Disclaimer: This blogpost is not rated PG. I warn you now, so you can stop reading in advance for those of my readers who would like to continue seeing me in a certain light. Whether that light be as a lovable family member, a beautiful student, or a very happy traveler - just don't read this one blog post. Wait until the next, more friendly one. This one is a rough ride!
More pictures for you! Nepal mixed with Bali! Unforunately my Nepal pictures are acting up. Don´t worry, I´ll post them as fast as I can.
View of Annapurna. Not sure where...
Us at dinner before my last night in Bali! We partied all night since my flight was at 7.30 AM. Only way to roll. I pretty much passed out on the plane.
That mountain in the background is actually a volcano. I believe it is still active as well. This was on our drive back from diving.
Beach at sunset. How romantic!
Yvonne and I eating a belated lunch after a day of surfing! How cool are we? I look like I'm 12.
Yvonne and I at the ever popular Bounty club! It was like one big techno dance party. Techno music is for white people who can't dance. There is no other reason for techno. Period.
Day 8: July 29th Manang –Rest Day! 3540m
Rest day in Manang! We stayed here for 1 day to get acclimatized. The altitude affects people differently. The most common symptoms are headaches, nausea, vomiting and being incessantly tired. But, I was feeling great! I also forgot to mention a conversation I had with Kumar on my birthday.
As Kumar and I were walking to Manang a ‘birthday’ discussion began:
Kumar: How old are you now?
Me: 23
Kumar: (nods his head) I see. 23.
Me: Yup, the big 2-3.
Kumar: (takes a long pause and says in a very serious tone) Getting old.
Me: Ummm...not really. I’m still pretty young. Lots of time
Kumar: I see. And marriage?
Me: Excuse me?
Kumar: Are you married yet?
Me: (very taken aback) No! I’m still very young...
Kumar: And boyfriend? You have boyfriend for marriage?
Me: Things work differently in America. No boyfriend, no marriage.
Kumar: Yes yes, things are different in America. You should get married soon.
End of discussion. I should mention that Kumar is married with 2 children so he wasn’t trying to hit on me. I think he was looking out for my ‘well being’. Man, Indians and Nepalis are crazy about marriage.
Anyway, during the rest day we could pretty much do whatever we wanted and there were quite a lot of sights to see! A lake, some trees, a glacier, mountains, a crazy old man who lived in the mountains who granted you a wish if you visited him and gave him 20 rupees. I decided to take it easy, check out the lake and pretty much laze the day away. I spent most of the day with Kishor and Jack (Sarah and Nathan’s guide and porter) sitting on the roof of their hostel doing nothing. The weather was quite interesting, if you were out in the sun it was literally like you were burning up but once the shade hit you it was time to throw the fleece back on. Crazy, I kept taking off and putting on clothes. At night, I came back to my hotel to find a crazy mix of Nepalis drinking some local brew. I stayed with them for a while and tried the local rakse (wine) and beer. Not my favorite, but it helped me sleep!
Day 9: July 30th – Manang to Letdar 4200m
This was quite the...long day. We left Manang and hiked our way up all the way to Letdar (pronounced leather). As we arrived there was one distinct feature about this town: it was dead. We got to our hostel, looking forward to a warm fire to dry ourselves and our clothes and guess what we found: no fire. No fire, no eggs, no toast, no internet, no solar water heater, nothing. This town had literally nothing to do. And we arrived at around 1.00 PM. We literally spent the day in the hostels living room, inside our sleeping bags. I don’t think I moved until bedtime, which was 8.00 PM since there was nothing else to do!
We played cards and talked to an old french couple who had just summited Thorung La Pass that day (they came from the other side of the mountain)! And as our dinner of spaghetti and ketchup was being served, the frenchies 4 star chef brought out pizza, salad, dessert and coffee for them. I hate the French.
Oh well, the day was over and I was starting to get nervous. Only 2 days until we passed Thorung La!
Day 10: July 31st – Letdar to Thorung Phedi 4450m
Short day of walking but some definite ups and downs. We crossed the river which we had been following the entire 10 days and finally said goodbye to it. We arrived in Thorung Phedi and started to feel some drizzle. And before we knew it, it was pouring. Literally pouring. So we spent the day inside the hostels living room again, me tucked in Peter’s sleeping bag since it was raining so hard I didn’t want to leave shelter to get mine. We played hearts, had some interesting discussions on life and I found the courage to order Pizza! It was actually delicious. This town also had toast, which is very hard to come by! But we decided to call it an early night since we were crossing the pass the next day and had to up at 3.30 AM. It was still another 1000m and then another 2000m drop to the next town. This meant we would be hiking for around 9 hours. So in order to avoid the winds and reach the next town during daylight we had to be up early. Oh god, what did I get myself into?
Day 11: Aug 1st – Thorung Phedi to Thorung La Pass to Mukthinath 5416m to 3800m
We woke up at 3.30 AM to the sound of what I thought was rain, meaning we would skip the pass and stay in Phedi for one more night! But as I stepped outside, I realized it was just the stupid river rushing by. So, we rolled out of bed, wearily ate breakfast and started the climb. Wow, what a climb. The first hour (500m) was pretty steep and I definitely took my time. As we started up the second part, the day started to clear up. The sun would peak out but it was still freezing. I was actually wearing my fleece during the climb, which I had never done because of how hot I got during the walks. But the second part of the climb was definitely more greuling. It felt like it was never going to end and then suddenly Kumar said, ‘5 minutes until the pass.’ Really? Was this a joke? Did I actually make it despite my sickness and mental weariness? Yes, yes I did! Oh my god, it felt so good. There was even a little bit of snow to greet us at the top! Peter actually arrived 1 hour before Alex, myself, Kumar, Sarah, Nathan and Kishor and stayed at the top to take pictures with us! What a crazy guy.
The altitutde really affected me that day and the key was: drinking water. Definitely key when climbing that high. But we got to the top, took pictures for 20 minutes and I summed up our experience with:
‘Let’s bust the fuck off this mountain.’
It was so cold up there. I was wearing my thermal pants, rain pants, rain jacket, fleece and thermal shirt. Definitely not something made for an Indian. Ah, but I made it! After 1 year of waiting, getting mentally prepared, graduating college, traveling across the world...I made it to the top!
Our walk down was just long. I don’t really remember if it was tiring, it was all kind of a blur after the pass. But we were definitely hungry by the time we reached Muktinath. We hadn’t eaten since 4 AM and we arrived at 2.00 PM. And actually, it was Peter’s birthday! Can you believe it? What a copy cat! Oh well, I still think my birthday was more exciting...
We sat around drinking beers in our victory over the pass and celebrating Peter’s birthday. And actually, I didn’t know this before, but Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus meaning that the place was swarmed with Indians! They kept looking at me wondering why I was hanging out with so many white people instead of Indians. There is a temple dedicated to Shiva, which has 108 taps of water to drink from. Apparently, if you drink from all 108 taps, Shiva grants a wish to you.
Muktinath, while definitely beautiful, was the start of our problems with our guide: Kumar. Up until now, he had been helpful in directing us on the right path and somewhat useful as a porter. Alex had been carrying either Kumar’s bag or our bag everyday because Kumar was having difficulty carrying both. Regardless, I wasn’t having too many reservations about him as our guide but he wasn’t exactly enhancing the experience with his knowledge of Annapurna. As we arrived, Alex wanted to stay in the Bob Marley hostel (what a hippie) but Kumar said defiantly: ‘No, it’s run by Israelis. I don’t like Israelis.’ Excuse me? Probably the most racist comment I’d heard from him yet, but I was pretty tired from the trek so I didn’t care to argue. In retrospect, his opinion didn’t matter. We paid him to accompany us on OUR trek, meaning we should have been in charge. I didn’t really realize it, but we really weren’t in charge of where we stayed or what we ate. You’ll see how our relationship evolves in the next few days.
Anyway, after a long day of trekking and celebrating, we went to bed and I vowed to myself to take a shower before going to Shivas temple. I know he loves me smelly or clean but I was really starting to test that love with my odor.
Day 12: Aug 2 – Muktinath to Kagbeni 2800m
I woke the next morning, took a shower and made my way to Shiva’s temple to drink from the 108 taps. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple, and I got quite a few questions from the priests. They didn’t think I was hindu since I couldn’t speak a word of Hindi and walked in wearing pants and a t-shirt. Whatever, I got in, said my thanks and walked a bit more around the city.
We left at around 11.00 AM to Kagbeni and let me tell you, that was definitely a scary walk. Just thinking about it makes my palms sweat. But I should tell you, I have a fear of heights and the last part of the trail was a mildly steep walk, with the trail only a foot and a half wide. I was last in the pack to find my way down. But I got there! Safely and somewhat mentally intact.
Once again, problems with Kumar arose. Since this was our last night with Kish, Sarah, Nathan and Jack we wanted to spend it in the same hostel. Kumar said he didn’t want to go the hostel because he hadn’t stayed there and didn’t know the owners. And after Peter ate lunch with us and announced that he was going to another hostel, Kumar told him to not travel with us anymore. Under speculation, the guides get commision for each trekker they bring to hostel to eat and stay and since Peter decided not to stay, Kumar didn’t get a comission for him. So, Kumar was pissed. But not as angry as Alex, who was starting to realize how little control we had over our own trek. I, was not here for any of this, I was busy straighening my hair. Yes, I trekked the himalayas with my hair straightener. We all have our vices.
We hung out with Kish and Jack and continued enjoying our victory over the pass. What a fun night.
Day 13- Aug 3rd Kagbeni to Marpha 2670m
Not a bad walk at all. Jomsom (an intermediate town) had an airport! It was a bustling town packed with trekkers who flew up, and trekked in the opposite direction to Thorung La or just walked down the mountain (what lazy people). Alex and I arrived and I decided to check my email. Mind you something I hadn’t done for a while. As I started sifting through my emails, I found one from my mother with an email she sent to the Nepali embassy. Read as follows:
Could you please indicate what type of back ground information you keep for folks that go on trekking in Nepal? Could you please provide me your trip itinerary and indicate if she is on any trekk trips with your company? Any information you can share would be highly appreciated.
I do look forward to hearing from you soon. Have a great day.
Omg, only my mother would do this. I told my parents that I would be out of contact for several weeks. Oh well, it was a good laugh. I sent her a quick update and went to eat lunch. During lunch, through my superior verbal skills, I convinced Peter to continue trekking with us because Nathan, Sarah, Kish and Jack were flying back down to civilization. Meaning it would just be me, Alex and Kumar. I wanted some more company.
Marpha was town known for its apples. Apple brandy, apple pie, apple crumble...but of course we only tasted a small slice of its apple wonders. Unfortunately, if you trek in low season, your food choices are limited. But we tried some apple brandy and got Rob (in his 50s, oldest trekker) a little drunk. But it was fun, Alex played soccer with a monk and I stole peaches from someones peach tree. Good times and good weather.
Ok fans, don't worry I'll keep you updated on my travels. Even if I'm writing from America. Miss you guys!
As Kumar and I were walking to Manang a ‘birthday’ discussion began:
Kumar: How old are you now?
Me: 23
Kumar: (nods his head) I see. 23.
Me: Yup, the big 2-3.
Kumar: (takes a long pause and says in a very serious tone) Getting old.
Me: Ummm...not really. I’m still pretty young. Lots of time
Kumar: I see. And marriage?
Me: Excuse me?
Kumar: Are you married yet?
Me: (very taken aback) No! I’m still very young...
Kumar: And boyfriend? You have boyfriend for marriage?
Me: Things work differently in America. No boyfriend, no marriage.
Kumar: Yes yes, things are different in America. You should get married soon.
End of discussion. I should mention that Kumar is married with 2 children so he wasn’t trying to hit on me. I think he was looking out for my ‘well being’. Man, Indians and Nepalis are crazy about marriage.
Anyway, during the rest day we could pretty much do whatever we wanted and there were quite a lot of sights to see! A lake, some trees, a glacier, mountains, a crazy old man who lived in the mountains who granted you a wish if you visited him and gave him 20 rupees. I decided to take it easy, check out the lake and pretty much laze the day away. I spent most of the day with Kishor and Jack (Sarah and Nathan’s guide and porter) sitting on the roof of their hostel doing nothing. The weather was quite interesting, if you were out in the sun it was literally like you were burning up but once the shade hit you it was time to throw the fleece back on. Crazy, I kept taking off and putting on clothes. At night, I came back to my hotel to find a crazy mix of Nepalis drinking some local brew. I stayed with them for a while and tried the local rakse (wine) and beer. Not my favorite, but it helped me sleep!
Day 9: July 30th – Manang to Letdar 4200m
This was quite the...long day. We left Manang and hiked our way up all the way to Letdar (pronounced leather). As we arrived there was one distinct feature about this town: it was dead. We got to our hostel, looking forward to a warm fire to dry ourselves and our clothes and guess what we found: no fire. No fire, no eggs, no toast, no internet, no solar water heater, nothing. This town had literally nothing to do. And we arrived at around 1.00 PM. We literally spent the day in the hostels living room, inside our sleeping bags. I don’t think I moved until bedtime, which was 8.00 PM since there was nothing else to do!
We played cards and talked to an old french couple who had just summited Thorung La Pass that day (they came from the other side of the mountain)! And as our dinner of spaghetti and ketchup was being served, the frenchies 4 star chef brought out pizza, salad, dessert and coffee for them. I hate the French.
Oh well, the day was over and I was starting to get nervous. Only 2 days until we passed Thorung La!
Day 10: July 31st – Letdar to Thorung Phedi 4450m
Short day of walking but some definite ups and downs. We crossed the river which we had been following the entire 10 days and finally said goodbye to it. We arrived in Thorung Phedi and started to feel some drizzle. And before we knew it, it was pouring. Literally pouring. So we spent the day inside the hostels living room again, me tucked in Peter’s sleeping bag since it was raining so hard I didn’t want to leave shelter to get mine. We played hearts, had some interesting discussions on life and I found the courage to order Pizza! It was actually delicious. This town also had toast, which is very hard to come by! But we decided to call it an early night since we were crossing the pass the next day and had to up at 3.30 AM. It was still another 1000m and then another 2000m drop to the next town. This meant we would be hiking for around 9 hours. So in order to avoid the winds and reach the next town during daylight we had to be up early. Oh god, what did I get myself into?
Day 11: Aug 1st – Thorung Phedi to Thorung La Pass to Mukthinath 5416m to 3800m
We woke up at 3.30 AM to the sound of what I thought was rain, meaning we would skip the pass and stay in Phedi for one more night! But as I stepped outside, I realized it was just the stupid river rushing by. So, we rolled out of bed, wearily ate breakfast and started the climb. Wow, what a climb. The first hour (500m) was pretty steep and I definitely took my time. As we started up the second part, the day started to clear up. The sun would peak out but it was still freezing. I was actually wearing my fleece during the climb, which I had never done because of how hot I got during the walks. But the second part of the climb was definitely more greuling. It felt like it was never going to end and then suddenly Kumar said, ‘5 minutes until the pass.’ Really? Was this a joke? Did I actually make it despite my sickness and mental weariness? Yes, yes I did! Oh my god, it felt so good. There was even a little bit of snow to greet us at the top! Peter actually arrived 1 hour before Alex, myself, Kumar, Sarah, Nathan and Kishor and stayed at the top to take pictures with us! What a crazy guy.
The altitutde really affected me that day and the key was: drinking water. Definitely key when climbing that high. But we got to the top, took pictures for 20 minutes and I summed up our experience with:
‘Let’s bust the fuck off this mountain.’
It was so cold up there. I was wearing my thermal pants, rain pants, rain jacket, fleece and thermal shirt. Definitely not something made for an Indian. Ah, but I made it! After 1 year of waiting, getting mentally prepared, graduating college, traveling across the world...I made it to the top!
Our walk down was just long. I don’t really remember if it was tiring, it was all kind of a blur after the pass. But we were definitely hungry by the time we reached Muktinath. We hadn’t eaten since 4 AM and we arrived at 2.00 PM. And actually, it was Peter’s birthday! Can you believe it? What a copy cat! Oh well, I still think my birthday was more exciting...
We sat around drinking beers in our victory over the pass and celebrating Peter’s birthday. And actually, I didn’t know this before, but Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus meaning that the place was swarmed with Indians! They kept looking at me wondering why I was hanging out with so many white people instead of Indians. There is a temple dedicated to Shiva, which has 108 taps of water to drink from. Apparently, if you drink from all 108 taps, Shiva grants a wish to you.
Muktinath, while definitely beautiful, was the start of our problems with our guide: Kumar. Up until now, he had been helpful in directing us on the right path and somewhat useful as a porter. Alex had been carrying either Kumar’s bag or our bag everyday because Kumar was having difficulty carrying both. Regardless, I wasn’t having too many reservations about him as our guide but he wasn’t exactly enhancing the experience with his knowledge of Annapurna. As we arrived, Alex wanted to stay in the Bob Marley hostel (what a hippie) but Kumar said defiantly: ‘No, it’s run by Israelis. I don’t like Israelis.’ Excuse me? Probably the most racist comment I’d heard from him yet, but I was pretty tired from the trek so I didn’t care to argue. In retrospect, his opinion didn’t matter. We paid him to accompany us on OUR trek, meaning we should have been in charge. I didn’t really realize it, but we really weren’t in charge of where we stayed or what we ate. You’ll see how our relationship evolves in the next few days.
Anyway, after a long day of trekking and celebrating, we went to bed and I vowed to myself to take a shower before going to Shivas temple. I know he loves me smelly or clean but I was really starting to test that love with my odor.
Day 12: Aug 2 – Muktinath to Kagbeni 2800m
I woke the next morning, took a shower and made my way to Shiva’s temple to drink from the 108 taps. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple, and I got quite a few questions from the priests. They didn’t think I was hindu since I couldn’t speak a word of Hindi and walked in wearing pants and a t-shirt. Whatever, I got in, said my thanks and walked a bit more around the city.
We left at around 11.00 AM to Kagbeni and let me tell you, that was definitely a scary walk. Just thinking about it makes my palms sweat. But I should tell you, I have a fear of heights and the last part of the trail was a mildly steep walk, with the trail only a foot and a half wide. I was last in the pack to find my way down. But I got there! Safely and somewhat mentally intact.
Once again, problems with Kumar arose. Since this was our last night with Kish, Sarah, Nathan and Jack we wanted to spend it in the same hostel. Kumar said he didn’t want to go the hostel because he hadn’t stayed there and didn’t know the owners. And after Peter ate lunch with us and announced that he was going to another hostel, Kumar told him to not travel with us anymore. Under speculation, the guides get commision for each trekker they bring to hostel to eat and stay and since Peter decided not to stay, Kumar didn’t get a comission for him. So, Kumar was pissed. But not as angry as Alex, who was starting to realize how little control we had over our own trek. I, was not here for any of this, I was busy straighening my hair. Yes, I trekked the himalayas with my hair straightener. We all have our vices.
We hung out with Kish and Jack and continued enjoying our victory over the pass. What a fun night.
Day 13- Aug 3rd Kagbeni to Marpha 2670m
Not a bad walk at all. Jomsom (an intermediate town) had an airport! It was a bustling town packed with trekkers who flew up, and trekked in the opposite direction to Thorung La or just walked down the mountain (what lazy people). Alex and I arrived and I decided to check my email. Mind you something I hadn’t done for a while. As I started sifting through my emails, I found one from my mother with an email she sent to the Nepali embassy. Read as follows:
hello there -
this is milan dandawate from Washington DC, USA... My daughter is currently trekking in Nepal - but we have no idea of where she is today, since she has not contacted us since July 18. Her name is Priya Dandawate, age 23 years - birthdate is July 28, 1987. Could you please indicate what type of back ground information you keep for folks that go on trekking in Nepal? Could you please provide me your trip itinerary and indicate if she is on any trekk trips with your company? Any information you can share would be highly appreciated.
I do look forward to hearing from you soon. Have a great day.
Marpha was town known for its apples. Apple brandy, apple pie, apple crumble...but of course we only tasted a small slice of its apple wonders. Unfortunately, if you trek in low season, your food choices are limited. But we tried some apple brandy and got Rob (in his 50s, oldest trekker) a little drunk. But it was fun, Alex played soccer with a monk and I stole peaches from someones peach tree. Good times and good weather.
Ok fans, don't worry I'll keep you updated on my travels. Even if I'm writing from America. Miss you guys!
