It was a bit of a shame to take the bus down the Kali Gandaki valley, bypassing interesting towns like Marpha and Tukuche, but it saved about three days of walking in an area with unpleasantly high winds, allowing us to get back on the real trails sooner, hopefully before the Annapurna Sanctuary gets closed by winter snows. I hope we can come back sometime, maybe as part of a trip to the restricted area of Mustang.

In Marpha we were able to get off the bus for a few minutes while the driver took a break. Marpha looks like a fascinating place, with narrow streets and a huge monastery.

Tukuche looked interesting both for its history and its close views of Dhauligiri. It was here that an eccentric Japanese Buddhist monk named Ekai Kawaguchi spent almost a year in 1899 pretending to be Tibetan before he ultimately made it into Tibet in search of Sanskrit manuscripts. It was also here that Maurice Herzog based his 1950 expedition that made the first ascent of Annapurna.

In Ghasa further down the valley, we needed to change buses. The first bus was full and there were not enough people for a second bus. But by gathering a few Westerners and a few porters, Sonam was able to find enough business to convince the driver to make the trip.

We got off the bus in Tatopani, which means hot water. This town is famous for a well-developed hot spring with two pools alongside the river. We joined a crowd of about 30 people taking a dip, though most of the young people seemed more interested in partying and hanging out.

We restocked our supply of books so that we’d be ready for another 11 days on the trail.