Varanasi
Khajuraho
Orchha
Agra
Khajuraho
Orchha
Agra
Friday, October 7, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
A few more pictures
The Himalayas from the Temple Tree Hotel in Pokhara
Pashupatinath. A temple in Kathmandu along the holy Bagmati River, where Nepalis cremate their dead relatives.
Patan Durbar Square. Just outside Kathmandu. This complex dates back over 2,000 years.
A photo summarizing Kathmandu
Pashupatinath. A temple in Kathmandu along the holy Bagmati River, where Nepalis cremate their dead relatives.
Patan Durbar Square. Just outside Kathmandu. This complex dates back over 2,000 years.
A photo summarizing Kathmandu
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Trekking
Day 1 -- Nayapul (3,500 ft) to Banthanti (7,200 ft)
My guide and I took a taxi from Pokhara to Nayapul to begin the trek. The drive took an hour and a half and cost about $20--a ridiculously low price to Westerners, a ridiculously high price to Nepalis. Along the way, we passed thousands of goats. The goats were being marched from Tibet, across the Himalayas, to Pokhara to be slaughtered and eaten in a Nepali festival called Dasain.
When we began the trek, we encountered several more herds of goats.
The goats were being led down the same trails we were hiking up. We must have encountered 10,000 goats. Sometimes the goats blocked the trail, and we were forced to stop and wait for them.
My most enduring memories of the trek will surely be the goats.
We also saw natural beauty and scenes of village life.
The day was hard. We climbed 3,700 feet. It was very hot at times. Other times it rained.
We stayed at the Heavenly View Guesthouse in Banthanti.
Though it was very basic, it was clean and had a great view of the valley.
A British trekker observed that "it beats a sleeping bag." He also noted that I was "not much of a trekker" when I asked my guide whether I was supposed to have brought my own towels.
Day 2 -- Banthanti (7,200 ft) to Ghorepani (9,350 ft)
This day's hike was a short but hard climb up to a village called Ghorepani. For part of the hike, we were stuck behind a pack of mules.
I learned much about Nepali life from my guide Gobinda, who spoke good English.
We stayed at the Heavenly View Guesthouse in Banthanti.
Though it was very basic, it was clean and had a great view of the valley.
A British trekker observed that "it beats a sleeping bag." He also noted that I was "not much of a trekker" when I asked my guide whether I was supposed to have brought my own towels.
Day 2 -- Banthanti (7,200 ft) to Ghorepani (9,350 ft)
This day's hike was a short but hard climb up to a village called Ghorepani. For part of the hike, we were stuck behind a pack of mules.
I learned much about Nepali life from my guide Gobinda, who spoke good English.
Most of the climb was up stone steps. I was exhausted when we got to Ghorepani.
Over our trek, we saw several rainbows rising up from and descending down into the valleys.
This is Dhaulagiri (26,795 ft), the seventh highest mountain in the world.
In the next photo is Annapurna I (26,545 ft), the tenth highest mountain in the world.
We spent the night at the Hotel Hilltop in Ghorepani.
It was okay, I guess, but I longed for my nice hotel back in Pokhara. This explains the next day's events.
Day 3-- Ghorepani (9,350 ft) to High Point of Trek (10,500 ft) to Ghandruk (6,400 ft) to Nayapul (3,500 ft)
It was okay, I guess, but I longed for my nice hotel back in Pokhara. This explains the next day's events.
Day 3-- Ghorepani (9,350 ft) to High Point of Trek (10,500 ft) to Ghandruk (6,400 ft) to Nayapul (3,500 ft)
Gobinda had forewarned that the hike from Ghorepani to Ghandruk, where we were scheduled to spend our third night, was the hardest part of the trek. More than once he warned that it would be a "very long day."
We started early and hiked up to the highest point of the trek, at an altitude of about 10,500 feet.
Soon we entered a jungle full of monkeys.
We descended along a river with dozens of waterfalls.
The descent was wet, rocky, and steep, but Gobinda and I went fast. We were making such good time that we agreed to have lunch in Ghandruk. Gobinda said it was the first time he's made it to Ghandruk for lunch in over 50 times doing this trek. I told him I wanted to make it all the way to Nayapul so we could take a taxi back to Pokhara. He said that was impossible and we would die.
We emerged from the jungle on a ridge near Ghandruk. We spotted an avalanche.
We emerged from the jungle on a ridge near Ghandruk. We spotted an avalanche.
We got to Ghandruk and had lunch. We agreed to continue on.
We crossed many waterfalls and saw many waterfalls in the mountains across the valley.
The landscape was covered with rice paddy fields.
Life in the mountains is hard.
The children in this photo are chopping wood.
The people grow and use marijuana, and also sell it to trekkers.
In the rain, we reached a village called Syauli Bazar alongside this river.
We were so close to Nayapul that I convinced Gobinda to continue on. We passed through this waterfall near Nayapul.
And finally we arrived in Nayapul.
Gobinda saw two fellow trekking guides and told them about the day. Their faces showed skepticism. They asked me to verify where we had started from and when we had started. One then remarked about the greatness of Americans.
We hired a taxi back to Pokhara. We drove through a knee-high stream. Water came flowing into the taxi. But we made it back. I took a shower and had a couple of Camparis on the rocks.
Gobinda saw two fellow trekking guides and told them about the day. Their faces showed skepticism. They asked me to verify where we had started from and when we had started. One then remarked about the greatness of Americans.
We hired a taxi back to Pokhara. We drove through a knee-high stream. Water came flowing into the taxi. But we made it back. I took a shower and had a couple of Camparis on the rocks.
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