October 23, 2014

Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Day 04 (Chame to Ghyaru)

Chorten found on the trail north of Chame.
Chorten found on the trail north of Chame.
A Mani wall alongside the trail - a Mani wall consists of stones inscribed with mantras or devotional symbols.
A Mani wall alongside the trail – a Mani wall consists of stones inscribed with mantras or devotional symbols.
The painting ceiling under the chorten found on the trail north of Chame.
The painting ceiling under the chorten found on the trail north of Chame.
Horses saddled up in Talekhu.
Horses saddled up in Talekhu.
The road through Talekhu.
The road through Talekhu.
The Marsyangdi Nadi weaving through the mountains.
The Marsyangdi Nadi weaving through the mountains.
The Marsyangdi Nadi with the Annapurna Himal in the background.
The Marsyangdi Nadi with the Annapurna Himal in the background.
The trail through apple orchards.
The trail through apple orchards.
Mountains in the distance.
Mountains in the distance.
Wooden and suspension bridges crossing the Marsyangdi Nadi, leading to the Upper Pisang trail.
Wooden and suspension bridges crossing the Marsyangdi Nadi, leading to the Upper Pisang trail.
The Marsyangdi Nadi.
The Marsyangdi Nadi.
Looking southeast toward the Pangdi Danda.
Looking southeast toward the Pangdi Danda.
Horses grazing near the Upper Pisang trail.
Horses grazing near the Upper Pisang trail.
Red-leafed bushes crowding the trail with the Pangdi Danda ridgeline in the background.
Red-leafed bushes crowding the trail with the Pangdi Danda ridgeline in the background.
The village of Upper Pisang.
The village of Upper Pisang.
View from Upper Pisang, looking down toward the town of Lower Pisang.
View from Upper Pisang, looking down toward the town of Lower Pisang.
A long prayer wheel wall.
A long prayer wheel wall.
Prayer wheels with the middle wheel's lid off.
Prayer wheels with the middle wheel’s lid off.
Lower Pisang with the Annapurna Himal in the background.
Lower Pisang with the Annapurna Himal in the background.
Closeup of fruit bushes found along the trail.
Closeup of fruit bushes found along the trail.
Mani stones.
Mani stones.
A prayer wheel missing its cover.
A prayer wheel missing its cover.
The Marsyangdi Nadi valley seen from the Upper Pisang trail.
The Marsyangdi Nadi valley seen from the Upper Pisang trail.
Another view of the valley, river, and Annapurnas.
Another view of the valley, river, and Annapurnas.
The town of Ghyaru.
The town of Ghyaru.
Braga in the evening glow.
Braga in the evening glow.
The Annapurnas at sunset.
The Annapurnas at sunset.
The inside of the guesthouse I stayed at in Ghyaru.
The inside of the guesthouse I stayed at in Ghyaru.

I woke up today and got ready for some more hiking. I left Chame and walked on the dirt road eastward to Dhikur Pokhari; at one point the road went trough some apple orchards which was a pleasant change of scenery, albeit a short-lived one. At Dhikur Pokhari, I took the Upper Pisang trail, leaving the dirt road behind. This trail offered splendid views of the valley and was much more peaceful, not having jeeps and motorcycles speeding by and blowing dust in your face. I passed through the town of Upper Pisang, which was pleasant looking, and I was going to stop for lunch, but I had reached it earlier than expected, so I continued on to Ghyaru; the entire Upper Pisang trail was carved through pine forests with deciduous trees and shrubs showing their Autumn colors – I had never hiked through forests in Autumn before, but I will have to be sure to do so more in the future since it really is a beautiful sight to behold: the mix of yellow, red, and brown leaves with evergreen trees, snow capped mountains in the distance, blue rivers white with rapids, stones in all the shades of sand, and golden meadows wet with melted frost. Finally, at about 13:30, I reached Ghyaru, my stopping point for the day. I ended up staying at a two-story lodge built around a center room with a stove-pipe heater in the center – it was very traditional looking; there were also three people from Japan staying there. After getting my room, I had a vegetable pizza for lunch (the pizza had seven slices (I think this is the first time in my life I had ever seen a pizza with an odd number of slices) and the vegetable toppings were diced cabbage (produced in town)) and a bottle of spite. I then rested in my room for a while before venturing out in the cold to take some pictures of the mountain range at sunset. Later, I had dinner, which turned out to be a ridiculous amount of food; I ordered honey lemon ginger tea, vegetable thanduk (a local food with noodles and vegetables in a broth with a fried egg on top – very delicious), and fried momos filled with potatoes, cheese, and eggs; well I received all that, plus another dish (I’m not sure how, at the time I thought it was in lieu of the fried momos) of fried potatoes, vegetables, and eggs; suffice to say, this rather large meal did a number on my gastrointestinal system, which for the past few days has been used to a minimal amount of food, but it was tasty. Lastly, I went to sleep for the night.

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