Day 7 - Annapurna hide and seek

Pisang to Manang

By 2 am I was still awake, but I still got up at 5 am and by 5:30 am I was ready to go with the packs downstairs. The Tibetan bread for breakfast was delicious! By 6:20 am we finally got going :-)

After passing the prayer wheels and crossing the bridge over the river the trail turns left. First thing I do is turn back, though. Annapura II is glowing in the sunrise light. Picture, of course!

Then I follow the trail to the left and notice Pipi way ahead of me but too close to the river. He's following a different trail and does not turn back once to look for me. I call him several times unsuccessfully. he doesn't hear me either. Soon he disappears and even though I climb a little ridge I can't see him any longer. I've seen the trail from Upper Pisang last night as Pashupathi showed it to me, so I know it goes higher, skirting the slope.
Since Pipi seems to go his own way I decide to go up to the right trail and reach it after a bit of a scrambling up the step hillside. Three women are coming from Upper Pisang. "Namaste!Gyaru?" they greet me. "Namaste!Gyaru." I reply smiling.
After lettign the women pass I look for Pipi again and then follow the trail. It is a beautiful trail through a small pine forest. A strong scent of mint accompanies me. Pleasant walkingwith gret views of the valley. Unfortunately, Annapurna II, III and IV are hidden behind the clouds.
From time to time I check the valley below trying to spot Pipi. Indeed half an hour laer I spot him along the lake and I signal him to keep going.Eventually, it seems, the trail will converge.Worst case we'll meet in Manang :-)
Soon afer the trails indeed converge and Pipi waits for me there. " Do you have some toilet paper?" Nice greeting, I find and hand him the paper. I wait for him o finish his business and then we continue together.
It is very cloudy and I'm saying to myself "Sure enough, we're taking the upper scenic route just so we don't get to see anything :-("

About an hour after we started we reach a series of mani walls and then a bridge over a gully. From here on the trail starts going up steeply over switchbacks. We can see the lower trail on the other side of the river, down below in the valley, straight and flat. High on the hilltop above us we can see the grey stone-houses of Gyaru. In the distance we can see the remains of the ancient fortress of Ngarwal perched on a ridge.
We go up slowly and I keep turning back to check the horizon. Maybe there will be a window in the clouds.

We reach Gyaru at 8:30 am after gaining some 500 m in elevation. The sky has clered in a matter of minutes and it's bright and sunny now. Annapurna II is glittering in the sunlight.
The village entrance is marked by a gate ad a wall with prayer wheels. The houses are are made of stone, flat-roofed and a multicoloured Tibetan prayer flag is fluttering high above each.This is an entirely Buddhist village. To the right of the entrance gate is, what I would call, a little park. Centered around a big tree there is an area of grass with flowers on the edge and some benches. You can sit here and watch Annapurna II and IV and Gangapurna and never have enough. Down below you can see the eroded winding bed of the Marsyangdi river. It is a beautiful quiet spot. Obviously people have put some thought into emphasizing its beauty.

I am delighted by Gyaru. The houses are built on the slope and so terraced. On wooden ladders you climb up from the kitchen onto the flat roof where you can sit and enjoy the views, eat or just watch the neighbours and the houses below.From above it looks like a maze of narrow trails. Beautiful flowers are everywhere on display. Dahlias, nasturtium, marigold, asters - lots of colours!
I leave Pipi on the roof of the Annapurna Hotel where I'm going to return for a tea and a Tibetan bread, but for now I need to run around, explore and take pictures.

I guess by now it's clear - I'm constantly hyper. Whenever we stop for a break it is just a jumpstart for me to go explore the close neighbourhood. Crazy woman, I know. Pipi is too polite to state it.

I return to the little park and set up my tripod to take a picture of Annapurna and the orange flowers in the foreground. That means I'm lying stretched out and flat on my belly to take the picture.
At some point I feel something or somebody touching me while I'm flat on the ground. Scared I turn around and face a black puppy. It is young and curious and playful and happy for a bit of petting. I smile reliefed and then I continue my photo session.

Next I go explore the village all the way to its other end through narrow lanes and passages taking lots of pictures. Some houses are falling apart with the roof sunken in. There are many mani walls and prayer wheels in different spots. I can also spot lots of chortens along the trail to Ngarwal skirting the hillside and higher up on the ridges. Buddhist prayer flags are fluttering all over the place.
In this maze of houses I somehow miss the way to the gompa and so return to the hotel rooftop. After enjoying my tea I take pictures of Pipi and Pepe against Annapurna in the background. It is warm and sunny, the views are fabulous, I could stay here for the rest of the day...

We get ready to go but I need to stop by at the gompa. The little gompa is still very much in use and decorated with all the usual elements: the big Buddha statue in the center altar, the flags, the drums, the many smaller statues along the wall and behind the altar. The wooden struts and pillars are beautifully carved out and painted. Some beautiful woodcarved masks are hanging on the pillars - they are used in traditional dances.
I make my donation, take some pictures and then head to the village end where Pipi is waiting for me. We have now spent 2 hours in the village.

The village is surrounded by millet, wheat and potato fields which the trail first traverses before angling left to contour the mountain.
It is a beautiful trail, mostly flat with great views of the valley and the Annapurnas. There are many mani walls and chortens along the way. The vegetation is almost alpine already - the pines are small, there are few flowers and brushes but not much else. We leave Gyaru behind but still in sight behind us - a beautiful ancient village amidst green and brown fields.

We pass the ruins of the Ngarwal fortress and stop for a break near a long high wooden bench especially used by the porters. You can unload the backpack easily on the high bench. This is the last spot we can still see Gyaru from. Below in the valley we can still see the lower trail - flat and straight.
We do not stop in Ngarwal other than for a short break 2 hours after leaving Gyaru. It is extremely hot and we are getting tired, but not yet hungry. We decide to continue to Mundji and have lunch there.
The vegetation along the way is becoming scarcer and scarcer. The terrain also changes. It starts looking more and more like a desert. Whereas the other side of the valley is still forested and green, this side of the river, much more open reminds me of the American Southwest. It seems that the rock is actually sandstone. Reddish and heavily eroded the pinnacles and towers are very similar to the ones in Utah. No cactus though, but the same scorching sun, dry and arid land.

It takes us about an hour to reach Mundji steaming and burning, tired and hungry. By now there is absolutely no shade anywhere and we are out of water, too. We stop for lunch at "Trekker's Room", a small garden restaurant with lots of flowers and a few wooden tables and chairs in the shade. We have the usual daalbhat, delicious and more than sufficient. We hang around for another while - it's so good to rest! We are both very tired. The sun is merciless but we cannot wait for too long since we don't want to get to Manang in the dark.

By 3 pm we get ready to go and slowly start our way towards Manang past the now so familiar mani walls and chortens.

We reach Braga in about 30 minutes. It is yet another ancient village ona hill topped by a gompa. But it is the surrounding lunar landscape, the eroded rock pinnacles that create the most spectacular setting for it. In front of the village by the river is a wide green meadow. The light is getting warmer and softer, the picture is extremely beautiful but I don't want to stop. Tomorrow is going to be a rest day in Manang, so I'll have plenty of time to come and take pictures and see Braga.

We reach Manang in another 30 minutes from here passing the long mani walls along the trail. On the left side we can admire the Annapurnas, Gangapurna and its glacier, and farther in the distance to the West Kantsar peak. We are so close to these snow giants!
The choice of hotels in Manang is large and I pick the one I want. Pipi obeys but is visibly unhappy. I desperately need to recharge my camera batteries. Tomorrow we can move to the hotel he prefers.
After getting a room and taking a quick shower I leave my stuff there and I go for a tour of the village. I try to take a picture of Annapurna II at sunset using the tripod, but a stubborn little cloud is in the way. Sure enough, after losing my patience (and starting to shiver in the by now chilly evening air)and packing my tripod the little cloud dissipates and Annapurna II looks at its best in the orange sunset glow. I take a few pictures and return to the hotel. After a quick dinner I go to bed early.