Day 14 - Annapurna Circuit - Kagbeni (2800m) to Marpha (2670m)

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Tommy and Jaap were keen for a lazy morning and so after we had breakfast we went out to explore the village. There were lots of local shops selling home made cider and a restaurant called “Yak Donalds”! We walked up some steep stairs at the back of the village and found ourselves in terraced allotments all sunken into the hillside. The villagers were very green fingered, there was corn, potatoes, onions, apples and cabbages all looking like very healthy well looked after crops. We sat over looking the valley for a while before retiring to wake Tommy and Jaap. This was the nice part of the day, the walk on the other hand was totally shit. We knew it was going to be a boring day scenery wise as the track was along the jeep track and a dried up river bed. However, none of us were prepared for the wind and dust. The wind was coming directly towards us as we were walking and at points was pushing you backwards and sending you off balances on the stony river bed. So with that rushing past our ears we couldn’t talk. Every bus, jeep and motor bike that went past sent huge choking clouds of dust. So everyone was coughing up mud and thick dust was in our hair, ears, eyes, noses and mouths - wonderful. We walked for 2 and a half hours and arrived in Jomson to have some lunch and take a few breaths of clean air. Jomson is the most popular place to end the trek and the buses back to Pokhara run direct from this point on. We all hated the place though and felt it would be a horrid end to a lovely trek so we withdrew some cash from the atm there and continued on through more dust clouds until we reached Marpha. We found a lovely tea house with ensuites and the best hottest power showers in Nepal (we think), and we had soon recovered from the day and were excited to get back on the trail the following day. We had amazing home made pizzas, enchiladas and apple donuts for dinner that night and then rested up.

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