The Annapurna Circuit Day 1 - Besisahar to Bhulbhule

Pokhara - Besisahar - Bhulbhule

BANANA BREAD | BUMPY BUS | CHEEKY KIDS | WATER CAP | SNAKESKIN | WOODEN WALLS

• 20th October 2018
• 4.3 Miles
• 2 Hours 8 Mins
• Starting Elevation 760m
• Finish Elevation 828m
• Average Temperature 33.2C (Low 31C, High 35C)
• Average Heart Rate 136bpm (Max 168bpm, reaching over 150bpm some 10 times)

Backpacks fully loaded we left the hostel just before 6 am and within a few minutes were crammed inside a taxi en route to the tourist bus park in Pokhara.

Stepping out of the taxi it took only a few seconds before a nearby friendly cafe owner had us sat with tea and cake waiting for the next bus to depart. As we waited for the bus to depart, trekkers arrived in twos and threes, bundling out of their taxi’s to hear the same well-refined patter of the cafe owner.

The bus rides in Nepal are part of the adventure, an experience to test the padding on your bones and the strength of your nerves. Waiting for the bus to leave my mind was actively trying to remember that crucial item I’d forgot and cause a final few moments of panic. For once, nothing really presented itself so it was time to get (un)comfortable and ready for the ride. Just time to buy an emergency banana bread from a vendor waiting outside the bus window.

It took over five hours to make the 70-mile journey to Besisahar (that’s an average of 14 mph) during which time the world drifted by the window. The chaotic city streets turned to farmland and crumbling houses, which turned to steep river gorges until finally arriving into the cloud of buses, backpacks and jeeps that is Besisahar.

Jumping off the bus we grabbed our backpacks and headed into the nearest teahouse to let the rush subside as most trekkers piled into the waiting jeeps. With time on our side, our plan instead of taking a jeep was to hike this first section of the trail. Checking in at the first checkpoint to get permits stamped and names logged we were soon making the first steps of the trek down stone steps towards the river. A light sense of excitement and interpretation of what was to come.

The path meandered gently down to the bottom of the valley, through small clusters of houses occasionally joining with the road where jeeps packed full of people rushed by. At one point we were given some misleading directions by a couple of local cheeky kids, clearly happy to see us head up a steep path which took us away from the trail for a few minutes before we hit the road and came back pretty much to where we started. Next up we crossed the first swing bridge of the trek, this felt like a marker not because of its size or danger level, but rather because it’s such a characteristic of these routes in Nepal. A definite sign we aren’t hiking in the Peak District this time!

It was warm, really warm in the afternoon sun. Passing through the fields there was little shade and the weight of my pack started to make itself known. Even the short gradual uphills were tough. Clearly, I had not done enough training (no training) with a loaded backpack. On the upside, there was no rush so we could stop and take on water or drop the bags for a few moments here or there. I was particularly proud of the cooling technique I invented (patent pending) to collect water from streams in my cap and immediately don said cap, releasing a gentle run of cold water down the head, face, neck and back. A few minutes of relief from the beating of the sun.

Today was also the day I realised there were some biiiiiig spiders in Nepal, which nobody seems to tell you about. I read a lot about the snakes, but we only saw one dead snake on this day and no others on the rest of the trek. The spiders, however (in the lowlands) are hanging from every tree and about the size of your hand. I had to curtail sticking my camera into any bushes for fear of upsetting any of these boldly coloured giants.

Festival time in Nepal means the giant bamboo swings are erected in each village and it was great to pass through while kids were enjoying themselves. I don’t think we saw more than 2 or 3 trekkers on the route. A day of locals and animals as we continued on.

Arriving in Bhulbhule came surprisingly quickly, we were expecting a 3-4 hour trek but arrived in just over two. This meant we had plenty of time to explore the village before sunset. Firstly though, time to check into a guesthouse. Through sheer inexperience, we just went straight to the first one we saw, the Heaven Guest House which turned out to be a good choice.

A pre-dinner wander around the village was a great way to end the day, meeting a few locals and other trekkers. Some people we would see again on our route and listen to other trekkers with different plans to scale a nearby 6000m peak.

As the evening drew in I felt a real sense of contentment with how the day turned out, no issues with transport, a gentle start to the trek, and then a long evening to sip beer and eat. My ideal way to spend time. Walking from place to place, taking in new surroundings then relaxing into the quiet of the night. Despite this relaxation though I didn’t get a great night's sleep. It was a warm one, although the wide gaps in the wooden walls of the guesthouse helped circulate the air, I think jet lag and anticipation kept my brain awake. Still no complaints, I’d do it all over again any day. Except for the bus ride maybe, and the spiders.