Blogs from Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna, Nepal, Asia - page 6

How does porridge with a couple of spoons of jam sound? Mary and Dhana are not impressed. Tasted good- I was craving some sugar and something resembling fruit. Washed it down with a few cups of tea- we have graduated to ordering thermos pots of tea now- cheaper and you drink more fluids. Everyone seems to have gotten off earlier than us again today. We cut through a field leaving the village are in the shade for about 20 minutes, noticably colder each morning now- wool base layer, tshirt, fleece and "Survivor" buff (did I mention I love Survivor?). As soon as we hit the sun the fleece goes. We are rewarded by views of Manaslu, the views today are epically good, lots of snow capped mountain peaks. We climb through pine forests, lots of twittery ... read more

The plan is Jagat through Gsanje through Sattale then lunch at Tal Manang, ending up in Dharapani (about 15km). We almost pick up a friend- a little 16 month old kid called Aluk who decides he wants to follow us. We reluctantly hand Aluk back to his Dad, Aluk is not thrilled about this decision, particularly as he has grown attached to one of our walking poles. So, another late start - 0830. We try to beat the 2 large mule trains that are leaving at the same time as us. It's actually a pretty fruitless exercise as we encounter them pretty much all day and I think it is all a part of the experience. The manure, lots of manure, is a part of it too. They are very single minded beasts these 'kacar' and ... read more

Gonna be a great day. Up early, the skylight works well. Cup of tea. Breakfast is late - 8am, potatoes and millet pancakes. More tea. Repack pack into dry sack (Kathmandu Australia brand). Looking a bit cloudy, get waterproof jacket out for the first time. Dhana tells us today is going to be easy- all down hill or flat with a bit of a climb as we approach Jagat (1330m). We get a bit of village culture today- Dan Kumari and Amma show us how to do traditional nettle weaving and hemp weaving. They have a room set aside with looms and other equipment for village use. The temple fund collectors make their appearance- we make the voluntary contribution of 1000 NPR (AUD $12.50). We are then invited to cultural show. Several of the villagers assemble ... read more

Hoy nos esperaban solo 5 horas de camino para llegar a Manang, así que pudimos dormir hasta un poco más tarde y hasta hicimos una pequeña excursión a Upper Pisang antes de irnos para admirar la vista de las montañas. El camino fue plano casi todo el tiempo, con algunas subidas y bajadas cortas; el día estuvo soleado así que la nieve se fue derritiendo y el camino era un pantano de barro y nieve, me alegra haber comprado mis botas a prueba de agua J. El paisaje era muy similar al de ayer, bosques de pinos y las grandes montañas dominando el horizonte. Luego de unas 2 horas caminando nos topamos con una casa donde tenían unos roles de canela por fuera, no hubo necesidad de intercambiar palabras para que terminaramos todos sentados en la ... read more

Salimos otra vez a las 8am, ya hace bastante frío por la mañana y tienes que salir forrado de pies a cabeza. El paisaje ha cambiado drásticamente desde ayer, ahora caminamos entre bosques de pinos y ya puedes ver los picos nevados de las grandes montañas de los Annapurnas; hoy poco después de salir vimos nieve en el camino y creo que seguirá siendo parte de él durante los próximos días. Luego de unas 4 horas caminando en una cuesta empinada (a veces no tan empinada) llegamos a Dhukur Pokhari para almorzar, este trayecto se me hizo un poco duro pero más que todo por el cansancio de los pasados 3 largos días de caminata, durante todo el camino iba de última y cancelando mentalmente todos mis planes de trekking en los próximos 5 meses de ... read more