Professional football in the top two divisions in Spain is taking big steps toward resuming the season as players start to return to their clubs for individual training sessions.
After some clubs welcomed back their players at the end of last week and over the weekend, on Monday Real Madrid conducted their first official training session since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season in March.
As the video above shows, star players like Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, and Karim Benzema all took part in individual training sessions at Madrid's Valdebebas base. Manager Zinedine Zidane was also present, conducting the session behind a face mask.
La Liga is targeting June 12 to restart the season as Spain begins to emerge from one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe following the devastating effects of Covid-19 on the country.
According to the latest figures, there have been more than 268,000 total cases in Spain and more than 26,000 deaths, while over 177,000 people have made full recoveries.
When Real Madrid resume their league campaign, they will do so two points behind leaders and rivals Barcelona with 11 games of the season remaining.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
