started with a slow, gentle climb and at a comfortable pace.  We passed a number of Tea Houses with names such as “Nice View”, “Excellent View” and “New Excellent View”.

As we walked, Badri pointed out that when we are at our pinnacle (Annapurna Base Camp), we will be on the OTHER side of  Fishtail but in front of Annapurna-2.  I am looking forward to that sight, but it is kind of scary because it seems a LONG way away!!!

Michael made up slogans for us as we walked….”More walk, less talk” and “The more you drink the lighter your pack”, and “Less whine, More climb”  We think that we could make a fortune making patches for backpacks!!!

There were more Leech sightings as the day went on, including one on my trekking pole…..I beat it to death!!!

We all had a good laugh at this trash can encouraging people to “save the environment” although no one seems to actually be able to put trash INTO the bin…..

We passed these two huge snails happily cuddling on a rock….

We crossed our first wooden bridge of the trip and as this photo was being snapped, all I could think of was how many people were SUPPOSED to be on it at one time…..

Every so often the entire group would just stop and stare at the beautiful landscape around us…..

We passed a number of small stores all thru the trip and were interested that they all carried Pringles, although many of the containers were slightly faded out, indicating that they MAY have been in the sun too long!!! We took a “Happy” (bathroom) break at 9:05 and then were told “Tick Tock” at 9:15.   This term means that it is time to get loaded up again and ready to leave.

As we have walked, I realize that Michael adds a lot to our group, especially with his extensive knowledge of both flora and fauna!!

On Brian and Amber’s recommendation, we made a change to our trekking gear for this trip, purchasing a hydration system rather than using bottles of water.  This has proved to be the perfect solution as we can drink from the pinch nozzle as we walk and don’t have to stop to remove a bottle from the pack.  The only problem that arises is that it is hard to pant and suck water at the same time!

Badri had told us that roads were slowly being built into parts of this area.   Our first instinct was that it was horrible that civilization was invading this beautiful country, but then we got to thinking about how the road would help the local residents and make their life easier.   Having said that, when we crossed one of these roads, I had to wonder exactly why had we walked all this way when we could have ridden??

Someone asked what wild animals were in the area and we were told that there were deer, boars, leopards, bears, and monkeys (both red face, white face and long tail).   I sure hope that we get to see a few of these although I can do without the bears and leopards!!

I loved the design of this fence although I am sure that the locals wondered exactly what was so interesting…..

As we passed under these prayer flags, I have to admit that I sent a prayer upward asking God to help me finish the trip strong!!

At one point, Badri yelled for us to look at Annapurna South, but where is it??  We are looking all around but not high enough and finally find it right in front of us, but ABOVE the clouds….. In one small village, we came upon this game board painted on a rock and Michael asked what it was….. 

Badri told us that it was called “Siuchli” which means Tiger and Goats.   He then set up the board and started playing a game with me……

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpZdiWSOpsE

As you can see, he didn’t let me win and the only goat that I got to eat was a move by Sabine!!!!

I laughingly told Badri that a truly GOOD guide would have allowed the client to win….he had a good laugh!!

This photo was our first with the mountains….Annapurna 2 is behind us….

Badri was always on the lookout for things to show us, including these walnuts that he cracked and fed to us……

Today is where I found the importance of having a good guide and trekking crew.   At one point the others got ahead of me a bit and I became unsure about which rock to step on and how to select my path.   Badri saw me hesitating and immediate told Monise (the other Asst. Guide) to get in front of me. He slowed way down and carefully watched me as I descended. At one point he asked if I needed help but I told him that I was ok….very professionally done.   

Once our long descent was done (from 7200 ft to 5400 ft in 1.5 hours) it was time for lunch (about 11:30).  As we were walking into the village where we were eating, Michael found this shot thru a window……

The woman living there saw him take the photo and had a good laugh about why we were photographing her tomatoes!!

While we were waiting for lunch, we watched the making of a chutney out of garlic, tree tomatoes (more about those later), radish and chilis…..

Everything was being ground together on a large stone, using another smooth rock as the grinder.

After the woman added the final ingredient, she put a small dot on the other cook’s hand so that he could taste it…didn’t even dirty up a spoon!!   When lunch arrived there was a small dish of this product on the table.   Well, Michael and David both fell in love with it so before we knew it, an entire jar had been purchased. Between those two and Badri, there was virtually none left at the end of the trek.

Lunch consisted of local squash, curried potatoes, French toast (with honey and bananas), hot dog, cole slaw……

…..magnificent.

At 12:20 it was “Tick Tock” time and we started up and down a series of hills heading to Landrung, our second campsite. 

We passed a large marijuana plant and Badri said it is sometimes used in the chutney and everyone agreed that MAY be the reason it was so good!

It was a bit too hazy for landscape shots in the valley, but the scenery was fantastic with lots of terraced lands and the mountains hovering above.

This large wooden cylinder is actually a bee hive.

The end is sealed with mud so that it can be opened periodically and the sweet, sticky contents removed…..

During this section of the journey, we crossed over our first suspension bridge.  I greatly appreciated the supports on either side that I could hold on to, but didn’t appreciate the broken boards and places that you could see thru the bridge to the rushing river beneath…. 

This woman was spreading millet out to dry……  ….and these were radishes that were drying as well.  We saw lots of radishes out to dry and they all were laid out on pieces of tin….

Badri learned that we were enjoying knowing more about the area and he spent much time walking right behind us and giving lots of information.   Eventually everyone figured out that if they were closer to the him they would learn more so Michael and I now had more company at the back of the line.   I thought that it was sweet that Badri told us that he appreciated us asking questions because it gave him a chance to practice his English!!

I loved this wild Poinsettia plant.   Since we enjoy these flowers at Christmas, it seemed very out of place in this hot environment……

The kitchen boys soon passed us after they had washed the dishes from lunch and packed up all of the supplies.  We watched them passing, knowing that they were headed to the campsite to get everything set up so that we could have tea and dinner shortly.

  We passed this interesting contraption and asked Badri what it was……

He told us that it was used as part of a Hindu festival, although I never really understood exactly how it was used.   When we were back in Kathmandu and looking at our photos, one of the waiters saw this and told us that they put boards thru the holes and people would sit on them, making a primitive Ferris Wheel.

As we continued to climb, the views opened up more and more, revealing a beautiful picture of the upcoming  valley

We passed a stream that had a few Water Buffalo taking a soak.  Badri helped to cool this one off…….

I love the look on the Water Buffalo’s face…..pure enjoyment!!!!

We passed thru one town that had  two schools side by side.  The kids were dressed in uniforms with groups of boys standing in circles playing a game with coins and rocks. Badri said that it was some sort of betting game.

Many of the smaller children would see us walking up and come running to say “Namaste” (hello).  Obviously other trekkers had given them food, because many of them said “Namaste….have a sweet?” or “Namaste Chocolate?”.   Badri had encouraged us not to give them candy as it wasn’t good for them, but from that time on, every time I said “Namaste” I really wanted to add “Chocolate?”!!!

As we walked thru villages it was fun to see people living their daily lives.  Some were sitting in groups talking, hanging clothes out, doing preparation for their meals or working in the fields.   We passed one young woman sitting at edge of a ledge and messing with her phone…..20-somethings are the same all over the world!!

We passed two women who were digging in mud and putting it into bowls to carry home.   Badri said that they mix it with cow dung and use it to clean the floors of their homes.  Don’t you know THAT smells good!!!

Every once in a while, we would look up and see our path laid out before us…..

……up, always UP!!!!

We walked on rocks to pass one waterfall that had a big drop off to one side. I looked at it uncomfortably and immediately Badri came up and grabbed my poles, took my hand and carefully walked me across the stones.   I DO feel safe here!!!

Every where we looked there were stunning terraced farms…..

A few minutes later we crossed another stone bridge.  I was doing ok on this one but I heard a splashing from behind and Badri gallantly dashed up and grabbed my hand to help me across!!!

As we have hiked, I have enjoyed coming to a corner and wondering, when you round it, what you will see.  Sometimes it is simply more steps, but more often it was another gorgeous scene!!!

This cute kitten watched quietly as we passed…..

These corn “pillars” were set up for drying the corn away from rats and other foragers…..

Just before we arrived at Camp 2, Badri stopped us and pointed to a house on a ridge that seemed a LONG way away. He told us that this is where we will stop for tomorrow…..YIKES….

We arrived at camp 2 in the town of Landrung.  It is approximately 5300 feet in elevation, about 300 feet LOWER than where we started this morning.  …aren’t we supposed to be going UP!! 

As we took off our boots, Michael and I both found that we had been Leeched again and Badri carefully treated both of our new  bites.  Michael  walked toward him, limping and acting like he was in pain.   Badri asked “do you need me to send two porters to wrap their arms around you?” He has definitely learned our sense of humor.

As we were finishing up our afternoon tea, a 60 year old woman showed up saying that she had a headache. Badri called for the First Aid kit and administered two Tylenol and some water to drink.   She had been walking all day and was headed further up to visit her parents.

This isn’t a good photo because I was trying to be surreptitious, but this woman looked like she was MUCH older than 60.  I guess this is just the result of the hardness of life!!!

Dinner for the evening consisted of Vegetable pasta with tomato sauce, perfectly roasted potatoes, steamed cauliflower and carrots and vegetable fritters (called Pakora)….

 

Michael and I had said that we were DEFINITELY going to stay up later tonight, but were sacked out by 8:15!!!!

What will tomorrow bring?????