As we were having breakfast the next morning, I realized my brilliant idea of ordering cornbread the night before to snack on throughout the day wasn't going to work out quite the way I'd hoped. I mentioned in the previous part of this series that the food at our guesthouse in Tal was the best of the whole trek and the cornbread was especially memorable. It was too good—I ended … [Read more...]
Chame to Pisang: Just Takin’ the Goat for a Walk
The next day of our little stroll through the hills of Nepal was dominated by a humongous slab of rock. At least that's the main thing I remember. That and the fact that we actually passed someone! Yes, it's true! But more on that later. The day was actually fairly long and for the first time, we covered just as much ground as many of the slower trekkers. It helped that there … [Read more...]
A Well-Deserved Day Off in Upper Pisang
When we arrived in Pisang, we had the option of staying in Lower Pisang at the base of the valley or hiking a hundred to two hundred meters up the valley wall to Upper Pisang. The choice was easy. The higher location means better views and the absence of modern structures makes it more atmospheric. On the other hand, it's much smaller and we knew there were only three … [Read more...]
Pisang to Ngawal: A Hard Climb to Beautiful Views
We woke up the next morning dreading the day ahead. Trekkers have two options on the Pisang to Manang section of the Annapurna circuit: the lower route along the valley floor or the upper route 400 or so meters above. We knew the lower trail would be faster and easier, but we'd heard multiple times that the upper has some of the best views of the whole trek. The promise of … [Read more...]
Drinking Yak Sewage in Ngawal
A majestic yak with fuzzy red earrings greeted us at the entrance to Ngawal. We had seen a few yaks already, but from this point on they were everywhere—their meat even started popping up on guesthouse menus. We were mostly happy about this. Yak meat is delicious and the living animals make great photography subjects. They are little more than exotic looking cows and like their … [Read more...]