Monday, March 8, 2010

ALONG THE TREK pt 1.



prayer stones













trekker rest



Yes its a YAK !!! I missed it. Lucky Tuts snapped this pic - a baby yak.
Unfortunately this animal is a rare sight now in Nepal and Tibetian highlands.
Ms TwiddleDee and Ms TwiddleDum rolling along in "Alice in Rhodorendron Forests"






"Broke my back in the
mountains"





Rhodorendon Forest in full bloom



Tadapani Teahouse- breakfast with a view !








B'fast at Milan Teahouse, Ghandruk. Another magnificent background !it's becoming such a common sight every morning ... !

The Annapurna Conservation Area has been a smash hit in the world of conservation. With a trekking circuit from mid hills to the foothills of the Himalayas, Annapurna region covers as area of 7629 sq.km. The highest altitude reaches 8091m of the Mtn Annapurna 1. This is the most visited trekking area, more than 60,000 visitors every year.The breath-taking mountain scenery and the beautiful ethnic villages justify the popularity of this Gorephani trek.The trek to some is easy,but to us, is pretty tough as its all stone steps and extremely taxing on our poor knee & hip joints. However, it has enough walking along streams and forests. It involves no high climbing, highest pt being Poonhill, 3210masl, so have less risk of altitude sickness.
This trek starts from the beautiful Modi Khola river at Nayapul, after an hour drive from Pokhara. After crossing the suspension bridge over this river, we ascend thru villages and farm terraces, enjoying the magnificent view of Machapuchare in the backdrop.
poor me..totally exhausted. Lucky had Tuts shoulder ...









On 2nd day, we walked thru mostly woods before reaching Gorephani hill(2885masl). Overnite at Gorephani Guesthouse,our guide woke us up at 4am next morning to hike another 2 hrs up to Poonhill, where the most amazing and magnificent backdrop in the world - the view of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna etc etc...








for more pics on Poonhill peak, go to directory on "Top of Poonhill"

The whole Gorephani is densely forested with rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal.




We are so lucky as in early spring, it is fantastic scenery to watch the forests in full bloom with the panarama of the high mountains on the skyline...
The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) has been running its programs in the area with the aim to conserve nature and its local community.


Trek start from Modi Khola river, Nayapul.
Thousands of stone steps..we were heavily drugged with painkillers, celebrex,herbal chinese/nepalese ointment of all kinds, anything to feel our legs ......







more steps ...
...on 2nd day trek we couldnt feel our legs anymore. On 3rd day, we were drug-overdose. On 4th day,we were running on pure mind & soul. Surprisingly on 5th day, all aches & pains simply fade away.....is it the local herbal ointment miracle, the drugs or is it really mind over matter ???




negotiating for another rest stop with guide.
Ang Phular, our superman sherpa is highly recommendable. Important to us, he is such a patient & gentle man. He is an experienced sherpa and has been trekking up to Everest, Annapurna Camp as well. At our pace in this trek, it must be terribly boring and unchallenging for him, but he is still so nice and waits for us all the time.


Route: 5 days /4 nites
Pokhara - Nayapul - Tikhedhunga - Ulleri - Gorephani/Poonhill - Tadapani - Ghandruk - Banthanti - Nayapul - Pokhara.
Guide US15 per day
Porter US12 per day with a recommended max of 20kg

Teahouse about 300rps - 500rps
Trekking permits & fees etc ..refer to Nepal Tourism Bureau
Our guide Ang Phular contact: trekkinginhimalaya@hotmail.com


first nite stop at Tikhedhunga Teahouse...with modern flush toilet!











Ghandruk Village

at the old museum in Ghandruk

Community Service?










the iron neck ladies

with our guide Ang Phular (email: trekkinginhimalaya@hotmail.com)





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