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Tips, Trips, and Stories From Our Worldly Travels
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Muktinath to Marpha
Having crossed the Thorung La we are now in another drainage, that of the Kali Gandaki. It is much dryer than the Marsyangdi valley that we were in before the pass. It also seems much more prosperous. The Kali Gandaki is a broader valley so... Read More
Thorung La
Matthew and I set off from Thorung Phedi at 5:00 this morning. It was a clear and cold night and the ice crystals on the juniper shrubs twinkled in our headlamps. We could see other headlamps grinding there way up the steep slope above us.... Read More
Thorung Phedi
Another beautiful day’s walk has brought us to Thorung Phedi (“foot of the Thorung pass”) at 4540 metres. It has been a cloudless day with good views of Annapurna for most of the walk. We saw a couple more herds of the chamois like animals,... Read More
Yak Kharka
It was sunny and comparatively warm all day today. The skiff of snow that fell yesterday evening melted quickly in the morning sun. Matthew, Rick and I walked from Manang to the collection of lodges called Yak Karka (Yak Meadows) located at 4,020 metres. The... Read More
Acclimatization day in Manang
We are enjoying the two night acclimatization stay in Manang. To aid the process it is recommended that trekkers hike as high as possible on the acclimatization day. Matthew and I chose an ambitious outing: an 1100 metre climb to the “Ice Lake” above Manang.... Read More
High trail to Manang
There are two routes from Upper Pisang to Manang: a 3 1/2 hour walk along the bottom of the valley and a more scenic and challenging 6 1/2 hour higher trail. We broke into two pairs, with Rick and Don opting for the lower trail... Read More
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Recent Posts
Halfway: Temples 44 and 45
Gordon: Near the end of a long but beautiful walk / ride we reached Temple 44 yesterday. This means that we have now visited half... Read More
Fair Weather means Time to Camp: Temples 41-43
Ruth: It’s not that I don’t like ryokans (traditional Japanese inns), but we have stayed in so many lately that I have been wanting a... Read More
Approaching Enlightenment: Temple 38
Ruth: I can feel that we are getting closer to the edge of the Kochi Prefecture, and with that the end of the period of... Read More
Konbini: The Henro’s Best Friend
Gordon: The Japanese language has incorporated a surprising number of English words. They are generally unrecognizable, however, because Japanese pronunciation splits the consonant combinations with... Read More
Southwestern Shikoku
Gordon: We are currently staying near Temple 38, at the far southwestern point of Shikoku. It is a wild and beautiful area, with substantial distances... Read More