Samagaun

Lho is the most ideal place on the trail to witness the sunrise. The valley below is due East so the sun appears early and low. In fact you can see Mount Manaslu illuminated by the rising sun before you see the sun itself rising. Another clear and sunny early morning. It has been a trend that any evening peak cloud cover from the previous day clears up the following morning. The equally trend setting mule traffic and the movements of locals going about their business began very soon after the sun rose. The construction works at our hotel were already in full swing.

Mt. Manaslu stalking Lho Gumba on a crisp, clear morning

Mt. Manaslu stalking me now

The journey to Samagaun was going to be a morning affair. The trail is regained at the junction to the path leading up to the Lho Gumba, with a sudden dip down into the ever present Budhi Gandaki river valley. There was a gain in altitude by several hundred metres but was not apparent in the beginning. A rudimentary and slippery wooden river crossing led us to a new valley that began the ascent. More dense foliage and a large amount of trekker traffic. The mule traffic didn't let up and from time to time a fast horse rider sped through. A lot more of the beautiful autumn colours burst through to distract me from the constant uphill chore. We took a break at a yak gate that seemed to be a temporary corral for yaks, mules and horses. They looked fed and stood there vigil, sleeping, chewing card, grooming or just dozing off. There were probably about a hundred of these beasts checked into the bovine bed and breakfast.

Premature conclusion of our ascent to Mt. Manaslu at Samdo via Sama(Ryo/Gaun). Larkya (Larkle) Glacier Pass was closed.

 The Bovine B&B

The emergence at the intermediate village of the route, Shyala, was a treat. All the major peaks and massifs of this conservation area became very visible and near! The wide path cutting through Shyala made the experience quite cinematic. I bumped into the Czech guy that we meet in Chumling almost a week ago. As we exchanged waves he was relaxing at a teahouse with his portable solar panels laid out on his bag and charging up his iPad. A place of R & R for humans, mules and their gadgets.

Stunning background scenes at Shyala

Samagaun was now only 45 minutes away. It lays at the end of a wide open plain. As we passed by a school in the middle of the plain a flock of birds flew around the vast expansive, impeccably synchronised. Samagaun is quite a dense town, with plenty of Tibetan tablets piled  up near a Stupa. The houses had yak paddocks in the front yard, quite a unique architectural feature. Another bustling town with mostly girls carrying baskets of firewood on their backs and men guiding cargo mules. Since we were one of the earlier groups to arrive in town we took advantage of finding a teahouse with the best views.  The Peace Heaven Guesthouse had the best poppadoms of the trail (#howdoyoulikethesepoppadoms).

 Samagaun unveils itself behind the bleaching trees

We were all settled at the Peace Heaven Guesthouse when the clouds that were advancing over the peaks suddenly engulfed us with sleet and snow. That pretty much wrote off the planned excursion to Birendra Tal, a glacial lake right at the end of the great Manaslu glacier. Just as well because my left ankle that had been nagging me all day was not in a good state. It was well strapped and massaged with anti-inflammation gel but needed some rest and elevation to accelerate recovery. So, an afternoon in my sleeping bag, observing the sleet and overcast, windy weather was most welcome. Jason got itchy feet and went for a run. The crazy running man in the snow became the talk to the town and who knows, the title of a children's song 100 years from now.

Samagaun village limits