38 Jhola – Askole Coffee was, as each morning, brought to my tent at around 07h00,
by which time it was light for a while already. Following breakfast, we
resumed our walk, feeling sad as our last day of trekking had arrived.
Our walk was an effortless six-hour walk beside the river and across
the snout of the Biafro Glacier until, at last, we saw the green fields
surrounding Askole.
The day was partly cloudy, and it had started raining when we
reached the campsite. All dived into their tents and stayed there until
supper was ready. A fun group of Russians arrived en route to climb
the Ogre, and the evening became a social one.
Askole – Shigar
From Askole another bone-jarring Jeep ride, along an extremely
narrow mountain road with hairpin bends and cliffs, took us to Shigar.
Shortly afterwards, a washed-away bridge made abandoning the Jeep
to walk across the fragile-looking bridge on foot. An extra 20-minute
walk brought us to a landslide area, a nerve-racking and slippery
walk up the mountain and down the other side to where a Jeep
awaited. Then, off to Shigar, where Mark and Alex were to overnight
at the Shigar Fort Hotel.
Seeing the hotel, I followed suit as it had been 14 days since our last
shower. As we’d been walking and sleeping in the same clothes, all
we could think of were hot showers and clean clothes. This 400-year-
old fort, restored and converted into a hotel, was the perfect place to
do it. So, we showered and showered; I must’ve stood there at least
half an hour, what luxury. Later, supper was at the hotel restaurant
before retiring to our immensely fancy rooms.