The Himalayas are as awesome and awe-inspiring as we ever could have hoped. The landscapes that surrounded us for these two weeks of trekking are like nothing we’ve ever experienced. The Annapurna Massif dwarfed our previous understanding of big mountains. Our photos don’t come close to capturing the true magnitude of this range, but we got some sweet shots nonetheless. Check out a slideshow of a few of our favorites from the trek.
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Industry Bloggin’
The Annapurna Circuit is experiencing some big changes, thanks to a government-sponsored road and access project. It’s a hotly debated topic among travelers, travel providers, and local communities in the region, most of whom disagree on the necessity and benefits of the road. Check out a post I wrote from World Nomads’ Responsible Travel Blog on the subject.
The Death of Nepal’s Greatest Trek
For many years, I have wanted to visit Nepal. The massive Himalayan range has beckoned me to explore its peaks and valleys through National Geographic shows, Conde Nast Articles, and travel blog posts. Last month, I finally arrived in my dream destination, and my experience along the famed Annapurna Circuit was nothing short of spectacular. For 11 days, we trekked through picture-perfect river valleys, up and down over high mountain passes, and through remote villages accessible only by foot and donkey. The Annapurna Massif dominated our views throughout the trek, awing us hourly as we followed the trail from east to west. The Annapurna Circuit has rightfully earned its reputation of one of the world’s great walks, and may just top my personal list of favorite treks.
But I got there just in time. See, from a trekker’s perspective, the Annapurna Circuit is doomed. The entire circuit, once a 3 week endeavor, has already been shortened to 11 days due to a road that opened up in 2008 along the Kali Gandaki (western) valley. Now the eastern side is in jeopardy, as road construction slowly makes its way up the Marsyangdi valley. Within 3 years, the trek will be cut short again, this time down to only 4 days of trail without a road. What was once an epic, multi-week adventure into alpine wilderness and remote villages will be cut down to a mere long-weekend trip for anyone with access to a good jeep. Trekkers around the world are lamenting about this dark development of one of the world’s best playgrounds.
Upon learning of Annapurna’s bleak future, my first reaction was disappointment (after all, I am a trekker!). My second thought was for the now-thriving trekker tourism industry, and how massively debilitating such a move will be for the local communities who rely heavily on trekker dollars. The Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) is Nepal’s most popular trekking region, with 60% of trekkers spending their holidays here (that’s over 60,000 visitors per year). There are over 1,000 lodges and teahouses throughout the ACA, and thousands more who rely on supplying goods and services to lodges and trekkers. No doubt that these individuals and businesses will encounter a big loss as trekker numbers dwindle over the coming years.
But taking a further step back, and forgetting about my own selfish reasons for wanting the trail to be kept intact, it becomes apparent why such a road is not only important, but necessary for the livelihoods of the rural Nepalese:
- The cost of goods, commodities, and services in these remote villages is very high because of a lack of transportation infrastructure (everything must be carried in by hand or animal). Access to simple daily items is currently cost prohibitive for many people.
- Access to health care in these villages is extremely limited, and many people suffer greatly because they cannot manage the multi-day walk to the nearest clinic (or cannot afford to have someone carry them)
- While many villagers work in tourism-related businesses, many more work in agriculture. As people transition away from subsistence agriculture and towards cash crops, they need access to markets to sell their production.
- Food security, access to energy, and the development of hydropower will all come with road development.
The road development could even be good for Nepal’s tourism industry – even the poor trekkers. A shorter, more accessible Annapurna will draw a different kind of tourist – one that is limited on time, though likely less limited financially. A higher-end tourism product will emerge with accessibility, with higher volume potential, bringing more tourism dollars to a smaller area. Good for everyone – certainly not. But an overall increase in tourism dollars to Nepal – likely. And the trekkers, we’re an intrepid bunch, and new great walks will arise. For one, the Annapurna Base Camp trek – an 8-day walk into the heart of the massif – will be unaffected by the road. But better yet, this is an opportunity to spread the benefits of tourism further afield to other regions, to find the undiscovered gems of a country that has more alpine trekking potential than some continents. We may be witnessing the end of the Annapurna Circuit era, but certainly not the end of amazing trekking in Nepal, and local people will live better lives as a result.
WTF?!
Teahouse trekking, overall, was a treat. Super unique experience, relatively comfortable accommodations, and hot food every meal. One of the few downsides were the toilets and showers, which were all squat, never stocked, and often dirty. The bucket shower, where water is boiled in the kitchen and hauled up to the bathroom in a bucket, was a new experience for all. We couldn’t show you all pretty pictures of Nepal!
Picture of the Week
This shot, courtesy of Dave, is one of our favorite shots from the trek.
Himalayan Porters
The Annapurna Circuit is made up of a series of dozens of villages that line the Marsyangdi and Kali Gandaki river valleys. Access to these towns has traditionally been by donkey and foot only, though the construction of the new access road up each valley is slowly changing this way of life. Despite these new developments, hauling supplies to these upper villages is big business in the Annapurna, and thousands of people earn their living moving extremely heavy, awkward loads up steep rocky paths at high altitudes, and doing so in flip flops. We passed (or were passed by) dozens of porters each day, and we were continually awed by the loads they managed to carry. For instance:
At one point, I attempted to lift a porter’s load, which is carried largely on the head and neck.
Unsuccessful. Mad respect for these guys, some of whom are carrying over 150lbs, well more than their own weight.
After seeing everyone else’s loads, we didn’t feel so bad about the bags we had our porters carrying.
Other trekkers, not so nice to their porters:
I was blown away by the amount of manpower we witnessed. I was also rather surprised not to see more of these animals, which seems like a lot easier way to carry all that weight!
Day-by-Day-by-Dave – Hilarious Accounts of our Himalayan Adventure
Check out this amazing map created by our trekking partners, Jesse and Dave. Blue Pins are where we slept; Green Pins are places of interest; Forks & Knifes are where we ate, and the Blue Line is where we drove. Each pin has some information and a link to the post about that day. View Annapurna Circuit Trek in a larger map
Dave is a funny guy and a great photographer. Someday, he might be a great trekker as well. Check out his hilarious daily blog posts of our adventure across the Annapurna Circuit. Really, these are all worth reading.
- Actually, Yes. The Return of the Super Trek.
- Actually, Not. Freezing the Water Does Not Purify it (Annapurna Circuit, Day One)
- Actually, Not. Those Are Not Spices in My Curry. (Annapurna Circuit, Day Two)
- Actually, Yes. That is a Huge Steel Plate on My Back (Annapurna Circuit, Day Three)
- Actually, Not. We’ll pass on the optional afternoon hike in the middle of a 90 mile trek (Annapurna Circuit, Day Four)
- Actually, Yes. Mexican Food in Nepal? Same Same but Different (Annapurna Circuit, Day Five)
- Actually, Not. There’s No Resting on a Rest Day. (Annapurna Circuit, Day Six)
- Actually, Yes. It’s Freezing Up Here! (Annapurna Circuit, Day Seven)
- Actually, Yes. You Can Get Altitude Sickness When Hiking at 16,000 Feet (Annapurna Circuit, Day Eight)
- Actually, Yes. We Made It! (Annapurna Circuit Day Nine)
- Actually, Yes. The Pilgrims Are Stopping For Apple Brandy (Annapurna Circuit, Day Ten)
- Actually Yes. The Woman on My Lap is Car Sick. (Annapurna Circuit, Day Eleven)
- Actually Yes. They Can Carry Six Times Their Own Weight
- Actually Yes. This is the Last Post About the Annapurna Circuit (Annapurna Circuit Wrap-Up)
Picture of the Week
Welcome to the Himalaya. Check out the awesome Annapurna range, towering over Pokhara, the trekking hub of central Nepal. Over the next 2 weeks, we’ll be walking around, over, and through these mountains.
This pointed mountain is known as Fishtail Peak, or Machhapuchhre to the locals
Slide Show – Best of India
Check out our favorite photos from the craziest country on earth:
The Quirks of India
It is impossible to come to a country like India and not want to take note of everything you hear, see, taste, and smell (this can swing from flowery fragrant to wretched in one inhalation). During our 5 weeks here, we have accumulated a list of the highlights, interesting observations, ironies, hypocrisies, anomalies, and oddities. This post was inspired by (and partially copied from, with permission) a friend and fellow traveler who was generous enough to share his list of the idiosycracies and excentricities of India. We added a few of our own and mixed them up to give you a snapshot of the craziness that is India. Here are a few:
- The first, and most important, lessons I learned about India were “you cannot generalize about the people of India” and “India has A LOT of everything.” I did not fully appreciate these two statements before coming here and now that I am, I concur. I would describe India like I would Europe – a collection of countries and cultures, each with their own language, food, traditions and nuances.
- Dirtiness – Yes, it is very dirty here, even filthy, in lots and lots of places. Trash all over (though they do recycle here quite a bit – very surprised to find that there is enough incentive for people to collect plastic, glass, etc), cows shitting all over, dirty water in streams, rivers, etc. Showering at the end of each day is essential, even if you just go out for a quick errand during the day. I’ve never had to wash my flip flops daily, but just about every day, they come into the shower with me. But surprisingly, people’s BO here is not as bad as it is in Africa!
- Chillin on rooftops (particularly in Rajasthan) has been awesome. Hostels/hotels generally have a restaurant on the roof, and drinking chai, looking at the fort that looms overhead, or the lake that lies in the valley, is killer.
- Women here really wear the traditional clothes most of the time. And it is so pretty – bright colors and so many of them. Bangles on their wrists, nose rings, saris, etc.
- Hocking loogeys: Expect that people are comfortable clearing their throats with a loud open mouth cough in the unlikeliest places (perhaps while taking your order in a restaurant), spitting excessive amounts of chewing tobacco (missing your arm by a few inches while in the back of their rickshaw), or spending the first 20-30 minutes of their day hocking a symphony of gutturals for all to enjoy. Also, loogeys are not differentiated based on sex. While it would be rare to see a women chewing tobacco, she may have no qualms about spitting on the sidewalk in front of you.
- Travelers here embrace the local dress more than anywhere we’ve noticed. Saris, to Ali Baba pants, to shoes – this is the place to dress the part.
- Men are in the 70s, with AWESOME huge mustaches. Pants and shirts are pretty 70s style as well.
- All the buses (and some of the cars and rickshaws) have crazy horns. At first it’s cool to hear the chorus of different “get out of my way” sounds, but then it wears on you. People honk EXCESSIVELY here, for anything and everything, and it gets loud and old real quick. Excessive honkulation is an addiction in this country and it needs to stop.
- Cows really are chillin everywhere. Nobody pays them much attention. Sometimes store owners will push them away from their storefronts. It’s pretty funny when they get in the middle of the small lanes, already congested with rickshaws, motorcycles, bicycles, and people. Quite the mess.
- The Indian culture is the strongest we’ve encountered – by far. Indians have their own music, dance, film, TV, fashion, food, etc, and as a result, people are less influenced by American/Western culture. People know much less about the US than others we’ve encountered, probably largely because they don’t watch nearly as much of our media or listen to nearly as much of our music. It’s very cool to see the pride people have in Indian culture, and while I don’t love the music (lots of minor and dissonant progressions with a sitar-y twang), their food and dress are bursting with flavor and color.
- Queuing: I was warned in advance to sharpen my elbows…but when you are at the window (which was a battle to get to) and engaging in a conversation with the attendant to figure out which train ticket you need, how is there a guy sticking his hand in the glass booth still trying to cut me off? Then, when ignored by the attendant he tries to fit his head in the hole as if this will surely make his voice heard. There is little regard for lines in India so you just have to be aggressive and deal with it.
- Many of the places we visited in India are also domestic tourist destinations, which made for some really interesting interactions. In a country where most people are either poor or extremely poor, a holiday is a big deal, and generally these holidays are reserved for religious pilgrimages. In places like Amritsar, Rishikesh, and Varanasi, people are sometimes making the trip of their lifetime to the Ganga, and many of these folks are from rural areas. As a result, they aren’t used to seeing white people, and many are excited to be in photos with us. Sometimes, we feel like B-level celebrities, which is kinda fun.
- In Ted’s opinion, this is the most fascinating place to travel on the planet. It’s certainly not all good, but the rewards are well worth the challenges. Not my favorite country, but definitely the most interesting.
- In Sarah’s words: “Every day, I love and I hate India”. So true – the rewards here are tremendous – from the history and architecture, to the spirituality and food – but the requirements are high, and you have to walk out the door ready for battle every time you leave the hotel. As one Israeli traveler said, “you have to pump yourself up, get ready to go out and kick some ass (while doing a boxing motion with his fists) – I’m coming to get you India!”
Spontaneous Party in Varanasi
On our 2nd night, we were headed to dinner along the primary street to the main ghat, when we passed a big commotion in the roundabout. We attempted to see what was going on, and gathered in the cluster that had choked up the roundabout as the spectacle moved through. There was loud music, costumes, and dancing, but we couldn’t see too well, so we moved on towards the ghat. A few minutes later, the spectacle moved in our direction, and perching on the road divider, we witnessed a crazy impromptu celebration in the street. First, a few flag bearers led the charge. Then, a truck with huge speakers blasting dance music rolled through, followed closely by a mobile dance party. After, the main event decided to make a stop right in front of us. A few costumed dancers in huge head-dresses and waving swords (entirely too close to by-standers) performed a mock-battle. 1/2 way through, the main swordsman lit his swords on fire and continued the battle. After more than 5 minutes, the party moved on towards the ghat. For some reason, we didn’t think this random celebration is so random in Varanasi. We’d already witnessed parades of musicians and dancers throughout the day, never sure of what they were celebrating or mourning. Crazy sh*t must happen here all the time.