10.04.2007
Annapurna Circuit trek - Days 1-5: Besi Sahar to Chame
Our trek began, as most do, with a gruelling 7 hour bus ride - from Kathmandu to Besi Sahar. We were on a local bus, and these are hot, sweaty, crowded, and have the habit of stopping every five minutes to pick up and drop off passengers.
From Besi Sahar we trekked for a couple of hours to our first stop, a tiny settlement called Khudi located by a roaring river. Dinner was al fresco and by candlelight (by virtue of a power failure - a frequent occurence here). Our room was a very basic little crate inside what seemed like a tin shed, and came complete with a resident big hairy spider. The only way I could sleep was to tuck my mosquito net securely all the way around my threadbare mattress!!!
The first few days of our trek were somewhat frustrating as we seemed to climb very very slowly with lots of ascents followed by descents! The vegetation was sub tropical with bamboo forests, ferns and lots of wild cannabis plants.
Along the way we passed through the gorgeous little village of Tal (Tal means Lake) located in a quite stunning broad flat valley of smooth round river pebbles and rocks with the river rushing through it. Before you enter the village you pass through a kani (a big white Tibetan buddhist archway) and then rock hop along lots of stepping stones across the river.
Wall of prayer wheels outside Chamje
On Day 3 we entered a region marked by Tibetan Buddhism - with lots of opportunities to visit little Buddhist monasteries. All along the way we saw Tibetan prayer flags fluttering in the wind, chortens (little stone cairns) and walls of prayer wheels. We also enjoyed the best shower in the region - a solar powered hot shower in the town of Chamje! Our first glimpses of snow capped mountains started to appear as well.
Views of Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal on the way to Chame
On Day 5 we reached an altitude where you started to feel the effects of lower oxygen concentrations - 2710m at the town of Chame. After this we climbed only about 400-500m maximum per day so that we could acclimatise safely, and to prevent Acute Mountain Sickness.
