It took us 6 days to climb to the Annapurna Base Camp. Our starting point was a bit below 1000m above sea level - our final destination was at 4130 meters; high enough to make me feel what
AMS is.
We decided about the route and overnight stops quite much depending on our physical and mental condition, which is needless to say was not always in perfect synchrony and shape ... Our first day was quite short due to the fact that we wanted a smooth start from
Pokhara - both of us recovering from some sort of sickness - but it was straight four hours of uphill climb - right to
Dhampus were we spent the first night. We learned fast a couple of principles about the mountain: the earlier you weak up, the better chances you have to see the 8000 m peaks and finish your daily "penitence" around 3 pm, by when usually the rain, but at least threatening clouds covered everything. While walking (with 14 kg on your back) you are sweating like a dog, but as soon you stop you start freezing and with very few exceptions there is no heating nor hot water at most of the lodges. There is no safe drinking water, so the boiled and filtered water you buy at the lodges will change its' color to urine's, thanks to the iodine. And finally, every step you take towards the heart of the mountain, the further away you get from civilization: more specifically, you cannot change your mind halfway, when you had enough. The way to get out is the same as to get in. There is no other transportation means than your own feet, in more critical situations you might end up in a big basket on the back of a Sherpa, who carry unbelievable weights, like a sick women we saw one day.
Lodges are quite an interesting concept - they are all very similar in the way they are organized - all have almost the same menu (due to the fact that the lodges and the prices they charge are controlled by some central organization - so every menu has a funny stamp on the front page). The only heating is a kerosene burner under the table of the dining room during the evenings for extra charge. The higher we got the closer the temperature fall to zero - and the higher the prices became - no wonder as somebody had to carry all the stuff on his back.
The second day from
Dhampus to
Tolka was mostly spent in the clouds; though we were walking in a rhododendron forest just blossoming with wonderful huge red flowers, we hardly saw more than 2 m around us. We decided to call it a day around 3 pm and enjoyed the hospitality of the village medical man and his family at a gorgeous lodge with hot water in bucket. Believe or not we were as happy as kids in the swimming pool, with this solution. In the evening we joined the most weird celebration; it was the day of Shiva, a day off at school and a national bank holiday, which peaked in bonfires all over the mountain-side, singing, beating drums, dancing and smoking pot - because Shiva is the God of marijuana for Hindus. So as the only non locals we found ourselves in the middle of a circle of women, dancing, chewing sugar cane burned in the fire and tried to grasp what is going on. It seriously felt like a medieval witch Saturday, until men arrived and we decided to sneak back home in the pitch dark with our head torch (whoever invented that piece may be blessed!)
With a fresh 7 am departure we took off the next day to
Jinhu, where we hoped to sink in the hot springs. We arrived at 4 pm with a 1 hour egg veg. noodle soup and cheese lunch break (as all the days) by when it started raining and we had to run against time before it would get dark. Nevertheless we decided to walk the extra 45 minutes to the river, where three steaming tiny pools were waiting for us, only us, as we were the only and last ones who would walk 1,5 hours in rain for sitting in hot water while cold water is poring from above. It was worth, no matter what, all our pain was gone and we saved ourselves from a cold shower, too....
From
Jinhu we made it to Bamboo the next day, maybe the most stretchy walk, finishing at almost 6 pm. We were again running from the possibility to say farewell to the daylight before getting out from the forest, which was more of a jungle with
languors and all kinds of beast as we learned later (e.g. Himalayan black bear, leopard, brown bear, wild elephant, etc.) The last stretch to Bamboo was almost a test for our marriage - here the psychic and physical conditions were equally under test - but we luckily made it just before dark, soaking wet from the rain to the Buddha Guest House in Bamboo, where we had hot shower and excellent food.
On our 5
th day we targeted
Deurali on 3100 m, the last settlement before the base camps. Here we left the jungle behind and entered the land of snow, crossed avalanches and rivers on shaky bridges, started to feel that the air is getting thin, but from our lodge we saw the clouds from above, the peaks covered with snow behind us and more stars on the clear black sky at night than possible.
For the 6
th day we had the two base camps to climb with more than 1000 m elevation from
Deurali: the
Machhapuchhare Base Camp on 3700 m, and finally the Annapurna Base Camp on 4130 m. Here we had to take alternative routs due to avalanches, should have done the walk before noon, when the snow melts and new avalanches are possible, but we did not. Rita got it in her head, that there is no oxygen and she cannot breath, which slowed us down having the question at 12.30 pm at M.B.C whether we risk to make the last bit to A.B.C in the melted snow or not. Well we did, though it was the second test of our marriage, and it took us double the time (3 hours walking in snow till your knees, your boots in icy water in the bottom) as it normally takes, but the reward was breathtaking -
hahaha... Let the photos talk for themselves, I anyway knocked myself out with light symptoms of
AMS after a great chess match with Rita. Luckily we did not have to descend in the middle of the night and the following morning we could enjoy the views of the glacier, the 6000 m plus peaks surrounding us in 360 degrees and the small sanctuary. It felt like in an ancient Greek theatre. We were glad not to have set the target to climb the remaining 4000 m, not at this time at least... It took us another 3 days to climb down with night stops at
Dovan and
Chhomrong, with a record double speed compared to the way up and when we reached 2000m mark the summer has finally arrived.
However happy we were to leave the peaks alone, arriving to
Naya Pul at 6 pm on the 9
th day where we found a Toyota Corolla from '73 to bring us back to
Pokhara, getting back down made us feel uneasy. All the hassle of busy streets, people everywhere made us want to go back "to our mountains" - only the hot shower, warm hotel room made us feel that for now we definitely want to stay in the lowlands.
All in all - it was an amazingly changing environment - you never knew what will happen in the next hours - like for instance a sudden haze making us soaking wet from tip to toe - but after a good 6 to 8 hours trekking you always loved your food - no matter what it was. By the end of most of our days we looked just like the poor beast on the picture that was carrying our luggage :) Of course this is a joke - in reality we were one of the few that made the trek without using porters or guides, but it just added to the similarities between the buff and us.
After yet another long and windy bus ride we arrived to Luang Prabang, the former royal capital. This is where the Mekong meets the Nam Khan river forming a nice, long peninsula, the home of the so called temple district and the center of tourist attractions. I could also say the old town is like an open museum full of ancient Buddhist temples, French colonial villas, local handicraft market and street food stalls, a complete mix of what you can wish to see together. After our first day stroll across the tiny streets of the old town zig-zagging from one beautiful temple to the other what stroke us most was the silence; despite of many tourists, typical laid-back Lao everyday life and hundreds of monks and novices in the temples, the place is sooo charmingly peaceful as none of our previous destinations alike - if anything like such is possible at all. It took us by hand and slowly, comfortably let us sink ourselves in to its live and stay one day longer than intended.
The third day we took a deep breath and hired a tuk-tuk to visit the Pak Ou Caves 25 km out of town, with some suspicion after witnessing other tourists attempts to make their way through the lengthy bargaining process from irrationally high prices just to learn on the way that the driver took it as a one way price... Though we were prepared for the unexpected, I have to admit our driver exceeded my imagination: first he took 50% of the price for petrol, then we found ourselves in a village where we did not intend to go and shortly being stopped on the roadside for a lengthy conversation in Lao with another driver. It cleared only quite some time later what really was cooking, but the immediate outcome was an attempt to take us to a different cave pretending that there was a misunderstanding about the destination. When we stopped the third time and our driver sat next to a checkpoint looking hut without saying anything I learned that our vehicle is not allowed to drive outside the city limits. It might have all been possible to sort out if our driver would have not considered that the half price we already paid for a trip which never got even close to its destination is not to be returned. Now I am not going to describe in such detail what happenings followed, only the conclusion: never loose your coolness, forget about time do not panic and it will all sort itself out. After an hour or so we were riding to our destination - I guess it was a calculated risk or rip off attempt we did not buy and there was no other choice on either side. Anyway, I do not recommend this ride on a tuk-tuk, there is a reason why these hardly vehicle-like creatures must not ride on dirt roads... I think instead of 1,5 hours which was the original quote it was around 4 hours excursion including a river crossing to enter the caves and getting acquainted with the local kids, who were selling small birds for your improved karma and luck. Maybe we have seen enough caves to be too fascinated by these ones in particular, but it is a nice trip, especially if one can avoid the tuk-tuk drivers. Before I forget to mention, when we returned to the city he did not miss the opportunity to ask us to pay more than the agreed price. I wonder and wonder what is on their minds, but about this some time later. By the way Tomek developed a general allergy to tuk-tuk's since we always end up in some trouble and the guys notoriously lie.
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