When you travel, you meet a lot of annoying people, but one tops them all: the person who won't stop bragging about how little they've been spending. Now, the bragging itself is annoying, no question, but the way these people go about saving money is far worse. An example could explain this better than I. As luck would have it, I ran into the perfect example at the Tilicho Base … [Read more...]
Trekking On Our Day Off From Trekking in Manang
The next morning we ate a leisurely breakfast, content in the knowledge that we didn't have to set out on a day of hiking. We were taking the day off to help us adjust to the altitude. OK, so we were already completely adjusted thanks to our slow pace and our having taken a day off for 'altitude acclimatization' in each of our last two stops. But no one needs to know that. … [Read more...]
Arriving In Manang…Two Weeks Later Than Most
After my apparently trend-setting ice bucket shower and a quick breakfast, we headed out. This was the day that would take us to Manang, the largest town on the Annapurna circuit trek and generally seen as the halfway point. It is also the last bastion of civilization before the Throng Lo Pass. Manang sits down in the valley, which meant we would have to descend back down to … [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...]
Viewing Mount Aso’s Crater…For 30 Seconds
The next morning, we hopped on a bus and headed up toward the most active of Mount Aso's craters. We were dropped off at the bottom of a rope way, from where we could either walk the rest of the way to the crater or pay 1000 yen for a roundtrip ticket and ride up. I'm sure you can guess which option we chose and before you decide to write us off as lazy, keep reading. Once … [Read more...]