We drive to Gorkha, the small township perched on a hillock, from where the history of modern Nepal was written. Gorkha was the kingdom of the Shahs until Prithivi Narayan Shah united the small principalities scattered across the Himalayas and created the kingdom of Nepal. From Gorkha we travel north on foot towards the dominion of Mt. Manaslu the eighth highest mountain in the world at 8156m. We trek upstream following the Buri-Gandaki River. The trek offers us a lot of time to acclimatise as we start from a very low elevation and slowly make our ascent. As we climb higher up the sub-tropical forests dramatically give way to high alpine pastures and arid landscape. You are greeted with an outstanding panorama of majestic mountains that straddle the Tibetan border with Mt. Manaslu as the crowning glory. The low lying areas of this region is inhabited by the Chettris and Bahuns of Aryan descent who are mainly Hindus and as we go higher we start to encounter people of mongoloid origin who practice Buddhism. Religion holds sway in the high Himalayas and its influence is evident in the daily lives of the local people. Prayer flags of myriad colours adorn the high passes calling upon the gods. Stone chortens dotted in the landscape give you the feel of the land and the people. En route we pass through several Buddhist monasteries that play a pivotal role in the community life of the locals here. We pass through the highest point of our journey at Larkay la at an altitude of 5,340m. Once across the pass we go down-hill winding through serene alpine forests and meadows till we join the main trail of the Annapurna circuit.