Lining a dirt road near the remote western coast of Madagascar, ancient baobab trees grow skyward as they have for centuries. After spending 20 hours in what the locals call "taxi brousses" (literally, "bush taxis") we finally made it to the famous "Avenue of the Baobabs," tired, thirsty, and not a little giddy from the scene before us. Surrounded by ancient giants, we watched day fade into night, as we fed mosquitoes and waited til just the right moment to snap the photo above. A Land Rover drove through the shot during the 30-second time delay, giving it a nice touch.
Words don't do justice to the stunning beauty and random hilarity delivered by a hike through the Annapurna Sanctuary. For your viewing enjoyment, below are a few photos from the trek:
Some sheep Kip befriended on the trail.
View of the Annapurna peaks from Annapurna Base Camp at 13,549 feet. The strange lines of clouds high above the peaks are caused by high winds, we're told.
Liz with her soul sisters Nada and Sim at Annapurna Base Camp.
Some very camera shy Nepalese girls. They had a great time telling Kip all the English words they knew.
No chicken, pork, or buffalo meat beyond this point of the trail. Not a high point for us non-vegetarians.
Safety first? Not in this hot water shower, powered by a propane bottle and clear plastic tube that remain in the bathroom as you shower. Shockingly, we decided to pass on the gas.
Looking forward to buying some holes at this "hole sale" provision shop.
Considering there are only four lodges in Chhomrong, this sign seems a bit dated.
A herd of goats blocks the road on our ride back to Pokhara. Their horns are painted blue to identify them to their owners. On the dashboard of our car spins a solar-powered prayer wheel.
Thanks for the "HEARTLY" welcome, "Lodge Owner Family!"
After surviving a 14-day hike to Everest Base Camp, followed by a hair-raising helicopter ride back to Kathmandu, we decided a few relaxing days in the beautiful Pokhara in central Nepal were in order. The town, perched on the edge of a beautiful lake, with warm temperatures, stunning views, and good food were just what we needed to get over the hiking we swore we would never do again. Our first morning there, we saw the peaks of the Annapurna and the holy, un-climbed Machapuchare calling us from behind the hill over the lake. We were hooked immediately, and after renting two dirty sleeping bags from a hard-bargaining eight-year old, we set off for a "quick" six day trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary.
The view, enjoyed from our sleeping bags, was worth the trip.
The first few days of the trek were tortuous, climbing and descending an endless set of stairs, some built for small children and others built tall enough for a Yeti. It did some serious damage to both our legs and our will to keep going. But, the early morning views from the town of Chomrong at left made every step worth it. Not only is the scenery incredible, but the Chomrong Guesthouse makes a famous chocolate cake, at least according to TIME Magazine, which we may have tried three times in our one night stay.
The cake was a nice touch, but the reason to hike this trail is to see Annapurna.
The Sanctuary did not disappoint. The views were stunning. And we did our part to keep them that way, picking up trash as we hiked, as we did on the Everest trek. We filled ten bags of trash and had some help from folks along the way.
Thanks to two hard-charging Aussies we met on the trail, we even had a place to sleep at Base Camp. Being the planners that we are, we didn't book ahead for one of the few rooms available. Sim and Nada (the awesome Aussies) were kind enough to share their's with two smelly, cranky, exhausted hikers (that would be us) so we didn't miss the incredible sunrise over the Annapurnas. Thanks you guys! (G&T's on us next time we're in Oz).
Us with the "Amazing Aussies," Sim and Nada, at Annapurna Base Camp.
A buffalo unamused by our request for a ride.
The hike down the trail was no less exciting than the hike up. Since we were without a map (Kip's idea) we decided to take a new route home (Kip's idea) that would save a few hours of climbing down stairs (Liz was all for this part). We ended up in a town where jeeps normally transport locals and trekkers to down to Pokhara. Perhaps not surprisingly we were unaware that it was a Nepali holiday, and there were no jeeps, no buses, no donkeys/yaks/buffaloes, and no helicopters to carry us down. A local villager suggested we trek another two hours to a crossroads, where jeeps sometimes pass and we might flag down a ride for the three-hour journey. Thankfully, one lovely man agreed to take us (for the incredibly ridiculous "holiday" price) in his off-road four-door hatchback. We were in.
Our amphibious 4x4 Suzuki. Half way across the river, our feet got soaked...inside the back seat.
The closest equivalent of Mexican Food we've seen
so far. Thank you , Pokhara
The road was rough. We could feel rocks scraping the undercarriage under our feet. We drove through a stream, and Liz's feet felt wet. She looked down, and water was rushing through the holes in the floor, and we were taking on water. But the car didn't quit, and we make it back to Pokhara, for a traditional Nepali-Mexican dinner and drinks with our new mountain friends. After a quick stop in Kathmandu, we're heading south to India next. No more trekking...at least for a while.
The Annapurna crew, celebrating in Pokhara after a trek well done. From left to right, back row, Nada (Oz), Krissi (U.S.), John (Oz), Liz, Kip, Neal (U.S.); front row, Sim (Oz), Krista and Gareth (Oz).
The Himalayas tower far above everything. Even clouds often struggle to reach the summits of the world's tallest mountains. Yet, in the right conditions, a quick-moving storm can engulf the highest of Himalayas in a matter of seconds, as seen in the time lapse series of images above.
One of the images from the time lapse video showing Lobuche
It was sometime before midnight on a blustery night two days' trek from Everest Base Camp. Bundled in all our clothes, we hiked a few minutes from camp to check out the stars before bedtime. Here above 16,000 feet, the wind chill was near zero. The cold, thin air made breathing difficult. After watching a cloud bank crawl slowly through a nearby valley, we set up the camera to try out time-lapse photography. Every 30 seconds for 15 minutes, we took a photo of the scene above, as clouds engulfed a pair of 20,000+ peaks before our eyes. Pros typically use a tripod and a remote control for time lapse shots...we used a pile of rocks, a wool hat, and a frost-bitten finger. The results, while not exactly pro-quality, we felt were worth posting anyway. Hope you enjoy. If you like this one, here are a few others (taken by pros) that are way better: time lapse nature photography.
