We woke again 45 minutes later to clear skies. The clouds had blown off the mountain pass and we were free to climb the hill. We were joined by our porter Dawa and a very faithful house dog who would have happily become our pet. The view of the mountains of Dhauligiri and Annapurna was much like that from other hills in the area, though a bit more foreshortened.
After breakfast we dropped rapidly and crossed the canyon to Tadapani following the route we had taken in late November. There was no way to avoid repeating this part of the route, which was the only path through this stretch, but after Tadapani we could turn onto a new path. This time, rather than going back uphill to the Annapurna Sanctuary, we dropped further to Ghandruk, the main village of the Gurung people of this area.
Ghandruk is a widely spread collection of huge guesthouses that serve all the people who come for a minimal 4-day trek from Pokhara to the mountain viewpoints. A giggling group from Hong Kong stayed next door on their first day on the trail. They were amazed we had been walking for almost a month.
