Dispatch 4: Drive from Beni to Marpha

Nick and Jeremy in Galeshwar with locals at the monastery.

Today, we woke up in Beni at 4:00am and left our hotel at 4:30am. We were told that we needed to walk down the street to where the bus was waiting, however, after more than an hour of walking, the bus was nowhere to be found. We waited awhile and made friends in Galeshwar (pictured above) while the staff tried to find the bus, and finally, it arrived. The drive took seven hours and the route had two roadblocks that could only be passed during short intervals, so after the delays of the morning, we rushed to make it in time to get past before they closed the road. Fortunately, we managed to get by these obstructions and arrived in the late afternoon to Marpha (8760 ft/2670m). The wind picked up significantly, so we settled into our modest accommodations, ate lunch, and ventured into town to explore this charming town. We visited the local Buddhist monastery and were invited in by one of the monks. We returned to our hotel in the late evening, as it began to rain, had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, and went to sleep. Tomorrow, we plan on waking up at 7:00am, eating breakfast, and beginning our trek to Yak Kharka.