Thanks always for putting such great Journeys together for us. Fingers crossed that my knee recovers in time to signup for the Pygmy Elephant Dolomites trek next year.

It all starts at Pygmy Elephant! You guys always organize the BEST treks!

Many thanks for watching. Hope you get to go and enjoy this coast line, the food and the people

Thank you for watching, this hike was a good break from staying in shelters and huts. Take Care!

Thank you Eddie, the trip was lot's of fun, you picked some real winner hotels to stay at.

Thank you Lindley, a good choice for your Bucket List.

Hi Jeannette, I am out hiking with limited access. Thank you for watching and for your kind words. Give me a few days and I will be back in touch. More soon

Jeanette, I have circled around to the person who set up my Upper Mustang excursion. Her name is Mandipa Ltanishe did a wonderful job getting everything set up. Mandipa, the guide and porters met all expectations. I have see the trip done both in a clockwise and counter clockwise direction. I picked counter clockwise since we had the horses to do the tough uphill segments. Mandipa can be reached by email [email protected] Let me know if you have any questions. I just did the Manaslu Circuit with Raj, the guide I had for the Upper Mustang. He works for Icicles Adventures now. Both companies are outstanding. Remember safety is the key consideration when it comes to horses on sketchy trails so make sure you are comfortable with your pick matching you with the best horse and horseman, in other words, price is not the number one criteria.

@@wesleyrawlins That is very kind of you. Thanks so much

Thank you for watching and thank you for your service. When the M37 was delivered, I could not get it started so I had to push it into the garage. I felt like I was going to tear off the steering wheel to jockey into the bay. Quickly I knew the truck needed the after market power steering unit. The after market vacuum power brakes is also a game changer. You still have to plan ahead if you want to stop but it is so much better than just the standard drum brakes. Add in the new tires and it is a blast to drive as long is the speed limit is 40 MPH. Faster than that the gears are screaming. Take Care,

Neil, Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and for the suggestions on how to keep improving along the way. Glad you enjoyed watching. Stay Safe!

Indira, it was wonderful meeting you at the Farewell Dinner. Thank you again for all your kind words and all you did making this one of the best experiences I have had on the Trail.

Samip, I truly enjoyed the days on the trail with you and Tilak. I really appreciate you changing up your schedule to make it happen. Take Care

Samip I wish I could have done this trek to see you and Tilak! I hope you are doing well.

Lindley, thank you for watching and leaving a comment. Dar was a trooper doing the narration, she has a real knack for it

Thank you for watching Ian. The trip was from Sept 25 to Oct 5, 2022, FYI, I just got home from doing the Manaslu Circuit. I should have that video done in a week or two if you are interested. Happy Hiking

Many thanks will take a look , thanks again for the info @@wesleyrawlins

Hello Renee, Thank you for taking the time to share your kind comments and thoughts. I am a bit tardy getting back to you. I am just returning from hiking the Manaslu Circuit in Nepal. This trek has gotten very popular as there is very little road walking. FYI, The TMB is Darlene's favorite hike out of all the hikes we have done. I know you will enjoy it.

Hey Mark, Thank you for watching and for your kind comment. Unlike Tommy who was a "wrench turner", I am not. I paid MSeries Rebuild to do all the mechanical items that Tom did not get to before he passed. The M37 is MSeries' Rebuild Wheelhouse. They sell and/or install the kits for upgrading brake systems and power steering as well as fabricate many hard to get parts. FYI, they are out over two years doing Diesel Conversions. If you are looking for a deep dive into M37 upgrades, give Charles a call, I can assure you he will not hit bottom on anything to do with the M37 and the custom upgrades he provides. Visit his website as a reference point.

@@wesleyrawlins ok thanks for responding.

Could you shoot another more detailed video of all of your upgrades?

Mark, It took me a year to make the last video so I am not really enthusiastic to do another any time soon. Over the winter I plan on doing a video pulling off the oil pan and pulling the head. One of the pistons has a wrist pin noise that I want to address. Other than that, I have a full plate. Take care, best of luck with your M37.

Always nice to hear from you John..... Next up is the Manaslu Circuit in Nepal, leaving in two weeks. Dar had her knee replaced a few weeks after the Bhutan trip so she is not Mountain Ready quite yet. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the kind feedback.

@jah4him, thank you for taking the time to comment. Much appreciated. So few people get to have a steadfast friend for nearly 70 years. I believe this was the best thing I could do to remember him. Take care

Thanks Lindley. I finished the punch list I had put together a few weeks ago and wanted to start the video with a parade. Tom loved driving his jeep in parades so I wanted to underpinned getting the M37 on the road in a parade. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people still go to parades and how well received the truck was.

Thanks John for your continued support in the endeavors I undertake. I really appreciate it.

Dar and I really appreciate you watching and commenting on our wonderful trip to Bhutan. Bhutan holds a very special place in our hearts, take care

In deed it is and indeed they are. I am still in contact with Sonam, that says a lot. Take care vaiakaragianni9941

Pema, Thank you for your kind words. We are glad you took the time to watch and comment. We enjoyed Bhutan very much and hope others will consider visiting after seeing the video

Hey Andrew, Thank you for watching. We really appreciate your feedback. Dar goes in this week to have her total knee replacement. Good for her to stretch out one more hike on her bone-to-bone knee. We are looking forward to the Pygmy Elephant Iceland Hike you just added to the list of self-guided hikes. I saw you are hiking the Dolomites next week, lucky you. Take care

Thank you for watching. We had a lot of fun and learned so much about the people and culture. I hope you get to spend some time there.

Hi Kinley. Thank you for your kind comment. I see that the Bhutan Department of Tourism just announced three new SDF incentives to encourage long-stay visits. I hope that will encourage more people to come to Bhutan and enjoy all its riches.

Thank you for your kind words Andy, we had a blast, what a place

Hello and thank you for watching the video. Namibia is such a beautiful country and the "Drive and Stay" approach is the perfect itinerary. The Tour Operator we used is Audley Travel. They are headquartered out of London and Boston. We were very pleased with them. One of the leading indicators that illustrates just how good they were to us was their stability and consistency of service throughout the pandemic. The trip needed to postponed for two years as we waited for the country it reopen. Audley held the pricing constant which was great.

@Wesley Rawlins really appreciate your quick response 🙏

Hello Lucky, The Upper Mustang will not disappoint. I hope your knee hangs-in there for you. Remember, so and steady wins the day

Thank you. Im starting to plan mustang trip in July. Blessings to you

@@luckyt9094 Congratulations Lucky. I am very happy for you. Happy Hiking

Hey Joel, thank you for asking. Horses are commonplace on the trail although with the construction of the new road, the numbers of horses in the Kingdom have dwindled considerably. The horseman and his boss selected the horses best suited for each of us ensuring a good match. As for the reason we elected to ride vs our preferred hiking was underpinned by Dar recently undergoing major ankle surgery and I was recovering from knee replacement surgery. In short, this was a trip we planned and paid for pre-pandemic and pre-surgeries. The circumstances were simple, go on horses when we did or deal with year-to-year contract modifications and price increases. A final thought, we elected to pay for two porters, horses and horseman vs taking a jeep the entire trip knowing that our dollars were getting allocated where they provided the greatest good.

Teklu, thank you for watching the video. I am happy to share my thoughts about roads. Simply said, the roads were amazing. The allure of Namibia for us was the diversity and beauty of the landscape(s) and it was the roads that zipped it all together. It was truly wonderful seeing just how quickly and dramatically the surroundings changed around us. Given the mystery of not knowing what we might experience as we drove, we looked forward each time we headed out for the next destination. The majority of the roads we drove were dirt and it was astonishing how well groomed they were. We passed quite a few Graders hard at work doing maintenance. It was clear to us that Namibia is proud of their infricture and at the same time being cautious not to pave all the roads inviting more traffic. There were a few washboard areas but that just added to the adventure for us. We have done some Four Wheeling so we are cognizant of the dust, it just added to the ambiance. The road signs were very easy to follow. In short, we like not having pavement under the tires which made Namibia a good match for us.

@@wesleyrawlins Thank you so much for your encouraging feedback which I will tell to my colleagues; above all thank you so much for sharing the video of your interesting adventure. Well done! I also have a Toyota Hilux and sometimes take amateurish trip videos which you may check out on my channel. The Toyota Hilux normally has a little window (opening) on the roof or side of its rear section that needs to be kept open while driving on dusty roads to keep the dust out. Failure to do gives the hard lesson you got on minute 5:46 of your video 😀. Stay blessed 🙏🏽

Takuan, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. As I understand it, in 1980 the Upper Mustang was truly a Hidden Kingdom and was exactly as you describe. The relentless march of time has impacted the Kingdom, still it was a magnificent experience for us as we avoided the new road as much as possible. Once all the bridges are complete and traffic increases, I fear there will be further deterioration of this wonderful ancient culture. Bhutan, where we head next, has recently implemented a $500 per day, per person fee to visit. We will have to see if this "high cost" barrier is enough to slow the diesel fumes. Bhutan calls it a "High Value" tourism strategy that will balance revenue needs vs the impact on the country, perhaps Nepal should consider raising the 10 Day, $500 per person fee to accomplish the same. I call this approach the "Slow Dimes vs Fast Nickels" tourism strategy.

Carlene, you are wonderful to say so. We loved Namibia and the Drive and Stay Program. We wished we could have stayed longer and gone further South.

Glad you enjoyed it... Take Care!

Namaste, Thank you for watching the video. It is beautiful: the landscape, the people, the traditions and the culture. Darlene and I really appreciate you taking the time to let us know.

Thank you for taking the time to watch the video and then to comment. For sure is a wonderful place with wonderful people.

Yes, I have heard that in another comment. Thank you for your kind words, take care and Happy Hiking

🙌 🙌 🙌

The Pokhara crash made be very sad. I flew into Kathmandu two days after that crash and a month before the crash in Lukla, where the plane ran off the runway into the helicopter area. I am flying into Bhutan in April, the Paro runway is also very risky. I am willing to take the risk to visit these very special places. Thank you for watching, take care

Thank you Jeetman. I can not get enough of Nepal, this was my third visit. It gets better each time as I learn more about its people and traditions.

Thank you for watching..... Happy New Year

Amit, you made my day... thank you for your kind words. I hope you get to experience the Kingdom soon.

@@wesleyrawlins Hope well brother . I will experience this thrill once in my life 😊😊

Tsewang, there are so many beautiful places I would love to see.... I have not been to Ladakh India but will do a KZbin search, thank you for watching and the reference

Ganesh, it was such a privilege to be able to spend time in the Kingdom with its beautiful people and landscapes. Take Care!

Thank you for your kind words. The Upper Mustang adventure was one of our favorites. For us, half the enjoyment is doing the research and engineering the itinerary. It can take us months to get everything tweaked and a plan put together. With that said, we had a very narrow scope in the design of this trip. Dar and I both have dodgy knees and decided to have horses back-up hike. We also had a time crunch to consider as we were going to spend a week in Bhutan after doing the Upper Mustang. (Unfortunately, Bhutan had just reopened the week we started our Mustang Trek so we had to postpone the Bhutan leg to 2023). At any rate, we will not be much help fielding your question since the underpinnings of your trek will differ from ours. I can tell you, we enjoyed the trail from Chhusang to Tangge to Yara to Lo-Manthang. We did the loop in a counter clockwise direction since we wanted to avoid the first impression of the newly engineered road that scars the landscape. After watching your video, I would suggest you stay off the dusty road as much as possible so you will not be disappointed. The MapHouse just updated the Map for the Upper Mustang and from what I see has emphasized more of the trails than the previous map revealed. This will give you more options to stay off the road. Now if you are looking for another 18 day hike you might consider starting somewhere on the Annapurna Circuit and ending the hike with the Upper Mustang Leg. We met others that used the Upper Mustang as an extension to the Annapurna Circuit. My last suggestion is to contact Mark Whittaker, one of the authors of Mustang Paradise Found at [email protected]. I suspect he will not hit bottom on what to do. Happy Hiking

Nijal, Dar and I are thrilled you enjoyed the video. It was an amazing trip. We can only hope the Upper Mustang stays as is for a long time

Ganga, Thank you for watching the WHW video. Darlene twisted her knee in Scotland and that is why we had to ride horses in the Upper Mustang. Her knee recovery is coming along well. Happy New Year

Thank you for watching the video. It was a trip to remember