Nepal. Around Annapurna. Part 1

From the village of Ghandruk, we embarked on the Annapurna Circuit, a 275 km journey. Our pace doubled, averaging 40 kilometers a day. We were eager to see how well we could handle long distances at high altitudes, fully aware of the risks of altitude sickness. The acclimatization trek to Annapurna Base Camp had only prepared us for altitudes up to 4200 meters, and we faced a 5416-meter pass ahead, which we planned to cross without proper acclimatization. Time for adjusting to the oxygen deficit was not part of our speed-trek plans...

Interactive map of the route (distance and elevation map on Alltrails website)...

The trail from Ghandruk passed through forested areas, and at one point, it felt like we were in a realm of wild yaks...

During this period, the national flower of Nepal, the rhododendron, began to bloom...

In the village of Ghorepani, a child played with a lamb...

We deviated slightly from the route to reach the viewpoint at Poonhill...

A local hospital...

A Nepali village...

Nepali fields...

A bus undeterred by rough roads...

And cheerful passengers...

Beehives made from logs, positioned on the outer wall of the second floor of a house...

After 40 kilometers, we stopped for the night in the village of Gharap. The lodge had a garden with mandarin trees, which provided us with fruit for the evening and the next morning. Morning prayer near a pagoda...

Basket weaving from bamboo...

Soldiers were also on a trek. They mentioned their backpacks weighed about 30 kg...

The trail continued along the mountain slopes...

That day, we unexpectedly became participants in the Holi festival. Passing through a village, local children painted our faces in different colors...

The path through the valley...

A school in the heart of the Himalayas, where local children study...

This is what classrooms look like at the foot of the mountains...

Reaching the town of Marpha, we decided to stay there for the night. We visited a Buddhist temple and strolled through the narrow, authentic streets...

For the first time, we noticed how firewood was stored on the roofs of houses...

We also saw small courtyards where livestock was kept...

Narrow streets of the town...

We attended a Nepali archery competition...

In the evening, we enjoyed our favorite dish - fried spaghetti with vegetables and eggs...

On the morning of the third day, we left Marpha. On the way, a Nepali man was exercising...

We deviated slightly from the route to climb a hill and view the valley from above...

A stupa on the hilltop...

The road went along the opposite side of the town of Jomsom - the administrative center of the Mustang district...

Jomsom bus station...

Desert landscapes, snow-capped peaks, and rocky gorges...

We took an alternative route to the town of Kagbeni, diverting towards the village of Lupra...

In Kagbeni, we didn't descend but bypassed it via a mountain traverse...

We were surprised to find ourselves on a paved road leading from Kagbeni...

A barrel dump... Dima suggested these might be barrels of paint used to paint the Buddha statue we saw ahead... :)

This is how Nepalis make our favorite woolen items from yak wool...

On the way to Muktinath...

A Buddhist monastery in the village of Jharkot... We wanted to play mantras for the Buddhists inside, but they were intoxicated, and we lost the desire to approach them...

An image of the Buddhist Wheel of Existence...

Solar rays used for making tea and food...

We entered the sacred valley of Muktinath...

Here lies the temple complex with the eponymous Muktinath Temple, a symbol of the symbiosis of Hinduism and Buddhism...

Nearby are 108 springs, bathing in which, they say, one can attain the state of Buddha...

Buddha...

This place is a pilgrimage site for Indian sadhus... We played mantras for them, they treated us to their sugar crystals, and told us they came from the Indian town of Pushkar... Thus, kindred pilgrims met...