Himalicious

As far as I am concerned a new word needs to be invented to properly describe the Himalayas - stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, awesome, they just do not do it. So I will give Himalicious a shot... see how it sits with you.

From Trekking in Nepal

We have just returned from 23 days of trekking on the Annapurna Circuit and can say with confidence that if you ever have the chance to do something of this sort, stop hesitating and just do it. It was exactly what you would expect and then some - incredible, stunning, grueling, awe inspiring, dirty, sweaty, fantastic.

From Trekking in Nepal

The scenery is jaw droppingly beautiful and throughout the course of the trek changes drastically from lush green valleys to arid desert looking landscape. The villages are packed with life, interesting stone houses, runny nosed adorable children, goats, water buffalo, temples, monasteries, nunneries, prayer flags and wheels and even the occasional brandy distillery (they make apple brandy in Marpha, the apple capital of the Himalayas. Go figure, I guess you need to stay warm somehow!)

Sure it was grueling at times - there were some long days of 6 hours of trekking gaining some serious altitude - but the feeling of accomplishment and the few lost kilos make ever second worthwhile. The highest point of the trek, 5416 meters, the Throng La Pass (claimed the biggest pass in the world whatever that might be)is a stunning sight and feels like a sensational accomplishment. Slow and steady are the name of the game and it feels sooooo good at the top!

From Trekking in Nepal

We also took a side trip/acclimatizing trip to Tilicho Lake, claimed by Nepal to be the highest lake in the world. Not sure about that, but it was pretty incredible. Three and a half hours up, straight up not 10 m of flat land to be had, and a big frozen lake at the top. While a real challenge to get to - just getting to the basecamp meant crossing some landslide areas and tricky terrain, not to mention the climb itself - it was quite a sight to behold.

From Trekking in Nepal

Howie was here 10 years ago and a few things have changed. The biggest change is electricity, so no more kerosene lamps and headlamps to get around in your room at night. Nepalis have also harnessed the awesome power of the sun and now have solar heated water for hot showers... of course the sun needs to be shining all day and you need to get into the guesthouse before 4 PM to take advantage, but it is there. All for the better really. The main and very controversial change, however, is the road.

From Trekking in Nepal

They are in the process of building the road heading north, towards the Throng La, and some days of the trek did include some dusty walking and some waiting for the workmen to stop throwing rocks over the side so you can pass. To be honest, they are blasting and chipping away at huge rock face and it is hard to imagine this road ever being done. But, they succeeded on the other side of the pass and the original Jomson Trek now can be ridden all the way by jeep. We had heard AWFUL things about this road, and expected to hop a jeep at some point, but we never did. The road, as it turned out, was not that bad. We had rain pretty much each afternoon on that side and this kept the road from being dusty. And really, at the end of the day, maybe 4 or 5 vehicles (jeeps or trucks) passed us. And the people seem happy about the road - they now have easy access to hospitals that were days walks away, they can get more goods and services and generally easier - you really cannot fault them for that.

From Trekking in Nepal

So, it was 23 days, the biggest pass, the highest lake, 3280 stone steps and about 10 kilos lost between us and we could not be happier. A little sore, but feeling wonderful. Now the only question left is, "what's next?"

More photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/howieandhaviva/TrekkingInNepal#