Oct 18 Bimtang to Dharapani. Manaslu circuit trek, Nepal.

I woke early so I had a look around and watched the sun shine its light on the mountains. This was my last day on the Manaslu circuit, and it was time to take on a new guide and say goodbye to Walter and Elena.
After coming back from my walk, I had a peek in the kitchen. It is a very neat arrangement, with the standard central open fire in  a steel box with a steel plate to cook on. Most kitchens I've seen were kept clean, so far I have not caught anything to make me ill.
 
Last night was quite a social occasion. There were mountaineering groups and some who have ventured for a short side trip from the Annapurna circuit. Chatting to some fellow travellers, I've added to my bucket list a mountain bike trip from Leh to Manali, I will soon need a bigger bucket !

Manaslu from this side was as pretty as it is from the other. Looking at those ridges, no wonder people perish attempting to climb it.

No wonder athletes train at high altitude. Coming down from 3700m was like adding a supercharger to your body. It was a sunny and warmish day with more great scenery.  
 
Before leaving we get our group photos, not much time left ! Hmm, maybe we'll just sit in the sun for a while longer.
We stopped for tea at a small house open for business. The others almost sailed past and I insisted that we break and provide some enterprise. We are all glad we did. I had another go at loading the porter's pack. They have very strong necks - I don't !
Stunning day, all one needs - fresh crisp alpine air, big mountains and a flowing
 river. It feels good with the ever increasing strength gained by descending. The temptation got the better of me, it was time for a  dip in the river.
The others, somewhat more coy, had a rinse in a side stream.
Lunch at Kota, we met up with other travellers doing the side trip to Bimtang from Dharapani. A great way to spend your honeymoon.

The frequency and productivity of farms increase as the altitude diminishes.

A rare glimpse of monkeys, the second group I have seen on this trek.
The entry to a small town

The scenery varied as we progressed down the valley to Dharapani. Now there is more urbanisation with roads, bridges and denser settlements.  I hope that the building of roads does not progress further into the Manaslu circuit, however that hope is probably futile. Dharapani has the ugliness of urbanisation, noisy vehicles, dust and litter. Oh well, it won't be long before I can escape again.
It was a long day, arriving at 5pm, Walter and Elena didn't finish until 6:30 pm. Celebrating our parting of ways, Walter, Elena, Ga and Rajesh. Kshitiz, my new guide takes over with Anish continuing with the task of being porter. My guides and porters are pictured below.
Dharapani , a funky town cross roads to Annapurna circuit and Manaslu circuit.
Tourists must check in.
What did I say about roads ? If you are a prospective tourist, get over here now !
I didn't say much about the toilets, but this is how it is here and throughout Asia. Do not chuck your paper in the toilet, otherwise someone has to unblock it. I reckon it is cleaner in a lot of respects than western toilets as there is no contact with your bum and everyone elses on the seat. Just make sure of your aim and wash down afterwards !
 
Rajesh managed to squeeze another 17700 rupees out of me for entry to the Annapurna circuit (1300 x 13 days + 700 for transport) which I was annoyed about as I thought we were covered.  Even more annoying as this caused me to be running low on the dough: all of 7230 rupee.

You need to double check all costings and be very aware of what is deemed an extra. In a lot of ways I would have preferred to pay the wages and park fees accommodation and food separately. Anyway the overall cost is not huge by Australian standards, I guess about 28 ($33) Euro per day which is good since there were three of us being looked after by three people.

What were the costs ?
  • 4wd to Arughat 200
  • Guide 15 x 10
  • Porter 13 x 10 x 2 
  • Porter insurance 10 x 2
  • Expenses  10 x 33
total $46 per day for Manaslu trek.

On top of this are the trekking permits, a guide and minimum of two was required for Manaslu and Nar and Phu restricted areas.
  • Restricted area permit $US10 per day
  • Manaslu conservation area project permit $US30
  • Annapurna conservation area permit $US30
  • Nar and Phu was  $200 as I had to pay for 2 persons.
If you were able to manage the food and accommodation yourself, it gets more expensive as you get closer to Larkya La.
  • eggs 180 - 220
  • Muesli 200 - 320
  • Dhal Blat 300 - 550 
  • other mains 250 - 500
  • Soup 150 - 250
  • Ginger tea 200 - 300 for a thermos
  • Accommodation 200 - 750
The range per day would be 1500 to 2700 rupees , so you could save around $14 per day or more. However there is more to it, Rajesh did a lot of organising and running around. Anyone who has done this thing will understand the stress of getting it all right.
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