Goa, land of endless opportunities...

 Goa, land of endless opportunities where laziness prevails... 

Accessible throughout the entire coast, the sea provides diverse touristic attractions and food source for both locals and tourists

Sunset from Anjuna's cliffs

Anjuna Beach

 

Anjuna Beach

Fishermen cleaning their nets near Baga

Fish - Assagao market

Fishermen - Morjim (where the Chapora river meets the sea)

Cruise boats for crocodile and birds sightseeing - Morjim

Sunset and free artistic performances at Arambol Beach

INDIA - GOA - Fruits, food and more...

DELICIOUS SOUTH INDIAN FOOD

Mapusa Market

Fruits - Mapusa Market

Just outside of my bedroom door are found a great diversity of fruit-trees....

Jackfruit tree

Banana Tree

Chikoofruit Tree

Cashew nuts

I was also lucky enough to see the Coconut guy as it is said to be a specie at risk...

Look carefully, no harness, bare hands and feet, and solely equipped with a rope to keep his feet together. According to the owner of my Guest House only few people with such skills remain and they are difficult to find during the coconut season!

The Coconut guy, a specie at risk...

The Coconut guy, a specie at risk...

Spices – Anjuna's Market

 

Fresh Sugar Cane Juice

Barbequed corn anyone?

Every single street stand offers all sorts of fried goodies served in a PAV (bun) pronounced “pão” meaning bread in Portuguese ;)

 

One of my favorites, vegetarian and mostly gluten free!

 

Idli: spongy, round, fermented rice cake
Sambar: soupy lentil dish with cubed vegetables
Dosa: Large savoury crêpe made from rice flour folded and filled with a variety of vegetables and spices, simply DELECIOUS!

Uttapam: thick rice pancake cooked in a pan with a selection of topping similar to a pizza. Also pretty yummy!
Bhazi: ??
Thali: main dish of rice, dalh (lentil soup) and a few different chutneys (chickpeas and/or vegetables and spices)
 
And not to forget, the great variety of freshly pressed fruit juices and lassi made with curd (obtained by curdling / coagulating milk by adding lemon juice or vinegar.
 

Not all Indians are vegetarians and chicken, beef and goat are usually found on the menu lists and/or wandering the streets ;)

Goat crossing on Anjuna's main street

Thali's menu on the main street

Real strategic place for a Baskin & Robbin ice cream shop; opposite from the main street Bus Stop!

INDIA – UTTARAKHAND – Rishikesh

Welcome to Rishikesh, “Yoga Capital of the World”, and land of the countless ashrams, temples, and diverse inhabitants!

This image says it all about Rishikesh

Sacred wandering cows

View from the Lakshman Jhula (bridge) with our host Mr Rhesus Monkey

Let me introduce you to Mr The Common Hanuman Langur

 

Acquiring more in-death knowledge into the PATH of YOGA, and learning to teach the same

Learning from one of the masters ;)

Learning and sharing the newly acquired essentials

Beautiful closing ceremony

Beautiful closing ceremony

The Holy Ganges River, the famous and the infamous touristic attractions...

 

Holy Ganges River

Near Ram Jhula (bridge)

 

Temples, temples, temples...

One of the oldest and most famous Indian restaurant in Rishikesh

Chotiwala Restaurant. One can find the pink guy sitting on his chair every single day

!

 

Ruins of the famous Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram where the Beatles rocked up in the late 60s. It is said that the ashram closure was later forced by the government under the pressure of the citizens who did not approve foreigners behavior in this sacred region

Ruins of the famous Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram

Sunset in Lakshman Jhula

India's blurry line between past, present and future ...

Wise words defeating time and religious beliefs from any nation...

Annapurna Circuit - part 2

Although the trail led to Manang (3540m) I decided to finish the day in the quieter and picturesque village of Bragha / Bhraka (3470m).
 

What to do around Bragha...

On the way to Buddhist Monastery above Munchi

On the way to the Ice Lake

The alpine biome found between the river bed where Bragha (3540m) is found and up to the Ice Lake (4600m) is a tough place for plants to live. It’s windy, cold, and the sunlight at these high altitudes is very strong. Because of the harsh weather, most plants are small groundcover plants, which grow and reproduce slowly. When plants die the cold weather
makes it hard for them to decompose quickly reducing available nutrients for new growing plants...
 
Anyhow, my observation is that trampling and overgrazing by the numerous yaks and wood fuel used by shepherds is leaving a permanent footprint. Hopefully, the demand for yak jerky and cheese will not increase unreasonably in the near future, and as a result further deteriorating this fragile environment...
 

What is left of the vegetation on the way to the Ice Lake

Yakidiyak

Awakening of Manang

Difficult to get lost!

With the Pisang Peak Base Camp (4000m) and the Ice Lake (4600m) under my belt I felt acclimatized enough to set for Thorung La pass (5416m). From Bragha I hiked to the Thorung High Camp for the night. Another great day with very little traffic but nonetheless some interesting action.
 
Below the High Camp was a steep and slippery section of old frozen snow. Two porters ahead of me were desperately trying to haul a mountain bike wearing city shoes. For a few
seconds, the image of two young boys holding an expensive bike, and flying by me crossed my mind. This would certainly be the deadliest tobogganing of their life! I rapidly made my
way through the knee deep soft snow and grabbed the first boy by the wrist. I hauled both of them all the way to the High Camp.
 
I am aware that hiring porters and/or guides without intermediate might sound more profitable for both parties but I do wounder who ends up paying for the injured when incapable of working and/or the family when death occurs?

The following day was quite chaotic. It felt like climbing the Mont Blanc on the busiest European holiday! At least the suffering (waiting behind the endless queues) was not to long, and soon enough, I was enjoying the sun over the pass.
 

The proof that I made it!

 From Thorung La pass 1600m of steep descent to Muktinath (3800m) awaits every single trekker. The views are absolutely incredible!

Muktinath is both a dusty, far-west-like village, and an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists and Hindus alike. They come from all over India using the Naya Pul to Jomsom road or by flying to the Jomsom airport.
 

One bell per wish

 

View from Jhong village – on the way to Kagbeni (2840m)

From Kagbeni one can head towards the Mustang area or south towards Jomsom. The airport and road portion of Jomsom is also a major trail junction for routes to the Dhaulagiri and Dolpo regions. Let's be honest, Jomsom is not nice but hikers can find everything they need here.
 

Looking at the Mustang entry from Kagbeni

Towards Jomsom and Naya Pul

If time and energy remain, the trek from Jomsom to Naya Pul via the new trail settled up by ACAP (to avoid the road) is simply spectacular. Every single village has is own charm. The western-like environment transforms itself into luxurious and diverse vegetation, temperature rises and food prices drop.

 

Trekkers reaching Tatopani can take the time to recover while soaking in the nice Hot Springs. Further south, the Poon Hill sunset is also a must do. Simply set your alarm clock one hour before sunset and follow the crowds. 

The journey only finishes when back in Pockara after embarking a public bus in Naya Pul. Few hours later one can enjoy a nice diner at the Lake side Pokhara...

THE END ;)