Today’s summary: we descended in one day what it took two days to ascend. As we were hiking down the valley today I started feeling a glowing sense of accomplishment the further we went because it was ALL down. It was at that point I realized exactly just how much “up” we had climbed the previous two days. Going up my glutes were cranky, coming down my knees were complaining but I made it intact despite some slippery slopes that had to navigated in the rain the last 30 minutes or so (more on that later).

Sunrise over the village.

Last night Prem suggested we get up a bit earlier this morning in order to watch the sun rise over the mountains. Since his suggested early time, around 6 am, was my normal waking time, I readily agreed. Besides it was certainly a great idea. It was definitely a chilly night; I suspect it was below freezing. Thus it was hard for me to climb out from under the combined warmth of my sleeping bag and two thick blankets but the lure of a spectacular sunrise motivated me. Putting on all my warm layers and packing the rest of my stuff,  I joined Prem outside and we walked a bit away from the village to find a good vantage point for pictures. It was cold, but the sky was clear and the scene that unfolded was worth the effort. As the sun came over the top of the mountains at the eastern end of the valley, the morning rays hit the peaks further west lighting up their tops into a dazzling pristine white halo. The shadows below were slowly chased away as the sun rose further in the sky and soon the whole range was revealed in its glory. Definitely worth standing uncomfortably in the cold for a bit of time.

After exhausting the photo opportunities we headed back to the tea house for breakfast. The stove in the kitchen was the only one operating so we sat on some benches in the corner, out of the way, while our hostess made us breakfast. This was great for me. I had been wanting to see how the kitchen functioned. In the center of the large room was a giant iron, wood-burning, stove with several places to place pots, pans and kettles on top. It was massive and I had to ask how in the world they had gotten it up the valley. I could not imagine either a human, pony, or ox even, being able to cart that up the path that we had just hiked. I was right- the stove had been delivered by helicopter. After placing my order, fried potatoes and eggs, it was interesting to watch how she managed the logistics of cooking. She also had to produce a chocolate pancake (I had one the previous evening, it was good!) and then she made some Tibetan bread, which seems to be a relative of Indian naan. One thing I noticed both this morning and at other tea houses is that pressure cookers are ubiquitous. Even though there was kind of a sink in the kitchen, the dishes were taken outside to the washing area for cleaning. The outdoor washing area, which was a squared off cement area fed by a steady stream of water (coming from somewhere) delivered by a small diameter rubber hose, was also used for laundry. As we have been hiking I have seen these black rubber hoses running all over the place.

An example of a Nepali tea house kitchen. Note the big heavy stove.

We set off after breakfast. The sun was fully risen in the valley and with a clear sky there were some more great, last minute photos to capture of the surrounding peaks, including the two glaciers. As I have already described the scenery I encountered on the way up and it is the same scenery we passed today, I would like to take some time, instead, to describe the rhythm of life I have been observing.

As previously mentioned the path we trekked up the valley is the major highway for the inhabitants as well as a popular hiking path for tourists and visitors. Early in the morning groups of men (mainly) set out either with baskets or with a string of ponies, moving either up or down the valley. Their attire and foot ware varies greatly. It never ceases to amaze me to see people hauling large loads, or even walking briskly along, in flip flops or sandals. Yet I have seen it over and over again, here, in Peru and in Tanzania. Boy, do I have wimpy feet! As a matter of fact, as I was hiking down the trail today, I composed an ode to my boots, which are simply spectacular. I will share it:

My boots are lovely, old, and worn
But still faithfully my weight is born
Up and down, and all around
Together the adventures we have found.

In snow and rain and rough terrain too
Nothing has conquered this faithful shoe
Together we have much to see
As we travel the world happily!

But back to the highway. The loads that move around on the “highway” are varied although there is a very noticeable quantity of construction materials moving through. Cement mix, wire, rebar, plywood, and even large 2×4 wood beams. The two poor souls we passed carrying what had to be an extremely and certainly awkward load of wood beams were bent double as they moved up the path. Incredible. The pony strings are many and along the trail, up and down the valley, we passed temporary shelters where the herder, with the ponies, spends the night from time to time, depending on the timing of their journey and the weather. It must be frustrating for them to constantly have to watch out for the tourists. So a better part of the day for a lot of people is fetching and carrying.

Several young men were carrying this plywood across a field and up a steep slope to a construction site. Looked incredibly awkward!

Can you imagine walking uphill for hours with something this size and about your own body weight? Yikes!

A pony pack taking a break at one of the many temporary shelters dotting the “highway”.

As I have previously mentioned there is a ton of construction going on all over the place and that seems to be how many of the men, who are not transporting stuff, spend their time. The women tend to the tea houses, cooking the meals, cleaning and also doing laundry. I saw many women squatting in the outdoor washing area, hand washing clothing. The water is ice cold so it has to be uncomfortable!

There are kids of all ages running around everywhere playing and getting drafted to help the adults from time to time. I have not yet figured out the school situation, but they do have to go. Interestingly enough, almost everyone has a cell phone and they are used to watch movies or listen to music, typically of Bollywood origin. Power in the valley has its source in hydroelectric and there are distribution lines running along the path. Many tea houses and homes have a solar powered water heater to heat water that is mainly used for showers. The animals, mainly yaks, but some ponies and horses, roam free in the surrounding hills and are gathered when needed.

The washing area, for both dishes and clothes.

Overall it seems to be an interesting mix of modern and traditional.

Back to the hike down. There were tons of people on the trail again today, both going up and going down. Nonetheless we set and were able to maintain a pretty good pace. Even though the sun was out, it was cold and I did not shed my down jacket for quite some time. Even then I replaced it with my rain jacket to use as a wind breaker because the breeze blowing down the valley was quite nippy. About the only eventful thing that happened before stopping for lunch was that we passed a dead yak right on the trail. We ran into some children playing shortly thereafter and Prem informed the about the yak. They immediately raced up the path to take a look. We heard one coming back yelling for her mother, so the yak likely belonged to them. It is unfortunate because a yak is a major family asset.

What a typical tea house looks like.

I was actually hungry at lunch (my appetite keeps coming and going) and sticking to the spirit of experimentation I ordered vegetable chowmein. Most of the food focuses on the starch family, which is good I guess since the constant climbing up and down consumes lots of energy. I do have to say I am looking forward to my next meeting with a green vegetable (of any kind!). I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, when the chowmein showed up with bits of green stuff it- cabbage, celery, and I think some spinach. This was enough to give me a temporary fix.  The portions here are huge and most of the time I cannot eat all of it, but not today. I ate the whole plate. As we set off after lunch the clouds were starting to roll in. This has been a trend, sun in the morning and clouds in the afternoon.

Veggie chowmein. One of the more tasty dishes I tried. Also had GREEN stuff in it!

Today, unfortunately, after about two or so hours hiking after lunch, our luck ran out because the clouds brought with them rain. Out came the rain jacket and the poncho. It was not raining super hard so I did not take the time to put on my rain pants. And besides Prem said we were almost there. (Note: guides say this a lot, I have noticed, mainly, I think to keep their clients upbeat and moving.) After about 30 minutes, walking carefully down the slippery and uneven rock steps, we arrived. This tea house seems to be fairly crowded tonight. I can tell because we are all in the dining room, surrounding the wood burning stove, to get warm and dry. I am happy to report that it started raining harder after we arrived so I can look out the window with pleasure because I am inside.

Just some typical scenery to close out this post.