I was a bit nervous about today as the guide books talked about two paths-one spectacular and desperately difficult. The other was described as a walk along a highway with little to recommend it. In the dorm with me was Carmen, a woman a little younger than me also travelling alone . We talked it over and left together in the dark …to take the more conservative route. Although it was on hard surface there was hardly any traffic and a protected designated path allowed us to relax. Our main complaint was cold as the sun did not penetrate the valley floor where we were walking until 11 am! I used an extra pair of socks as mitts

It was pleasant to hear the stream beside us and to talk some muddled up language together. It was also a wonder of engineering to see the fly-over highway that allowed us to walk in relative quiet.

The villages were pretty, the terrain was mercifully flat and I arrived early at my albergue which appears to be run by Buddhists. The best thing is that I have managed to book a horse ride over the worst of the mountain ahead. Imagine climbing in 9 km 100’s of meters in altitude. The horse can do it!