Morys Musing

As mentioned previously, Everest was not to be. The alternative location was to do the GHT trek in Langtang combining it with the Gosainkund and Helambu treks. Langtang National Park is located north of Kathmandu and is definitely not as popular as Annapurna or Everest due to its more remote location and less-developed services. To get there we would take a 4×4 and drive 146 km to the village of Dhunche, 1960 m. A 4×4 was definitely required. The road initially started off paved and climbed incessantly until you reached a very rough gravel road which eventually delivered you to the aforementioned village. It was definitely more remote and there were lovely villages along the initial stretch of road. We stopped along the way at Trisuli and I had a little fun with the camera taking some art filter pictures which I have included in this post.  The rough stretch of road was at times frightening with precipitous drops, no guard rails and no retaining walls for the dirt road. In several sections large amounts of water were crossing the road which certainly did nothing for its stability. At one point I looked down on a particularly steep section of road and saw these skeletal remains of a bus lying on the side of the mountain. I must say this did nothing for my confidence on this road. Having said that, our driver was superb and very careful.

We arrived relatively late in Dhunche and the first thing I noticed was the almost complete absence of tourists unlike Annapurna. The guesthouse only had six other guests and was very quiet. This was the only guesthouse where I received relatively poor food service. All of the other guesthouses were excellent. The next day we would be starting the Langtang trek and I wondered if I would enjoy it after the disappointment of not traveling to Everest. Read on to find out how it went.