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Everest (8848m) from a nearby viewpoint. You need to be pretty fit to do the Everest trek, let alone do it with a smile. I saw a lot of unfit people who were really struggling and suffering.  Nepal (10/99).

Although Everest in the main draw, it is neither the most dramatic nor spectacular peak in the region.  I found it impossible to take my eyes away from Ama Dablam.  Everest Trek, Nepal (10/99). 

I spent over 3 weeks exploring the Everest region and still didn't see it all. If you pay to join trekking company group, you will cram it all in 10 days and most likely get mountain sickness, only to be air-lifted out ! Lhotse (8501m) is the 4th highest mountain in the world.  Everest Trek, Nepal (10/99).

Nima, the 17 year-old Nepali Sherpa who accompanied us on our 22 day trek. He had a perpetual grin on his face because like us, he just loved being in the mountains.  Everest Trek (10/99).

The Buddhist Monastery at Tengboche is home, school and place of prayer for monks of this region. Everest Trek (10/99).

Buddhist Chortens are a common sight along the trails of the Everest Trek (10/99).

If you want to take decent photos, you have to work at it. I crawled out of bed for this early sunrise shot.

The Everest Trek is tough work. No matter how much I ate I just could not replace the calories lost. By the end of my 22 day ramble, I had lost 7 kg (10% of my weight ! ). The region is usually dry and brown during the trekking season but a freak snowstorm rolled in and dumped 2 metres of snow in the fall of 1999.  The trails became a muddy mess but it sure made the mountains white and pretty.  View from 5400m Goyko Ri, Everest Trek (10/99).

Locals trying to sell us a crappy violin. Martje, Esther (Dutch) and I doing some Christmas shopping. Things are so cheap in Nepal that even I couldn't help it.  Thamel, Katmandu (12/99).

When I first left for this big journey, I just wanted to see it all : the Great Barrier Reef, Mt Everest, the Taj Mahal etc. but what turned out to be the ultimate highlight of my trip were the people I met, especially my fellow travelers.  Panorama of the Himalayan mountain range from Nagarkot, Nepal (12/99).  

Bodnath, a huge Buddhist stupa in Katmandu. It is spectacular by day but even better at night when lit by thousands of butter lamps. Although a busy tourist center, Katmandu is still a charming town with lots to see. It's also one of few places in the sub-continent with bars, discos, steak houses, pastry shops and other cushy Western amenities.  Katmandu, Nepal (11/99).

Himalayan foothills.  Annapurna (12/99).

Early days of the 28 day Annapurna Trek in the lush green lowland. Annapurna (11/99).

After a week of trekking, we enter pine forests similar to that in Canada.  Annapurna II (7937m) from Pisang, Annapurna Trek (11/99).

There are prayer flags fluttering about all over the mountains of Nepal. Annapurna (11/99).

Rice fields along the Annapurna Trek. Unlike the Everest region, the Annapurna valleys are inhabited, therefore you see both traditional village life and magnificent mountains.  Annapurna (11/99).

Midway through the Annapurna Trek we ascend into the high alpine. Most trekkers hire porters to carry their stuff but I decided to do it myself.  On-route to Manang, Annapurna  (11/99).

What a view. I sat here for an hour admiring the wide expanse of the Tibetan plateau and Annapurna Range behind. Near the summit of 5450m Thorung La Pass, Annapurna Trek (11/99).

The stark brown Tibetan landscape of Lower Mustang is quite a contrast to the snowy white massif of Dhaulagiri, the world's 7th highest mountain.  Muktinath, Annapurna (11/99).

Kagbeni is the furthest village in the stunningly beautiful Mustang region which is open to travellers. Just like Annapurna and Everest before it, its a matter of time before Mustang is open to foreigners and I will be there in a second.  Annapurna  (11/99).

Chilly and I in the magnificent Annapurna Sanctuary. The massive white wall behind us is Annapurna I, the 10th highest peak in the world. Its December at an altitude of 4300m, there is 20cm of new snow and we are freezing our ass, but its all worth it. I traveled with Chilly for 5 weeks, the longest ever with any single person. We didn't kill each other and are still good friends !!  Annapurna  (12/99).

What did I do on the day after a 28 day hike ?.....go hiking again. Poor Chilly wanted a rest but decided to tag along anyway so she wouldn't miss the beautiful view of the mustard fields and the Annapurna Range. Sarangkot (12/99).

After a couple of days in a city or beach, I would get bored but I could never get enough of the mountains. I eventually left the Himalayas after 4 months because the winter had arrived.  Near Tilicho Tal, Annapurna (11/99).

Macchapuchare, the most striking and elegant mountain in the Annapurna Range.  It is a sacred to the locals and has never been climbed.  Pokhara, Nepal (12/99).

Farmlands of southern Nepal (12/99).

Nepal isn't just snowy white mountains. Jungle lowlands of Chitwan National Park, Nepal (12/99).

Mustard is harvested in December in the Terai, the lush lowlands of southern Nepal (12/99).

Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999

Trekking in Everest has now become a mainstream "in-thing" to do along with such things as Carribean Cruise, 2 weeks in Europe etc. Before, it appealed only to avid hikers and outdoor types. What most people forgot is that you have to haul your own ass up the trail unlike a cruise whereby you just pack the bags and show-up. Tell me, if you've never hiked a day in your life...why on earth would you ever sign up for a 2 week strenous expedition type trek in the wild mountains ?!! Everyday I'd see hoards of ill-prepared unfit struggling morons. They would be part of these 15-20 person trek groups with guides leading them like the dumb sheep that they are, along with an army of porters carrying all their crap. It was a pathetic sight. 25% of these group trekkers would not complete the trek. Its like signing up for an Alaskan Cruise and there a 25% chance that the boat won't make Alaska! In the half day I spent in the Everest Base Camp region I saw were 4 helicopter rescues. Nepali chopper pilots would risk their lives flying choppers up to 5000 plus meters since foreigners dying on treks would do irrepairable damage to the tourism industry. 

OK OK, getting too worked up here....back to my trek. I teamed up with my university friend Greg and we really did a gangbusters take-no-prisoners romp of the region. We were both incredibly fit and gung-ho. We did every dotted line on the map which wasn't closed by heavy snow or needed equipment. Only took one rest day (due to rain) and spent an incredible 13 days/nights above 4000m. On 7 occasions we climbed over 5000m (most trek itenaries only cross 5000m once, max twice). Hauling one's ass over 5000m is hellish since there is only 50% the oxygen of sea-level. 

Now in Katmandu resting and trying to put back some of the loss weight. Pastry shop nearby has 50% off after 10PM...problem is everyone knows about it so its elbows all the way !!! 

Off to do Annapurna tomorrow, a 24 day trek but I have promised myself a less intense more relaxed trek. I even bought 2 books to read on-route.

Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999

Katmandu is really a nice city, compact, not too big yet, really feels like South Asia but yet has lots of western amenities. Probably the best thing is that I have book myself into a nice hotel with tea-garden, roof top deck with city views etc so have a comfortable nice room to come back to everynight. Its rated one-star too !! Now before you all start laughing consider the fact that most places I stay don't even have a rating. 

My travels has changed a bit lately and I find myself no longer going all-out sight-seeing blitzkrieg style. Most of you know I am pretty hyper but I have toned down. After 8 months I've found that style to be totally unsustainable. 

I must admit that I do feel a tad homesick every now and then for a breif moment. Then I think of being back behind the desk during the dreary Vancouver winter and I am all recharged again !!!

Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999

During the trek, when fellow trekkers heard that I was doing the 17 day Circuit, 3 day Tilicho Lake side-trip and 8 day Sanctuary treks back-to-back they said, "man, your're a machine". When I told them that this hike was preceded by 22 days on Everest ...."man, you're a lunatic !!!". 

I am all "trekked-out" now. Help, where's the nearest beach ? 

Just dicking around now in Katmandu awaiting sloowwww Indian Visa. All my friends I've been travelling with in Nepal have left now so its shopping, email, sleep-in and TV time. 

I personally did not think the Annapurna region is as good as Everest. Sure, its a fabulous top-notch trek but it did not deliver the stunning mountain views with the consistency that Everest did. Annapurna had better culture stuff, but you all know me, I'm not very cultured so did not give a @#*&. 

Have been in Nepal a whopping 68 days now, by far the longest stay in any one country. Yup, Nepal is that good and I rate it amongst the very best part of my journey alongside the Karakorams and Cook Islands. 

Happy x-mas to all and thank-god we are going to get that damn millenium "thing" out of the way soon. As for me, I don't even know yet exactly where I'll be or what I'll be doing. Maybe I'll plan it so I'm on some crappy local bus just so it'll make a good story one day. 

Chai

Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999

I just signed up for a 2 day white-water raft trip leaving tomorrow. Its a very famous Nepal river because its so steep and difficult (class 4+ and even class 5's but rookies have to walk those sections to avoid death). Its called the Bhote Kosi and described as, "the most exciting thing you can do in Nepal without risking a social disease". That is how I will spend x-mas. After that its to Royal Chitwan Nat Park for 4 to 5 days (for New Years), then India for 2.5 months. 

Thank goodness I won't have to spend Y2K in smelly scat-ridden rat-infested India !!!  

Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999

Flora/fauna and trail-side scenery - Anna
Lodge quality and amenities - Anna
Crowds and the regions ability to spread them out - Anna
Variety of terrain throughout the route - Anna
Less altitude problems and warmer climate - Anna
Costs and prices - Anna
Pretty villages and temples/culture thing - Anna
Stunning mountain views - Everest

So, Annapurna wins every category except the most important one, mountains views. I came to Nepal to see incredible mountains. Not just ordinary ones but huge in-your-face towering walls which make your neck stiff. For all but a select group of obsessed mountain loving people I would recommend Annapurna over Everest. Most people would not appreciate Everest's stunning views enough to put-up its mis-givings. Annapurna's big strength is the amazing variety of terrain you trekked through and I think that would appeal more to most people. 

In 17 days you went from sub-tropical jungle to alpine forest (similar to Banff) to tundra-like open pastures to rocky scree and glaciers to high dray Tibetan plateau then back to pine forests and sub-tropical jungle. But, you rarely got the incredible mountain views and that was the surprising thing. In 17 days circling this huge massif of 7000-8000m peaks there were only a day or 2 when you got to see them unobstructed and in-your-face. The rest of the time they were behind a ridge or the trail was just too deep in the valley. 

Everest, for the most part had only one type of terrain, above tree-line grassy slopes with monster mountains all around you. It was easy to ignore the crappy trail conditions, shitty lodges, bitter cold, hoards of people, ugly villages etc. since the views were just so damn good. 

Annapurna's top 3 viewpoints were : Thorung La Pass looking down to the Tibetan Plateau and Mustang Valley, Tilicho Lake, main massif from Pisang/Manang high-route. Although these 3 were spectacular, they do not even come close to Everest's trio of Gokyo Ri, Chhukung Ri and Kala Pattar....and this is the main reason I rate Everest ahead. 

The 3rd trek I did, Annapurna Sanctuary falls far behind the above 2. 7 day hike and 6 of them were just plain ordinary. There was nothing wrong those 6 days but I did not trot all the way to Nepal just for "ordinary". The 7th day was spectacular but 1 in 7 does not cut it. Everest on the other-hand was about 15 in 22 and Annapurna about 7 in 17. Also, as far as mountain amphitheatre's go, I felt Chhukung surpassed the Sanctuary. 

Thank goodness I did the 3 day Tilicho Lake side-trip which provided most of Annapurna's big mountain views and vista's. A new 2 year-old lodge built half-way to this lake has provided access without having to camp. Tilicho Lake is huge body of water at 5000m with Herzog's famous Grand Barrier (a monster 7000m wall of ice and rock) tumbling into its south shore. I still can't believe very few bother to see it (less than 10% of passing trekkers). Lazy buggers.

As for overall hiking regions, here's my say :
1) Karakorams 
2) Everest
3) Annapurna Circuit, Alaska, Cdn Rockies (tie)

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