For those of you following our progress, here’s another interim posting.

We made it over the high pass yesterday and spent the night in Muktinath, a pilgrimage town holy to both Hindu and Buddhist religions. To save time and wear and tear on Marcia’s knees, we took a jeep the rest of the way down to Jomsom, the regional center where we ended the Dolpo trip. This time it’s less of a culture shock because the Annapurna trek is far more developed and more frequented by travelers, mostly European.

This time Jomsom is the midpoint of the trek, not the end. We will continue by jeep down the Kali Gandaki valley to Tatopani, where we will again leave the road and head up into the mountains. If weather permits, we will go up into the Annapurna Sanctuary in the last days of the trek, and then we will descend to Pokhara, arriving on December 4 or 5.

From here on, it is unlikely we will have internet access, so my next posting will be at the end of the trek when we arrive in Pokhara. Pictures and full details will probably need to wait until we return to the US on December 13.

Here is another quick interim post to keep you up to date on our progress.

We arrived in Manang yesterday afternoon and have been enjoying a rest day with improving weather. Manang is the largest town in the east-west valley just north of Annapurna, and now that we’re getting at least some sunshine, we’re getting some nice mountain views.

We’re both in good health, though I had a spot of diarrhea this morning. Cipro seems to have taken care of that, so it’s all under control.

We leave tomorrow for the 5400-meter pass that we have to cross to get to Jomsom. We had some concerns about the snow that fell earlier in the week, but it seems people are getting across now that the weather is improving. We’ll make our next posting when we get to Jomsom in about four or five days.

We have just finished the fourth day of our trek around Annapurna and we’re staying in a town with internet access. They advertise broadband, though that’s a bit of an overstatement for this service, which I think comes by satellite.

So far, the trip is going fine although the weather has been cloudy and even rainy, which is unusual for November. The clouds seem to be lifting now, and we are hoping to have good weather in the high country and over the pass when we really need it.

Marcia and I are in good health and enjoying ourselves. Staying in guesthouses is so much easier than camping, and the hiking has so far been reasonable. After Dolpo, this is really an easy trip!

Full descriptions and photos will have to wait until December when we return to civilization. Return to Pokhara is still expected around December 5.

Now that we have recovered from our trip and posted the blog entries, we are leaving tomorrow for our second big trek.

This one is to the much more traveled and civilized Annapurna region, where there are lodges and teahouses everywhere and many fellow travelers. There is no need to bring tents, food or a large staff to carry everything. There are many services including medical clinics if we need them. We will be led by Sonam, our excellent cook from the previous trip. He has experience as a guide and knows the area well.

We will be mostly off internet and cell phone coverage for the whole 24 day period until we return to Pokhara around December 5. There is a chance I might get to post a message before then but no promises. We will save up any detailed postings until we return in December.

So long for now!