ANNAPURNA: Adventure in the Misty Mountains

           ANNAPURNA: Adventure in the Misty Mountains

 

Travelling is always the best option to live a life. You want to achieve various things in your life. Amidst all these dreams, you want to live in nature freely, far away from home where you are no one but yourself. With aspirations to go into the wild, a life away from the hustle and bustle of city life, I and my three other friends planned a trip to Annapurna Base Camp, commonly known as ABC. ABC trekking covers a trail that usually can be completed in 7-8 days.

Before talking about the journey, let us know about Annapurna Mountains. Annapurna I is the 10th highest mountain in the world, at 8,061 meters above sea level. Several peaks of Annapurna include one peak over 8,000 meters, 13 peaks over 7,000 meters and 16 more over 6,000 meters. The Summit of Annapurna I was first reached in 1950 by a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog. ABC is the area that is used as the base camp for climbers intending to ascend the Namesake Mountains. With a view of watching these serene mountains with our own naked eyes, we were set to kick start our journey from Kathmandu.

First day of the trek was about traveling to New Bridge (two hours from Pokhara) by bus. From there on, we started our trekking. Walking a few hours, we reached Birethanti. As it was already getting dark, we settled at one of the hotels in Shyaulibazar. The next day, early morning, we moved from there, following road trails up to Sewai. The day was about walking the whole day, covering Ghandruk village way up to Chhomrong. The path was a bit difficult, especially from Jhinu Danda, as it was steep hills which took us 3 hours to reach Chhomrong village. Until this, we were used to getting Namaste and Hello gestures from fellow travelers, mostly foreigners. We could hardly see any Nepalese travelers except porters and guides. That day we were a bit tired due to 14 hours of walking. The Himalayan ranges seen from Chhomrong were simply breathtaking. The landscapes seen from there remind us of the Hollywood flick "The Hobbits." We had the best of times until someone warned us about the crowded teahouses and hotels beyond Chhomrong. As we noticed the flow of travelers on the way, we started worrying about what could happen next.

But the quest to reach ABC couldn't stop us from our journey even though we were just halfway to the trip. Moreover we were there without any bookings through travel agencies or guides, and the flux of travelers could mean a lack of rooms available in limited guest houses/Teahouses. That night went past with anxious feelings, trying our best to arrange accommodations and calling anyone we knew but to no avail.

On the third morning, we woke up to witness the beautiful picturesque mountains opposite Chhomrong. The desire to reach ABC could not prevent us from walking despite the problems of accommodations. On the way, we said to ourselves, whatever happens, and we are not stopping, we were ready to accommodate ourselves in whichever way possible. Walking a couple of hours more, we reached Sinwa. From there on, our journey set for long walking trails into the woods through Rhododendron forest. This particular trail was relatively more manageable as we were used to walking now. We reached Bamboo after three more hours and had lunch there. Amidst talking about the teahouse owner's accommodations, we walked from there to Dovan and settled that night at Himalaya Lodge. We couldn't get rooms there, and all the rooms were packed. We didn't know what we needed to do.
We desperately pleaded to provide only space outside the lodge, but due to extreme coldness, they restricted doing so. After numerous requests, especially by our female friend, we were finally given dining rooms. The best nights were by listening to travel stories from a few porters who were also adjusted with us.-

The next morning which was the fourth day of our trek, after having breakfast there, we began our walking. Our mission was to reach Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC) or ABC as there was only 2 hours distance between them. After walking a few hours, we reached Deurali, the Gateway to Annapurna sanctuary. The way was the most enthralling as trails were between the tall big Rocky Mountains. We could see the serene waterfall in the middle of the mountains. On the way, we started seeing snowy paths. Every traveler was just in awe of the beauty of misty mountains. We could see the happy faces of travelers who were returning from ABC. With more excitement, we gazed through such wonderland to MBC. Luckily, we were able to get rooms after one of the travelers happened to cancel his booking. We stayed that day there to acclimatize to the climate. The wind was blowing fiercely. We could feel the cold there, getting ourselves warm with our clothes. With no network there, I paid Rs 200 to use Wi-Fi. We began preparing for our ultimate destination ABC.

On the fifth day morning in the wee hours, we woke up as early as 3 am to witness the Glorious Annapurna as sunrise would affect the perfect views. After strolling for 2 hours, moving sloppy snow-clad way, taking garlic, and carrying mild headaches, we finally reached Annapurna base camp. We could see the number of travelers from different nationalities feeling joyous being in the lap of the Mountains. I can't express my happiness on reaching there. The struggles were quickly forgotten. One of my friends popped 'Waah Himal Waah Nepal.' Indeed it was such a fantastic feeling I could ever have felt all my life. After spending the enthralling time there, we moved down hills playing with snow along the way, basking in the memories of what we had seen just before.

Somewhat it took us six full days to complete our trekking. One of the porters praised us and compared to themselves as we approached our trekking. Many of the porters were now known to us as we mostly had a chat during our walking. It struck me when they carried 40-50 kg of load for their living and were not happy with what they were paid except for the tips they got from a foreigner. During season time in October/November or March/April, there is an overflow of travelers, which creates ample opportunities for the people having business over there. But in the off-season, the tourism industry gets halted. Tourism Board should ensure the business systematically creates opportunities so they don't have to stop their business. I even would like to urge all the traveling lovers from Nepal to explore our own country. I hardly noticed Nepalese travelers except a few. There are so many places which should be promoted and explored. Tourism holds a great perspective in Nepal beyond the Agricultural sectors. We need to start thinking about having an independent economy. Traveling should be taken as serious business.

Lastly, all I wanted to say is Go and explore the territories of new heavens in Nepal. Live and travel. Traveling is an excellent aspect of having a perfect life. 

(This article is published in the Travel and Lifestyle section of English National daily "The Himalayan Times" dated 1st June 2017)