Sunday, September 29, 2013

Markha Valley 1: Yurutse to Markha

Yurutse is a 1-house "hamlet" situated beneath the 4700m Ganda La pass on the Markha Trek.  The good thing about a 1-house hamlet:  All the tourists have to stay there.  It was cold and foggy, so I spent the afternoon playing cards with some Frenchies, and there were plenty of friendly Germans milling about as well.

Going over the Ganda La was a slog.  With altitude issues, the best thing about reaching a pass: You get to go DOWN the other side! After the Ganda La, the landscape quickly became hot and desert-like.  As I walked through the canyon for hours, thirsty and with tired feet, I began to wonder why I'd flown thousands of miles and paid thousands of dollars to reach the great state of...Utah.

(Damn you, Sanjay! ;)

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