It was a journey I was longing for. That I had not been to the Himalayas for long had created a big void in me. Being there, feeling the mountains, the thin air, witnessing the abundance, the vastness, mesmerizing valleys, inviting peaks, frozen streams, weathered ridges, those singing birds, the silent forests, beautiful wild blooms despite the frost, blue winter skies and the cold landscapes of the Mt Annapurna himalayan range, has brought me back to life. Here are some wider panoramas of the unreal landscapes I walked over for a few days.
(click on the images for a better view)
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| Farming lands of the village from where I started the journey |
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| View of the valley on the way to village on the southern side of Annapurna |
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| Sunrise at a village south of Annapurnas |
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| Beautiful grassy slopes on the way to the ridge |
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| Community lodge at 3315m with the backdrop of Mt Dhaulagiri and Mt Annapurna family |
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| Viewing the Mt Annapurna range on the way towards Annapurna Sanctuary |
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| Crossing the bridge across the beautiful stream on the way to a village at the base of Annapurna range |
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| School (on the right) and the temple (on the left) with the backdrop of Mt Dhaulagiri at the village |
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| Terrace farming at the beautiful little village on the way to the higher ridge |
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| A natural bridge across the stream just before climbing to the next village |
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| View of the ridge as we climb up from the village |
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| As I climbed up the ridge, the views of Mt Dhaulagiri and the valleys were mesmerizing |
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| Community lodge (3660 m) with the backdrop of Mt Dhaulagiri and Mt Annapurna range |
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| The valley view from the ridge |
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| The panoramic view of the entire Annapurna range from the ridge |
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| All ready to get painted with the hues of sunset |
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| Surreal landscape during the magical sunset |
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| Frozen valleys during my climb to the high altitude Baraha Tal / Khayer lake |
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| Baraha Tal / Khayer Lake (4700 m) right at the base of Mt Annapurna south |
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| Khayer temple, the frozen lake and the glacier at the base of Mt Annapurna South |
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| Climb to the Khayer lake was pretty intense and draining. The views around the glacier were surreal. |
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| At the midpoint to the lake, the views opens into a large valley with the tricky frozen river to cross. |
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| Got back from the lake just in time to witness this magical hues during the sunset on the ridge |
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| As I started descending from the ridge, green valleys started to appear |
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| Magical valley seen from the village |
Thank you!
Srikanth Parthasarathy
