Nepal - Annapurna Circuit Trek 2

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In Manang, we stayed 2 nights at the Yak Hotel Lodge, which featured an interesting Mexican section to the menu. Hmmm. On our “off” day we hiked up a few hundred meters to some amazing overlooks of the valley, a big green lake, and Gangapurna glacier. We got fleeting glimpses of Gangapurna peak (7454 m) as well. There were a lot of prayer flags flapping all over the place and some stone huts used by goat herders in the winter months. We saw some baby oxen and lots of livestock roaming the town as well, which was a small metropolis as far as villages on the Annapurna trek go. One teahouse even showed movies each night (Seven years in Tibet, etc.). There was a bakery where we got fresh brownies (which were not as good as the ones Shane used to make on SCI…..thank goodness for Navy-issue-just-add-water style). But everything in town is impressive considering it has been carried long distances over steep rocky paths on people's (or occasionally mule's) backs. Next we hiked up to Letdar (4200 m), stopping in Yak Kharka for lunch, where we found a wonderful quote hanging on the wall by the great Buddhist scholar, Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses). It made us feel proud to be American. It was quite cold by the time we made it to Letdar and a light snow even started to fall after dark. No effects of altitude were evident so far, although we certainly have not been sprinting uphill. To the high camp of Thorung La tomorrow…

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