Tatopani is Heaven

Greetngs from the lower realms my friends! Bout 4000 m lower than Thorung la, which was the last posting, on Christmas eve. We've walked from the land of snow and ice, down thru the confirs, and now are surrounded by banana trees, tangerine groves, and monkeys, apparently (tho I haven't seen any in person yet). Soaked in hot springs and got a massage today... i won't even try to describe how wonderfull that felt, nothing like 14 days of walking thru the mts to make one appreciate the luxuries!
Speaking of walking, the last few days have been long ones, 6-7 hrs on the trail/rd, but so very beautiful and ever changing. As we pass thru the different climatic zones, the cultures change as well. Up high, people live in stone houses, chinked with mud, or whatever is available, and heat with small sticks, twigs, kerosene, whatever they can find. Dress and culture is very Tibetan in nature, as is the religion, Tibetan Buddhism, gompas everywhere, prayer flags blowing in the ever present winds. Down lower, there are more trees, fewer yaks, and lots more water (at least the unfrozen variety!). The culture is more of a mix of hinduism and buddhism, even saw one place with both a temple and gompa within the same complex. Lots of interaction and acceptance between cultures here, making it really elusive to say exactly what it is that constitutes being Nepalese. A very diverse and colourful place!
Here in the lower worlds, its much like India, from what I gather. Different dress, different foods, many more vegetables available, and yes, way, way warmer!
Taking a rest day today, then manana we climb back up 3000' to start our trek to Annapurna base camp. Be about 10-12 days before we are back in relative civilization, in Pokhara, n I'll write you all again from there. Base camp is said to be most amazing for the mt views and extrememly cold this time of year, from the adiabatic cooling, but hey, we're used to a little chill at this point, eh?? ;-)

Jomsom Christmas

AT THE TOP OF THORUNG LA, 18000FT +, 8AM? DAMN COLD... :-)

Howdy peeps! First off lemme just say Merry Christmas, from the other side of the globe! Just got into a twn with internet access after what, 7 days?? Thank you all so much for the comments you've posted on the site, its such a boost to hear from each of you, and know that I appreciate it even though i haven't been able to respond to them individually- danne bhat- (thaanks in nepali)....




VIEW BACK NORTH UP THE KALIGANDAKI VALLEY, FROM NEAR JOMSOM

So, big news is, we made it safely over Thorung La yesterday, the high point on the Annap. circuit trek at damn near 18,000 ft (yeah, I said 15,000 before, math wasn't even close...) early start from high camp lodging, saw the sunrise, watched the mercury on my thermo bottom out at -20 F (-30 C) for those inclined, and lemme just say that is really, really cold.... the harshest temps I've ever experienced for any length of time.
It was a long day too, after the 500M climb, we had to descend into Muktinath, a vertical drop of 6000 ft... ouch say the kneez! got to the lodge and just collapsed. wasn't good for anything till this morn, but the safe passage over and amazing views (yeah, lots of great pics when I get to the right internet connection), along with good friends to share the experience with made it all worthwhile. Speaking of friends, gotta run, my dinner time is here and the Canadians, American, South Africans, Malaysians, and Nepalis are gonna celebrate Christmas together round the table tonight. (n maybe a nip of the local apple brandy to warm our chilly bones this himalayan eve.... ;-) )














CHRISTMAS DINNER IN JOMSOM



THE DRYER SIDE OF THE PASS... LOOKING BACK TO THE NORTHEAST AT THORUNG LA FROM THE TERRACED HILLSIDES OF MUKTINATH... THIS AREA HAS BEEN USED IN FILMS TO REPRESENT AFGHANISTAN, CAUSE THE BUDDHISTS TEND NOT TO KILL FILMCREWS. ;-)

Until next time, be well and Namaste' to you all-

Manang madnezz

SUNRISE FROM MY MANANG HOTEL, OVER MANASALU?
heya folks, writing you this very chilly afternooon from manang, a bit abv 11000 ft on the north side of the annapurna circuit. amazing to have internet connectivity up here, but i ain't complainin!
SOME VIEWS UV THE HIGH COUNTRY IN THIS AREA. THE SHOT JUST ABOVE IS LOOKING ACROSS THE MANANG VALLEY FROM BRAGA GOMPA..










A VIEW OF OLD TOWN MANANG, CLIMBING TWD THORUNG LA
been gettin more amazing each day, scenery, people, the whole deal. i'm taking 40-50 pics each day, gonna be tough to decide which ones to post when i get to a spot thats possible again. visited a 500+ yr old gompa (buddhist temple) today... one of those places that makes your skin crawl when you enter... perched on the side of a hill, snow capped peaks surrounding it, all hand carved, brightly painted mandalas and creatures i won't even begin to try and describe all around. krishna (my guide) and i both recieved a blessing from the guy that showed us around, adn a good luck thread to wear round our necks, and with the Thorung La (high point of the annapurna circuit, at a bit over 15,000 ft) coming up in a few days (christmas eve, in fact!), i'll take any good luck charms that come along! Had the chance to stay in a small lodge last night, watching the owner prepare our food over a wood fire, open air, with some bricks and such to form the stove top... was simply mindblowing.... felt like i was back 200? 300? 1000? yrs, doing things the old way, yak meat and bones hanging from the rafters over our heads, being smoke cured by the constantly burning wood fire (and it was a welcome source of heat, was around 25 F in my room!!). the food was amazing to boot- this place is otherworldly.... so much poverty, such a harsh environs, and yet, and yet...
until next time, folks-

High(er) up yet..

Namaste' from Chame!

hiya gang! still alive and kickin here in tha himalaya, on the fourth day of a 21 day trek around annapurna, a big ol mountain that has foothills the size of the rockies. feeling real good today, strongest hiking day so far, and a hot!! shower at the end of it. the first since leaving kathmandu. its damned cold here, typing with wool gloves on, and i can see my breath, but the scenery is amazing, and the people so very embracing and kind. kids run up in the villages, shouting namaste' (hello, roughly), and hope for some "chocolat, a pen, candy?". handing out gum seems to make their day, and they light up if you take a picture and show 'em the digital image.
made it thru my first (dare i hope only?) bout of stomach sickness, and as they say in the sandy stretches " praise allah and azithromycin" (tis a loose translation) ;-) gotta tell you tho, ain't nothin like being in the middle of nowhere, wondering if you'll ever be able to keep anything down, and knowing that what you just lost is basically the only sort of food you'll see for the next 5 mons. character building, lemme tell ya.
chame is the only town on this side of thorung la pass (5300 meters?) that has internet connectivity, but its way too slow for photos, so those'll have to wait. two days from now we'll stay in manang, the acclimation point for the pass, then attempt a crossing two days after that. losta snow up there right now, but there are several bigger groups going over around the same time we are, so more folks to break trail. my guide, krishna, is a clever guy and knows how to work these things. i',m in good hands. speakin of hands they're frozen. gotta go- talk to ya when.

kathmandu to you

namaste' y'all!
hows that grab ya for a blending of cultures?
third day here in country, still in a completely flucuating state of awe, amazement, and overwhelm-ment that i can't quite explain. i find myself venturing out for an hour or two, getting things prepared for trekking, and then wanting find a quiet place to just let it all simmer and assimilate n sink in a bit...
leaving tamara for the high places: annapurna circuit, about 150 km east of kathmandu, north of pokhara, and a fairly popular trekking circuit (in the on season, its definitely off season just now).
be out there for 21-25 days, roundabouts, going over some high passes, drinking lots of chia, maybe a little chyahng, n just generally trying to keep some feeling in tha paws.
gonna try to do some blogging a place or two along the route, but unsure what
ll be available, n where.
no pics today, damned computer virus attacked my camera card,(better it than me, eh??) so, till i figure out how to upload photos w/o ruining pic cards, its text for mi peeps. any of ya got suggestions??
gotta run, internet cafe time is up-
hasta, and shubharahtri, sahthis ( goodnight friends-)

From Kathmandu...

The flight into Kathmandu....

Namaste' friends! I write you from the Ganesh Himal hotel in the Thamel district of Kathmandu... my sort of base for the next several months, and a welcome respite from the colorful, chaotic craziness that is Kath, in all its wonder and overwhelmingness ( yeah, I might of just made up a word, but its my blog, eh? ;-)

Got in last eve about 6 pm local after 26+ hrs of flyin and airport wandering. Managed to touch ground in 4 countries during that period, leaving SF, layover in Taipei, Taiwan, another in Bangkok, Thailand, and finally touching down in Kathmandu. Thank tha lucky stars I had arranged a pickup from the airport from my hotel, cause that place is a madhouse!! Seems to be really no traffic rules here, other than honk your horn alot, tend twds the left side of the road, and, in general, try not to kill anything. In spite of all the craziness though, I've yet to see a single accident and people are smiling and nodding the whole time that they're honking and weaving. Bizarro!!

Crashed last night for bout 10 hrs of much needed sleep and awoke to sights, sounds and smells totally foreign to me. Pics from the walk around my little corner of Thamel first thing this morning... Diesel and 2 stroke exhaust burns the nose, as beauty and wonder flood the senses. It is so real here, so indescribably real, and unapologetic for being thus. This place shatters my worldview...

2 Days till...

Its on tha road again!

Well, its down to tha wire and there's so much stuff still ta do! i guess its all gonna get done.... nuff caffiene and chocolate and its amazin what can happen.... Mappin out the journey w. the grandparents (just where is Knee paul, anyhow??) Pic at the top w/ mi sista shows pretty well the state o mind prevalent in these final days'.... bout ta send out email to everyone for this site, so we'll see how that works...

first try

so, this is tha first attempt at this new fangled (for me), bloggin thang... tha way i'll post my travel adventures n pics in the next few mons....