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Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) Trek Itinerary

Me at ABC

Annapurna Map
With Nayapul as the heart, the artery and vein of my journey can be traced as red and blue. Click map to enlarge

Day 1

Start: Nayapul (1070 m)

Lunch: Sudame

Destination: Tikhedhungga (1540 m)

Lodge: Chandra Guest House

Trek difficulty: Easy to breathe and easy to walk though there was some climbing. The day was overcast and the temperatures remained moderate.

Highlight: The highlight today was getting to know the other trekkers doing similar routes to me. There was a Japanese woman with a Nepali boyfriend staying at my same lodge. There was a man from Hong Kong also traveling solo, and although he seemed too cool to talk to anyone, I tried anyway. To pass the time, Subash taught me a couple fun Nepali card games that I would be able to use to impress the other guides and porters over the duration of the trek. And I met Paula from Chicago. She was staying at the lodge next door, and I realized we had taken the same bus from Kathmandu. We shared stories over some chicken curry and banana pancakes before heading to bed early so that we would be ready to go bright and early the next morning.

Clouds come every afternoon

Day 2

Start: Tikhedhungga

Lunch: Nangge Thanti

Destination: Ghorepani (2860 m)

Lodge: Sunny Hotel

Trek difficulty: The first two hours were all at a challengingly steep incline. Afterwards, the path remained semi-level or slightly uphill.

Highlight: The two highlights from today were recognizing that I was, in fact, climbing through the Himalayas from the first two hours of intense climbing. These hours let both my lungs and my water bottles feel their wrath. Before lunch I went through 3 liters of water and didn’t even feel I had to go to the bathroom because I lost all that water while perspiring. The second highlight was at my Ghorepani Lodge, where I played cards with some of the guides, porters, and Grace and Eva (both from Hong Kong), and I had a chance to play basketball with the local Nepali children as the sun set shining on the snow-capped mountains.

View from Sunny Hotel in Ghorepani

Day 3

Start: Ghorepani

Sunrise hike: Poon Hill (3193 m)

Lunch: Ban Thanti

Destination: Tadapani (2630 m)

Lodge: Himalaya

Trek difficulty: Today was an easy day that started early with the sunrise walk and ended early in Tadapani. The hike to the top of Poon Hill was steep, but it lasted less than an hour.

Highlight: Watching the sun touch one mountain peak at a time as it climbed into the sky was surreal and very photogenic. After it rained much of last night, the sky was almost perfectly clear, with just a couple clouds to provide the rays of sun more surfaces to light. In addition, after a nice walk through the forest and along a river, I spent the afternoon and evening playing cards and learning the stories of the other trekkers, guides, and porters also staying in Tadapani. The temporary Tadapani community we created felt so natural and warm that I was sorry to leave it behind the next day, but maybe it was its ephemeral quality that made the community all the more special.

Sunrise from Poon Hill

Tibetan flags on Poon Hill

Along the trail to Tadapani

Day 4

Start: Tadapani

Lunch: Chhomrong

Destination: Sinuwa (2360 m)

Lodge: Sinuwa Lodge

Trek difficulty: Tough! Although we lost almost 300 m in altitude, we did so by making our way through two valleys– down, up, back down, and back up. I was exhausted. Upon arriving, I needed a Coca-Cola’s worth of sugar to be functional enough to change into warmer clothes and get ready for dinner. The rain during the second half of the day added to the challenge as the trail because slippery and my rain coat uncomfortable.

Highlight: Subash and I are the first to arrive at our lodge, and after gaining back some energy from the day, I asked Subash if he thought that others would be coming. He didn’t know. I see a couple pass by, hesitate, and the look around, The owner of the lodge runs outside and says something in Napali to their guide. I watch hopeful that they might choose the lodge. They start to walk away, the lodge owner disappears into the kitchen, and then I see them hesitate again and turn around. I yell to the owner that they are coming back and she smiles at me and goes back outside. These two trekkers from Belgium will be my hiking buddies and eventually good friends as we all make our way up to ABC.

Sunrise from Himalaya Guest House in Tadapani

School in the mountains

Day 5

Start: Sinuwa

Lunch: Himalaya (2920 m)

Destination: Deurali (3230 m)

Lodge: Panorama Guest House

Trek difficulty: Difficult and again it is up and down and up and down. The Annapurna trek doesn’t believe in flat. Even at the end of today’s hike when we are eye level with our lodge, we need to climb up, down, and then back up again before reaching our destination. That said, a slow and steady pace made the day more than manageable. I felt much better after day 5 than I did after day 4.

Highlight: The sun was out most of the day, the views were beautiful, and I was finding my “trekking groove”. It is also a great feeling when I was able to arrive to my lodge just before bad weather rolled in and that is exactly what happened today. Minutes after getting to the Panorama Guest House, visibility drops to nothing, the temperature falls, and rain drops start appearing. Again, the small group staying at my same lodge was very friendly, and many of them enlightened me about the famous climbers who had attempted the famous Himalayan peaks.

Sunrise in Tadapani

Day 6

Start: Deurali

Destination: Annapurna Base Camp (4130 m)

Lodge: Annapurna Sanctuary Lodge

Trek difficulty: Although the path itself presented with only moderately difficult inclines, the continual rise in altitude made this last day to our destination a true challenge. Luckily, it was only a half day and the motivation of knowing what lay ahead was enough to keep me going strong.

Highlight: The highlight today was watching the clouds clear as the sun was setting. I forgot about the tough times getting there, I forgot about the mitten I had lost earlier that day on the trail, and I forgot about the challenges that were ahead in getting back down the mountain. At the moment, surrounded on all sides by white mountains towering at around 8000 meters high, there was no where else I rather be. The sky was changing colors while I walked around the Annapurna Sanctuary seeking out the perfect perfect of this uncapturable moment. The sun sets, I go back into the lodge’s dining room, have some pizza and a lot of hot masala tea while the guides and guests all play cards, Yatzy, and compare stories of our journeys to the top.

On the way to ABC

Pond at ABC

Day 7

Start: Annapurna Base Camp

Lunch: Dobhan

Destination: Sinuwa (2360 m)

Lodge: Sinuwa Lodge

Trek difficulty: Much harder than I had anticipated. A long day of mostly downhill can be brutal on knees, ankles, and feet. And the difficulty of downhill is only compounded when it starts to rain as it did for the second half of the day.

Highlight: Waking up at 5am for the moment I had awaited the whole journey had to be the highlight of the day. As the Annapurna Sanctuary warmed up while the sun climbed over the mountains, I wish I could’ve been there forever. However, at around 8am, the descent back down began. Climbing down almost 2000 meters and unfortunately with a lot of interspersed uphill made for a sore evening. For dinner, I had some tomato soup with gurung bread to warm up, but as I ate, I could not shake the anxiety of what tomorrow would be like if my joints didn’t feel better. A highlight, though, would have to be after reaching Sinuwa, where I arrived to a full lodge of excited trekkers both on their way up and back down the mountain. This was the first evening that I crossed paths with a group of 8 Australian trekkers, who would end up being some of the best trekking partners. I would eventually get to know all eight of them plus their 2 guides and 4 porters. They were a wonderful group that I feel so fortunate to have run into.

ABC Sunrise

ABC Sunrise BW

Day 8

Start: Sinuwa

Destination: Jhinu (1780 m)

Lodge: Jhinu Guest House

Trek difficulty: Today should’ve been one of the easiest day. It was a short distance, all down hill, and the weather was overcast yet dry. Unfortunately, extremely sore knees can turn even the easiest of days into a challenge.

Highlight: My sore knees ended up being both a negative and a positive. A short way down the path, the Australian team came up behind me, recognized the pain I was in, and fixed me up. Tim and Mark gave me a stronger anti-inflammatory and taped up my knee in an attempt to stabilize my patella. Although I didn’t feel 100% afterwards, their tape and medicine worked! I was soon caught up to them and continued with Team Australia to Jhinu. Later that afternoon, soaking my sore knee in the Jhinu Hot Springs was exactly what my muscles craved and I gained a little more confidence about the upcoming days.

Tree next to path to Jhinu

Day 9

Start: Jhinu

Destination: Ghandruk (1940 m)

Lodge: Annapurna Guest House

Trek difficulty: Today was downhill for the first third, and uphill for the next two. Again, the trek was only a half day of walking, and luckily for me, the uphill does not hurt my knee in the same way that downhill does.

Highlight: Upon arriving in Ghandruk with the Australian trekking team, we have a big lunch and then walk around the relatively big town. We dress up in wedding gear, and I “get married” to the four Australian women as well as to their assistant guide Tilla (because we happen to be wearing the same hat). The laughs we shared as we all got dressed continued straight into the evening as we all recapped highlights of our trek over some cold Everest Beers. For dinner, I had the most delicious Dal Bhat of the whole trek, and considering this may have been Dal Bhat number 15 of the trek, that is a true recommendation.

The path back to Nayapul

The path down continues in shade

Day 10

Start: Ghandruk

Lunch: Birethanti

Destination: Nayapul (1070 m)

Trek difficulty: Today was all downhill and flat, but my knees kept reminding me that they were tired. That said, especially after getting to the flat area, the day went very smoothly and easily.

Highlight: Walking back through the town of Nayapul, I remembered how I felt on that first day. I was nervous and anxious as I had little idea about what was to come and what to expect. Those last 20 minutes after lunch, I felt a sense of accomplishment as well as a tinge of sadness for having completed the trek. I will miss the lodges, the other trekkers, the friendly Nepalese, and getting up for sunrise most mornings to watch as the sun rose over the Himalayas. It was this sadness that made it clear how much I truly enjoyed this adventure.

Morning in Ghandruk

Ghandruk shines

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Onwards to Kathmandu

Saying goodbye to Southeast Asia is no easy task. The people are friendly, good clean hostels can be found for cheap, the diversity of landscape means there is always more to see, and the food especially in Thailand is inexpensive and delicious. That said, the trip must go on, and Nepal is next on the list.

Soon after arriving in Kathmandu, along with the differences apparent among the locals to those in Southeast Asia, I also notice many differences when comparing the tourists. The tourists seem more intense, but that is likely because many if not most plan to do a long trek. Hiking boots are now more prevalent than sandals, and of the non-trekkers, there is a larger population with tattoos and dreads. Although the differences, the locals and the other tourists are friendly and happy to talk.

Kathmandu scene

Kathmandu in contrast

After getting settled, learning about my trek, and finding my rain coat, I set off to explore some of the city. Thamel, the part of Kathmandu where my hotel is situated, rivals Khaosan Road of Bangkok in that it is full of souvenir shops, internet cafes, restaurants, guest houses and hotels. Not far from the hotel, someone approaches me who I assume is just another scam artist trying to get me to buy something. Instead, after walking with me for a little while, he is very helpful in explaining the sites and temples as we go. I am careful never to spend any money in case this is still an elaborate scam. However, I make it to the end of the tour without paying anything except for a cheap entrance ticket. I give him a small tip for his help and his time, and we part ways.

More of Kathmandu

One last note about Kathmandu is the power outages. The area where my hotel is located has semi-scheduled outages twice a day totaling about 14 hours. The whole of Kathmandu cannot run on the electricity that is available, and therefore the government set up a system whereby the electricity rotates from region to region throughout the day. Luckily, my hotel has a generator, but the generator only powers specific functions; therefore, if I want to charge my camera battery, I will need to make sure I time it right, and I should never go anywhere after dark without a flashlight.

Power outages mean candle time
My room is equipped with a candle for when the power goes out.
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Last day in Bangkok

Before heading to Nepal, I have one more day and two nights in Bangkok, Thailand. Having come down with a bit of a cold over the last couple days, I want to take it easy to try to increase my chances of being as healthy as possible for the start of my Himalayan trek only a couple days away. I return to the hostel where I spent one night at the beginning of my Thailand adventure called WE Bangkok. Amazingly, they remember me and are very friendly when I enter. It’s already relatively late so after a quick snack and some small talk with my dormmate Heather, it’s time for bed.

Grand Palace, Bangkok

The next day, Heather, a couple other backpackers from WE Bangkok, and I head off to explore the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace was home to Thai Kings from the 18th century onwards; however, the present King of Thailand, King Bhumibol resides elsewhere at the Chitralada Palace. At the Grand Palace, the architecture was stunning, the guards were numerous, and the colors were vibrant and varied. After lunch, I eventually split with the group so that I could prepare for my trek including getting a few essentials along with a new haircut. On my way to MBK, the central mall in Bangkok, the Tuk Tuk driver explained the journey would be free if I would be willing to stop for 10 minutes in a tailor shop, which would then supplement the driver with gasoline tickets. I wasn’t in a rush and decided it could be fun to learn more about the many tailor shops scattered around Bangkok. With no intention to buy anything, I look through their catalog, feel their many fabrics, and ask several questions. After ten minutes, I leave not having purchased anything and having saved myself one Tuk Tuk ride fare.

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The Killing Fields

“Nothing should be this beautiful. The gods are playing tricks on us. How could they be so cruel and still make the sky so lovely? I want to destroy all the beautiful things.”

“The soldiers walked around the neighborhood, knocking on all the doors, telling people to leave. Those who refused were shot dead right on their doorsteps.”

The above two quotes are taken from “First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers” by Loung Ung, a book I read before visiting the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center outside of Phnom Penh. The first quote is from the chapter when Loung mourns her father and the second starts to exemplify the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 following the Vietnam War, and during their rule, between two and three million Cambodians were murdered at killing fields around the country. This group did not stop killing until the late 1990’s.

At Choeung Ek, I learned of some of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, from their horrendous methods of killing women and children to their eradicating anyone that was slightly educated and therefore posed a risk to the regime. This is a sad part of Cambodian history, and originally, I had not intended to visit the Killing Fields, but after reading this book by Loung Ung and seeing the Academy Award winning film “The Killing Fields”, I felt Cambodia needed to share its story in attempt to prevent anything like this from happening again here and hopefully everywhere.

Monument at Choeung Ek Genocidal Center
This monument hold the bones of many who were murdered at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields.

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Caves, Lakes, and Pepper Farms

After arriving in Kampot and making my way to the RikiTikiTavi Guest House, I put on comfortable clothes, settle in, and go to the house’s attached restaurant for dinner. While eating a very westernized burger, fries and shake, I meet Joanne from Ireland. She is having dinner by herself, I am about to have dinner alone, and I ask if she would like some company. After conversing over the basics, I learn she has already rented a motorbike, and we set up a plan to meet the following day and explore Kampot.

The next day, we acquire a rough map and set off towards near-by caves. Before we get to the true touristy caves discussed in Lonely Planet and the like, we run across another explorer who is on bicycle and he informs us of a larger, less crowded cave on the way. We pick up two more, Jesper and Matilda from Sweden, en route, find a spot to park our motorbikes, and meet a handful of local teenagers eager to show us around the cave. The cave is the site of an old ruined temple, which we confirm by the many statues and broken staircases throughout. We feel our way through passages of complete darkness and try to fit in others that are much to small. We find bats as we attempt to climb up a wall using a hanging vine. All the while, we play with the exposure settings on our cameras as we have to fight the intense contrast caused by thin streaks of light sneaking in between trapped boulders. After this positive caving experience, Joanna, Jesper, Matilda, and I decide to forgo the more touristy one, and continue on to the appropriately named Secret Lake.

Caves near Kampot

Cave climbing in Kampot

This lake may not be a secret to the locals, but for the four of us, finding the lake is an adventure as we bump along dirt paths through local villages. Every couple meters, a young high-pitched voice yells “hello” at us and we all respond with another “hello” in chorus. And at every junction, we stop, assess the options, and eventually attempt to ask someone the way. I enjoy the path to the lake just as much as the lake itself. While the other three find tubes and go swimming, I play with two local kids and make myself comfortable in a hammock. I even doze off for a moment as I enjoy my shady spot.

Cambodian countryside

Kids near Secret Lake

For the next activity on the day’s agenda, we take a 30 minute ride to a pepper farm. Kampot is apparently well-known for its pepper, and we were interested in learning more about all the hype. We find a small farm, where a father and his son show us around with the son doing most of the talking because he could speak better English. We learn about pepper as well as other local fruits, which they are also growing on the same site. To complete the tour, they cut up some fresh fruit for us, and we enjoy the new tastes with some cold drinks.

The last stop of the day is Kep beach.  On the way, we stop for gas, which means that we pull over to a village hut, find gasoline in old pepsi bottles and ask for either one or two liters worth.  Kep beach is relatively quiet with some tourists, some locals, and a handful of monks all there for an afternoon swim. I sip on a Coca Cola to combat the warm sun as we wander up and down the beach taking in the sights, sounds, and smells.  After a while, I realize that I am wearing a similar color to the monks and ask some to take a fun photograph with me.  As the sun starts to go down, we realize it is time to head back so that we do not end up riding in the dark. In the evening, the four of us meet up one last time for dinner and drinks before heading our separate ways hoping that one day we would see other again.

Matching with the monks

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Kampot and Kep, Cambodia

Kampot and Kep are small adjacent towns near the southern beaches of Cambodia. Kampot has a population of around 40,000. The pace of life is slow and all the locals wear smiles. The weather changes from sun to rain and back again. And the tourists who choose to visit are mostly energetic to explore the countryside. On my way to Kampot, I have to change buses in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, and am happy that the change is quick because the smog, heat, and hustle of the city is uninspiring.

Although it is not as historic as Siem Reap, Kampot still offers plenty to photograph and enjoy, and even a little rain can’t stop me from having a good time while we explore as evidenced by my poncho-wearing grin.

Raining in Kampot

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Siem Reap, Night Market, and Pub Street

Siem Reap is a city easy to travel because of its many tourist amenities. Delicious restaurants full of both Khmer and Western foods, Tuk Tuks ready to take us anywhere for a dollar or two, and English spoken everywhere. But the best example of Siem Reap’s tourist-friendly atmosphere is its Night Market. When I first think of a night market in Southeast Asia, a very specific image comes to mind with crowded stalls, dim lighting, a mixture of smells that individually would be nice but together don’t blend, and people trying to sell you anything and everything. This market was anything but that to the point of there being a night market map, a bar/restaurant in the middle, friendly salespeople, great lighting, and surprising cleanliness.

Pub Street, located in the middle of town, was full of inexpensive and great restaurants.  For each dinner, Sangita, Nithya, and I would take turns reading about Khmer history from my Kindle’s Lonely Planet Cambodia so that we could start to understand the Indian, Hindu and French influences all around us.  In addition, up and down the street were small pools of cleaner fish. For a small fee, we put our feet in one pool and let the fish, both big and small, nibble at our heels and our toes with the promise that afterwards our feet would be clean and “soft as a baby’s bottom” (their words, not mine). After I moved pass the tickling phase, the sensation wasn’t too unusual and almost nice.

Siem Reap is a great city, even if a bit touristy, that offers opportunities to try traditional food, appreciate Khmer Art, and see temples that were significant in ages past and are still places of pilgrimage for many today.

Artistic rendition of Buddha

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Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Cambodian tourism is now synonymous with visiting Angkor Wat near Siem Reap, and that is where our Cambodian adventure properly began. Although Angkor was easily the most breathtaking, it is only one of hundreds of temples in Cambodia. The agenda for the two days that Nithya, Sangita and I stayed in Siem Reap was as follows:

  • Angkor Wat
  • Bonteay Kdei
  • Taprohm
  • Sunset on Prerup Temple
  • Sunrise at Angkor Wat
  • Banteay Srei
  • Banteay Samre
  • East Mebon
  • Angkor Thom
  • Bayon
  • Baphuon
  • Phimeanakas
  • Terrace of Elephant
  • Sunset on Phnom Bakheng

Monks in a Tuk Tuk

Luckily we had a very well-informed and nice guide, Dara Ly, to help us differentiate the above temples and ancient sites, which at first seem more “same, same” than “different”. In addition, Dara along with my travel partners, Nithya and Sangita, were all knowledgeable on the Hindu gods and goddesses that were carved throughout the temples. After my couple days in Siem Reap, I now know more about Shaivism, focusing on Shiva and the lingam, as well as Vaishnayism, focusing on Vishnu. And although most of Cambodia is Buddhist, many of the temples contain elements of both Hinduism and Buddhism as the control of the temples shifted throughout the years. At one temple, because I was wearing my Buddhist beaded bracelet and a red string around my wrist indicating that I had recently paid my respects to a Buddha statue, a monk came up to me, gently grabbed my wrist and said something although not in English seemingly kind and appreciative. Small experiences such as this help me better understand the importance of these historic Cambodian temples.

Temple reflection, Siem Reap

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Our Boutique Hotel

Close to the Chaweng Noi Beach, Nithya, Sangita and I loved our small hotel, Chaweng Tara, run by a caring and fun family. One evening, we even played cards with the grandparents as everyone showed off some of their more impressive tricks. With the staff very friendly and the location convenient, this was a great choice; however, to get our super fancy Koh Samui boutique hotel experience, the three of us made friends with the wait staff at such a hotel just next door. The friendliest of the staff, Toom, let us use the vanishing edge pool, enjoy cocktails at happy hour, and simply lounge around the beach side of the hotel. They may have thought we stayed there because we were always asked for our room number to pay for the drinks; however, we would respond that we wanted to pay with credit card explaining that it was “more easy.” In short, we had the best of both worlds with the small friendly place to stay in the evenings and the exorbitant (from $250 to $800 per night) hotel to enjoy during the days.

Vanishing edge pool Koh Samui

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Full Moon on Koh Pha Ngan

In an attempt to set the mood for these Thai Islands, I read “The Beach”, which in 2000 was adapted into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Although I do not plan to sneak to out-of-bounds islands with people I just met and join a self-sufficient community after dodging several obstacles including Thai guards surrounding a secret Marijuana field, I will go to the infamous Full Moon Party that takes places on Koh Pha Ngan every full moon. And in the meantime, “The Beach” spoke of Bangkok, Khaosan Road, Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan–all places that I have been or am going to visit.

Full Moon Designs

After taking a short boat ride hopping from Koh Samui to Kho Pha Ngan, Nithya, Sangita and I find some dinner all the while feeling like outsiders looking in on something about to happen. After a couple drinks, some bright clothing purchases, and some body paint, we feel more confident and ready to find the main attraction. The Full Moon Party is no longer a Thai party, and instead, on this island, it is an international party with people coming from all over the world mostly between 20 and 30 years old, all prepared to have an epic evening. The USA was underrepresented in all areas except for the music selection blasting out of speakers from competing waterfront clubs.

Getting ready for full moon party

With water on one side, clubs on another, and everywhere else a dense population of people probably numbering around 10,000, the three of us made our way up and down the beach absorbing the scene before picking a spot. On our way, we see buckets being sold everywhere, we see fire stunts ranging from a flaming jump ropes to to fire juggling, and we see platforms, on which this international crowd can groove. We eventually find a place with a little less trance and a little more hip hop, and we choose to split another bucket and practice some of our moves.

Full Moon Party dancers

Full Moon Party is a wild scene happening once a month attracting people from all over the world; therefore, although it may not have been an authentic Thai experience, it was an incredible traveler’s experience watching these different cultures and people interact and celebrate something as simple as the moon. Throughout the night I continue to remember that most years, I would’ve celebrated this full moon around the dinner table with extended family telling the Passover story. This evening was spent slightly differently, but the message of cultures coexisting, of peace, and of freedom, even if not in a traditional sense, was still on display.