Most of our group got up to watch the sun rise at 6:30am and shine on the top of the Annapurna range of mountains. It was spectacular beyond words.

We took a photo of the group holding prayer flags in the early morning breeze.

It was a really grueling effort for us to get here, much more physically challenging than we expected. It was not a technically difficult trek but very much an endurance test – especially the second half.

The trails are in excellent condition but are significantly different from what we are used to in Canada.

Many parts of the trails here are “paved” with large flat stones & much of the vertical rise is accomplished by climbing stone steps straight up rather than following winding footpaths with switchbacks like we have in Western Canada’s mountain parks. We are in awe of the effort that had to be made by the people who built these trails, villages and terraced farms over several centuries.

Unfortunately I had some awful vertigo due to all the steep stone steps with no railings and the thought of going back down all those steps terrified me. We all have our challenges. My nemesis is vertigo on hiking trails & Catherine’s is any degree of heeling on a sailboat.

After talking it over with each other & with Kalpana, we decided to forgo the rest of the trek and stay here in Ghandruk for another night. No hardship there with views like this!

Our decision was further affirming because I now have a full blown head cold. Hopefully it will only last a few days.

We are going to take a jeep back down to Pokhara tomorrow morning and meet up with our group at the hotel.

While we are a bit disappointed at not completing the trek, we felt it was much wiser to recognize our limits – especially considering that we still have 3 more weeks of traveling in Nepal & in India ahead of us. Plus, we didn’t want to be a burden to Kalpana & the rest of our group by slowing them down.

There wasn’t a lot of opportunity to stop and enjoy the views yesterday as we had to get here before sunset. Parts of the terrain were kind of tricky so we had to really focus on our footsteps rather than the stunning scenery all around us. Kalpana and our porters were exceptional so we always felt safe and supported.

By staying in Ghandruk another day we have been able to rest, take it all in, walk around the village, and Catherine & I were able to enjoy Nepal & Mount Everest brands of beer (me) & Masala Chai (Cath) all day as we have had our own private & modern toilet close by!

We have had a porter stay behind with us because the tour company policy requires guests to always be accompanied. Our porter’s name is Krishna, after one of the Hindu gods so we know we are in good hands. He is 23 and this is his 4th trip with g-Adventures. He will come all the way to Pokhara with us – which is also where he lives.

It was a bit sad saying goodbye to our tour group friends this morning but we are happy to be having a rest & are looking forward to catching up with them tomorrow night & sharing stories & photos of our adventures.

Krishna took us on a late morning tour of the village. We were joined by another young boy – Anooj, who is the son of the owners of the guest house. Anooj was Krishna’s unofficial assistant guide – a role & responsibility he took very seriously.

Guess what?! More stone steps but these were not as daunting & there were only a few hundred of them. The village is quite spread out over the mountain side.

Krishna showed us the building that housed the communal dhiki where people were grinding rice into flour used for baking. He asked the people inside if we could take a photo and they graciously agreed and appreciated us asking them first.

Not everyone is open to having their photo taken and some people ask for money in payment for being photographed. Our guide & the porters discourage us from doing that because it leads to the locals becoming aggressive in asking the tourists for money.

We came across a wall of prayer wheels on our way to the village. Note the marigold garland that was put up for Tihar. Krishna showed us the appropriate way to spin the prayer wheels.

We are very conscious of our intrusion on peoples lives as we are walking through their neighborhoods and backyards. We wouldn’t dream of being that intrusive at home so as much as we would like to take pictures of people going about their daily daily lives here we just don’t unless it is not an intrusion upon them.

Just before we descended into the town we had this fantastic view of it.

We walked along narrow pathways to view the old section of town.

Everyone has a small garden and marigolds are the predominant flower.

We visited the local museum which was tiny but well done. There were many exhibits of elements of traditional homes.

Krishna showed us how the dhiki works!

We returned to our home – the Breeze Guesthouse – for lunch and had a little rest. The Breeze is very modern with comfy beds and ensuite western toilets which is almost unheard of up here.

Most places have shared squat toilets facilities which really isn’t a hardship, just different. Construction on some parts of The Breeze isn’t quite finished yet but all of the essential elements are finished nicely & the views from the rooftop are great.

The village is pretty lively with Tihar celebrations in full swing with groups of people visiting the different courtyards with singing and dancing. We watched from afar as they appear to be more like like private celebrations. After dinner, we returned to our room for a rest.

And settled in to write this blog entry!

We will get up early tomorrow to watch the sunrise again and have breakfast while waiting for the jeep and driver who will take us us down the mountain back to Pokhara. I think they should put blinders on us as it will be another thrilling ride, hopefully not as thrilling as descending miles of stone steps!

Cheers!