We dream of mountains. Beautiful ridges leading to soaring peaks, these places fill us with excitement and help us find ourselves in the world. For years we have read stories about the greatest mountain range in the world, seen wonderous pictures and imagined the beauty and suffering of adventures in such an extreme landscape. When we decided to go travelling, the Himalaya were the top of the list.

Trekking has become a key part of the Nepali tourist industry, the most famous being the Everest Basecamp trek. Though this is associated with the tallest and most iconic mountain in the world, we decided that it was not the right trek for us. The thought of 14 days up and back the same route, with minimal views of the mountain itself didn’t inspire us. Instead, amongst the many options, we settled on the Annapurna Circuit. This is the most well travelled circuit, filled with other travellers, but therefore easy to do independently without a guide. Also, it is so popular for a reason, it has amazing views and is an enjoyable route.

The Annapurna Circuit goes around the Annapurna Massif, a section of the Himalaya range in Nepal. While not as famous as other mountains such as Everest or K2, the summit of Annapurna I is famous amongst mountaineers as being not only the 10th highest in the world at 8091 metres, but it was the first of the 8000ers to be sucessfully climbed, and is considered the most dangerous in some respects. To be in this area, amongst this landscape, would be a pilgrimage for us.

We arrived in the Nepali town of Pokhara to prepare for our trip, and we will share our non-trekking experiences of Nepal in a later post. Day 1 involved transport from Pokhara to the trekking route, and you can read about this ridiculous day in our post Difficulties Getting Started. Ness described it as her worst day of travelling so far, and if you want a laugh at our expense then it is definitely worth a read.

Thankfully, day 2 was much better, and introduced us to the lifestyle which we would learn to love so much.

We left the small town of Jagat and were soon enjoying beautiful trails. We crossed the Marsyangdi river, something we would be following for several days. This far downstream from the mountains it was a raging torrent, even when viewed from a hundred metres above on a suspension bridge. The story of our trek would follow this river back to almost its source, where it was barely a stream deep in a quiet snow filled valley.

For now the scenery was lush green and the weather hot, within 30 minutes we were drenched in sweat, and it only got worse as we climbed steeply up the valley walls, weaving around spurs and through the remnants of ancient landslides.

We routinely encountered guided groups who, without their own bags to carry would fly away from us on the climbs, for us to catch them on the flat. At one stage we caught up with someone who we thought was a porter, looking after a tiny puppy. We found that he was a photographer from Kathmandu whose friend was a porter and had suggested that he comes along for the ride, the puppy was only 45 days old!

Marching beside a tiny puppy, we crested a hill and the beautiful village of Tal opened up in front of us. We later learned that Tal means lake, and this small village was set beside a strangely peaceful lake on a wide plain, in an otherwise vertical and torrential valley.

After lunch in Tal we set off and met the first of many Israelis we would encounter. Before travelling I don’t think I had ever met an Israeli…we have met a couple in Asia and would find that the trekking circuit was full of them. It was fascinating to talk to people who live in a developed country so different to ours.

That afternoon we arrived in Dharapani, a village where many others start their trek after a long jeep ride. We stayed in the Ghurka hotel, probably the best lodge we found on the whole circuit. On the walk into Dharapani, we had to pass a group of donkeys being herded along, a very common occurrence. Ness commented that she didn’t like there being so many wild animals around… I observed that aside from most people enjoying wildlife, I don’t think that a donkey with a bell around it’s neck would be considered wild and untamed!

The next day felt like the toughest. With 20km and 1,393m of ascent it was one of the bigger days, but more so because we didn’t yet have the spectacular scenery to make it feel easy.

Many people speak ill of the Annapurna Circuit, claiming that it is mostly on a dusty road with jeeps flying past. This was true for a period some time ago when the original path grew to a dirt road, but for many years now there has been an alternative path, and over the whole circuit we only spent a few short hours on road. Unfortunately those people who lacked a guidebook didn’t know about these alternatives, and those being guided were often dragged along the road whether they wanted to or not. We began this day walking through floral fields with nobody around but a ladies picking their crop, looking across the valley at the unfortunate souls on the road.

We then crossed a bridge and after a short road section and crossing a ford at a waterfall, we began the first hard climb. We climbed steep steps up a cliff while the road weaved up it in hairpin turns, occasionally crossing us. This hurt, not the legs but the soul, as we knew that we were just climbing over a buttress that was in the way, and that we would soon loose all of this height again. As the path levelled out, it began winding through a muddy forest, and we felt as though we could be at home in the woods around our house, but it dragged on in tedium and despite plugging into our audio books we found this section less than enjoyable.

Slogging hard, we crossed a suspension bridge (one which looked to have half collapsed!) then rounded a corner, and the village of Timang opened out in front of us. This was a beautiful little village, and as we climbed up to it we got the first hint of a Himalayan mountain view across the valley… It was enough to keep us going.

We descended then entered into a flat section, and became truly acquainted with the term ‘Nepali flat’. While we would end up at the same height as when we began, the path was so undulating that we climbed and descended over 500m that afternoon. We were relieved when we arrived in the riverside village of Chame.

We settled into the New Tibet Hotel where the fire raged and the dining hall buzzed with the voices of groups of Russians and Israelis. We learned that night that Israelis love to talk, laugh and sing, all with great passion and none in quiet tones.

We were only three days into our trek which we expected to last over two weeks, and I was feeling the resurgence of an old knee injury. We decided (you can interpret this as ‘Ness told me’) that it was better to rest now and let it heal than push on and make it worse, so we took a rest day in this picturesque village. Our hotel was across the river from the main village, in a quiet corner frequented only because of a nearby hot spring which has been unceremoniously filled with concrete to make it a public bath and washing facility. We spent the day sitting on the roof of the hotel, gazing at the high peaks which were starting to peer over the hills at us. We did venture out in the afternoon to buy some fruit, and found an incredible little coffee shop…. A gem in an environment where good coffee is scarce. The owner had moved from Kathmandu to find something, though he didn’t yet know what. He welcomed us in and we felt at home listening to Ed Sheeran with a good americano in hand.

The next day we set off from Chame, soon passing the orchards of Bhratang where we enjoyed some lovely fresh apple juice and an apple pie, stocking up on fruit for the coming days. Carrying on, we came to the first of many striking bits of geography.

Swarga Dwari, the ‘Gateway to Heaven’ is a stunning piece of rock, shaped like a banked racetrack for the gods. It is a sacred place for locals and one can immediately see why. The scale is impossible to portray in photograph, it is the biggest slab of rock I have ever laid eyes on, I gazed at it for so long just trying to appreciate the scale of it.

Following the curve around, we left the river and climbed up to the valley sides. We were taking the ‘high route’, an alternative to walking through the valley floor which provides better views and more thorough acclimatisation. We reached the beautiful hillside village of Upper Pisang by lunch, and settled in to enjoy the view across to Annapurna II and IV.

We started to really appreciate being here, we started to feel that we were amongst the mountains. We had dinner as the only people in a beautiful lodge, looking across the valley as the sun set on some of the world’s highest mountains. It was here that I began my obsession with waking up to watch the sunrise on the peaks.

We walked through this beautiful old village in the morning, towards the big climb up to Ghyaru. After crossing a suspension bridge we began a long zig-zag path up the hillside. This climb didn’t feel laborious though, as it now had a special feeling to it, being able to see magnificent giants high around us, and the feeling that we were rising to meet them. As we crested the path into the village, we were pleased to be greeted by an elderly woman selling samosas and applie pie, which we were happy to indulge in while was sat in a viewing platform and took in the panorama.

From there we had a breathtaking walk around the side of the hills towards Ngawal. Every corner begged for us to sit and admire the beauty, it was a challenge to keep moving.

We found a lodge in Ngawal and settled in, though decided that having arrived quite early (we were becoming quite fit and fast trekkers) we wanted to explore a bit. We didn’t quite anticipate what would happen…

We walked a short distance up the hill, and found a small religious complex with a few buildings. An old man who spoke no English saw us loitering and admiring a prayer wheel. He waved at us and enquired ‘Gompa?’, which we took as an invitation to look inside the religious building.

He took us in and proudly showed us this newly constructed Gompa. It was a special place as the candles glowed and the incense burned. We left a small donation towards the continued work and went to leave. As we did, we heard chanting and music. We tried to ask what it was, he replied ‘Lamas, many Lamas’. Thankfully we realised that he was referring to the religious leaders (exemplified by the Dali Lama) rather than miniature camels. He beckoned us urgently downstairs and around the site. He took us to another temple and encouraged us in.

We removed our shoes and crept into the dark room awash with incense smoke. As we stepped through the door we saw a small Gompa, like a chapel, filled with people. We sat in a back corner to watch as we had clearly been invited to. A minute had passed when the people on the benches, evidently the Lamas and village elders urged us to sit beside them. We tried to politely decline but they insisted, so we went and sat next to them on the benches lining the front and side of the room, while tens of others sat on the floor. We were wedged in between a Buddhist monk and an important looking woman.

The monk beside me gave us a brown ball, about the size of a tennis ball, and indicated that we should eat it. We were given one each and took a bite…. I would describe it as like eating polyfiller. We both bit the top off but couldn’t manage any more – we didn’t realise that this was just the beginning.

The ceremony was clearly an important one, and involved a Lama chanting then occasional music and people throwing grains of barley in the air. A queue formed of locals offering us food at the bench, and it became clear that our presence was a great honour and our bemused faces a point of mild friendly amusement to the villagers. We were surprised to be given significant quantities of popcorn and rice crackers, with people taking turns to show their generosity. We were also filled up with what I think was chai tea.

Sat through the ceremony, we had plenty of time to take in the building and reflect on the religious symbolism. Having spent a considerable amount of time in Buddhist temples in South East Asia, including a retreat with Thai and Burmese monks, this struck me as being very different. I had read that Tibetan Buddhism is very different to elsewhere, and that despite the Dali Lama being well respected across the Buddhist world, he leads a controversial strand. While there were figures recognisable as the Buddha at the front, there was also a lot of Hindu symbology displayed, including Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, as well as a variety of masks which appeared almost demonic through Judeo-Christian eyes. While the Dali Lama is the most famous Buddhist leader, it  interested me to see that his sect of Buddhism seemed to be far more of a mix between the religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, ancestor worship and even animism than of the purer Buddhism seen in Thailand for example. It was a fascinating demonstration of the collision of influences of different societies and cultures in Nepal, something true throughout a nation made up of so many different groups.

After around 45 minutes of the ceremony, the religious proceedings drew to a close and the mood changed. Things became more jovial as bowls were handed out. Everyone’s bowl was filled up with tea, and then a plate of flour was passed around. The monk next to me poured a large quantity of this flour into his bowl, then handed it to me. I added a similar quantity, and watched him scoop some sugar from a bowl and add it to his dish. The people around us clearly lived in a world with very different hygiene standards to what our Western stomachs were accustomed; we felt stuck between a rock and a hard place, not wanting to offend by declining their kindness and religious practices, yet fearing for our intestinal health. We both decided that as representatives of our continents, this was not an opportunity to be squandered for fear of stomach problems. I filled my bowl similarly to the monk beside me, and copied him in kneading it all together with my fingers. Just as I did so, Ness was offered a spoon by a younger woman nearby who clearly spoke a little English. She jumped at the chance and left her food watery like porridge, eating it with a spoon. We think that this was the barley porridge seen on menus in the lodge, while what I had made was much like the brown ball we had in arrival. The local produce is barley so it made sense for this to be their staple.

We did our absolute best to eat it, but my stomach couldn’t handle much of something so bland and stodgy, and I was embarrassed to leave my bowl so full. The tea was wonderful though, and I enthusiastically drank as much of it as I could.

People soon began to disperse, and at the appropriate time we stood and departed, thanking our hosts. They showed their thanks for us taking the time to join them. As we were leaving, a man approached us and spoke in good English. He explained that this had been a very significant ceremony, it was the opening of this Gompa after renovation, and that senior Lamas (priests) had come from far and wide to be a part of it. We felt truly honoured to have shared in this special occasion, and to have seen the generosity of these people.

We returned to our lodge where we spent the evening. The next morning we were up and out early, leaving the beautiful old village. We passed the first of many prayer wheels for the day… A wall full of cylinders which could be spun as you passed, the metal cylinders were embossed with prayers such that by spinning then you are considered to be reciting prayers. This is a similar practice to the brightly coloured prayer flags which so recognisably decorate the Himalaya; written on the flags are prayers which are carried off into the wind with each flutter.

We crossed a plateau at dawn, passing the remains of an old monastery before reaching the new one. While reading a sign outside, we were invited in by a young monk. This monks intentions were brought into doubt when he expressed a keen interest in foreign currency, asking if we had any that he could have for his collection. We admired the beauty of the monastery and made a donation of Rupees into the box before departing.

By this stage we were far from the regular track, which had descended from the last villages back into the valley. After a steep drop down into the ancient riverside village of Julu, we decided to do one more extra section across another high plateau, affording us even more stunning views of the Annapurna range.

We finally began our descent back to join the main path, with just one more treat left. We were joining the road at Braka, but to descend into the modern area, we were to pass through the old village. As we rounded the last corner on the hillside, our eyes were met with a stunning stone village cut into the side of a cliff. Words will not do justice to this incredible place, so I will let pictures speak for me.

Back on the road it was a short walk to Manang, the last big town on this side of the circuit. Many people would arrive here and wait a day for altitude acclimatisation, but since we had already spent a few days higher than the main route, and were planning another extra loop before continuing on the circuit, we needn’t stop for long. We enjoyed some great food and the taste of good coffee, before putting our bags back on for the next stage of our trip.

After days of looking at these beautiful mountains from the valley afar, it was time to climb into their embrace and see them from close up, high up.

Our next post will share our experience trekking to Tilicho Lake and then over the Thorung La Pass onto the Tibetan Plateau. In the mean time if you’ve enjoyed this then please take a look at our other posts here.