Thursday, January 31, 2013

Day 11 - Tolka to Dhampus

”The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” - Chinese Proverb

For us we are carrying away small precious memories from this inspiring place. Every day brings a freshness and calm as we make our way through Annapurna. It was another beautiful night spent in a beautiful place. We rise and dance to our daily routine of watching the mountains awake as we eat breakfast then pack our gear and hit the trail. There is something so simple and comforting about repeating this daily practice. So peaceful and calming with no phone, TV, news media at all. So nice being off the grid.






After about 3 miles of hiking we see our first monkeys on this trek. They are high in the trees and to far away to get a good picture.  We then pass by a building and I hear this funny noise coming from inside. I ask the guide what’s going on inside and he ask the person standing at the door. He said they are making butter so, I asked if I could go in and see. Sure they said, so I stepped into this dark room with a gentlemen sitting on the floor working this interesting butter churn machine. The only light was from a small wood fire which glowed in the corner. I ask if I could take some pictures and he agreed. After snapping a few pictures and taking a bit of video I ask him if he’d like to see it. He said OK but, was not sure what a video was. Once I showed him his eyes and face glowed with happiness and he laughed out loud. He apparently never saw himself on video. We both laughed at the video as I showed it to him a few times. We then exchanged goodbyes and off I went.

Making butter








We stop for lunch in the town of Pothana which offers some good views of Fish Tail. We also hike about 1 mile (1.5 Km) up behind the town to get even better views of the Annapurna Mountain Range. It’s a bit hazy so I’m unable to get any really clear pictures but, you get a great view.



Funny, as I am taking pictures around town I see a local teenage girl with a shirt that reads “this is not a photo opportunity”. I always ask before taking a photo, never wanting to degrade people by treating them like zoo animals. I must assume that a lot of people just snap pictures without asking which turns people against tourist. As you get closer to populated areas you run into more local people who do not want their picture taken.



We eventually stop in Dhampus and get a room at the Paradise View Hotel. It’s a new hotel and the room is really nice with a private bath. The view of the Annapurna range is stunning.  As daylight disappears and twilight emerges the mountains glow with one of the most radiant sunsets I have ever witnessed. The vibrant colors slowly transform through different shads of blue, red and orange as the sun sets lower and lower. Pictures never reveal the true beauty of a sight like this. It must be experienced with all your senses, seeing with your eyes and felt with your heart.






Our guide, Govinda, resting
 




Today’s hiking totals were 5 hours, 5.6 miles (9Km)

Peace and love, D & T

Monday, January 28, 2013

Day 10 - Jhinu to Tolka

“Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced”
John Keats

Our trek is slowly coming to an end as we continue to hike out, so sad. The views continue to be very impressive as the trail traverses up and down through beautiful farm land and small villages. 







The weather is very comfortable for hiking as the day is sunny and clear. We continue along the Modi Khola (river) and we eventually cross it via a long suspension bridge. The bridge is perhaps the longest one we crossed on the trek.

Following the Modi Khloa

Long suspension bridge across Modi
The trail continues to surprise me in both it’s beauty and degree of difficulty. I did not expect the trail to be such a challenge. Having completed the Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp last year I imagined this trek would be a bit easier. I was wrong!  
 

We see a lot of flowers and local people and eventually stop for lunch in Tolka.










It’s such a beautiful day and the view is so spectacular we decide to stay in Tolka for the night. We get a room at the International Guess House and again, we have a magnificent view from our window. We sit in the sun, talk to other trekkers, sip tea and just inhale the beautiful surroundings.
View from our lodge
Our Lodge
Our room
Time to wash some dirty clothing 
View from behind our lodge
Some local people having lunch
Two fellow trekkers we met on the trail
Peace!!!
Today’s hiking totals were 3 hours, 45 minutes, 6.2 miles (10 Km).

Love Tom and Donna

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Day 9 - Bamboo to Jhinu (Hot Springs)

“Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul”
Democritus

We awake to another beautiful day in Nepal. Today we will hike to Jhinu which is where the famous hot springs are. Looking forward to relaxing in some hot water. Our travels will take use back through Sinuwa, Chhomrong then onto Jhinu. After breakfast we hit the trail at our usual 7AM start. We arrive in Sinawa by 9:30AM. We stop and have a bit of tea and enjoy the beautiful views which, will soon vanish from site as we hike out. Donna gets some coconut crunchees which have become sort of a staple treat for us ever since Ryan (our oldest son) and I had them on our last trek to Everest and Annapurna Circuit. On those treks every time we reached a summit Govinda, our guide, would have a few packs of them. They tasted so good so we continued to get them on this trek. 


Back on the trail
 Coconut Crunchees
Prayer Flags in Sinawa
Heading on we reach Chhomrong by 12:30PM and we stop at a German Bakery for some Apple Strudel and Chocolate Croissants. We then stop for lunch at the lodge we stayed at on our way up to ABC.  After lunch we eat some of the pastries we got at the bakery.  They are really good.
Chhomrong

Working the land

Store owner on the way into Chhomrong


Should have ridden one of these up to ABC

My future home

Steps on the way into Chhomrong

Beehive

Nice view of trail leading into Chhomrong 

German Bakery


Beans drying in the sun
Wonder how much it weights?


This little guy wanted to take my picture

How cute is this guy.  Love the shirt
By 1PM we reach Jhinu and check into the Hot Spring Cottage. It’s a fairly new place and we get a room with a private bath. How sweet is that? No time to waste as we head on down to the hot springs which is another mile or so hike from here. Myself, Donna and Ram venture down. Once their you must take a shower before getting into the pool. There is a guy who maintains this area and enforces some rules to keep the place clean and organized. Great idea!! There is also a 50 rupees charge to enter. The pools lie next to the Modi Khola (river). I am the only one who goes in. The pools are just amazing and relaxing. We also run into some of the other trekkers we met up at ABC. We talk and bit then head back to our lodge. 

Village of Jhinu
Our room - sweet!
Shower before going into hot spring
Feels great!!
Hot springs at Jhinu 
Tom and Jos Graignic
We filter some water, wash some clothing, then play some Farkel. Later we have diner with French artist Jos Graignic who was just a delight to talk to. After some late night tea we head to our room for the night.
Today’s hiking totals were 6 hours, 6.2 miles (10 Km), elevation loss of 2000 ft (610 m). The trail goes up and down three time, first out of Bamboo the trail climbs about 700 ft (213m) before going down 2000 ft (610m) to cross the Chhomrong Khola (The term "khola" means river). Then up 1200 ft (366m) to Chhomrong before going down 1600 ft (488m) to Jhinu. 
 
Keep the faith, Donna and Tom