After yesterdays adventure we treated ourselves to a sleep in, with the alarm not going off until 8 AM!! We knew we had a super short day ahead of us to get up to Dharamasala, but the altitude was now no joke. Still, it was lower than yesterday so we figured it couldn’t be too bad? 

It was a blue sky morning and we slightly regretted not getting up earlier, as that really is the key to the best views. We were on the trail by about 9:30, following the trail from yesterday through Larke Bazar and finally saying goodbye to the Budhi Gandaki River!! We’ve been following this river since day one, and although we’re still following a tributary, it was a strange feeling!! From Larke Bazar it felt like a pretty constant uphill battle. Packs felt heavy, legs were tired and the altitude rudely seemed much harder then yesterday! It was less than three hours though, so not much to complain about really. 

Earlier in the trip we nearly thought we weren’t going to be able to stay in Dharamshala, as someone had told Mayla it was closed for the season. We were so pleased that it was open and we didn’t have to do the push to the pass in one day from Samdo! The accommodation here was basic but totally adequate, and we were joined by the first other foreigners we had seen on this trip, a couple from France and Switzerland. No one (including us) was very chatty though, we all just felt like resting. There was still lots of sun so we sat outside and forced down some cheese and tuna spaghetti. Eating anything at this elevation isn’t really the most appealing, but we knew the carbs would help us tomorrow! We spent the rest of the afternoon lying in the sun and reading - I’ve absolutely demolished the Fourth Wing series on this trip and I’m convinced we’re in perfect dragon territory. Josh went for a wash/swim in the river, and we both sat up on the moraine reading and  soaking everything in. 

Our room was one of many in a row in what seemed to be a prefabricated type building, but inside it was a stone floor, with wooden beds built on top of the stacked rocks. The mattress was comfortable so we weren’t complaining, and we would be getting up at 2:45 AM anyway. It was very basic (I won’t submit you to an explanation of the toilet), and up here there is no power either. 

We all had dinner together at 6:30 PM, and then we packed/sorted our stuff for the morning and got tucked up. We both read for a bit before trying our best to get an early night.