We began our trek with a flight from Pokhara, slated to depart at 7:30. It was advisable to be at the airport at 6, so we got there early and the airport wasn't even open in the pitch dark. The 7:00 flight didn't leave till 7:30 and our plane was pushed back to 8. Ah, the joys of being a full-time traveller.
Luckily Travis ran around the roof-top restaurant taking photos of the mountains in the sunrise, so he was happy. I had a cup of coffee, and, although it was ridiculously expensive, it was hot, so I was happy.
Our airplane was the surpreme puddle jumper. It had a whopping 10-12 seats, one on either side of the aisle. The guy sitting in front of me carried on a small tree. Interesting. Our flight was mostly Nepalis, whereas the earlier flight was mostly trekkers. I felt a little out of place, but once we were flying over the mountains looking down on the terraced hillside towns tucked into the towering mountains I was psyched for the trek. Trekking in the Himalayas! The youngest, tallest, still growingest mountains in the world! Home to Sherpas and Tibetans and yaks! How exciting!
We were so excited that we tried to leave the airport the wrong way, but after an unintelligible yell we found the right (and only) gate out and started walking. Only to stop for the first checkpoint...and then the second. But after that we were well and truly on our way, with the nearest town two hours ahead of us.
The photos are truly nothing to the grandeur and natural beauty we walked through hour after hour, but I think they will give you the best idea of our experience. It was very quiet, as we were often trekking by ourselves, and, except when I need attention, we walked silently, enjoying the world around us.
We left Jomsom at 09:00, arrived at Eklebhati at 10:40 and stopped for a brief lunch. This was the only day we attempted to keep to the Nepali lunch time because it ended up just not being sensible. And most of the restaurants weren't making lunch when LP said they theoretically would be. The walk was quite rocky, and much of it was in the riverbed (the river was down to a relative trickle because it's the dry season), but overall what I would term flat and not terribly taxing.
After a 40 minute walk we arrived at Kagbeni at noon, our first goal for the day. This walk was much the same as what we'd had thus far. Kagbeni is absolutely charming, and some of the restaurants and hotels have a sense of humor. See the photo for Hotel Mustang Gateway and Yak Donald's Restaurant. We also found a restaurant serving macaroni and yak cheese. Too bad we'd just eaten! I think we saw a bunch of baby yaks. Maybe not, maybe they were just tiny hairy cows. We were never totally sure. But they were really cute. The true allure of Kagbeni, however, is that it is the closest you can get to the Mustang Valley without paying the $700 entry fee. I'd say the view we had was perfectly acceptable, and I read that the Mustang Valley treks are very difficult, so I think standing and staring at it for a few minutes was just the ticket. It was definitely a grand valley, and reminded me not a little of the Badlands in South Dakota...except there were mountains poking out here and there.
The next leg of the trek took nearly the proscribed 2 hours (we made it less five minutes). Leaving Kagbeni was a steep, steep, steep uphill that decided not to stop pretty much for the next two hours. Switchbacks helped a little, but some of them were so steep that we often just decided to suffer through the shortcuts and save ourselves some time, if not some agony. After we'd ascended and the road seemed to flatten out a bit I plopped down on a convenient bench and munched on dried apricots. Delicious. There are benches all over for people to rest because many Nepalis travel these roads by foot carrying much bigger loads than either Travis or I with our 10 kg packs, and not in the convenient backpack form. It's usually an enormous (ENORMOUS, I tell you - big enough to hide a person in) basket with a strap worn on the head. Looks terribly uncomfortable and so not healthy for your neck.
The last leg to Khingar wasn't terrible, but it was one of those times when the village is within sight but never gets any closer. Also, a lack of adequate footwear meant that my feet hurt like the devil. I do not recommend trekking without hiking boots. I did it out of necessity and wished for my lovely boots sitting at home time and again. We arrived at Khingar at 14:20. It took us half an hour to walk through the town, and with darkness coming, another half hour till the Dzarkot, and my unhappy feet, we decided that we couldn't realize our second goal of the day and climb all the way to Muktinath.
The walk from Khingar to Dzarkot took 40 minutes rather than half an hour due to the fact that I decided several times that I was going no further. Travis unkindly pointed out that I would freeze to death when I said I would sleep where I sat. The prospect was not pleasing. I continued walking.
Before we arrived in Dzarkot we passed a house where two little girls were playing in the yard. The smaller of the two immediately launched herself at us shouting, "Hello, sweet? Hello, sweet?" We had no sweets and handouts are discouraged on the trek, so, although she was soooooooooo cute, she got no sweet.
We finally arrived in Dzarkot at 15:25 and snuggled into the first hotel we found. It was lovely, utilitarian, and had hot food. They also used solar energy, which is highly encouraged in the Annapurna Conservation Area so as to preserve the quickly diminishing forests. A dinner of dal bhat was very satisfying, particularly because our host kept refilling our plate. I thought Travis might cry when he got another bowl of dal soup. He'd just succeeded in ridding himself of the last. LP says that dal bhat is inexpensive and nutritious, and it's what the locals eat so it's always being prepared and won't take extra energy to make. I am unconvinced. First, dal bhat is, with the exception of steak, the most expensive thing on any menu. Second, I'm pretty sure when we ordered our dinner there was no dal bhat to be had in the house, so it did take some extra effort.
We were asleep under a huge pile of blankets by 20:00. It was quite a day, but entirely satisfying.
Erin
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