Back to The Annapurna Circuit

The first few days on the Annapurna circuit took us threw many small little villages surrounded by growing mountains, green life and for the most part, smiling locals. Not everyone is happy to see you, and who can blame them. 70,000 hippies, gear heads, racers, trekkers and all around cheapskates tramp through their backyard every year asking to take photos of cute children and wrinkled grandparents. Hell, I wouldn't want to smile for that many trespassers in a year either.

Others look at the flashy boots and bags, compare them to their flip flops and tattered clothes and ask for a donation to the grocery bill. Then, others flash a gigantic smile and give you their address in exchange for a printed copy of the final photo.

No matter your experience, many trekkers memories of the faces they see rival those of the monstrous mountains. From old to young, snotty nosed and dirty handed to dread locked hotel owners, the locals who live on and make a living from the Annapurna Circuit are just as important as the views.

Waiter in Bhulebhule

Hamming it up for the camera

A typical workload on the trail

Shopping queue

Standing on guard

Posing

Family portrait

Here's to you

Mother and daughter

Local girls pose

Luckily, we stayed at the same hotel as local local leaders on a trek and got treated to the best meal on the trek.

Dachau

Until this week, Munich has been cold and rainy with lows of 8 every night. On one of these cold depressing days, I went to the Dachau concentration camp. The first of it's kind, it opened in 1933 and remained in operation until 1945. In 12 years of operation nearly 200,000 prisoners entered it's doors.

This is the main entrance to Dachau. The writing on the door says, "Arebit Mach Frie." Work Will Set You Free

Once you enter the compound, the main processing building which has been converted into a museum, is on the right. Inside is an incredibly detailed timeline and many artifacts from the operation of the camp.

Inmate uniform

Arm band for disinfection area

Table where prisoners were held down, and beaten.

This is a memorial depicting the prisoners and the pain they went through while in Dachau.

Disguised as a shower room, it is still unknown why the gas chamber was never used.

Port for gas.

Cremation chamber.

The grounds once housed 32 barracks.

The Jewish Memorial at Dachau

The Jewish Memorial at Dachau

The Menorah at the top of the Jewish memorial, seen from inside

Any prisoner caught trying to escape was shot on sight. Many purposely entered the trench to end the suffering they endured.