Hello again

Well we have just finished 17 days trekking 180km around the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.What a challenge that was!We walked from 790m above sea level up to a whopping 5400m and in the process saw some amazing scenery and shed some pounds!We carried our own packs (so went without guide or porter… or suitable guidebook either….).Our laid back approach to the preparations was helped out enormously by the super prepared travellers we met along the way who let us peruse their guidebooks!

The terrain was challenging most of the time - crossing the frequent landslides in the first 4 days really freaked me out, as did the appearance of the first swing bridge (turns out there was at least one per day to cross).Not sure what I was thinking I was going to encounter (or maybe I just didn't think about it full stop) but it was interesting to push myself out of my comfort zone and it turns out we had an amazing time :0)

I had my birthday the day before the big pass and most of it was spent in my sleeping bag in the mud room (see pictures) trying to stay warm and let my body acclimatize for the next day's epic climb to Throrong La pass.

Turns out Brian and I were well suited to the altitude this time (walking seems easier than driving to altitude) and had no problems tackling the pass.Our arrival in Pokhara at the end of the trek was triumphant and hedonistic.We treated ourselves to copious amounts of food and drink and the sense of having been so close to the Himalayas was intoxicating.

A special note has to be made about the friendliness of the Nepalese in the mountain areas - what sweet natures they have - and many of them are Tibetan so we felt right at home amongst their gentle ways and beautiful Monasteries.

Now we are back in Kathmandu and tomorrow we are applying for Indian visas which should take about a week then sometime after that (we are in no hurry) we will head down to India, making a beeline for our beloved Goa.We've got some much deserved resting up to do.Plus, we can't wait for the endless curries which await on the other side of the border.

Until next time, hope you are all well, hope you enjoy wading through the endless photos - I think we got a bit carried away with posting them on the blog.

Lots of love and smiles

Kerry and Brian

Xx

PS.I had a bit of trouble loading the photos onto the blog as there were so many and the power kept going out!!!I have since loaded some more but unfortunately they are a bit out of order