Nepal/Annapurna Circuit/Everest flight

annapurna

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Mount Everest Flight

Ok, so we didn't climb the highest mountain in the world, but we did see it! After walking in the mountains for 3 weeks we decided to take the easy way to see Everest. We did an early morning flight from Kathmandu. The plane only sat 14 people, however everyone got a window seat. I would have to say the views on the hike were superior to the plane, but it still was amazing seeing the worlds highest mountain. We were flying at 26000 feet, and Everest is 29000 feet. On the hike we got up to about 16500 feet to put it in perspective. In the picure, Everest is the triangular mountain in the background. (the camera through the window isn't doing the view justice). Who knows, maybe we will come back some day and attempt it.................kidding.

Annapurna Circuit!

Not sure where to begin explaining the last month of our adventure. We arrived in Kathmandu a few weeks ago and it is absolutely crazy. Let's just say that Bangkok is tranquil compared to it! We set off on a 20 day hike through the himilayas. The first few days were cloudy, but the views of the mountains and foothills were unbelievable. About 4 days into the hike we got our first view of the himilayas. They make the rocky's look like tiny bumps. Along the way we stayed in small tea houses. They were anything from a basic bed, to a very cozy lodge. The most challenging part of the hike was acclimatizing to the altitude. We walked very slowly, and stayed 2 nights in one town to acclimatize. It was at 3500 meters, and the day we were there it snowed like crazy!!!

The big obstacle of the hike was the Thorong Pass. This is the highest mountain pass in the world, at 5416 metres. The hike was only about 20 km the day we did the pass, and we had to wake up at 3:30am to start the crossing. It took us 4.5 hours to climb up to the pass, and this was only about 5km in distance, and 1 km vertically. This walk up was breathtaking in every way. We would walk about 20 steps and then take a rest. To put this in perspective, at 3500 metres we got out of breath just changing positions in our sleeping bags....

When we reached the pass we were exhausted, but the views were perfect. It was the most perfect blue sky and we could see the Annapurna mountain range, as well as other mountain ranges. We only stayed at the top for about 15 minutes as I (Laura) had a hard time breathing since i had a decent chest cold and it was also about minus 10 degrees with the wind chill. We still had a 15km walk down, taking us down 1.6 km vertically.

After the pass we had another 7 days of walking, however they were easier as we were on our way down. The views still were amazing, but completely different than the other side of the mountain ranges. We travelled through the deepest valley in the world that was very desert like and extremely windy. We still had the himilayas towering above us.

We ended our hike in a small town and then bussed to a place called Pokhara. This was easily the best experience of our lives and definately the highlight of our adventure so far!

Adam's trip to the Beauty Salon

So Adam decided that it was time to lose the beard........

In Bangkok at 8:30pm it is slim pickings to find a barber, however there were numourous beauty salons open SO adam decided he had had enough of the beard and strolled into the nearest salon. Already in the salon were 2 women getting pedicures, a few getting facials and waxing, and now Adam, getting ready to have his beard shaved. He had quite the audience while the initial shaving took place. The woman that did it I must say was very delicate and gentle with him! The highlight for me was when it was shaved off with the electric razor he wanted to have it straight bladed as well. The woman asked him to get up and then go over to the tables and lay down. Now, picture adam laying on a table with women getting facials and waxings beside him........It was hilarious. It took the woman nearly 30 minutes to straight blade the rest off, and when she was finished the staff were chuckling as he looked so different! They much prefered him without.....he looked much younger. It also is a much different look for me (and him) to get used to as his hair is much longer now. All in all, it made for an entertaining evening for me, and he is feeling much smoother and cleaner. Did I mention that prior to this he got a massage??? No joke, a massage and a trip to the salon all in one day! He is a true beauty!

Floating Market

The floating market is located about 1.5 hours outside of Bangkok. It is more of a tourist attraction than a market for the locals, but it was still worth seeing. We took a bus there early in the morning and then got to go on a paddleboat through the market. This was neat however they made us wear straw hats on the paddleboat. I think this was more for the locals entertainment than for our sun protection....

The paddleboat weaved in and out of other boats taking us from stale to stale, trying to get us to buy things. The waterway is only about 6 metres wide and there are MANY boats trying to fight there way through. This was more entertaining than the market itself at times.

While we went through the market other boats with the locals were coming up to us with the strangest setups of grills to fry meat, fruit baskets and other contraptions so that we could buy food along the way. It was hilarious seeing what types of setups they had. There were huge mounds of noodles and rice and vegetables along with actual woks to make pad thai, all on one small narrow boat.

We spent about an hour on the paddleboat and an hour walking around the land portion and then headed back. It was well worth the bus ride!

Thai Cooking Course

Adam and I decided to work on our culinary skills and take a thai cooking course. It was awesome! We first got a tour of the market and learned about different thai ingredients and herbs. Then we got to cook 6 different items! These included Tom Yam soup (one of my favorites), Pad Thai, Glass Noodle Salad, Cashewnut chicken and a green and a red curry. Shockingly we were surprised at the outcome! The dishes were fantastic however we left extremely full! We also discovered we already use the main ingredients in thai food when we cook at home. Maybe I will really stop working and become a full time cook in Asia????

Thailand pics

Various Thailand pics

Click on the picture to view the photo album- hill tribe trek included!!!