This teahouse was brand new

Some teahouses have pretty spectacular views

A teahouse may sound quite lovely, however, the accommodation is very basic and it was always interesting to see where we’d end up. The quality and charm varied from place to place but in general we were getting a room with a double bed and a shared bath. By ‘bath’, I mean a squat toilet. A couple places had actual showers but most spots involved bucket hot water showers. That is, the teahouse owner heated hot water for us, put it in a bucket and then we used a cup to pour the water over our bodies to rinse off. When we got to high altitudes, the showers stopped for a few days as it was too cold for us to shower and required too much energy/logs for them to boil water at that altitude.

A typical room along the Circuit

The "toilet" left a little something to be desired

But the views didn't!

The food also varied in quality, but certainly not in options provided. Nearly every menu along the 11 day route was strikingly similar – some were completely identical. The major and featured foodstuffs included carbohydrates with a side of carbohydrates: fried noodles, fried rice, curries, potato in many forms (fried, baked, and our favorite, the Swiss rosti), eggs and momos. Momos are essentially dumplings stuffed with meat or veggie and they were our saving grace. Once in awhile a bigger village would have something wonderfully exciting that we hadn’t seen in days – like a sandwich – and we would be overwhelmed by our options and good fortune. But in general, our food selection (or lack thereof) was our running joke throughout meal times because nothing was particularly memorable or even appetizing after awhile. That being said, the food was hot, it was caloric and it was made by someone else so though we laughingly complained, we usually cleared our plates!

Lots of soups

Carb on carb action - Potato rosti with a side of mashed potatoes

Momos!

And of course, Dal Bhat - the Nepali meal of choice twice a day, everyday, for your entire life

But after a long day on the trail, it was somehow all delicious

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)