Shivalaya has a tenuous road connection to the rest of Nepal and this morning at 5:30am I was woken by the honking of the once daily rattletrap announcing its departure. 

I’m afraid I’ll be going the other way though. After some tea and a porridge I start to make my way to Deurali at the top of the first pass of the trek. It’s unrelentingly steep but I settle in to a good pace and steadily wind my way up for the next three hours through fields and forests. 

Eventually I reach the top and after a cup of tea to celebrate it’s downhill to lose most of the altitude I gained earlier. The scenery is gorgeous as ever. 

And eventually I make it to Bhandar my destination for today and although this village was badly damaged in the earthquake a lodge is up and running again.