…continuing up Rhotang and over

It rained cats and dogs for over 12 solid hours. Things were looking bleak and cabin fever had definetly set in as we bunkered down in a quagmire of damp sleeping bags and clothes, staring blankly at each other after every game in the book had been exhausted.The pass was once again closed, the tempremental landslide a few kilometres up was playing up again. We would simply have to wait and see. Another night at Marhi. Morning broke to the patter of more rain on the tent, it couldnt have been bleaker. By 9am the clouds were lifting and the road workers were on their way up to do some clearing. This was our gap!

Cath negotiating her way through the muddy sections, at least we were moving

Stuck in the mud

Once we'd summited the clouds lifted and we enjoyed the fabulous descent down the other side into Lahual. Sprinklings of high altitude flowers and grassy slopes on all sides.

20ks of pure downhill interspersed by an odd landslide here and there.

My dog named Marhi. She had followed up some cyclists all the way from Manali to Marhi and continued up the pass after them. I met her at the top of Rhotang and congratuled her with a packet of biscuits. She followed us down the other side, cleverly taking short-cuts across the switchbacks. She was always faster and waited for me. Here she is taking a break with us at Gramphoo. I was glad/sad that we lost her, as I couldnt imagine how she would be able to run another 40k to Keylong. The anonymus dogs of the himalayas are source of inspiration to me.

Taking a break at Khoksar, the police checkpoint. I was happy to meet some Nepali moms and babes and to speak the lingo.

Little Himalayan girl

We followed the Chandra river all the way to Tandi, the confluence of the Chandra and Bhagga rivers that encircle Lahaul. Sheep herders are often seen along the main drag taking their flocks to higher grazing pastures.

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