Bryce Canyon with Brody

Brody slept like a log and finally I had to wake him to leave for Bryce. It wasn't a long drive but there is a time change and we wanted to do quite a bit there. We arrived at 11:00 and checked in. Then went in the Park. We visited the Visitor Center. Highlights there include a stuffed porcupine and a historic rifle. Following that we drove up to Natural Bridge which is a large stone formation shaped like a bridge.

Afterwards we drove back to Sunrise Point where I whipped up a bit of mac and cheese on the camp stove. It started to rain during this but only drops so we persevered on with lunch. After that we hiked the Queens Garden/ Navajo Loop trail. It is supposed to be one of the top 3 mile hikes in the world or so someone said on the trail. There were lots of amazing hoodoos. Brody enjoyed climbing around on the rocks. We climbed out in a narrow canyon. It was kind of steep and, although he complained of hurting legs, Brody did pretty well. I treated him to a Moon pie at the top. From there we returned to Rubys and moved into our tipi.

From Bryce Canyon with Brody

Next it was off for a swim. After debating whether to swim in the indoor or outdoor pool, Brody decided on the indoor one. Good thing, I think, as it was 50 degrees. He had a great swim. He was disappointed that I didn't go in but seemed to like it when I through him a penny and he could dive for it.

After that he showered and shopped. He found a cowboys and Indians plastic figurine set to buy. He is a born shopper that one.

Tonight we are off to see a presentation on night creatures in the Park if he makes it to 8:30.

Grand Canyon with Brody

The drive from Mesa to Jacobs Lake went well. I was amazed that there is still snow on Mt Humphreys. The section of the drive on 89A was just great. It was so beautiful at the Colorado River. Brody liked it but liked the gift shop more. I would love to come and explore this area more.

We got to Jacobs Lake around 5:00 and set up the tent. It was pretty chilly especially for Brody. He retired to tent to use his electronics very soon. He warmed up when I put a second sleeping bag over him and enjoyed his PSP until bedtime.

We were both up early the next morning but Brody didn't want to move into the cold. Eventually hot chocolate got him moving. We were on our way very early and spotted a herd of buffalo outside the North Rim Park Entrance.

Inside the park we came across a mule deer. It was not shy at all and I got a few photos. The next stop was the visitor center where we learned that the mule deer has a deadly kick. I am glad we didn't get to close to the deer. We walked along the Transept Trail and then out to Bright Angel Point.

After that we drove out to some other view points. We saw a herd of mule deer right by the road. I think we both liked Angels Window he best. Brody spotted several lizards. Unfortunately, Brody was stung by a bee on the way back. It was painful but there was no allergic reaction. We were in luck as we sat at a picnic table his mom called. We somehow had come into a very slight cell signal and I didn't even know. I think that made him feel better than anything.

From Grand Canyon with Brody

We stopped by and checked out a spring in a cliff and we also saw an ancient Indian granary on the way. Brody knew what a granary was from his spelling words which was pretty impressive. We also checked out an Indian Ruin.

On the way back we saw the buffalo again. Once at the campground we walked to the Jacob's Lake Inn for cookies and I discovered wireless internet. Yeah!!!

Kathmandu

I had two days in Kathmandu at the end of my trip because I was worried that I would get caught in a strike and be unable to travel. I didn't want to miss my flight.

The first thing I did when I returned to Kathmandu was to return to my initial guesthouse and tell them that I was unhappy with their service. They had charged me three times as much as a bus ticket cost for my ticket to Besishar. Additionally they sold it to me for a day that they knew the bus wouldn't run (strike day) costing me alot of taxi money. They also charged me an extra 500 rupees for a TIMS card which is free. The front desk guys were really nice and admitted that what had been done was wrong and were sorry. Unfortunately the guy who did all those things wasn't there. They did ask me to write my complaint down. (Nothing ever happened). I was supposed to stay there on return and they had stored some gear for me. There was no problem with me picking up my stuff and not staying there.

I ended up staying at the Kathmandu View Guesthouse. It was much much nicer than the Potala and cost less. I went to dinner at my favorite veggie place and ate spinach tofu curry. It is so yummy.

The next day I went down to Durbar Square quite early. I saw a guard in old fashioned clothing, lots of temples and prayer. I saw quite a few monkeys. I walked around a bit more and saw a big white tower. Back at the Guesthouse I bumped into Julie, a friend from Chitwan. We went to the Monkey Temple. It was a nice walk except for the bit over the river which was like an open sewer. There were lots of monkeys at the temple. The temple also had good views of urban Kathmandu.

Monkey 2 from kris on Vimeo.

Monkey 1 from kris on Vimeo.

The rest of that day and the next morning was spent souvenir shopping.

The flight home went without problems except when I got to the Kathmandu airport and they closed the restaurant and were using it for a lounge for a delayed flight. I hadn't eaten and expected to eat there. I must have looked and sounded pathetic because eventually they let me in and I had one last veggie curry before I left.

I got into LAX two hours early. I had to overnight because there were no late evening flights to PHX. I stayed at the Crown Plaza. The initial room they gave me was already occupied and I walked in on some guy in bed -- very embarrassing. Eventually I got a room and I have to say that they have the nicest beds there. I would totally recommend it.

I flew out to PHX without problem the next day and spent the next week trying to overcome my jet lag.

Click here for full size photos or see slideshow below

Royal Chitwan National Park

I took a tourist bus from Pokara to Chitwan. It was certainly nicer than my last experience with Nepal buses. However, it was still not what I would call comfortable. Although the bus was mostly filled with tourists, there were Nepali people on the bus. Because of the strike, this was a problem. As we approached the strike line all the Nepali people had to exit the bus. Only tourists were allowed to cross the strike line in buses. So many Nepali people were walking or taking rickshaws. I felt really bad being able to take a bus. When we let people off the bus, we had to wait a long time. I really didn't understand why at the time. We finally got going and about 10 minutes later a couple of guys with big sticks got on the bus obviously looking for anyone trying to break the strike. We moved on and drove for about 5 more minutes and then some of the people we let off got back on. It was now clear to me that the long wait had been while these guys had walked through the strike line to a safe place to be picked up by us.

I was let off about 15 minutes later. As I was trying to describe my backpack to the guy on top of the bus, someone else's backpack sailed off the top of the bus and landed at my feet. I was pretty lucky it didn't take me out and that it wasn't my backpack as I am sure a fall like that must have broken or dented something in the pack.

We waited for another bus to take us and bus passengers from another bus to a nearby hotel for lunch. We then drove on to the Chitwan NP where we boarded a boat, crossed the river and walked about 10 minutes to the Island Jungle Resort. Below is a summary of the activities that I did there. Despite it being really, really hot, visiting here was really awesome.

Elephant snacking from kris on Vimeo.

Elephant Close up from kris on Vimeo.

Elephant Ride
Three or four people ride an elephant on a platform. The elephant is controlled by a mahout. As far as I could tell they control the elephant by nudging them behind their ears with bare feet, talking to them and clocking them on the head with either a stick or a pointy metal bar. I asked and the training to become a mahout occurs in India and it lasts 2 years. Riding the elephant we saw rhinos, peacocks, eagles, monkeys and several other birds. One of the most amazing experiences was when the mahout spotted a python. He used the elephant to knock down all the trees in that area. Then got down and pointed the the snake which had curled up in a hole. He poked it a bit and it crawled out. Then he yanked on its tail as it tried to slither way. Photo below.

From Chitwan

Elephant Washing
Elephant washing is a supercool experience. You wade into the water and climb up onto an elephant. Then it sucks up water in its trunk and squirts you. One of the elephants also likes to throw you off like a bucking bronco.

Bird Watching
This was kind of a slow activity for me but we saw a cool nest and a baby bird. Most of the birds we saw on the trip were junglefowl (like chickens/ roosters). We also saw flycatchers, eagles, peacocks, bulbils, etc

River Boat Ride
Mellow ride on the river

Jungle Walk / Nature Walk
Prior to doing this we got a lecture about the dangerous animals of the jungle and what to do if we encounter them.

• Rhino: climb a tree (impossible no limbs), hide behind a tree, or if no cover run in a zig zag as rhinos run straight.
• Sloth Bear: stay together and make alot of noise
• Tiger: do not turn back, keep eye contact slowly back away.

One the first one the most dangerous thing we saw were bees. We saw cool red bugs called cotton bugs and learned about the jungle. The most impressive thing was seeing tiger tracks. They were right by the camp. On the longer jungle walk we saw a male rhino. The guides had us hide behind a tree and tried to distract the rhino with a loud noise in another direction. It took off but we then encountered it again down the track and had to hide again. I might mention at this point that the guides had only big sticks for protection.

Cultural Dance
Nearby village kids came and performed three dances for us.

Full size photos here or watch slideshow below

Pokara

April 25
On the way to Pokara my taxi driver let me know that today is the Mother's Festival (equivalent to Mother's Day). He also told me why it is so hazy. There are many fires burning. In one multiple army officers were killed trying to get it under control. It turns out that fires are common at this time. Some are accidental. Others are set to clear land or stimulate regeneration in the jungle.

Pokara is situated on Lake Fewa. The area of Pokara that most people stay in is Lakeside and that is where I plan to stay.

Despite being hungry, hot and tired I spent a bit of time looking around for a place to stay in Pokara. There are something like 700 hotels there. I finally got a reasonably priced one (200 rupees) with an attached bath. The only downside was the disco behind it but I figure that is what ear plugs are for. Also it doesn't stay open past 11 pm so if I am tortured it won't be all night like I have been in Mexico.

April 26
I took a boat across the lake early in the morning as the sun was rising. There were so many egrets in the bamboo. I have never seen that many in one place. The ride took about 10 minutes and cost 250 rupees. The irony here is that you could rent a boat and driver for an hour for the same. I hiked up the side of the mountain to the Peace Pagoda. The views were nice on the way up but the mountains were obscured by haze. The Peace Pagoda was fairly impressive. After reaching the top and checking it out, I headed down the other side to visit the Tibetan Refugee Village. I found the village and bought a few souvenirs hoping that the money went to the refugees. From there I continued on to see Devi Falls. However, at a point I figured I has passed them. I asked and it turned out that I was right. Since I heard there was no water in the falls I didn't double back. Instead I continued on past the Fewa Lake dam into Pokara.

Once back I bought a new skirt and shirt to change into later. It would be good to be in some clothes other than my hiking gear. I also bought my ticket for Chitwan NP. There is a strike in the area but apparently the tourist buses are still able to get through.

From Pokara

At sunset I went down by the lake. The sun was quite red as it set due to the haze from the fires. There were a bunch of water buffalo taking a bath while I was down there. A woman went out in a boat to herd them in. Then one went onto the Palace grounds (now occupied by the army). A soldier with a gun helped herd it back. It was funny.

Water Buffalo Bathing from kris on Vimeo.

April 27
Today I walked north of town. It was quite a nice walk. I saw lots of birds - egrets, kingfishers, vultures, etc. The lake was calm and still. It seemed less polluted than around Fewa. Walked out into a field and got some pretty closeup video of water buffalo taking a bath.The rest of the day was spent marking time waiting to leave for Chitwan the next morning.

Click here for full size photos or watch the slide show below.

Annapurna Base Camp (ABC)

April 20 - Chomrong
I woke early, perceived haze and did not do the traditional Poon Hill hike for sunrise. Instead I slept for another 30 minutes or so and then headed off for Chomrong. I should have had great views on the first section of this trip as well because it climbed up to a ridge. The top was pretty with views of the tops of a couple mountains but hazy and not what it could be. The rest of the day was alot of up and down. I ran into Ben from my guesthouse the evening before. He told me an amusing story about the abrasive US woman dressed in orange. Apparently, she was yelling at people and pushing them out of her way at the top of Poon Hill. I am glad I didn't go. I would have been cringing to be at all associated (by nationality) with her.

This day seemed never ending climbing up and then down over three mountainous areas. I saw Ben again later on and he said something like "What was that - 1.5 hours of going down steps?". By the time I got to Chomrong I was wiped out. I think the guesthouses at the top here must have the best views. I ended up staying farther down at a really nice place called Chomrong Cottage. My room here was one of the few that I have stayed in that I wouldn't mind hanging out in. Lots of windows with views and a very soft blanket on the bed. Also I had a nice hot shower here.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon speaking to the lodge owner whose father also has diabetes. She told me that yoga and wheatgrass juice have significantly reduced her father's issues. I am not sure if my dad will take this onboard. She also makes a great pizza.

Later at dinner I spoke to her husband who is very politically minded (I later found out a Maoist). He explained that strikes are a result of a coalition government. When one aspect doesn't agree with another a strike or bandh is called. It rained alot this evening.

April 21 - Himalaya
There were some nice views of Annapurna South this morning as I headed down thousands of steps to cross a river. Then I walked up another thousand to Sinawa. From there I walked to Bamboo and on to Himalaya. I came across a group of monkeys. They ran away when they initially saw me and then as I waited quitely they came back. They were so cute. I watched them eat and play until a large group of hikers came down and scared them.

From ABC

About an hour from Himalaya it started raining. Learning from my earlier ezperience with rain I put on my rain coat immediately. The rain gradually increased to the point that I tried to put on the gaiters that I bought on the Annapurna Circuit. I realized that on the clips was broken. Oh well, I used a rubber band and that seemed to keep them up. I ate lunch in Himalaya hoping that the rain would subside. Instead it turned to hail. I decided that I would stay in Himalaya and just have a longer day the next day. I think that was a good decision. The trail was already sloppy and who needs to get that wet to save an hour or two the next day. For that matter I am sure if I need an extra day that I could take it.

From ABC

April 22 - ABC
We were up early and moving to try and get to ABC by noon fearing more rain/ hail / snow. I am breaking the AMS rules and ascending 1200m today hoping not to have any ill effects. I took a preventive Diamox and crossed my fingers.

I saw another group of monkeys - a good omen for the day? I had to cross to the opposite side of the river today. It was brown and gushing from snow melt and rain. I crossed over on a feeble looking brown metal bridge. It didn't make me feel at all confident. On the other side I had to follow white flags and cairns. I found myself off trail almost immediately and had to back track but I was soon following the correct path. During the day I crossed several more rivers / swollen creeks. Some with "bridges" (wood planks with rock on them crossing the water) and others without. I began to long for the suspension bridges of the Circuit.

At Machhapurchre Base Camp (MBC) the views started and got better from there. The pointy top of Machhapuchre was peaking out from behind clouds. A few other in that direction were doing the same. Annapurna South and Annapurna I were hidden behind clouds. One of the guides heading up at the same time as myself told me and his client a story about Machhapuchre. Apparently only one climbing permit had ever been issued for the sacred mountain and all the climbers and their porters died after climbing. Fearing that God had been angered no climbing permits have been issued since.

From ABC

From MBC we walked through snow up to ABC. It was quite warm. At one point just below ABC I broke through the snow and my foot got a good soaking in the stream below - not a warm stream I might say. The guide who told me a story latched on to me as I got to ABC and got me a room at the lodge he was at. It seemed pretty standard so I stayed there. The lodge owner was very concerned when I told him I went through the snow. I assured him I wasn't hurt - only unhappy about wet feet.

I ate a good pizza and then sat in the sun listening to my ipod admiring the views until it started raining (and then hailing and then snowing) again. After that everyone sat in the dining hall swapping stories.

April 23 - Sinawa
There is a little accumulation from yesterday's snow but everything is clear. It was amazing watching the mountains light up from the sunrise but very, very cold. ABC, also called Annapurna Sanctuary, is a bowl surrounded by something like ten peaks. After taking my fill of pictures I started heading down taking more pictures along the way.

From ABC

I walked down, down, down first through snow and then on trail. I saw wildflowers surrounded by last nights snow. It warmed up fast. I was stripping layers and soon I was down to only a long sleeve shirt. I couldn't believe as I was passing an avalanche zone (where all the literature says not to stop) that I feel through the snow again and I saw a couple taking a break right below what was left of the last avalanche. I got up as fast as I could and out of there. The rock face goes straight up and apparently Hiun Chuli is directly above you here even though you can't see it.

I considered going all the way back to Chomrong and staying at the nice Chomrong Cottage again but instead stopped in Sinawa. I got a fairly cheap room that included a hot shower.

I meet a couple of UK med students who were trying to organize a trial for an alternative AMS treatment. I gave them some advice about ABC and the last of my Diamox.

April 24 - Kyumi
I woke to some nice views of Hiun Chuli and Machhapuchre (also called Fishtail). From Sinawa is was down many, many stairs to the river and then up many more to Chomrong.

From ABC

From Chomrong I walked to Jhinu (home of hotsprings) and then on to New Bridge. Along the way I met a bunch of porters. I asked them how weight much they carried in baskets of things like coke. They told me 60kg. They picked up my pack and told me it was about 15kg. There was a young boy (age 10ish) with them. He was carrying 30kg. I felt like such a whimp. I saw another porter who was like a walking market place with veggies and a scale. He was walking from village to village selling produce.

Kyumi is a nice place near the river. I stayed at the Beehive guesthouse. It has a hot shower but it was quite warm so even a cold shower would have been welcome. It is funny because our guesthouse became quite crowded and the next one which could be seen just down the trail was quite empty. In fact, another group wanted to stay at the Beehive and there wasn't enough room. They asked me and this German girl I didn't know to share a room. I had already negotiated a good price and wasn't into that besides the other guesthouse was minutes down the trail.

April 25 - Pokara
A few hours walk from Kyumi brought me to Nyapal. I had planned to catch a bus to Pokara but a guide that I met the previous evening told me that I might be able to negociate a taxi for as low as 600 rupees. I was able to and treated myself. After spending so many hours free and couldn't imagine being squeezed into a local bus for two hours. It was well worth it.

See all full size photos here or watch the slideshow below.

Annapurna Circuit Part 4- The Western section of the route

April 16 Jomsom
Despite my best intentions to sleep in, I found myself up early and ready to go. I watched the porters get ready in the morning. The tie together two large duffels. Then add a small daypack. To carry it they take a loop of rope and put is around the duffel and then over their head. I can't even imagine.

Most of the trek today was desolate and windy. Although I figured today would be all on road walking, I noticed where porters and other trekkers turned off and was able to walk on a trail for part of the time. The road is rather unpleasant with jeeps going by stirring up dust and billowing diesel fumes.

From AC Part 4

I did see the cutest baby donkey in Kagbeni. I also had an up close and personal experience with a goat just past Kagbeni. I had to make an emergency stop after lunch (I should have stuck with the boiled potato). I barely made it to a fair sized rock. I dropped down, put my hand in a very spiny bush [painful], took care of business and looked up and there was a goat right in my face checking out what I was doing. It kind of startled me but in retrospect it is kind of funny.

I got to Jomsom early (1:30) but was told by two lodges that they had no rooms. Later I realised this was probably because I asked for a single and they could make more money if they rent a double versus a single. I did eventually find a place to stay. It wasn't too expensive but they charged for showers so I didn't have one. Lyb and Graeme coincidentally ended up at the same guesthouse.

I found some internet (slow) and some awesome chocolate apple crumble.

April 17 Kalopani
Got up and ate chapati for the first time. It is kind of like a fresh tortilla. A good meal would definitely be chapati and egg as Emily had advised me early on. Today must be a very good date in the Hindu calendar because I saw two funerals and a celebration. A small part of today was walked on the other side of the river on a trail but the majority was on the road. It is much warmer down here and my feet are rubbed a bit raw with a few blisters.

The guesthouse in Kalopani had an awesome view of Dhauligiri once the clouds cleared. I saw Lyb and Graeme and motioned them to the guesthouse. The girl running it was really nice and it had hot showers. This area is really suffering because people tend to take a jeep down because they don't like walking on the road. (I am just a bit too cheap to pay for the jeep - they make you pay the fare all the way to the end no matter where you get off)

April 18 Tatopani
Today is a longish day (24 km). There was a large section on the opposite side of the river off the road. I was lucky because I was heading to a bridge to cross the river. A bunch of kids told me not to go that way. There was a second bridge farther down that I could cross. As I was heading to it I saw a couple of guys who must have crossed on the first bridge. They were negotiating a large landslide. Glad those kids warned me. When I did cross the river I went through a couple of villages. In one a man making baskets. He was very friendly and told me that he sells them to local people (versus trekkers).

In Dana I had a good view of Annapurna South and got a few interesting photos of it with bougainvillea in the foreground.

From AC Part 4

It was really warm by the time I got to Tatopani. Tatopani is famous for its hot springs but the last thing that I wanted to do was go to a hot spring in the heat. I stayed in a nice guesthouse with a great garden. However, my room was not so great. I could see the light of the guy next door and smell his cigarette due to a definite gap in the ceiling.

April 19 Gorepani
Today's hike is up, up, up from Tatopani (1190m) to Gorepani (2860m). It is also very exposed so I got up very early and headed out to try and maximize the morning coolness. Well, the morning wasn't exactly cool but it wasn't hot either. I met up with a group along the way that asked where I started from - they were just starting out for the day. They were amazed that I started from Gorepani. I guess it had taken them eight hours the day before to get to that point. They basically thought I was a bit crazy I think. I will call the main lady from this group the Orange lady as I encountered her again later.

There were some rhododendrons on the way but it looks like I missed most of the flowering.

I got to Gorepani early. There are alot of guesthouses - most of them blue. I found a nice one called the Hungry Eye. I would have a good view from my room if the clouds cleared. It had a hot shower and a heater in the the dining room. After I had a nice shower and washed my clothes, I went for a wander. I encountered the Orange Lady and her crew again. I cringed as she called this Nepali guy "an asshole for telling her where to stay" in a very, very loud American voice. Then I saw her heading for my guesthouse. "Oh no" I thought.

Awhile later I saw Lyb and Graeme come to town. Graeme was definitely wiped out. They looked at a few places and then decided to stay at the same guesthouse as myself. We were all sitting around the dining area talking and talking to another guy named Ben. Ben it turned out works in Afghanistan as a diplomat dealing with the illegal immigrant/ refugee crisis. Prior to that he worked in London in counter terrorism (this was during the time of the London bombings). Anyway, he told us the Orange lady moved on. We had a couple of beers to celebrate our last night together on the Circuit. From this point I will be moving on to Chomrong to start Annapurna Base Camp. Lyb and Graeme will walk out and catch a bus to Pokara.

See full size photos here or see slide show below.