There were a few big changes in store for us when we arrived in Muktinath, the first village on the other side of the Thorung La pass. Firstly, there were the motorbikes bringing elderly people down from the temple. This was the first form of motorized transport I had seen in two weeks, and a sign of things to come. Then there were the 8-page menus with all kinds of new dishes. We were like kids in a sweet shop, having been used to two page menus with only the staples such as daal bhat (rice, lentil soup, veg and potatoes), momos (parcels of veg or meat, a little like ravioli), and a few foreign extras such as noodles, spaghetti and the odd basic pizza. We had also seen little meat, even when it was ordered, with the exception of chewing our way through the odd bit of yak. And it was also a good time for a celebratory beer or two, now that the self-imposed ban had been lifted because of the altitude.

Muktinath is a well-known holy place for both Hindus and Buddhists, and we found ourselves walking amongst a large crowd of pilgrims leaving the large temple complex as we arrived in town. Many were Indians; amongst them the trident-carrying sadhus and bare footed loincloth wearing holy men with painted faces. The temple marks the end of the Pilgrim Route, which means thousands of miles on foot for some people. This makes my two or three hundred miles seem like walk in the park.

But it hasn't been a walk in the park so far. We left Manang on a three-day detour to Tilicho Tal, which at 4920m is reported to be the highest lake in the world. It was a tough climb that took us past some interesting rock formations and above the snow line. We certainly noticed the air getting thinner and our legs moving more slowly at that altitude, and didn't hang around too long as it was very cold up there. The lake is often frozen, but at the moment it is a beautiful turquoise colour and in it are a few icebergs that have been shed by the glacier. But going up and coming back down again was a big help for acclimatization in readiness for the bigger one - the Thorung La pass.

At 5416m there was surprisingly little snow on Thorung La, even after fresh snow was dumped on the mountains about a week ago. The long line of trekkers heading up there at dawn was moving so slowly that it looked like they were walking on the moon. I'm sure I was doing the same though during the four hours it took us to get there from the settlement at 4540m. We certainly benefited from our extra acclimatization hikes, and other than the extra effort involved to breathe and to walk, we got to the pass without any problems, and the views of the Annapurna range were quite extensive. I think the weather was on our side too - it was a crisp, clear, wind free day.

This side of the pass is Mustang District, with its dusty roads and high winds; it is a very different environment. Many people, including Paddy are almost at the end of their trek now. The buses, jeeps and small aircraft are awaiting them in Jomsom to take them away and skip what used to be another week of walking until the road arrived. But I will continue, avoiding the road where I can, and hopefully even make it across to the Annapurna Sanctuary trial and on into the heart of the mountains.

Meeting Paddy was a big stroke of luck, and I hope I can find some more good company on the next leg of my journey. There are in fact more people here than usual because a small accident which closed Lukla airport for a few days (and some bad weather over there) has prevented people from getting to the Everest region, so they all came here instead.

Posted from Pokhara, November 11th 2010.