Koto, 2650m, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal.
This day I had a really hard start. I didn’t eat the evening before because I had been very nauseous from some dried apples that I had bought earlier yesterday. Later last night I had been really sick, so I didn’t sleep well at all. I was still feeling bad at breakfast, so there was that. Being so weak made me extra vulnerable from the cold as well. The first few kilometres felt like walking on lumps of ice.
The first rays of sun toughing me, over the mountains, brought me back to life. Still, our walking speed was very low while we struggled our way up the road that morning.
A bit after Bhratang we reached a village of life-sized playhouses. Pink and purple doll houses, with garlands of flags in between. All guesthouses had roof terraces, taking as much advantage of the sun and the windlessness. At ate the biggest lunch I could handle. The first time Dal Bhat saved my life in Nepal.
The afternoon hike was gorgeous. With renewed energy we walked through fairy-tale pine forests with white mountains on the background. The most beautiful part of the trek thus far.
If you would later ask me, what my favourite place was, of the whole trail, I would answer the village that lied in front of us then. Upper Pisang. Build against the mountain wall, wood and stone houses were smoking in the setting sun. We found a guesthouse overlooking the valley and the mountain range. I had a shower and the sun shining through the window, heated me up enough for that luxurious 5-star feeling. I almost couldn’t believe we were actually here. As we saw the sun setting behind the mountains, I knew that this was a golden hour I would remember forever.
We used the last light of the day to climb the village up to the Buddhistic temple on top. Waving flags and chanting in the melting light.
END NOTE
Even though there are guesthouses everywhere and more good food than you can possibly eat, it is still wise to carry a bunch of healthy candy bars. Preferably some that your body is already familiar with. Should it happen to you that you eat something bad and you get sick, something familiar may ease your stomach enough to get some essential calories in.
THE WHOLE STORY OF NEPAL
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