Opposite of Early Bird

[From my hiking journal]

March 12, 2009

From Ghorepani to Tatopani

Old Kamala Guest House, Room 503

Day 11 of Hiking

Last night I had awful dreams about being burned by fire because I saw the fire burning in a long line down the mountain before we went to sleep. I dreamed I lost my cat and my baby in the fire. Today as we made our way from Ghorepani to here, we saw several burning, the smoke rising from all the different fires making one huge cloud above us.

I could still see the lengthening line of fire as we started up Poon Hill at 5:30 this morning. It was not as cold going up as I thought it would be, but at the top the wind was serious. I tried to think happy thoughts on the hike to the top, but I just got so angry because every time I thought I was at the top of the mountain, there was a turn and 100 more stairs to climb. It was 3,000+ meters high. It probably took me close to an hour to reach the top. There was a lookout tower, but I assumed the wind was even worse up there and let Kenny and CB check it out on their own. Needless to say, I was not a happy hiker. When the sun rose, it was pretty and the mountains were bigger than life, but it was still hazy and I was cold. I did manage a smile for one or two pictures, but I was not awed by the mountains.

Perhaps that is one of my defects. We come out here and I'm confronted by the Himalayas themselves, and yet, I remain nonplussed. I would have rather hiked up later, not in the dark, missed the haze, and seen the mountains at a decent time of day. Or just skipped it altogether. Even at Annapurna Base Camp, I wasn't blown away. I guess mountains just aren't my thing. Oh well, no one can say I didn't try. 

After hiking back down, we had a beautiful breakfast including delicious hashbrowns and headed down toward Tatopani. Tato being hot in Nepali and pani being water. And by down, I mean down. It was downhill all the way. If you ask, my knees will tell you all about it. I listened to the Funeral album by Arcade Fire and ended with In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, both fitting perfectly and suprisingly motivational on hikes! [Thank you, Rob, so much!]

We didn't get to Tatopani until 4:00 pm so it had been a slow day. We headed straight for the hot springs. I was unimpressed. The water wasn't anywhere near hot-tub hot and due to all the fires, the pool was filled with ash. I didn't last long, being the only woman in the pool anyway. It was weird. The fires had come all the way down to the tree line, where the people who lived there had started fires of their own to make sure it didn't pass down into the town. 

Tonight we met a British man who talked to us during dinner. He says the roads they're constructing will kill the tourist trade. Why hike somewhere if you can just take a taxi instead? After dinner we played Go Stop with CB again. I'm giving him my trekking shoes and izen because the shoes fit him perfectly. Our feet our the same size. Exactly. We were so lucky to have him as our guide.

I got blisters today- on our last day of real hiking!

The Happy Hiker

An overview of my time hiking. In retrospect, I'm so glad that we did it. But that comes with perspective and also no longer trekking  4 to 5 hours a day. I'm working on a few posts that are a bit more detailed and give you an idea of what we did in the mountains. I've compiled a few photos for your viewing pleasure! Let me know if you guys like the smilebox thing. Thought I'd try something new and different. 

On vacation in Florida at my Mamaw and Papaw's house in Estero. Spending my days in the pool with the HubbO and stuffing my face. However, I have taken to treading water for a half hour at the time on top of my every-other-day runs. So hopefully the cardio will cancel out all the homemade banana pudding, sausage and biscuits, steak, and other delicious homecooked concoctions my Mamaw keeps throwing my way! 

Make a Smilebox postcard

Can We Say Slacker?

Do not believe this picture. I was not this happy all the time. Rare moment on our trek. With our guide CB somewhere in the Annapurnas.

Dear Friends,

I am sorry that I haven't been writing about all my great honeymoon adventures here regularly. But when you're in a country with limited electricity (only 8 hours a day and in 4 hour increments, sometimes while you're asleep) and where you have to pay to use the internet by the hour, it makes doing more than emailing the mumsie and checking the Book of the Face a bit tedious.

But I am thinking about you often, and during my 12 day Annapurna trek (in which I reached Annapurna Base Camp, world rejoice!!), I longed for the days I was stuck in my lovely Seoul apartment with no mountains to climb and only being concerned with what to blog about! I promise that once I reach the homestead in the States that I will dutifully update you as to my many misadventures WITH PICTURES because my husband is freaking awesome with the camera!

For now, a small list to tide you over:

1. Got my hair locked in Bangkok. Incredibly smart idea because it made the showerless mountain trekking much more bearable.

2. On the first day of our trek, I lost all our money and my passport.

3. Our guide, Cholandra, is the best guy EVER and I feel like I have a Nepali brother.

4. After a few days of being jerked around by the bus driver and an entire 8 hours at the Tourist Police office, we got all my money back. And someone had turned in my passport to the Embassy.

5. In Pokhara, there were cockroaches in our hotel room. Big ones. Plural. IN OUR BED.

6. I am currently stuck in Kathmandu waiting on my Indian visa.

7. Today at Pashupati (sp?) we watched a cremation.

8. Yesterday, I was almost attacked by an old cranky monkey. And I saw a puppy! Tiny!

9. I am kept awake nightly by the live music in Thamel. Earplugs do not help.

10. My husband is amazing.

More later, lovelies!

There were lots of puppies and kitties on the way to Base Camp. It made my life a little brighter. Also, you can see my new hairdo here!