We walked all day to cover the 15km of distance and 1000m of altitude between Thorung Phedi and Manang. We stopped only for lunch and were exhausted by the time we finally reached Manang at 6pm that evening.
The view as we approach Manang (3550m).
After a visit to the doctor the next morning we proceeded to rest and recover in our hotel room in Manang. The doctor told us he thought that we hadn't suffered from any severe altitude related problems, just a nasty respiratory infection. He perscribed us a course of antibiotics and plenty of bed rest.
The next four days of recovery at our hotel wasn't half bad. This was the view from our window.
The view after a snowy night.
Our hotel had an exceptionally good restaurant and we enjoyed some fine meals of yak steak as well as yak burgers during our stay. The staff were very friendly and the atmosphere quite relaxing, and we were soon feeling much stronger and healthier. A recovery like this would have been impossible in the conditions at Thorung Phedi.
On our fourth day in Manang we decided to test our strength by doing a day hike to the so called 'Chongger Viewpoint' (~3850m).
The north face of Gangapurna was directly above us, with a glacier spilling down the mountain towards us.
Gangapurna 'Tal' (meaning 'lake').
Although this short day hike left us a little tired and winded, we felt we were ready to head back towards Thorung Phedi, for a second attempt at crossing the Thorung-La!
Looking back over the last few days in Manang we felt content with our decision to descend. The views were amazing, the food was excellent, and now we could attempt the pass the with renewed confidence and vigour.
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