Manang madnezz

SUNRISE FROM MY MANANG HOTEL, OVER MANASALU?
heya folks, writing you this very chilly afternooon from manang, a bit abv 11000 ft on the north side of the annapurna circuit. amazing to have internet connectivity up here, but i ain't complainin!
SOME VIEWS UV THE HIGH COUNTRY IN THIS AREA. THE SHOT JUST ABOVE IS LOOKING ACROSS THE MANANG VALLEY FROM BRAGA GOMPA..










A VIEW OF OLD TOWN MANANG, CLIMBING TWD THORUNG LA
been gettin more amazing each day, scenery, people, the whole deal. i'm taking 40-50 pics each day, gonna be tough to decide which ones to post when i get to a spot thats possible again. visited a 500+ yr old gompa (buddhist temple) today... one of those places that makes your skin crawl when you enter... perched on the side of a hill, snow capped peaks surrounding it, all hand carved, brightly painted mandalas and creatures i won't even begin to try and describe all around. krishna (my guide) and i both recieved a blessing from the guy that showed us around, adn a good luck thread to wear round our necks, and with the Thorung La (high point of the annapurna circuit, at a bit over 15,000 ft) coming up in a few days (christmas eve, in fact!), i'll take any good luck charms that come along! Had the chance to stay in a small lodge last night, watching the owner prepare our food over a wood fire, open air, with some bricks and such to form the stove top... was simply mindblowing.... felt like i was back 200? 300? 1000? yrs, doing things the old way, yak meat and bones hanging from the rafters over our heads, being smoke cured by the constantly burning wood fire (and it was a welcome source of heat, was around 25 F in my room!!). the food was amazing to boot- this place is otherworldly.... so much poverty, such a harsh environs, and yet, and yet...
until next time, folks-