Occasional Climber

Annapurna Circuit – Muktinath to Marpha

Jharkot (3,500m)
Typical Tibetan style housing in Jharkot
A typical window in Jharkot
A section of 500 year old stone wall on the Gompa at Jharkot
Simple figures guard a gateway - a remnant of animist beliefs that were superceded by Buddhism
A yak skull door ornamentation in Jharkot
The trusty pony – a main-stay for load carrying below 3,500m in the Annapurna region. Jharkot
A Himalayan bill-board, or more precisely, “bill-boulder” on the trail below Jharkot
A young shepherd girl poses for a pen, below Jharkot
Shepherds tend their flock on the trail above Kagbeni
A porter on the trail above Kagbeni
Double beds and foot power, above Kagbeni
Kagbeni (2,810m). The valley heading towards the top right leads to Mustang
A seed sower in the cultivated fields of Kagbeni
The narrow alleyways of Kagbeni have a medieval feel to them
The people are typically friendly, despite the large numbers of tourists that visit Kagbeni
At the Police checkpost on the outskirts of Kagbeni, I gazed up the valley, hoping that someday I’ll be able to walk its trail to Mustang
The trail below Kagbeni gradually descends beside the Kali Gandaki, sometimes undulating and other times crossing huge, stony river-flats. At times I felt insignificant in such huge surroundings. Having so recently come from the Thorung La, I also felt bewildered at the numbers of tourists (not trekkers) encountered. There is an airport at Jomson, making this area highly accessible even though it is about a week’s walk from the road-head near Pokhara
The trail below Kagbeni gradually descends beside the Kali Gandaki, sometimes undulating and other times crossing huge, stony river-flats
The trail below Kagbeni gradually descends beside the Kali Gandaki, sometimes undulating and other times crossing huge, stony river-flats. In the distance the huge flanks of Dhaulagiri rise into the clouds
Beats walking - on the trail below Kagbeni beside the Kali Gandaki
The white-washed walls and flat roofs of Marpha (2,665m), a visually lovely village on account of a local commitment to keep it clean and well kept to enhance its tourist appeal
A young local boy gains his daily dose of merit by spinning prayer wheels at the base of Marpha Gompa
A typical narrow alley-way in Marpha
Even the mani stones are white washed in Marpha  > Kalopani to Poon Hill

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