Monday, October 10, 2005

This is a photo of the valley that we trekked along, up, over, and then back down. Nepal trails are notoriously riddled with flagstoned steps, so this was much more joint-breaking than I anticipated. It took 3 days of beachside massages in Thailand to recover from the trek! (For more on Nepal trails see longer text entry below). Posted by Picasa
Completed, refreshed stupa, Ghorepani. Posted by Picasa
Updating a Stupa, Ghorepani. Posted by Picasa
After sunrise, we had to start back the way we came, because the Maoists told us to, basically (see long entry further below). This turned out to be a good thing because I inadvertently deleted the 100+ images I had taken already up to that point, and enabled me to retake some photos from the trail. This is a detail of a stupa being refreshed in time for the Hindu Dasain festival starting the next day. Even though the stupa is Buddhist, and Nepal is a Hindu Kingdom, it is unique because its Hinduism and Buddhism are intimately intertwined and festivals for one religion typically incorporate reasons to celebrate the other.  Posted by Picasa
Before sunrise, Poon Hill, Annapurna Conservation Area, NW Central Nepal. Posted by Picasa
Pre sunrise, continued.... Posted by Picasa
Pre sunrise, continued.... Posted by Picasa
Pre sunrise... Posted by Picasa
Sunrise, continued... Posted by Picasa
Sunrise, continued... Posted by Picasa
Sunrise, continued... Posted by Picasa
Sunrise, continued... Posted by Picasa
On the fourth day of the trek, we hiked up to Poon Hill to watch the sunrise over the (finally) cloudless Annapurna range. We started out at 4:30 and somehow, amazingly, I didn't even need an alarm clock. I will post a series of sunrise shots here starting with the most revealed and working back in time.  Posted by Picasa
This is the husband of the Masala grinding lady, below. Posted by Picasa
This is a lady in Ghorepani making masala. She is grinding salt, chilies, and cardamom into a fantastic supplement to any dahl baht meal. She and her husband are Tibetan refugees who left during the rampant destruction of temples by the Chinese in 1959.  Posted by Picasa