DAY 21 : NEPAL : Lower Pisang (3200m) - Manang (3540m) - 6 hour walk

Our destination today was Manang.

Woken to the smell of burning juniper branches in the sacred fire outside the tea house gate - a morning ritual.

As we walk out of Lower Pisang we have striking views of Annapurna 2.

We walked through pine and spruce forests. The road was flat and not particularly challenging.

A bit of shopping en route. A yak head with light sockets where the eyes should be, anyone?

A welcome 'Namaste' in the small town of Humde.

A warning to trekkers about altitude sickness. Many single trekkers, particularly young girls, walking - hopefully they take note as there have been regular helicopter rescues and some deaths recently in other regions of the Himalayas.

Yaks grazing - a sign we are in higher regions again.

We stopped in Mungji for lunch - yak products seem to be all the go. Many bakeries in the area corresponding with larger groups of trekkers - many young Americans and Israelis.

I was keen to visit the Buddhish gonpa in Braga. It is about 500 years old and was established on the beliefs of an eleventh century monk and poet, Manjit, who wanted to return the traditional Tibetan Buddist spiritual focus.

It is part of the kanya-pa sect - red cap monks.

Prayer and song books handwritten by monks.

Colourfully decorated.

A surprise to see a migratory Siberian duck on the grounds of the gonpa.

As we left Braga snow began to fall.

Our hotel in Manang - it has the feeling on a Wild West movie set. Our hotel is full of young trekkers. It is recommended by health authorities and guide books that walkers stay in Manang for 2 nights before venturing higher. Tension mounts as we prepare for our second challenge of Thorung La (5416m) in 3 days' time.

M&M

mm_smith@bigpond.net.au