When planning our Annapurna Circuit trek, I pieced together information from the internet and got a pretty good idea of what to pack and what the route would be like. However, my friends and I found ourselves frequently starting sentences with "I wish I had known..." So, here is a list of 15 things that we discovered along the way: 1. You need passport photos for the trekking permits. I had read this online. What I didn't know was that there were abundant places to take passport photos near and in the permit office. My friend, Rachel, realized she needed more passport photos, and she was able to take them in the permit office for super cheap. I paid $45 at Walgreens. 2. There is a stand with coffee and pastries at the tourist bus stop. Take the earliest bus out of Pokhara and grab breakfast at the bus stop. With the 6:30am bus, we arrived in Besisahar around 11:00am, took a jeep a few towns further, and had the whole afternoon to start our trek. 3. If you're short on time, a jeep is worth it, and there are always other trekkers who will want to split the cost. 4. You can buy things along the way. I don't think I truly believed people who said this online, but I was able to buy cookies, Snickers bars, hand sanitizer, and pads in towns along the trail (Chame and Manang). I even bought a warmer hat. Shops in Pokhara and Kathmandu sell knock-off gear, including down jackets and sleeping bags, for cheap prices. 5. Don't stop at the first teahouse in each town. Keep walking. There is a good chance the nicer ones are further on. 6. Pay for everything at the teahouses when you leave in the morning. They keep a running total. Early on in the trek, I paid for my shower on the spot, and the teahouse owner tried to charge me again the next morning. I truly believe this was an honest mistake on his part - I threw him off by paying only part of my bill the previous night. 7. You will sweat a lot the first few days at lower altitudes. I was so worried about being cold later in the trek that I hadn't considered being too warm at the beginning. I was grateful that I had brought a clean set of clothes for sleeping at night so that I could escape my sweaty trekking clothes at the end of the day. 8. Sometimes, the teahouses will give you extra helpings of your meal for free. This was not the case with all menu items (like momos), but we frequently got more servings of dal bhat and curry with rice. 9. Some teahouses are willing to barter on the room cost, since food is where they make the majority of their money. Many offered a free room if we agreed to eat dinner and breakfast at their teahouse. 10. The domestic and international terminals at the Kathmandu airport are not connected. If you have a domestic flight, you have to fully exit the international terminal and walk down the road to get to the domestic building, as we learned for our flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. We had to ask for help from a really nice taxi driver. 11. Buy Diamox in Pokhara or Kathmandu. In the US, you need a prescription for this medication. In Nepal, it is readily available at pharmacies without a prescription. I took Diamox above 10,000 ft to help with acclimatization.
12. Wear a buff. It is very dusty along the road as well as above treeline when its windy. Protect your lungs from all the dust being kicked up. I started using my buff later in the trip, after I had already developed a cough. 13. Do the Upper Pisang Trail! It's very challenging but unbelievably scenic and helps with acclimatization, since you climb high then sleep low at Manang. It also made the walk to High Camp and over the pass a little more bearable because we already had pushed our bodies on the steep Upper Pisang Trail. Read about our day on the Upper Pisang Trail here. 14. You can use European or American chargers almost everywhere. Prior to the trip, I had unsuccessfully scoured the internet to find out whether I needed additional power adapters to charge electronics. Ultimately, I packed my universal adapter and was totally fine. Also, electronics like iPhones and Kindles - the only two electronics I brought - don't need voltage converters, just the adapter to fit the plug into the socket. 15. Nepal will steal your heart with its breathtaking scenery, fluttering prayer flags, and kind people. You will be longing to go back again.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Alyssa Good and I have a passion for travel, adventure, culture, and new experiences! I focus on budget friendly travel, trip planning resources, and seeking out new experiences. Archives
December 2017
Categories
All
|