As much as Pokhara was enjoyed it was time to roll on. Next stop India. It's a bit of a tricky commute. 6-7 hours on a 'tourist bus' to Sunauli (we spent most of that on the roof seeing as it was a nice day). A 4km rickshaw or jeep transfer to the border (again we took the roof option on a jeep). Then it's immigration formalities. We were a day over on our Nepali visa, popular opinion is that a small 'fine' usually solves this predicament. The small fine on this occasion was 500NR eaxh, a fiver. That seemed to ease the furrowed brows and grimaces on the 4 man Nepali immigration 'panel' and we were on our way. Next was a 2 hour jeep/taxi rideto Gorakhpur where hopefully we could get an overnight train ... read more

This is it then, the final mountain installment. As we are both now done with trekking over mountains we took the easier option of walking to Naya Pul which is downhill all the way rather than heading for Dampus which is closer to Pokhara but involves more of the undulating terrain we are now so familiar with. Climb 500m to the top of the hill, down 500m the other side, cross the river and repeat again and again and again. That's the name of the game in Annapurna but it's a great game and I couldn't recommend it enough! It is hard work and their are no 5 star hotels here but when you wake up and the first thing you see is a 7-8000m snow capped peak against a crisp blue sky it is well ... read more

I am not speaking to Darren until further notice. Today has been a day of intermittent showers and the return journey through the sanctuary has been very treacherous underfoot. Climbing steeply downwards over large and very slippery boulders requires caution at all times. The same caution which I also demonstrated when negotiating one of the temporary 'tree' bridges over a fast flowing stream. My satisfaction at safely crossing was immediately tempered by Darrens casual remark, 'that was just like watching the para-olympics sir!' Harsh. I woke at around 3 this morning and after answering the call of nature paused to enjoy the magnificent views. A crystal clear night, the skies clearer than ever before and the snow capped mountains reflecting the moonlight. I would have stood and enjoyed the view a little longer but the biting ... read more

Clear skies at 6 this morning and Machapuchare and Annapurna South looked splendid. Also on display Annapurna III and a fraction of Gangapurna. Todya was agreat trek as we worked deeper into the Sanctuary through more jungly/forest terrain. I have spent some time considering the options should the cow murderer present himself to us over the next few days. Here is my guide to surviving a tiger attack in the Himalayas: 1 - Feed Hari to the greedy beast 2 - Push Hari off a high precipace and hope the beast follows in pursuit off fresh Nepali meat 3 - Run for ones life, tripping ones porter-guide over in path of the beast to slow it down. 4 - Drop oversized boulder on beats head 'Life Of Brian' style. We are now at the Dream Lodge ... read more

I woke up at five to four just before the alarm went off. The guesthouse owner turned up at the door a couple of minutes later quite annimated saying 'you very lucky, good morning, clear sky'. Fantastic news although it does of course mean we are not going back to bed! So, equipped with headtorch, camera and warm fleece we begin to climb yet again. I think I made it in around 45 minutes. The sun was still firmly behing Machapuchare (fishtail mountain) on arrival but the sky was beginning to brighten revealing an incredidible array of huge mountains. For me, Dhaulagiri was the most fantastic, a huge wall of ice rising high above all others. 7th highest in the world and standing at 8167m (26,794ft). As the sun rose behind Machapuchare the light deflected around ... read more