Travel Notes｜Memory Cracks: Nepal ACT, Snow at Tuolong Pass

At the beginning of 2019, there was a heavy snowfall in the Annapurna area, which was said to be once in 70 years. Lake T froze, and the road to Lake T was also covered by heavy snow, so we followed the traditional route and crossed the Tuolong Pass (Thorang-La Pass, 5416m), reaching Jomsom. It's a pity that I didn't see it with my own eyes. So my travel diary is called Memory Cracks, because it is not perfect and has regrets. But it was also because of the heavy snow that we saw the extremely enchanting ACT wrapped in snow.

Enjoy the present, tomorrow is too uncertain.

Prologue

The Annapurna Circuit-ACT is ranked among the top ten hiking routes in the world by National Geographic magazine.

The ACT (Annapurna Circuit) is progressive in difficulty, starting from the lower starting point of Besisahar (790m) and climbing until you climb over the 5416m Thorang-La Pass. The average daily climb is around 600m. In the low-altitude road section, the scenery is average, and it is accessible by off-road vehicles, so many travelers will choose to take off-road vehicles to reach Chame, which also saves a few days.

Specific itinerary

Day 1: Kathmandu

Departing from Shanghai, transiting to Guangzhou, after a seven-hour flight, we finally arrived in Kathmandu.

After getting off the plane, before entering the customs, just fill in your personal information on the self-service machine. There is a special channel for Chinese citizens.

Kathmandu Street Scene

Day 2: Kathmandu- Besisahar(820m) - Chyamche(1430m)

Driving time: 10 hours.

It rained in the early morning. I was woken up by the sound of rain. I got up to freshen up and sorted the supplies I would not bring into the mountain and stored them in the hotel.

A corner of the Tamil area of ??Kathmandu

After breakfast, we drove from Kathmandu and drove along the Kathmandu Valley and Trisuli River. The weather has not improved yet, and there are always traffic jams on the winding mountain roads. The weather gradually cleared up during lunch, and in the afternoon we continued driving to Besisahar, which is the starting point of the ACT loop and where we met our guide Ren Wang.

Chapati, a kind of bread from India, left a deep impression on us when we went to K2BC in Pakistan, and we still remember it.

After Besisahar, we entered the mountains and transferred to a jeep. Continue to Chyamche. The mountain road gradually became muddy due to the rain, and the mountain road became bumpy. Two hours later, we arrived at the inn where we stayed today. The large group of 20 people finally reunited at a dinner table for the first time and got to know each other.

The guide, Wang, is a 25-year-old Nepalese boy, short and sharp, and can also speak Chinese. He has studied Chinese for more than two years, knows Chinese characters, can read and write, and has no problem communicating with us.

Day 3: Chyamche (1430m) - Chame (2620m)

Driving time: four hours

Before departure, we wandered in the nearby mountains with the guide We headed to the hillside near the inn where there is a waterfall.

After breakfast we drove to Chame, on the way we saw Manaslu (8156m), the eighth highest peak in the world. Manaslu Peak is also called Manaslu Peak I. In Tibetan, it is called Kutangge Peak or Kutang Mountain, which means a flat place and is used to describe its wide top.

Time in the mountains is always so unfocused. We arrived at the inn early in the afternoon to rest, wash clothes and bask in the sun.

I heard that there was a hot spring nearby. I was very excited to have fun in the water, but unfortunately I didn’t bring a bikini. Wear slippers, bring a towel and go happily. The geothermal water is really hot, even when you soak your feet. Adding some cold water to take a bath is really a good choice.

Day 4: Chame(2620m)-Bhratang(2850m)-Lower Pisang(3200m)

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The hike takes about 5 hours, the hiking mileage is about 12.6km, the cumulative ascent is about 1100m, and the descent is about 400m.

Get up early and take pictures of the mountains. After breakfast we packed up and set off immediately.

The journey starts with a 400-meter climb to Bhratang and continues after lunch.

It is said that the place in the picture is the place where a traveler was buried by an avalanche about ten days ago.

The roads to Lower Pisang are relatively flat. It was past three o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived at the inn in lower Pisang. We unloaded our luggage, put on thick clothes, took our cameras, and headed to Upper Pisang, where there is a Tibetan Buddhist temple.

The above pictures are provided by Kunming brother

Day 5: Lower Pisang(3200m) - Manang(3500m)

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The hike takes about 7 hours, the hiking mileage is about 18.6km, the cumulative ascent is about 560m, and the descent is about 345m.

Set off along the river valley early in the morning , the first thing that greets us is a lake, where we can photograph the reflection of the two peaks of Annapuerna. It is unimaginable that at such an altitude, you can see lush jungles and rich colors at the foot of the snow-capped mountains.

Annapurna 2 Peaks, have you seen any faces?

Leaving the lake, there is a flat "highway", followed by a 400m straight uphill stretch.

Since I was traveling faster, I waited for everyone in a small shop halfway up the mountain. When the main force arrives, we set off again. Reaching a higher mountainside, Annapurna Peak 2, Annapurna Peak 4 and other peaks are lined up in a row, which is extremely magnificent.

Since I was traveling very fast, I volunteered to set off with the guide, and first went to the inn where I had lunch to order, because the serving speed of local inns in Nepal was really too slow, so in order to save everyone’s time , send someone to take orders first, so that you can eat when the large group arrives.

After lunch, we continued towards manang and faced a big downhill first. My strength is going uphill. Downhill is really difficult for me. With the same slope, my speed going uphill will be much faster than going downhill. The road after that is relatively smooth.

Scenery along the way, photography: Brother Kunming

Scenery along the way, photography: teammate Bingge

Manang is an important town in the ACT and the largest supply point. Drinking wine and eating meat can be experienced here. Because supplies will become increasingly scarce as we go up the road. There will be no chicken and beef, no beer and red bull, only eggs and vegetables. WiFi will also become more and more expensive, and the signal will become worse and worse. So tonight we eat steak together.

Eat and drink well and sleep happily.

Day 6: Manang (3540m) - Yak Kharha - Ledar (4230m)

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Wearing suggestions: Today we need to go up to an altitude of 4000m. The weather in the afternoon is unpredictable. It is strongly recommended to carry waterproof clothing with you. Wear a fleece hat and be sure not to let your head catch a cold.

Had ACT’s famous dessert for breakfast: apple pie. It is said that the ACT is also called the Apple Pie Route, partly because Manang is famous for its apple pie, and partly because the ACT’s route map looks a bit like an apple pie. ACT’s apple pie is really sweet, really delicious.

After breakfast, we packed our bags and came to the annapurna conservation area project for the usual check-in. When we came to the fork in the road, Tuolong Pass and Tilicho Lake, we reluctantly walked towards the road to Tuolong Pass.

Today’s road still climbed gently, and the weather was fine in the morning. The warm sunshine at noon made us not want to continue walking up, but we changed our minds soon after lunch. The sun disappeared, the wind picked up, and the snow line gradually started to appear. It started to rain a little bit, and I felt cooler. When I stopped to rest, I put on a fleece jacket and a jacket.

Day 7: Ledar (4230m) - High Camp (4925m)

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The hike lasted about 3 hours, with a hiking mileage of 5.9km, an ascent of 668m, and a descent of 65m.

The strong wind blew away the dark clouds last night, and the weather was good this morning. Before I got up, I took out my camera to take pictures of Rizhao Jinshan Mountain on the opposite side. Today’s hike is only passable by one person in the first half and takes two hours to reach Thorong Phedi.

Following a continuous downhill, there is a zigzag continuous uphill.

After completing the uphill climb, you will encounter a rocky area that needs to be passed quickly.

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When you come to a step, it is just a step down. The step is higher, but too slippery. There is a cliff on the right hand side. If you are not careful, you may slip and fall easily. .

Walking in front of me was an aunt from London, England, who passed quickly. She turned back and asked me in her well-spoken English: Do you need help?

I nodded vigorously: I need it so much.

She and her guide grabbed my arms and asked me to move down slowly. After seeing that I stood firm, they let me go, but I actually slipped. Stupid! ! !

After lunch, take a short rest and then face a continuous zigzag uphill climb with an altitude climb of 400m.

Since I was the last one to set off, in order to catch up with the progress of the large group, I followed the leader and took a shortcut. Although there were his footprints in front of me, I still missed the step and my feet fell into the snow. I crossed my knees, pulled out my legs and continued to step on them, but still found nothing. I looked helplessly at Renwang and spread my hands: I need help.

Renwang and the guide from the British aunt came over and lifted me out of the snow like a box. Renwang also said to me: take the right way. I later learned that the mountains are also undulating. With snow covering the mountains, we don’t know which roads will be empty. But the locals know that the roads they stepped on are solid underneath. We are not familiar with the mountains, so it is easy to find another way. Go short.

Uphill is my strength. It is not difficult. Pay attention to breathing evenly. It takes 50 minutes.

Because there is only one inn in the high camp, all travelers who need to cross the pass will rest here, and the beds are very tight. Renwang had already gone up the mountain to reserve all the beds before our lunch, but there were still very few rooms for two people. Because I walked quickly, I grabbed one of the few rooms for two people.

The altitude is close to 5,000, so you need to be especially careful. Pay special attention to keeping your head and body warm to avoid catching cold.

After warming up the stove, I went back to the room to sleep and conserve my energy for climbing over the pass the next day. In fact, you don’t sleep deeply at 5,000 meters, so going out to shoot the stars in the middle of the night is a good choice.

We are the stars in the sky/We are traveling alone

We are the stars in the sky/We meet and separate in the sky

Day 8: High Camp (4925m ) – Thorang-La Pass (5416m) – Muktinath (3800m)

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Hiking 7 Hours, the hiking mileage is about 10.6km, the cumulative ascent is about 500m, and the descent is about 1600m

At 4:30 in the morning, we set off. I volunteered and followed the guide and was the first in the team.

I have to say that my headlight is really weak, not bright enough, nor strong enough. I rely on the headlights of my teammates behind me to light up the road ahead. After an hour of hiking, we finally came to a tea house. It was already dawn. Everyone drank some hot water, put away their headlamps, made some adjustments and continued to set off.

There is always a road at the end of the road, and there is always an uphill at the end of the uphill.

Although we missed Tilicho Lake as originally planned due to the heavy snow at the beginning of the year, it was also because of the heavy snow that these mountains looked particularly enchanting.

At 7:49 local time, I finally arrived at Tuolong Pass.

The snow on the pass is really thick. Compared with the signboard on the pass and when my friends came during the Spring Festival last year, my friends all said that I must have passed a fake pass.

I wrote my name on the Tuolong Pass in the ACT, proving that I have been here, and I left my name, my footprints, and my story. I don’t need others to know me. Let the Himalayan wind blow my name away, let the Himalayan sunshine melt my name.

We were all very excited as if we had beaten the big boss of this trip.

After reaching the highest point, it is all downhill, downhill. . . Slope road. . . road. . . Another weakness of mine. Helpless, the stupid bird flies first and can only go ahead of others. Wear knee pads, tighten your shoelaces, and protect your knees.

When going downhill, the snow is also very thick. Although the people in front have stepped on the road, the people behind just need to follow the footprints down the mountain. However, the people in front have long legs and big feet, and I am short. For legs, to step on the next footprint, sometimes I have to do difficult movements like splits, but my ligaments are very tight, so we all thought of a good way.

Everyone, please look at this downhill. How do you think I will go down?

Answer: Slide down like a slide.

During the process of sliding down the slope, I was wearing long sleeves, but the long sleeves were lifted up, and my elbow was directly scratched by the ice. The traveling friend on the road used the iodine he brought to wipe me gently. Since I always get sick every time I travel, I decided to bring red potion or iodophor with me every time I travel.

ACT is a great one-stop experience for hiking and skiing.

After a series of continuous descents, with an altitude drop of 1600m, my poor balance and coordination caused me to fall nearly 10 times on the way down.

We reached Muktinath at 4 pm. Muktinath belongs to Lower Mustang district. Because Indians recently came to Muktinath for pilgrimage to the Hindu temple, the inn was almost full, so it took some effort to find an inn that could accommodate 20 people at the same time. The inn can take a shower, but the hot water is limited. We asked the hotel owner to prepare more hot water for us to comfort us after a long journey. After taking a shower, I immediately felt refreshed. After crossing Tuolong Pass, I went to bed early.

Day 9: Muktinath (3800) - Jomsom

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Muktinath, a place of pilgrimage for Hindus and Buddhists, is a small village with an extremely strong religious culture. Incense is flourishing here, and believers come and go. It already belongs to the Mustang area.

Mustang is the last autonomous kingdom in Nepal and the only region that has completely preserved the original appearance of traditional Tibetan culture. It is hidden deep in the hidden places of the Himalayas and is known as the "Jewel of the Himalayas". Its capital, lo-manthang, has been certified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world. Mustang was not open to the public until 1992, but foreign tourists need a permit to enter. The permit fee is US$500 and can be visited for 10 days. If it exceeds one day, an additional US$50 will be charged.

The one wearing a hat in the distance (commonly known as "Flag Cloud") is the seventh highest mountain in the world - Dhaulagiri

Muktinath (3800 meters) has a very popular Vishnu Muktinath Temple, located at the first highest altitude in the world (followed by Tungnath in India, 3680) is a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists located in the Muktinath Valley at an altitude of 3800 meters at the foot of the Tungnath Pass. The site is located near the village of Ranipauwa and is sometimes incorrectly called Muktinath.

In the morning, under the leadership of Renwang, we went to the Muktinath temple. There is a Hindu temple, and further up, there is a Tibetan Buddhist temple. When I was in Badgang, I was refused entry to a Hindu temple because I was a non-Hindu. Entry to this Hindu temple is allowed.

In order to stay away from the pain of separation from love

You have to go through thousands of lives and separations

before you can leave without separation

In order to avoid the pain of not getting what you want

You must ask for thousands of things and get nothing

before you can get nothing

At 10:30 in the morning, we Hiking from Muktinath to Jomsom, the altitude drops by nearly 1000m. Based on my personal experience, I suggest you: don’t walk, take a car, because the wind and sand are too strong. There is a road after Muktinath, and you can take a shuttle bus to Jomsom.

Day 10: Jomsom (2800 meters)

Today we have a day of rest in Jomsom. In the morning we go to Marpha, which belongs to the Mustang area. If you want to hike there and take a car back, the wind and sand are too strong, so it is recommended to take a car there and back.

The village is the apple capital of America, and marfa brandy and jam are made from the local fruit. It is a common overnight stopping point on the Annapurna circuit. It is not as crowded as Jomsom in the north and does not have as many tourists. ( -- Excerpted from Wikipedia)

Kawaguchi Ekai (1866-1945) was the first Japanese to enter Tibet in history, and he entered Tibet twice. He was one of many foreigners who entered Tibet in the early 20th century. A figure with worldwide influence and a pioneer in Japanese Tibetan studies.

Day 11: Jomsom (2800 meters)-Pokhara (827 meters)

Get up at 4 o'clock, pack your bags, arrive at Jomsom Airport at 5 o'clock, and take the 6 o'clock flight to Pokhara.

Small planes in Nepal usually have 17 seats. Due to the danger of the runway at Lukla Airport, other small planes that want to go to and from Jomsom or Pokhara can still take off and land normally.

Pokhara is famous for its freshness, not as crowded, noisy and dusty as Kathmandu. Walking on the street, walking in the lakeside area, boating on Phewa Lake, paragliding and bungee jumping are all good experiences.

Day 12: Pokhara

This day is really hard to describe.

Get up after four o'clock and watch the sunrise. It's raining. Also due to rain, the paragliding project in the morning was cancelled, and we went to the World Peace Tower instead. Looking at Phewa Lake from a distance, I found that it was all foggy and I couldn't see anything.

I received a notice at noon that the rain had stopped in the afternoon and bungee jumping was allowed. I was afraid that I would vomit if I went bungee jumping after lunch, so I didn’t even eat lunch. In the first 20 minutes, the staff told us that we could bungee jump. In the next 20 minutes, when we arrived at the store, they told me that it was raining on the mountain and you would probably get an electric shock.

We have no choice but to go boating on Phewa Lake.

Also, on my second trip to Pokhara, I didn’t take any pictures of the beautiful reflection of Fishtail Peak in Phewa Lake.

However, I had some different experiences from the first time (National Day in 2014): I went to the World Peace Pagoda and went boating on Phewa Lake.

After the rain, the sky breaks on the river bank. How many new passengers do you know in the old boat? In the distant mountains, you can see the bamboo forest and fragrant grass. The morning breeze caresses the green plantains.

The willow leaves splash on the waves of peach blossoms, in Tingzhou. The crane looks into the distance, drinks a cup of fragrance of time, and sings a song about the past.

Day 13: Pokhara -Kathmandu

Where will I wake up from the wine tonight, the dawn wind will fade on the willow bank

Finally, we walked around Phewa Lake and checked in as usual.

Not thrilling, not exciting, not fun, go home!

Get on the bus and go to Pokhara Airport.

As the trip comes to an end, there is always some regret and reluctance. The weather is still bad today, with sporadic light rain falling in the morning. Then, we were told: Due to thunderstorms in Kathmandu, all small planes have been grounded! The group leader and guide immediately contacted the car and took us back to Kathmandu.

At 8:30 pm, I finally arrived at the airport, with 8 minutes to go, and I caught up.

What a thrilling day, I boarded the plane as I wished.

Looking at the bustling Hong Kong Airport, we finally returned to our own place.

At this point, the ACT journey has come to a successful end.

Postscript

Nepal is a country that I love and hate at the same time. I always want to leave this hellish place before the end of every trip. But after a period of time, I missed this place again, and even planned to return to this place.

I love it because it has rich landforms, 800m of plains and river valleys, 3000m of forests, 4000m of shrubs, 8000m of snow-capped mountains. The beautiful natural landscape must always be matched with rich humanistic characteristics. Stunningly beautiful to the soul.

I hate him because this country and its people are too unreliable, especially small planes, which are grounded as soon as they are told. In this country, which relies on light industry and tourism to support its GDP, the people's happiness index is actually very high.

I have been an outdoor enthusiast for six years. I walked through the Meiliyu Mountains, hiked Mount Kailash, and hiked EBC, K2BC and ACT. Every trip left a deep impression on me.

Because of the outdoors, I have been running and exercising for three years, and my weight has changed from 150 pounds to 110 pounds. From failing PE to finishing a half marathon, to hiking EBC and K2BC. I have experienced blizzards, hypothermia, thunderstorms, and falling rocks outdoors. In the mountains and fields, there is no one in front of me and no one behind me. One person shuttles through the mountains, like a gull in the sky and earth. Hiking made me independent and allowed me to overcome difficulties again and again. At the same time, it also tempered my will and told myself that I can really continue to carry on.

No matter what choice you make in life, it is the right one, because that is the path you should take, but no matter what choice you make in life, there will be regrets. Some lives are used to pass on the family lineage, some lives are used to experience, and some lives are used to gain insights. Spend some time making yourself special, not to change the world, but just to not be changed by the world.