londontravellor

Today we arrived in Pokhara after a long journey from Jomsom via Beni! It's difficult to describe just how weary and dusty and tired we felt after spending so long in one of the local buses. To be fair they are entirely comfortable, have plenty of fresh air in and out of the windows and there is a lot going on to be entertained by. The general slow speed of progress with the seemingly fast speed on precipitous turns in the highlands do make for a long journey though despite the entertainment from the bus driver, conductor and various radio stations. Beni is a sort of transport hub in rural Nepal. We stopped there briefly for lunch in a cafe about which, I must admit, I had suspicions regarding hygiene. The flies were persistent they were ... read more

At what felt like an unearthly hour our alarms went off and the adrenaline kicked in. This was it, the crossing of the Thorong La. I know that Clarisa and I both had our worries that we'd be up to the challenge but once you're this far, there really is no backing out! I'd been pleasantly surprised with my performance on the mountains so far but as we got up and dressed in the freezing cold I must be honest there were certainly plenty of nerves about making it! I was also slightly concerned that Clarisa wasn't eating much. Aside from lethargy (and this was only at the end of a day trekking) and loss of appetite she had no other symptoms of altitude sickness so we encouraged each other that although we had the high ... read more

Today I woke up to the most fantastic view I have ever had on my way to the bathroom! Gangapurna sat there huge, pristine and white and I couldn't help smiling to be this deep in the Himalayas, effectively sandwiched between Gangapurna (7454m) on the west side and Chulu East (6300m) on the east side, amazing! The sun was blazing down on us and there were clear blue skies! Magic! Only problem was it mine and Gansa's turn to get the shits! We both drank cold lemon drinks on arriving yesterday whilst Clarisa sensibly stuck with tea so this may be the culprit! Either way feeling glad we're not straight on to Thorong Phedi today! Without going into specifics I was fairly sure this was bacterial and opted for my course of ciprofloxacin earlier than I ... read more

We woke to the sound of the Marsyangdi river thundering down the valley and a repetitive creaking from the suspension bridge . It was a damp, overcast morning and the cold was creeping in to our room and looking out from our window I could see a large group of army men jogging across the bridge in just thin army uniforms and big heavy boots. They must have been frozen but were smiling and waving as they passed, wow these guys must be tough! We had breakfast, Clarisa's stomach is now fully recovered and she is making up for it, it seems by eating as many eggs as possible! Our trek today took us up through Bhratang (2950m) and Dhukur Pokhari (3200m) to Pisang at 3240m and what a day it was! The mountain views were ... read more

Today we left Jagat early after a quick breakfast and started out on a great day of trekking, not too strenuous and mainly through really beautiful surroundings. Initially we trekked amongst shady, sun-dappled forests through streams and alongside small trickling waterfalls. We crossed the river several times across bridges which inspired varying degrees of confidence with frothy, pale blue water crashing over the rocks below. Needless to say these tested Clarisa's nerves as she is not keen on heights, or moving bridges as she found out. The ones with gaps in or broken hand rails tested me too I must say! Later we came across steeply piled massive rocks making up the valley sides. It was here we encountered a large group of Chinese trekkers and we were all enjoying the great weather and tackling the ... read more