27 April 2014
Oh man!!! I can’t believe how cold it was inside. Outside too, by the way. And what was it worth. I walk out of our guesthouse in Ngawal and see this:
And that, dear reader, is the Annapurna II. 7,937m altitude, freshly snowed by yesterday’s snow. Touching, staggeringly beautiful. That can only make you very quiet – despite the enormous backlight, which makes the photo quite dark. But the panorama is not complete. Not by a long shot. Because there is much more:
So it’s a beautiful day. The day starts cold thanks to the clear weather and the altitude. After all, we are at an elevation that for most countries in the world would already be “the highest mountain” or more. In the European Union, only Italy, France and Switzerland have points higher than where we are now.
Our route makes it possible to call today a rest day: we descend to Manang and therefore walk for about 10-15 kilometers almost flat or slightly downhill. Along the way we see things like this:
Due to the altitude, the route turns out to take longer than we expected. We eat something in Mugje/Mungji and continue to a village Braga, which is just before Manang. In Manang we look for a nice guesthouse (there are plenty here) and we eat a Yak burger with fries and Mexican enchilladas in front of the stove. It is also not busy in Manang and that is why we have extensive choice.
Manang exudes a pleasant atmosphere. There are shops, many guesthouses and a little further on is the old farming village. Tourism is important here and there is even a small museum. Many people stay in Manang for several days to acclimatize. We will go to Milarepa’s Cave tomorrow to acclimatize and rest a bit.
Read more about my Annapurna Circuit trek:
Annapurna Circuit day 1: Kathmandu – Besisahar – Bhulbule
Annapurna-Circuit day 2: Bhulbule – Ghermu
Annapurna Circuit day 3: Ghermu – Tal
Annapurna Circuit day 4: Tal – Timang
Annapurna Circuit day 5: Timang – Dhikur Pokhari
Annapurna Circuit day 6: Dhikur Pokhari – Ngawal
Annapurna Circuit day 7: Ngawal-Manang
Annapurna-Circuit day 8: Milarepa’s Cave
Annapurna Circuit day 9: Manang – Yak Kharka
Annapurna Circuit day 10: Yak Kharka -Thorung Phedi
Annapurna Circuit day 11: Thorung Phedi – High Camp
Annapurna Circuit day 12: High Camp – Muktinath
Annapurna Circuit dag 13: Muktinath – Marpha
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