Chame – Pisang

As soon as you leave the lodge (S), you have to cross the Marsyanghi River to continue the climb along its left bank and explore this long valley. After the footbridge, you’ll come to the hot springs that are a delight to the villagers. A quick visit, then on to Thaleku.

(1) Continue westwards and slightly north-west to reach Bratang.

(2). Here, begin a long descent that ends at another footbridge. A relatively flat path leads to Dhikur Pokhari.

(3) Cross yet another footbridge and continue along a final stretch of path to reach Pisang and its lodge (E).

Pisang is divided into two parts: Lower Pisang and Upper Pisang, further up the hill. There, we visited the monastery, attended the service and received a blessing (for a fee in rupees), but this is for two good causes: our health first and foremost, and the upkeep of the monastery second (or the other way round).
Here, the altitude is starting to make itself felt (3,165 m), making the evenings much cooler.

Note: We met a couple from Montpellier who are travelling round the world (on a gap year). Having set off from Paris via Moscow by bus, then on to Beijing via the Trans-Siberian Railway and Mongolia, they are now trekking the Annapurna Circuit on foot. We’ll be travelling together as far as Muktinath. And if by any chance they happen to visit the site, I’ll pass on our best wishes from the group of 12 we met by chance in October 2009.