This turned out to be my favourite day of the Upper Mustang. Lo Manthang Rest Day- A visit to the Chosar Valley NPI score of 0 this morning- no oats, therefore no porridge. We have a bowl of cooked muslei- courtesy of Dhana's food stockpile! Set off after 8 - it's our big day out (BDO) to the Chosar Valley with the Belgians. Packed lunch- check, Nike Ipod pedometer- check, enthusiasm - check. We detour via the Lo Manthang gompa on the way out and then we're off. Another beautiful blue sky, more good weather. It is great to be striding it out and mixing up the combination of walkers. One thing I LOVE about trekking is meeting new people from diverse backgrounds and just getting to know them within the constraints of time spent in ... read more

Syangboche (3800m) to Tsarang (3560m) My day pack is getting heavier by the day. I find I am now carrying apples, cheese and homemade biscuits courtesy of Dhana. I'm not sure if it is a) an attempt to increasing my general fitness b) an attempt to vary our diet (I order pretty much the same thing every day) c) an attempt to reduce our food costs, or d) excellent pre-planning to avoid the risk that every teahouse on the journey will be closed and we will have to completely provide our own food. Whatever the answer (my money's on c) we decide to eat the food as quickly as possible so as not to have to carry it any longer than necessary, especially in view of the fact that Dhana's pack has disappeared completely and appears ... read more

Kagbeni (2850m) to Chele (3100m) Over breakfast the Norwegians tell us they have been in Nepal filming a doco on death rites and rituals around the world. They have been in the Upper Mustang interviewing a Lama on the old ways (maybe on sky burial?). Some people have really interesting jobs. We have also met wind turbine engineers, an artist, a guy who works for Garmin, a perfusionist, a psychiatrist, engineer/ultrasonographer of pipes, nurses, a radiographer, you name it....Catch up with the Polish guys- the sunburnt face is looking pretty good- my humanitarian mission is complete! We are walking through Kagbeni by 0730 and entering the.... restricted zone (sounds a bit super spy....). It's chilly this morning but there is no wind (yet). We reach the TIMS office and Dhana waves us on, pointing us in ... read more

AKA Day from Hell I think the Upper Mustang sounds intriguing. We had met a Malaysian couple in Muktinath last year at the end of the Annapurna Circuit who were absolutely in awe after completing their trek through the region and this really piqued my interest. I came home, did a lot of reading and watched every youtube clip on it known to man. Given that it is in the restricted zone it was going to be a costly exercise- USD$500 for a 10 day permit, 2 lots of flights (KTM-POK-JOM-POK-JOM) for us and the guide, as well as the usual daily costs. Bit of a discussion with Mary. Decision made- we would do it. Now that this was the morning that we would actually start I was really excited. The plan was for a taxi ... read more

So, what did I take? What worked? What didn't? What would I do differently next time? PACKING LIST (Trek Only, not the easy bits in KTM, the hospital or Thailand) Denali 65l Gear Bag ... read more