Perhaps the smallest plane I've yet been in 
Farewell, Kathmandu! 
The beautiful lake at Pokhara, in the off-season
After the first burst of climbing, the valley following us up
Not much to see at Pothana ... 
... except rain-bejeweled spider webs 
Long-tailed ferns on a rainy forest trail
Landslide-devastated trail 
At Landruk, the rain stops and some mountain shapes emerge 
A trekking map shows the sights and trails
Down through rice terraces toward the other side of the valley 
The rain-swollen Modi Khola river
The view back to Landruk from the other side 
A rainbow in the valley below! 
Typical Gurung houses of Ghandruk 
Annapurna starts to show itself (look up!) 
Annapurna South garlanded in sunset clouds
In the last light of day, the Fishtail appears (on the right)
Annapurna South detail and Fishtail closeup the next morning 
Back at river level again, a little shrine to Shiva
Shrine to goddess of the mountain as we hit a "motorable road" 
Pokhara and its lake out the car window
The view east on the lake, and west 
Am I sorry the Jomsom-Muktinath itinerary didn't work out? On balance - no. While culturally fascinating, the high desert terrain is apparently similar to what we'll encounter on the way to Mount Kailash. I might never have known the steep forest trails, lush greens, tiny villages and near-vertical rice terraces - not to mention the leeches!