After making it over the Throung La pass we hiked down a yak trail which had us descend 2,000 meters in a matter of hours. It was extremely steep and the wind was intense- it felt like we were in a wind storm for most of the hike! The trail continues from a town called Jomson on a road and since we wanted to buy some time (and didn't fancy the idea of hiking along side cars) our group took a bumpy jeep ride from Jomsom to Tatopani.
We took the day in beautiful and tropical Tatopani to relax, do some much needed laundry, play in the river and eat entirely too much for our celebratory end-of-the-circuit lunch. At the end of the day we went to the hot springs which we had looked forward to for days but it turned out to be more like a cement, communal bathing area. It was pretty hilarious to be there while tons of Nepalese folks came by to either bathe or take pictures, many of which we were awkwardly hanging out in the background of.
From there we said goodbye to our group and headed out again our own. After a very long day of hills and adorable tiny towns we reached the next stop, Ghorepani. On top a beautiful hill overlooking valleys and other mountains, Ghorepani is home to Poon Hill, an even higher point that in known for its wonderful sunrise views of the surrounding Annapurna Mountain range. We stayed in a great trekker's lodge that even had a fire place so it was a nice treat to be toasty and warm. We headed out early the next morning and watched the sunrise around the mountains and it was remarkable- definitely once of the best sunrises I've ever seen! Once back in our lodge we had an interesting encounter with a fellow "trekker" over breakfast. That story comes next...
After Ghorepani we continued on the trail turning up towards the main mountain range. At our next lodge in Siprong, a tiny farming village on the mountainside nestled next to the river, some Nepalese man assured us that the following day was an "easy path, no problem for you, very flat." Flat my ass. We practically scaled 3 mountains that day. The entire day was filled with down the mountain, up the mountain paths and stairs... a beautiful hike and day but goodness gracious, not flat. We genuinely believe the Nepalese concept of the word flat must be different than ours- maybe that going down one mountain and then up the next means they cancel each other out and are then deemed flat?? We don't know but Lordy, I have a new found appreciation for the word flat, our concept of the word that is.
Soon enough we found ourselves at Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC) where we spent the night and hiked up to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) early the next morning. They call ABC the "center of the rice bowl" because you are literally smack dab in the middle of the mountain range. It's incredible. We lucked out 100% and had great visibility and low winds the entire time we were up there, a rarity for sure. We were able to see all the mountains around us, hike up to a stone temple with prayers flags and enjoy the amazing view for awhile. On the hike down, the clouds rolled in and the mountains that were just towering above us quickly disappeared as though they had never shown themselves. Pretty unreal to watch. Words can't do it justice and neither can pictures but at least they give yall an idea...
From there we said goodbye to our group and headed out again our own. After a very long day of hills and adorable tiny towns we reached the next stop, Ghorepani. On top a beautiful hill overlooking valleys and other mountains, Ghorepani is home to Poon Hill, an even higher point that in known for its wonderful sunrise views of the surrounding Annapurna Mountain range. We stayed in a great trekker's lodge that even had a fire place so it was a nice treat to be toasty and warm. We headed out early the next morning and watched the sunrise around the mountains and it was remarkable- definitely once of the best sunrises I've ever seen! Once back in our lodge we had an interesting encounter with a fellow "trekker" over breakfast. That story comes next...
After Ghorepani we continued on the trail turning up towards the main mountain range. At our next lodge in Siprong, a tiny farming village on the mountainside nestled next to the river, some Nepalese man assured us that the following day was an "easy path, no problem for you, very flat." Flat my ass. We practically scaled 3 mountains that day. The entire day was filled with down the mountain, up the mountain paths and stairs... a beautiful hike and day but goodness gracious, not flat. We genuinely believe the Nepalese concept of the word flat must be different than ours- maybe that going down one mountain and then up the next means they cancel each other out and are then deemed flat?? We don't know but Lordy, I have a new found appreciation for the word flat, our concept of the word that is.
Soon enough we found ourselves at Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC) where we spent the night and hiked up to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) early the next morning. They call ABC the "center of the rice bowl" because you are literally smack dab in the middle of the mountain range. It's incredible. We lucked out 100% and had great visibility and low winds the entire time we were up there, a rarity for sure. We were able to see all the mountains around us, hike up to a stone temple with prayers flags and enjoy the amazing view for awhile. On the hike down, the clouds rolled in and the mountains that were just towering above us quickly disappeared as though they had never shown themselves. Pretty unreal to watch. Words can't do it justice and neither can pictures but at least they give yall an idea...
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