Annapurna Dreamin

Today I purchased the necessary permits to do the Annapurna Circuit trek. But first, a bit of catch up.

After 5 nights in Kathmandu, my hoped for trekking partner backed out so I struck out on my own with the intent of catching a local bus (an experience that should only be attempted with a fully intact sense of humor! reminiscent of the craze in my youth of seeing how many people could pack into a VW bug - there's always room for one more!) to Bhaktapur, trekking to Changu Narayan Temple and then on to Nagarkot to spend the night, returning to Kathmandu after a 4 hour trek from Nagarkot to Sankhu the following day. The trip to Changu Narayan took much longer than anticipated however and I ended up taking a local bus back to Bhaktapur followed by one to Nagarkot. 

According to the young school boys who showed me the way to the top, Changu Narayan is considered to be the oldest temple in Nepal. It certainly looked old and somewhat in a state of disrepair. Overall it was a bit of a disappointment I think mostly because I was tired from the long uphill hike and there was no visible information available about the temple. Meeting the kids was delightful though and I wished I'd had something to give them. 

Nagarkot held the promise of amazing views but the haze limited visibility to just the shadow of mountains. It was still good to get out of Kathmandu and the trek through the forest and remote small villages on the way to Sankhu the next day was great. More than anything, the overnight excursion returned some of the travelers confidence that New Delhi stripped me of. 

After a couple more nights in Kathmandu, I was anxious to get out and so took what they call a "tourist" bus (everyone gets a seat!) to Pokhara to finish planning and shopping for the Annapurna trek. Pokhara is a lovely little town stretching along a massive lake. It is considered a launch point for the Annapurna region though it really is closer to the end of the circuit trek. I will take a 4 hour bus to Besi Sahar day after tomorrow and start from there.

I chose the AC trek mostly because it is a long "tea-house" trek that should be doable without a guide. Meaning, I can walk all day and then get food and a bed at night. On my permit applications, I allowed for 21 days - which seems to be the most anyone takes to complete the circuit. I will take my time in acclimating and do some side trips around Manang. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about the whole trip. Most of it should be fine, but the highest point is a crossing of Thorong La pass at an altitude of more than 5400 meters (about 17,700 feet) - much higher than I've ever been. 2 or 3 nights above 3500 meters is a must on the way up. The balance between weight and warmth is still knocking around in my head and I hope my pieced together gear will suffice. I've promised myself (and now all of you) that I won't be a hero and will turn around and come back down the way I went up if for any reason I don't feel up for it. But it would be disappointing... 

I think some internet should be available in some of the larger villages - I will try to post or at least send out an email, but please don't worry (Vicki!) if you don't hear from me for awhile. The infrastructure is the worst here of anywhere I've yet seen. Between lack of electricity to charge devices, slow/intermittent internet and anticipated daily exhaustion, blog posts are likely to lose out.