Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Day 08 (Khangsar to Churi Ledar)

I woke up at 06:00 today and packed my bags. I then had breakfast (oat porridge with apple slices) before leaving the lodge and heading back toward Manang. I never did see a side trail or short-cut from the trail back to Manang to Tengi, contrary to what the didi at the lodge told me; so I walked all the way back to Manang and then rejoined the Annapurna Circuit trail there. I then walked through Tengi and Ghusang following along the course of the Thorung Khola, north, through the valley, flanked by the towering mountains of the Himalayas. Much of the trail today was covered in mud and my shoes were slishing and sloshing through the trail. I crossed a suspension bridge over the Ghyanchang Khola and then continued on to Yak Kharka; since it was still early, I hiked on, passing Yak Kharka and continuing on to Churi Ledar, which was just on the other side of another suspension bridge. I reached Churi Ledar at noon, got a room at one of the lodges, and had lunch (a garlic and onion pizza that tasted great). I then relaxed in my room for a short while, dozing off for a half hour or so, before going back to the hotel restaurant for a snack of Tibetan bread with honey and a cup of coffee. I relaxed some more, filled up my camel-back with water, and hung around between the restaurant and my room. For dinner, I had another garlic and onion pizza (it was that delicious), a bowl of Thunkpa (a regional dish of vegetables and noodles with tangy spices), and a cup of ginger tea. Before and after dinner, I sat around the stove heater with the other guests (a Japanese couple, a French couple, and two Belgian couples); then as the fire went out and it got cooler, most of the guests and I retired to our rooms, which were freezing cold; luckily I was layered in clothing and my down sleeping bag kept me warm enough.