Jomson, Annapurna Mountain Range (On 3-days of R&R)
Day two on our own expenses - just want to be sure it's clear we are on 3-days of R&R and covering all our own expenses.
WE MADE IT! We're in Jomson, which is a Himalayan village at 9,028ft on the Annapurna mountain range. It was a five hour jeep
ride from Tato Pani. Before leaving the hotel, Madhav took a dip in the hot springs, Jeff tried to join him but after walking to the
springs he forgot to bring $1.00 for the entrance so he came back and had breakfast. Rick took a walk to the river, climbed some
big rocks and enjoyed the view of the river crashing over the rocks. After an excellent Tibetan breakfast we hit the road.
We drove along a narrow bumpy road that followed the Black River. At times we were right alongside the river and other times
we crawled along 1,000 drop-offs as we passed between the valleys. We crossed small suspension bridges and one crossing
took us into the riverbed. It was harrowing - nail bighting - white knuckle - I don't know what metaphor fits best. This road
definitely is among the 10 most dangerous roads on the planet. The scenery outside our window is of the 3rd highest peak in
the world, snow covered. The village is Tibetan style and we will be eating Tibetan food but we haven't seen a yak yet. We just
checked into our hotel. Madhav continued on for another hour but Jeff, Rick and Cordella have had enough driving for today.
We are going to relax, shower, eat and explore the village. There's runway down the center of the village and we may think
about taking a 35minute flight back rather than 16 more hours in the jeep. I'm sure it would be a white knuckle plane ride with
spectacular views.
After a much needed break and a nice lunch we explored the village. It's pretty much one street with a few side streets that have
houses on them. There are a few small shops where we bought some souvenirs. We watched the school children get dropped
off by a big yellow bus, people watched mostly hikers from other countries, and we just enjoyed the scenery. It's a very quiet
place. As the sun started to set we returned to the hotel and just relaxed.