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The Forked Spoon

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Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Day 7




Last Updated | 11 Comments

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A sign in front of a building
Annapurna trek,
day 1// day 2// day 3// day 4-6Day 7:
Chame (2710 m) to Hongde (3420 m)

Finally feeling a little better,
the fiance and I fled Chame and never looked back.
I have many unpleasant words to describe this little village in the mountains,
but I will refrain from using them here in order to keep things on a positive note.
And, to be perfectly honest,
had I not gotten so sick,
perhaps my opinion would be a little different.

Still recovering,
we moved slow, took our time, and stopped for breaks often.

Tibetan script on rocks

 

A horse grazing in a field with a mountain in the background
 
The views were absolutely stunning.
My eyes took in our surroundings-
lush, beautiful Evergreens,
and earth growing taller and taller.
meanwhile, my nose spent the entire day inhaling the fresh, pine air.
bliss.It was not long before we came upon the dramatic Paungda Danda.
Looking back on all our days trekking in Annapurna,
this enormous curved rock face remains my favorite part of the entire trek-
even more than the enormous snow covered giants we were about to meet.
This curved slab of rock rises more than 1500m from the river.

pure. beautiful. natural insanity.
I will never look at our world,
and its power,
with the same eyes.
I was speachless that entire afternoon.
and, I still am.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try,
there are no words to describe this magnificent corner of our world.
You’ll just have to take my word for it.

Locals call it the Swarga Dwar (Gateway to Heaven),
and believe the spirits of the deceased must ascend this wall after leaving their bodies.
 
A tree with a mountain in the background
 
A large mountain in the background

 

A view of a snow covered mountain
 
After a short ascent, we descended again into the lower portion of Pisang.
At this point we had two options,
hike the easier lower Pisang trail, 
or the much much more difficult Upper Pisang.
Originally we were going to hike Upper Pisang,
but since we were both still recovering and the fiance was still carrying half my weight,
we trekked Lower Pisang.
 
Recalling this decision now,
I could kick myself for not pushing my bum up the harder trail.
Since this trip, I have become obsessed with climbing higher,
finding the best view,
and ultimately, taking the best picture my skill level and camera can capture.
Here was an opportunity to glimpse some of the most amazing views I may ever see,
and I opted for the easier route.
 
I doubt I would make the same choice again.
Higher is better.
 
The remainder of the day was relatively flat and pleasant as we hiked through the lower valley.
We stayed cool with a crisp breeze,
and occasional sprinkle of rain.
 

 

A view of a rocky mountain with trees in the background

 

Tibetian shrine
A person flying a kite in a forest

 

A close up of a painted wall
 
A large mountain in the backgroundBy 4pm we reached Hongde,
and decided to stop for the day.
Despite hiking the easier route,
I was exhausted.

We dropped off our bags,
and admired the mountain views from the guesthouse rooftop-
Our first glimpse of the enormous giants we flew half way around the world to see.
I was not disappointed.
oh no.
It was this moment that I fell in love with the mountains.
real mountains.

We met two Israeil guys and played a couple games of Uno,
laughed, and shared stories.
It’s amazing how fast you make friends while traveling.
and one of my favorite parts about seeing this world-
you also see the people.

I had my first bucket shower ever,
and was surprised at how far a bucket of hot water goes.
Not even kidding,
mind blown by this tiny realization.

We ended the day with the only freeze dried meal with carried with us-
beef stroganoff.
It was heavenly.

About Jessica

Jessica Randhawa is the head chef, photographer, and recipe developer of The Forked Spoon. Jessica fell in love with cooking while traveling through Asia and Europe, where she discovered her passion for good food and new adventures. Her recipes have been featured on Yahoo, MSN, USA Today, FeedFeed, and many more. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California.

About Jessica Randhawa

Jessica Randhawa is the head chef, photographer, and recipe developer of The Forked Spoon. Jessica fell in love with cooking while traveling through Asia and Europe, where she discovered her passion for good food and new adventures. Her recipes have been featured on Yahoo, MSN, USA Today, FeedFeed, and many more. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California.

Comments

  4. Wiffy says

    Oooo you are so lucky! My husband has been talking about going to Nepal for two years now! He really wants to go 🙂

    Reply

  6. bailey j says

    another amazing post! what an amazing opportunity – how amazing is earth?!

    i agree about meeting people. i have always found the social aspect of travel to be one of the best. meeting people from all different countries, races, and walks of life opened my mind more than some of the places themselves.

    Reply

  7. bailey j says

    another amazing post! what an amazing opportunity – how amazing is earth?!

    i agree about meeting people. i have always found the social aspect of travel to be one of the best. meeting people from all different countries, races, and walks of life opened my mind more than some of the places themselves.

    Reply

  10. Laura says

    I like how you were honest about regretting not pushing yourself to go on the harder trail…I'm thinking about that in my own life.

    Reply

  11. Jenna says

    Wow! So, so beautiful! My mind is actually blow 🙂 Love the last photo with the view of the snowy peaks!

    xxx
    Jenna

    Reply

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