Slept this night in Letdar. A plan to hit the high camp was in order, et starting out earely we made hi camp by 10am. A few sick trekkers here and thus a bit of doctoring while at tea! The temp is near freezing, but it is clear and a perfect day to hit the pass. Our day went from 4200m to 5416m. The pass holds a small hut for tea and snacks. most of teh snack shacks along the way have the typical mars bar, snickers, or bounty candy bar. Pringle potatoe chips. COke, fanta, or sprite. ANd many types of teas. These being the best. We enjoyed the warm up tea while looking back and forward to the peaks around us and the valley below us. The start of our trek in the Kahli Gandaki valley to the deepest valley point in the world. From this prayer flag strewn location we descend to 3800m. with a bit of math you can see this was quite a day for the knees and the quads! GOod thing for a history of telemark skiing no matter how distant! Muktinath-or destination, contains a walled temple which is teh sight of a pilgrim retreat for Hindu and Budhists. Many temples, and the famous flame from rock and water are here. We leaned into a chorten to hear the rushing river below. 108 brass cowhead fountans fed by a loacl stream pour onto a long platform and will completely clean all of your sins-with icecicles hanging along the rail, i will keep my sins. A very ggod meal of tibetan fried bread, and dal bhat. A dog barking night, and some shopping-Walter is a favorite with the local ladies and quite the bargain shopper! Much weaving on the home m ade looms, some spinning. O
The new day of down a less than common path directed by the hopeful locals but not easily followed by our eyes-ended with crossing thru fields and past yaks, horses, goats, to drop down a river bank and Lo! an ammonite right there in the mud!! These are reported to be 24 million years old so quite a find. Heavy to cart but no trouble for Walter! So across the river in bare feet, a rickety old hewn log, and up to Dhong. In this tiny village we come to a memorable Gompa. 100's of Buddhas line the cased wall with flower offerings. The walls blackened by hundreds of years of incense and smoke fires are coverd with paintings, carvings, as well as teh ceiling. A ceremony was ataking place upstairs. Lovely harmonistic chanting.
The new night in Kagbeni. There are curious paintings and statues in this ancient village-animistic culture here. The elderly matron of this bhatti(hotel/home) passed on while we were here and the mourning wailing, crying, moaning ensued. Added to this the chanting and drumming and horn blowing of the monks who came to attend the 3 day ritual. This is a lovely town, clean for the most part. Several small rivers run through and around it as it sits on the bank of the Kahli Gandaki. IT is the entrance of the Mustang valley north to TIbet and forbidden without special entrance fees to tourism. Her we found the Yak DOnalds cafe and 7 eleven! They did have french fries. ALso, the homes are built above stables, around courtyard stockyards. In the mornings all of the goats and cows are let out to wander the streets or in the goats case, off to work as Walter sees it-off to hte higher fields for feeding. They all return at dusk. A bit of prodding here and there with sticks or rocks. Somehow they all know hwere to go! The chickens are in and out of houses all the time. Our lodge has a cat with wee kittens-we were happy to give up our warm milk! Walter did an early morning foray while i rested my knee from the hike down.
Not too sorry to leave the sorrowful house, we headed to Jomsom. Here teh airport and location of the arrival of many pilgrims on their way to Muktinath. Also arrivals and departures for the Jomsom trek. So- many new faces here. Hmmm-this "airport" is snuggled into a deep river valley with a single runway about as short as possible. The maybe 20 person planes, or mostly cargo planes which come in and out are subject to storng winds and thus fly only for a couple of hours in the mornng. They never turn off hteir engines-the folks hop out-new folks hop in as fast as they can and off they go. Our hike out of Jomsom brought us up to a high chorten on a hill overlooking Jomsom and we watched these flights come in and out abruptly-making several turns in the narrow space to wait for the right wind. Waving-;practicaly into the windows as they pass-I am VERY happy to be on foot! JOmsom was the location of teh crazed internet writings earlier! There was only one computer for everyone-we waited some 3 hours to get on and with the lineup-not much chance to look at what i was doing!
Back up on the hill-this was a great vantage point-looking back up the wide river valley. The winds pick up here in the afternoon and threaten to blow us off the trail at times. There is a road now from Beni-priimitive and potholed, mostly dirt or stone tracks, lots of little river crossings, so occaisional buses or tractors or motorbikes pass us. Not too many and as we start out ealry in the day we are mostly free from the harrassment.
We stopped into a l ocal museum. Much great cultural info. Many dried plants on display in great distress-brown and broken up-but nonetheless accounting for all that the locals use for eating, clothing, feeding livestock, medicine, etc. A carefully placed sign suggests the displays are poisoned to prevetn bugs so ask that we not eat them. One of the final labelled objects-Pellet of the Wild Ass!!
Divali festival has started and for three days brothers and sisters dance and sing in the evening to celebrate family harmony. Candles are lit in the windows. The children come from house to house with incense and plates for food or money.
Marpha(8760m) is considered by most as the cleanest village. They have a town council which will fine a family for any trash or debris in front of their home. Homes are lined side by side on the stone walkway. Reed brooms brush the dirt away. Ther are cans stating Please USe. Cliffs above with hand dug monk caves which apparently connect to multiple caverns and tunnels, all dug over 1000 years previously. Most monks use the GOmpas now.
The valley slowly narrows. We are weeing more waterfalls. It is getting warmer. Larjung(8366m) is the location of teh trail into the nortth ANnapurna base camp and the site of Herzogs base camp. We can see the ice field on Dauhligiri. Here, watching the pounding of garlic-we enjoyed the best ever garlic soup. My few Nepali words have gained us access to the kitchen. Thes dark enclosed low roofed rooms are smoky and dark. They contain a grinding stone bowl to grind flour form loacal wheat, barley, corn. Add a bit of water, some greens or spices, maybe cow or yak milk, and kneaded inot the dough for our bread or the wrappings for momos(pot stickers) or spring rolls. This is the reason for the long delays. Each meal is made up from scratch! Also, often they have to start the fire-wood or coal-rarley kerosene> SO we are patient with our meals and do our best not to eat off times for the fire issue.
On to Ghasa(6594m) thru more forests and along multiple clifs with great long weaterfalls. THis is a tilling season so we see many fields plowed by oxen and wooden ploughs. Also, drying foods on the rooftops once again. Threshing of wheat or barley. Corn, pumpkins, strange looking unknown vegetables also. We are getting back to fruit trees-besides the apples which are the main fruit in the higher altitudes and suppply the making of the local brandy. Bamboo also coming into view. ANd we are greete d in the morning by the singing of the ringign bu\gs. They look like an enormous bumbl;e bee inside a big case at their heads. they rattle theri back ends and it sounds like an outrageously l ooud bell.
Ok our next stop Tatopani and hot spring soaking. BUt I am done for this internet time. The sticky keyboard is driving me crazy! Much love to all! We are off to the sanctuary so likely no email again for a week or so.
