Aardvark travels

Nadi Bazaar – Pokhara (by bus) Well the trekking is all behind us now but we really do have some very special memories to take with us. Today we’re travelling to Pokhara using public busses. Pokhara is a major provincial town in the centre of Nepal and is quite touristy being the logical place to depart and return to/from treks around the Annapurna, Mustang and Manaslu areas. Up early, me with an extremely sore back due to the bed, and packed up before breakfast. Rohit following me like a shadow and trying his best to help me pack. All a bit frustrating because after three weeks there is a certain routine that I know works and having another pair of hands really confuses things. He is however well meaning and I think just enjoying the interaction ... read more

Tilije (2300m) – Jagat (1300m) Well folks we’re really on the homeward leg now. This morning is the final section where we are on the Manaslu Circuit as we now join the start of the Annapurna circuit for the last day or so. Awoke to another glorious day and after packing went and sat in the kitchen of the guest house warming ourselves beside the fire while the ladies cooked breakfast. This guest house seems to be run by two sisters (probably mid thirties or so) but their parents and younger sister also help out. There are also a couple of young guys, presumably brothers, but like young guys the world over they don’t seem to be big players in the day to day work around the guest house. Traditionally in these guest houses the Nepali ... read more

Daramsala/Larke Phedi (4460m) – Bintang (3590m) via Larke La Pass (5135m) The biggest day of the trek is finally upon us! The recommended plan for crossing Larke La is to leave very early in the morning (between 4.00 and 4.30am) in order to get to the pass before the winds get strong there. We set our alarm for a little after 3.00am planning to have breakfast (porridge) at about 3.30am and be underway by 4.00. A little optimistic as getting packed in tents with thick snow outside in temperatures, I would guess, less than -10degC is just so much more time consuming than expected. The good thing was the snow had stopped and it was not clear but bitterly cold. Porridge for breakfast, from the dirty kitchen, was interesting as it had peanuts added. The first ... read more

Samdo – A supposed rest and acclimatisation day. Got up pretty early to find the cloud cover down below the village and quite cold. Had a leisurely breakfast and decided to go for a shortish tramp up the track towards the Tibetan border. Himal wasn’t sure how long to the border with estimates ranging from one to three hours. The track initially follows the main Manaslu track out of the village and past the cropping fields. Interesting how while in the Tsum Valley they had ploughed and planted barley here in Samdo they hadn’t even commenced ploughing for the spring. Obviously the temperature don’t become conducive to growing until much later in spring here. After about half and hour we branched of the track and climbed steadily for another half an hour or so until we ... read more

Sama (3520m) acclimatisation day Today we’re using one of the days we gained earlier in the trek for acclimatisation and a bit of r&r, such as that may be. Also with Arch still suffering from the dreaded stomach malady it is a chance for him to recuperated before we head ever higher Got up to a gloriously clear morning, albeit well below 0degC, with the sun reflecting off Manaslu straight across from our tea house. This really is what we’ve walked nearly two weeks to see and be part of. The scenery is all so big it is both hard to describe and even phots don’t fully put into perspective. Had breakfast a bit later (7.30) then sort of mucked around until about 9.00 when we left with day packs (actually the other guys had their ... read more