Annapurna Circuit Trek - Part VI

[Read the rest of the annapurna story here.]

Day 11. Muktinah - Marpha
Finally! after that well-deserved shower we headed out towards Marpha.



The first part of the day was very beautiful, especially since we went through the village-fortress of Jarkot.




We wondered around Jarkot and even got lost. We really had to pass that small alley.





We really hated this day also, because the area we passed through was barren and full of dust.



However, the mountains still dominated the valley and river bank:



That and blue-horned yaks:



Our progress was slow because of the wind and the dust so we arrived in the evening at Marhpa. Marpha is a gem of a village, with white-washed rock walls. In the morning, the locals remove the manure from its stone paved streets with a small knife. How is that for cleanliness?



They also had natural apple cider!



And a budhist gompa that offered very nice arial views of the village.




Day 12. Marpha - Kalopani



The scenery improved drastically with Dhaulaghiri our main follower for the day.

Bogdan decided to wash his underwear and let it dry.












I am so sorry we did not go to this gompa.



The road was mostly flat, but, as opposed to the previous day, it had a lot more greenery and less wind. Still, the presence of the newly built road (where road equals a dusty, earthy path fit for a jeep) still made its presence felt sometimes. I am really glad we went at this time since the road changes the scenery for the worse.





Again, the river bank.




We found this little fat boy with very big paws that I so wanted to take with me!



Probably he would have changed into this. We noticed that most dogs in the valley were of the same "brand". Could this have been the father?




And finally, we reached Kalopani! Guarded by Dhaulaghiri on the right and the Annapurna's on the left, this is truly a gem of a village. We ate like pigs but not before going into the forest to do some pull-ups. As we could not find any trees with horizontal branches, we settled for two trees shoulder-wide apart, that we pinched and did many sets of 5. I think we did about 40 pull-ups that day. Jensen are you proud of meeee?

And of course, the Annapurnas made for a fantastic sunrise:



Notice how the mountains are so tall they obstruct the sun:






Day 13. Kalopani - Tatopani
We move towards Tatopani and the promise of hot springs there! Gradually we are saying goodbye to the mountains and hello to tropical lands.



And water buffaloes



Stick insectsPraying mantis:



These were actually the highlight of the day, because otherwise you just walk and walk on that road until you die. Of course, unless you are accompanied by a porter, in which case you are spotless clean (not full of dust like us), and only carry a teensy-weensy little bag.


And of course, the hot springs!