Cela roams around: Misty mountain hop

Day 3: Dharapani - Chame (16k)
Chame (2710m) is said to be the best supplier village on the way. And indeed internet, reception of my network operator, well stocked stores with all necessary trekking gear.

The first part of the way to get to Chame was difficult. I guess I must have had a crisis that day. Maybe it was due to the lack of dinner the night before and small breakfast today. I just did not have energy. I was walking as slow as never. Only after I had lunch (and I almost froze there – second crisis this day. I guess it was the coldest moment in the whole trip caused by the freezing wind and thick fog) I had more energy and I was able to walk with reasonable peace.

In Chame we were staying in Manaslu View Hotel. It was recommended to us by one of the guides who we were meeting every day on the road with the Belgian guy whom he was babysitting all the time. They were to book a room for us there, but actually we’ve reached there before them.

It’s a good place with hot shower, heated dining room (first one on the trek that we come across), good food and nice people (this is where we met the Americans with whom we’ve been meeting all the way up and in the end we’ve been hiking together all the way to Marpha).

Way to Manang

Polish Indian Summer

These porters were carrying metal pipes to build water electro plant. Each of there pipes weights 90 kg. They must be heavier than they are.

Kill me, but I don't remember at all where this picture was taken

Day 4: Chame - Bhratang - Dhukur Pokhari - Upper Pisang (15k)

When we got up in the morning in Chame it was sunny. In fact it was the first really sunny day since we’ve started our trip. There was no single cloud on the sky, only in the noon some clouds started to appear on the sky. The view was fabulous – Annapurna and Manaslu. I’ve also noticed how dramatically the Marsyangdi River has narrowed in comparison to what we’ve seen in Besi Sahar.

The trek was relatively easy with surrounding landscape like in Beskidy Mountains in Poland with the only difference that here we were at the altitude of about 3000m and in Poland the same landscape is on about 1000 meters.

Just after Telekhu again we did alternative route which was really spectacular and views were amazing. The interesting thing was wild strawberries that we’ve seen. Unfortunately we’ve seen only plants, berries were gone. I guess it was too late already and all were eaten.

We had choice of spending the night either in Upper or Lower Pisang. We’ve decided for the Upper Pisang (3310m) and stayed in Yak & Yeti GH. Apparently it’s better from the acclimatization point of view to sleep in the Upper Pisang and take the upper road via Ghyaru instead of chillaxing one via Humde.

Alternate route just after Chame. Very Polish like landscape.

Hello, Poland! No, this was how alternate routes were marked.

Moon over the...

Water purifying. Jacek was nominated to be the main water filtering specialist. But he did not do his work too good. Only couple of days before we've finished trekking he read in LP that water pumping is not sufficient to purify water that comes from glacier streams. This water should be additionally iodised, which we were not doing. Luckily none of us got sick.