Day 35: Marpha to Ghasa
Trip Start
Sep 21, 2006
1
36
228
Trip End
Jun 01, 2007
11th day of the trek and I'm getting a little bored of it. As we're walking along the motorbike road, it feels like we're trekking because we missed a bus. The peaks beside the river are covered with new fir trees replacing those chopped down for fuel. Three flights pass overhead, carrying passengers between Jomsom and Pokhara. Pokhara - that's where I want to be now, not trudging over gravel roads before the sun reaches he Himal. We seem to pass mule trains every 15 minutes. The trail smells of their shit. We're back in alpine territory, with chirruping crickets and herds of sheep.
Eventually, Nar leads me off the modern trail to the old path over a suspension bridge, a far more interesting route, away from traffic and where we spot a langur in the trees. We pause at pleasant Lete, a hostel staff training centre. (Can't say that all the staff we've encountered seem trained.) There are several precipitous paths over landslides where being nudged aside by mules doesn't help.
We reach Ghasa (2010m), a small, quiet Thadeki village, just after lunch. Apparently a boulder slid down the mountain and crushed nine people here last year.
My fingertips still tingle with the frostbite on Thorong La.
Eventually, Nar leads me off the modern trail to the old path over a suspension bridge, a far more interesting route, away from traffic and where we spot a langur in the trees. We pause at pleasant Lete, a hostel staff training centre. (Can't say that all the staff we've encountered seem trained.) There are several precipitous paths over landslides where being nudged aside by mules doesn't help.
We reach Ghasa (2010m), a small, quiet Thadeki village, just after lunch. Apparently a boulder slid down the mountain and crushed nine people here last year.
My fingertips still tingle with the frostbite on Thorong La.

