We wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Let the coming year be prosperous joyful for all of us.

Finnish Lapland. Ruka skiing resort. Kumpuvaara hill.

May the Joy and Peace of Christmas be with you now and throughout the new year. Let the spirit of love gently fill our hearts and homes. In this loveliest of seasons may you find many reasons for happiness.

With our warm wishes,

Alexey and Svetlana

P.S.  We are going to Finnish Lapland this New Year Holiday for skiing and other winter fun. The place named Ruka skiing resort, it is very close to the Arctic Circle and Rovaniemi (Santa Claus village here). If you wish a post-card from Santa Claus, let me know, I will tell him=))

I have never been to Netherlands before, but always dreamed. Today I bought a bargain tickets Moscow – Amsterdam – Moscow for the next spring (from 27 of April till 11 of May, 2011). My cycle trip will be camping and low budget style, I hope some of my friends will join me.

Tulip filds in Netherlands.

Finally, I will see tulip fields, wind-mills, lot of cyclists, taste local cheeses and beer.

If you’ll be somewhere around there or think about joining me – let me know by e-mail.

The details of the trip and the route coming soon!  Stay tuned!

Jungles of Nepal

Have you ever seen a jungle? I’ve been to the jungle for the first time during my trekking in Nepal this October. Let me show you how was it – to be in the jungle.

Trekking in Nepal make it possible walk through 5 – 6 climatic zones within couple of weeks. Nepal is located in the subtropics, however, because of huge differences in height, there are all climate zones – from tropical jungles to the eternal snows, and high-altitude deserts. 

 The beginning of the trail around Manaslu goes through tropical jungle. 

 When you first find yourself in the jungle, you don’t believe your eyes: so unreal and strange everything around. I initially had a feeling that I got into Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”. You just don’t believe that you see it with your own eyes, not in the “National Geographic” magazine. 

Then, when you got used to the thought that everything around is real, your brain explodes with unprecedented, absolutely amazing beauty: the bright green plants, noisy waterfalls, brooks and streams, the air filled with songs of different colored birds, cicadas and other insects. Grass, flowers, trees, sounds – all strange and unusual.

But the most remarkable thing in the jungle are flying glowing butterflies in the night. They are flying fast in the tropical darkness, carrying in hand a small bright torch, and it is seems like a true miracle.

The route consisted of 3 parts

• Round Manaslu trek + Tsum Valley detour + Manaslu base camp detour (3 weeks) ;
• Round Annapurna trek + Ice Lake and Milarepa’s Cave detours (2 weeks);
• Annapurna Senctuary or Annapurna Base camp trek, АВС (1 week).

Required mandatory permits and papers, and other unavoidable expenses:

• Round Manaslu trek: Trekking permit Manasulu area – 8 days, $80. Restricted aria on Manaslu path: from Lokuwa till Bimtang; Trekking permit Tsum Valley – 7 days (min), $35; entry fee MCAP – 2000 rupees. (If you are going Round Manaslu rek only, you needn’t a TIMS ).
• Round Annapurna trek and Annapurna Senctuary (ABC): entry fee ACAP – 2000 rupees; TIMS – $10 (to group, through trekking agency; individual – $20).
• Trekking guide, Round Manaslu trek: a licensed guide , working in trekking agency accredited in TAAN . In our case – $ 20 per day for the group, we were paid for 24 days, including a way to the start point and return way to the KTM, plus a couple of days  to unanticipated stops and delays. Before our trip we arranged all the details of our trek with Etic Himalaya Trekking Agency (Dhan Prasad Gurung, can recommend), they prepared all nessesary permits and papers for us the same day we arrived to KTM.
• Transport: from the KTM to Arugat Bazaar (start point of Manaslu trek) we rode the local bus – 300 rupees per person. It had been  from 6-30 am till 14-15 noon. On the way back I flew from Pokhara to KTM at  local airplane, $ 92, 23 minutes. There are options for way back to KTM:  tourist bus “Green Line”, $ 16-20, including lunch (6-9 hours, normal bus, sometimes even with a working air condition) or local buses, the price – how you negotiate, the time – how it got, at least 8 hours.

Equipment. Gear. Things.

I trekked without porters. All gear carried myself. Backpack was about 15 kg at the beginning , then a little less.  Equipment (except personal clothing): a sleeping bag (downy, 15F); inflatable mat, mug and spork, both titanium, flip-flops for the shower; sandals (proved useless – threw out the first week, thanks God, they were old), first aid kit (many things were usefull, vitamins and isotonic salt, especially); bath stuff; trekking poles (very useful thing, without them my knees would be worse), trekking boots (anyone who says that special trekking boots are not necessary and all that – good luck, my opinion – it is  most comfortable boots for the track, assuming that you have used special  trekking socks), all sorts of electronic devices: GPS, mobile phone, chargers, batteries, e-book, a compact solar panel, headlamp, and 2 pairs of glasses from the sun, some of which – special mountain; rain cover (never used, but maybe I just got lucky with the weather), a thin rope 5m for drying clothes.

What  I am missed: a small compact gas stove; liner in a sleeping bag;  ginger powder, or root; a local GSM SIM card and recharge cards, paper book LP (was loaded to e-book, sometimes paper is better).

I would like to say special  praise of my equipment:

• Deuter backpack, lite model with women’s suspension. Highly recommend: from all of my backpack (more than 10) this is the most comfortable. Deuter have a good suspension, quality of materials and fittings – perfect, nothing broke, despite the light version of the backpack. Rated 5 out of 5.
• Black Diamond trekking poles. Lightweight with excellent reliable locking mechanism. Poles will save your knees from injury, especially if you have a heavy backpack. And you have to have a pair of poles!
• Asolo trekking boots. Ode to my boots I can sing forever: excellent, reliable, comfortable boots for trekking in the mountains. Perhaps, hiking shoes could be enough: I was lucky with the weather and there was no heavy rain and snow.
• Marmot sleeping bag. Super lightweight and compact (down). Where it was warm, I just used it as bed linen, for hygienic purposes.
• trekking socks from “Decathlon” megamarket. Cheap and works perfectly. Recommend, as well as the other (some!) clothes from Decathlon.

The route of the trip. Overnight stays.

The route of the Round Manaslu is well described in Lonely Planet “Trekking in Nepal”, as well as Round Annapurna trek and Annapurna base camp. Details on the trekking in the Tsum valley can be found, in particular, in the travel notes of Australians ( April 2010) or in the booklet about Tsum Valley.

My trip route:

Manaslu region: КТМ – Arugath Bazar (overnight in guest house) – Lapubesi (overnight in tent at camping place, no electricity) – Dobhan (overnight in guest house, satellite phone available, no electricity) - Philim (several guest houses and camping places, satellite phone available, no electricity) – detour to the Tsum Valley - Chumling (only one guest house, satellite phone and electricity available) – Chhokung (chek-post,  there no guest houses, shop, satellite phone in the shop, electricity available also. we stayed overnight in local house) – Mu Gumba (monastery, only 12 young monks and 5-6 old monks and lamas living in poor living conditions; available guest rooms at the monastery) – Chhokung (Stayed overnight in local house of the Mu Gumba’s teacher) – Lakuwa ((Lokpa), guest house, small shop, satellite phone) - back to Manaslu trail – Ghap ((Prok), very simple guest house with camping place, no electricity, satellite phone available) – Lhogaon ((Lho), only one very simple guest house with camping place, no electricity, satellite phone available) –  Samogaon (large village, 6-7 guest houses, couple of shops, several check-post, electricity, acclimatization detour to Punggen Gumba (actually, there no any gompa),  and Manaslu Base Camp (actually, MBC settled at  4950m, not 4400m, according a map), satellite phone) – Samdo (couple of guest houses with very expensive prices of food, “snickers” – 150 rupees each, possibility of acclimatize detour at the Tibet border direction, step by stap by yak’s caravans route) – Dharmasala ((Larke Phedi), new one guest house, kitchen and comfortable dining room, tasty and expensive food (close to Moscow’s prices), stunning views, mountain stream, anxiety about tomorrow – all these you get  in assortiment) –  Larke Bhanjyang pass (5106) – Bimtang (two very simple dirty guest houses, kitchen and the opportunity to get something to eat, after 4 hours of grueling ascent to the pass and 4 hours of the same descent – a very welcome) – Thilche (guest house in very end of the village, telephone service) – Dharapani (this village at the Annapurna Circuit, all civilization stuff are available).

Round Annapurna and ABC: Dharapani – Chame – (via Upper Pisang) – Ghyaru – Manang (3 nights) – Thorong Phedi –  Thorung La pass – Muktinath – Kagbeni – Marpha – (via eastern bank of the river) Koketanti – Dana – (turn toward АВС trek, past Tatopani) Shikha – Ghorepani – Chhomrong – Dobhan – (to АВС and back) Deurali – Chhomrong – Jhinu – Dhampus – Pokhara.

Kumpuvaara Cafe

Last winter, in the high season after long ski tracks opening, we manage to get to Kumpuvaara hill, where is a cozy cafe on the top.

People usually came to cafe by snowmobile or car – it is quite far away from the Rukatunturi, but there were some on the skis.

Nice woman, the owner of the cafe does not speak English; however there was a hot tea and a soup!

Blue sheep. Female. Annapurna Concervation Area. Nepal.

Manang. 24 of October, 2010.

In the morning it was decided to walk to the cave of Milarepa. At the head of different thoughts wandered, and haunted anxiety before the upcoming pass Thorong La. Were still fresh memories of the brutal “mountain sickness”, catch me on the descent from Larke La: the body are allocated generously to epinephrine.

Sunrise in Manang.

I waited for dawn and had breakfast in a nice lodge “New happy yak” in Braga. Went on the trail alone. My yesterday’s Belgian companions on Ice Lake today decided to visit Praken Gompa, a monastery and its 94-year old “100 rupee lama” Lama Tashi, who made personal puja for everyone for a donation of 100 rupees.

The weather was excellent, I’m on the trail alone. Silence, stunning views.

Manang valley. Braga.Gungang Himal.

An hour later, with a little get to the snow-white chorten. We saw it’s yesterday on the opposite side of the valley, when climbing at Ice Lake. I thought the cave here: no, it has to climb.

Manang. Milarapa's Cave trail. Gangapurna.

Pathway remarkable: going through a coniferous forest, nobody around. Maybe it’s because early in the morning? At some point the forest parted and I saw a beautiful Annapurna III and Gangapurna.

Annapurna III ang Gangapurna. Milarepa's Cave trail. Manang.

The trail to the cave rise up along the dry bed of small river. Ahead on the trail, I saw two beauties:

Blue sheep. Milarepa's Cave trail. Manang.

and could not believe my eyes: it was the blue sheep. Looked to the left, on the slope below the trail: There’s a whole family!

Blue sheep. Manang. Nepal.

They looked at me with interest but did not exhibit signs of anxiety. I slowly drew closer and closer. They occasionally glancing in my direction.

Blue sheep. Annapurna Concervation Area. Nepal.

Some were older, some – young and beautiful:

Blue sheep. Female. Annapurna Concervation Area. Nepal.

There was also some cute kids, very nimble:

Blue sheep's kids.

It was astonishing and wonderful to meet such lovely creatures. At the heart once it became easy, fear and anxiety are gone. It became clear that this is a good sign and on the pass, I’ll be fine. Slowly passing by the family, I went above, toward the cave. It is situated at the foot of Annapurna III, and here is stunning view:

Milarepa's Cave. Manang.

Thousands of prayer flags stretched over my head:

Milarepa's Cave. Manang.

Silence and only the rustle of flags. I spend a blissful couple of hours, sitting in the sun.At the head of a long-awaited void. Suddenly … p-r-s-haa-ah .. turn around to the left to the sound:

Small avalanche. Annapurna III.

A small avalanche descends from the slope of Annapurna III. I made pictures of the beginning and then just standing with  open mouth  :-) Huge power!

Braga valley. Annapurna Circuit. Nepal.

Descended with a light heart. Everything will be fine.

Thorong La, 5416m.

Hi there,

Yesterday  I flew back to Moscow. Within 6 weeks I: was personally convinced of the existence of  Nepal ; was observing incredible Himalaya; walked with my backpack all that the previously planned; met many great people, some of  whom became friends of mine; realized that trekking as cool as a cycling; lost a few extra pounds; have been assured how much I love my husband and all our wonderful family.

My mobile and e-mail is already working.

Now I will try to sort hundreds of my travel pictures, write some articles and travel notes, maybe.

Stay tuned and hearty regards from Moscow!