I flew in from India on a warm afternoon. Not much to say about Air India except that the ticket was cheap. As I had spent nine hours on the train in Germany commuting to Frankfurt I was perfectly happy to sack out at Muna Cottage with a plate of fried rice on my lap in front of the television on my first day in Nepal. The sun shone into my room through the pouring rain as the familiar sounds and smells awakened my Nepali sensibilities. I am back!
Rene and Breda were already in Nepal and spending a few days in Pokhara; a late-night trip to the airport failed to find Liz from Hong Kong. Alan and Dorthe arrived from Australia and Rene and Breda soon joined them in the top-floor apartment at the Shambala. We walked over to Bouda on a warm drizzly evening for dinner at our old favourite the Garden Kitchen (Kitchen Garden? I always forget). Paneer Butter Masala with loads of fresh naan. I love the local food here. Next day, Friday, Dorje took all four down to Pathan for a spot of cultural enlightenment. We ate in the garden at Muna Cottage on another fine, warm evening. The wine from the supermarket continues to surprise.
On Saturday I had a busy day with three trips to the airport. Having discovered that Liz was OK but stuck in Hong Kong (in five-star luxury) I could relax a bit. Dorthe, Alan, Breda and Rene took off early with Dorje to breakfast at Nagarkot and then walk down to Changu Narayan. They loved it. This little day walk takes you from the rim of the valley with great views on a clear day, down through farms and hamlets to the oldest temple in the region. That night the early birds met our new arrivals, Debbie, Marjorie, Kay and Ian over dinner at Shambala – more supermarket wine but nobody was complaining.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30:
The ‘Chaos Day’ was, as usual, pretty punishing. Seven people all wanting different things; banking, buying trekking gear, shopping, organising trekking permits and insurance. Phew! We drove back to Kapan in pouring rain and had an excellent coffee in Kay and Ian’s apartment while I tried to ‘wing it’ through the pre-trek briefing without my notes. We then tried to pack all our new gear into our rucksacks – with limited success. Isabel and Netra very kindly did the late night airport pickup for Liz. Liz got to her room after midnight and then had to pack for the trek – starting next morning at 5 am. Tough one Liz!
MONDAY OCTOBER 1:
Muna knocked on our doors at 5 am with a cup of tea and pretty soon the garden was full with 9 customers, me and ten staff. Muna and Djangbo produced 20 omelette and chapatti breakfasts in record time and when the first of our four jeeps started to arrive we were raring to go. The ring road was sluggish and Kaji was a bit hard to find at Balaju bus park having travelled overnight from Pokhara. He had trekked in the Anapurna region until 4 pm the day before.
We took a cuppa at Rani Pawa and, due to a mix up with the order for daal bhat; we took lunch at a dive in Trisuli. The scenery was magnificent as we climbed into the hills with occasional glimpses of Dorje Lagpa hovering whitely above the clouds. The road deteriorated severely after Trisuli and several times we had to get out and walk (or be helped) across gushing streams while the jeeps strained across the land slipped sections. It was serious stuff, almost dangerous at times, but our drivers were brilliant. (We had a whip round at the end for an enormous tip – they then turned round and drove all the way back to Kathmandu.) We had to walk the last three kilometres into Syabrubensi owing to two massive boulders blocking the road. Dynamite will be required here. Since our porters were with us it was not difficult. Most trekkers didn’t get further than 5 short of Dunche. I am writing this at the lovely old Pottala Guesthouse; it is just on dusk and has cooled down nicely. Dorje has organised vegetable noodle soup, omelettes and fried potatoes. Suddenly, I am extremely hungry.
Two days after my last entry I find a little time to catch up. It is 9, 15 in the evening and Marj and I have just spent a lovely time drinking rum and coke and chatting with Dan Raj (Dorje’s brother), Kancha (Dorje’s brother-in-law), Lahar (my porter on this trip and always our guide in the Anapurnas, and Pasang (our host). We were quite amazed at what these guys had made of themselves with so little education. Kancha has been to school for a year and our Pasang had no schooling at all and is now running a lodge – and running it very well.
The last two days have been marvellous though pretty tiring and rather hot for early October. The first few hours out of Syabrubensi were a killer. We became very hot and sweaty, shielded from the breeze by dense bush but open to the sun. Phew! I walked with Debbie (now Devi) and Dorthe (now Dora) for the first two and a half hours to morning tea. It is the longest stretch on the entire trek without refreshments on the whole trek so a pretty tough way to start. Bashing aside towering marijuana plants we finally heard rather than saw our tea stop. A huge waterfall comes crashing out of the hills, drenching the bridge in a fine mist of cooling water. The front-runners were pretty chipper but we put our feet up (I think I saw Kay with her feet in a bowl of cold water!) and took our time over tea and biscuit. The next stretch started with a staircase, on stiffened legs it felt very hard indeed but we were soon engulfed in deep shady jungle which made life a bit easier.
The tail-enders stumbled into the dining room about half an hour adrift of the main pack which I thought quite respectable – especially since we’d stopped for a fair while to watch black-faced monkeys. The dining room was chockablock with Japanese trekkers but they left shortly after our arrival – mysteriously clad in a vast array of winter gear – it was nearly 30 degrees. Go figure?
Revived with food and drink we headed off through the forest onwards and upwards. Our ‘daypack angel’ (Sonam, the runner) was waiting just up the trail. Once Dorthe lost her daypack she was off like a rocket. Debbie and I were just planning our ‘last big push’ when Kancha pointed out that we could see the lodge just a couple of minute’s away – happy days. The Bambu Lodge was a real haven and we spent the afternoon sitting outside under the thatched dining area congratulating ourselves on a first day well done. It was Debbie’s birthday so a few rum and cokes were in order – well, ok, maybe more than a few for some of us. We slept like logs.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5:
No need for an early start today so we didn’t rush breakfast. Such a great location here with the river thundering past the front yard. The first hour to the bridge at 2000 metres was great. A bit uppish but on the shady side of the valley and in dense, beautiful forest. As usual, the tail-enders had quite a few more ‘sit-downs’ but we were rewarded with a big family of black-faced monkeys crashing around in the trees overhead. Between morning tea and lunch was an absolute ‘pig’. In retrospect I can say this is the worst stretch on the whole trek. Broken trail, landslides, water gushing across the path and always up, up, up. We had a really long lunch. The veg omelettes with chapattis were so good I had two. After lunch it was a lot better and only an hour to do. By 3 pm it was cups of tea, hot showers and sitting around reading. Our regular lodge, the original ‘Lama Hotel’ is not big enough for all of us so Debbie, Marj and I stayed down at the Jungle View.
Our mates visited in the evening for a hot chocolate but we were all ready for an early night after such a hard climb today. More of the same tomorrow I am afraid but it will all seem worth it when we come out into the upper Langtang Valley. Everyone is in good health and good spirits. A blessing.
THURSDAY 6 OCTOBER:
I am not sure if it was a bit easier today or perhaps we have all just found our ‘trekking legs’. Certainly the trail was not as broken and there were far more flat stretches for recovery. We were in the shade almost all the time and trekking from 2,500 metres to over 3,000metres it was naturally becoming cooler. There was nowhere to take morning tea so lunch at Riverside was very welcome. I trekked at the back with Dorthe after lunch for the two-hour climb to Gora Tabela. We were very pleased to emerge from the forest into the wide open meadow which marks the beginning of the old glacial valley. Sheer rock walls on both sides of the valley with fertile fields across the bottom. We sat outside till the clouds engulfed the lodge but the stove had just been lit so we retreated to the dining room We were given single rooms again tonight. Luxury.
FRIDAY 7 OCTOBER:
The going was now much easier though we were starting to feel the altitude a bit. Just enough to make your legs feel heavy. The weather broke clear and sunny this morning. Our first view of Langtang Lirung was superb – though some of us had seen it last night glowing moodily in the moonlight when we turned in. We plastered ourselves in sunscreen but still got our right arms roasted as we trekked east all day with the sun belting down from the southern sky. I lingered with Debbie, Rene and Breda for a bowl of creamy Yak yoghurt. Good enough to eat on its own. We took a long lunchbreak at Gomba, just an hour short of Langtang. The final approach was a bit of a slog as we climbed above 3,500 metres though most of our group had enough energy to take the detour up to the old Gomba on the way. The Eco Lodge was a delight, as ever. Hot showers (indoors), friendly owners, nice kids, good rooms, wide beds and a cosy dining room with a really warm stove. Perfect in fact.
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SATURDAY 8 OCTOBER:
Another brilliant day weather-wise. Feeling the altitude a bit and had a headache for most of the day (pretty normal for me). The rest of the crew are in great shape. Even Dorthe, who had struggled a bit yesterday (overdid it a bit) was just fine today. There is no decent lunch place today so we bought yak cheese and crackers and yummy yak-butter biscuits at the cheese factory and ate them at a little dive along the way with gallons of black tea. As the alpine meadows gave way to rock-strewn hillside we struggled a bit. The yak gate was a bit hard to negotiate and it was a little disconcerting to be stared at by so many animals inside the gate – yaks, cows, horses, sheep and goats. We stopped often and were doing ok but were still very happy when Kyanjin Gomba came into view over the last ridge. We were soon unpacking in the Norling Lodge – our home for the next three nights. I hardly recognised the newly-plastered lodge and the new indoor toilets upstairs and down are a big improvement.
I unpacked my sleeping bag and crawled into it with a massive headache. I took a Diamox and two paracetamol with a mug of coffee and felt better an hour later. I wandered downstairs to find I had missed all the action. A man with a dislocated shoulder was in the dining room awaiting a helicopter medivac. I heard later that Kay, a professional nurse, had assisted in relocating the guys shoulder. Alan had organised the immobilising bandaging while Dorje had made sure the financial arrangements for the chopper went smoothly. What a crew!! As I write this journal most of our group are up at the helipad seeing off the patient – he could have done a lot worse.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 9:
Our first day in Kyanjin Gomba brought sensational weather. The peaks of Langtang Lirung and Langtang Himal were impossibly clear against an indigo sky as we ate breakfast outside. All but Rene, Breda, Debbie and me headed up the valley with a picnic lunch. They made it up to the yak huts and trooped home in the afternoon looking pretty pleased with themselves. The rest of us sat around reading, did a little washing or made new friends (James and Henrietta). The dining room was overheated to the max again tonight with a yak dung fire but the food was very, very good. Thank you Neruf and Gyangzin.
MONDAY OCTOBER 10:
Alan, Dorthe and Marj set off quite early to climb Kyanjin Ri. Marj made it to the top where Dan Raj put up prayer flags. Dorthe and Alan were back in time to join the walk out to the glacier. I think Liz, Ian, Rene, Breda and I were left by the final ridge where a 360 degree vista of snow peaks was our reward for effort. The big peaks sparkled but the glacier glowered menacingly, lots of dark grey gravel is churned up as the ice tumbles. It is a very steep, probably classed as a ‘hanging glacier’. The descent back to the village was amazingly quick and we were soon sitting in the sunshine in the garden tucking into omelettes cooked into Tibetan bread. Probably a bit oily but who cares when you are trekking your butt off every day. As I write this the clouds have rolled in and there is a really big chill in the air. Time for warmer clothes.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 11:
Trekking downhill was easy today but we covered the two- day ascent back to Gora Tabela in just one day so it felt really, really long. The weather held fair so now most of us have sunburn on both arms now. Can’t believe sometimes that at 57 years of age I still get sunburned! The 
Eco Lodge at Langtang put on a classic daal bhat for lunch in the garden. The boys played volleyball while we waited for the food and then showered under the tap in the warm sunshine. They really are a fine looking bunch of lads. The afternoon’s trekking was a piece of cake. The spaghetti was excellent. Met a couple of German thirty-somethings in all black trekking gear who rather pompously informed me that ‘We are not here to trek – we are here to climb Tserko Ri!’. ‘Oh’ I said pointing, ‘Marj did that yesterday’. They looked suitably deflated. Sometimes I love my job.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12:
The first half of the descent through the forest was quite good. We were in deep shade most of the time winding our way through moss-covered rocky outcrops with the Langtang River raging somewhere below us. The knees were taking a bit of a pounding so we were very glad of a break at Riverside.
We were soon on our way to Lama Hotel to collect our ‘excess baggage’ and take the obligatory family photos. Dorje was keen to keep moving; the boys were getting hungry and I wanted to lunch at Langtang View – another 40 minutes down the track. Well worth the effort as their veggie omelettes are sensational with fresh coriander and thick light chapattis. Cold coca-cola was pretty good too.
The descent from lunch to the bridge was awful. Harder downhill than up. The trail has been washed away in many places and the temporary detours were treacherous. The Lama Lodge at Bambu was a welcome sight and we were earl enough to sit outside by the raging river and chill out for a while. Dinner was great, especially the Creamy rice pudding with red jam (what flavour is that jam??). A fellow trekker called me outside to look at the river after dinner. It was so beautiful I quickly called the gang outside. We stood on the dark bank while the moon shone from up the valley illuminating the rapidly moving white-water so that it appeared to glow. Later the boys sang their traditional folk songs and we danced till the floorboards shook.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 13:
Today was bloody hard. We tried to get an early start but were only partially successful. We stopped for a quick cuppa at Landslide. Strangely, Landslide has a lot of bamboo and Bambu has a huge landslide ?? We were on the uphill trail to Thulo Syabru shortly after morning tea. It was a long, hot slog on a beautiful little trail. Much less-used than the main track it winds through dense thickets of huge bamboo. Though the shade was a boon it was almost claustrophobic at times. I saw wild ginger with red flowers, a tangled vine with pale yellow orchid-like flowers and a bright yellow creeper which might have been a wild clematis. We saw a tiny yellow-breasted Rani Chahara darting in and out of the trees with flashes of its red tail. A real treat.
An hour and a half later we crested the ridge at the shady little dive where we always stop for lunch. The omelettes and chapattis were already on the production line. I dug out some A4 prints of last season’s photos which pleased the teashop’s owners greatly. It was easier going for twenty minutes to the bridge but the descent to the bridge is a bit tricky. The bridge itself is huge and the sides are just a bit too low. The missing bits of chain-link fence on the sides are also a bit disconcerting. As the rest of the group disappeared into the shady gully I sat and smoked a cigarette with Lahar. A man appeared leading a horse with a foal. The horse absolutely refused to cross. The man just mounted the horse and rode about a third of the way across (remember the low sides!). He easily dismounted out on the bridge, using the side fence, and then led the horse over. The little foal followed as if crossing an enormous suspension bridge was perfectly normal.
Dorthe and I were the last ones into Thulo Syabru. We stopped to joke with a bunch of old ladies who were winnowing their rice on a sunny terrace. They laughed like crazy when they saw each other’s pictures on the screen of my digital camera.
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Our first choice of lodge in Thulo Syabru was unavailable so Sonam had booked us into one of the older lodges. While the double rooms were quite substantial with great views out the back, the single rooms were abysmal. We soon negotiated a move next door for the singles. Still nothing to write home about but at least the rooms were light and airy. With warm showers and the last of our clean clothes on it was still warm enough to sit outside to eat. Balmy in fact. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14:
What a lazy day this was. Not much happened except loads of washing and several people finished their books. Kay received email (slowly) that the guy who was medevacced out of Kyanjin Gomba was doing well. Good news. All well-rested for the big hill tomorrow.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 14:
Today was far and away our hardest day so far. Nothing can prepare you for the endless uphill slog from Thulo Syabru to Sin Gomba. First you slog uphill through low jungle scrub, and then a field which is just as steep as the sun starts to shine – only adding to the stress level. We stopped for tea at the aptly-named Lovely Morning View teahouse so I had a chance to drop off more pictures from last season. The A4 pictures in plastic sleeves are a huge hit, especially with mums who often don’t have pictures of their own adorable children and my daypack was getting lighter every day – well, actually this was a perfectly good theory but just didn’t seem to work out in practice. Today my daypack felt like at least 9 kilos.
After morning tea it was uphill, again, through magnificent forests of oak and hemlock. We were soon in deep shade which helped, but not that much. It was still up, up, up. As we rested at the ancient chorten in the forest we had our first encounter with a Yasser Arafat lookalike from Jerusalem. A bit of a change from the many young Israelis one encounters on these treks. As we broke out of the forest an hour later the biggest ordeal of the day awaited us. A very steep, grassy hillside criss-crossed with tracks – all of them steep. One redeeming feature of this stretch was the amazing view of snowy peaks which awaited us every time we turned around to catch our breath – which seemed like a hundred times! The lunch stop took so long to come into view I began to think I had strayed over to the left of the field and missed it altogether. But no, it was just THAT FAR! The lunch break was gorgeous. The sun shone, the food was good and I bought some nice glass bead jewellery at the lodge. By contrast with the long morning the walk to Sin Gomba from the lunch stop was a piece of cake. Just over an hour through a stunningly beautiful forest of towering cedars and moss-covered logs and rocks. Hobbit country?
The Red Panda lodge at Sin Gomba never disappoints, especially the hot showers. Afterwards we all sat around the stove like zombies – too tired even to talk.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 16:
Trekking now back above 3000 metres we set off on a cool morning but soon started peeling off layers of clothing. In a reverse of yesterday’s trek the morning was fairly easy with long, flat stretches in between small rises out along a sunny ridge. When we did plunge into the deep shade of a pine forest it was only for an hour and the trail climbed rather gently. All too soon it was lunch in the sun at Chalang Patti. The mountains glittered through the dark pines till well after midday. I had never seen such a spectacular display from here before. The daal bhat was good too.
After lunch it was a hard climb but even the back-markers only took an hour and a half. Very good going indeed. The vegetation became shorter and shorter as we ascended in swirling mists which enveloped us one minute and evaporated the next. A horse or a yak would appear out of the mist quite close by – its tinkling bell the only clue to its presence in the mist. The lodge at Laurebinayak loomed ahead of us for ages before we got there. Each time it appeared out of the mist it was just that little bit closer. It was eerily silent and still as we closed in on 4,000 metres though the lodge was a wooden building and echoed to the sound of clomping trekking boots and kids playing in the corridors. The stove was really warm tonight and the food was excellent, especially the apple pies which were enormous. The boys felt like singing and we soon had the whole dining room stomping the boards. We met some great youngsters from UK and ‘Mr Arafat’ amused us by dancing, Arab style, with someone’s iPod in a tin bowl (more volume) resting on his headscarf. The lodge owner’s kids joined in with some pretty impressive dance moves of their own. Very cold outside.
MONDAY OCTOBER 17:
After a brilliant sunrise it was a bit of a slog up to the Binayak temple on the ridge. Any uphill climbing over 4,000 metres is hard going. We sat around and shared our cheese and other provisions (Dorje forgot to buy the biscuits).
When we started up the fabulous trail to Gossainkund the going was definitely a bit easier. The trail was improved recently and clings to a precipitous cliff above a chain of lakes connected by waterfalls. The village at Gossainkund is at 4350 metres and we were all feeling it a bit. It was colder inside than out so most of us sat in the sunshine as long as it lasted. Driven inside by the cold we all struggled, in turn, to get the fire going properly. It was going brilliantly well by the time we went to bed. A terrific storm was brewing outside and sago snow soon peppered the roof. Massive bolts of lightning flashed across the night sky illuminating the lakes in their eerie blue light. Our new companion Jonathon took great pictures – do hope he will share. (Haven’t heard anything).
TUESDAY OCTOBER 18:
The big Push! We awoke to a winter wonderland. Entire landscape, top to bottom, lightly dusted in fresh snow.
Debbie and I said a rather sad farewell to the eight members who decided to give the pass a go. I hadn’t ever expected that so many would want to do it. Here is an account from Kay of how it went down:
OCTOBER 18:
Gossainkund 4350m over the pass at 4650m to Phedi 3700m
A steep but then a more gradual uphill to the pass. Patches of snow on the ground from last night’s storm and ice-covered rocks as we negotiated a water crossing. Stopped at the pass for a picnic in the shelter of a metre-high rock wall – they turn into tea-houses with canvas covers for the many pilgrims who flock here in august. A very steep, rocky descent followed which took us to Phedi in about 2 hours with a quick cuppa and food at a dingy lodge. Cold clouds rolled in and the trek became hard work. Nice lodge at Phedi but the stove was very smoky.
OCTOBER 19: to Gupte at 3400 m.
Lots of downs and ups to water crossings and ridges – very hard work again. Lousy daal bhat for lunch and lousy dinner and breakfast too. Think this was the place that was run by young men only.
OCTOBER 20: to Melamchigaon 2350 m.
Downs and ups to a beautifully-decorated lodge at Therapati for lunch. Then mainly down – almost a spiral staircase of logs and leaf litter - and some rock-hopping across waterfalls. Huge rhododendrons, spruce, beautiful ferns and lichen. Very few flowers due to all day shade. Very welcome hot bucket showers – bliss after 4 days – at the pretty Sherpa lodge. Huge kitchen with rows of pots and pans and a very efficient cooking space producing delicious food. The ‘toppest’ school.
OCTOBER 21: to Thimbu
A HUGE day’s downhill walk to Thimbu. Beautiful mixed surroundings – jungle, terraced farmland, landslides and waterfalls. Some big bridges over roaring rivers, some small log/rock crossings. A simple lunch stop then a tea stop. Then amazing food from a very friendly lodge we stayed at in Thimbu. Lots of singing and dancing.
The group used the local bus to Melamchi Pul Baazzar and were picked up there for the ride back to Kathmandu. Welcome home folks!
Debbie and I didn’t hang around. We were soon tripping downhill at a good clip and had a cup of tea back at Laurebinayak just an hour and twenty minutes later. So much quicker going downhill. We passed a large group of immaculately-dressed French women (how do they do that?). They actually overtook us on the way down the next day – quite a bit fitter than us then. The views on the way down were mind-blowing.
An hour or so later we were sitting down to another of Chalang Patti’s fabulous daal bhats. By 3 we had taken hot showers at the Red Panda in Sin Gomba and were cutting up some Yak cheese. Travelling with just Debbie and myself (and Lahar and Kancha of course) we had given up any pretence of waiting for a ‘civilised hour’ for a drink. We were in serious ‘recovery mode’ and the Red Panda is great place for that. Hope our friends all made it ‘over the top’.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19:
We planned to get away early but failed dramatically. It was downhill all the way today which is not as easy as you might think. The trail drops 1350 metres in one day. It was stunningly beautiful in places. We could hear the river long before we saw it. After a cup of tea at Deorali I tied a scarf around one knee and woollen belt around the other. I used my sticks to take some of my weight on every step but my knees are still aching like hell as I write this. We are in the scruffy little town of Dunche – should be called ‘Dump’che. Our hotel is a comical blue tower of crummy little rooms. There is more mould than tiles in the bathroom. We each have our own room though and Debbie even has her own nasty little bathroom – not sure if this is a plus or a minus. The light is fading on the view across the valley. From my bedroom window I can see the treacherous jeep road leading to Syabrubensi where it all started sixteen days ago. Jeeps and busses are beeping in the road below. Exhaust fumes, kerosene and ‘human ordure’. Civilisation!
I am tired but it is a good tired. It has been yet another magic trek. Hope our friends in Gupte tonight are in as good shape as we are. Thinking of you.
Our trip back to Kathmandu was swift and uneventful – save for the usual sights whizzing past our racing jeep. We had a great lunch of aloo paratha and aloo ghobi at my favourite (usual) restaurant at Trisuli and then more luscious scenery. Arriving in Kapan at 2.30 from a 7.30 start was really good going. That evening Muna made her fragrant fried rice and we ate in the garden by candlelight with friends and red wine. But it was early to bed as we’d been woken before 5 am by the staff galloping around the echoing concrete bunker of a hotel. Hope our summit team are doing well. No signal on Dorje’s phone.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 21:
Though it might not make interesting reading, Debbie and I had a fabulous day shopping and shopping and shopping. Too much fun!
SATURDAY OCTOBER 22:
I’ve just heard from Dorje that the summit team are doing fine. By Melamchigaon everyone had had enough so the plan is to walk down to Thimbu (Timbuktu!), take a local bus out to Melamchi Pul Bazzaar and thence back to Kathmandu next day. As you will read in Kay’s notes this is exactly what happened.
Well done team.
I am sure there was a fair bit of activity after trekking in Kathmandu but I was so busy I didn’t make any notes. We all shopped and ate our way around town. We had a big night out at the Garden Cafe with all the porters. It was Kay’s birthday and a cake with candles was brought out. All the guys honoured her birthday with ‘katta’. A special moment. Alan and Dorthe flew off into the unknown with Thailand almost under water. Rene and Breda were off to Buddha’s birthplace at Lumbini. I remember Marj going off on a day-trek with Dan Raj and then, quite suddenly, it was all quiet. Kay and Ian stayed on to volunteer at the Bright Future Community Centre and Dreamland Computer School and then, what seemed like about five minutes later, the next group for Anapurna started to arrive. Here I go again ................ hope you all got home safe and well. Do share some news – and some pictures.
Cheers,
Teresa
.......keep on trekking! (Returning from Muktinath in March 2009??)
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