Trekking the Himalayas

Nepal wasn't on my itinerary this trip. To be honest, I'm not even sure that I could have placed it correctly on a blank world map before I left the States last February. I generally try to stay out of countries where the current king has usurped power by unloading 2 full rounds of ammunition into the entire royal family (especially ones in which it has happened so less than 2 years ago). But a fellow traveler in Cairo had informed me that October and November are the best months to visit Nepal, when the monsoon clouds pull back to reveal clear blue skies as the backdrop for gargantuan snow-capped peaks. I didn't need much convincing; I was headed to go trekking in the Himalayas.

On the first day of my trek, I was scheduled to fly on a small charter plane (18 seats all counted). Knowing my luck in cavalier modes of transportation (see my earlier tale of the Cambodian Boat ride), I was a bit skeptical about stepping onto a plane that might as well have been a radio-controlled toy, but my bad travel karma was repaid to me in dividends; the flight was gorgeous, whizzing through valleys of some of the world's biggest mountains. Even better, it took just 18 minutes to reach our destination.

From here began my 12 day trek from village to village in the Annapurna Circuit. Each day involved roughly 6-8 hours of hiking as the trail took me through an incredible variety of terrain from the bleak rocky tundra of Tibetan Mustang to hills of lush terraced rice fields and monkey filled bamboo forests. En route, I got to meet and learn about the customs of the minority Thakali people, witness the sacred musical chanting of refugee Tibetan monks, and have my taste buds assailed by some awesome apple crumble and apple brandy in Marpha (Nepal's apple capital, as it were). Finally, I stood drop-jawed as I found myself in the middle of Annapurna Sanctuary, where half a dozen Himalayan mountains towered over me from all sides (and being "towered over" while standing at 4130m is a pretty damn humbling experience). The tallest of these peaks, Annapurna I, sits pretty at over 8000m.

But grand vistas and good booze aside, the real eye-opening experience for me was trekking in a new pair (i.e. not worn in) of one-size-too-small hiking boots. While Annapurna Base Camp has left quite a lasting impression on me, the dozen or so blisters that I amassed during my journey have rendered me walking in a splendid gimp-like fashion that have left quite an impression of their own.