Lunch stop (day 1)

Just before lunch we stopped to see out first ruin: from high above it we could see the signature terraces as well as the watchtower overlooking them.

From here, the descent was steep to lunch...seemingly counterproductive given the effort of the morning's climb. The arrival at lunch was, however, phenomenal. Our group is 13 people, for which we have a team of 22 porters and 2 guides. The porters ran - literally ran - ahead of us, each carrying around 25kg. This includes our own duffle bags, as well as group kit. For lunch, they had a full military operation - a dining tent laid out with tableclothed tables and cutlery over which they served us an amazing three course meal.

Mercifully, while all this was going on, the rain broke and we emerged from lunch rather heavier but drier, and ready to tackle an apparently more challenging afternoon.Read more