Week 30 - Annapurna Circuit + Pokhara 2.0

Day 8:

Sreekharka (4000m) to Yak Kharka (4000m). After the intense day at the Tilicho Lake yesterday, I suggested changing the route a bit. Because Floor has knee problems and doesn't like going downhill, and I need a little more time for acclimatization. So we stay at this altitude for a bit longer before crossing the pass and skip a day when it's all downhill. I'm really happy with that now and today's stage was very pleasant, with enough time to enjoy the view. For lunch, we had Momos again and two hours later, when we arrived, I had garlic soup. Unfortunately, I caught a cold, which doesn't really help my breathing during ascents.

Day 9:

Yak Kharka (4000m) to Thorang Phedi (4400m).

My cold, which supposedly is a side effect of altitude medicine, made today's mostly relaxed day more exhausting. But every day is conquered, despite the hundredth obstacle that we've encountered so far. Floor has sleep problems and knee pain due to the altitude. We have also noticed that we have very different motives for hiking. I mostly hike for the nature, the beautiful views, and the overall vibes, while Floor prefers the fitness aspect and pushing limits. In the Himalayas, we're both in the right place because it's definitely a challenge, and I would do it all over again just for the landscape. When we arrived in Thorang Phedi, our guide once again changes our plans, and I'm getting really annoyed by him. Well, now the final and most strenuous day is already here, and then I can complain to the provider, lol. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I would book a guide again, but I would do some things differently for my return and the next trekking tour.

Day 10:

Tharong Phedi (4400m) to Muktinath (3800m) via the Tharong La Pass (5416m). What a day! I have to admit, I was pretty scared beforehand because it was supposed to be a climb of over 1000m at 3 am in super thin air and around -10 degrees. Surprisingly, the horror hike to the Tilicho Lake perfectly acclimatized us, and in the end, I thought this day was the best of all! Slowly but steadily, we zigzagged up the pretty steep mountain. At first, I listened to podcasts to get through the toughest part. As it slowly got brighter and we kept working our way up between the snow-covered peaks, my music (Kadebostany - Play this at my funerals, Supershy - Happy Music) and the incredible view briefly made me cry. It was really freezing cold, but as soon as the sun came up, it warmed up quickly, and the reward at the top of the Thorong La Pass was a long-awaited Snickers and a black tea. We reached the top at 8 am, and the atmosphere was great. It was actually really nice that there were other people on the trail (and suddenly they were all going at my snail pace). The arrival at the top was definitely a feeling of pride, and I started the 4-hour descent in a really good mood. It was also not pleasant in the long run, but I managed it without knee pain! Down in Muktinath, we were immediately greeted again by heat, poor air quality, and chaos, and we were extremely looking forward to the first shower after 5 days.

The return journey to Pokhara took ten hours, and as I've described before, it went as usual. I can only say that at one point it sounded like we had a flat tire on our bus, but we still drove for 2 more hours on the bumpy roads before the tire was changed. In Pokhara, we dropped off the huge sack of laundry and ordered a well-deserved pizza right away. Surprisingly, it was on a European level, and we silently finished it in about seven minutes. The next two days, we mainly had avocado toast, cappuccino, etc. at the juicery, and I had two more pizzas for myself🤫

My second chill day quickly turned into the next preparation day. Floor and Daan left early for Kathmandu as they are continuing their travels, and I sat down at the breakfast table in the hostel half asleep, where I immediately started chatting with three girls. One had just returned from the Everest region and was planning to start a small trek on her own the next day. The rest of us spontaneously joined her with the plan to split up if there were differences in pace or opinions. So the next day we set off on the 'Mardi Himal Trek'.