Annapurna Circuit Days 1 and 2

A little background:  The Annapurna Circuit is located northwest of Kathmandu (Everest is southeast).  The trek goes counter clockwise around the Annapurna Mountain range and passes several of the 10 tallest mountains in the world. It begins in Besisahar and ends (for most people) in Jomsom.  The highpoint of the trek is crossing the Thorung La Pass at 5410 meters.  That's almost 18,000 feet and taller than any mountain in the European Alps!  You gain 4600 meters in elevation in 10-12 days and then drop way back down in only two days.  Killer on the knees, but the lungs appreciate it!

Besisahar to Khudi and Khudi to Syange
After a grueling 8 hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Besisahar on the 'local' bus, we began the trek around 4pm.  We planned on hiking for two hours (till dark), but only made it 1.5 hrs to Khudi due to a huge thunderstorm that decided to descend into the valley.  We were slightly concerned this might be a bad omen for our trip, but the next day was beautiful...as were all of the days as it turns out!  We had a filling dinner in a small teahouse and awoke early the next morning ready for our first full day to Syange.  The hike started easy enough, but we soon realized the Annapurna Circuit would be no walk in the park.  We encountered the first of many questionable suspension bridges that swing and bounce you across the roaring rivers below.  No, we never got used to them!  We also got our first glimpse of what was to come...the towering snow capped peaks of the Himalayan Mountain range.