India Part 1

Cliff and Joyce were ready to head to India too, so we all got on an early bus from Kathmandu to the border town of Sunauli, which was about 7 hours away. As expected, the bus dropped us off in some random place, so we then had to get rickshaws the remaining few kilometres to the actual border crossing. Getting stamped out of Nepal and into India was a pretty straightforward affair and didn't take too long, so the next order of business was finding a local bus to Gorakhpur, the closest city (3 hours away) with a train station. We hadn't booked train tickets in advance, so we were just going to rock up at the station and see what was available. Buying train tickets in India can be a very tedious, painful process as they book out well in advance, but we thought we'd wing it for the first leg. It turned out OK in the end as we were able to get tickets for an overnight train to Varanasi. So far, so good.

When we were last in India in 2009 we didn't make it to Varanasi, so we were looking forward to seeing a new city. Varanasi is one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world and is regarded as one of Hinduism's seven holy cities. It's a fascinatingly chaotic mix of life and death, where pilgrims come to the ghats along the River Ganges to wash away their sins in the sacred waters, or to cremate their loved ones. People on their deathbed flock here to live out their last breaths, as to die in Varanasi is deemed very auspicious because it frees them from the continuous cycle of life and death. The old city, located near the ghats on the banks of the Ganges, is the main tourist area where most accommodation, temples and markets are, so we headed to this area to find a place to stay. 

One of the many ghats along the banks of the River Ganges

We spent four days in Varanasi, wandering the maze of winding alleys that make up the old city, side-stepping massive cows that appear and the shit they deposit everywhere. The ghats are the main tourist sight, which is rather morbid, as this is where cremations take place 24 hours a day. It was a bit of a shock the first time we saw a shrouded body being carried through the alleys down to the riverbank, but it soon became a daily occurrence. It seemed a bit wrong to witness the actual cremations, but because they're done out in the open it's pretty impossible to miss.

Every night on one of the ghats (not a crematory ghat) there is a religious ceremony that is a huge drawcard for both locals and tourists. The ceremony is performed by a group of young priests, all standing on individual platforms at the edge of the ghat, who go through a series of elaborately choreographed and synchronised movements with various items such as a multi-tiered iron lamp, flowers and incense sticks. They repeat the same movements with each item, all whilst chanting in unison. The entire ritual takes about 45mins, and the surrounding area on the ghats, as well as boats out on the river, are packed with people watching. It was pretty interesting, but after 45mins I was definitely ready to move on and in no need of a repeat performance the next night.

Last time we were in India we didn't drink any lassi or chai, a regrettable failure we intended to rectify on this trip. We usually avoid any Lonely Planet recommended places like the plague, but we decided to cave this time and check out Blue Lassi - the most popular lassi shop in the city. Being skeptical from the get-go, we joined the crowds already seated inside and ordered a strawberry lassi from the extensive menu. When we were handed our lassi's which come in a terracotta bowl/cup, we were pleasantly surprised. It was beautifully presented, garnished with fresh strawberry and pistachio nuts. And it tasted amazing. The fresh curd, mixed with ice so it's cold, is still thick and chunky (in a very good way) and the fruit was an extra flavour kick. It's such a refreshing and tasty drink that was gone far too quickly. We were immediately hooked and got our lassi fix every day we were there, but our favourite ended up being a plain lassi which was garnished with pistachio nuts, pomegranate seeds, saffron and rose water and was anything but plain. Every subsequent lassi we tried paled in comparison, so we would definitely agree it's the best lassi not only in Varanasi, but in all of India. Big call, but justified we think.

Plain lassi

Strawberry lassi

Whilst wandering around Varanasi we saw a government authorised bhang shop, so of course we had to partake in some of that legal goodness. Bhang is prepared from the buds and leaves of the female cannabis plant, and the religious sadhus use it like it's going out of fashion. Apparently it aids meditation and helps them achieve a transcendental state. Or they're just getting stoned. The government shops sell it in various forms, and you can also buy bhang lassi's in many places, so we tried the cookies and little balls they called chocolates, which were horrible things with chunks of sugar throughout. Still, they did the trick so we stocked up on supplies not knowing if we'd be able to get it elsewhere. 

Cliff and Joyce left to check out Agra, while we ventured south-east to Kolkata (Calcutta), which was one of our favourite places last time. We headed back to Sudder Street, which is where most tourists stay, and we even found the place we stayed in five years ago - it was noticably more run down (and it was already very shabby in 2009) but of course the price had gone up. We chose somewhere else with less stained sheets and no leaky tap instead. My standards have obviously gone up. We were in Kolkata for five days and unfortunately I was too sick to leave the vicinity of the toilet for at least two days (inevitable in India), but we managed to get out to Dakshineswar Kali Temple before that. It's a pretty cool Hindu temple located right on the bank of the Hooghly River. Apart from the main temple, there are rooms in the compound containing twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva as well the odd fertility shrine which were getting a good stroking. There's also a bathing ghat along the riverfront which had a constant crowd of people.

Dakshineswar Kali Temple

While I was sick Kurt went to check out a Jain temple that's a major tourist attraction because it's an impressive structure decorated with mirrors, coloured stones and glass mosaics. Kurt said it was pretty cool, but just another temple really.

Something we didn't do last time was make a visit to Mother House, which is the charity centre where Mother Teresa's tomb is located as well as the room where she worked and slept for 44 years. We're very anti-religion, but Mother Teresa is such an iconic figure so it was interesting to see. And did you know she was Albanian? I didn't. We also had a very brief trip to the races before we left Kolkata, which is a totally different experience to home - no-one is in their glad rags, and it's pretty much a men only event. Apart from that we of course had to re-visit our favourite restaurant just off Sudder Street, and we were pleased to see it hadn't changed a bit in five years. Although this time we didn't see a large rat running around. The awesome street food was still out in force every night too, so we were very happy to sample the tasty treats again. Then we were ready to jump on a train to Delhi for a few days.

One of the many street food delights

We just had a couple of days in the capital before moving on again, so we went to Jama Masjid, which is the largest and best known mosque in India. After removing our shoes, paying a pretty steep camera fee of 300 rupees (AU$5.50) and donning a pretty spectacularly ugly muumuu-type number to cover up (just me), we were free to enter. The architecture of the mosque is fairly impressive and the courtyard is so huge up to 25,000 people can pray there at a time. But a much more impressive place of worship that we visited was the Lotus Temple.

Stylish

The Lotus Temple is a stunningly designed building in the shape of a lotus flower and is a Bahá'í House of Worship, which means it's open to everyone, regardless of religion. After joining the crowds already lined up, we were allowed to enter the vast temple and sit in silence for as long as we wanted. They were very strict in enforcing the silence policy, and people were asked to leave (with silent gestures) if they continued to break it. 

After a couple of days in Delhi we were ready to go to Agra and re-visit another favourite in India - the majestic Taj Mahal. The city of Agra is a bit of a shithole to be honest, but we didn't want to rush a day trip from Delhi so we stayed three nights. This meant we could take our time wandering around the Taj Mahal without having to rush back to get on a train, and also visit other sites nearby. The weather was a bit cooler and the early mornings had been very misty, so we decided to wait until mid-morning so we would have a clear view of one of the "New" 7 Wonders of the World. Even though we've seen it before, it's still an incredibly beautiful monument (probably the most beautiful mausoleum ever built) and I doubt that would change no matter how many times you see it. 

The next day, on recommendation from Cliff and Joyce, we paid a visit to Fatehpur Sikri - a walled city about 35km from Agra. The large complex contains some impressive architectural buildings, mainly of red sandstone, including a palace and a mosque. It was quite different to other places we'd visited, so it was an interesting place to walk around for an hour or so. 

After more than enough time in Agra, it was back on the train to Delhi for a couple more days. This time we had just enough time to check out the Red Fort, which was the emperor's residence back in the day. The sprawling compound is surrounded by massive walls of red sandstone (hence the name), and because it's now a major tourist attraction there are the usual shops and stalls lining the entrance, selling all kinds of shit you don't need at inflated prices. There are plenty of buildings and structures to check out which are still very well preserved for the most part, and the gardens are a nice escape from the relentless hustle and bustle of Delhi.

Three weeks into our Indian journey we wanted to change pace and get away to somewhere with a much slower, relaxed feeling for a few days, so making tracks north to Rishikesh sounded good to us.

Paragliding in Pokhara

After completing the trek we spent another six days in Pokhara just chilling out and enjoying a bit of pampering - cheap as chips haircuts, head massage and a relaxing full body massage. Just what the doctor ordered after two weeks of trekking. But we couldn't completely end the adventures, so after convincing Joyce to join us, the four of us went paragliding. Pokhara valley is one of the best places in the world to go tandem paragliding for several reasons: stable thermals (necessary for lift), convenient take-off and landing sites, but mostly because of the stunning views of the lake as well as the Annapurna and Himalayan mountains. We really didn't need any more reasons to do it. There are heaps of paragliding companies in the lakeside area and they all offer tandem flights for the same price of US$75 for a 30 minute flight. Not cheap, but a hell of a lot cheaper than at home, so why the hell not? We asked around a few but we ended up going with Frontiers Paragliding, which was conveniently located right next door to our hotel. Once we all booked in and paid, we just had to hope for good weather the following day.

We'd opted for the midday flight, as this is supposed to be the best time of day due to prime conditions for thermals, which creates the best lift. The take-off site is about a 15min drive up in the hills to Sarangkot, which is at an altitude of 1,500m. There were people and parachutes all over the hill-side launch area, so after being assigned to a pilot each, we joined the throng of people to wait our turn. The actual take-off is a little unnerving, but much easier and smoother than expected. Once strapped into the harness in front of the pilot, he tells you to run downhill and keep running off the edge, until there's nothing but air under your feet. You then relax back into the harness and are quite comfortably seated for the rest of the flight. The next 30 minutes were spent flying over the local countryside in the valley, experiencing the unique thermal lift which can take you quickly rising up high above everything within seconds. It was a bit cool, but not uncomfortable, so we were all able to enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake below and three of the tallest mountains in the world, all over 8,000m. To finish off we did some acrobatic flying (descending in a spiral) before landing smoothly beside the lake. What an experience, and an unforgettable way to see the stunning views around Pokhara valley.

The take-off site

We decided it was time to head back to Kathmandu to apply for our Indian tourist visas, which was our next stop. Cliff and Joyce were heading there too, so the four of us took the long, bumpy bus ride back to the capital. From everything we'd read online, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu was no longer issuing 6 month tourist visas, but we figured we'd just apply anyway and take 3 months if that's all they gave us. But first we had to fill in the ridiculous online application form. Because we'd also heard that they were really anal and would reject application forms for no apparent reason, we all stressed over what to put in various sections of the form. Kurt and I even went so far as to print out two versions and decide which was best on the day. The whole process was made even more frustrating by the intermittent internet access, so we were pretty over it in the end. On a Monday morning we all arrived bright and early (7:45am) to be the first in line outside the Embassy, waiting for it to open at 9:30am. Once in, Cliff and Joyce were first to submit their applications with no apparent problems, so Kurt and I were next up. After an anxious wait as the woman scanned our applications, we were relieved when they were both accepted. It cost us $55 each, but poor Cliff and Joyce got screwed because they're British - they had to pay a whopping $150 each. Fuck that. Even more reason to hope theirs were processed! We had to wait until that Friday to go back and find out if we'd all been approved, which, thankfully we had. Kurt and I had applied for 6 month visas, just in case, and for some strange reason only Kurt was issued with this - I got a 3 month visa instead which we had been expecting for both of us. Maybe Australia had just been extra nice to India recently. Due to yet another annoying quirk in the issuing process, we wouldn't actually receive our passports back until the following Monday, meaning we had to spend another weekend in Kathmandu. Very bloody annoying.

We couldn't be fucked doing anything touristy in Kathmandu, so we just waited it out until we could get our passports back and leave for India. So with them safely back in our possession on the Monday, we made plans to cross the border early the next day. India, here we come.

Extreme trekking around the Annapurna Circuit

The Annapurna Circuit is, as the name suggests, a circular trek in the Annapurna mountain range, covering up to 230kms depending on where you start and end the trek and how much vehicle transport you use. For the same reason, it can take anywhere from 15 to 25 days. The Circuit has been open to foreign tourists since 1977 and is still widely considered one of the best treks in the world. Well, we were about to judge that for ourselves.

There are two preferred times of the year for visiting Nepal, and for trekking, peak season is from late September to early December as this is the best weather - cool and clear. Another wave of trekkers come in late February to early April as the weather is much warmer at this time, although it might be a little bit hazier. The four of us intrepid travellers, however, had chosen to tackle the Circuit in the middle of January which is the dead of winter. We were hoping to be blessed with relatively warm, clear days but we would have to suffer through freezing (and usually well in to the negatives) nights with no heating to keep us warm. Oh, and of course there might be some snow in places. We had been keenly monitoring the weather in the days leading up to our departure and there had been no major snowfall, so we were crossing fingers we'd be unimpeded along the trek.

Bright and early in the morning (about 5:30am) we got a local bus up to the central part of Pokhara where all the buses leave from, but we then had to wait about an hour until one was leaving for Besisahar which is a small town where the trek begins. The majority of people do the trek in an anti-clockwise direction, as the daily altitude increase is slower and crossing the high Thorong La Pass is easier and safer. As is always the case in Nepal, this 100km or so journey took us several hours, but at least it gave us a chance to rest up a little bit more before starting the trek. The bus dropped us off in Besisahar right across the road from the first check point for the trek (very convenient), so after signing in and showing our permits we were off.

Click here to open a map of our route on the Circuit.

DAY 1: Besisahar (760m altitude) - Nadi Bazaar (930m)
The first thing to notice when we set off was that it didn't feel like we were in the mountains at all. Probably because we weren't at that point. We spent a bit over 4 hours walking the first day, and all of it was along a dusty, winding and slowly inclining road with frequent jeeps and local traffic passing us in either direction. It was also bloody warm which I guess wasn't too much of a surprise considering we were hardly at altitude yet. There was also constant civilisation, with small villages and towns along the way with the locals going about their daily business. After stopping at Bhulbule and having lunch, we didn't have too much further to go til we reached the small settlement of Nadi Bazaar, which is where we spent the first night. Throughout the entire trek are these small local villages with tea houses (guesthouses), which is where trekkers are offered accommodation and food along the way. The rooms are always very basic, usually with two single beds (often a rather thin and/or firm mattress) with sheet, pillow and a blanket (sometimes we had to ask for one, or for extra blankets), no heating and usually very drafty, with shared squat toilet. If there were ever showers we didn't know about them, but during the winter it's actually more dangerous to get wet at high altitudes as it's very difficult to get warm again. Plus, the chance of hot water was pretty much slim to none. Food offered is again fairly basic, but usually nice and filling, with the main staple being dal bhat - a big plate of rice with side dishes of dal (lentil soup) and various vegetable and pickled items, and often a poppadom or prawn crackers. The best thing about this dish is that in most tea houses they give free refills, which is music to a hungry trekker's ears. The guides and locals in Nepal are very fond of a saying - "Dal bhat power, 24 hour", especially on the trek. Kurt and Cliff would end up having this virtually every night, so along with egg and vegetable fried noodles for lunch, we didn't have what you'd call a varied diet. As for the price of accommodation in these tea houses, I'm not sure what it's like in peak season, but the four of us would ask around when we arrived each afternoon until we got a place that would give us free rooms as long as we ate dinner and breakfast there. I think this is pretty standard practice if you know to ask, except maybe when it's really busy.

These kids loved posing for photos in Nadi Bazaar

Dal bhat

Our daily lunch of veg + egg fried noodles

DAY 2: Nadi Bazaar (930m) - Jagat (1,300m)
Every morning soon followed the same routine - get up, eat breakfast (usually champa porridge which is a delicious thick brown concoction made of either barley or corn), sterilise water, pack and set off by 8am at the latest. Day 2 was another warm day of trekking along the road, and when we reached Jagat 7 hours later, we were delighted to hear they had a hot shower. It was roasting hot with good pressure and it felt great to wash off the sweat and dirt after a day's trekking. This was to be our first and only hot shower for the entire 14 days. 




Village kids playing soccer

DAY 3: Jagat (1,300m) - Dharapani (1,860m)
The first 3 days of trekking was through quite varied landscape - along flat valleys, next to rivers, through canyons and with tall trees towering around. It was also still quite warm during the day, although by the time the sun was going down the cold quickly set in and would leach any remaining warmth from our bodies. When we arrived in Dharapani at the end of Day 3, it was almost like a ghost town - there was hardly a soul to be seen and many of the tea houses appeared to be shut up for the season so we weren't left with much choice this time. It was here that Joyce and I learnt a lesson - do not order pizza while trekking because you will be disappointed. And still hungry. There's a very good reason dal bhat is usually the best choice.

DAY 4: Dharapani (1,860m) - Chame (2,670m)
This was our biggest altitude increase so far, but we were trying to cover as much ground as possible each day without overdoing it or risking the chance of altitude sickness. And for the first time, there were other trekkers staying at the tea house we chose. We met a French couple who were going to have to get a jeep back down to Besisahar the next day, as they'd wrongly been told there were ATM's along the trek. It was such a waste of time and money, we felt sorry for them. But we were more angry at whatever morons had told them there were ATM's available - they obviously had no idea what they were talking about and it was just ridiculous information to pass onto someone. There are dickheads in every corner of the world. It was also the first time we had a fire in the dining area to keep the chill away at night. And when I say fire, I mean a barrel of burning charcoal, but it does the job nicely. We were all very reluctant to leave the warmth and retire to our freezing cold rooms.

DAY 5: Chame (2,670m) - Lower Pisang (3,200m)
Sometimes the decision on where to stay was as simple as how much further we had to walk. Such was the case when we reached Lower Pisang. Upper Pisang was clearly visible across the river, but as it involved walking further uphill, we very quickly ruled it out (Cliff would have been happy to continue up, but he's a freak and didn't seem to suffer like the rest of us. Annoyingly). We found a place with a fire and a couple of rooms with not too much draft (we hoped), so we settled in for a late lunch and some card playing before dinner. We were soon joined by a group of three others - two Americans and a Canadian (working for Outward Bound), but they proved to be rather unstimulating and reluctant conversationalists. Cards it is then. Long after going to bed (we'd usually turn in at about 8-9pm) I got up at about 3am for a trip to the outside toilet, and what do you know - it was snowing! Obviously 3am is not the time to be waking others to point this out, so I went back to bed.

DAY 6: Snowed in at Lower Pisang (3,200m)
The morning revealed the extent of the snowfall, which covered everything at least a foot thick. And it was still snowing. We headed down to breakfast to discuss our options, but clearly the smartest thing to do was stay in Lower Pisang and wait out the storm, especially since the track was now completely obliterated by a foot of undisturbed snow. The three girls had other ideas though - being Outward Bounders they were obviously seasoned professionals and knew everything, so even after consulting their magical weather predicting barometer watches (which indicated the storm was worsening), they decided the best course of action was to set out into the snowstorm and see what happened. Great idea ladies. We were half hoping they'd show up again later that day, but we did find out they didn't make it very far before having to give up. Take that bitches! And just to further prove their stupidity, they'd left their boots outside the night before so they got wet in the snow. At least us inexperienced trekkers didn't make that schoolboy error! So while they were out wandering in the snowstorm, in between bouts of helping shovel snow off the roof, we settled in for the day to play cards, read and eat, in what we thought would be relative comfort. However, it turned out to have the worst, most ineffective fire imaginable which probably wasn't helped by the fact there were gaps, some fairly gaping, in the walls. It would be awesome if they learned how to construct a building properly, maybe with no gaps and perhaps even some insulation - kind of necessary at this altitude in the middle of winter when temperatures are below freezing. Also not helping the situation were the Nepalese who are all obviously born in tents - they are incapable of shutting a door behind them, despite letting in freezing cold air and snow. Kurt inevitably lost his patience and we all had to resort to getting up and closing the doors ourselves.

Joyce getting stuck into some snow shovelling

DAY 7: Lower Pisang (3,200m) - Manang (3,540m)
The next day dawned bright and clear, and thankfully others had left before us to mark the track. However, it was still pretty slow going as we'd sink into snow almost up to our knees which resulted in permanently wet feet and legs. After stopping for lunch we noticed a large group of people approaching from the other direction, and after a few quick words with some of them their guide proceeded to tell us to turn around as it was pointless to continue further because Thorong La was impassable. He wasn't even polite about it either, so we just said silent fuck you's and continued on our merry way. No-one was telling us what to do thank you very much! After 7.5 hours of trekking through the snow we reached Manang, which is probably the largest village on this side of the trek. It's also where the road ends, so from hereon out all supplies have to be trekked up the mountain. We ended up at a tea house with two Canadian girls (and their guide and porter) we'd been leapfrogging all day, and after dinner we spent the entire night trying to dry everything by the fire (and not burn it in the process) - a nightly, and sometimes futile, event from hereon in.

DAY 8: Manang (3,540m) - Yak Kharka (4,050m)
Another hard slog of trekking through knee deep snow up and down ridges and valleys, with the sun blazing down on us (and yet not having much warmth). When we finally trudged into Yak Kharka I had a thumping headache from the blinding reflection of sun on snow (my sunnies aren't polarised), and I felt a bit sick and dodgy in general. I was worried it was altitude sickness setting in, but thankfully I felt better after food and rest. Everyone else seemed to be holding up well too. While eating and drying our clothes yet again, Mark (English) and Lawrence (Aussie) rolled on into the dining room. They were on their way back down after a failed attempt to cross the Thorong La pass, but after hearing we were continuing up the next day, Mark decided to head back up with us and Lawrence would go down by himself. Earlier in the day we'd passed a Kiwi guy with his wife and son who were also on their way down after being told crossing the pass was impossible, so we were very surprised to see him walk in that evening. Turns out that after talking to us he left his wife and son to head back up and try and make another attempt to cross the pass with us. His good intentions didn't last long though, as he got the guilts and went back down again the next day.

DAY 9: Yak Kharka (4,050m) - High Camp (4,833m)
This proved to be a pretty tough day. When we set out, Kurt, Joyce and I were adamant there was no way were going all the way to High Camp in one day - it was simply too much (an increase in altitude of almost 800m). After a harrowing walk along a very narrow and slippery trail which was dangerously close to the edge and a steep drop to the valley below (cue freakout for me), we made it to Thorung Phedi, about 300m below High Camp. We had all intentions of stopping there for the night so we had lunch, then debated what to do as it looked like more snow was imminent. Believe it or not they had satellite TV at the tea house (and yet they don't have walkie talkies or working phones to communicate between villages - go figure), so we were able to watch the weather forecast on the BBC. We all wanted to get as far as we could and refused to give up at this late stage, so we pushed on to High Camp. We'd come this far, might as well keep going - fucked if we were turning back! The two Canadian girls also made it to Thorung Phedi and were settling in for the night, but when we told them we were continuing up to High Camp they convinced their guide to take them too. The 300m up to High Camp was a very steep trek over rocky, slippery ground, so we were ecstatic to finally arrive. This is the highest place to stay before crossing the pass, so it's probably the smallest camp on the trek. There ended up being quite a few of us though, as apart from us and the Canadians there was also a French guy and his maniac Czech mate who had powered on way ahead. We dubbed him the Czech Tractor as he could plow through anything. Funnily enough, it turns out he sold tractors for a living too. No shit. A couple of hours after we arrived at High Camp it started snowing, but we made plans to get up at 5am anyway and see what conditions were like - who knows, we might be able to make it across. Just as we were going to bed at about 8pm we saw a couple of lights coming down over the mountain. Who the fuck would be out trekking at 8pm in the middle of a snowstorm? It was a Chinese couple and their guide (that they'd picked up along the way - somehow) who'd set out from Muktinath, which is the other side of the pass, 15 hours ago. Crazy bastards. To attempt the crossing in that direction is difficult enough, let alone in the middle of winter. Hats off to them, I couldn't have done it.

DAY 10: Snowed in at High Camp (4,833m)
When we got up at 5am after all having a sleepless night, it was still snowing and didn't look like stopping. We knew it was far too dangerous to attempt to cross the pass in a snowstorm, so we spent the whole day debating what we were going to do. Wait and see what happens, or give up and go back down? The Canadian girls went back down that day, in the snow, at the insistence of their retarded guide. We're pretty sure he'd never guided in the winter as he didn't seem to know anything. We all had cabin fever and were anxious to get over the pass, but at what risk? Was it worth it? All we knew was, it was demoralising to think about turning back now. So with that in mind we all agreed to hire two of the locals to break the path for us and guide us over the pass and down into Muktinath the next day, weather willing. Czech Tractor was confident he could break the path himself, but we knew it was far too dangerous to try and find our own way without a path to follow or a guide. So the Czech relented and we negotiated a fee for our guides. We all went to bed that night nervous yet hopeful.

Snowed in at High Camp

DAY 11: High Camp (4,833m) - Thorong La Pass (5,416m) - Muktinath (3,760m)
Getting up at 4:30am we saw it was still lightly snowing, but we figured it was now or never. In an attempt to keep our feet and legs as dry as possible, Kurt and I wore rubbish bags over our feet and duct taped them up our legs over our pants. Then, while it was still dark we set off on the gruelling climb. Our two guides were very young, one of which was a 16 year old Gurkha and he was hard as fuck. He made the whole day seem like a walk in the park and he'd have a ciggie whenever he could. Unbelievable. However, because the two guides were so young and light they basically glided over the snow, barely making a dent. That left the guys following the difficult task of actually breaking the path for us through waist deep snow. Mark, Cliff and Czech Tractor took it in turns doing this, following the kid who was practically skipping ahead. It was quite possibly one of the worst days of my life. Howling wind, biting snow, fuck all visibility, -25 degrees, frozen fingers and toes, struggling to breathe...please let it end. It took us about 5 hours to climb the 583m up to the pass, and fuck me if that wasn't a welcome sight when it finally emerged. We had a quick snack on frozen muesli bars and attempted to get some water that wasn't frozen solid, posed for photos, then before we actually froze to death in the howling gale we set off on the descent. This didn't turn out to be much more fun either. It took us several hours to descend the 1,636m as at least half the time was spent on our asses. Every couple of steps would result in a slip, fall or tumble, and the ensuing struggle to get back up was frustrating to say the least. After 10 hours we finally arrived in Muktinath where we promptly washed up (good old baby wipes), changed, and fed our faces. Despite it being a horrifically difficult day, we were all stoked to have made it over when everyone else had said it was impossible. High fives all round. To our surprise, we saw the Canadian girls walk in not long after us - they'd finally cracked the shits with their guide and demanded he take them over. Well done girls.

Victory at Thorong La Pass!

DAY 12: Rest day in Muktinath (3,760m)
Fucked if we were walking anywhere after yesterday's hellish effort, so the four of us had a rest day just chilling out by the heater. The other three guys headed to the next village and our two guides, quite possibly still drunk after a night on the piss, had to head back over the pass to High Camp. What insane, hard bastards.

DAY 13: Muktinath (3,760m) - Jomson (then bus to Larjung - 2,560m)Going down is so much easier than going up, although there was still snow and ice on the ground which made for some slippery going. We'd decided to walk as far as Jomson where we had lunch, then waited for the bus to take us further down to Larjung which was a ride in itself. I'm surprised we didn't roll over several times or blow a tyre with the rough terrain we drove over.

DAY 14: Larjung (2,560m) - Ghasa (then jeep to Beni - 899m)
This was our final day of the trek, where we walked from Larjung to Ghasa. We started out walking along the road which followed next to a river, then we crossed over to an 'alternate' path which would be more scenic. However, it ended up being the 'alternate alternate' path which was fucking horrible as it was mostly on a dodgy narrow pine covered (and therefore slippery) path with a steep drop-off to one side. I'm OK with heights as long as there's a barrier or I don't get too close to the edge, so I was very much not OK with this path. At least it was warm this time and we made it to Ghasa in just under 4.5 hours. We then had to wait hours for a non-existent bus that people kept telling us was coming, so we finally had no choice but negotiate (and still get ripped off) a jeep ride to Beni. By this stage we all just wanted to get the fuck out of there, but it was a pretty awful ride. After some dodgy driving where the guy deliberately swerved towards, and narrowly missed, a dog, good old Joyce cursed the man when we got out (after thanking him of course - she has manners). Beni is a shithole of a town so thankfully we were just there for the night before getting a bus back to Pokhara the next day.

We made it back to Pokhara at lunchtime the following day, where first order of business was to de-stinkify after two weeks of unwashed sweat and grime. Being clean never felt so good. Food was a close second, and it was a pleasure to eat something other than fried noodles or dal bhat. That night was spent celebrating our success with beers and burgers, and collapsing into a bed with the comforting knowledge we didn't have to wear five layers to avoid freezing to death.

As with all of the physically demanding challenges we've undertaken on this trip, we did no training or preparation whatsoever. But that just goes to show anyone can do what we've done - you don't have to be a freakishly fit athlete to do it. Despite it being one of the most difficult things we've ever done, the sense of achievement upon successfully completing the Circuit, in the middle of winter, was huge. It really is a stunningly beautiful landscape to spend two weeks, and although the time of year we did it made it so much more difficult, it was also that much more rewarding. Another bonus for doing it this time of year is the complete lack of people around - we'd go for hours, if not all day, without seeing another trekker, which is the total opposite to peak season where the track and tea houses are packed. When we passed through a checkpoint we asked how many people usually pass through each day in the different seasons. The guy said when we were doing it about 20-30 people per day, but in peak season that explodes to 300+ per day. I know which I'd prefer. So, if you love trekking and are after a challenge - try the Annapurna Circuit in the middle of January. It's an experience of a lifetime.