The morning we left Koto, the hotel owners made us a fire in the dining room where I led another mini yoga sequence to warm up our legs, backs and shoulders. We would break 3000m (9854ft) that day, taking us into the risk zone for altitude sickness. From here, the recommended daily ascent is 500m a day with one or two days at around 3500m (11,500ft) to acclimatise. For those of you considering this trek, please do some research on altitude sickness as few people still die each year on the circuit from this preventable illness. Stock up on Diamox either in your hometown or in Kathmandu. Diamox is a medicine that can help you acclimatise faster or to relieve minor symptoms of altitude sickness. Shops in the higher altitude villages tend to run out of the drug and you will likely run into some people that are suffering from the illness and do not have the drug on them. Having some extra pills may help you and others along the way (Diamox is also a diuretic so you'll need to use the toilet quite a bit).
Shortly after we left Koto, we reached the busy town of Chame. Chame is quite large and full of Internet cafes that don't really work because of the lack of electricity, but it's a good place to stop for medicine, winter clothes and other basic supplies should you need any. I personally recommend staying in Koto instead as it is close enough to Chame and much more peaceful.
In Chame we stopped to fill our water bottles, buy expensive cough drops for Tony and get bandages for Helen's blistered feet. The guys headed to the safe drinking water station while I accompanied Helen to the pharmacy. For the first time, I saw just how bad her blisters were and realized what a tough girl she really is. Both the balls of her feet were completely covered by extra skin a few millimeters thick that were slowly and painfully peeling off. Both her ankles had large blisters that hadn't popped. Helen's first aid solution was rather amusing - band aids where the blisters had popped under her feet, followed by bandages wrapped tightly around both feet, followed by socks and sanitary pads to make up for the lack of insoles! I would have just asked for a horse to take me back down the mountain.
After stocking up in Chame, we headed for the town of Bhratang. We ascended slowly, winding through fir and pine tree forests. It was a lovely hike and we found ourselves mostly alone. As we climbed higher the landscape of trees was ever so often interrupted by large, barren, rocky, majestic mountain faces. Although I was in really good hiking shape, the air was definitely getting thinner and I felt my body getting heavier. My backpack seemed to have oddly gained a pound or two as well even though I hadn't accumulated anything new. Thankfully, my companions were feeling the same and we decided to break for lunch in the town of Bhratang.
There were only two restaurants in Bhratang. We picked the empty restaurant, but no sooner had we ordered, a large group of Israelis with porters and guides arrived. They sat at the next table while their porters sat at ours, slumped over, exhausted. Many Israelis hike the circuit with porters who carry kitchen supplies for them. They often ask for their food to be cooked in the pots that they bring with them so they can adhere to their strict, kosher dietary requirements. This group in particular kept walking in and out of the kitchen and somehow managed to get their food before us even though we had all ordered fried macaroni, which shouldn't have taken long. Tired, hungry and annoyed, we waited for our food as the sun hid behind the mountains, bringing in the cold.
The hike from Bhratang to Dukhur Pokhari after lunch was exhausting. The Annapurna Trekking Profile estimated hat it would only take us an hour and a half, but the trail seemed to go on forever. We hiked mostly through the forest and crossed a few bridges. We were overtaken by a couple of large, French and Israeli groups along the way, which left us with an uneasy feeling that getting accommodation might be tough in the small town of Dukhur Pokhari. The guys went ahead of Helen and I to try to secure a couple of rooms. My feet ached with every step until we finally reached Dukhur Pokhari and I thought, thank goodness, I couldn't walk any further.
We were in for an unpleasant surprise however. Tony and Jimmy met us grim-faced. There were no rooms left. We would have to go to Upper Pisang, about an hour and a half away. It was already 5pm. The sun would set in a half hour. Flashlights in hand, we prepared for another hike under the stars. Thankfully, we found ourselves in a wide open valley. It was beautiful and we wouldn't have to worry about falling off a cliff in the dark. Adrenaline kicked in and we were at the base of a trail that led to Upper Pisang 45 minutes later. I was relieved to see the lights in the village, but we soon discovered that there were only three guesthouses in the village and they too were all full.
Surprisingly, we ran into Bernhard and Waltraud again! They said that they had arrived at 2pm and taken the last room. We told the guesthouse owner that we would sleep in the dining room if we had to. In the end, the owner let us stay in the room that he usually sleeps in - a tiny, filthy room with two Nepali-sized single beds. It was filthy, but we didn't have a choice. Tony and I squeezed into one of the beds, Helen took the other and Jimmy slept on the floor.
At the lodge, we met a group of Bulgarians whose one group member was already feeling the effects of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)and a Polish trio with a member that had come down with a stomach infection. We also met Charlie, an interesting Bavarian man who would keep popping up along the rest of our hike with his wild, curly hair and multicolored fleece.
We decided to stay an extra night in Upper Pisang. At 3310m (10,859ft) this would be a good place to acclimatise. During our acclimatisation day in the village Charlie helped Helen heal her blisters by sewing thread through them. Apparently, the needle pops the blister while the thread helps to dry it up. For anyone who may find themselves in this situation, the technique works! Helen's blisters healed quickly after that.
I also found out that the guesthouse owner had also lived in Malaysia for several years as a construction worker and spoke Malay better than he spoke English. Once again, I was able to overcome a cultural barrier by breaking a language barrier.
Tony and Jimmy took a side trip that day to Pisang Base Camp at 4380m (14,370ft) as an acclimatisation hike. Pisang Peak reaches an elevation of 6091m (19,983ft) and like most Himalayan peaks you need special permits to climb it, along with a team of porters and guides, and plenty of mountaineering experience. Even the most seasoned mountaineers have perished on these unforgiving slopes.
The guys met Helen and I later that day at the Tibetan gompa (monestary) in Upper Pisang. Each morning and evening the Tibetan monks perform services that are open to everyone. The gompa was small, but the paintings and statues of Buddha were incredibly intricate and exquisite. Again, the combination of nature and culture is what makes the Annapurna Circuit a special hike. One last note about accommodation - sanitation starts to deteriorate as you gain elevation. The rooms remain clean, but be prepared to brave some of the worst toilets you'll ever see from Upper Pisang onwards. Don't leave without your handsanitiser!
The route:
Koto (2640m/8661ft)
Chame (2710m/8891ft)
Bhratang (2850m/9350ft)
Dukhur Pokhari (3240m/10,629ft)
Upper Pisang (3310m/10,859ft)
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