The Guide
Peter Rai was our guide who was hired from Manebhanjan for the whole trip, even helped to carry a few extra pounds in exchange of few pounds (INR as we call it here). A jolly good fellow with all the enthusiasm and sense of humour one should have for such a trip.

Sneak Peek
As we walked through the windy roads snaking between the hills, we often had the opportunity to view a glimpse of the snow caps. Cold winds, fogs and changing weather meant we are getting close. As we were supposed to walk 14kms, it was never easy with all the stuff inside our rucksack. The road was a little tricky near Garibas and Kaiyakatta.

Potato farm
As we walked and walked for hours, we were greeted with fog, clouds and sunshine. Somewhere there was a green valley and a potato farm existed a few years back. Everyone moved away. Empty warehouses remain.

Stupas
A stupa (from Sanskrit: m., स्तूप, stūpa, Pāli: थुप, "thūpa", literally meaning "heap") is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship.Walking through the mountain roads in the Himalayas, we saw a lot of stupas and prayer flags.

Accidents do Happen
Twisting my ankle wasn't the best thing to experience so early in our trek. It hurt, but most importantly, it threated the entire trip to be cancelled.
Photo courtesy: Santanu Karar

Land Rovers
This is no luxurious Land Rover of the recent days. Some vintage vehicle dating back to World War II, and it ensures a bumpy ride. Still, they used to climb the steep tracks with ease being the only transport (year 2011). The drivers are cheerful, the seats are hard, and the engines roar as the 4-wheel drive climbs up to Sandakphu, leaving behind the trekkers with curious eyes.

Kalapokhri
Kala Pokhri (3186 m) is a small Himalayan village inside the Singalila National Park, where you may rest for a night, before you may finally climb to Sandakfu. I reached there with a twisted ankle, while the other two were soaked in rain. The wonderful people at the log house, which they proudly call 'Hotel Singalila', extended a warm welcome made us cheer.

The Monastery
The locals at Kalapokhri started building a monastery, which I believe, is still unfinished as I can find from various travel videos and blogs.

Nepal or India?
The trail moves along the Indo-Nepal border and you may cross the borders every now and then. The radio broadcasts of both countries can be enjoyed, yet mobile network was not too good. There are no restrictions in crossing the borders between India and Nepal, but the border security forces keep an eye from some distance I believe. 

Kalapokhri
Santanu Karar sat exhausted after a long trek in the morning, a rain-soaked afternoon and evening stroll in search of photographs. I got a twisted ankle, so skipped the last couple of kilometres and was lifted by a passing Land Rover that helped me to avoid the rain as well.

Sunset
We had a heavy shower an hour ago, cloud covers even moments ago. Now the sky cleared up, with cold winds blowing. Much like the English weather, the early monsoon in Singalila National Park changes every moment. We came out of the Trekkers' Hut after having momos and chocolates, wandering all over the place, took some snaps of the setting sun.

Buddha's footmark
Kalapokhri village is named after a local lake with dark waters. 'Pokhri' means 'lake' and 'Kala' means 'dark' in Nepali. That lake has a shape of a footprint on mud, and also believed by locals as Gautam Buddha's footprint. We can see the heel of the "footprint". Beyond the lake is something mysterious which we didn't have the time to discover.

Kalapokhri
He was quick to regain all his energy and start taking photographs. The light was dying quickly and no one wanted to lose the chance of grabbing whatever was left to shoot.

Night Club
Wow. Nightlife at Kalapokhri is amazing and never expected something like this. After the dinner, all sat in the kitchen, with some 'Chhaang' (Nectar of gods) which is a Tibetan/Sherpa alcoholic beverage. The owner of the 'Hotel Singalila' sang for us, and some of us joined him too. A couple of trekking teams, guides and locals joined after dinner.

The Land Lady
She was silent, yet kept an eye on all our needs. She cooked the food herself with the help of her niece and the food was delicious. They made a homemade sauce to be served with dumplings that kept us warm.