Jomsom

Jomsom, Mustang, Nepal (2710m)

I'm 8 days in, and around 2/3 of the way around the Annapurna circuit. It has been an amazing hike so far. The terrain and climates are so rich and varied. The beginning of the trek is in semi-jungle, with banana trees, big lizards, and other tropical critters. As I climbed higher, I passed through a walnut forest, then into pine and fir, and then alpine meadows. Yesterday I crossed the Thorong-La (5416m,) the highest point on the trek. There was a lot of snow, which made things slippery (and therefore very interesting) on the way down. I had some spectacular spills! Mustang (the area that I'm in) is very arid and empty. It's like walking on Mars. I had a run-in with the Maoist revolutionaries of nepal on my second day of hiking... we had a very interesting chat....
... more when I get to a less expensive internet access point!