Annapurna

I met a nice Nepali on the flight over here from Delhi and was kidnapped by his family for a few days before heading out to the mountains. Their family ran the biggest movie theatre in the city so I got to watch part of MI3 (I fell asleep about 20 minutes into it, naturally). I stayed at their house, was fed well, was shuttled all over the city and they set me up with Yubaraj, the best guide under the sun! I had already planned on traveling with Rishi, the same guide my brother used a few years ago, but he rubbed me the wrong way after a few string of events/email correspondences. Things worked out perfectly and the trek was great. Powered by dal bhat, veg momos, great pumpkin soup, home made apple pie and the occasional Twix and chocolate bar I survived the 18 days from 810 meters all the way up to 5416m and then back down again. JP, you'll be happy to know I even came to realize the nutritional value of chocolate and finally understand why it should be a staple in every one's diet! There are tons of stories to tell, but I am too lazy to write about them (writing in my blog is fun sometimes, but I do get lazy). It only rained one day, and we were in the jungle, so it was expected. We always managed to stay at the best tea houses, eat the best food and always came across golden berry bushes just when I needed a snack.

Maoist? Yes, we saw them, but there is a cease fire now and they aren't collecting donations anymore. I thought it was great that I was staying with a local family when I got here, but then remembered they don't go after tourists (since we can't vote and they are trying to gain political power). I probably put myself at more risk being in a residential area and riding local buses, going to movie theatres, etc. Oh well. We had to take a local bus to the small village of Bishishar, where the trek started. The bus was full so we sat on the roof with about 30 other locals. Apparently, half of the bus was full of Maoists, but I missed the excitement and enjoyed a much better view from the roof. We passed a huge group of them between Jomsom and Marpha. They were friendly and all carrying guitars and loud speakers! When Yubaraj and I were back in Pokhara we ran into one of his school friends who had joined the Maoist party. He was in town for a big rally and we had tea with him. Nice guy.....and Yubaraj was giving him shit about joining the Maoist party. All in all, most Nepalis are upset about how badly the media portrayed the political situation here and squashed the tourist season (their main income source). Nepal is going through major (positive) political changes and everyone is optimistic that next year will be their busiest year ever (we'll all keep our fingers crossed).

I am glad I didn't end up doing Everest Base Camp, a trek that's a little more popular these days, mainly because the name. I think people just like to say trekked Everest! You don't go up as high as the Annapurna and you go up and down the same way, how boring. Also you are more or less in the same climate the whole time. We went from 810 to 5000 +, pretty much passing through every type of vegetation, the pine forests being my favorite. I met an American in Kathmandu who had signed up for a trek to Everest Base Camp. He never had trekked, was older and didn't look like he was in the best of shape. He thought had signed up to summit Mt Everest, all the way to 8850 meters! He kept on telling me he found a great deal for the trek. I tried to break the news to him lightly that he hadn't signed up to summit the peak and that the permit costs in the range of $30,000 or something and you have to show you've climbed other peaks,etc. Either way, I hope he had a good time.