Day 3 Manaslu trek
The next section to Jagat (1440m) is long and tiring with frequent river crossings via suspension bridges and what seems like thousands of steps. Our morning tea stop is in the delightful Tatopani which has a thermal water spout. The fields are now filled with maize. The villages are surrounded by cows, goats, ducks and chickens foraging in the undergrowth and marauding along the paths. Waterfalls cascade down the high cliffs into the river below.
Lunch was at another charming, newly built lodge in Dobhan. After lunch we pass through Yaru Bagar which was only 5km from the epicenter of the 2015 earthquake. The Budhi Gandaki river was uplifted, changing its course and destroying the path. This cut off access to the Larkya region for more than a year. A 195m cantilevered walkway now allows access for porters, mules and trekkers to Jagat.
Four hundred local people were involved in the construction project, which was completed in two months. Britain and Switzerland provided expertise and trained workers in drilling whilst hanging from a ropes. Now the Nepalese have the capacity to build cantilevered paths which are adaptable solutions for mountain environments. We finally arrived at Jagat as the sun was setting.
