Annapurna Adventure: August 2011

Day 17: Birethanti to Naya Pul & Pokhara

Stats
Birethanti: 1,025m
Naya Pul: 1,070m
Ascent: 45m
Distance: 1km

On the final day of our trek, we hiked about 30 minutes from Birethanti to Naya Pul, where we tried unsuccessfully to hitchhike to Pokhara. Despite having no money at this point, we shared a cab with 4 Nepalis, not including the driver, in a compact car. We arrived in Pokhara, a.k.a. Heaven, and stayed for several days over New Years.

Beautiful Phewa Lake in Pokhara.

Parade for New Years.

Or more accurately, parade for tourists.

Dee and I say goodbye :(

Interestingly, she's still a trekker, whereas I've become a full-on hippie.

From Pokhara, Dee headed back to Kathmandu for a couple days, then went on to India for a week, and finally back home to Australia. I stayed in Pokhara to recover from New Years, then travelled to Bandipur and Chitwan National Park with two English guys we met on the trail. After returning to Kathmandu, I spent the next few months travelling through India, Thailand, and Burma, before heading back to Canada.

What started out as a pipe dream became a reality - Dee and Colleen trekked the Annapurna Circuit.

3 weeks wandering, 2 close companions, 1 amazing adventure.

The Map.

This was our Annapurna Adventure.

Day 16: Ghorepani to Birethanti

Stats

Ghorepani: 2,870m

Birethanti: 1,025m

Descent: 1,845m

Distance: 13km

Dee is still blissfully unaware of today's math lesson:

1000s of stairs + 13km + 1,845m descent = Hell, Part 2.

Unlike the previous day, I like the descent.

Dee's knees do not.

There's a lot more traffic on this side of Ghorepani.

Donkey and chickens.

Chicken and radio.

Coming into Banthanti, we were so tempted to jump into the pool of this waterfall.

Just outside of Birethanti, for what would be our last night on the trek.

We were greeted at the guesthouse, where we celebrated the completion of our adventure with the British couple, Tim and Leslie, their guide, Ganesh, porter, Ram, and large amounts of Khukri, Nepal's finest cheap rum.

Day 15: Tatopani to Ghorepani

Stats

Tatopani: 1,200m

Ghorepani: 2,870m

Ascent: 1,670m

Distance: 15km

There are few photos from this day, because I hated this day.

1,000s of stairs + 15km + 1,670m ascent = Hell.

Of course, the view was still stellar.

And we were treated to an amazing mountain sunset in Ghorepani.

Inside the guesthouse, we found our motto for the trek:

Happiness is not pleasure, it is victory.

Day 13: Kalopani to Tatopani & Day 14: Rest

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY!!!

Stats
Kalopani: 2,535m
Tatopani: 1,200m
Descent: 1,335m
Distance: 20km

Dhaulagiri - the seventh highest mountain in the world at 8,167m.

From Kalopani, we started losing elevation quickly, dropping over 1,300m by the end of the day when we reached Tatopani, meaning hot water for its natural hot springs.

All day, everyone we passed was talking about this waterfall.

We're not sure why.

Dream house.

The ever-present Annapurna range.

Things are changing... poinsettia trees.

Perfect for Christmas day!

Orange trees! I may or may not have been caught up a tree

stealing oranges from a little old Nepali lady.

An amazing day of hiking for Christmas Day.

We took Day 14: Boxing Day, as a rest day to enjoy the hot springs in Tatopani. No pictures, as we did not pack bathing suits and were chilling in our underwear.

Day 12: Jomsom to Kalopani

It's Christmas Eve Day!

Stats

Jomsom: 2,720m

Kalopani: 2,535m

Descent: 185m

Distance: 23km

Leaving Jomsom, Christmas Eve Day morning.

On the road to Marpha.

Marpha - the delightful apple capital of Nepal.

Starting to look a bit like Canada again.

Not surprisingly, there are more horses
than cars on the road in Mustang.

Still following the Gandaki River, on our way to Tukche.

Seconds after this shot was taken in Tukche, a truck drove up and offered us a ride to Kalopani. As that was our destination for Christmas Eve and it was getting late, we hitched a ride.