Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Faces of Himalayan Nepal

Annapurna Circuit gives you the opportunity to see how people live in remote and beautiful parts of the world. How they live without running water, electricity, or internet. They lead simple but interesting lives. Kids play with homemade toys and roam the streets by themselves.


The adults carry large loads of supplies up steep mountain trails to bring supplies to their families. The families pick fresh vegetables from gardens outside their window to prepare dinner at night. Through the Annapurna Circuit the only vegetables served were those that grew in the area, including carrot, potato, green onion and cabbage. Often their would only be one vegetable available.


Women washed laundry in water brought down to the village from glaciers perched on mountain tops. Letting the cloths dry on bushed near their homes.Warm water for showers were powered by solar panels or large mirrored domes that focused the suns heat onto a small pot.

Men would lead donkey trains with supplies to villages. They would attach chickens, salt, sugar, and flour to the animals. They walked behind them pulling their tails and yelling at them to lead them in the correct direction.

Children would walk miles to attend school often times by themselves. I accompanied a young girl of no more than 4 years from school in Lete to her home. I kept asking her where her "ghar" was, which is house in Nepali. She kept pointing down the road. Buses rushed down the dirt road as we walked. At one point she tripped on a branch falling flat on her stomach. I was sure she would start to cry as any kid would in America with that fall. She got up brushed herself off, put her Crocs back on and kept walking. After a 20 minute walk we arrived at the entrance of her home, a small one room stone house full of chickens. She looked back at me as she climbed down the stairs. I waved at her and taught her how to high-five. I was impressed by her strength and street smarts.


Young children would play card games or run after each other with sticks. They are raised without TV's or video games. Children in the street would clasp their hands together and say "Nameste" when they saw me walking down the street.



Elementary school aged children would follow you down the street asking for sweets or school pencils. At one point me and my trekking partner where followed by fifteen young children who were grabbing at our backpacks. They would push each other to get closer to us. When we told them to stop touching our stuff they would just repeat everything that we said. Adults watching would yell at them to leave us alone. At one point an older man ran after them scarring them away for a couple minutes.


Children asked for photos and would laugh when you showed them their photo on the screen of your camera. They would pose for you in the street, often times fighting with the other kids to get a picture alone. One boy spanked me as I walked down the street in Tukuche. Not sure where he learned to do that.

Young girls as young as six would carry their siblings on their back as their mothers and fathers worked.


Children and adults would often take bathroom breaks in the middle of the road. Children did not wear diapers, often I saw children as young as two pull their pants down and go to the bathroom in the middle of the street, pull their pants up and begin walking again.

Teenage girls where very giddy and excited when they saw me and my trekking partner. They would ask us about Western music and cloths.


Children and adults both filled their days working in the small villages, installing plumbing, breaking rocks for their homes, carving wood ladders and selling supplies to trekkers. Children as young as seven were shoveling holes for drainage pipes and serving you your dinner.

The Nepalese of the remote Himalayan region work hard to survive in the cold and hostile environments that they have created a home in. I can remember looking out my bedroom window at a group of young men tarring down a small building in tee-shirts while its snowing.


Monday, May 28, 2012

Its All Up From Here- Annapurna Circuit


From Ice Lake

The Annapurna circuit is a grueling 12-21 day, 220 Km (130 mile) hike around the Annapurna Mountain Range. Along the way you stay in small villages sleeping in tea houses that can cost anywhere from zero to $7 a night depending on the season and the location. The food is very eclectic and range from pizza to the Nepali staple of Dal Baat.

Spring time means lots of baby animals
The rule of thumb is as you go higher and escape to more remote villages, the higher the prices are for both food and lodging. The following is a description of my Annapurna Circuit experiences during low season (May 2012).

On the circuit expect squat toilets, cold bucket showers and both hot and cold weather. Key items to take are sunglasses, warm hat, sunscreen, headlamp, sleeping bag, water purification system, gloves, good boots and a camera.

Day 1 Pokarah to Jagat


We started off the day taking an early morning (6:30am) bus from the city of Pokarah to Besisahar. This costs 400 NPR ($4.70) and took about 4 hours. From Besisahar we took a jeep to the city of Syange. This costs 500NPR ($6) and took about 2.5 hours. This saved us a whole day of walking.

One of many waterfalls
We arrived at Syange at around 3pm. We decided to walk 1 hour to Jagat since it was still early. It began to rain as we trekked but we had rain jackets and rain covers for our backpacks. We arrived in Jagat at 4pm.

Since its low season we stayed in a guest house in Jagat for free as long as we ate dinner and breakfast.

The weather in Jagat is very warm and humid during the day and stormy in the evening and night. Jagat is situated by the river surrounded by lush tropical forest. The village is at an elevation of 1300 meters (4,400 ft).

Bottle of Water = 80 NPR (vs normal Pokara price 20 NPR)
Milk Tea= 40 NPR

Day 2 Jagat to Dharapani

The total time for this hike was 6.5 hours including an hour break its 15 Km.
We started out the door at 7:20am. Its a steep and exposed climb up to Tal where we took a break to visit the waterfall. In this area there is a small bush that if touches will leave you a burning sensation for a couple hours on the skin. This is a short green bush with bumpy/spiky leaves.

Tal
From Tal to Dharapani we took side trails that led us up steep stairs through ghost towns. At one point we had to walk through a waterfall that fell right into the trail. The water was very cold.
In Dharapani we received free lodging with dinner and breakfast.

Dharapani is situated along a strong river. Its separated into two parts one on the left and the other on the right side of the rushing river. Watch out for fist sized spiders. They are everywhere. I found one on the curtain in the dinning room and one on the bathroom door (I decided to trek an extra 30 meters to another toilet). They are black and hairy. They have bottle cap sized bodies and long hairy legs. Not a fan of spiders.

Dharapani is at an elevation of 1860 meters (6,100 ft).
Pancake with Jam= 180 NPR
Black Tea = 35NPR

Day 3 Dharapani to Chame

This day took approximately 5 1/2 hours over 16 km. We stared out in the early morning. Its a steep climb up to Thanchok where we stopped for lunch. From Thanchok its flat and down to Chame. Again we received free accommodation with food.

Thanchok

Chame has internet serviced which you can haggle for. The temperature drops significantly in Chame. The village is located at 2670 meters (8,760 ft) and often the power is shut off at 7pm.

In Chame you can find internet, during low season they are willing to negotiate over the price.

Veg momo's = 200NPR
Black tea = 35NPR
Porridge with apples = 225 NPR


Day 4 Chame to Upper Pisang
This day was approximately 14.5 Km hike. Its all uphill to Upper Pisang, with many wood and metal bridge crossings, nice walk through pine forest and excellent views of the Annapurna Mountain Range.

Sitting at the monistary in Upper Pisang
Upper Pisang is 3300 meters (10,830 ft) in elevation. It has beautiful views of the Annapurnas. Its the starting point for the upper route to Manang. Its situated on the side of a mountain and is all stairs.

At the top of the village is a cute monastery looking over the mountains. Here you can sign in. If you hike the circuit and visit the monastery look for my entry on the 16th of May 2012.

Again we stayed free with dinner and breakfast. The lodge has amazing views of the snow covered mountains from every room.

Bottle of water = 180NPR
Black tea = 45 NPR
Porridge = 250 NPR

Suspension bridge
Day 5 Upper Pisang to Manang
This was one of the hardest days. Usually this part of the hike is done in two days but we were feeling exhilarated by the beautiful views. Its over 20 km and took about 8 hours including a one hour lunch break. This route is said to help with acclimatization since you climb high and sleep low.

View from the tea house in Upper Pisang
It starts with an intense switchback climb of 370 meters (1200 ft) in less than an hour to Ghyaru with an elevation of 3730 meters (12,240 ft). Before the climb you can see the monastery village perched up on the mountain side, which is very intimidating, but as you climb the views just keep getting better which helps fuel the climb to the top.

On the elevation map we recieved before trekking it looks like its all downhill or flat to Ngawal. This is very misleading. From Ghyaru to Ngawal its uphill for the first half then begins to descend to Ngawal.

At Ngawal which is at 3680 meters (12,070ft) we took a lunch break and relaxed in the sun.
The hike from Ngawal to Bhaga is all downhill, its then another 100 meter climb to Manang. The hike seemed like it was never going to end.

On the way to Ngawal
Manang is a huge village and has many facilities for trekkers. Its one of the cheapest towns to buy snacks and gear. It has medical services and free information session about mountain sickness at 3pm everyday. It has many bakery where you can purchase chocolate croissants and apple crumbles for reasonable prices.

Manang has an elevation of 3540 meters (11,600 ft) and is situated in a wide valley. Its surrounded by terraces for farming and green hills. Again we received free accommodation as long as we ate dinner and breakfast.

Popcorn = 120 NPR

Day 6 Rest Day

Rest Day... yeah right. Its recommended to take a rest day in Manang to acclimate to the altitude. They have a list of recommended hikes in the area to help with acclimatization. We decided to pick the hardest and longest one : Ice Lake.

Views from Ice Lake
The hike was 1200 meter climb from Bhraka (30min walk from Manang). Its all steep switchbacks. There are many false tops as you increase in elevation. It took about 3.5 hours to reach the lake which is at 4600 meters (15,090 ft) in elevation. Its a small lake between mountains. The lake itself was nothing amazing but the views from the lake toward the Annapurna Mountains triggered impromp to singing of "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music". It was also the first day that we saw yaks.

I began to feel some symptoms of the elevation. It was just a minor headache that went away as soon as I descended back to Manang. Just to be safe I started taking 1/2 a pill of Diamox twice a day.

Soccer (football) field in Manang
If you have knee problems, like me, I would recommend wearing a knee brace since the descent is very steep and gravelly.

We spent one more night in Manang.

Knee Brace = 250NPR
Snickers = 80 NPR
Bottle of Water = 90 NPR
Apple Crumble = 90 NPR
Veg noodle soup = 250 NPR

Day 7 Manang to Tilicho Base Camp

This is a dangerous and grueling hike from Manang to TBC. It starts out with a climb to Khangsar. You then climb again to Shree Karka which is about half way to TBC, which is where we took lunch. From Shree Karka you cross a metal suspension bridge to one of the steepest climbs of the whole trip where you have to crawl and hold onto the rocks not to fall off the cliff. From there its a short hike to one of the most dangerous trails I have ever hiked.


Before you set off through the landslide area, there is a wonderful sign warning you about the next two hour section of trail with a small drawing of falling rocks.

You follow a narrow trail along the landslide area. Its a 60 degree angle straight to the river below. Perched above you are lose rocks some the size of cars waiting for a trekker to come by and disturb them. Many parts of the trail are only wide enough for one foot and on a couple parts the pebbles under foot are as soft as fresh snow. Its a long slide to the bottom if you lose your footing. Poles can help a bunch in this part just to give you a little confidence.

One girl we met along the way told us that she was glad to find a group to trek to TBC with just in case she fell she would have someone to report her to the officials. It was very nerve racking to both look out for falling rocks and be cautious not to fall. After passing through the landslide area there is a sign saying "Thanks." Thanks for what? Not dying?

Landslide area
TBC is a shabby two guest houses owned by friends. This was the first night I had to pay for lodging. It was 50 NPR per person. Also the food was very expensive.

TBC is at an elevation of 4150 meters(13,600 ft). Its freezing cold at night so if you don't have a warm sleeping bag ask for a blanket. It drops below freezing at night and often snows at this elevation.

Potato steamed momo's = 305 NPR
Black tea = 50 NPR

Day 8 Tilicho Lake

Its a 800 meter (2625 ft) climb to the lake from TBC, through landslide area, switchbacks and snow. We started off at 6:45am.

It starts out as a gradual climb, but halfway you run into a 300 meter climb with switch backs. You then begin to trek through ankle deep snow to Tilicho Lake. Sunglasses are necessary and poles help you keep your balance in the soft snow.

On the way to Tilicho
Tilicho Tal (tal is lake in Nepali) is said to be te highest lake in the world at an elevation of 4919 meters (16,138 ft). The lake in this season is frozen and covered with snow. Only the outline of the lake is visible. We had a snack and photo shoot at the lake, which is surrounded  by majestic mountains covered in new snow.

It took 3 hours to reach the lake and took 1.5 hours to descended back to base camp. We had lunch at base camp before setting off back through the landslide area to Shree Kharka.

The second time through the landslide area was much easier. We were more confidant and sure footed which made it go by faster. We arrived in Shree Kharka (4050 meters/13,300 ft) at 4:30.
It was free lodging with food. I would recommend the pizza, its especially good in Shree Kharka, and fairly cheap compared to the price of other dishes.

Tilicho Lake- highest lake in the world
Day 9 Shree Kharka to Letdar

We started off to Letdar at 7:20am. There is a shortcut to Yak Kharka from Shree Kharka. This saves you 2 hours with trekking, but it can get a bit confusing.

There is a clear sign for the trail near the monastery in Shree Kharka. The sign says "Yak Kharka Seasonal Trail". You ascend to a small hilltop village that seems desolate other than a few grazing cows. Here the trail forks, there are no clear signs for the shortcut to Yak Kharka. Take the right trail that circles around the fields along the rock wall heading East.

After passing the fields you begin to ascend to a peak where you have a great view of Manang and Yak Kharka. You then begin to descended to the river, across you can see the main trail heading from Manang to Yak Kharka.

Ghost town on the way to Yak Kharka
After descending to the river you cross a bridge to encounter another fork. Take the right trail to meet up with the main road. We took the left trail thinking it would save us time. It had us cross country trekking up a steep hill (200 meters) back to the main trail through brush and goat trails.

Its an hour to Yak Kharka, from when you hit the main trail, where we stopped for lunch. When we arrived it seemed to be some kind of gambling festival. Everyone was huddles into circles betting on some weird board game. They were so enthralled with the game that it was hard to find people to serve us lunch or sell us candy.

We walked another 30 mins to Letdar which has an elevation of 4200 meters 13,780ft. It was 50 NPR for the room as long as we ate dinner and breakfast. That evening it began to snow. It was one of our coldest nights of the trip.

Day 10 Letdar to High Camp
Its a gradual climb from Letdar to Throng Phedi where most people stop before crossing Throng La Pass). Along the way you reach a fork in the road, one leading to a metal suspension bridge the other up a mountain. Make sure to go left and cross the bridge.

This is an amazing place to see eagles with 2 meter (6ft) wing-spans soar right over your head.
From Throng Phedi its a steep grueling climb to High Camp, but its totally worth it. You will be gratefull the next day not to have an extra hour of climbing to the pass.

My rock pyramid
High Camp has only one lodge so theres no negotiating. Its at an elevation of 4900 meters, so if you are concerned about altitude sickness then its better to stay in Throng Phedi, but be ready for an extra 400 meters (1300 ft) of climbing in the morning. A room costs 350 NPR in low season, but the food is amazing and the views are spectacular. There is a short 10 min climb to a vista point above the lodge. Here you can build yourself a little rock pyramid, its bad luck to break them so if your lucky the next time you trek the AC you might find yours still standing.

Noodle soup = 210 NPR

Day 11 High Camp to Jharkot - Throng La Pass

Its recommend to wake up early so that you can reach the pass when its still clear out. The climb up to the pass is fairly gradual but it feels like you are trekking for ages. It is said that it takes 3-4 hours to get to the pass from High Camp. It took me 2 hours and 15 mins, which surprised me.

My toes and nose were freezing. It is recommended to take a scarf and wear two socks. There is not much snow but be careful with the ice that is on the path. Its very slippery and on many occasions people would slip and fall on the ice so watch your step.

We did it!!!

It was so exhilerating to see the pass. The stone mounds with hundreds of pray flags twisting around and between them. We spent an hour at the pass taking photos and enjoying our accomplishment. The pass is 5416 meters (17,769 ft)

Its another 3 hours downhill to Muktina. We decided to take an hour break for lunch in Charbaru a small town before Muktina, and much more peaceful. We then headed through Muktina, onto Jharkot. Muktina is a huge town in the middle of the dessert. It is very dry and smoggy and not pleasant to stay in. The only thing worth checking out is the Bob Marley Hotel, where supposedly Bob Marley stayed.

Jharkot is a small village perched above a river at 3550 meters (11,650ft) in elevation. It has an old ruined fort which, as I found after walking around, is not accessible. On this side of the pass lodging is not free. This could be due to the fact that these villages are accessible by plane and jeep, so there are many more tourists in this region, even during off season.

It was 200 NPR for a double room in Jharkot looking over the wheat fields and the fort. It was an excellent place to relax and enjoy your accomplishments. I ordered the vegetable burrito at the lodge, 350 NPR, it was huge and served on a sizzling plater. It was more Nepali style than Mexican, but it was still excellent.
Kids in Jharkot helping me wash laundry

Day 12 Jharkot to Tukuche

This day was by far the longest. It was a long 30 km hike both on trail and jeep road. It was almost all flat and down but it seemed to never end.

Its recommended for this part of the trek to have a dusk mask or scarf to protect from the dust kicked up by the jeeps and buses. Its very dry in this area but glimpses of the snow covered mountains can be seen over the dry dusty dessert hills.

Heating water for tea
We decided to have lunch in Johmson which was a 3 1/2 hour walk from Jharkot. Johmsom is the biggest city on the route. It has internet access, and airport, bus station and much more amenities that are not available on the rest of the trek.

We continued on until Tukuche, which was another four hours. Tukuche, at 2590 meters (8,500 ft), was a cute and inviting village. Everyone is very nice and inviting. We stayed at Tukche Guesthouse and Bakery. It was a beautiful little guesthouse with hot showers and rooms on the roof looking over the mountains. It was 200 NPR a night for a cozy room with an excellent view.

Egg chowmein = 370NPR
Apple pie with custard 250NPR

Day 13 Tukuche to Datopani

From here you can walk almost the whole way to Ghasa on side trails, avoiding the dusty jeep roads. We walked to Lete for lunch. It was 7 hour 18 km hike to Ghasa from Tukuche.

Ghasa is a small town with a couple guest houses. You can get as low as 100 NPR for a nice room.
Here is where I began to feel a little sick, so I took a jeep (500NPR) to Datopani. Datopani is known for its hot springs (50NPR) which are nice after a long trek. We negociated 50 NPR for a room.

There were spiders everywhere in my room. They were huge with a leg span the size of a baseball. They were huge hairy and black. It was the worst sleep I had all trip. I zipped myself into my sleeping bag covering every inch of my body except for my nose. I kept waking up thinking about how many spiders where in my room.

I had two guys in my group kill two huge spiders in my room. Another one got away when a friend tried to kill it.

Day 14 Datopani to Pokhara

The next day we hopped on another jeep from Datopani to Beni which costed 500 NPR. Its a three hour journey on some very narrow and scary dirt and rock roads. In Beni we caught a bus to Pokarah for 550 NPR. Its a four to five hour drive from Beni to Pokarah but the roads are much smoother.

Accommodation in Shree Kharka
Tips:
  • Always ask for directions and time estimates. The locals are very knowledgeable about locations. On the other hand take their estimates and descriptions with a grain of salt. If a Nepali tells you its flat (Nepali Flat) then expect many ups and downs but very low net elevation gain. Many of the locals speak little English, so always get second opinions. At one moment we were hiking and asked two locals pulling a water buffalo how long to the next city. One said 5 mins the other at the same time said 30 mins. 
  • Bring snacks to last you to Manang where you can buy cheap snacks for the rest of your trip.
  • Never go with a tour agency during low season. Its easy to get free lodging and travel cheap on your own, even though many travel agents will try to tell you otherwise. The trails are easy to follow and even in low season you are never trekking alone. 
  • Put on sunscreen. At high elevations and snow, even on cloudy days, its very easy to get sunburned. 
  • Always ask if you are going to take a pictures of local people.
  • Have fun.


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Annapurna Here We Go

I am currently in Chame, where yes there is internet. It costs 10 NRP per minute but I am getting 30 mins for 150 NPR just so I can blog for you guys.

Today I hiked from Jagat which was a 5 hour hike. Its the third day of the trip and so far we have not paid for housing once. We have negotiated at every guesthouse to eat dinner and breakfast for a free room. I spend about 500 NPR per day on food which is about $6. I am hoping that the whole time we can do the same.

The first day we bused from Pokarah to Besi Shahar for 4 hours and from there we took a jeep to Sange which was 2.5 hours. We then walked to Jagat which was 1 hour.


Saturday, May 12, 2012

Raining Cats and Dogs

Sigita and I set off to the main marketplace to look for a electronic store to repair her laptop charger. We jumped onto a local bus to get to city center (15 NPR = 18 cents). We packed like sardines into the small mini-bus.
People, vegetables and cow enjoy the rain.

As we were riding down the streets we saw a small electronic repair shop. We jumped off. When we showed the charger to the store owner he plugged it in and it worked. Confused of why it was not working at the guest house we left the shop just as it started pouring down. We walked around the streets trying to figure out how to get back to the guest house. 

Everyone was telling us different directions so we decided to buy a BBQ corn off a street cart and   wait at the corner in a small shop. When we saw the next bus pass we jumped out into the pouring rain. 

Sigita in packed bus, still with corn.
"Lakeside?" After a couple of buses we found one going our direction. We squished into the already overflowing bus, still with the corn-on-the-cobs in our hands. We arrived a 20min walk from our hotel. On the way we stopped to get a pizza (180 NPR = $2.10) we split it and headed drenching wet back to our guesthouse. 

Annapurna Circuit tomorrow.... finally. 


Friday, May 11, 2012

Chicken with His Head Cut Off

Ready to close upon arrival of strike.
Today I woke up at 5am to head to Besi Shahar to start the Annapurna Circuit. Unfortunately the strike continues and there are no buses running anywhere. Disappointed Sigita and I set off determined to find another way to Besi Shahar. We started walking downtown to see if we could find other backpackers heading to the AC.


Everyone seemed to be looking for buses to Kathmandu. We even went to a local bike shop to see how much it would be to rent bikes to Besi Shahar (42 Kilometers). It was much too expensive so we just rented a bike for an hour and headed off to the bus station to see if there was any bus waiting.

We rode for 30mins up hills, through winding streets, by cows, and military checkpoints. We arrived at the bus station to find a children's cricket match in an empty parking lot.


We continued back, returned the bikes and headed back to the guesthouse to see if there was any news. Along the way we saw a mini-bus. We thought maybe it could take us to Besi Shahar, we started running towards the bus. Unfortunately they were heading to the airport, but they tipped us off that tonight maybe at the same bus station there might be a bus to Besi Shahar.

So now we are hoping a miracle will happen.

I am currently sitting with my new friend Pratiksha, the 12-year-old daughter of the Karma Guesthouse owner. She is teaching me how to dance and sing. Later I might head to the Peace Pagoda up on the top of a mountain or I might go to the pool.

I will wander over to the deserted bus station later tonight to see if I can find a bus to Besi Shahar.


Flying with Eagles

Today I decided last minute to go paragliding. I jumped onto the back of a motorcycle and headed up to the top of a mountain. From the top I had a lovely view of Pokarah and the Phewa Lake.



To para-glide one must attach themselves to a jump master and run off a cliff. It was so exhilarating to fly through the air following eagles to thermal lifts. As we approached the landing area we did some acrobatics where we spin out of control.



Currently I am being attacked by bugs. They are attracted to the light of my computer. I keep thinking they are the cursor.

Tomorrow I will begin the Annapurna Circuit trek and will be gone for 16days. I am very excited.  




Thursday, May 10, 2012

Annoying Birds

I am currently in Pokarah, Nepal the trekking capital of the Himalayas. I am setting off on a 16 day hike through the the infamous Annapurna Mountain Range. The hike will take me up to 5400meters of elevation and over 300 kilometers of trail. I will be surrounded by mountains topping 8,000 meters of altitude and hiking along icy cold rivers.

Party Bus!!
It was a interesting journey getting to Pokarah from Chitwan National Park. At first my friends and I thought that the amazingly colorful Nepalese bus was going to be all for ourselves. Yeah right, the bus drivers would not let one seat go empty if money can be made. We spent hours picking up people to fill the bus. On one occasion the bus-boy, a 50 year old man trying to collect people for the bus, dropped 100 NPR ($1.18) out the window. We had to stop the bus so that we could send a search party after the 100 rupee note. I am not sure if it was ever found, but we wasted 30 mins as bus riders searched for the missing money.

The views of the valley from the bus were amazing. Toward the end of the trip the stick shift began to have problems, but with a couple of yanks the bus driver was able to get it working again.

What I thought was going to be an empty front seat to
myself.
When I arrived in Pokarah, my first priority was to get my laptop charger, which broke in Chitwan, fixed. It took about 30mins and 200 NPR ($2.35) to fix it at this small street shop. I was suprised it was so cheap since in America it would probably have costed more to fix than buy a new one. It was funny to see the people trying to fix old box TV's and VHS players. Since Nepalese work for so little its much cheaper to fix things than buy a new one, which is much better for the environment.

I am setting off on my trek with a new friend named Sigita from Lithuania and a guide/porter. The guide/porter costs us $10/day, which is a decent price for off season.

At the moment there is a general strike in Nepal. The strike was called by Brahman Chhetri Samah community  is in response to the writers of the new Nepalese constitution ignoring their demands. Due to the strike almost all the shops are closed, which makes it hard to get gear and snacks for our trip. 

Friends from Chitwan
At the moment we are almost all ready to start off on our trip. We are relaxing on the balcony of our hostel enjoying the sun and the annoying birds. There are so many different types of birds around out hostel. Their singing creates a cacophonous noise that wakes us up at sunrise. One bird especially has a annoying cry which starts off low and slow then increases in pitch and frequency. It almost sounds like a nagging kid.

The last couple of days it has been raining cats and dogs, but today seems like its going to be a nice clear day. Sigit and I are thinking about taking a boat ride around the lake in Pokarah. 

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Elefante se Balanceaba Sobre la Tela de una AraƱa


This morning I woke up for an elephant ride safari through Chitwan National Park. Elephants go out into the jungle with four to five people on their backs to see some wildlife. You get on the elephant using a high platform. You then step into a tiny box with two to three other people.

The elephant is then guided by a driver using voice and movement commands, and sometimes a stick, which I thought was sad. We rode through the jungle for about two hours, being whacked by branches.


Recommendations: Wear long pants or your legs will be all scratched up. Wear sneakers, because like with me, a branch can tear your flip-flop off. Then the elephant will have to go back and pick it up with your trunk for you. Also if you are scared of bugs, this is not the trip for you.

I am deathly afraid of spiders so I was freaking out anytime we went through a bush. On many occasions random bugs dropped on me from the leaves, some of which included spiders. When you are in the cramped little box there is nowhere to go so you just have to whack them off.


On one occasion we went through an ant nest and big red ants began to climb up the elephant and onto the tourists. My way to deal with the spiders was to not look for them. If one fell on me I would scream a little then flick it off.

On the safari we got to see a mom and baby rhino bathing in the water along with many deer, monkeys, and bugs. The animals were surprisingly calm around the elephant and tourists, unlike on the walking tour where the animals bolted from the hikers. I heard this was due to the fact that the elephants cover up the human smell so that the animals don't even know you are there.

(Currently there is a gecko climbing on my bedroom wall, how cool.)



After the tour was down we joined the same elephants in the river for a bath. The drivers pulled the tourists on the bare backs of the elephants as they sprayed themselves with water. The drivers used voice commands to direct the elephants to spray water onto their backs, and roll over dumping the tourists into the river.

We helped the drivers scrub the elephants with bricks to remove mud and insects. At first I thought it was kinda mean to scrub an elephant with a brick, but then I realized how thick their skin was. They even seamed to enjoy it.

Lazily the elephants, drivers and tourists played in the water. All parties came out soaking wet.


Side note: At many points I felt bad for the elephants. I am not sure if they like tourists on their backs. I am positive they don't like being hit by sticks. I am not sure how the elephants are treated, they are fed well, they get to roam around the jungle for many hours a day and play in the river. I think that they are probably better off than the elephants in the zoos in America.

I am going to the elephant breeding center in a couple of hours to see how the elephant population in Nepal is maintained.