Route: Pisang (3,240m) to Manang (3,540m)
Teahouse: Hotel Yeti
As we said goodbye to Pisang and the wonderful teahouse we had stayed in, we reflected on how well the trip was going. In fact it would be fair to say it was even exceeding our expectations. Although the nights were by now getting very cold our bodies were holding up well (especially my dodgy left knee!) and the good weather showed no sign of ending. How little we knew!
As we said goodbye to Pisang and the wonderful teahouse we had stayed in, we reflected on how well the trip was going. In fact it would be fair to say it was even exceeding our expectations. Although the nights were by now getting very cold our bodies were holding up well (especially my dodgy left knee!) and the good weather showed no sign of ending. How little we knew!
Earlier that morning I was drinking my 1 litre small-pot of coffee outside the teahouse in the sun trying, but not quite succeeding, to warm up. I watched the early-starters setting off for Manang and the villagers beginning to emerge from their homes. One thing I never really quite got used to in Nepal is the habit most of the people seem to have (regardless of age or gender) of, to put it politely, clearing out their throat. I first noticed it in Kathmandu and despite it being a fairly repulsive sight and sound, it seems completely socially acceptable to not only clear out one's throat, but then to empty the contents out in any particular direction that suits. Well, that morning, I watched over a thirty-minute period (in a fair amount of horror and disgust it must be said) the villagers of Pisang doing this as they left their homes. My instant coffee had never tasted so bad!
We followed the easy trail out of Pisang towards Manang, following the valley floor via Hongde. The views were amongst the finest we had seen so far, especially those of Annapurna II (7,937m) and Annapurna IV (7,555m).
Just after one particular viewpoint, we met an elderly couple who were happy for me to take their photos. Bhuwan got talking to them. They were Gurung people, like Padam. Gurungs are Mongoloid people who trace their ancestry to Tibet. Gurungs often serve in the Nepal army and police, as well as in the Gurkha regiments of both the British and Indian armies, and military salaries and pensions are an important source of income in Gurung villages. It is not unusual to meet ex-soldiers on the trail who have served in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK. Anyway, this couple had apparently been married for 52 years (the husband was 83 and the wife one year younger). I asked Bhuwan to ask them what the secret to a long life and a long marriage is. “Drink lots of tea!” was the deadly serious answer. As a strict non-tea drinker, I guess I must be in trouble!
Padam spoke to the couple for a good ten minutes in Gurung dialect and they then walked some of the way with us. They were porters and had been for most of their lives. I think they probably did not even know the meaning of the word retirement!
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Porters
As a general rule, Nepali porters are stronger than the yaks that plough the fields. The elderly couple we met carried wood supplies from the Manang area to their home and both huge baskets would be full by the time they got there. At 80+ this is no mean feat. On the trail, you come across (or are passed at high-speed by) either groups of porters or porters operating on their own. They carry anything and everything, from chickens to wood to gas stoves to trekker’s backpacks to people (yes, people – those who have fallen ill on the trail, that is, as opposed to those who are just too lazy!) in dump truck-sized loads in wicker baskets slung from the crowns of their heads. We even saw kids, some of whom looked no more than ten, carrying full baskets of down ridiculously steep hills. I can tell you it was a very humbling experience to be passed by a 60-year-old Nepali lady carrying a basket full of wood as I, laden with just a small back-pack carrying essentials like liquorice allsorts and mars bars, struggled to catch my breath up what I thought was a steep hill!
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| This was the most extreme weight we saw a porter carry. It did not seem humanely possible to me! |
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| A porter enjoying a well-earned break by the trail |
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We passed more fine chortens and kani in and around Dumde (which is home to Manang's airport). The highlight was, however, the stunning valley views and the village of Bragha (3,470m) which contained some amazing thangkas (Tibetan religious paintings), some of which are believed to be over 500 years old.
We eventually reached Manang late-afternoon, in high dusty winds. Our sunglasses offered little protection in such conditions – a pair of ski goggles would have been more fitting!
It was with some relief then that we passed through the Manang chorten and reached the first local stores – bakeries! We knew to expect these from from what Rob and Lauren had told us and we just couldn't resist a pre-supper snack – everything looked so good in the display and it was the first sign of any pastries we had seen on the trek so far. We shared a delicious cinnamon roll and peanut biscuits – bliss!
We got an excellent room on the top floor of the large teahouse we would be spending two nights in (you have to spend one full day in Manang to acclimatise to the altitude before attempting the Thorung La pass) – complete with the luxury of an en-suite squat toilet!
That evening we went for a short stroll around the picturesque Manang. It was a wonderful place, 500 flat-roofed houses squeezed together around a maze of narrow alleyways. We were treated to another stunning sunset but could not fail to notice the interesting cloud formation that had formed in the direction of the sunset. Little did we know that a weather was about to change dramatically and suddenly.
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| Trouble on the way... |
Day 8 – Acclimatisation day in Manang
Teahouse: Hotel Yeti
The next morning, we awoke to very heavy cloud which covered the sky all around Manang. Snow was definitely in the air but with no sign of it falling we left with Bhuwan and Padam at around 9am for a short side-trip, designed to assist in the acclimatisation process.
The trail climbed quite steeply out of Manang up the spine of the glacial moraine to the Chongar viewpoint atop a hill decorated in prayer flags. At the viewpoint, I could not resist buying a decent slab of yak cheese, which I managed to resist until I bought a delicious roll to accompany it when we got back to Manang. Yak cheese was one of the standout discoveries of the trail – it has a very distinctive taste somewhere between a fine parmesan and a beaufort. It does enhance many of the meals on the trek – especially the enchiladas which I ate that evening.
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| Yummy yak cheese |
It is possible to do longer walks on the acclimatisation day but we were grateful Bhuwan had suggested just a short walk – especially when the snow began to fall heavily a short while later!
It was bitterly cold and windy at the viewpoint so we didn't stick around for too long. We headed back to Manang, spurred on by the thought of a hot drink and apple pie in front of a hot fire.
As we returned to Manang, I noticed a group of three kids watching a dog feeding on scraps that had been left for it. No sooner had I sat down to take a few snaps, than I found them gathered around me asking for their photos to be taken. When I say “gathered around”, I actually mean jumping all over me! For some reason, camera in hand, I seem to attract kids – especially the snotty ones! Still, it was great fun and the kids really seemed to enjoy looking at their photos on the camera.
It began to snow very heavily almost as soon as we got back to the teahouse. It was the first snowfall of the Autumn season. It was settling too and within a few of hours, with no sign of it letting up, there was already a good few inches. We set up shop in the main dining area near to the fireplace and tucked into pastries, yak cheese and hot chocolate. Very soon, the dining area was jam-packed, with one question on everybody's lips: would we be able to walk the next day? The weather on the circuit can be very unpredictable and it is not uncommon to get days of snowfall which can strand you in a particular place or, worst still, force you to turn back. So near to the pass, this just did not bear thinking about. We waited and watched for hours, and still it continued to snow more heavily than I have ever seen it snow before.
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Altitude sickness
That afternoon we attended a talk on altitude sickness given by the resident doctor in Manang. We were well aware of the risks climbing at such altitudes. The Thorung La was, after all, at 5,416 m one of Nepal's highest trekking passes and the high elevation can cause problems, even for the most experienced trekkers.
The facts speak for themselves: at least three trekkers per year die from altitude sickness and many more fall ill on Nepal's mountain trails. By now we were, just to be on the safe side, taking our diamox altitude sickness tablets but these do not completely eliminate all risks. Ultimately, the message is clear – if you start to suffer from altitude sickness you need to descend as quickly as possible.
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One important thing to remember to do was drink lots of water. Around 4-5 litres per day was the recommended intake. Bhuwan would continually check whether we were drinking enough and this resulted in another classic line to add to Bhuwan's repertoire of amusing expressions: “Remember, no pee-pee control is good thing!”.
That evening before supper, with space at a premium, we were joined at our table by a group of French people. They were Anthony and Aurelie, a couple from Annecy and a guy that had befriended early on on the trek called Eric. Over the next few days up to and just after Thorung La, we would walk with them and spend mealtimes with them – they were great company. Bhuwan was happy to get a chance to try out his French with them as well as learn more expressions.
We went to bed that night with just one thing on our minds – the snow. Would it continue to fall heavily overnight (and force us to spend another day in Manang or turn back) or would it clear so that we could continue towards Thorung La as our itinerary set out.
Day 9
Route: Manang (3,540m) to Yak Kharka (4,020m)
Teahouse: Yak Hotel & Restaurant
Sarah woke up before me, full of beans. “Steve, Steve, quick, look out the window”. It was practically an order. It was a fantastic sight that greeted me as I peeled back the curtains – a thick layer of snow and a lovely clear blue sky. Simply perfect. I wondered if I was dreaming!
We spent the evening with Aurelie, Anthony and Eric but retreated to our room early to try to warm up. By now the evenings and nights were getting bitterly cold. It was amazing how quickly the temperature plummeted after the sun had set. As there is never any heating in the teahouse bedrooms we had to rely on our thermals and our excellent sleeping bags designed especially for these conditions.
Sarah woke up before me, full of beans. “Steve, Steve, quick, look out the window”. It was practically an order. It was a fantastic sight that greeted me as I peeled back the curtains – a thick layer of snow and a lovely clear blue sky. Simply perfect. I wondered if I was dreaming!
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| Queing at the Manang Safe Water Station |
We must have had dressed, had breakfast and packed our back-pack in record time as we were on the trail very quickly that morning, itching to get going after our day of rest. The scenery was just spectacular, the snow had completely changed the previously dry and barren landscape and we made sure we stopped regularly to take it all in. It was like a new lease of life. Manang was particularly scenic covered in a layer of snow.
As we left Manang the snow was already beginning to melt. The yaks in the fields were particularly numerous and noisy (they really do make a funny sound – nothing like a cow and more like Chewbacca from the Star Wars films!) and the alpine choughs seemed, if you'll excuse the pun, chuffed to bits with the change in weather.
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| Some chuffed choughs |
We walked with Anthony, Aurelie and Eric for the first couple of hours but they were far too fast for us (they were aiming to do the whole circuit in just two weeks)!
The next couple of days would be tough – almost a 2,000m ascent to the Thorung La. From Manang we climbed up to a chorten from which there were fine views back to Manang. After around 45 minutes we passed through Tengi (3,690m), the last permanent settlement this side of the Thorung La.
We lunched in Gunsang (3,920m) on a rooftop seating area from which there were great views of Annapurna II and IV.
After lunch we walked through pastures and miniature forests of juniper, rose and barberry. We crossed a suspension bridge to a teashop and an ancient mani wall at 3,990m. Eventually we reached Yak Kharka, where we would spend the night.
By now, the prices in the teahouses had climbed considerably and had almost doubled from the first few nights but this was understandable given that there had been no road to access the villages since day two of the circuit. It was still incredibly cheap though – I worked out that I spent more commuting to work each day back home than I spent per day on the trek, even the most expensive days near to the summit.
