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  • Clark Conlisk
  • Clark Conlisk

India & Southeast Asia

A 296-day adventure by Clark Read more
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  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Bhraka - Annapurna Day 5 (End)

    October 24, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Our homestay in the outer village of Bhraka was cozy enough to coax us into a late start in our ascent to Ice Lake. The views were amazing and made the descent a reluctant one. After a quick lunch in Outer Bhraka, Ken, Lucas, and I made our way to the main village of Bhraka, from which we will do a climb to Milarepa's Cave tomorrow morning. We settled in the village in the "New Yak Hotel" because of the name. Why not.

    In the village a 500+ year old gompa and monk/nun complex sits carved into the mountain.    Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Milarepa's Cave - Annapurna Day 6

    October 25, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    4300m. Milarepa is often referred to as Tibet's most talented Buddhist practitioner. Among the many stories of his life, one in particular highlights the years he spent meditating in a cave in the Himalayas. That cave was within reach of the Annapurna Circuit trail, so I had to make a quick stop and give it a look. It was made a monument so much of the expected cave-aspects were filled with statues and figures commemorating his Enlightenment.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Khangsar - Annapurna Day 6 (End)

    October 25, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    (3700m) 24 km travelled. After descending from Milarepa's Cave and the glacier at Annapurna III (which sits at the base of the peak around 4300m), my cross-continental comrades and I took a quick lunch at the New Yak Hotel in Bhraka village then departed for Khansar via Manang. Thanks to our unwillingness to grab our maps from our packs, what could have been a simple trek on well-travelled foot and bike paths quickly became a challenging trek around the bases of eroded Himalayan peaks. Nonetheless, the wrong-Northwest turn away from Manang turned out to be a strenuous albeit significant shortcut to our target destination. Tomorrow we will continue onward toward Tilicho Lake (4900m+).Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Tilicho Lake Base Camp - Day 7 (End)

    October 26, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    (4100m) 9 km travelled. A half day of being on the move from Khangsar came to an end at the New Tilicho Lake Base Camp, a four hour, 800 meter climb shy of Tilicho Lake (Tal). Tomorrow will be a treat, as the 800 meter climb will be capped off by an afternoon at one of the highest mountain lakes in the world.

    My view while writing this entry is seen in the first picture.    Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Yak Kharka - Annapurna Day 8 (End)

    October 27, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    (4000m) 37 km travelled. Today we ascended to Tilicho Tal at 4990m then descended past base camp to Yak Kharka at 4080m. The major change in altitude and ground covered did not go unnoticed; a nosebleed and extremely sore calves accompanied the final few hours of the nine spent hiking. On the way from Tilicho Tal Base Camp to Yak Kharka we stopped through the abandoned village of Old Khansar (pictured below). It served as a welcome break from by far our most strenuous day yet.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Thorong La Base Camp - Day 9 (End)

    October 28, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    4900m. 12 km travelled. Because both the lower and upper base camps for Thorung La Pass (5400m) were less than a half day's walk from Yak Kharka, we afforded ourselves the luxury of sleeping in. We arrived at Thorung Phedi, the lower base camp, at 11:30 and, after a brief stop off, decided to continue the 400 meters upward to the high base camp to give ourselves a leg-up tomorrow morning. Thorung La is the world's highest mountain pass, so a full night's rest and a hearty dinner will be tonight's first priorities. Unfortunately, sleeping in well-below freezing temperatures at nearly 5000 meters altitude may not cooperate with those plans.

    The base camp mess hall was already cold, but then the snowstorm rolled in. Tomorrow's 500+ meter climb in the snow will be delightful, I'm sure...    Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Thorong La (5416m) - Annapurna Day 10

    October 29, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    (5416m) According to the Government of Nepal, this is the world's highest mountain pass. The cold and snow storms that accompanied us up the pass between 5:15 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. didn't make reaching 5416 meter elevation any easier. But we did it, and without nosebleeds this time!Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Muktinath - Annapurna Day 10 (End)

    October 29, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    (3800m / 22 km travelled) After descending from 5416m to 3800m and battling the snow all the way down, I settled in a lodge in Muktinath, which can be more aptly described as a growing mountain town than as a traditional village. There was even free Wi-Fi for me to sync these footprints. But free WiFi at a Yak farming town in the middle of the Himalayas, even where finding bread was a challenge...? The world is a peculiar place. After conquering the pass earlier this morning, the shower and warmth were a much more welcome commodity than that interweb stuff all the kids are raving about. Tonight I will decide where to venture tomorrow.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Marpha - Annapurna Day 11 (End)

    October 30, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    (2670m / 36 km travelled) Today was not without its challenges, despite it being the first full day after the high mountain pass. We started in Muktinath and made our way through several mountain-side villages, their stupas and gompas standing proudly on their high points. As we continued onward we went through an arid expanse of desert, shielded from regular precipitation by the Annapurna range. Eventually we arrived in Jomson and pushed through the Chairro, where we found no homestays and then backtracked to Marpha for the evening. The family who took us in had two of the most exuberant children that we had met so far on the trail. A simple "Namaste Babu!" from us prompted hours of energy from them.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Ghasa - Annapurna Day 12 (End)

    October 31, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    31 km travelled. A long walk from Marpha to Ghasa ended our day on a relieving note - my right leg was voicing its complaints by noon. Our descent from coniferous forests into full-jungles started today. Two trekkers from Andorra were great company for the evening. Tomorrow we will make our way to Tatopani and its much talked about hot springs.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Tatopani - Annapurna Day 13 (End)

    November 1, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    23 km travelled. Finally back at a normal altitude (in the 1000s) and enjoying the easy walks through shaded groves of banana trees and meadows of wild flowers. Several views of the Annapurna Range presented themselves today as we walked through the more concentrated agrarian villages along the many converging mountain streams. Tatopani, directly translated as "hot water", is known among trekkers for its natural hot springs. After over a week on being chilled to the bone by high altitude nights and the late afternoon mountain winds that precede them, nothing sounds better than a few hours acting like an old man in nature's jacuzzi.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Ghorepani - Annapurna Day 14 (End)

    November 2, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ 🌫 6 °C

    (2860m) 19 km travelled solo. I assumed that all days after making Thorong La Pass would be easy, downhill affairs. Wow, was I wrong. From 1190m at Tatopani back up to 2860m for Ghorepani, today was almost exclusively uphill. It would have been one of the more scenic days of the trek, but cloud cover on the nearby Dhaulagiri peaks tempered its effects. Tomorrow morning I will climb to a view point at Poon Hill for sunrise and see if I can catch a glimpse of some of those elusive 7k+ & 8k+ peaks.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Poon Hill - Annapurna Day 15

    November 3, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    (3193m) 4:00 a.m. wake up and a quick night climb to Poon Hill from Ghorepani was a treat, as sunrise on the Dhalaghiri range, Annapurna South (7219m), Machhapuchhre (6997m), and the beast Annapurna 1 (8091m, eighth highest peak in the world). Some of the best views of my 150 days travelling - wow, that's gone fast.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Jhinudanda - Annapurna Day 15 (End)

    November 3, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    (1780m) 29 km travelled. This morning, after returning to Ghorepani from Poon Hill, I had yet to decide where I would go next. A little deliberation led me to a decision on Jhinudanda, a more remote village used by trekkers as a stop-off on the way back from South Annapurna Base Camp for its hot springs. It was a rollercoaster, up and down day with both humidity and cloud cover, but in six hours I made it to Jhinu in time to relax in the springs.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Landruk - Annapurna Day 16 (End)

    November 4, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    10 km travelled. A surprisingly efficient day trek from Ghorepani to Jhinudanda yesterday was followed today by a lackluster, two hour southern trek to Landruk, very much effected by me falling ill (either due to bad water or unclean fruit). Between 1:00 p.m. and midnight I did a dance between the bathroom and my bed with fever as my counterpart. Luckily, with the help of my remedial medicine kit, my fever broke late in the night and I woke up ready to make a bit of progress the next morning.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Sarangkot - Annapurna Days 17-18

    November 6, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    32 km travelled. A healthy wake up was a huge stroke of luck after a fever-riddled night in Landruk. With a newfound burst of energy, and finally an appetite, I devoured a bit of breakfast and made my way south, now veering off and exploring villages that weren't quite listed on the Annapurna Conversation Area map. My last few days were meant to be about getting off the beaten track. With Jhinudanda and Landruk I experienced that, as well as a bit of local illness. Nonetheless, my last four days around the region were both liberating and exciting, and I was happy to make a final stop-off in Sarangkot to enjoy a last sampling of village life before returning to Pokhara and ending my 18 day journey around the Annapurna Range. Somewhere below the clouds in these photos is the city of Pokhara and where I will end my trek tomorrow.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Pokhara - Annapurna Day 19 (FINISH)

    November 7, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    13 km travelled. Finally, and sadly, completed my 19 day, 423 km/263 mile trek around Nepal's Annapurna Himalaya region today...by walking into Pokhara and straight to the only bar with Guinness. What an incredible ride it was. Can't recommend the Annapurna Circuit more highly to anyone with an interest in seeing an incredible spectrum of what mother nature has to offer. Here are some random highlights.Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Kathmandu International Airport, Nepal

    November 18, 2015 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After finishing the Annapurna Circuit I spent eight days (including the three day festival of Tihar and Diwali) in Pokhara relaxing before heading back to Kathmandu. The final two of my 43 days in Nepal were spent in Swoyambhu, one of the cities more Buddhist communities. But wow, those 43 days went by unbelievably quickly. Like India, it is hard to fully appreciate Nepal in a mere matter of weeks or even months. Truly an incredible culture built on some of the world's most impressive and diverse terrain. Looking forward to returning someday.

    For now, see ya, subcontinent, and see ya soon, Myanmar.    Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Singapore

    November 20, 2015 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The final 36 hours of 50 total hours of flights/layovers was spent in Singapore. I hadn't yet slept since departing Kathmandu at 8:00 p.m. (and a refuel in Bangladesh at midnight due to the Nepali fuel crisis), so navigating Kuala Lumpur Airport was a challenge. By the time I arrived in Singapore Airport, I was a smelly zombie of a westerner with a gross beard in a posh Asian metropolis. Nonetheless, given my low budget and Singapore's not-so-low prices, I was committed to managing to enjoy the city-state without a hotel room (i.e. stay out all night or manage to find a chair to sleep on in the airport). I found a cloak room to stow my main pack, hopped on the local subway, and groggily explored Tiong Bahru, Chinatown, the Marine Bay path, and a food stall district near Downtown called Lau Pa Sat.

    Tiong Bahru was young and definitely the hipster part of town. Naturally, I bee-lined to a coffeeshop, as that is what hipsters tend to do best in my experience. Chinatown was much more busy and equally modern. The food was stellar and the striking Singaporean cleanliness was on full display (littering is a $500 fine & chewing gum is illegal). The immaculately clean theme followed for the day. For the first time in my travels, I was making the area around me more dirty and not the other way around.

    After Chinatown, I hopped on the super efficient subway and went toward the downtown financial district. I found myself walking the perimeter of the bay and got to see the skyline at from a view point at sunset. On my walk back to central Downtown, I caught the Fullerton Bay Hotel water show on the bay, which is actually really entertaining.

    All in all, I looked a bit like "Into the Wild" trying to reintroduce himself to society. The scraggly beard made me appear more homeless than tourist compared to the posh local actresses, bankers, and ex-pats that walk the streets. Given that I am sleeping again on airport plastic chairs, I guess I am a bit more homeless than tourist after all.    Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Yangon, Myanmar

    November 22, 2015 in Myanmar ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Flew into Yangon from Singapore and was bombarded with crazy culture shock. Boys and women almost all wear a beige cream on their face to keep their skin healthy, the people are all incredibly friendly and positive given the liberating and relieving result of their recent elections, and the streets are lined with delicious Chinese food stalls. People are often dancing on the streets and blasting Burmese music.

    The ex-pat scene is a decent size and well, and after falling in with a group of NGO-ers from France and Ireland, I found myself 6 hours into a night out that spanned from street beer and food stalls to a house party in Yangon's most upscale neighborhood with some Liberian footballers. The struggle the following morning was reminiscent of my University days. Send Mexican food, stat.    Read more

  • Clark ConliskIndia & Southeast AsiaTraveler

    Bagan, Myanmar

    November 27, 2015 in Myanmar ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    Happy Thanksgiving, USA, from Bagan, Burma! Seemingly endless miles of ancient brick pagodas and temples transform the skyline of the Bagan Plain to one of the world's most untapped wonders. With grandeur rivaling that of Cambodia's Ankor Wat, Bagan is Myanmar's religious and cultural center. That said, it is still a collection of small villages and dirt footpaths. Only a few paved roads traverse the plain and the amount of open space in such a reknown Burmese pilgrimmage destination is striking. Each of the five days spent here I rented an electric motor scooter and explored the expanse without repeating a single pagoda. Government permissions limit visitors to five days for $20 (before extending for another $20), a tall order in light of the cost of living here. It will remain one of my favorites places on the globe, nonetheless.Read more

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