Samdo to Samagaun

September 4^th

Today will be a much easier day than yesterday.  We’re heading down the valley to Samagaun which will be a larger village.  This region is an historical place for Tibetan Buddhists because Samdo is only a 3 hour walk from the border.  Just above Samdo is a trading center where Nepali and Tibetans would barter for each other’s goods.  The bazaar is closed now because China has closed the border to Nepal over politics. 

It’s a mostly clear morning and we set off with sun on our faces.  

Along the trail we see many more signs of traditional Sherpa culture.  There are stupas, gompas, and lots of stone walls covered in mani prayer stones.  This place feels more like the Khumbu Valley which leads to Everest base camp. 

During a short rest break, we get our first glimpse of Manaslu.  It’s so high above us that it seems impossible to reach it.  After the initial “whoa” response, our excitement mounts for reaching base camp in a few days. 

An hour above Samagaun, we reach the spur trail that leads to Manaslu base camp.  We will be back this way in a couple of days and are excited to be getting so close.  We enter the village of Samagaun after an easy few hours of walking.  This is a much larger village than Samdo and probably the largest on our trek.  The normal Manaslu trekking route comes from this side of the pass but it’s dangerous at the end of the monsoon season because of landslides.  In a couple of weeks, the weather will be drier and the land above the trail safer for passage underneath.  This village and the others further down the valley will have more trekking visitors from mid-September through the end of October.

 

Our mule team has finished their efforts for the day and lounge in the “road” outside the teahouse hotel until their driver gathers them up for pasturing.