Day 13 - Star gazing at 4200m

Manang to Churi Lattar


I slept like a baby and woke up in time (5:30am) to witness the Khangsar peak and range glowing at sunrise. Gangapurna and Annapurna are shrouded in clouds though.

After packing my stuff, taking some more pictures and having breakfast we are ready to leave. I get to buy some goodies from the bakery to enjoy on our way.We get going by 7:34am only. As usual I have to wait for Pipi to get ready.

After traversing the village which by now was bustling with activity (trekkers and porters going one way or another, locals working the fields or chatting, kids playing outside already) we pass some mani walls and continue gently uphill towards Tengi - a very small village located higher than Manang and offerign great views of Gangapurna. On the way there is a snow-white stupa where a woman turns the praying wheels over and over. I counted some 5-6 times already that she's been going around the stupa in prayers. The views of Gangapurna by now out of the clouds are stunning and so I stop for more pictures while Pipi goes ahead. Then I continue through Tengi.

Tengi is a cluster of flat-roofed stone houses adorned by many beautiful flowers. I see an old woman on the roof of her house amindst flower pots and the composition and light are perfect. But she doesn't want me to take the picture so I pass.
The trail continues past Tengi along the Marsyangdi valley with majestic Gangapurna to my left and the shimmering Tilicho range ahead to the West. It is nice wide trail skirting the slope. Behind us Manang is bathed in sunlight. Soon the trail turns right following the Jharshong Khola valley and we're leaving Gangapurna behind us. Far away in the distance I spot 2 white peaks. I can only guess tht one of them is Machhapuchhre, but they disappear soon behind clouds.

It is a beautiful walk up this other beautiful valley and towards the hamlet of Gunsung where trekkers and porters alike stop for a break. From the roof of the little guest house you can sit and look a Gangapurna forever.
A woman sells apples for 15Rs a piece and I buy 2, one for me and 1 for Pipi. We sit in the small colourful garden and eat our pastry rolls and apple and relax. Then I notice a mule caravan coming up the trail and I get up and start takig some pictures before leaving. We will be following the mule caravan for quite a while.

A young man with a ponytail wearing a checkered shirt is riding a horse along the mules. Against the desert-like landscape he looks just like a character from a Wild West movie. He's only missing the cowboy hat.
The landscape with its reddish soil and the scarce vegetation looks just like the sceneries from the westerns. There are only a few small junipera and dried brown grass. The sky is deep blue and it's very hot. The clouds ahead are white and bright and puffy and extremely spectacular.
At some point we get to see Chulu East and its glacier to our right and we reach a suspension bridge. I rush ahead to not ge caught on the bridge with the mules. The swaying can get unpleasant. Plus I want to take some more pictures.

We reach the wide pastures of Yak Kharka (in translation "yak pastures") around 11:30am. All trekkers and porters stop here as well for a break. People re working on constructions - building new guest houses. A woman washes vegetables in front of her house.
Pipi and I eat a Mars bar each and drink some water then we continue our way. We get to see Chulu peak again to our right before we reach Churi Lettar which consists of only 2 guest houses and 2 other small buildings.
Pipi says the place is full and so we need to share a room again. I have a suspicion and get quite upset. I feel that he is mistaking my generosity for stupidity. I'll try and sleep outside again on the roof.
My plan to read up on the roof for a while shatters as it starts raining. It only stops after about an hour and then I take pack and camera and go on a little exploratory hike.

The sun shines again through the dark clouds and the ridges are becoming visible though Chulu is totally wrapped in clouds.
I pick the trail going up towards Thorong La. I discover some new flowers - a light blue gentian - but soon I have to pay more attention to the wether as the clouds are blanketing the sky again - dark grey and menacing. I keep walking upstream in spite of the few raindrops. A few portrs coming downhill have their faces even wrapped in shawls. It seems that it is much colder higher up. The raindrops feel more like snow.
A solitary yak is walking ahead of me. Funny, in spite of the pasture's name I haven't seen any yaks grazing but hundreds of goats and dozens of cows.

Since I'm just wearing sandals and no socks and the rainthreat only seems to increase I eventually decide it's smarter to turn around. On the way back I meet a man carrying 4 huge wooden planks on his back. "Thorong Phedi?" I ask. "No. High Camp" he replies. I am totally startled. The man is bent under the load and poorly dressed. Of course he's only wearing flip-flops. Yet he is going to take these up some 800m elevation and the weather looks straight miserable.
I reach the lodge just in time. A few minutes later it starts raining heavily.The sky is totally grey. It doesn't last very long though, a little more than 1 hour. Then the sun comes out again and I need to go out again.

The sky has only partially cleared. The ridges above the valley are covered in fresh snow.In the distance Gangapurna is about to become visible again. Chulu is already in the sun and I want to go take some pictures of it. So I start hiking up the hill behind the lodge following cattle spurs. I am still wearing sandals but I put on socks now. It is getting chilly. The valley is already in the shade just the high ridges are still in the sun.
I go up almost 150m then stop. I don't want to go too far. From this point I can take satisfactory pictures of Chulu peak and even Gangapurna. It is 5:30pm when I finally call it a day and return to the lodge.

Everybody is gathered in the dining room around the stove. They're all wearig layers over layers of clothes, gloves and tukes.To me it feels very warm and so I seat myself as far away as possible from the stove and take off my fleece. I drink a tea, listen to the conversation and make just a couple of comments.

After enjoying my dinner, a very spicy daalbhat which is soon to drive me to the toilet in a rush (it seems I can't get my stomach used to spicy food as fast as I'd like to), I decide to go to bed. By now the sky has cleared up completely and the stars are out again. I's a beautiful night. At 4200m you feel closer to the sky and the stars. I feel that I could reach out and grab some stars and maybe stash them in my pocket like some precious beads :-)

Anyway, I set up my night camp on the roof, slip into my sleeping bag and write in my diary and read for a while. Then I fall asleep gazing up at the stars.