I woke up a little before 6 am and opened my front door to a spectacular view of the sun hitting Annapurna South. I knocked on Mozella’s door. We were like two little girls we were so excited to see these magnificent mountains. Mozella had truly believed the foothills were the mountains. She said, “In Maryland, those would be mountains.” When she first saw Annapurna South, she said, “Love really is a mountain.” As we sat there in awe together, she wrote a beautiful poem and read it to me. What could be more beautiful?
Annapurna South at dawn
Our favorite porter came over to share our experience and told us more about the mountains. Soon bed tea was served and Carolyn appeared. She too, was amazed. Shortly after, we were served bed tea. Breakfast consisted of corn flakes, hard boiled eggs, toast, peanut butter, marmalade, potatoes, onions, peppers and sausage. We started our hike about 8:30 am after packing up. We started our trek through the unspoiled village of Majhgaun. Our walk then took us through sub-tropical forests that include tree orchids, rhododendrons and magnolias. We walked up lots of steps. There are steps in this region to protect the trails from the monsoons. We also passed through the village of Pothana where many Tibetan traders live and sell their souvenirs. We walked thru very lush forests, fields and villages for about 4 hours.
Trail map
We stopped in one village for some tea. At last, I had what I had been told was called Sherpa tea. I love it! While we were having tea, an American doctor approached us. She and her husband had just finished 2 weeks of volunteering for Helping Hands. She is from Denver and we had a lively conversation.
Trekking
We arrived at Basanta Lodge in time for a late lunch. After lunch there was an optional hike to the old village of Shampua. We were not able to see the sweeping view of the entire Annapurna Range because of fog and rain. It rained hard that night. We enjoyed another fire and lively conversation with other guests over dinner in the lodge before bed. One of the guests highly recommended a travel insurance company, Global Rescue. Worth looking into if you travel often! Having been on much longer treks in more remote areas, I was pleased at the variety of the terrain and the beauty. It was a wonderful day of hiking.
Gurung Lodge bedroom