We met the school director this morning. He came by to show us their computer lab - about ten PC’s, one with an internet connection using a satellite dish and photovoltaic solar panels set up on the roof for power. It was very cool to see a school so far out there with a computer lab. We made a small donation.
Breakfast was cream of rice, pancakes, and eggs. We later found out that cream of rice would usually make an appearance at breakfast when Nima had made too much rice for the porters dal bhat the night before.
We heard from Ongchhu that our temporary porter wanted to quit three days earlier than planned. Not sure how that all resolved itself, but after we started hiking for a while, we saw him, still carrying a load. Maybe he negotiated a few more rupees…who knows.
We were still a half day ahead of schedule due to being able to drive past Beni on the first day, but eventually we were going to have to start covering more distance….we tried not to worry too much about it, but it was a little strange being on a trip where so much of it was completely out of our control.
The weather was hot this morning and it was a sweaty climb up to Muri. Becky was dealing with a bit of a stomach bug and had a low fever. At lunch today, the team got use of a house and Becky took some Aleve and some Nuun tablets in her water and took a nap inside. We’re both carrying Zythromax prescriptions, but were reluctant to start in with the heavy antibiotics at the first sign of some bug. Lunch today was surprisingly western, even for Nima’s usual standards of providing us with familiar food. We had hotdogs, cucumber salad, french fries, and a cheesy fried bread that Nima made from scratch.
As usual, by 1pm the clouds were building and the overcast weather was a welcome relief from the heat. Becky was feeling better after lunch and we put in a solid four hours of hiking that afternoon, which after our previous days of travelling in fits and starts, it was nice to feel like we covered some ground.
We met a couple guys from Annecy, France who were hiking the circuit unsupported. They had big packs and a grocery sack filled with ramen (what we assume was their limited resupply of food from the local markets along the way.) it would’ve been interesting to try it unsupported, but I think the language barrier and resupply challenges would not have been that much fun. Plus having Ongchhu along was a huge part of making this trip so much fun! Having an interpreter and someone that can tell us about the villages and local wildlife & foliage made it a much more complete experience.
This night’s camp was a nice change of pace from the previous two nights that had kids around. We camped in the Chhonbarden Gorge just past Naura in the grassy yard of a house occupied by two old ladies. They were very friendly and let Becky take their picture. They laughed when Becky showed them the image on the screen. No dogs barking tonight or other village noise - just the roaring rapids nearby. Tea time tonight brought a plate of Becky’s favorite cookies. After we’d had a couple, Becky walked the plate around to the team and they happily helped us polish them off. Ongchhu finally caved tonight to our incessant requests to help set up camp and he let us put our tent up. Maybe we’re finally wearing him down!
Dinner was fantastic - spaghetti with cheese and tomato sauce, mushroom pizza, okra, and pears for dessert.
Ongchhu mentioned to us that Sonam, one of the porters was getting a bit of a rash from his thighs rubbing together. I’d had a similar problem from long days & sweaty legs hiking the John Muir Trail, so I passed along my tube of antibiotic ointment and a fresh pair of boxer briefs. Poor Sonam looked a little embarrassed by it all, but the ointment and briefs did the trick!
...the next day
link to all the photos
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