Annapurna IX, Ngawal to Manang

Thursday, 24 April, 2025 We had no electricity last night and this morning. Forseeing this eventuality, all three of us are carrying external USB battery packs. Breakfast was ready for us at 7 am, as requested. I had a veggie, cheese, and mushroom omelette that was really good, but it didn't fill me up, so I also had an apple buckwheat pancake. I called Hotel Tilicho and reserved two rooms for tonight. This hotel, recommended by Joey, must be upscale as the room charge is 4,000 NPR per night (US $30). After breakfast, I chatted to one of the guides who was with the porters and the large tent set up in the courtyard. They're supporting a group of Spanish trekkers who were just finishing a two-week trek in one of the more remote areas. Their group comprised 8 Spanish guys, 2 guides, 10 porters, and 10 donkeys. There were two routes to Manang. It was just like going to Loch Lomond, a high road and a low road. The three of us started out following the high route. I made a short detour to a Stupa reached by climbing several flights of steps. I climbed the first flight of steps without any difficulty, but quickly ran out of steam. I really struggled to climb the remaining steps, and I'd left my backpack at the bottom. When we checked our vitals this morning, we were only acclimated to 6,050' and our SpO2 ranged between 85% and 88%. We need to get better acclimatized if we're to make it over the Thorong La Pass (17,700') without suffering. Ken looked worse than ever this morning, and he still has a hacking cough. He said he'd pay the bill for our stay, but he'd left his money in his room. When he got up to get his money, I noticed his passport lying on the bench where he'd been sitting. It had been in his pocket. He'd pulled the passport out with some tissues when he wanted to blow his nose. Almost a week earlier, he'd done the same thing with his phone, a Galaxy S25+. The phone landed face down on a rock and cracked the screen protector. Our bill was 8,950 NPR, including 500 for each room. Ken started out with us this morning to follow the high route, but once we'd descended to a valley floor near the village of Chulu, and he looked at the climb up the other side, he decided to take the easier path to Namang, just following the road. We arranged to meet at the clinic in Bhraka, about a half-hour walk before Manang. Ken made a good call as Patsy and I both struggled up the steep climb. Once on the plateau, however, it was fabulous. It was the best stretch of trail so far, winding through a sparse forest of stunted pines with a 180-degree view of snow-capped mountains. We didn’t see anyone else. After negotiating a balcony route, we descended to the village of Chorten and thence to the village of Bhrakha, where we met the Danish guy, Pierre, whom we'd previously met at the Jagat hot springs. He said he'd had a cup of tea with Ken. We were supposed to meet Ken at the "Health Post and Pharmacy", but he wasn't there. I picked up some drugs on his behalf and, again, we weren't charged. Ken's phone wasn't turned on, but we caught up with him on the climb up to Manang, where I harangued him for not going to the clinic. We checked into the hotel. OMG, it's fabulous! We have a kettle!, Himalayan black and green tea sachets, towels, soap, and shampoo!, hot and cold water, a western toilet, sink and shower en-suite, lots of working power outlets and WiFi, even electric blankets and a hair dryer. This is bliss. We've decided that what we like best is Himalayan scenery, and Nepali prices, with western amenities. Looking around the hotel, I found the group from Singapore in one of the dining rooms, along with the Italian girl, Eleanor, we'd met in Bahundanda seemingly eons ago. Eleanor's boyfriend was suffering from altitude sickness. She'd left him and was now hiking with another young Italian guy. Survival of the fittest! We went for a walk back down the road from whence we'd arrived and stopped at a bakery for very good cappuccinos and cakes. Then we went to a small store where I bought a bottle of wine (2,000 NPR) from the Manang Valley Winery that we'd passed several days ago. This was a semi-sweet apple wine made from some of the 60,000 apple trees that had been imported to this region from Italy. Back at the hotel, Ken lay down on his bed and, I think, almost immediately fell asleep. Luckily, his room is three rooms removed from ours, so we won't hear his coughing. Patsy and I took luxurious showers, and then I tried the apple wine, which was very good. Just the same as yesterday, the wind really picked up in the afternoon. It was blowing up a storm, so unlike this morning when it had been almost dead calm. I believe it's like this most days. You want to finish your hiking, if at all possible, by early afternoon. We three ate dinner with Joey, who'd arrived at this hotel yesterday. I had a Yak cheese burger, recommended by Joey, but tonight Joey had a Yak steak with mushroom brandy sauce.