The northwest valley is much shorter and could be visited on foot in half a day.

We first climbed to two ruins overlooking Lo Manthang. The higher one had once been the king's palace but was now just a few wind-eroded walls. Good views but a lot of wind.

We next visited Namgyal monastery, one of the largest in Mustang. Built on a hill, this monastery had 500-year-old paintings blackened by as many years of soot. A monk offered us tea and snacks in the student dining hall, which we consumed quickly because the young monks were starting to file in for their lunches. Also, the weather was starting to threaten, depositing a dusting of snow on the higher peaks.

On the way, we saw several white Himalayan vultures working on a dead horse. These and their larger brother the lammergeier are among the largest birds on earth and have been known to fly as high as Everest.

In the afternoon, I handled some more email, unfortunately creating work for my dear brother who was handling our affairs while we were on another planet. Simple things like making a phone call or faxing back a form were impossible here.