Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

1 The view when I stepped out of Pokhara airport. I think that's Annapurna South.	2 View from Pokhara airport: tip of Machhapuchhere aka 'Fishtail' on the left.	3 Chhetri Sisters Guesthouse: restaurant.	4 Chhetri Sisters Guesthouse: I stayed in the room on the ground floor the night before my trek, and in the one on the first floor the night after my trek.	5 Phewa Lake in Pokhara, just about from where the guesthouse is.	6 Phewa Lake.
7 The trek has started. Our porters: Bima (back) and Dhana. Notice the plastic covers...	8 Day 1 of my Annapurna Sanctuary Trek.	9 Day 1: Share the path. Everything gets carried up to the the villages by donkeys or people.	10 Day 1: a rare moment where it didn't rain too much for the camera to be out.	11 Day 1: We crossed quite a few swing bridges.	12 Day 1: There was a lot of walking up one side of a mountain and back down the other side. Fog and rain rolled in and never really left us again for 6 days.
13 Day 2: Typical dining hall at the tea-houses en route. The clothes drying rack around the stove was much needed since it really pissed down during the 2nd half of our hike today. For the rest of the day it just rained.	14 Day 3: The view, from Poon Hill, which we didn't see on the 3rd morning due to very rainy weather.	15 Day 3: it's still raining.	16 Day 3: Tea-break. Francis, my trekking partner, and Nirma, our guide.	17 Day 4: a break in the weather albeit very temporary.	18 Day 4: would that be an actual view? Or blue sky for that matter?
19 Day 4: that's more what the first 6 days looked like!	20 Day 4: when possible (read: temporarily not raining) I did take some photos.	21 Day 4.	22 Day 4: the sun actually broke through for a few short moments.	23 Day 4: up and down we went.	24 Day 4.
25 Day 4. Today was actually a reasonably good weather day.	26 Day 4: afternoon break.	27 Day 4: the most perfect rainbow ever - close to our destination for that day, Chhomrong.	28 Day 5: morning view of the mountains.	29 Day 5: morning break at Sinuwa, already across the valley from Chhomrong.	30 Day 5: morning break in Sinuwa; we came from the lodge in the top left corner (Chhomrong). No more photos of that day... the weather (read rain again) turned really nasty.
31 Day 6: This is only our tea break in the guesthouse house at Himalaya. We had just crossed an out-of-control mountain stream barefoot (which at least kept our shoes and socks dry).	32 Day 7: And then the weather changed: moon over the mountains in the early morning from the tea-house at Dovan.	33 Day 7: first blue sky views of the Annapurna's. Yep, that's my finger trying to block the sun a little.	34 Day 7: 'Fishtail' from Machhapuchhere Base Camp.	35 Machhapuchhere or 'Fishtail'	36 Day 7: And then we made it to ABC: Annapurna Basecamp! (This is South ABC).
37 Day 7: ABC at dusk. Annapurna South.	38 Day 7: Fishtail from ABC.	39 Day 8: ABC at sunrise.	40 Day 8: Everyone at ABC got up to experience the sunrise.	41 Day 8: ABC at 6.10am	42 Day 8: Sunrise on Annapurna I.
43 Day 8: Sunrise.	44 Day 8: Fishtail at sunrise.	45 Day 8: Walking out of and looking back towards ABC and Annapurna South.	46 Day 8: Back at MBC (Machhapuchhere Base Camp).	47 Day 8: Although still my least favorite experience of the trek, this rickety bridge somehow looked a little more stable and a little less high in good (read dry) weather.	48 Day 8: Our guide Nirma.
49 Day 9: view of Fishtail.	50 Day 9: From day 7 we had brilliant weather.	51 Day 9.	52 Day 9: view from 'International Guest House' in Chhomrong - with Nirma, Bima and Dhana.	53 Day 9: Sunset from our tea-house terrace.	54 Day 9: Sunset from our tea-house terrace.
55 Day 9: Fishtail at sunset.	56 Day 9: Annapurna South at sunset.	57 Day 9: Dhana, Nirma, Bima and Francis looking at photos.	58 Day 10: Annapurna South (I think).	59 Day 10: Swing bridge (the longest one we crossed) over the Modi Khola River.	60 Day 10: Sunset from the tea-house in Landruk.
61 Day 11: sunrise from Landruk.	62 Day 11: We hiked through rice terraces.	63 Day 11: Our porters: Bima and Dhana.	64 Day 11: Looking back on the trail.	65 Day 11: Rice terraces.	66 Day 11: Sunset on Fishtail from Dhampus.
67 Day 12: Almost back at the road where we were picked up and driven back to Pokhara.	68 Day 12.	69 Day 12: Last evening dinner. Standing fltr: Dicky Chhetri, Dhana, Nicky Chhetri, Caroline. Sitting fltr: Bima, Nirma, Francis.	70	71