TRAVELMAN NEPAL: I Hit the Dusty Trail and Soon Cursed the Steps on the Annapurna Conservarion Area Project Trek!

I walked through the town of Birethanti at five minute after one in the afternoon. I had four and a half hours of sunlight, maybe more, but I didn’t want to get caught in the dark. If I made it to Tikhedunga early enough I’d power onward to Ulleri so that the following day would be less of a challenge.

The trail started as a road.

The road lasted for about the first two hours. I came upon these children and they wanted to be in my photos. We did high fives, low fives, on the side fives, and oop you’re too slow fives, then wished one another Namaste and went our opposite directions.

This cow ( water buffalo?) really wanted those leaves up there...

I walked past my first Sherpa ( usually they were passing me as though I was standing still). This guy looked about sixty years old. I’m sure that pack only had helium balloons in it though...

Pretty farm hut...

Pack mules...

The first Tea house I encountered. There would be many along the way. They were as common as Starbucks in San Francisco...

I encountered steps. The steps and I would soon become mortal enemies. “Steps. ...It had to be steps.”

And then back down- but only a little bit...

I reached Tikhedunga early. I’d soon realize that if the estimate was three hours, it would take me two. They were conservative estimates. I continued onto Ulleri, thinking it was smooth sailing...

For the love of Scooby Doo and Jack Palance!! What the..! The steps became steep, then more steep, unrelenting. Surely it will level out around this bend... ... Son of a- @#$&#$@%!!! Each step in some stretches was at least eight inches high. Well, ok, a better description is think of a normal step..now make that one and a half times the size, for two hours...with a pack on your back...

I couldn’t tell if the altitude was getting to me or it was simply fatigue (it was fatigue). I passed a German couple in the last hour. We ended up leap frogging each other every three minutes while one of us took a break. We reached Ulleri. I picked a homestay that said it had WiFi and a hot shower. I used Neither. I drank a pot of ginger tea with my Dal Bhat then went to bed. The power was out in the town so I couldn’t charge any of my devices, nothing to do.

My room was three flights up! Steps. I hate steps. Cool thing was I went to sleep with that mountain peak outside my window, and my bed was warm under the giant blankets (also in my sleeping bag, thermals, and hat)...

I think the worst possible business one could open in the town of Ulleri is a shop that sells stair master machines...

Travelman log, day 200. Found a restaurant where the WiFi is working well tonight. !steemitworldmap 28.2097 lat 83.9568 long Start to my poonhill trek,Nepal, d3scr 342 Followers and counting, 985 steem earned. Rep 59.1 Travelman out.