Before setting of in this adventure I knew it was going to have it’s challenges but I didn’t expect to experience one so soon.
I woke up bright and early from the comfort of Deeman’s homestay for another day on the Annapurna Circuit. I was sad to go but I will cherish out time together. It was another bright and beautiful day. I have been so lucky with the weather. Again I was amazed with how the mountain was transforming from what I saw just the day before. The trail led through the forest and all of a sudden I was in the jungle and I could hear monkeys rustling in the tree canopy. For the first time on the trail I had come cross some fellow trekkers. I reached Chame which was very busy. This is the village that many people travel to by jeep to start the trek. In addition to this the election was happening so all of the locals were home which filled all of the accommodations and occupied all of the couches in the village. It was too many people for me so I continued to the next village, Bhratang. It was only 14:00 so I had plenty of time to get there before dark. A friend that I had met back in Pokhara recommended that I order an apple pie from the restaurant there so that was my motivation. I had pie on my mind. Upon arrival I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that the restaurant and accommodation in Bhratang was closed due to the election. All of the staff had left to go to Chame to vote. Not only was I tired and ready to call it a day but I wasn’t able to get my apple pie!!! This was a big loss but I couldn’t just sit their and cry about it, I needed to make my next move. I had two options, backtrack an hour or so to Chame or walk to the next village which was going to be two hours at the pace I was moving at that time. Chame failed the vibe check when I walked through earlier so to the next village it was. After already walking 20kms I was not thrilled to even take another step but you know what they say, onwards and upwards. What’s another 6 kms anyway. I continued to walk and started to chant myself a mantra to keep my mind busy “I am strong, I am resilient, I am brave and I can achieve anything I set my mind to… I am strong, I am resilient, I am brave and I can achieve anything I set my mind to…” This kept me going for while but I was still battling with my energy. I think the universe was tired of hearing my whining because an angel appeared on their motorcycle and asked if I wanted a ride. I happily hopped on the back and within 15-20 minutes we arrived to Lower Pisang. He dropped me off to his sisters guest house and waited for me to settle in. After we sat down around the fire and I thanked him so much for the ride. I explained that where I was planning to stay was closed and after walking 20 kms, I had tapped into my spare fuel tank to continue to the next village. He explained to me that he was actually heading in the opposite direction, he has passed me while going to Chame and noticed that I looked tired. He said “you didn’t look so good” LOL. I definitely didn’t feel so good either. He had turned around to make sure I was okay and then decided to just drive me to Pisang. How kind of this man!?! Before leaving for Chame (again) he told his sister to take good care of me. He explained that he has a guest house in Manang and whether I am passing through or wanted to stay the night to just drop in. There is so much gooooooood in the world.