Gwaldom was a sleepy small town straddling a ridge with amazing views of Nanda Devi and other high Himalayan peaks. An early start, we slipped out of the the town passing a couple of chai stalls and headed down the hill into the Sarju river valley. The glowing red sun was rising above the distant mountains, making the snowy peaks sparkle. There was silence in the valley, just the singing from the temple could be heard as we free wheeled down the hill in the dim orange light.

It was very cold and we went downhill for 25 miles, which absolutely froze us. In contrast to the Pindar the Sarju valley was a lot tamer. Wider and cultivated, neat terracing every where, interspersed by small farms. Pine forest covered much of the higher slopes.

The second half of the day was a long climb of 4000 feet through extensive terracing and pine forest, stopping for chai and food at villages, up to Chaukori.

We are making good progress towards Nepal now, getting fitter, and we maybe only have 3 more days to the border.