Day 90 - 30 October 2009: Day eight of Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Laurie doesn’t like crossing bridges. She doesn’t even like crossing small streams of water. I have had to escort her across many a dribble on this trek, although in the last few days I have left her to it, so that she conquers her petty fears.


However, she does not look forward to crossing the ‘rickety old bridge’. I reassure her that it is not a rickety old bridge, but a rickety ‘New Bridge’. Our map is nine years old, so perhaps they have now changed the name to ‘Newish Bridge’. There are no signs to confirm either way.
 
Physically I am doing quite well today, although I suspect my left knee will take a while to recover once we’re finished. We get a lot of downhill out of the way today, and I am glad for the rest when we stop at Pothana for the night, as my knees are always worse at the end of the day.

As we decide which lodge to stop at, we spot the girls from the ‘Encounter’ group, who have taken over one of the lodges. As I stop to chat to some of them, the one that I have been speaking to the most (tall pretty softly spoken brunette Aussie with a bob cut) comes out of the shower outhouse covering herself with a towel. This causes some blushing and some cheers from her friends. They are having a last night of trekking party in their lodge restaurant. I consider going to join, but don’t have the energy.

Across from the hostel, some of the locals have just completed (re-building?) a ferris wheel / swing. I am tempted to join them, but decide it is still very much in testing mode.

While waiting sipping a pre-emptive celebratory beer to mark the last trekking night, Pete and Pam walk by. They have come up for a day hike and are going back down. This re-assures me to know that the end can’t be very far, but also makes me feel a little pathetic for not being able to make it all the way today.




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