travel journal: annapurna circuit - part 2

Day 4 – Chame to Ghyaru

No matter how early Becca and I started walking, it seemed like every other trekkers caught up on and got pass us. It’s either they were very fast or I was too slow. It didn’t really matter though because we were able to take in the surroundings, filling our senses with all the sights, sounds and smell.

It took us two hours to get to the village of Bhratang and another two to Dukhur Pokhari. It was mostly road at first, and then some trails going through pine forests. The forest ground was softer, which made my feet happy. But at some point, the trail is covered with snow and descending on steep slope covered with snow and ice was a little difficult. 

Bhratang

We could have had our lunch break when we reached Dukhur Pokhari. We were aiming for Ghyaru that day, which was a good three hours’ walk away and involving a steep climb so we decided to continue. Everyone we talked to were just planning to reach Pisang though.

The world is unfair. I mean, that place, the trail from Dukhur Pokhari to Upper Pisang passing through a meadow offers one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in my life. It actually felt like I was in a paradise. And yet only very few people are lucky enough to have the chance to witness it. Becca and I were so elated that we couldn’t help making weird noises (mostly imitating a cat and a raven) to express how we were feeling. If some person ran into us at that moment, he would have thought that we were already losing our minds. But then again, the crazy person would be someone who wouldn’t be touched by the beauty of that place.

On the way to Upper Pisang

From the lodge where we had our late lunch in Upper Pisang, we had a perfect view of Annapurna II and other mountains. It was so tempting to spend the night there but we pushed through with our plan. The trail we took goes along a gentle slope with small pine trees and shrubs. We even saw a small emerald lake below the trail. Spotting some Himalayan deer was an added bonus. After about an hour, we reached a prayer wheel wall. And from there we could already see Ghyaru, high above us. It seemed like it was placed there for some last minute prayer requests for strength to make it to the village.

It took me more than 45 minutes to get up to Ghyaru. At first, I was still laughing thinking how crazy I was to do be doing the trek. But when strong winds started to blow and some snow fell, I started to feel a little worried. I wanted to walk faster but with the altitude, I was struggling for air. I looked at the electric poles which goes straight to the village and it somehow disheartened me when the last pole I could see was still very far. When I saw the Gompa at the village entrance, my spirit was lifted only to be trampled again because no matter how many steps I have taken, I didn’t seem to get any closer. As I reached the village, I was just glad that I wouldn’t have to do it the next morning.

Prayer wheel wall before the very steep climb to Ghyaru

We stayed at the Annapurna lodge because the guidebook said it has the most beautiful view over the village. Being at the top, we had a perfect view of Annapurna II, III and IV. After settling in, we realized that we weren’t the only guests because Rey was also there. We felt a little bad because as much as possible, we wanted to spread the business in the villages we stayed in. But then, a good company was also priceless.

  

Day 5 – Ghyaru to Manang

I woke up feeling like I was not able to get any sleep. I remembered checking the time almost every hour and sometimes grasping for breath. At high altitudes, interrupted sleep is normal because the body adjusts to the low oxygen levels.

We left much later that morning than we usually did thinking that Manang wasn’t that far. Although the trail wasn’t that difficult, we still ended up walking for more than six hours. The hardest part of the day was going down a very steep trail after the boarding school in the village of Ngawal. It would have been easier without the snow and ice covering the entire slope. We also managed to somehow get lost. Instead of turning left to the village of Julu when we reached the valley, we went straight to the barren field and into the pine forest.

Amazing view of the mountains along the trail to Ngawal

The trail joined the road at the village of Mungji. We saw other trekker having their lunch but decided to eat in Braka because of the bakery mentioned in our guidebook. Unfortunately when we got there, everything was closed and we had no choice but to just go to Manang hungry.

I was underwhelmed with Manang. Only because I expected it to be much bigger. Chame seemed livelier. Manang felt like a ghost town you can typically see in movies, except it was covered in snow. There also wasn’t any signal for NCell (the SIM Becca and I were using) so we couldn’t contact her friends. We resorted to asking in all the guesthouses. And since Manang wasn’t that big and there weren’t that much people, we eventually found them.

It snowed that night. It was bothering because in just a few days, we would have to cross the pass. But then, we had no control over the weather so all we could do was to see what the following days would bring.

Interesting houses in Braka

Day 6 – Acclimatization day in Manang

Not having to pack all our things and move to a different village felt strange. The attached toilet in the rooms at the Yeti Guesthouse felt stranger, though. We were staying in Manang to acclimatize, which is necessary before heading to the next villages at much higher altitude. Acclimatization decreases the risk of getting altitude sickness.

It was still snowing in the morning but we decided to go on with our plan to see Ice Lake.  There were many short hikes from Manang and Braka but, at 4600m, we thought that going to the lake would help us in acclimatization more. We had to walk back to Braka where the trail starts and without our heavy backpacks, it only took us a few minutes to get there. As we started climbing, we could see the valley completely covered with snow. It was pretty, but it wasn’t good for our plans.

The snow didn’t stop falling and we realized that it was impossible and also dangerous for us to get to the lake. We just went back and tried to find a way to the monastery. Since the trails were covered with snow, we ended up somehow sneaking in the monastery entering from its back fence.  We also couldn’t find the gate going out so we just climbed its stone wall. It only stopped snowing when got back to our guesthouse.

Leaving Manang

Day 7 – Manang to Churi Ledar

The day started really well with blue skies and sunshine. We wanted to take advantage of the good weather so we agreed on going up to Ledar. Since Becca and I have already stayed in Ghyaru for a night which is above 3500m and two nights in Manang, we’re good as far as acclimatization is concerned. I missed the chance to see Ice Lake and Milarepas Cave. And going to Tilicho Lake wasn’t possible anymore with the snow. I had more reasons to go back to Nepal in the future.

Along the way, the blue skies started to get covered with dark clouds. Strong winds started to blow and I got a little worried about my nose. Covering it would make it much harder to breath so it got numb with the wind. We stopped only for short rests. We had to keep going because it the weather turned worse, it would be a lot harder for us to walk.

Because I don't have any picture of yaks. I stopped taking photos when we left Manang.

We had lunch in Yak Kharka and waited for the weather to get better. We were already above 4000m so we also gave ourselves time to adjust to the altitude. Fortunately, we were all in good condition when the snow stopped falling. We reached Ledar in no time and stayed at the first guesthouse we saw.

The temperature in Ledar was no joke and I had to use my down jacket. When the owner started the fire in dining room, we all gathered around it. Some people started boiling their water for fear of giardiasis. I only used my Aquatabs and thankfully, I didn't get sick.

Day 8 – Unplanned rest day in Ledar

It didn't stop snowing the whole night. And with thick snow covering the trail, walking would be very difficult. Some people in the guesthouse left for Phedi or High Camp. We could have followed the trail they would leave but with the snow at the pass, it would still be impossible to cross it the next day. So we just stayed there hoping for the weather to get better.

It kept on snowing until we went to bed that night. With that kind of weather, there were talks of being ready (emotionally) to go down if it stayed that way.