Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Annapurna Circuit Part 3 (Thorung Phedi - Thorung La - Muktinath/Ranipauwa)






~~~~~ Day 11 ~~~~~


Trekking Day 09



Thorung Phedi - Thorung La - Muktinath/Ranipauwa


Trekking Information
Trekking Time Today: 7 1/4 Hours
~ Thorung Phedi (4450m) - Thorung La (5416m): 210 Minutes
~ Thorung La (5416m) - Ranipauwa (3700m): 220 Minutes



New friends heading up Thorung La pass together
From left: Me, Sylvia and Peter (Netherlands), Mark (Ireland) and Paola (Italy)



And of cos Jose (Spain) who I have met a few times already along the Annapurna Circuit =)


Starting the climb towards High Camp in the morning mist


Almost at cloud level


Mini ice glacier


Reaching High Camp


And looking down towards High Camp


Most parts of trekking routes are quite obvious


Yakawa Kang (6482m) appearing in the mist




And also Thorung Ri (6144m)


Jose having a pose while putting on more gloves


Mark and Paola on a small wooden bridge


Trekking between snow-covered slopes


Getting closer to Thorung Ri


Great view of Putrun Himal (6465m) and Genjang (6111m) as clouds subsided




Putrun Himal, Genjang and Chulu West under the blazing sun


Surrounded by mountains!


Teahouse near Thorung Ri


Clouds come and go


Good views of Syagang (6026m) and Thorung Ri (6144m)




Looking back at the great panorama of Putrun Himal, Genjang and Chulu West






Feels great to be up here!


Almost as high as the mountains!




You can even see Annapurna II, Annapurna IV, Annapurna III in the distance


Me and Mark feeling absolutely euphoric


Chased by an avalanche?


Trails between snows and ices




Close up view of Thorung Ri


And Yakawa Kang


Finally stretch to Thorung La pass!


You can finally see prayer flags in the distance!


Finally, reaching Thorung La! I was already tearing with joy =)


Top of Thorung La pass, marked with prayer flags




New height achieved in my life, 5416m!


A little teahouse on top of Thorung La pass for the tired and cold trekkers


Thorung Ri thru prayer flags


Looking towards Muktinath




Israelis trekkers dancing with joy


Not forgetting to take some pictures with my new friends




Last look at Thorung La pass and its teahouse


Long descend towards Muktinath


Good views of Thorong Ri and Khatung Kang from different angles




Good panorama view of mountains towards Muktinath




Close up view of another awesome eight thousander Dhaulagiri I (8167m), Tukuche (6920m) and Dhaulagiri II (7751m)


Admiring some wonderful sceneries


Dwarfed by mountains


Getting all airborne!


Long descent towards Muktinath and good view of the valleys




First settlements after Thorung La pass


Awesome landscape of Muktinath and towards Upper Mustang restricted area




Welcome to Muktinath!


Looking down onto Muktinath and Ranipauwa


A scared hill behind Muktinath with prayer flags leading up to the peak


Overview of Muktinath Temple complex beneath the hill


Reaching Muktinath proper thru its stone gateway


Little statues in walls of stone gateway


Entrance to Muktinath Temple complex, a holy pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists


Sangdo Gompa, which used to be residence of Muktinath Lamas


Shiva Parvati Mandir Temple surrounded by 4 smaller temples, each dedicated to Vishnu, Rama, Krishna and Ganesh


Vishnu Temple, central temple of the complex


108 brass water spouts behind Vishnu Temple


To bath under freezing water of all 108 spouts is said to bring salvation to Hindus


A serene feeling of isolation


Another peek at Upper Mustang landscape


A local weaving


A Tibetan Monastery in Ranipauwa





1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amazing! I remember the descent from the pass- just incredible views! Thanks so much for posting. Was there in 2001, now I'd like head back there a second time :)